Hello Everyone-
This blog has a few items – back training video, hockey, and well a written blog update.
It is now 34 days until the Flex Pro in California. Up to this point things have been moving along nicely, and I have been having a good time with this prep.
It was earlier in the week, when I finalize realized that things are going to get a bit tougher.
I was reading my son a book –
And then we got to this page.
It was the first time I thought ‘other’ foods. Can you guess what in this picture made me realize that I am dieting?
Brown is now my favorite color
You guessed correctly – the chocolate.
For the first time in weeks, I said to myself – hmm I really want a piece of chocolate. I never would eat it normally but when you are in the throws of competition prep many things you would not normally eat look appetizing. Like when I am sitting at the hair dressers, and the magazine I am reading has a review on cereals – all I keep thinking is, “Mmmm that looks good”.
This week’s training – 2 upper, 2 lower, and 2 routine practices. The first routine practice was a great – I felt strong, and surprisingly this early in the prep not tired when doing it. However, yesterday I did my routine, and it was killer. I am humbled every time I return to these routine practices on how hard they are. No matter what other training you do to compliment the preparation of the routine, doing the routine is THE most difficult. I managed to run it full out twice, but wow, I could feel the blood pumping through my entire body afterwards. I considered an extra workout that day in order to spend more time with the family this weekend, but it just was not in me.
My regular training days always go well. Pushing hard and getting great lifts. My focus this time is to keep as much muscle as I can. I am trying something new. Dieting for longer this time. I tend to just do ‘short and sweet’ and be done with it. I am always on some sort of maintenance or below maintenance diet during the year as my body is my advertising for my job and it does matter (IMO). What I look like tells my clients and future clients that hey, I do care about what I look like, how I feel day to day, and can help guide you to achieve that as well.
My nutrition part has been what it is. I prep my food, and eat it. I don’t really worry much about variety; just eat what has been prepared. Yes, I do weigh my food. I have been doing this for so long that in the early stages of prep, I don’t weigh my food, but if things are not progressing, I go back to the scale to verify. I have encountered clients who don’t want to weigh their food. This is not just for those who prep for shows, but for everyone who does not seem to realize HOW MUCH they are eating. It matters.
This is what 30g of Allegro 4% cheese looks like.
Right now I am not hungry, but I can sense that it is coming. My mind has not been wandering too much about food, but it will come. Luckily over the next few weeks, I will be adding more work to my day, which will keep me uber busy.
Prep, work, blogging, videos, and home life – oh and my new hobby couponing, I really don’t have much time leftover. I don’t watch TV. I had a conversation with another competitor the other day, and her life is quite full like mine – except she has 5 kids, and I only have one. When you decide you want to do something you put yourself into it 100%. I have found that there are many individuals like this in the industry. We are very intense at times, and goal oriented people. When you are prepping for a show, or just dieting to get that look you really have to commit at that level.
I get up around 4 am (sometimes earlier) and got to bed around 8pm. I will have to stop doing this, and train myself to stay up later. A show in LA (west coast time) me on EST, and the Arnold event being at 7pm, I cannot have my internal clock tell me it is time to wind down for the day, when I have to be pumped and full of energy. I have to say though, that I am not tired during the day. Perhaps I am just excited to be in my life right now, and want to keep working. I love going to work everyday.
Here are this weeks pictures:
Front
Side
Back
Relaxed
Still have a ways to go but I will get there. I am oddly still very motivated to ‘do the diet’. Perhaps it was the time I took off since June to just relax and be myself. Not have to worry about timed nutrition, and if I got all my training in. There are times when I like to train just for ‘training’ sake, and not have to follow a program, and see if I am going to gain muscle. I have always enjoyed being in the gym, and never want to lose that motivation to train and lift weights. If I find myself lacking motivation to train, I listen, and take another day off from the gym. Even during contest prep. I used to beat my body up every prep and liked it, and was able to recover. Being older makes you train smarter and harder, not necessarily more frequent.
Here is my back and shoulder training day video, and some hockey to top it all off.
Talk soon,
A.
