SNBF Finale!

Recap of my SNBF weekend...

This is a photo after my last cardio and leg workout on Wednesday.

I took Thursday and Friday before the show off. Go figure...I got a migraine on Thursday so all I could do is rest, eat, and rest.  Good thing I took off  :-P

Friday, now I could be productive.
Woke up and prepped all my tilapia, sweet potatoes and eggs for the next 48 hours.
Then took a quick trip out to whole foods to get my post comp Savida wine and Pound Cake!
Mmmmm carbs!

Then it was time to pack it up:
- sheets for the hotel
- flip flops for post tan
- AM/PM suits
- post comp outfit
- pajamas
- make up
- CD of posing music
- ipod
- laptop

The best tip I ever got as a competitior was to bring your own sheets and pillowcases to the hotel, you don't want your tan to rub off on the hotel sheets.

I checked in at the Wingate at 2:30PM unpacked consumed a meal and prepped my bed.

Then it was off to CAS for my 4:00 PM drug test/polygraph and 5:00 PM spray tan with Tropix Tans.
2 more meals and in bed by 9:00 PM. I always have a hard time sleeping the night before a show, you try not to roll around to much as not to rub off the tan and have to keep the room cold so I won't sweat it off.

5:00 AM getting started early. Get a fresh layer of make up on and try to decide what to do with my hair.

5:45 AM leaving the hotel to meet the team for 6:00AM breakfast
The worst thing I could see, blue and red flashing lights, red break lights, there is an accident and it is blocking all lanes of traffic, everyone is flowing into the shoulder lane. I am completely depleted and I am struggling to focus. A tractor trailer flipped :-( I did eventually get through it, our coach got caught in the craziness too, I finally make it a lil after 6:20AM.

Hmmmm pancake time!!! I have been waiting for this all week!

Always ready for the camera ;-)

Me and my friend Jovi impatiently waiting for pancakes. This is her 1st show!

Got half of our team in this shot, we are all super focused, on fooooood!

Yes I did eat 3 plates of food before I stepped on stage, sooo much foood!

7:30AM Then it is off to Collins Hill High school for pre-judging competitors meeting. We all get our numbers and our schedule for the morning. Schedule is flipped, bodybuilders are up 1st. Less carb up and pump time :-/

9:00 AM Stage time! I am getting my pump on as the men take the stage. I am oiled up, touched up, and suit is secured.  There are 3 of us in my division. I am bigger than the year before, just hoping I can bring the full package I need. Quarter turns, most muscular, and its over! All I can do is wait and hope now!

I meet up with my mom, sister, and husband, to watch my team mates in figure and bikini take the stage, we are all looking amazing.

11:30 AM Pre-Judging wraps up. I roll with my entourage back to the hotel for 2 more meals and rest.  Some competitors break there meal plan after pre-judging, but I stay strict, if there is a tie in pre-judging I want to have the edge during final judging.

3:30 PM last strict meal before the show.

4:30 PM off to the school for finale show!

6:00 PM final judging! At this point I lose track of time.  I am so excited back stage. Rocking my new gold suit, listening to the ipod, getting in the zone.

Me, Coach Andre', Coach Adele, and Cyronne our other female bodybuilder.

Time flies by! Before I know it, it's time! I perform a 60 second routine to Alexandra Sans "Mr.Saxobeat"! I felt it went great! I have so much fun performing :-) They hand out awards immediately after, 2nd place!

Cyronne and I rocking our bling!

Intermission- hehe, Jess brought cupcakes! Strawberry with cream cheese, I literally inhale it!

I meet up with my mom, sis, and husband post show.  They all say I look more defined than I had in the evening. I ran into one of the judges/coaches and he commented that I looked better than I had in previous shows.  The hubs stays with me to watch the 2nd half awards and pose downs.

2nd half, my girl Jovi sweeps Novice Figure! We have several girls place top 5 in Novice bikini, and our girl Kristina wins Novice Bikini. We did great as a team we always bring back lots of bling. Top 5 in every category I believe.

After all the fun, we meet with the judges. I always meet with at least 3 judges after the show. It is good to get several different perspectives. Thee feedback I got was that I was plenty lean, they enjoyed the performance, but I need more mass overall and need to define my abs. For some reason my abs went flat on stage this year, not sure what happened.  Talked with the coaches to give them the judges perspectives. We discuss a plan for carbing up and gaining more mass...next perspective show July!

Grabbed Anthony and met with Tashawn and Jovaghn to go grab dinner at Twisted Taco! Fiesta de Carbs! ;-)

Refueled, showered and refreshed, and off to bed!

It was a great night! A week off in Cancun and then back on the mass gain train ;-)

Health and Happiness

L

12 Weeks!

April 7th was my 2nd competition. It went great I placed 2nd in Open Women's bodybuilding!

I spoke with the judges and they told me to work on developing my back, my quads, and eat a whole lot of protein.

So for the past 13 weeks that's what I did. I went heavy in the gym, ate more protein than ever with the help of my coach Adele of @amorfitnut.  So now we are 12 weeks out from my next competition!

Sunday was my last cheat meal. I had a craving for fried buffalo chicken tofu from whole foods and mac and cheese, so I hit the buffet! I got the tofu, curried beef, mac and cheese, collards, squash, and pound cake. Whole foods makes the best pound cake! Nothing better than to read the ingredients list on a dessert and recognize all of them.

Oh yes, and a glass or 2 of Savida Sangria, I tasted this for the 1st time at the Friends of Dogwood Pavillion at the Dogwood Festival.  I have been hooked ever since.

Monday was the 1st day of the meal plan.  It actually has been a really great start so far. I was eating clean during the week and only engaging in cheat meals on the weekends. So getting back on the meal plan was not as huge a leap as last competition.

There are a few new items on the list.  Including Egg Beaters egg whites.  I usually just buy the bulk eggs at Kroger, but it does seem wasteful to toss out so many egg yolks.  So when I purchased what I though were just eggwhites I was surprised to see a list of at least 5 other ingredients including Xanthium Gum.  All I wanted were egg whites! Went back to the store today and got the 100% Egg Whites.

Other than that lil hiccup pretty much the usual as far as meal plan and grocery list.  Oh oh and I get grapefruit this year! 

This week at the SCW conference will be the real test of my will power.  I will be in workshops all weekend long, thankfully I have my 6-Pack system to keep me on track.

Really looking forward to the conference.  This will be my 3rd year attending, 2nd year as a staff assitant.    SCW is a great way to get ideas for fitness classes and training techniques and an incredible chance to meet other fitness professionals from the south east. Also, super affordable way to get your CEU's for most fitness agencies.

My husband plans to kidnap my laptop during the convention. But, I will have my Windows Phone for twitter updates throughout the conference. Be on the lookout for twitter updates!

Time to prep some food and hangout with the husband.

Health and Happiness,

L

1:2.75:6:12

Flashback to Saturday July 9th

1: the number of pounds away from my weightloss goal for the competition.

2.75 : the number of pull ups I accomplished, unassisted! Never in my life have I even done 1 and it has been my goal for the past year.  Next goal, 5!

6: the number of days left to competition day.  Already planning to compete again ... maybe in April.

12: the number of miles we (me, fiance, and fellow fitness blogger Tashawn) ran on the silver comet trail.  We are at about the halfway point for our marathon training.  Due date November 5th!

Keep pushing, hope you are on track to meet your goals as well,

Health and Happiness,

L

I Heart You Pavel

Enter the Kettle Bell

So I got it in my competitive lil brain of mine that this year I would enter my 1st bodybuilding competition, well I thought I had until February, but the workshop is in 4 weeks, January 29th, and I am not in any shape to be in a 2-piece let alone a 1-piece bathing suit for preliminary judging, nuh uh.  So I need something intense to kick my body into high gear with little time commitment.

So - enter the Kettle Bell - you lovely piece of iron that peaks my heart rate and attacks my back, legs, shoulders and abs.  Could you be my solution.  According to Pavel and recent ACE research on the caloric benefit of kettle bell training, you could be my secret weapon.  I was already planning to do this workout, but now I have an added incentive for sticking with it.

So for the next 4 weeks I will be conducting a workout from Pavel's "Enter the Kettle Bell" that combines swings (pull) and get ups (push) for hopefully a winning combination.  Pavel's philosophy is focus on form, keep it simple, keep it intense, and combine push and pull exercises to get an intense full body exercise.  The workout I'll be conquering the next 4 weeks is the 12 minute man makers and 5 minute get ups, 2 sets a week, 4 days, maximal intensity. 

So here's the workout plan:

Program: 12 minute MAN MAKERS
Frequency: 2 days a week
Intensity: complete as many swings as possible with good form, when form fails go into an active recovery exercise of jumping rope or jogging, then go back to swings
Time: 12 minutes, not including warm up stretches and cool down stretches
Type: Kettle Bell swings - a power and cardio PULL move that taxes the entire body: legs, low back, abs, shoulders, and upper back

(photos courtesy of acefitness.org pdf article on Kettle Bells, features the ACE version of 1 arm swing)

Program: 5 minute GET-UPS
Frequency: 2 days a week
Intensity: no more than 5 consecutive reps per side, take a break or move into partial get ups if form begins to suffer
Time: 5 minutes, not including warm up stretches and cool down stretches
Type: Kettle Bell Get-Ups - a strength and power PUSH move that taxes the core: low back, abdominal, upper back, and shoulders

(photo courtesy of acefitness.org pdf article on Kettle Bells, features ACE version of Half Get-Up)

Yesterday I completed my 12 minute Man Makers. It felt great during, I mean it was hard I was swinging away with a 25lb Bell but it felt good, I felt powerful, tapping into my inner amazonian woman.  Today, I felt like I worked hard, it woke up my hamstrings and inner thighs, my low back, and my upper back are all chanting Pavel's name as I strut around the office.  As long as I don't sit to long I am golden.  Tonight I try the Get-Ups, and I look forward to the challenge.

Health and Happiness

-L-