Like I said in the title of this post, I have not COMPLETELY fallen off the deep end (i.e. lost my mind / had a major breakdown), but I've come pretty close. Competition prep is HARD. There is no denying that. It's hard mentally, it's hard physically, and it's hard on the people close to you.
Workout routine:
- Fasted cardio (on empty stomach) first thing in the morning every day for 35-45 minutes. I switch around between the stepmill, elliptical and treadmill to avoid boredom and injury.
- Weights: After work I hit the weight room for 45-60 minutes hitting various bodyparts with various intensities. Sometimes I do only 10-12 reps with heavier weight; sometimes I do 20 reps with less weight (particularly for glutes. Come on butt, perk up!)
- Weekends: I have not been taking breaks on weekends. In fact, I have been doing twice daily cardio sessions on Saturday and Sunday, plus a plyometric workout on Saturday.
- Supplements added: I am afraid of injuring myself and losing muscle mass from all this exercise combined with a low-carb, relatively low-calorie diet. So I added glutamine and BCAA supplements to my diet. They do seem to be helping; I feel like I SHOULD be more sore than I actually am. And, it hasn't been all that hard getting up at 4:40 AM for cardio. My body is now used to being awake that early.
DIET
This is definitely the hardest part for me. I don't mind exercising all day long, but when it comes to SAYING NO to that jar of peanut butter, especially at 11 PM when I'm practically sleepwalking, it takes every ounce of willpower I have.
My diet hasn't changed much from the last time I wrote about it. But I am following it more closely than I used to. A big part of success with the diet is preparation. Here's what that involves:
- Grocery store: I'm here a couple of times a week, stocking up on the same foods repeatedly. Cucumbers, asparagus, tilapia, salmon, 93% lean ground beef, chicken breasts, balsamic vinegar, vanilla extract (I put it on my baked asparagus!), eggs, grapefruit ... these are some of the "staple" items. I go through them pretty fast, but fortunately none of them are very expensive.
- My beloved cooler: I tote my cooler with my every day now (they have cute ones at Target, for those who need one), even on weekends. It just makes me feel better to be prepared. I get tired of rinsing my tupperware containers over and over, but as the saying goes, nothing that's worth having is easy.
- Eating out: This happens rarely, if ever, during my contest prep. I did have a nice dinner with my boyfriend last weekend and it was a bit of a cheat, but for my sanity, I really needed it. If I do have to eat out for some reason, I plan ahead: I eat a small meal beforehand at home, and at the restaurant I generally just order a salad with dressing on the side and most of the "fun stuff" (cheese, nuts, etc) removed.
TEAM BOMBSHELL
I am very excited to report that today I signed up to join TEAM BOMBSHELL!
Their website is located at http://www.bombshellfitness.com
This is a team of competitors led by coach Shannon Dey. I kept hearing about them over and over while following coverage of the Olympia, the Arnold, and other major figure/bikini competitions. I filled out my application and submitted my payment today, so I should be receiving my nutrition and workout plans from them very soon. I will be sad to say goodbye to my current trainer, but excited to venture down this new path.
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