NPC Emerald Cup 2012 - Competition Day

Its here! The day I have trained and dieted for for months. All those lines I saw DAILY and posted in my selfies. ..but will they show TODAY?? Did I eat enough carbs? Did I drop enough water?  Will I hit my poses on point?  Will I pull out my lats just right? Will my muscles cramp up? And...will I do well? In a few short hours, I will know.

Now as we drive there for my 2nd coat of color, get my hair and makeup done (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), change into my competition suit and run through my poses...I hope it shows. I've brought my best, and no mattet what I know where I'm going.  8 weeks to San Jose. And I will get to Nationals this year.

Emerald Cup: < 2 Weeks Out

Ok, it's CRAZY TIME!! Everyone else thinks I look "Amazing!". Great. They are NORMAL. Meanwhile I am pinching the fat on my ass every hour waiting for it to get smaller. I am wondering whether I should even be on that stage AT ALL! Oh, damn.....what's that in the mirror? Whoa....my shoulders look great! Awesome improvement!! A chest line finally!!!! LOTS of HARD work! I turn around..nope...no glute/hamstring line. Nothing there. :( ugh. It's an emotional roller-coaster that I just can't explain. The level of leanness and definition I need to achieve is something most people just can't relate to. And if I complain to people, they just look at me like I'm crazy.

 

I go to the store which seems pointless with aisles of food I can't have, people eating all these things, munching away 'whenever they feel like it'. How unstructured!! (I realize I am the outlier, they are 'normal'). I wonder if I can ever eat normal again. BALANCED I mean. Last time I went nuts and had to lose this 30lbs! I'd rather not even let myself do it. I do like my food, I mean I've really learned how to cook! :)
 
SO, what to do? Well I started carb cycling last week. That means I have different servings of carbs depending on my day. More for the day I teach 3 classes and lift, medium for the other days, and low for the days I am not teaching or am resting. Big changes, but I need more and don't want to risk it. So I will do my high day tomorrow(Monday when I teach all those) but then I will do a full carb depletion cycle. With no carbs my body will be forced to burn fat (although slower, and less efficiently) and I will also drop water. REMINDER: What I am doing is NOT for most people! There is a whole series of things I have done up until this point for this to happen, it's not just something you do, it doesn't work for everyone it's NOT a 'healthy option' and I don't recommend it. I am doing it to look SCARY LEAN ON STAGE. They I will have a carb-up day and see where I'm at. I am thrown off a little having a Competition on Friday where it's normally on Saturday. So I will have to start my Peak Week a day earlier, on Saturday. So I can only do one cycle before I do my Peak Week Depletion Cycle.

 
What would a cheat do??
- I get asked this a LOT. "How big a deal is it, really??" A HUGE DEAL right now! I have been training and dieting for MONTHS. I am dropping every ounce of fat I can while preserving each tiny bit of muscle I have worked SO HARD to gain. I am playing with my carbs to trick my body into losing more fat and water retention. If I were to splurge right now, with sugar or carbs...it would all go back into my muscles and do so carrying 3x its weight in water. I'd be back at square one almost. I'd fill up, I'd puff up. My definition would be gone, and I'd look 'soft'. So NOTHING is worth that right now. Not when I am THISCLOSE! ;)

 

 

Quick pre-blurb of Iron Man Magazine & Fit Expo

O_M_G! We had SUCH an AMAZING weekend! Although we did not bring home trophies, we have made some GREAT progress! I personally made eye contact with each judge and did NOT shake! First time ever. I did notice the changes in my body have definitely made my scoliosis more apparent and I am dealing with it as best I can.

The Expo...I have no words. I learned a LOT from the Pros who were helping & prepping us backstage, UNHEARD of at the amateur(NPC) level. Totally changing my Tanning procedure. Also, we got to meet and take photos with Jay Cutler(also learned a lot at his Q&A!), Ronnie Coleman, Alicia Marie(and got a sneak peak at her new Booty book which isn't even out yet!), and I got to meet one of my heroes Jim Stoppani, PhD from Muscle&Fitness and Flex Magazine and score some awesome 6-pack coolers from him! I can't wait to post pictures on my Page tomorrow, www.facebook.com/nmtfitness We took a LOT of great ones!

Well, now 8 weeks until Governor's Cup in Sacramento, March 24th. Crock pot is going and Im ready to Lift like an ANIMAL!!!! See what I got cookin' below.

I will follow up with separate blogs over the next few days covering the Competition, and the FitExpo and all our experiences.

Mashed Cauliflower: cauliflower, chicken stock/broth, garlic clove,
garlic salt. Crockpot low overnight, mash&mix.

 

Chicken Soup: chicken, short grain brown rice, broccoli, chicken
stock, garlic salt, paprika. Crock pot Low overnight

 

Ironman Mag Naturally - 3 weeks out

So I had my check-in and took pics. I know I'm behind. Fatima says I'll be ok, but I'm mad at myself. Of course, I NEVER would have tried to diet through the holidays, but since they are over its been easier. I doubled my cardio (not much for most but from 2hrs to 4hrs / week). And I've been on my 3wks out plan for the last month so aside from the cheats, I've been super clean. And have been good one week, lol. So far I lost the weight from the cheat, +3lbs so I am 128lbs, 17.6%BF. I took pics and felt like I had less muscle and more fat than my last pics at the higher weight. Thank god I have a coach to filter for me.

I've had a lot of stress at work, and my Oma has been in the hospital this week. She's going to be needing a pace-maker. She doesn't really know whats going on. Other than my SF mints, while I'm visiting, I haven't cheated. SO I'm feeling good about that and I just keep telling myself what I tell others: "Just do the work, and it will happen". It's hard, and I totally understand the mentality....people feel hopeless so they cheat, and because they've screwed up they make it worse. But you gotta stick with it. I made this commitment, and I am NOT a quitter. I knew I'd have to work harder when I made the choice to cheat. The GREAT thing is, I'm an instructor! SO I picked up another permanent cycling class at Bally's, so now I'm getting PAID for 3hrs of that cardio a week! Also what that means is its scheduled so there's no way i can miss it. All I need to do is squeeze another hour in(I have another instructor who's class I'm taking cuz she's awesome and I'm learning from it!) so then if needed another 30mins here and there on the stairs. Again, I drop weight quick, so many of my clients need to do a lot more cardio depending on how their body responds.

I also launched my YouTube Channel this week. So far I have my Intro video and one on my ProTan process. Helps a lot for showing my girls how it's done. I can't paint them all! ;)

2012 Goals - 6 months to greatness!

Firstly, I want to say this is not me being cocky. It's kinda tongue-in-cheek, but also half a dream. In the past I have competed, each time trying to place. Now I have set my sights higher. I never had a one-on-one coach to help and guide me. It has made a HUGE difference in having that support.  I have built a network and technology is such that I am able to really learn and do more than I thought I could. I have made a lot of progress and have never looked this way at the weight i've been(my heavier weight.) I have trained VERY hard before and not looked like this. I attribute it to an AWESOME coach in Fatima and i have been using Advocare products. It's amazing, everyone that uses Advocare or tries it has such great results! My family and friends practically 'sell' it back to me!  I gained up to 140 having 'fun' with food after the SJ show. I lose quick and I gain quick! So at 131, i have cut abs, legs, awesome! I competed at 116 at SJ so I'm so interested to see what I'll be for this season. So with training clients and competing myself, I have had to set an example and set my sights higher.

Last year because I placed 3rd in my class at NPC San Jose in Figure, I qualified to go to USA's in Vegas(Nationals). I have decided to do it. I am very intimidated, but I've competed long enough, I need to give MYSELF a chance. I don't think I doubted doing San Jose again, it will be my 4th time at that show and hope to place higher. I decided to do NPC Contra Costa. That was the very first show I did, never having seeing a competition before, and it is HUGE. I was....108lbs. (9%BF). I got SLAMMED. There were 13 or 14 in my height class. The next year I went back for another beating. There were MORE. So I want to take on that show, and I aim to place(Top 5). My girl Cori Ann brought up some shows with great opportunity; Ironman Magazine Naturally with the FitExpo, and they also have the West Coast with Team ratings in June.

My goals are to place higher (1st or 2nd), to Place at Contra Costa, and to Rank at USA. USA ranks the top 15 of about 30. Everyone else is numbered as 16. After that, I will be OFF! This is a VERY ambitious schedule, and if i do it i will beat my previous record. In 2005 I aimed for 8 shows and hit 5. I have a lot more driving me this time.

Here is my schedule:

Jan 28th            3wks - LA Ironman Mag/FitExpo
March 24th     11wks - Sac Gov Cup (My Bday is the 20th!)
May 5th          17wks - Contra Costa

June 23rd        24wks - Ironman Mag/Team
July 14th         27wks - San Jose/Fit Expo
July 27&28     29wks - USA (LV)
OFF ;)

 I think I have a shot...what do you think? ;)

6 Weeks out from Ironman Magazines NPC / LA FitExpo

I had my posing practice with Robin yesterday. I got great feedback from both her and Fatima. I definitely have more muscle than last year, and am on track for the show. Thank God!! I am still leaning out, have a ways to go. I currently am 132 and my competition weight at the SJ in July was 116. (I gained a good 24lbs back with a quickness eating...A L-O-T!) So now I need to make up for it. My goal with doing all these shows back to back is to keep myself on track and not go so far off again. There are a few things I need to tweak with my posing. I have built some irregularities with my muscle due to the scoliosis. My waist has been uneven, that is something I've known, but now I hike my right shoulder up and I need to remember to tweak that and bring it down as well. LOTS to remember which is why you need to practice, practice, PRACTICE!!! In front of the mirror is fine, at first. But you will not have a mirror on stage, lol so you really need to learn to be able to do it without looking. This is why you NEED a posing coach. There are a lot of helpful videos out there and on youtube, but you have to remember there are also a lot of people that don't really know. Also, there are many different types of shows, NPC, ABBA, FAP, etc. Bikini, Physique, Figure, and they are all a bit different not just in the 'looks' they want, but also in the posing. There are also differences on the local level. Definitely watch the pros as that will show you what the organization wants as a whole.