Holy crap that was awesome! Steph switched up leg training to concentrate more on shaping and less on mass building. Everything is supersetted (one exercise immediately after the other) with limited rest between supersets. It feels really different to go to higher reps than what has been used but I'm really excited to see what happens. Although reps are a little bit higher and there is limited rest between sets, it's important to not think of it as "cardio with weights", each set is done to near maximum of muscular ability. Here is what the program looks like that was followed today and will be continued for the next 3 leg days:

Superset 1: 4 sets, 12-15 reps each of

-Squats- either front, back or lumberjack squats. Today front squats were used, then:

-Single leg standing Calf raise (dumbbell)-left leg immediately followed by right.

Superset 2: 4 sets of

-Walking dumbbell lunges- 30 reps/set (15 per leg) to

-Single leg calf press 12-15 reps- left leg immediately followed by right.

Superset 3: 4 sets, 12-15 reps each of

-Leg extension to

-Jump squats (15 reps, except the last one where I barely got off of the ground at 11)

Superset 4: 4 sets of 12-15 reps each of

-Single leg hamstring curl (left leg immediately followed by right leg) to 

-Dumbbell deadlifts

This was challenging/excellent and a sweatfest for sure! 

I met with coach Stephanie Worsfold tonight and here is a sample day of eating as of now:

Meal 1: 7:30AM

-1 cup of egg whites 

-1 full egg 

-1/4 cup of steel cut oats or 1/2 cup of rolled oats (measured before cooking) 

Meal 2: 10:00AM 

-6 oz. grilled chicken breast 

-medium sweet potato (6oz)

-veggies 

Meal 3: 12:30PM 

-6 oz. grilled chicken breast 

-veggies 

-1 tbsp omega 3.6.9 oil (this is switched to meal number 6 on non-weight training days)

Meal 4: 3:30PM

-Pre-workout: Scoop whey

-1 tbsp omega 3.6.9 oil

Meal 5: 7:00PM 

-Post workout: Scoop whey 

-2 cups mixed berries (omitted on cardio only days)

Meal 6: 9:00PM 

-6 oz grilled chicken 

-veggies  

-1 tbsp of omega 3.6.9 oil on non-weight training days or a sweet potato or oats on weight training days.  

The weight training split has been changed to a 4 day split in a 2 on-1 off, 2 on-1 off rotation and cardio has been increased to 6x 45 minute sessions of moderate intensity steady state, 2x 40 minute step mill sessions, and a session of 30 minutes of sprint training. So here is the weight training/cardio break down for one week:

Day 1: AM- Cardio (45 minutes moderate intensity steady state-elyptical or incline walk on tread mill)

PM- Back/Triceps

Day 2: AM-Cardio (45 minutes of moderate intensity steady state)

PM- Legs

Day 3: AM- cardio (40 minutes step mill- 5 minute warm up, 30 minute intervals, 5 mintues cool down)

PM- cardio (45 minutes of moderate intensity steady state)

Day 4: AM-cardio (45 minutes moderate intensity steady state)

PM-Chest/Biceps

Day 5: AM- cardio (45 minutes moderate intensity steady state)

PM- shoulders/ cardio  

Day 6: AM- Cardio (40 minutes step mill)

PM: Cardio (45 minutes moderate intensity steady state)

Day 7: AM- Cardio (30 minutes of sprints)

PM- back/tris/Cardio (45 minutes moderate intensity steady state)

Half of back and chest training will be supersetted and all of leg work will be supersets. You can also see the step mill is done after leg day. Steph set up the program this way to bring leg size down since they have responded really well to off season training and again to Carter Schoffer's program (www.bodytransformation.com). She said we should start bringing them down a bit earlier this time. Looks like there's some sweet sweat fests ahead:)

The odd stigma on meditation and other forms of increasing self awareness (eg: Yoga) seem to be becoming almost non-existent. We are becoming more comfortable with ourselves and even finding these things may be a gateway to feelings of satisfaction in life. We are becoming aware that taking responsibility for our "inner space" may be the answer to overall health and "exterior achievement", whether it be a physical transformation, personal or career goal, etc.

We are starting to see everything as a whole and how important all parts of us are to the other, our inner and outer space, our physical as well as emotional states. Meditation is such an amazing life changing tool and can benefit us in countless ways.

When we become more aware of our thoughts and emotions as they happen, we are less likely to be overcome by them and react to them. It helps us to see situations as they are and not how they appear through our emotions or thoughts. The result? Increased effectiveness in everyday life. We experience a greater sense of well being, heightened energy levels and gain self control.

There are so many different ways to meditate. A book that is really helpful is The Spirit of Meditation by Erica Brealey. It includes guided meditations and many different methods as well as interesting backgrounds on some of the different forms of meditation and yoga. Audio tapes and online guided meditations may really help as well. (http://www.learningmeditation.com/room.htm is an example). Meditation Teaches us to "watch" our thoughts and emotions making us "witnesses" to them. Amazing author Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now, A New Earth, Stillness Speake) calls this process "Watching the Thinker." This enables us to step back and see things with a clearer view instead of being "victims." We become victims to our thoughts and emotions when we feel overcome by them, we don't see the difference between the reality of a situation and our thoughts/feelings (perceptions) about it. We then react through the emotion or feeling, not to the situation as it is.

To be able to separate reality from our perceptions is an amazingly valuable tool to have available especially during times of increased stress. It also is a huge help if impulsive behaviour is an issue (if we're quick to react in anger, carefree money spending, look for immediate gratification through poor food choices, etc.). We see that the thought or emotion has no control over our actions.

There really are countless ways we can benefit from taking some time to ourselves to meditate. Even if it's only 10 minutes we can dedicate a day, with patience we will definitely begin to feel and see the benefits. With these benefits, we will see a change in our lives.

Yesterday was the first visit for contemporary medical accupuncture with Dr. Jordan Kersten at Millar Sport's Chiropractic. It was great. A couple of things being looked at are a previous low back injury which occasionally can still be felt and CNS regulation. Some things found were a lot of tightness in various areas which could be a part of the low back issue. Some ajdustments were done to my back, hips and suggestions for stretching were given. He also stretched fascia in my lower back. The accupuncture points used this time were one in each hand, one in each foot and 4 in the lower back.

After our session I felt so much more relaxed. My lower back did feel slightly tender as expected but less stiff. I really didn't know there was that much tension there until it felt better. During the night it's common to wake up a few times and sleep does not always feel very deep. Last night I only woke up once (only for about 20 minutes) and fell back into a really deep sleep.

Today I feel more rested and energetic. 

I'm really looking forward to future visits and to see the difference this makes in both training and other day to day activities.

Hello!! At 11 weeks out I'm 8lbs over my weight for the last show (before cutting water) and my body fat percentage is around 13-14%. About 4lbs have been lost, bodyfat was not checked at the beginning so I'm not really sure where that was at.

Steph has now suggested doing 5-7 cardios per week as opposed to nothing less than 7 cardios per week (moderate, steady state for 45 minutes). I will still go for a full 7 but it's nice to know that if there's a day where I feel the extra recuperation time would help, then that's okay.

I have never eaten this much food for a prep. Maybe this is one of the reasons things are going so well so far? Or maybe it's the extra time off, or a combination of the two. I don't know but I'll take it :)

Measurements will only be taken every few weeks. They were taken now to compare them to last prep. Measurement Comparisons:

11 Weeks out from    11 weeks out from April 

May 2009 Show          2010  show

Weight: 149lbs              Weight: 145lbs

Chest: 37"                     Chest: 36.5

Bicep: 11.5"                   Bicep: 11.5"

Waist: 29"                      Waist: 27.25"

Hips: 38"                        Hips: 36.5"

Thigh: 21.5"                   Thigh: 21.5"   

That much of a difference was definitely unexpected. In regards to how things feel physically and mentally compared to last time; I feel much more rested and ready to go. Last time although I really wanted to feel good about everything, if I had been more honest with myself, I would have admitted that more rest was needed. I guess that's something you learn, when to say yes and when to say no and when to know you're prepared to work to the best of your capabilities and when perhaps you should just rest for a bit longer. This time, I am prepared and there's doubt in my mind about that :)

A really great quote by Alison Walker: "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any."

Have an amazing day!

Thank you to everyone who stopped in for this past weekend at Spartan Nutrition and Monday at Fitness Forum. It was great to see some familiar faces and new ones as well!

Steph and I met this weekend and it's really great to hear that she is confident with my condition so far. She stated that I am reacting very fast and there will be no changes to the meal plan right now. Excellent:)

For training, Steph's suggestions are to keep weights the same while still only doing steady state cardio for now, as opposed to anaerobic cardio. Since intervals and sprints have been used so often year round, it's thought that there may be some adaptation to it and it may not be as effective for fat burning. Then it will be added back around the 8 week out point, and will be a little bit of a shock, resulting in more efficient fat loss. This is a cool new change and although steady state cardio can be tedious when you're not a big fan of it, it will be neat to see the effect that this new approach has.

This shock will have a positive impact on leg appearance as well. The feedback given is that the desired size and shape in my legs is there now, it's just getting them leaner for show day than they have been previously. I have a really good feeling about this new approach and am pretty excited to watch and feel it work :)

A couple of other things being implemented this prep are deep tissue massages and contemporary medical accupuncture. These are two things I have never had done before and can't wait to share the experiences.

Dr.Kersten will be performing the accupuncture. www.drkersten.com contains excellent information on his treatments offered and ways you may contact him.

Hello!! For some reason things feel like they are officially starting at the 12 week mark even if prep is started a bit earlier. Maybe it's because this is when prep began for the first show? I'm not really too sure. Regardless, it really drives me to pay even closer attention to meal timing, logging meals, training, and things such as sleep quality, whether I woke feeling rested or not, how training sessions felt, etc. This is really cool to look back on because you can learn a lot. You can see what's working and what isn't, which isn't only beneficial as prep goes on but also from show to show. If everything is recorded and laid out in front of you, when adjustments are necessary it's easier to see where they may be made.

It's actually a little bit crazy how quickly everything is responding already. I am so excited about it and don't remember ever seeing changes this fast. It makes me want to push harder just to see what can be done.

I can't help but feel that this time is different and I'm really not sure why. I always feel excited about shows but there's something very different about this time. Maybe I'm just feeling ready to get into it or am just excited to be trying something new, I don't know, but whatever it is I like it.

I hope you're having a great weekend!

PS: Here's a really awesome quote by Oscar Ardon from  a recent Muscular Development: "There is something absolutely incredible about you. You are a walking, talking, living, breathing, creative being. Build something incredible with the potential you have."

This year suits will be made by Karen Phillips of KHP Designs www.khpdesigns.com. We've gone over colours and ideas and I'm really excited to have a suit completely different from one I've ever worn before:) Karen hand makes every suit personally and suited for you, accented with Swarovski Crystals. She is in high demand so requests for a spot to be held should be sent as soon as you choose your show! 

On Sunday January 17, as part of the Resolution Sale at Spartan Nutrition, I'll be at the Wellington/Southdale location from 12-4PM sampling some sweet Fit Foods Products like Assault, the new time released protein containing digestive enzymes by Muscle Pharm, the delicious Whey Gourmet, 2good bars and the new Blueraspberry Glutamine Maxx.

www.spartannutrition.ca

On Monday January 18 from 4-8PM I'll also be sampling the Fit Foods sweetness at Fitness Forum in London Ontario. Take full advantage of everyhing being on sale and recieve a free 5 day pass to the facility along with some treats!

www.fitnessforum.ca

Hope to see you there!