My Brewers suck!

I got up nice and early today to hit the gym since I was taking the day off to do a Brewers day game. So I was at the gym at 5:15 and got a great workout in...although I saw creepy stalker guy in the parking lot on my way out of the gym. Damnit!! Anyway, I did a 5 minute warm-up on the super stairmaster, then shoulders/bis/tris, and finished it off with 30 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill. I'll list my exercises at the end of this post.

The group of us that were going met at 8:30 and were in the parking lot and set-up by 10am. I had 1 1/2 turkey brats, some edamame, and strawberries and drank water. I'm very proud of myself on that one. Then we headed in and stayed for the whole game. The problem is, we lost 8-1. I won't explain it all, but it was bad. Especially after taking the 1st 2 games of the series. I'm seriously still pissed at the 3rd base coach and Prince Fielder...that's all I'm gonna say. We were planning on staying a bit longer after the game but it was raining so we headed home. So, here I am, writing this post and watching So You Think You Can Dance (I DVR'd it). I'm finally purchasing that bike tonight so I'm waiting to go pick it up. I have the day off tomorrow so I'll get a good workout in, get some healthy groceries, pick up my new drivers license and hopefully get a ride in if the weather is nice.

So, today I did shoulders, bis and tris at the gym. I did 5 sets of each for 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps for each superset.

Group 1:
- Military Press
- EZ Bar Bicep Curl
- Assisted Dips
Group 2:
- DB Shoulder Press
- DB Seated Bicep Curls
- Triceps Kickback
Group 3:
- Rear Deltoid
- Cybex Arm Curl
- Cybex Triceps Extension
Group 4:
- Cable Cross-over shoulder pull
- Double Biceps Cable Curl
- Cable Rope Extension

Good weather ahead

I think we are finally going to be getting our much needed warm weather here in the next few days. It’s supposed to be in the low-70s tomorrow (which is good because I’m taking the day off and going to the Brewers game) and in the high 70s this weekend (which is also good because I’m playing in a volleyball tournament on Saturday). Speaking of playing volleyball all day on Saturday…I am going to be so sore afterwards. I haven’t played in a tournament in probably 4-5 months…maybe longer. I’m already dreading how I’m going to feel on Sunday.

I had a good, but quick, chest and back workout yesterday. I only had an hour and 15 to do chest/back and cardio. I was originally planning on doing 4 groups of exercises but only got in 3. But I did wake up sore this morning so I must have done those 3 exercises well. I wanted to get in 20 minutes of cardio at the end but could only get in 15 because I was running late. I was meeting a girlfriend for sushi at 5:45. Of course, I get there at 5:40 and she doesn’t show till 5:55 so I probably could have gotten in that last 5 needed minutes. Oh well. Anyway, my workout consisted of the following:

Group 1 - 5 sets (12, 10, 8, 6, 4)
-Bench Press
-Assisted Pull ups (I’m almost doing my own bodyweight for 4!)
-Reverse crunches
Group 2 - 5 sets (12, 10, 8, 6, 4)
-DB Incline Bench
-1-arm DB row
-Weighted Side Bends
Group 3 - 5 sets (12, 10, 8, 6, 4)
-DB Flies
-Lat Pull Down
-Weighted Sit-ups

Unfortunately the weird guy still just doesn’t get the hint. Today if he tries to talk to me I’m going to have to tell him again that I don’t come to the gym to have conversations. There is only so much time in the day and I don’t want to be spending 3 hours in the gym if I don’t have to. What a weirdo. He does the same 2 workouts every other day as well. It’s just strange. There are just so many weird people there! Augh!

Today I have a leg workout, tomorrow is shoulders/bis/tris, and Friday is legs again. I have meetings all day today so I’m looking forward to Yoga at lunch and my workout after work already. Also, Jon and I are going to look at some more houses tonight. Should be fun.

Oh, I’m buying a new bike. I had a great hybrid triathlon bike that was a $2,000 bike. I sold it last summer because I hadn’t ridden in like 4 years and wasn’t doing triathlons anymore. Well, I decided I wanted to add some other cross-training in to my workout and that riding to work 1 or 2 days a week would be a great idea…so obviously I need a new bike. Darnit! But I found a few on Craig’s List that I’m going to look at this week. The other bonus of riding to work a couple of days a week is saving on gas. I just can’t afford even going to work anymore!

Nice weekend...back to the grind

Jon and I had a nice weekend camping and hiking up in the Porcupine Mountains. I got Yoga in on both Saturday and Sunday mornings and we did a 5 mile hike on Saturday, a 3 mile hike on Sunday and a mile hike on Monday. We didn’t end up hiking as much as we initially planned. I stupidly wore hiking shoes that I hadn’t hiked with in over 3 years and so I had blisters on my heals. Jon started having a problem with his lower back as well. So we were two broken individuals. But we had a nice time camping, etc. The waterfalls up there were just beautiful and Jon got some great pictures.

Unfortunately I ate terribly this weekend. I even made an effort to bring healthy stuff but ate the snacks and junk he packed for himself. I could have just kicked myself. Also, I ate more than I needed. I just have to stop doing that. Luckily I did good yesterday and so far today. When I got home last night after unpacking and doing laundry I cooked food for the next 2 days. I have to remind myself that I can have 2,500-3,000 calories in food…as long as it’s healthy food and not junk.

I’m looking forward to getting back into the gym today. I have chest and back today with 45 minutes of cardio. I’m going to do 30 of that at lunch today and the other 15 after my weight workout after work. I’m meeting some girlfriends for sushi tonight so I have to be out of the gym quickly today.

The 2 contests that I want to do are still not posted yet. It’s driving me bonkers. I want to be able to put hard dates on the calendar. Oh well, what do you do I guess?

Is the work day done yet? TGIF

I'm looking forward to being done with today's work day. I have a lot of stuff to do but I mostly just want to get to the gym, finish packing, and get on the road for our camping tirp. I am bringing my yoga mat so I can try and do yoga at least 2 out of the 3 mornings. There is plenty of hiking up there so I'm sure I'll get a pretty good workout in while up there.

Today I am going to do a circuit at the gym (which I rarely ever do) to give the body a little jolt. I'm not saying I've plateaued or anything as I haven't. I'm still definitely making gains in strength. But I find that every once in awhile when I throw in something like a circuit or pyramids, that the next week I'm definitely able to make even bigger gains. So I'll try this circuit thing today (then I'm out of the gym for 3 days) and then maybe in 2 or 3 weeks I'll throw a pyramid day in to see if I can make even bigger gains.

The 2 shows that I would like to do still haven't posted their dates yet. But I did find out that one is in October and one is in November. So I don't have to worry about them falling on the same weekend. Hopefully we'll be able to throw Jon's yearly birthday bash the weekend after the first show. He's poo-pooing about it now, though, because he's worried that if I eat, I'll get myself sick, and that I will just not be any fun. I say 'bah' to that. Men are babies sometimes. He also doesn't realize that I've learned quite a bit about myself from this last contest and there are a lot of things about post-contest that I wasn't told that I learned. So I'm much more better prepared to deal with the binging next time. But also, I won't really be able to binge much at all this time because I have a contest 3-5 weeks after the first one.

Well, I guess I should do some work as I have plenty on my plate here.

Another day, another 36 cents after taxes...

Our first night of volleyball went off well. Though I told all the team captain’s that they had to be paid in full by the first night of play and if they weren’t they’d have to forfeit until they were. Of course one team tries to say they don’t have their money last night and can they pay me next week. No, you can’t. You think it’s completely free to run this league? It costs me $250 to rent 5 nets and line systems, another $75 for mallets to drive the stakes into the ground, $50 for park rental, and teams want prizes at the end of the season. No, you can’t pay me next week. You pay tonight or you forfeit both matches. Miraculously they came up with the money before start time. Go figure! Believe me, I understand how tight money can be. After competing in my last figure show, I’m broke. But, you wanna play, you’re gonna pay. So that’s where my title comes from.

Anyway, I did a hill run for 15 minutes before heading to volleyball. I haven’t played ball in about 6 weeks and it was indoor with 6 people. Moving to outdoor with 4 people in grass is not only a change in the way you play, but you forget about all those other weird muscles you have throughout your body. So I’m definitely sore today. It might not have been as big of a shock had I been at least playing indoor until last week or the week before like a lot of others. But since I took quite a few weeks off to get ready for my show, I’m a hurting sole today…but in a good way. Luckily I have legs today because that part of my body feels fine. If I had to lift shoulders or back today I think I’d probably have to skip out and/or readjust my schedule. See what I mean about volleyball side-tracking me from my gym training?

My team went 4-2 last night. One of the gals I’ve never played with before and the other two I’ve played with before but never at the same time…and never in 4s, only in 6s. So it was a learning experience. I think had we played together as a team in the past, we probably would have won all 6 games. We have off next week all together because of Memorial Day and a bye the week after that. Of course I have to be there because I run the league. That’s a pain, but I offered to do it.

I’m getting excited for Jon and my trip to the Porkies this weekend. We’re going to hit REI tonight to get another tent. We have a backpack tent that does sleep 2, but not comfortably. Since we aren’t camping out of our backpacks and are actually staying in a campsite, I told him I want a little bit bigger tent.

I should get to work. I’m totally procrastinating.

Update on my CAT Scan Results:Well, turns out I'm just fine. The "fluid buildup" they saw between my right kidney and liver was actually just a bit of my colon that's lodged between there. Turns out this can be totally normal. They were a little worried about nephrosis (kidney disease) as well because I had edema for a bit after my contest from binging and retaining too much water. But there is no signs of that either and everything looked completely normal. So, that's good news...now I just have to control my eating after my next contest so I don't have to go through this again!

Rolling, rolling, rolling

My stomach is rolling from the barium sulfate that you have to drink for a CAT Scan. Boy was that a fun experience. Go there an hour before your appointment to drink some fun stuff and then the actual scan takes 10 minutes. Fun! At least I'm done with it. But the results won't be read until Wednesday or so. So now I have to sit and wait for that. I'm too impatient of a person for this kind of thing. I guess what is funniest is that I feel fine. Hopefully my insides feel the same way and the results will come back saying there is nothing wrong with me. Well, there's a lot 'wrong' with me, but not in the physically sick sense.

Today is the first night of my women's grass 4's league. Hopefully the rain holds off. I run the league and hate to have to worry about scheduling rain make-ups...it's such a pain. I am only committing to one tournament this summer, possibly two and one league. The reasons for this is 1) don't want to get hurt and 2) tend to skip gym workouts by justifying volleyball as one. Volleyball is generally a good cardio workout (I play in the high power leagues and at a AA level) but I shouldn't be skipping weight workouts for it. With just one league a night a week, I can better plan my workouts at the gym than I could with 2-4 leagues a week. It was starting to get crazy last summer.

So today I have a hill run and 2 hours of volleyball. Tomorrow I have legs and 30 minutes cardio and Wednesday I have shoulders/bis/tris and 40 minutes of cardio. Then legs again on Thursday and 'rest' the rest of the weekend. But it's not really rest as we're going up to the Porcupine Mountains for hiking. We're really looking forward to it. And I'm proud of Jon because he's planning this one all on his own. I usually do much of the planning but I'm leaving almost all of it up to him. I pretty much just have to pack my clothes...and protein bars! :) I'm planning to puch myself on the trails this weekend and maybe get some yoga and other strength activities in.

I am finally going to get dive certified this summer. One of Jon's really close friends (well, a close friend of mine now as well) is a SCUBA instructor so he's holding a course for some of us in June. Jon and his friends like to travel and go on dive trips so I'd like to join in on the diving part as well...though I'm totally afraid of what is IN the ocean. Unfound fear, but it's there. Also, this same friend is a photographer and author. He just published his first historical fiction novel titled West Across the Board. You should check it out. It's not only a great read and really touching story, but it's a fast read. So, for those that don't like to read as much as others, it moves fast. His name is Andrew Jalbert. You should look him up.

OK, that's about it for now. Cross your fingers that volleyball goes off without a hitch tonight!

Paranoia

So now I'm starting to wonder if something really is wrong with my kidneys. Or maybe I'm just being paranoid because I know I have to go in for a CAT scan tomorrow for them and my left lower side kind of hurts from the front to the back. But yesterday I did do some weighted abdominal exercises that I haven't done in at least a month for the first time, so there is a chance that it's my core muscles that are 'hurting' and not my kidneys. I just want to get the CAT scan done and the results back and be done with it. It's stressing me out. And I hate to have to leave work for it but I'd rather get it done and be done with it.

Last night we did Mexican for dinner with friends which was probably a really bad idea. I ate chips and mild salsa before, had a margaritta, and ate all the food on my plate. So by the time we get over to the concert I was completely bloated and thought my stomach was going to burst open at the seams. It was actually making me feel naseous. It progressively got worse so we left. By the time we got home I was feeling a bit better and the food was finally digesting. I gotta stop eating too much in situations like that!! I actually have to stop eating too much period. I'm trying to stay on a post-contest 'diet' with a few cheat meals here and there but keep faltering and having too many cheat meals. I know I have the will-power to do it if I want to, but I'm just not. I've always been a person to overindulge. I can't lie. But since I'd cleaned up my diet back in December before I'd even decided to compete, I was good. I'm relapsing and have to stop. Ahhhhh! I need a swift kick to the head is what I need! 'They' say that after your second show it actually gets easier because 1) you know what to expect and 2) you have learned to control your eating habits. I sure hope 'they' are right.

I did 35 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes of fartlick agility after. Then my stalker showed up and luckily I was finished and could avoid him and got the hell out of there. What a nut case. By-the-way, I told him a couple weeks back that he freaks me out and yet he still tries to come by me. Obviously it didn't work. Nutcase! I mention that because someone said I should tell him point blank...but I already did.

I talked to an older gentlemen today at the gym that was asking about my training and such. He used to do bodybuilding when he was younger and single. But he just came back from Switzerland where a female friend of his just competed for a military bodybuilding show and won the masters division. It was just a nice conversation. Really nice guy.

As I prepared for my first contest, everyone at the gym got to watch my transformation. It has created a lot of conversation and has helped me to meet a lot of people. Everyone wants to either congratulate you or know how and what you are doing. So I've met some great people in the last 3 months that I might not have otherwise met...and some creepy ones as well:)
The Brew Crew dropped a double-header to the Red Sox yesterday and are currently down by 4 in the bottom of the 8th and it's not looking good. Our pitching just isn't doing it and the position players have been having a lot of errors lately. I guess the good news is that Braun and Fielder have fired up their bats finally. Braun hit 2 home runs in both games yesterday and 2 home runs today already. It's just frustrating to watch right now. Jon and I think Ned Yost is going to lose his job...but I can't see how they'd go about selecting the next manager. The Brewers Triple-A manager is great and they would most likely bring him up. I think it would be a mistake because if they faltered and he was fired, you couldn't really send him back down to our Triple-A team and it would be a loss to lose him. Jon and I are watching the game in separate rooms right now because we're both so frustrated. :(

I know the Brewers have nothing to do with bodybuilding and all, but it's my life and they are important to me. How they do affects my mood, etc. But since I'm blogging, I figured I should blog about what's on my mind anyway.

Also, I've started writing some articles on my experiences as a figure competitor so watch for those on Bodybuilding.com. I'm also a certified fitness trainer so I'll be writing some other educational articles when I can as well.

Try not to worry

So I have a CAT Scan scheduled for Monday morning to see what the fluid build up between my right kidney and liver is and why my left kidney looks slightly abnormal on my ultrasound. I’m hoping it’s just all the water retention that I had been experiencing after binging so badly after my diet was over. Who knows why the left kidney looks abnormal. I’m figuring I’m fine. Even my PA said that they couldn’t explain it so the only reason they are doing the CAT scan is just to be on the safe side. So, it’s gonna be fine…I’m not worried.

I had a good workout today and tried not to think about Monday. I’m sure it’s nothing. The funny thing is I feel good. Of course, any little ‘tweak’ I felt in my abdomen while working out I was like, "oh my God, what’s that?" Paranoid!! Anyway, I did chest, back and abs today. Looking forward to joining some of our friends for dinner and a concert tonight. Should be a nice night. It’s a gorgeous day outside so I may go for a run/walk as well…I’m also gonna sit outside and read for a bit!! Anyway, all exercises were done for 5 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6, and 4 sets as super sets. I did 25 minutes of walking on the treadmill after at a pace of 3.5 and mixing up the incline between 5.0 and 10.0.

Group 1
-DB Bench Press
-One Arm Dumbell Row
-Weighted Sit-ups
Group 2
-Hammer Incline Press
-Hammer Seated Row
-Weighted Side Bends
Group 3
-Decline Bench Press
-Assisted Pull Ups
-Reverse Crunches
Group 4
-Peck Deck
-Back Overhead Pullover
-Side Ab Leg Lifts

Try not to worry

So I have a CAT Scan scheduled for Monday morning to see what the fluid build up between my right kidney and liver is and why my left kidney looks slightly abnormal on my ultrasound. I’m hoping it’s just all the water retention that I had been experiencing after binging so badly after my diet was over. Who knows why the left kidney looks abnormal. I’m figuring I’m fine. Even my PA said that they couldn’t explain it so the only reason they are doing the CAT scan is just to be on the safe side. So, it’s gonna be fine…I’m not worried.

I had a good workout today and tried not to think about Monday. I’m sure it’s nothing. The funny thing is I feel good. Of course, any little ‘tweak’ I felt in my abdomen while working out I was like, "oh my God, what’s that?" Paranoid!! Anyway, I did chest, back and abs today. Looking forward to joining some of our friends for dinner and a concert tonight. Should be a nice night. It’s a gorgeous day outside so I may go for a run/walk as well…I’m also gonna sit outside and read for a bit!! Anyway, all exercises were done for 5 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6, and 4 sets as super sets. I did 25 minutes of walking on the treadmill after at a pace of 3.5 and mixing up the incline between 5.0 and 10.0.

Group 1
-DB Bench Press
-One Arm Dumbell Row
-Weighted Sit-ups
Group 2
-Hammer Incline Press
-Hammer Seated Row
-Weighted Side Bends
Group 3
-Decline Bench Press
-Assisted Pull Ups
-Reverse Crunches
Group 4
-Peck Deck
-Back Overhead Pullover
-Side Ab Leg Lifts

Minor Issues

Well, I had planned to do legs and cardio at the gym yesterday. But at about 10am I felt as if I was experiencing some indigestion. Now, I haven’t had a case of indigestion in like 6 or 7 months. I used to experience it sometimes with dairy products or if I waited too long between ‘feedings’ because of acid buildup. Welll, I was feeling that acid buildup just after 10. I had just had some oatmeal and almonds so I couldn’t figure out why I was experiencing it. So I went to meet my mom for lunch at 11:30 and the indigestion feeling was getting progressively worse. I figured if I ate it would probably go away. So I ordered just plain wheat pasta and a tall glass of water. While I was eating I was getting these bad ‘waves’. I figured I’d stop at Walgreens on the way back to work to get an antacid. My mom was suggesting I go to the doctor but I said I was fine. I took the Zantac 75 at about noon. By about 1pm I was in some much pain, curled up at my desk. I finally went into my boss’ office, at the verge of tears, and told him I was going to Urgent Care. He said I obviously wasn’t driving myself so he took me over. My mom met me there as Jon was in Milwaukee for work. I couldn’t walk and if this really was indigestion, it was the worst case ever. When I wasn’t having ‘waves,’ the pain was at about a 7 on a 1-10 scale. When I was having ‘waves,’ it was definitely a 10. So they gave me something for pain, had me drink a GI cocktail that numbs everything, and did an exam. It took another hour for the pain to go away completely and by this time it was 4pm. So I was having these pains from 10am to 4pm. Wow! So they scheduled an ultrasound, ran some labs, etc. My mom and all of her sisters and her mom had all had their gallbladder’s removed so they figured it had something to do with that…or just the worst case of acid reflux ever. So I had my ultrasound this morning and am still awaiting the results. They think I might have actually been passing a gallstone and that’s why it was so painful. So we’ll see. They gave me something to drink at my follow-up this mornign to pass it if it was there. If I have the same thing happen again and it was a stone, then they’ll remove the gallbladder. So, it’s pretty much a ‘wait and see if I’m ever in that much pain again’ situation. Fun! My kidney levels were a little elevated from my urine tests but nothing out of the ordinary for how much protein I take in. I’d also eaten a meal replacement bar that morning that had 50g of carbs so that was probably why my glucose level was a little high. My creatine levels were normal so she didn’t have any worries. When I went in for my follow up after fasting for 12 hours, all my levels were normal so I’m good. The great news is I’m not pregnant. Jon was happy:)

The funny thing is I felt great yesterday after I went home and slept for 4 hours after my appointment. So today I still feel great and did my leg workout today. So, below is my leg workout that I did today. I performed this all as super sets. After each group of exercises, I sprinted one lap around the track. My cardio today involved 25 minutes on the elliptical on the interval program. I then did a hill run for 10 minutes on my way home.

Group One (5 sets)
- Stick Squats - 15 reps each
- Reverse Lunges - 15, 12, 10, 8, 6 reps each
- Single Leg Calf Raises - 10 reps each
Group Two (5 sets)
- Leg Extensions - 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
- Lying Leg Curls - 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
- Standing Calf Raises - 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
Group Three (5 sets)
- Back Extensions - 15, 12, 10, 8, 6
- Donkey Kicks - 15, 12, 10, 8, 6
- 2nd position calf raises - 15, 12, 10, 8, 6
Group Four (4 sets)
- Cable Hip Abductor - 15, 12, 10, 8
- Cable Hip Adductor - 15, 12, 10, 8
- Seated Calf Raise - 15, 12, 10, 8

It was a great workout. I felt like I definitely was at 85-90% intensity. Tomorrow is chest/back/abs. We decided not to head up to the cabin tonight so we can watch the Brewers game on TV. Our direct tv up at the cabin doesn’t have FSN so we can’t see it up there. So Jon’s just gonna head up tomorrow to get our gear for our camping trip next weekend and I’m gonna stay home so I can hit the gym. Looking forward to dinner with our friends tomorrow night.

Got out of bed...

I did it. I dragged myself out of bed this morning even though it was tough. My sleep patterns are back to normal where I’m finally sleeping through the night again, so it’s always hard to get myself up. Also, since I don’t have a contest for another 5 months, there is less motivation to do so that early in the morning. But my alarm went off at 4:30am and I was out doing speed work by 4:50. I was originally supposed to do this at lunch so I didn’t have to get out of bed at all, but I’m meeting my mom for lunch today so I had to rearrange my schedule. I have legs and a 35-min cardio session after work but then I’m going to go watch Jon’s vball game after so I wouldn’t have had time for the speed work after that either. So I did it!

The Brewers blew a 4-2 lead when we left the stadium last night after the seventh inning. The final score was Brewers-4, Dodgers-6. This time it wasn’t Gagne’ blowing the save, it was Mota. Can we catch a break with our bullpen? It’s so frustrating. And I have to check up on one of our bullpen pitchers (Riske) today because he left with an injured ulna. When we attend week night games we usually leave in the 7th or 8th inning…especially if they are winning. Generally by that time it’s already like 9pm or so and we have an hour to hour and 15 minute ride back home. We can also listen to the rest of the game. But I’d much rather listen to the game that is being won by my team than lost by my team. What do you do?

Yesterday was a hill run and Yoga. I mentioned yesterday that I was feeling guilty because I was supposed to do the hill run in the morning that I didn’t get out of bed for and wouldn’t have time for it after work because of the Brewers game. Well, I snuck out of Yoga 5 minutes early and decided to take a bit of a longer lunch. There’s a huge hill back behind our work and since I had gym clothes, I went and did my hill run right after Yoga. So, I got in what I was supposed to and didn’t feel as guilty as I had in the morning.

A note on my speed/agility/fartlick work and hill runs. At this point in my training I was only technically supposed to be doing these 1 to 2 days per week. I’m doing them more like 2 to 4 days per week right now. Part of the reason is because it’s better to be working out when bored than eating. Seriously, it helps! If I’m feeling the need to binge at home, I throw on my tennis shoes and go do the hill just down the street from my place. Next is because I want to look good this summer in a bikini. Finally, they really help me keep my legs lean and hard and make me feel good. I only do them for about 10-15 minutes at a time. What is my definition of a hill run? A hill run is basically just a killer hill that I run up hard and walk down. I do that for 10-15 minutes. Sprint work and/or agility/fartlicks are variables of 50/75/100 meters. For sprints, it is just an all out sprint. I sprint the length, walk the curves. For agility/fartlicks I do shuffles, grapevine, running backwards, skips, etc. Boy, they sure work!

Like I said before, I have legs today so I’ll post my leg workout in my blog tomorrow. Tomorrow’s leg workout is my lighter leg day of my 2-a-week leg workouts. I have tomorrow off (my 4-day week). I plan on sleeping in just a bit. I have to remember to take my measurements and bodyfat before hitting the gym tomorrow. I’ll probably have time to record both my leg workout today and chest/back workout tomorrow in my blog. I have a ton of laundry to do because I’ve been neglecting it. I need to go to the hospital to visit a friend of the family. Jon and I are heading up to the cabin after he gets done tomorrow to get our gear for our hiking/camping trip to the Porcupine Mountains over Memorial Day weekend. And then on Saturday night we are meeting some friends for dinner and a concert. Hopefully a large group of our friends that all went to Key West together will be able to join in. We joke that we all had to go to Key West to see each other even though we all live in the same city. Too funny! Anyway, it’s gonna be a busy weekend…as per usual!

Shame on me

I was supposed to get up this morning and do a hill run workout for my cardio today. When the alarm went off at 4:15, I hit the snooze once. After I got up to hit the head, I decided since it was raining a bit and dark that a hill run wouldn't be the safest thing. So I reset the alarm for 5:30 and went back to bed. Shame on me! I should have just put my shoes on and left. I obviously wasn't thinking clearly at 4:20am because I was telling myself I could just do it after work. Today I do not have a weight workout, just Yoga at lunch. Well, I told myself wrong because we have tickets to the Brewers game against the Dodgers tonight. It wouldn't be that big of a deal since first pitch isn't till 7:05, but we live in Madison and the game is in Milwaukee. Luckily I try to walk twice a day for 15 minutes at work and we are for sure at least getting a morning walk in today at about 9:15.
I guess I shouldn't complain too much because Jon had to go to work in Milwaukee for a job last minute. He then has to drive back and then we head there again for the game. I told him we didn't have to go (even though I already purchased the tickets) but he really wants to see the Brewers beat the Dodgers with Joe Torre as the manager. Unfortunately, every game that we have been to together this year the Brewers have lost. Now, I've been to 2 other games and they won both of those...so maybe Jon is the weak link. I may have to tell him my theory.
My shoulder/bi/tri workout yesterday was great. It looked something like this (and this is just an estimate because my workout log is in the car):
(Note all groups are done as supersets with a cardio type exercise for 1 minute at the completion of each set...each group is done for 5 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6 and 4 reps)
Group 1
- DB Shoulder Press
- Seated DB Bicep Curls
- Seated DB Tricep Extension
- Jump Rope (1 minute)
Group 2
- DB Front Lateral Raise
- Reverse Incline DB Bicep Curl
- Weighted Bench Dips
- Jump Rope (1 minute)
Group 3
- Low cable shoulder crossovers
- Double Cable Bicep Curls
- Single Arm Reverse Cable Triceps pulldown
- Lateral jumps (1 minute)
Group 4
- Rear Delt Machine
- Cybex Bicep Curl
- Cybex Triceps Extension
- Lateral Jumps (1 minute)
The entire workout (with stopping to make small talk 2 times) took me 1 hour. I only rested 30 seconds in between each set. It was a tough workout but a good one.
Now, my biggest issue at the gym right now is this totally weird guy. I talked to him once while I was preparing for my last show (probably about 4 weeks out from my show) because he kept getting in my way of the mirror at the gym. The gym was completely packed and I made every effort to find a spot in front of the mirror where I could see myself. So, he apologized and then from there kept talking to me. Not a big deal, really. But he'd try to have these long-ass conversations with me. I'm NOT there for conversation and socialization. Granted, I do talk to people I know but I don't carry on lengthy conversations UNLESS it is about training. Anyway, then he'd start waiting till I was on some type of cardio machine so I couldn't get away and try and talk to me for the whole time...even if I was reading. Not only that, he'd stare me up and down the entire time which made me want to throw up. The final kicker was when he mentioned specific stickers on my car and my boyfriend's name (which I never said to him). To top it off, on days when I was pulling 2-a-days, he'd show up both times. Who does 2-a-days when they aren't really preparing...and on a Saturday!!?? Also, he wears the same workout clothes every day. He doesn't smell so I'm sure he washes them, but it's still weird. Anyway, I finally made the effort to not make eye contact or tell him I didn't feel like talking. Now he stares me down or tries to work out by me. I'm at the point where I'm worried he is going to kill me (I know, probably not) and am ready to switch to the gym's other location. But seriously, he really creeps me out!!!
OK, enough on that. Tomorrow I have legs and abs. I'm going to try to remember to start posting my workouts every day in my blog for anyone that is looking for some workout ideas.

New to blogging...and competing

I 'blog' on a bodybuilding website and once in awhile on MySpace. But since I'd like to keep my family and friends up-to-date on what is going on, I thought a more accessible blog would be a good thing. I know my family worried about me this last go around for the show I did in April because I lost so much weight drastically. I know they were worried that I was being unhealthy. So I think this is a good way for them to follow along to see that I'm not doing anything to myself that is hurting me.

I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Julia Wold. I reside in Madison, WI. I'm 30 years old, about 5'9ish and weigh in 'around' 150. I say 'around' because for people who compete in bodybuilding, figure, and fitness, we have an off-season weight and an in-season weight. So, my off-season weight is somewhere around 150 and my in-season weight is 140.

I just started competing in Figure Competitions. I did my first contest in 7 years on April 26, 2008 at the 2008 Wisconsin Natural Bodybuilding and Figure Championships at Monona Grove High School in Madison, WI. It is an INBF event. The overall winners in each category receive their WNBF Pro-cards. I competed in the Women's Tall Figure Class. I placed 3rd out of 6 girls. There was some stiff competition, let me tell you.

Preparing for this first show was extremely difficult as I had let myself cap out at 173 on December 1, 2007. I first decided to lose weight because my boyfriend of 2 years, Jon, and I were going to Key West for a wedding. When we left for Key West on January 31, 2008, I was down to about 163. After we got back, I started contemplating doing the contest as I had received the registration flyer in the mail. (I was still getting contest flyers from my days as a personal trainer.) On March 7 I made the decision to compete. I sent in my registration, ordered my posing suit and shoes, and the rest is history. But I had to diet down a lot harder than many of the gals did (not to discredit any of their hard work) because I was holding a lot more fat and body weight.

Jon did a fabulous job of putting up with my crankiness, mood swings, food cravings, etc. through this whole process. He literally should be considered for saint hood after it all. Not only that, he had to deal with my food binging afterwards when I got edema because I ate too much and was retaining water and when I started feeling sorry for myself when I started putting on weight (which was bound to happen). He took it like a champ when I told him I would compete again in October of this year.

I plan on competing in 2 shows in October of this year. It all depends on when the 2008 Midwest Natural Bodybuilding and Figure Championships fall. It's basically the same show I just competed in. When I find out the exact date of that show, I can than pick another show. I would like to pick one that is a NPC show to see how I fair. It will be interesting to see the differences in the body types the judges are looking for.

Well, I think that is all I will blog for my first entry. Now that you know a little bit about me, stay tuned for more on my contest prep over the next 5 1/2 months.