Dust storms and chocolate pizzas

For those who live in Sydney, after today I am sure the above picture is reminiscent of what you woke up to this morning. I reluctantly dragged my sorry, tired ass out of bed at 5.20 this morning after not very much sleep, as I had a 6.15am Spin class to teach. I like to sleep at night with the blinds open a little so that in the morning the light comes through and I am more likely to get myself out of bed to do my pre-breakfast cardio. Bleary eyed I immediately took myself to the bathroom (am water loading ATM so the second I move at any given time of the day, let alone wake up, I am pretty much busting to go...more on that later) and then made my way back to the bedroom to get dressed into my workout gear. That's when I realised an eerie orange glow coming from the other side of my window. My first thought was that my neighbour's house was on fire so I immediately went to the window to investigate...only to find that the entire sky was almost a fluorescent shade of orange. WEIRD. Still half asleep I finished doing what I needed to do and jumped in my car to get to work. That's when it hit me - had I died overnight and this was some strange initiation into the afterlife? Had the world ended while I was asleep? It was very creepy - the only time I remember ever seeing the sky look so spooky was Christmas day 2001 when the massive bushfires had set the sky into various shades of pink and orange. Then I got this strange feeling that the gym was going to be like a ghost town this morning and that no one would front for Spin class.

So I rock up to the gym and was half wrong, half right. The wrong bit refers to me either dying or the world having ended. Was not on the money with either of those. BUT I was spot on with the other stuff. Gym was near empty, and no one for Spin. Hmmph. Oh well did my own stuff instead. Jumped on the cross trainer and did 30min of hardcore intervals, 30sec sprint : 30 second recovery. Job done. Sweating like a pig (do pigs even sweat? not sure how many people have actually tested that theory? If any of you guys have, feel free to let me know via comments). Followed the cross trainer up with 15min intervals on the treadmill. STUFFED, I went home. Very sleepy due to lack of carbs. More on this later. Had brekkie then needed a power nap (woo hoo, got a whole 15mins in) before heading off to the gym to train legs. Good session, about an hours worth...and only followed up with 15min on the bike. I was seriously too weak to do any more than that.

SO about the water loading and carb depletion.

I am doing a trial comp week prep this week. As in pretending that I am doing the INBA NSW this Sunday (I'm not). So last week I cut carbs right down to just my oats in the morning and other than that, veggies. This week there are no oats. Just veggies. Which in my books don't count as carbs. They're not real carbs. And they certainly don't give me energy, or even keep me in a state where I can even pretend I feel human. I don't feel human - not even close. Fuck knows how I have managed to train at all this week, let alone work, drive, or leave the house. I can barely remember where I freakin live this week!! lol

I can't believe I forgot how shitty one feels during depletion week. Hmmm I remember now!! And remember that I have on 3 occasions fallen asleep whilst training in past comp seasons, in between sets, in the middle of the gym. When I have told that story to others, I always think that it really isnt that bad. Oh yes it fucking is!! I was talking to my mate, Strong Bitch, tonight - and she gave me a great analogy - that depletion week is like the stories on childbirth - that once it's over you forget the pain!! lol I think that's spot on!! hehe

So anyway I am carb depleting and today hit the worst of it, day 3 of no carbs, and leg day. Leg day is NOT a good day for me on no carbs. Given I wussed out on the cardio post-training (well cut it short at 15 mins) I promised myself I would stay back after work and do a bit more to make up for it. Well after work came (9pm tonight) and you know what? NO FUCKING WAY was I staying back to do cardio. I don't even LIKE cardio. I do, however, LIKE sleep!! So sleep wins :)

And while I do that tonight, this is what I will be dreaming about...

For those who haven't had the pleasure...this my friends is a delish chocolate pizza from one of my favourite fine dining venues...the house of MAX BRENNER... 4 and a half weeks baby!!!

Boring life...

Wow, I have been rather slack on the blogging front lately. Combination of things I guess, namely that comp prep is taking up much of my free time at the moment, and that I haven't really felt inspired to be blogging.
I am going full throttle with training at the moment, doing around 2 - 2.5 hours cardio a day, plus my regular 45-60mins of weights. I still have a bit of leaning out to do so am trying to hit it hard. I am also doing a trial depletion week this week coming up, so the week just gone my carbs have been very minimal and will be cut again come Monday. Will be doing the full water & salt load/depletion and carb depletion/carb load...not because I want to give it a trial run but because it will make me come in harder for my comp in 3 weeks time.
Headspace has been pretty good with a minor headfuck on Thursday morning, when I was asked by a friend if I would be ready for comp. He explained away that he wasn't asking me cos he doubted I could do it but rather cos I have changed comp dates previously...but in the carb depleted, dieting mindset I am in all I could think was that he was questioning if it were possible for me to be ready in that timeframe. Anyway whatever - it has just made me more determined that I will be ready in time. BRING IT, I say!
So training has been going well, life in general is just plodding along...I am def in depletion stage as I am bloody sleepy all the time. I really can't be bothered to do anything that I don't have to do and would rather sit on the couch than do much else!!
Boring post as not much else to tell you about...apart from to say HOW BOUT THOSE EELS LAST NIGHT!!!
Before I leave you all (for those who are still awake) I just want to send out all my love to the lovelies competing this weekend...GO ROCK IT!!
Til next time, train hard and be good.
Vic x

In a good place...at last!!

Gosh, it feels like I haven't blogged in forever! Hasn't been too much going on to blog about but at the same time I haven't really had time to post. I have been busy training my ass off (literally) and this morning I have woken up, feeling as though I actually now look a bit like a figure competitor!! Lol bout fricken time - this year I feel like I have been in the wars with prep, with my body fighting me ALL the way. There is no doubt about it, I have had to work harder than ever before. If you told me this time last year that on the majority of days I would be doing 3 cardio sessions a day, I would have told you to get off the acid, and that I would NEVER do that much cardio - given I really, really don't enjoy it. I am such a weights girl!! BUT I have been doing it, and for the most part - I have stayed sane!! lol

Friday I went and checked out a few gyms in the area. I am looking like switching training gyms to a place that I don't work - it's so hard working and training at the same place. When I train, I am generally in a little world of my own. No idea what's going on around me - nor do I care. I like to get in there, train, and get out. Eye on the prize. Unfortunately when you train and work at the same place, people like to come and ask you questions in the middle of training. Eg "I don't get sore from my Thursday training anymore, can you please give me some new exercises?" (as in right there and then)...or "Excuse me, but the leg extension machine is broken. Can you help me fix it?" Ummm....I'm training right now....see that person over there in the gym uniform? Maybe go ask them for help, ya know, since they are actually working right now!!! Anyway sorry - had to vent. The moral of the story is that when I go to train, I don't want to spend lots of time fluffing around. I want to train, and leave. End of story. SO gym hunting on Friday was awesome, I have found 2 potential new homes. I will prob wait til after comps though to switch as I don't really want to switch before then as it will just interrupt training I think.

My weekend was ok, a quiet one though - but was glad for it. Friday night was so insignificant I can't even remember what I did. I finished work then did some cardio - but can't remember what after that? I think I might have just stayed home?? Lol that's shocking - it was only a few days ago!! Worked all day Saturday, which bummed me out given it was like 30 degrees in Sydney. And it was cold inside due to the air con. I had a jacket on all day which SUCKED! Saturday night I went to my friends' Karen and Brian's place to help Karen with preparing for a seafood party she was having yesterday afternoon for her birthday. I ended up cooking dinner for the 3 of us while Karen was making stuff for the party, and nearly burnt their house down in the process (not sure if I have ever mentioned on here me and my attraction to fire. Not that I am attracted to fire - it appears to be attracted to me. That's another blog post though). After dinner Brian got a fire call (he is a volunteer firie for the Rural FB) so me and Kaz hung out for a bit before I went home and crashed.
Sunday went off to World to train legs with one of the girls from my posing class. She is competing this Wed night in the ADF INBA competition - it's her first comp, I am sooo excited for her. Anyway we were both quite wrecked but smashed out our legs session and then did some cardio before posing class. Went to Karen's birthday thing in the late afternoon and had a great time (she even catered for my diet so I wouldn't have to BYO Tupperware container!! lol)

It's funny - during posing class one of the girls, who is competing in 2 weeks for the first time, mentioned she had gone to a hens' night on Saturday but left early as she feels awkward when going out now, like she has nothing to talk about. I look back at my first comp prep and recall being EXACTLY the same. I always felt weird going out, could barely converse with anyone as I had nothing to talk about, and always just wanted to go home early. I am so glad that has changed. I am back to my social self, love being out, and have no issues with holding conversations. I am very weary of overdoing the comp talk so only talk about it if people ask questions and seem genuinely interested (not just being polite) and have no issue with being the only non-drinker (or eater lol). I am soooo glad this part changed as I don't think I could have coped 3 years running feeling like a bloody hermit!!

Anyway I better stop ranting and get off my ass and go train delts. WOOT! Love shoulders day!!

So til next time, train hard and be good!

Vic xx

WTF??

Here I am thinking that after Saturday night's massive cheat meal effort, I would have taken 12 steps back. Not to be the case. I woke up this morning (begrudgingly, wanted to stay in bed but hauled my ass out) for 5.45am RPM and took a look in the mirror...I have come in again, particularly in my tummy region. YAY!! I was actually feeling a little bloated as although I was tempted to have ice cream last night (my real birthday) I decided to substitute my pre-bed meal of eggwhites for some low fat/low sugar yoghurt with a handful of blueberries...mmm delish!! Dairy makes me feel pretty bloated though so while I felt like my tummy was swollen, the mirror told me otherwise. I am seeing changes pretty much daily now so am wrapped, this is the exciting bit!

Had a great birthday. I got up early (as per usual) and went for an hour walk before yummy brekkie, and then after it went to the gym. Shoulders day followed by half an hour steady state cardio. After that I had the day free as I was not working (aside from teaching a night time spin class) so took myself to get my nails done, some waxing, etc, and had lunch while I was out. Even though it was just Sumo Salad (mmmm) it's nice to have someone else make it for once!! lol... Caught up with one of my friends after that (she is off work after tearning the ligaments in her foot) and then went off to teach Spin. Mum cooked me dinner and that was pretty much my day / evening - nice and chilled!! All in all had a good day :)

So I have done RPM this morning and had my eggy oats, now off to smash out a back session and a bit more cardio...then to work I go at 12.

Anyway hope you are all having a good day....and to those who have comps in just under 2 weeks hope that this final bit of prep is going well for you :)

Til next time, train hard and be good :)
Vic x

Clearly NOT athlete behaviour...

SO...confession time. My planned cheat last night was worth about 18 cheats. But was sooo good. For my birthday celebrations I decided that a good pub meal would be in order, and my local make a mean meal. So off to the pub we toddled. When we got there me and my bestie decided on a nice bottle of red, so we drank it between us. For dinner I decided to go the beef burger, which comes with chips and salad, and is basically a burger with the lot. I asked for no egg and bacon though. When we ordered they told us that it was a long wait (bout an hour) for food so Meegan ordered some garlic bread, which we all shared. By the time dinner came out (they weren't exaggerating) we were bloody starving. My burger came out with bacon and egg so I just figured it was meant to be, and hey - if it's a cheat meal, it's a cheat meal - so I inhaled the burger. Was delish!! Ate some of the chips and salad but was pretty full (burger is massive) so left most of them. Clearly affected by the wine, I decided it would be a GREAT idea to have some vodka too. Hell, why not - only get one birthday a year! So a few vodka and diet cokes later, and a few TERRIBLE games of pool later (haven't played in years and apparently I should stick to bodybuilding) I was ready for dessert. Hey if I am gonna cheat, I am NOT skipping dessert!! So apple crumble and ice cream it was...mmmm delish.
Anyway I was a little tipsy, ended up back at my friends' Karen and Brian's place where I passed out for the night.
Today - not a good day. *Slightly* dehydrated, I am having the worst leg cramps. Does anyone else get that? I have found in the last few years that occasionally after drinking I wind up with leg cramps the following day. They started out a little tender this morning but I took myself to posing practice and it wasn't too bad. After that I made my way to my parents' place for Fathers' Day lunch and after lunch I thought I would go for a power walk - but got about 50m and had to turn around as I could barely walk from the cramping? WTF?? It is like 3pm!!! Surely the cramps should have subsided by now, not gotten worse!! So I am giving myself the day off training today (no way in hell could I train legs today even if I tried, I mean if I can't even walk what hope do I have!!) I have tomorrow off work and it's just shoulders day tomorrow so will do a double session.
Anyway I am a little peeved at myself for overindulging but no point dwelling on it. I am, however, really happy with how I am coming in - and today look really full after my effort in carbing up last night. Gotta look on the bright side of it hehe.
Well not much else from me. Need a bit more sleep I think so might have me a nanna nap.
Til next time, train hard and be good. Vic x

Comp decisions and Frozen eggwhites

Aaahhh another Friday :)
I gotta say, I am feeling much better this last half of the week than last post. OMG I was NOT in a good headspace on Tuesday!! In a better place now, thank you very much.
I have made some decisions (seems to be the week for it - just read Deb's post) and have decided that I will not be doing INBA comps anymore (that being said, I am female, and therefore reserve the right to change my mind on a whim lol), for a couple of reasons:

• It is 3 weeks and 2 days away. I might be ok to get up on stage, but I don't want to get up on stage feeling just ok. My theory is that if I am not getting up on that stage in a better condition than last year, then I shouldn't be getting up on that stage period. While muscularity wise I am a shitload better than last year, lean-wise I probably wouldn't be any better. So better off giving myself more time.
• Whilst there is still 3 weeks to get myself in stage condition, I refuse to risk muscle to do it. I will not be starving myself to get shredded. It is a bodybuilding contest, not a dieting contest. There will be NO starvation involved. When dieting, my theory is that you should not be going hungry. If I am hungry, I eat. Fullstop.
• Likewise, I won't risk muscle by overdoing th cardio. Yes I know I have mentioned that some days I am doing 3 sessions, but I am being very smart and calculated about it, and about how long I spend doing cardio in one hit...I am very specific about what kind of cardio I do when (eg slow, steady state vs HIIT) and my nutrition around said cardio. So there will be no silly 2 hour long sessions for me.

SO WHAT IS MY PLAN FOR COMP? I plan on doing the ANB Central Coast comp (11 October) and then either ANB Nationals or IFBB NSW/Aussies, which both fall on the same date (24-25 October). Originally I was gonna go IFBB 100% and while I don't really like the recent format of ANB Nationals (2 day event with prejudging on day one, finals day two - too bloody hard to hold condition overnight and fuck me dehydrating 2 days in a row ain't my idea of bloody fun!!) the thought of paying ONE federation fee as opposed to 2, and being closer to home for the comp, is more appealing to me. Plus, I have a point to prove after last year when I wasn't really happy with the outcome. Anyway THAT my friends is my plan. So I now have 5 weeks, 2 days...which I am very comfortable with. In saying that...I have decided to have a last cheat meal tomorrow as Monday is my birthday and I really want to be able to have a nice meal (OK and some gelato or cake...probably gelato!!)

On that note I am gonna have a little snooze before heading off to tonight's RPM session. Been getting into the cycle classes a lot lately and they are doing wonders :)

So - til next time, train hard and be good. Vic x

PS - gotta throw this in cos I was sooo happy bout this...the other night I was showing a new member around the gym while working, and I was wearing tights. The girl asked me what exercises she can do to get legs like mine as she liked the shape!! And this was a chick with a hot figure too, not someone too skinny or overweight, so I was stoked, given my legs are my weakness and the most stubborn area on me!! WOOT!

PPS - also gotta add this - my local woolies has FINALLY started stocking the frozen eggwhites!! Found em today and I tell you I had some interesting looks while I was doing a happy dance in the frozen foods aisle!! hehe

Hitting the proverbial wall...

Ok so it was bound to happen sooner or later - I hit a wall today!! I got up early to take a 5.45am RPM class and spent the session feeling as though my legs were made of concrete...so, so heavy. Put it down to leg DOMS from Sunday's leg session followed by teaching Spin last night, in addition to all the extra cardio of late. After RPM I did 10min incline power walk, then came home for brekkie then off to train back, followed by 20min on the stepper after my weights. Spent most of the rest of the day feeling like curling up into a little ball and sleeping. I might also throw in here, just for the record, that I also spent the day alternating between extreme feelings of breaking my diet with a mountain of chocolate; killing someone; and bursting into tears. Carb depletion and me don't do very well together - have I mentioned that before? I am down to 30g oats in the morning, and fibrous veggies only, which for me is like nothing, given I grew up eating pasta twice a day for the better part of my life. It also didn't help that for the 4th month running our boss has decided to 'reward' the sales team (which I am part of) by buying everyone lunch. Now I might just mention here that there are 3 official sales team members (yes I make up 33.33% of the team) and 4 months running I have missed the reward, because the boss thinks that buying the team lunch from wherever she feels like eating is a reward for us. So 4 months running I have been forced to sit in on the following lunches, while I sit there and eat my steamed vegies and grilled fish:
* Chinese
* Thai
* Pizza / wedges / hot chips
* Can't even remember but would have involved something with a strong, inviting smell.
And today to top off the FUCK OFF AND DIE feelings I was having anyway, the boss (I might remind you all we are talking about a GYM here and therefore one would think my boss would be a little more understanding of my dietary choices) says to me, in between mouthfulls of mexican-nacho pizza, "are you SURE we can't tempt you Vicki?", and looked surprised when I looked at her, rolling my eyes, and replied "I don't WANT to be tempted with that - thanks but I don't train THREE TIMES A DAY so I can sit here and ruin it with pizza!!" I mean seriously - I have less than four weeks to go!! Do you really want me to fuck up now??
Anyway to cut a long story short, I politely sat there in silence, eating my fricken steamed broccoli, cauliflower and grilled fish, and left the room as soon as I was done.
So anyway, copious amounts of coffee later and I had gotten through most of the day. The initial plan today was to stay after work (was finishing at 8pm) to do about 30min more cardio but seriously I was dreading it...and given I have a 6.15am Spin class to teach in the morning I couldn't even comprehend staying back to do it. Anyway a venting phone call later to my beautiful friend Ferny (gotta love having friends who understand comp prep headspace) and I made the somewhat sensible decision to go home after work. No third cardio session today - I am listening to my body. I kinda felt guilty making that decision but at the end of the day - I am glad I decided against the extra cardio... I don't think I would be any good for it tomorrow morning (or all day tomorrow) and I actually in hindsight wrote in a blog entry last week that I would only do 3 sessions if I felt OK physically to do them...and I don't today. So guilt trip OVER.
Anyway enough of that.
Gosh I feel like this is such a whiney post but seriously it's just been one of those days.
I hope that all of you who are in comp prep are doing ok this week - I know I will be back on track after my nice massage tomorrow :)
Anyway better jet...bed time for this chook!
Til next time - train hard and be good. Vic x