Cardioconvert - Office chick with pipes

[gobbles23]

Nice on the shoes! hahaha! I need to buy some pretty dresses and things for work- sounds like fun!

Your diet/training must be working well if you're seeing veins you've never seen before, silly!

[Cardioconvert]

Thanks Lori - just a bit frustrated that I am down 10lbs and don't really see much. I have to line up my day 1 and day 21 photos to see it (I can't see a difference between day 14 and 21 but the coach pointed out several).

I need to trust the process, too fast of changes would probably mean I would be losing the wrong stuff.

CC

[DieselsMom]

Wow down 10 pounds already that is crazy! Great work. Totally would be losing the wrong stuff if it was really noticable you seemed pretty slim/lean in your before photos so glad your coaches are happy with your progress. Great leg workout I can see why they were sore.

[rickiecoombs]

Well, a gal needs her shoes, right?!

I think it's brilliant that you reward yourself like that. Maybe I should start doing that... Haha. It would certainly be a little bit of extra motivation to get through the tough days... Hmmm...

Nice leg day! I think I'd be walking bow-legged for a while...

[stephanielynn76]

Thank you - that will just be similar to the one I am going to get. There is actually a girl on our team who makes suits - she will be taking that as the idea of look I want and go from there. It is awesome because she can make minor adjustments after posing classes if our coach isn't liking the fit as we lean out

What colour was your suit last time?

CC

Well that is awesome that you've got a girl on your team to hook you up and tweak your suit for a great fit. I was all alone trying to do that last year. My suit was an eggplant purple. This year I'm either going to go with a fuchsia, a teal, or an electric blue. I don't do warm colors...

Yay on the shoes!!! I understand the frustration of wanting to see the progress. I always find the first several weeks of a cut are the hardest. I'm hungry and adjusting to the calorie deficit/cardio but I'm not seeing very many changes in my body. Just when I start to get frustrated... whoosh... I suddenly see a drop on the scale and some visible progress. Hang in there...

[Cardioconvert]

Wow down 10 pounds already that is crazy! Great work. Totally would be losing the wrong stuff if it was really noticable you seemed pretty slim/lean in your before photos so glad your coaches are happy with your progress. Great leg workout I can see why they were sore.

Thanks DM - I think once changes are even more noticeable, I'll settle down a bit. Tummy had some fluff as did lower back and lower glute - that is where even I can see changes.

Well, a gal needs her shoes, right?!

I think it's brilliant that you reward yourself like that. Maybe I should start doing that... Haha. It would certainly be a little bit of extra motivation to get through the tough days... Hmmm...

Nice leg day! I think I'd be walking bow-legged for a while...

We totally need our shoes I love the reward system!

Bowlegged for sure - and sore! Just finished a lunchtime 20 min of incline walk and my arse is tired. I still have 45 min to do (cardio wise) tonight (arc for 25min then 1 mile repeat). I think I"ll be sleeping well again tonight!

Well that is awesome that you've got a girl on your team to hook you up and tweak your suit for a great fit. I was all alone trying to do that last year. My suit was an eggplant purple. This year I'm either going to go with a fuchsia, a teal, or an electric blue. I don't do warm colors...

Yay on the shoes!!! I understand the frustration of wanting to see the progress. I always find the first several weeks of a cut are the hardest. I'm hungry and adjusting to the calorie deficit/cardio but I'm not seeing very many changes in my body. Just when I start to get frustrated... whoosh... I suddenly see a drop on the scale and some visible progress. Hang in there...

Thanks StephanieLynn - it means a lot to hear from someone who has done this that the first few weeks can be a bit of a mind game ...... seems like each phase is going to be its own little mind game I am a super impatient person so this is a big test for me!

CC

[Cardioconvert]

Monday - Shoulders

Lateral raises
10@10 warm up
12@12.5, 10@15, 8@17.5, 6@20

BO Lat raises ss w/ Arnie
10@15,22.5, 10@15,22.5, 10@15,20, 10@15, 20

Smith Machine OH Press - weight shown is weight added per side
10@20, 10@25, 10@25, 8@25

Seated 25lb plate front raises
3x15@25

Cardio: 35 minutes on the ARC trainer + one mile @ 8:40 per mile

15 weeks out!

CC

[DieselsMom]

Strong shoulder workout!

[Cardioconvert]

Strong shoulder workout!

Thanks DM!

[Cardioconvert]

Today's workout - Back

WG Lat pull downs, hammer grip
w/up 10@70
10@100, 10@100, 10@100, 10@90, 10@90

Reverse grip lat pulldowns
9@90, 8@90, 8@90

Single Arm DB Rows
3x8@40

WG Straight Arm Pulldowns
3x15@30 - dang, I love that she has me doing these w/ WG - I can totally feel exactly where she is trying to create some width (I love mind / body connect - yes, I am a geek )

Lower back extensions w/ Pause at top
12, 10, 10, 10

Cardio : 30 min on elliptical

CC

[Cardioconvert]

Ramblings

****warning #1**** for anyone reading this as a first time visitor to my jounal, please don't think I am crazy - this is not a typical posting for me
****warning #2**** if you don't want to read my ramblings, please skip this post and continue on

Okay, here are my ramblings of this contest prep experience so far:

- without the support of your spouse, this would be a fool's errand (even with it, this challenge is greatly complicated by trying to still be a mom and wife and good employee on top of everything else)

- everything must be kept in perspective. I have observed a lady who works out at our gym for about 2 years now - I believe she has MS. I have watched her transition from struggling to walk to walking with canes and, unfortunately, she came into the gym today in a wheelchair. Makes me remember that I am blessed to have a strong body that I am pushing to the limits and should not find fault with it for petty little things.

- having an acute sense of smell really does not help one when preparing for a competition. My friends and husband tease me b/c of my super sniffer. Given that everything smells yummier to me right now than what I am allowed to eat, this heightened sense is a real pain in the arse. I swear I can now smell the KFC around the corner from our house inside our house!

- I am thankful that I love green veggies - else this would be complete torture.

- Families show support in their own special way - My mom is dropping of a 'care package' of 3 days worth of cooked brussel sprouts on Friday - how cool is that?

- Although many of us (myself included) somewhat frown upon the whole "eating clean" rage, I must say that since being on a very clean diet, I haven't had one breakout. I am unfortunately one of those gals who suffers from pimples on wrinkles. Just sayin.

- cardio on machines is lame when you're on it more than a half hour (unless you are preparing for a marathon -I once did 20 miles on a TM in the dead of winter and still lived to tell the tale)

- I may be the only person at our gym who doesn't text whilst on cardio equipment - perhaps that is a direct contributor to my point above and also the reason why I am sweating and no one else is!

- as hard as one might try, you cannot convince yourself that a protein shake 1/2 before bed tastes as good as an evening cocktail

- as soon as anyone catches wind that you are on a special diet, they feel compelled to ask you for nutrition advice - I kindly advise them that I am paying 200+ bucks a month to be told what to eat - that usually shuts them up.

- people at your office start justifying what they are eating (I feel at times like I am a priest accepting confessions) - I have never been responsible for how others eat, nor have I really even been interested - you do your thing, I do mine. End of.

- while one should drink water to quell the hunger pains, it does lead to a heck of a lot of time in the washroom.

- Marathons are much easier to prepare for (a fact that I will rub in my marathon peeps face (good naturedly) for the rest of my life

- This, by far, is going to be the biggest challenge I have undertaken as of this point in my life.

I just wanted to document my thoughts - interested to see how they change as we get closer to the show.

CC

[Luvdogs]

LOVE your ramblings! Those are great thoughts. I am a "soul sista" in most of them with you (no kids or mom bringing me brussel sprouts).

And why do people feel the need to even have their phone with them in the gym??? Keep it in the locker!!!! I want no interruptions when I'm training. If there is an emergency I've told my hubby to call the gym and they can page/find me. Ok, if you're a doctor (on call) or your wife is about to have a baby, maybe...

[Redfizz]

- as hard as one might try, you cannot convince yourself that a protein shake 1/2 before bed tastes as good as an evening cocktail

Love this one.

- as soon as anyone catches wind that you are on a special diet, they feel compelled to ask you for nutrition advice - I kindly advise them that I am paying 200+ bucks a month to be told what to eat - that usually shuts them up.

If you don't me asking (ironically enough), are you seeing a nutritionist, coach,...?

- people at your office start justifying what they are eating (I feel at times like I am a priest accepting confessions) - I have never been responsible for how others eat, nor have I really even been interested - you do your thing, I do mine. End of.

^^^Hahahah!^^^

- This, by far, is going to be the biggest challenge I have undertaken as of this point in my life.
CC

You are going to do awesome! Have no fear. Plus you'll be the best-looking marathoner out there.

[Cardioconvert]

Hiya Red!

Yes, I have a coach (and her husband is her business partner and my nutritionist). She is an IFBB pro and very well regarded in this area for pulling together strong teams (particularly well known for her posing).

Thanks for your support!

CC

[Redfizz]

Hiya Red!

Yes, I have a coach (and her husband is her business partner and my nutritionist). She is an IFBB pro and very well regarded in this area for pulling together strong teams (particularly well known for her posing).

Thanks for your support!

CC

Thanks for the info! I may break down and get a nutritionist in about six months or so. (You've proven they get results!)

[jjeane]

Oh I am laughing so hard right now CC!! You have the best attitude.
The extra water, the food confessions, the food questions. We need to get a leave me the F alone shirt to wear!! Then put Team Amazon beneath it.
You can do this!

[gobbles23]

Love the ramblings! lol! It's true though, all of it! Hahaha! I agree with jean- a shirt with those words on it would be awesome!

You can do it!

[jjeane]

http://www.phillearney.com/nutrition...es-stage-prep/

Hey CC,
megdaig posted this article in her journal. Thought you may like to read it.

[DieselsMom]

CC funny part is your ramblings are so true for most things in a healthy lifestyle not just prep time. Glad you are able to have the support needed as I am finding out as well it is tough being the "other half" of the equation as it makes it similarly to single parenting in some ways but I just chaulk it up that if I wanted to do it he would support me so it is all about balance and compromise.

The food priest thing kills me (in a good way) because I hear it all the time from friends or hear them say well I eat well but just can't lose weight - hmmmm think about that for a moment as it is basic math and I have to watch everything I eat as I don't have blessed genetics so just really want to strangle them sometimes cause they ask me how I did it and I just want to say "well heck I just decided I should lose weight so overnight my body dropped the 60 extra pounds I was carrying".

Great work on sticking with your diet and exercise plan your an inspiration to myself and many other of the ladies on here.

[Cardioconvert]

CC funny part is your ramblings are so true for most things in a healthy lifestyle not just prep time. Glad you are able to have the support needed as I am finding out as well it is tough being the "other half" of the equation as it makes it similarly to single parenting in some ways but I just chaulk it up that if I wanted to do it he would support me so it is all about balance and compromise.

The food priest thing kills me (in a good way) because I hear it all the time from friends or hear them say well I eat well but just can't lose weight - hmmmm think about that for a moment as it is basic math and I have to watch everything I eat as I don't have blessed genetics so just really want to strangle them sometimes cause they ask me how I did it and I just want to say "well heck I just decided I should lose weight so overnight my body dropped the 60 extra pounds I was carrying".

Great work on sticking with your diet and exercise plan your an inspiration to myself and many other of the ladies on here.

True that - healthy lifestyle invokes a lot of interest - sad, really - healthy should be the norm, not the exception. I found it quite funny that my boss started my one-on-one (he meets with his direct reports once a week for a scrum) by confessing that he had eaten a half a bag of salt and vinegar chips the night before. Didn't need to hear that

At any rate, good workouts today (will post details tomorrow). Snapped a few photos after just before finishing getting dressed. Look at my pants in the first shot - this pair fits me the 'best' right now (and I have them pleated in a bit in but they still hang and drop away) - reading Meg's journal, I see it is only going to get worse. Guess I'll be sporting the hanging clothes look for a while!

[stephanielynn76]

Ah.... your ramblings... they are so familiar.

Yay pictures!!! You look great! Gosh you ladies are making me feel like a tub-O-lard these days. When will it be my turn for my clothes to "hang off?" (Hell I'd settled for clothes that I could shimmy up over my ass and button at this point :/) Anyhoo... nice shoulders and biceps !!

[Redfizz]

=

?

Just sayin'

(Dunno know why I am on this Lara Croft thing. I don't even play video games.)

[DieselsMom]

Love the pics!! You look STRONG! Find a good consignment store to try and help with the clothing issue or just buy a few more black slacks in the smaller sizes as you can almost get away with anything paired with them and people don't seem to notice that you have worn them multiple times in the week.

[marathonmom262]

Loved the ramblings - thanks so much for sharing with us.

Gotta admit - I don't know that I have it in me to ever prep for a competition. I have a hard enough time just trying to keep up with workouts and dieting in general - when marathon training it was tough physically and mentally but at least I could stuff my face with food (and I still lost more than 10 lbs while stuffing my face!)

My running buddy got into lifting a few years ago and did a comp. She won both her age group and the overall - she looked amazing. During her early stages of diet down prep we still did a weekly run together, I could see her steadily losing some weight but one Friday morning suddenly I looked at her in total disbelief of the change that seemed to occur over one week. 6 lbs wooshed off of her in that one week and the definition on just her legs was mind-blowing. Her face was lit up like the happiest jack-o-lantern ever carved

Looking forward to the day you report back that you saw that amazing week happen and are really starting to see what you have been so anxious to see (even though you know changes are definitely taking place with those droopy drawers there girl! haha!!)

PS - Red is right - you are turning into Lara Croft Hubs must love it!

PPS - So glad you have an amazing support system. That melts my heart. Seriously - in my mind that's the most important thing out of all of it.

[jjeane]

CC you look just amazing. Your biceps are awesome!!!!
Keep at it. You are going to do fantastic!!

[taiga1]

I heart your ramblings!

I can totally relate to all of them...except the "family/kids" part. So, kudos to all you ladies with kiddos who find a way to make it work. Y'all ROCK!!!

I especially love the one about keeping things in perspective. And the last one...it is the biggest challenge and you cannot begin to imagine the sense of accomplishment you will feel after you step off that stage!!

Awesome pics are awesome. You are looking fabulous, sister!!!

[Cardioconvert]

Thanks gals for all your nice compliments - it is so super to have your cyber support behind me!

Just a quick update. Went to our first team meeting for the season - the team is about 50 gals strong. Amazing women in fantastic shape. Many shared their stories of first competitions, struggles they have faced, lessons they have learned. Four of them spoke who are in their last weeks prepping for the Arnold (two of them placed 4th and 5th last year in amateur figure) and they were so great at sharing some thoughts on their highs and lows.

Met the girl (in person) who will be making my suit and we walked through timelines - looks like she'll measure me in about 4 weeks and we'll go from there!

My first posing class (private) is tomorrow morning - I am kinda nervous but looking forward to it will write with details tomorrow.

Have a super night everyone,
CC

[gobbles23]

You look amazing! You're doing an excellent job so far! Can't wait to see you after all this!

That's really cool about the team meeting!!! Wow, that had to be inspiring/interesting, hey?

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

[swooshie]

Ramblings

****warning #1**** for anyone reading this as a first time visitor to my jounal, please don't think I am crazy - this is not a typical posting for me
****warning #2**** if you don't want to read my ramblings, please skip this post and continue on

Okay, here are my ramblings of this contest prep experience so far:

- without the support of your spouse, this would be a fool's errand (even with it, this challenge is greatly complicated by trying to still be a mom and wife and good employee on top of everything else)

- everything must be kept in perspective. I have observed a lady who works out at our gym for about 2 years now - I believe she has MS. I have watched her transition from struggling to walk to walking with canes and, unfortunately, she came into the gym today in a wheelchair. Makes me remember that I am blessed to have a strong body that I am pushing to the limits and should not find fault with it for petty little things.

- having an acute sense of smell really does not help one when preparing for a competition. My friends and husband tease me b/c of my super sniffer. Given that everything smells yummier to me right now than what I am allowed to eat, this heightened sense is a real pain in the arse. I swear I can now smell the KFC around the corner from our house inside our house!

- I am thankful that I love green veggies - else this would be complete torture.

- Families show support in their own special way - My mom is dropping of a 'care package' of 3 days worth of cooked brussel sprouts on Friday - how cool is that?

- Although many of us (myself included) somewhat frown upon the whole "eating clean" rage, I must say that since being on a very clean diet, I haven't had one breakout. I am unfortunately one of those gals who suffers from pimples on wrinkles. Just sayin.

- cardio on machines is lame when you're on it more than a half hour (unless you are preparing for a marathon -I once did 20 miles on a TM in the dead of winter and still lived to tell the tale)

- I may be the only person at our gym who doesn't text whilst on cardio equipment - perhaps that is a direct contributor to my point above and also the reason why I am sweating and no one else is!

- as hard as one might try, you cannot convince yourself that a protein shake 1/2 before bed tastes as good as an evening cocktail

- as soon as anyone catches wind that you are on a special diet, they feel compelled to ask you for nutrition advice - I kindly advise them that I am paying 200+ bucks a month to be told what to eat - that usually shuts them up.

- people at your office start justifying what they are eating (I feel at times like I am a priest accepting confessions) - I have never been responsible for how others eat, nor have I really even been interested - you do your thing, I do mine. End of.

- while one should drink water to quell the hunger pains, it does lead to a heck of a lot of time in the washroom.

- Marathons are much easier to prepare for (a fact that I will rub in my marathon peeps face (good naturedly) for the rest of my life

- This, by far, is going to be the biggest challenge I have undertaken as of this point in my life.

I just wanted to document my thoughts - interested to see how they change as we get closer to the show.

CC

Oh I sooooooo needed to read this today!!! Thanks for openly rambling to those of us who actually get it

You look amazing CC! I'm so excited for you! You've got the right mindset and you're just going to kill this!!! It's really fun to follow along during this journey.

[stephanielynn76]

Thanks gals for all your nice compliments - it is so super to have your cyber support behind me!

Just a quick update. Went to our first team meeting for the season - the team is about 50 gals strong. Amazing women in fantastic shape. Many shared their stories of first competitions, struggles they have faced, lessons they have learned. Four of them spoke who are in their last weeks prepping for the Arnold (two of them placed 4th and 5th last year in amateur figure) and they were so great at sharing some thoughts on their highs and lows.

Met the girl (in person) who will be making my suit and we walked through timelines - looks like she'll measure me in about 4 weeks and we'll go from there!

My first posing class (private) is tomorrow morning - I am kinda nervous but looking forward to it will write with details tomorrow.

Have a super night everyone,
CC

Yay!!! That is so exciting! You are fortunate to have a "team" to be a part of... I would have loved that! Can't wait to hear more about your suit!