Keep me Sane Log

Hi All,

I have never done anything like this before, however, I'm currently 5 weeks from my first fitness show (a small local show but I want to do my best all the same!) and i'm starting to approach the nutty phase- Am I going to make it? I'm losing muscle and getting too skinny. No, wait, i'm too fat. Is that pizza? Why is everybody becoming so irritating? Must you breath so loudly?

You know the drill!

I figured if I had a bit of an outlet in the form of a journal, it may balance my irrational thoughts and possibly bring me back to the slightly more pleasant person that I was 3 whole weeks and 50g carbs a day more, ago.

[u]So, a little about me:[/u]

-I have been training for 6 years and came from a powerlifting background
-This is my first competition and I will be entering the fitness category
-I am prepping myself for this show
-I like food so eat lots of it. My lowest carb day is 150g carbs and it kills me, so prepare yourself for when I have to decrease this.
-I hate cardio so I do as little as possible
-I like to lift heavy so I do this 6 times per week

[b]My training split currently:[/b]
[b]Day 1:[/b] Back, Biceps, Abs, Calves
[b]Day 2:[/b] Legs and Glutes (Quad focus)
[b]Day 3:[/b] Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Abs, Calves
[b]Day 4:[/b] DAY OFF
[b]Day 5:[/b] Legs and Glutes (Hamstring Focus)
[b]Day 6:[/b] Arms, Abs, Calves
[b]Day 7:[/b] Light legs, Glutes, Plyometrics

Often I will find something to do on my day off. I rarely take it now unless I feel tired and like my body needs it.

I realise my split is very unconventional but it is that way on purpose to try and bring up weak areas.

My upper body is coming along nicely but my legs basically hate me. They are thick with muscle but also stubborn with fat and i'm struggling to get the definition hence the addition of plyometrics.

Any advice from other ladies that compete are welcome, as I am prepping myself for this show!

[u][b]Progress So far[/b][/u]

I started prep at 16 weeks out. I tend to eat on the high side, with my starting carbs at around 400g per day.

I have actually gained 1kg during this prep. I was undereating and training a lot less over the Christmas period so was actually putting on muscle for the first 6-8 weeks of prep. I gained 2kg and have lost 1kg again so i'm still heavier than when I started but rather obviously leaner, so I do not weigh myself anymore at all because the scales are frustrating to say the least.

I am currently now 5 weeks out and carb cycling. Low days around 150g and refeeds at 300g. This can changed if need be, and if the legs continue to be stubborn, I may need to rethink my strategy!

I am rather clueless regarding attaching photos so I will see if my attachments work. First photo is 16 weeks out and the next one was 7 weeks out. I have some more recent ones but none full body.

The owner of my gym is a long time competitor as is 'keeping an eye' on me so to speak.

I have had one bodyfat test done at around 10 weeks out and was at 14%. I would like to get to single digits but unsure whether I will. I will do my damnest anyways.

Thanks for anybody that read all of that lol

4 Weeks out yesterday. Had a leg massage 3 days ago and they are still sore to touch!

I've been struggling to get definition in my thunder thighs, but that one massage has made a huge difference. My legs always felt like two balloons post training, but I trained them yesterday and they felt pumped without that "restricted" feeling.

I'm hoping to get another deep tissue massage in my legs in the next 10 days. It's frustrating having quite big quads but little definition (think powerlifter's quads- which is where I started). The last thing I want is to have big chunky legs on stage without the separation.

My shoulders, back, and arms are looking well, striations and veins galore, so I hope my legs aren't too far behind.

My abs are relatively sharp but I still have some lingering fat around my lower back/obliques- It all seems to be loosening up though.

4 more weeks though and I've added in some double sessions; conditioning work/cardio am and weights pm. I want to really knock these next 3 weeks out of the park because the last week won't really count for fatloss. 3 weeks is not a long time when you think about it. YIKES!

Things are a bit tough now, I feel quite tired/drained a lot during the working week. Fortunately I have something to look forward to every week now to keep me motivated: Getting my hair done on friday, collecting my bikini next week, getting my nails done the following week...then it'll be peak week before you know it.

I think i'm fortunate enough that my partner is also competing...although we've been incredibly snappy with each other, it's still nice not having to deal with my other half eating yummy food while I eat turkey and whatnot lol.

[u]Changes this week:[/u]
-4 days with double sessions
-Swapped chicken for turkey
-Increased Vit C
-Removed Creatine
-Introduced T5 to give me a bit of energy during the working day

My carbs and calories are still fairly decent. I swore never to go below 150g carbs and I haven't. I have just adjusted my training accordingly. I don't intend to cut carbs any further if I don't need to, as I don't want my peak week to be unpredictable...

Lordy, I am sleepy today. The double sessions are actually helping with that horrible "brain fog", but i'm still very tired. Work is always the worst since I have a desk job and the tiredness always hits you when you sit down.

I plan on taking peak week off work entirely to give myself some rest, which means only 3 more weeks at work before I get a bit of a break...not that i'll be able to do much relaxing.

I'm hoping to strip a few more lbs of fat off to bring out my legs more, so these next few weeks will be rather brutal.

Another thing i'm finding is that I am absolutely ravenous with hunger after a morning session, which I always feel is a good thing! The other good thing about the double sessions is that i'm able to finish my evening session a little earlier since i'm splitting my training. This means more time for meal prep, posing practice, and even just getting to bed a bit earlier.

Ball buster high volume leg workout this morning for session 1 of the day.

A1 Single Leg Leg Press- 3x 30
A2 Static Bodyweight Lunges- 3x 30

B1 Leg Extensions- 3x 30 [10,10,10 with 10 second hold after each 10]
B2 Sissy Squat- 3x 30

C1 Bulgarian Split Jumps- 3x20
C2 Step Ups- 3x20

D1 Box Jumps- 3x20
D2 Jump Squats- 3x20

Some kettlebell conditioning, abs and calves this morning.

LEGS tonight with my other half, who is also a competitive bodybuilder. You can imagine how that is going down.

Counting down to the weekend so i can sleep some more lol

Things always get so tough now towards the end of the working week. I've probably averaged about 4-6 hours sleep a night this week between training, food prep, work, and commuting. Feel mentally and physically drained, but I know I will feel ever so slightly better after a weekend of relaxing and resting as much as possible. Bring on the end of the working day!

3 weeks on Sunday until show day!

3 weeks yesterday. I had a few low carb days so i'm feeling super FLAT.

However, I did do some posing practice last week and felt really good. Just need to keep the confidence for stage.

2 and a half weeks now. I will be finishing legs 10 days beforehand, which means I will get another 2-3 sessions or so done before then.

It's going to seem so real once leg days are finished! I collect my bikini on Sunday which is exciting.

I'm still doing my 2-a-day sessions, hoping to drop another 2lbs fat before peak week, if possible.

Energy is actually not too bad now since adding in a caffeine-based fat burner last week. I don't usually have a good reaction to stimulants but luckily this has really given me the kick up the butt that i needed to get through the last few weeks, with no adverse effects.

Peak Week has been planned as follows:
-I have been adding salt to all of my food which will tapered down during peak week and reintroduced on show day.
-Vitamin C will be tapered up during water loading phase.
-I plan on doing a water load and will taper off water as the week progresses.
-Carbs will be around 300g after doing a trial. Carbs will be front-loaded and tapered off with main sources being rice cakes and sweet potato.
-I'm going to try a few slices of pizza this weekend to see how it fairs for sodium/fat loading a few hours before the show starts.

It's all a learning curve and I don't expect to get it right on my first go, but i'm looking forward to trying it out and learning from it!

Too much information is definitely a real problem.

Until 6 weeks out, I was pretty much cruising along with diet and training. I started dieting relatively lean and gave myself 17 weeks to prep. I busted my backside in the gym and ate plenty.

At 10 weeks out, I had a 10-site caliper test which showed 14% bodyfat, while still eating 2500kcals and 250g carbs a day.

I paid no attention to the scales after the first few weeks because I actually gained some weight during my first 10 weeks of prepping (I was undereating/undertraining pre-season due to Christmas)

I have started losing a few lbs in these last few weeks but I find all these other journals where girls are saying they have 20lbs to lose and if they aren't seeing changes on the scales then that's terrible...and i'm thinking, well ****!

I see a lot of girls prepping on no other carbs but 1/2 cup oats. I'm still on 150g MINIMUM for my last few weeks and that even feels tough.

I also see girls doing 2-a-day cardio sessions...I do 10 minutes of cardio a day, no joke.

I find it can really mess with your head in the final weeks, seeing how different other people do things and wondering if you are just doing it ALL WRONG.

I feel I am at a level of leanness that I need to be though. It's just scary prepping yourself and seeing how differently others are doing it. Some contest preps look like absolute punishments, and I feel I was rather modest with my approach...too modest? It's hard to know...?

I got my bikini yesterday and it.is.incredible!

It is probably the most expensive thing I own at this point in my life...apart from my car...which I subsequently crashed at the weekend. The joys. I also busted my lip, so I had a fabulous weekend, as you can imagine!

I have started doing some posing classes with a WBFF Pro Champion. She really knows her stuff and has taught me a lot. She seems to think my physique is coming along very well, so hopefully that is a good sign of things being where they need to be at this stage!

I am now 13 days out. I have easter holidays starting from this friday until after show day, so thankfully I only have to put up with another 3 full days of my colleagues eating homemade cakes, biscuits, lasagna's and every other nice meal under the sun!

In my peak week I plan on doing as much sleeping/recovering as possible as well as posing practice. For this competition I only need to do a T walk and then mandatory poses for comparisons. There are no real strict rules regarding posing except they do not like typical bodybuilding poses for the women (i.e: back double biceps etc).

All the necessities are booked: hair, tan, makeup, nails.

My last leg session will probably be around Friday, giving me 10 days with no legs (what will i do with my time? lol).

Only 2 more days of work before the easter holidays, so I won't be back to work then until after my show. I'm so looking forward to a week of resting. I may actually get to put the tv on for the first time in several weeks lol.

Food prepping is hella easier too when you aren't having to do it at 10pm for the entire next day.

I had the owner of my gym get a look at me yesterday and things seem to be on target. Some definition finally in the thunder thighs, which should be enough for the category i'm doing.

Last leg day is on thursday and really looking forward to seeing how my legs look when dried out.

Last day of work today. Had a meltdown in the car outside the gym this morning because I only had 3 hours sleep and i'm just so mentally and physically drained! Still...I managed to drag myself up to go and work out. Double sessions are nearly finished now, then it's peak week.

I plan on doing a lot of resting during my days off, and I just KNOW this will make all the difference to my physique. My stress levels are definitely high at the minute.

I've already started planning my reverse diet. Most of my meals will be different to what I prepped on, although the changes will be implemented slowly so I don't upset my body after 17 weeks of eating pretty much the same list of foods.

I have a lot of oats, sweet potatoes, white rice, and turkey at the minute. I'm going to change this to white potatoes, oats, and bagels (of course, my fav lol). I'm also going to add in some chicken instead of turkey, along with some lean steak and pink salmon.

I won't lie in saying that I have a few meals planned for after the show...especially with it being easter time. There's an easter egg with my name on it!

I will be glad to get back to just having more condiments and more sleep lol

Well I placed second! There were very few points between first and second and my feedback was quite positive. I had my makeup professionally done but it seems the judges weren't too happy with it and it was too shimmery under the lighting (they were 100% right from the photos i have seen, so i have learned my lesson there), also my abs weren't very prominent (always been a weak area so I will need to work on that) and basically they said i'd have had it if my condition had been a bit sharper. All good constructive feedback that I can take away and work on...I have entered into another show in 2 weeks because clearly i'm insane. I don't imagine my condition will be massively improved by then, but I will try my hardest for it and can also work on having a better stage "look" with regards to hair and makeup.

The competition I am doing will see nearly every bodybuilder in the country doing it, so I fully expect to be slaughtered! But i'm entering for the experience and we shall see how I go!


Looks like im too much of a noob to post pics so I will attach a few instead

So I decided to go for round 2 in competing, because I am clearly not wise! My other half is also doing this one so i'm really looking forward to doing it together!

I haven't been able to improve my condition...which is my long term goal. My condition actually seems worse, which sucks...I got straight back on to my diet (2 weeks between shows) but found it took nearly a week for my body to regulate itself and drop water weight and extra fat. I put this down to the carbing up period combined with doing a water drop/using X-Pel for my first show.

I had hoped that a few ultra low carb days would assist with dropping the water weight that bit quicker along with extra cardio sessions, but I guess my body just needed time.

This is the biggest show in the country this year, due to the prize money (which is unheard of in local comps) so I don't expect to do well, but I look forward to the experience and hope to pick up some valuable tips from more seasoned competitors.

Next time (if i decide to do comps close together again) I will not do a water drop at all for the first show (unless that show is the bigger show of the two!)

This time around we're just going to enjoy it and have some fun! :)

So i'm definitely looking leaner now a few days out. I seem to have finally dropped the water weight and the show is now in 3 days. I don't plan on doing a major carb up or anything for show day, just increase carbs on the saturday (the night before the show) and hopefully will look good enough on the day.

This week has been tough, i dropped carbs low and increased cardio these past 2 weeks and its really hitting me now. Only a few more days now though, so can't complain too much!

Hopefully I will have 50 posts by then and be able to post some pictures instead of links.

Managed to come in a bit leaner for my second show. I didn't place top 3 this time but I was very happy with the physique I brought for my first stab at things.

Really need to work on stage presence and nerves as you'll see in every picture I look SO SERIOUS because my mouth was trembling too much to crack a smile.

Bigger and better next year. I have my feedback and I know what I need to improve. Big improvements to be made so I am currently on a reverse diet to keep as lean as possible while making some much needed gains.

Here are some snaps (apologies again for lack of smiles)


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I'm going to keep this journal going to hold myself accountable, because I plan on coming back and killing it next year.

I'm nearly 3 weeks post show now and am around 3lbs up in weight (feels like 50lbs)

Strength is going through the roof and i've added cardio back in because at the minute i just want more FOOD without becoming an elephant.

5 month of dieting is no good. Ever since I had a few nice meals my cravings are just constant.

Hit a 115kg squat yesterday though for 2 reps so at least the carbs are being used in some way haha

I'm about 5lbs up from stage weight and feeling like a lard a.ss

Not going to lie, I have been enjoying my weekends a tad much...so it's time to reel myself in a bit.

Strength is through the roof...military pressing 45kg (100lbs), Shoulder Pressing 25kg DBs (55lbs), Benching 60kg (132lbs) and Deadlifting 130kg (286lbs)

I've decided to do a local strong woman event in 11 weeks for the giggles...so training will change a bit!

Scratch that last post as i'm now deadlifting 145kg.

All the strength!

Have decided to enter a strongwoman competition in 10 weeks. Fun times!

So I had to start a new account, but wanted to keep this journal going.

I'm currently 13 Weeks Out from my next round of shows...The strong woman event never happened due to injury, but i'm raring to go for this year's shows!