Journey to Stage 2012

[maderc]

I've finally decided to start a training journal as it was recommended. This is my fourth year competing. My first 3 years were amazing experiences and very successful. I began competing in 2009 and have placed 1st in my class every National qualifying competition. 2011, I became Ms. Figure Minnesota! :yep: At the Nationals shows, I have continually moved up in my class. 2011 Jr. Nationals I placed 9th. I walked away very happy with my achievements so far. But, it has left me wanting more! So here I go on my journey to my next National show. 18 weeks out from Jr. Nationals.

Unfortunately this prep has started off pretty rocky. I was in a couple car accidents a few years back and have struggled with injuries from those since that time. The past few months, I have had difficulties controlling the flare-ups. After I decided not to be stubborn and see my doc, I've been through two rounds of nerve blocks and made it back in the gym after weeks of hit and miss and a full week off. Being back in the gym hasn't been easy. Light weights and modified lifting routine and unable to do all body parts. I'm lucky I have built up a good base, so hopefully I can maintain what I have! Through all of this, it has been hard to stay positive and motivated. With an amazing trainer and great medical professionals, they have helped keep my outlook positive.

Everyone has their struggles and deals with speed bumps along the way. What happens depends on how you deal with it! When I first started competing, I always said I would continue as long as I still LOVE it, keep moving up, and I can at least inspire one person. I work as a Physical Therapist Assistant and am able to help a lot of my patient with their return to exercise and most will ask me about their diet.

The diet, so far, has been pretty easy! Rarely have I been hungry, but I don't like to say that too soon! :) I've been trying new recipes to add variety to my chicken, rice and sweet potatoes. All have been successful! This will make me much happier dieting!

Here's to prep 2012!

[The Prodigy]

Welcome to RX Girl!!!!!!!!! Hows your training been?

[maderc]

Training has been up and down. I get in the gym everyday! Today was shoulders and glutes. Glutes were feeling sore shortly after my workout. Success there! Shoulders, I am able to train, but have to go light. It can be hard grabbing the 5-10 pound dumbbells when I am used to training heavier and pushing myself. I'm just happy being back in the gym and completing a workout! :)

[Sunnyday]

Welcome! I'll be following along.

[maderc]

Mondays are always hard to get started in the morning! I always get up at 4 am to eat and pack my food for the day, then off to the gym. It's nice to have it done and I feel I get a better workout in. Today was booty and shoulders. Slowly working back in more shoulder lifts and keeping it light. And I definitely got my booty to burn! One thing I've been reminded of while battling back from this injury, is to focus on each individual muscle that I'm trying to work and really squeeze it. Sometimes I forget that when I start lifting heavier. There is always a positive that comes out of everything!

[The Prodigy]

Mondays are always hard to get started in the morning! I always get up at 4 am to eat and pack my food for the day, then off to the gym. It's nice to have it done and I feel I get a better workout in. Today was booty and shoulders. Slowly working back in more shoulder lifts and keeping it light. And I definitely got my booty to burn! One thing I've been reminded of while battling back from this injury, is to focus on each individual muscle that I'm trying to work and really squeeze it. Sometimes I forget that when I start lifting heavier. There is always a positive that comes out of everything!


Do you ever close your eyes to feel the muscle working? I do this and I have NO IDEA why! Just like I don't know why I open my mouth when putting on mascara!

[maderc]

I can't say I have done that, but I can see how you can focus on it more. Since I work in Physical Therapy with chronic pain patients, mostly, I try to figure out how to alter their exercises to get the right muscles to engage and have no pain with them. I use myself as the guinea pig.

Is there a girl that doesn't have their mouth open while applying mascara...ha ha!

[AudreyFunk]

Love your journal already! I hope to nationally qualify in WPD this May and do Jr Nationals again this year what a great show! Your motivation is inspiring and the comment about injury having to make you concentrate more on the individual muscles couldn't be more true! Really happy you started a thread!

[maderc]

Thank you GYM RAT! You look great! Good luck with you prep.

We all deal with speed bumps and injuries at some point, it's how we choose to deal with it. BUT we have to let our bodies heal as well. I'm pretty stubborn, so even though I know better, it takes my doctor and Physical Therapist to tell me to stop and slow down...lol.

Today was another great workout! Did some abs and HIIT on the treadmill and a little bit of the stepmill. Feeling great! Off to work...

[maderc]

Yesterday was a fairly good lifting day, back and chest. Any chest lifts still scare me since that's what I was doing when my muscles gave up on me. Light weights for sure on chest! Starting to push the weights a little on back.

Today I was abs and cardio. Cardio I did some HIIT on the treadmill and did the stepmill the other half. Felt great after my pillows gave up and let me out of bed!

Today I also had round 3 of my nerve blocks and hopefully the last for a while! Feeling great compared to a month ago! Definitely can't complain. Excited to see what I can do in the next few weeks!

[AudreyFunk]

Im rootin for ya! Slow and steady wins the race.

[Sunnyday]

x2!

[maderc]

Legs and arms today with a HIIT cardio...was a great workout with a friend that kept me going and going and going! Felt GREAT! Now I'm tired, my legs are tired and I'm ready for bed early! Back at it tomorrow!

[maderc]

Training is going great and I've been pretty dang motivated to out do myself from last year. Workouts have been going really well. Still increasing my weights and adding some exercises back into my routines without creating a setback. My favorite workout days are leg days. I've always loved lifting legs. Last week, I realized I had a really good workout when the maintenance guy at work came up to me and asked "have you done squats recently?" I laughed and told him, "yes, a few days ago! Am I still walking that funny?" Good laughs. I love the "sore" feeling after workouts. Makes me feel like I've accomplished what I set out to do in the gym.

My cardio has been increased to 3 sessions of 20 minutes HIIT and 2 sessions of 45 minutes of any cardio.

Met with my trainer on Friday, and things are coming along very well! I am excited by my numbers, decreased weight and bodyfat. Makes me more motivated and want to push myself harder. It's going to be another great week!!!

[The Prodigy]

How do you motivate yourself to do 2 sessions of HIT? I hate HIT..would rather not do it at all! I could never motivate myself to do 1 session a week! LOL!!!

[maderc]

HIIT actually makes my cardio go faster! Love the change and think about the point when I get to "just" walk to slow my hear rate down before I can hit it hard again...lol. With all the cardio and not fully enjoying cardio, changing it up all the time makes it easier to do for me. Added a total of an hour of cardio again today! I look forward to, yet dread meeting with my trainer...you know it will get more intense every time, but the end results and the daily changes makes me push myself harder. Today has been kind of a tough day...since my nerve blocks in my right neck, shoulder and back we have noticed my right shoulder cap is smaller than my left. Frustrated after finally having a significant decrease in pain after the blocks and almost fully back to my workouts. Have my fingers and toes crossed that I'll be able to regain it all back before I step on stage at Jr. Nationals.

It was a leg and arm day today! Being frustrated made myself really push...legs feel good!!!

[Suzanne]

Working through injuries is alwasy fun - not! but it sure does teach you to be creative and figure out ways to still effectively train that body part

I prefer HIIT also since it is only 15-20 min goes by fast plus changing the interval speeds and just watching the 30 sec or 60 sec or what ever. And it kicks your ass!

[maderc]

Injuries definitely create a whole new perspective. It's whether or not you can overcome them. Determination and drive is what gets you past them. Sometimes I hit a rut and it takes a little extra push, but never do I get stuck!

All my lifts have been getting easier and I've been able to continue lifting heavier. I've added all my lifts back in and it's been going great! Makes me smile! Between my sets I find myself posing my upper body to see if my shoulders are symmetrical. Currently I believe the lack of symmetry is me having to relearn to use the muscles after the injections, which is a good thing!

For some reason the dieting, so far, has been much easier than in the past. My body seems to be responding to it very well!

[alainaravens]

Glad everything is getting better for you and I couldnt agree more with having to overcome being stuck n a rut . .gluck to u :)

[The Prodigy]

When ever I feel a muscle strain or is sore I always train that body part in the Isolator for a week. I still get a great workout with lighter weight and higher reps. It isolates the muscle and allows me to feel the contractions while taking the pressure off of the injury.

Ever used it before?

[maderc]

Specifically, I have not used it. Being in Physical Therapy and dealing with this for quite a few years now, I've been lucky enough to be able to learn my body pretty well. It's amazing when I look back how much I have learned about my body in the past 4 years competing. So my lifts pretty much surround what I've learned, what works and what doesn't. I definitely have learned not to push it, which has been difficult considering I can be pretty stubborn. :) I'm also grateful to have a doctor that understands the passion for competing and follows me through training and competing so I can stay healthy and not need to take time off.

AND I learned to use my muscles again and I'm symmetrical!!! Flexing my muscles between sets of anything and everything, getting goofy looks in the gym, I'm now set! Oofta! (yep, Minnesotan...ha ha!)

Hitting the weights and not having to hold back feels great! A few things I still try to watch, but overall it's been feeling really good. Cardio on the other hand, feels good, but I've been more tired lately which makes it a little more challenging. My body fat and pounds of fat continue to drop and I'm right on track to be ready 2 weeks out from stage!

[IslandGirl]

Hey there! I'll be at Jr. Nats. I bet you are so excited!

Best of luck with your prep. Sounds like things are coming along smoothly.

[maderc]

Islandgirl, thank you! I'm sure I'll be more excited the closer it gets. Good luck with your prep as well! 10 weeks!

Yesterday I got a call from my doctor after having saliva hormone testing. Find myself pretty lucky I haven't lost muscle considering how low my testosterone levels are! OK, maybe I've lost a little, but my trainer says it's not noticeable. My progesterone levels are low as well, which means I'm very estrogen dominant...guess there's no question I'm 100% girl...lol. The great thing about my doctor, we raise all my levels and balance them all through natural supplementation and if that doesn't work, we use the compound pharmacy so it is exactly what I need. It's nothing I haven't dealt with before...last year was the first year I monitored closely by my doctor due to my adrenal fatigue my second year of competing. He's been an amazing addition to my prep and off season training! SO...the next few weeks as my hormone levels balance out, the progress is going to be faster than I've recently had. Although I can't complain, down 1% bodyfat in a week, slight increase in muscle and small decrease in weight. Great visit with my trainer this morning!

In the gym, cardio has been boring and depressing...lol! Since us Minnesotans have been lucky to have an amazing winter and beautiful weather, I've found myself trying to find varieties of cardio to do outdoors...45 minutes up and down one of our ski hills, running the neighborhood, track training and bleacher running...feels MUCH BETTER being out in the fresh air and what a mood booster!!! Lifting has been going very well! Still not quite at the weights I used to be, but I'm gaining strength slowly. Overall, it's been a great prep, just mental hurdles. Half prep over, half to go...then CHICAGO STUFFED PIZZA!!! What more can a girl look forward too??? LOL....

[maderc]

The close I get to prep, the less I keep up with this! My butt likes the couch and my head likes the pillow once I make it home. :) Prep this year has been full of speed bumps. My knee has been bothering me for over a month and I was trying to ignore it. Finally went to the doctor today and found out I have a bone spur on my knee cap and possible meniscus tear. Shot it up with cortisone hoping it will take the pain away enough until I compete in 7 weeks. Since it's been beautiful outside, I've been enjoying running outside for cardios. Now, it's looking like I'm going to have to create a bond with the elliptical and bike, not my favorite types of cardio at all...lol.

Training overall is going really well. Down a percentage of bodyfat in a week!

[KBigz81]

Knee problems are no fun! I've got a bad habit of not updating my journal during prep too. Keep training hard! Get the cardio done! I'm 7 weeks out also. What show are you doing?

[maderc]

I like to call it "diet dumb." Ha ha! I'm doing Jr. Nationals. Assuming you are too??

[maderc]

It has been a VERY long time since I've posted. It always seems the closer I get to competition, I slow down on my updates. Prep has gone really well this year and I'm more excited for Giordano's stuffed pizza than I am to step on stage...lol! I CAN'T WAIT!!! This competition both my brother and my mom are coming along to support me...I've got the most supportive family! Also coming to support me for Finals is my boyfriend. He has been amazing going through all the ups and downs with me. He joined me for multiple cardios and pushed me a little harder than what I thought I had in me. I have one last 30 minute cardio tomorrow morning and meeting with my trainer to finalize these last few days. Soon to be off to Chicago...but first I have to get beautified and have a shoot with an amazing local photographer. Here's to PIZZA!!!

[curvygirl]

Good luck at Jr. Nationals! Rock the stage! And then enjoy that pizza! :D

[Sunnyday]

You have EARNED that pizza, girl! Enjoy!!

[maderc]

Happy to be home after competing at Jr. Nationals in Chicago over the weekend. I went into this show thinking it was my last, but I've left disappointed. What I presented was not me or what my body is capable of. For now, I still am hanging up my heels and enjoying everything else life has to offer. Personally I have to find excitement to compete, the passion to be in the gym again and let my body heal. I believe I had a very successful 4 years (3 first place class B, 2nd overall, and my most prized trophy...MN State Figure Overall...then on the National level I kept moving up placing 14th, 12th and 9th). I'm proud of what I have been able to accomplish since the beginning. I've learned a lot about myself and met some amazing people along the way, ones that have become lifelong friends. Everything I have done and been able to accomplish, I give the BIGGEST thanks to my trainer, Christine Bongiovanni (https://www.facebook.com/christine.bongiovanni). She helped me through all my ups and downs and pushed me to realize what I really was capable of.