3 weeks

Proof that I grew some gams - it is almost time to show them off. 3 weeks from today. I only have about a pound to a pound and a half to lose for leanness, so today it's LaTolteca time!!!

LaTolteca is a very popular and very good Mexican restaurant in Rehoboth Beach, DE.

Their portions are also very big, and, the Golden Margaritas are sooooo very good....sooo good!

: )

I was reading some forum posts somewhere recently and the topic was avoiding alcohol whilst dieting for contests, and some even avoid it altogether in the offseason. Mind you, I do not go out and get wrecked, more than two drinks at a time is almost always over my limit, but heck, I've told you, two a day, most every day is my standard. Today I'll toast the abstainers whilst sipping my margarita(no salt)! Hmmmm, just realized I haven't had an IHOP day in quite sometime -

Bill Jentz, how about some Harvest Grain pancakes?

Here is my training partner, GW (George Wilson). This was taken yesterday. I love that intense expression on his face. ATTACK!!!! He is definitely a blast to train with.

Last night's workout was quick paced, and lots of drop sets. Definitely work, hard work, but gosh darn it, I miss my deadlifts! The real key to why I'm avoiding them, as well as other big movements, is that I just don't have the wherewithall.

I'm posting some new things on my free site(http://www.katebaird.com/) from time to time. I have a little pre-contest interview with me posted, and I'm going to try to take one picture out of every Members Gallery and post on the 'Bodybuilder' page (with the exception of the nudes, of course!!!). One more progress pic from last night for the road:
I will be ready! Have a Powerful weekend!

3 weeks 5 days....

I have abandoned squats now for the rest of my prep. There just isn't enough of me to get through those these days.

Last evening we played the pre-exhaustion game w/ curls and extensions, then hopped on the Nautilus Duo-Squat machine. I forgot how much I LOVE that machine. It allows you to get a super range of motion, and it works the entire front and back of the leg, and glutes very well too! It does save the area above the knee, so we were able to progress over to our much loved Sissy Squats. I didn't even miss squats last night...that was until I saw someone else squatting in the power rack... :(

Progress - I finally had those shoulder stripes (striations) that I've been looking for yesterday. I do fade as the day wear on, but they were there early iin the morning. I'm still a bit watery, but I do believe that that is my plague forevermore. I am not ALOT watery, just a bit. Water is, however, combatable.

I also wanted to point out that in addition to doing no cardio, no abs, drinking wine every day and eating red meat everyday, I also eat FRUIT (oh, the EVIL fruit!! ;) ) everyday, all the way through contest prep - AND peanut butter (I just now ate a TBSP)... and I don't practice any of that "no-carb low carb high carb" rotation that seems to be ever so prevalent in contest prep these days. Every bodybuilder I talk to or hear talk is always on a no-carb day...OY VEY!!! Carbs are what fuel your brain, why would I want to purposely cut my brain power down? Sorry, I'm starting to get on a roll here - no, I haven't placed very high YET in a BB contest, but you canNOT dispute the fact that my conditioning has always been among the best in the show. I was very much overlooked last year - and this year...HAH!!!! Let us not forget that I did my first national level show with only a year and a half ot training under my belt, and I held my own. This year is only 3 and a half years into training, so I still have lots of gains to make, both in bodybuilding and powerlifting!

on track

Posed and posed yesterday. I am not the most creative poser in the world, but it will be sufficient, I think.

The progress pics aren't good enough quality to post. The lighting was insufficient without flash to view any detail.

I do take pictures in the am every couple of days to monitor water etc. Here is my back yesterday morning.

Got traps?

Dragging Big Butt

I am still dragging severe butt, and dragging face to go along with that. My strength continues to decline, but at least I look decent. Water has become an issue. it comes and goes and we are still trying to figure out why. If anybody can get a handle on that, B will - the Evil Genius!
When it comes, it comes in vast quantity. But then, thankfully, it slips away... we do need to get a handle on that though.

I had a photo shoot with my beloved Clyde Carr yesterday! I will say this again ladies - if you ever get an opportunity to work with him, do so! He is so much fun and easy to shoot with. He has a very artistic eye. He came here from his home in Annapolis, and we drove down to Cape Henlopen. It was hot and very sunny, not the perfect lighting for what we wanted to capture, but it was such a delightful day, no big deal.

Because I only had two days notice, I was a bit watery. Of course, I woke up this morning much drier. Doesn't that figure?!! This bicep picture is one from yesterday. The legs are from this morning - proof that the water drained a good bit. Also proof that I have been doing my homework over the past 6 months. My fat distribution is totally different than ever before, also.

We don't think that will cause any problems or concerns.

I don't think I will be coming in much leaner than last year, at the Nationals, as I had previously thought I might. I have worked hard at creating a fuller rounder look, and coming in leaner may cause some of the fullness to disappear. I was pretty lean last year anyway. At this point is looks like I will weigh in a couple of pounders lighter than we had planned. Current projection is 150-152.

4 weeks 5 days and counting....

Up until this contest prep, I really did breeze through all the contest preps prior - not this time.

I am hurting physically. If I didn't have this contest committed to I would take off three weeks completely from training. Really,really, I would. My body is calling, no - screaming for it - it has been three and a half years non-stop, no rest. Bodybuilding, powerlifting, no rest no rest no rest. I need some rest, but I can't yet.

My strength has finally plummeted, spiraling downward it goes. I mean waaayyy off. No steam for pushing. I really felt it today with legs. 315 on squats felt like 450. My legs have that kind of tired exhausted feeling waitresses get from working a double shift at a busy restaurant. That's the best I can describe it. I've had it for several weeks now, and I suspect it is not going to get any better until after July 21. And last Friday, deadlifting was almost a joke. I will say this about fat on the shins - when you are lean and dieted down, pulling the bar up against your shins feels like a grater on your bone. Fat at least provides some padding. Oh, it was horrible, plus I had no steam to begin with. I'm walking around like a zombie these days. Lord knows what I would be like if I did that no carb stuff like most of the other bodybuilders I know. No, I don't play that stupid game. Don't even let me get started on that subject - - -

Here is me yesterday 5 weeks out. I was watery yesterday. very watery, and the lighting sucks too. Too bad we didn't take my picture today. I dropped two whole pounds of water over night. For no explainable reason it just drained away over night. I actually look better than this. I am not pleased with any of the pictures from yesterday, but I vowed I'd post at least one progress pic a week for you all to at least be able to criticize me (HAH!).

I did go off my diet Saturday. My second cousin got married, Jenny (she was even more beee-yoo-tee-fool than she normally is !!). I was so hoping to go hog wild on wedding cake.

I looove wedding cake (especially FROZEN wedding cake).

Buuuuutttt - we didn't get to sit down to eat until after 8, and the main entree wasn't served until 9. Then they served cheesecake for dessert. I do NOT like cheesecake. My brother and his wife and I left the premises around 10, and they still hadn't cut the wedding cake. I was beside myself. Luckily they did have a plate of cookies on the table. I only had two, and it wasn't anywhere near the replacement for wedding cake that I wanted so bad....but hey, I didn't gain any weight!!

Leaning Down

First of all - WELCOME HOME DAVE KERGAARD! I haven't seen you yet, but soon I do hope to.
There is nothing of excitement to report. This go 'round finds my body feeling the lack of fuel (read - FOOD!) more severely than the other times I have prepped for a BB contest. Strength is down a bit, determination and drive isn't though. I was 157 yesterday. I increased my calories just a little bit yesterday, by about 250, because I don't want to be a stick on stage. I figure I'll be around 152 or 153 at weigh-ins. I plan to be just a smidgeon leaner than last year.
I was just thinking how ironic it is that I have more of an hourglass figure now than at any other time in my life, and the curvy result is from building muscle...so there yah go you ol' naysayers who insist that muscle makes women blocky and masculine!

GW and I have picked up pace in our training sessions, they are becoming just this side of aerobic...burn that adipose tissue!!!

The weather here sucks - it's about 60 or less today, grey sky - long sleeves are donned and I even have the heat on. It is expected to go up to the low 90's this weekend...whacky! It makes me tired.

Methinks it's time to throw a big juicy steak on the ol' George Foreman...red meat every day during contest prep, and wine. Cannot live without wine, so I don't. :)

6 weeks to go - I have dropped some of that awful water weight I had been carrying around. I don't know what made me puff up so, but at least it is starting to dissipate. I am still a bit more watery than I would like to be.
The clean and pressing contest...One guy got 10, 0ne got 9, most got 5 or 6, two guys got 3 reps...I stopped at 11 only because I was so winded. I knew I didn't have to do anymore, so I didn't. The first rep was so bad I thought for sure that I'd be lucky to get 5 reps. I finally started to get the hang of them around the sixth rep, at about the same time my breathing was beginning to get labored. Obviously my conditioning has waned. I will need to focus on bettering that. I think that implementing clean and pressing into my training will be beneficial.
Hanging at about 159 pounds now.

6.5 weeks out -

Had some progress pictures taken, but I am soooooooo water logged, I am not happy with but a few. I also need to practice posing, as I am not happy with that either. I have to pose differently because my physique has changed so much. I don't like posing anyway, I don't do it much unless I'm prepping for a show. Most bodybuilders will jump into a pose at any given opportunity. Not me.....I guess I'm just a humble little girl : )

I took Monday off from training legs - I was so beat up and EXHAUSTED - going through another insomnia phase (SUCKS) and was very beat up from the cleans and presses last Friday. I cleaned and then I pressed. I didn't clean and press yet. I make my attempt this Friday. All of the other competitors have made their attempts. I am the only woman, the lightest, and the oldest. The wieight to be used is 135, and the goal is 10. None of us have clean and pressed before, nor done any Olympic lifting for that matter. One out of ten so far has acheived the 10. One acheived 9. The others all fall between 3 and 6. Go Kate Go!!!

Today was chest and shoulders. I did not do triceps because of the plan for Friday - saving them to be fresh. The new method of benching is proving to be the way to go. I did 275 for two good pauses, and in a friggin' exhausted, beat up and also worn out from dieting state. Go Kate Go!!! 225x8 and a half. 265 x 6. Go Kate Go!!!

Yes, insomnia - it's the kind where I keep waking up for long stretches several times every night, fragmented sleep,worse than no sleep in my opinion. I've suffered from sleep problems off and on all of my life, and truthfully, it is worse than most anything that I can think of. If I had to choose between $100 million dollars and 6 hours of straight sleep every night for the rest of my life - I would choose the sleep. Honest, I would. I really, really would.

Row Your Bar

My last posting might have sounded a bit harsh and unlike me as far as airing something as such publicly, however it is true and I have all the evidence in the world, as he is likely to deny the claim - anytime anyone wants to view evidence, I've got it - and lots of it. That's why the police agreed to put the warrant out for his arrest. 'nuff said.
Back to training- I was slyly entered into a "clean and press" competition by none other than my dear friend Paul Timmons, owner of the Firm...I had never done any type of Olympic lifting, so why me?? I dunno. Anyhooo, I got a lesson on clean and pressing Friday evening from B, who is quite knowledgeable.
All I want to say is I hate Olympic lifting. No, I wasn't bad at it, I just don't like it. However, that being said, it is good from time to time to learn new things.

GW and I did some good ol' fashioned T-bar rowing, with the bar stuck in the corner of the room(of course you have to put a towel down there to keep the bar stable and also to keep it from marring the wall). I lovelovelove T-bar rowing. I hadn't done those for ages. They hit my back in such a place that I don't feel from any other back movement. As the gym doesn't have dumbell higher than 125's, I will probably be doing more T-Bar rowing in the near future than dumbell rowing, cuz we all know that I like to row really heavy.