And so it begins...

My site is FINALLY all back in working order...some few people may have noticed that my Members Section was unsecured for 3 days.(no, don't try it now - it is fixed) What a nightmare getting that resolved. A friggin' NIGHTMARE!!! Anyhoo - more night mares are on their way, I am sure, as I am now in charge of keeping my site updated....first I have to LEARN HOW to do it!!! HAH!!!

I began my contest diet - 16 weeks out....wayyyyyyy early for me, I know. I told my prepper that I would do everything he said, and when we assess in the next couple of weeks we can adjust. I'm not sure he believed me when I told him that I can lose weight very quickly. I can, and I will, and I'm sure that we will be adjusting some things, but if I was ging to listen to myself I wouldn't have hired somebody to guide me! I do trust him.

Sunday morning scale - read 176.4 unclothed.

The pix are after Friday evening's workout.

What a porcine looking creature, yes?

Now that I'm finally in the "big" category...I'm not so sure I like what I see... I think my favorite size of me is in the 150's somewhere. That's look and comfort levels I refer to. But...I'm wearing this size to the Masters. Anyhooo - I am thrilled to be on a diet, so I can perhaps feel a bit more streamlined, rather than feeling like a linebacker.

Friday we did some rack pulling - 625 x 3 from knee level. Still keeping in the same range.I have it on video, but I had my computer reloaded the other day and my computer guy didn't put the program that I use to compile and edit video clips. So no videos until I either get him to come over and put it on my computer again (that's a big maybe) or buy it myself.

We hefted with dumbell rows - always my favorite. The Firm has 150's, and I do believe the owner may be springing for something heavier soon... : )... what else...I fergitttt??? Oh, dumbell pullovers, and dumbell shrugs, and machine preachers, and kettlebell concentration curls, and pulley rope curl thingies, and hack machine calves...and the best part of the workout???!!! My feet did not hurt and I didn't have to take my shoes off once due to the pain! I was wearing my arch supports.

Amazing. Happy, Happy Feet!

Happy Feet!!! :)

I'm not sure how to start this, except by saying that yesterday was a very important day, which will probably result in major life alterations! It probably won't sound very exciting, but believe me you - it is to me.

I get on here and whine alot about my ailments, one of which, if you read my blog from time to time, you may remember some whining about this. My longest term ailment is my foot pain. I can remember the first time it actually came to my attention, over 20 years ago. No, the lifting isn't the cause of my foot ailments, but surely it has to it aggravates it. The pain comes and goes, so it is one of those things that I have kept telling myself will surely go away if I just keep wearing flat shoes with good padding under the balls of my feet. I almost never wear a heeled shoe, unless it is a wedding, or a photo shoot, or some special event. A couple of months ago I was out showing property to clients and my feet hurt so bad, I took the boots that I had on off, apologized to my clients for having to wear stocking feet for the rest of the day, and when i came home I threw the boots out- nice leather ankle high boots, heel was only about 2 inches, they probably cost me about $60 - $70.

Anyhoo - lately the pain has come on, and not subsided. It has only been getting more prevalent. Almost debilitating at times. It got to the point the other day that I could no longer ignore taking action. It actually got so bad that I was in fear of not being able to walk around much less lift. It was either go to a foot doctor, or go get some arch supports,try them and hope for the best, which is what the foot doctor would wind up telling me to do anyway, I'm sure.

Hail to GOOD FEET!!! Good Feet specializes in custom arch supports and orthopedic products.

I spent about an hour and a half with Ed at the store, being fitted for the arch supports, and learning alot more than I knew about the mechanics of a foot. Words almost elude me. I have heard stories of people walking in the store and breaking down in joyous tears once they put the supports in their shoes because they felt renewed, out of pain, and could look forward to living life without the shear pain they had been living in - foot pain, back pain, hip pain etc... I slipped those bad boys in my shoes, walked around the store, and so help me I felt like I was walking in a miracle - I almost cried myself, but I didn't till I got home. It is amazing that just a hunk of plastic (albeit expensive plastic!) under your foot can make such a dramatic change immediately!

What my problem is is my highly exaggerated arch. (see photo attached herein) Ed's words were that I am" very well endowed" in the arch department. I have always
referred to my feet as being "high-heeled feet".
Anyhooo...just thinking - less foot pain and perhaps, just perhaps now...it could have an effect on my leg pain and surely an effect on my spine and hip alignment.
Can you tell I am happy and excited???

Woe

I can't believe I am still apologizing for my site being down, but it is what it is. ~ Hope to have it back up maybe next week (????). After it finally gets running again, it is getting a major overhaul, but that might take some time, since I will be the one doing the work on it. This whole project has been a mess, and as I have had many personal inquiries, I must reiterate -please bear with me! Thanks -

My legs, woe are my legs! If you haven't experienced anything like this, it is so hard to explain...just be sure to know that it is painful. They are still sore from Monday's leg session.
They were screaming during my deadlifting yesterday. I've been doing a little bit of plyometric jumping, not alot, just a bit, and definitely it has hindered my abilities. But I persevere... deadlifts went ok, not great, but ok. 365 x 6. But considering I have had to change my starting pull off of the ground, as I no longer have the room to begin by stomping up to the bar...that and my legs really didn't want to co-operate in the movement. It almost feels like they are tearing when the quads get working...

I am excited to begin my diet for the Masters in the very near future, if only for the fact that I will be losing weight, and the pain in my legs subsides when I am lighter.... I'm tired of this forever full belly, too. I want that nice, tight wasitline back! It's been a bit less protrusive (is that a word?) because I have been stabilizing my weight and not gaining lately. Hanging at 174 - 175. I have some pretty good leg definition and I even saw the big ol' vein in my bicep sticking out yesterday, so I feel I am at a pretty good starting point for the diet.
I feel bad, though, when the guy that I train with sometimes borrows my belt and is able to wear it on the same hole as me... and he isn't skinny by any means. ok, so I'll say all of the thickness is in my lower back.... yeah, that's it...

I am excited to be working with my new contest "prepper". I will announce who I am working with once things get rolling. Just believe that he is someone with experience and I have seen some of his work, and I have major faith that he will be able to bring me in spot on.

Sledgehammer

Last night was squat night. ~ didn't really feel like squatting, however I wasn't in the mood to do anything, so whether it be squatting or staying home and reading a novel - I think it was just a good ol' fashioned bored kind of mood. It was a nondescript kind of day that led up to training. GW was kind of in the same mood. We both rolled our eyes at the bar looming in the racks, before we said, "Let's get to it. "
I have explained before - squatting is difficult for me these days. The pain in my legs makes for a tortuous feeling. My form last night was probably spot on, better than most days, but the painful feeling of my outer quads about to pop and rip open curtailed any extra momentum that I had. I was also aware of a crookednes in my alignment ( time for an adjustment), but I'm so used to that -
315 x 8, and 365 x 2 (no wraps)...I HAD to stop before failure, which is quite different than wanting to stop before failure ( my usual cop out ). I had a very difficult time getting to sleep last night because it felt like someone had swung a sledgehammer and made a tremendously hard hit against both of my outer quads, especially the left one. I think the rest of my legs are sore today, too, but it is hard to get past the compartmentalization pain.
I actually used alot of inner thigh to power up last night. Usually I let the glutes take over, but because the size of my butt is so prevalent (!) I'm really trying to curtail that. I was very in control of things last night, technique wise, but the f***ing pain makes it a miserable experience.

What about the Iris Kyle dilemma at the Miss International... what message is it that the judges are sending to us? "No bumps!!! ? It takes away from the aesthetics?" Other things like ugly distracting tattos are ok, but no bumps... ??? Friggin' unsightly ripples in your breast augmentation is ok, but no bumps?
Or is it a message about using AAS... well, if that's the case, there are far more obvious signs of usage then bumps -Hello! Iris should have either won that show, or been placed where she deserved (as I wasn't there I don't know exactly where she should have placed, but she was in the first round of comparison callouts!)), or been given last place. Do we really understand 7th??? Can they logically explain 7th?
Always double standards...and the judges never speak up to account for anything, not this, not the scoring from contest to contest. Ever notice that "the scoresheet" is always a compiled scoresheet - has anyone ever seen a collection of individual scoresheets from the judges from any bodybuilding show - women OR men? Hmmmm????

Don't Give Up!

I don't know if everyone has given up on me, or not??!!! The transitioning of my website has turned out to be a much, much bigger project than it should ever be! I had to hire someone, someone who actually does the web stuff for a living, and he is even getting stymied....and he is good at all things related to websites and such !

www.KATEBAIRD.COM IS CURRENTLY IS IN A TRANSITION PHASE. PLEASE BEAR WITH ME AND HANG IN THERE AS I MAKE SOME NECESSARY CHANGES TO MY WEBSITE -THANKS !!!

As my mom always said whilst I was growing up - Yeeeeeeeesssssssshhhhhh!!!



I don't know when it will be up and running properly again, but I keep hoping soon! I'm really trying!



I'm not sure I have a whole lot of tidbits of news to catch you up on anyway - same old, same old - I still wake up every day and question to myself whether I am sick or not, but so far I am still hanging healthy! The month of January really knocked me on my butt - and even though I have a very big butt, it really knocked me back on a lot of things!
Training has been going very well lately - I am incorporating a few "ideas" into my training, "tests" as you might call them..will take a while to see if they work or not. I'll elaborate on some of those in later posts.


My bench is still hanging at 285 for three paused reps. Rack pulled 605 x 5 the other night.
Sure, I have performed those numbers before, but that was back before I fell apart. So I am giggly fuzzy happy about everything. I'm not maxing anything lately, I have no need to at this time.

The only thing that has been bothering me is the leg pain / comparmentalization issue. Whenever I get back over 170 pounds it makes itself known. It is not as bad as it was when it first came to my attention, maybe because my body has made some physical adjustment to it, maybe because I stay on top o it by doing nerve manipulations every day, and getting a massage deep into the leg tissues every now and then. Can't really squat when I'm like this. I do some squatting, but it really isn't good squatting. I've made the decision to come on back down in weight after the Masters, so I can squat. It does affect my deadlifting, too, though to a lesser extent.

I haven't been on the powerlifting platform to squat for a year and a half now, and I do so want to, but I am going to be relegated to staying down in the 165 lb. class...and maybe even back down to 148 in the not too distant future - we shall see, we shall see....

www.KATEBAIRD.COM IS CURRENTLY IS IN A TRANSITION PHASE. PLEASE BEAR WITH ME AND HANG IN THERE AS I MAKE SOME NECESSARY CHANGES TO MY WEBSITE -
THANKS !!!