Oink

Back to eating, gaining size, getting to be a big Kate again - I am the wishy washy woman...no? yes.?..well, no, not really. I'd stick to my decisions if the powers that be let me...but I have to follow the powers that be.

I have revealed that I look for "signs" in my life. Signs to show me direction, answer my questions, guide me - Sometimes they are very quiet, and I have to search high and low and sometimes I miss them. Sometimes they are loud and clear, and sometimes I want to do everything in my power to avoid the callings...and sometimes I am forced to stop dead in my tracks and just admit that this is what I must heed to, this is my calling, this is my purpose. I have been alerted in many ways recently, and I have been given several signs. I have been given one sign in particular that I shall relinquish myself to, and follow through and not look back - no questions, no doubts, no fears....

Monday was leg day. No squats, of course, :( :( :( And gosh by golly no leg extensions for me either as they aggravated my leg. I used the Hammer Strength leg press, which my head still hates but gosh, my legs absolutely love it.

And sissy squats - i was surprised I was able to do those, but very thankful as they are always one of my favorites. The first day I ever trained with weights I was shown the sissy squat. Maybe it's a sentimental love of the exerercise, but I honestly feel they work for me very well.

I promised my friend Justine Dohring that if she won her class at the Junior Nationals I would go out for a high fat milkshake with her . Well, she won the lightheavies - and very deservedly so.

She, as they say proverbially, 'brought it' to the stage in Chicago. Anyone that knows me even a little, knows I am very anal about eating anything high fat - it is like poison to me. But I broke down, I paid up and had the milkshake. And this is what happened to me

OINK

And here is dear Justine about to devour her rasberry and pistachio ice cream cone

and then she turned into a goat...what's up with that dairy farm ice cream?

Signs Signs Everywhere a Sign...

Last night we had someone join us for training. Zach - all 6'3' 195 lbs of him. GW and I didn't go real heavy, but we took Zach from a 200 max to a 280 in one workout. Good job, dude! A couple more workouts and a little more confidence and practice with technique and three plates will be going up easy as pie, guaranteed. Amazing how some people can never get quite that right arch in their bench, then this dude arches like the best of them right away. Maybe because there is so much of him to arch! lol -
It's always fun getting new ENTHUSIASTIC blood in the mix, because it amps me up, too.
GW was still a little worn out from Saturday, and, of course, I'm ALWAYS worn out these days, so we stayed with higher reps last night. I know, I know...Reps usually suck, but last night it was ok. I actually liked the feeling of being full of blood and pumped up...full even though I was down to a skinny lil' 156.8 yesterday morning!

Yes I got the "sign" I was looking for. I sure did. If you continue to read the blog, you will quickly realize in which direction I am headed. Things have been in front of my face for some time, but it is so hard sometimes to read things properly.Sure....I could be wrong about this again, but I don't think so, I truly don't think so....stay tuned!

Wallow

Don't anybody talk to me and try to influence me - I have got to find a sign somewhere. Tea leaves, clouds, Magic 8 Ball...there has to be a sign somewhere that will show me what decision to make.
I asked God, but as of yet he hasn't shown me anything apparent enough to read, if he has shown me anything at all.... I truly believe in signs, you just have to know how to read them. Is there something I am missing right in front of me?
I went to the gym, and it came back and got me this evening- the leg pain. the left leg - I've been taking care of it doing what I think I should be doing, but it got me tonight in a very bad way. Last week I had no problem with the 370 squat. I knew I could have done two consecutive, but didn't, so this week I was going to do those 2. The 320's s went down and came back up perfectly. No problem. I went down with the 370 and the best way I can describe it is like the tension on something just before you are about to snap it in half...couple that with a hard pain, not sharp, not throbbing, but hard.
My right side wanted to push that bar up, but the left one - no fucking way. I was down, and if wasn't for GW, I wouldn't have come back up.
So I'm looking for the sign - I've either got to drop the weight to be able to pursue the squatting, or I'll retain the size and shape and even grow again, but squat no more....
Maybe I'll flip a coin in the morning...I don't know... I'm upset and very beside myself right now.

Signing off to go wallow -

APA Linestate Open

GW - Congratulations! I am soooo proud of my training partner ! He was able to set a new DE state record in the raw Master's V 220 and Master's V Open 220 with a 500 deadlift. GW played it conservatively - he opened with 435 then I think he went to 480 then the 500. He opted to try the 535 on a fourth attempt (which would have been a World Record in his division and weight calss). His 500 was ridiculously easy looking. The 535 was coming up really good until about knee level, it slowed and even stalled a bit and then he dipped it jusy an inch or so before continuing up, however he did stick with it and locked it out. If he had taken that 535 on the third attempt it would have been good, of that I'm sure. But he did pull three picture perfect deadlifts...sans a belt, I might add. GW, stop being so stubborn break that friggin' lifting belt out of the trunk of your car puhhhhllease! We'll get you to 550 very soon! He also got Best Deadlifter by formula! GW GWilikers!!! You rock!

The meet was the APA Linestate Open in California MD. It is about a 3 hour drive from us, so it made for a long day, to and from, albeit a fun day. I sat in the judges chair all day long, for all three lifts. It was a good meet.....I don't know. I shouldn't drag stuff like this out in the open, maybe I should have been the head judge, but I opted not to be.

This part has been edited out, a decision by me and soley me. Even though I and many others may disagree with someone's opinions, I do apologize for being publicly discourteous. I should not be publicly airing certain tings. I will, however, leave the below comments standing for my own personal comic relief, and perhaps yours!

Anyhoo - it was a great meet, and there were several lifters that I know that were competing -
Len Walker(good to see him up on the platform even though he was a little off this day), David Poole, Chris Mitchem, Darren ?? , Good job all!!!!

And even with being in the judge's chair all day but not competing, yes, I had a heck of alot more fun than I would have primping all morning then hanging backstage for hours just to prance around on stage for a few seconds at the Masters NAtionals. It looks like the competition was FIERCE however, by the lineup and pix I've seen.

Frizzy Squats

I went to the gym alone last night, GW had work commitments. I was ok with that, as I felt a need for "deload", time to back off a little on the bench work. Nobody to give me the extra inspiration to push a little harder,... so, Heck, why am I so very sore today??/I am supposed to be refreshed and recovered! NOT! I played with the kettlebells. I love kettlebells. Just played like a kid. Actually I had the whole gym to myself for most of my workout. It was all spiritually kettlebell...

AND yes! I have been getting some sleep this week. Enough talking about it because i don't want the experience to fizzle out. No bad karma, please.

So legs day was Sunday - I have been thinking about squatting quite incessantly as of the late - like - how am I ever going to do it again with all of these "hurdles"...I am constantly analyzing, and find myself picking up the broomstick at odd moments throughout the day and throwing it upon my shoulders to practice squatting in different ways. I was going to get back under the bar and just walk it back just to keep acquainted with the bar, but my mind changed when I was under the bar. I had to HAD to try to see if my idea for squatting had any bearing and effect on my leg pain. Soooo - I squatted. Happy to report that my change up worked for the positive. Now, bear in mind, lack of sleep still had me void of energy reserves, though I know the strength is not gone - big strength is still waiting to burst back out, but the energy reserves...still hard getting through the day without working out... but I did 320 for 6 and 370 for one...and since I know there was two in me, and I wussed out on the last one as I usually do, I had to immediately go back and do 370 again. No knee wraps - going to leave those off as much as I can for awhile to come.
I brought my stance back to the way I used to squat = very, very narrow. Takes the emphasis OFF of the hips and outer thighs and puts it back on the front of the leg and alot of gluteus medius and hamstrings, of course. The front of my thighs are still crying tonight! Of course, the 10-10-2-20's that I threw in for "fun" on the leg extension machine might have something to do with the soreness too - Hah! Big Al and Andy will love to hear I did those! I also changed back into my Harley boots, with a heel, rather than the flat shoe. With the arch supports my weight is more evenly distributed and I'm pushing from my heels still, even with a heel on the shoe, and not falling forward.
Narrow squatting makes it harder to get past parallel, for me, but now when I do my squat, and when I think I'm far enough down, I say to myself, "not far enough", and go just a tad more, so if they aren't deep enough then my hair isn't frizzy.... ..

I see too many bodybuilders have "luck" at shows - good AND bad, so, I'm saying "May all the preparations you put into this show prove to be your best efforts yet and so shall ye be duly rewarded" to my friends competing at the Masters Nationals this weekend - Jack Osborne and Marlene Churchill-Wolverton are going to kick some glute! And Pam Franklin is looking incredible through photographic documentation, she's very underrated and I hope she gets looked at by the judges this year.

Rise up and Fly

Sleep is still evasive, but I did manage to get the doctor to prescribe me what I think works for me...actually I KNOW it works for me. Doctors don't like that - you telling them what you need, but I tried his suggestion and it didn't do much good but make me a drowsy zombie during the day. It got me to sleep, but didn't keep me there. I'd rather have a harder time getting to sleep but stay there once I'm there. Fragmented sleep is just as detrimental as no sleep at all. I did get to a really dangerous point for a while. I understand brainwashing.

Anyhoooo, in the midst of walking around in this zombie like condition, Power Goddess decided that she was going to make a couple of brief visits this week. Most notable - I deadlifted last night. I wasn't going to, especially since last week's session was so bad that I quit and didn't even bother finishing the workout. I didn't train Sunday either - what was the point of even trying in a critically useless state, potential for injury... I didn't even want to bring it up, but I only did 320 for 2 last week, and that was a struggle...crud, I was almost ready to submit to the notion that my peak was over, and the platform was no longer a viable goal. Might have had to go back to the notion of being purely a bodybuilder (perish that thought), because bodybuilders can get away with "working around" things, even with lighter weight.
But I was able to get some of that good stuff - sleep, and even though I'm not caught up yet - far from it, I managed a 320 for 10 - I honestly could have pulled a couple more but I decided I wasn't going to have more than a couple of good sets in me energywise, so I needed to save what I had(and you know I hate reps anyway). GW counted a 6 for me on the 370, I only counted 5, but of course I was zoned out someplace else, so maybe he was correct. I always like to take the lower number in question, much unlike other people, because I really don't want to think I'm better than what I am if there is a question. But hey - 370 for 5 or 6 is getting up there close to what was once my best.... then the 410 was laying there looking all evil and taunting me... Were the rabies running rampant enough in my system to do it????
Yeah! Power Goddess is back. Funny how for so long you listen to someone else tell you how to do something, and you don't trust your natural instinct enough to make that one little change.
I made one little change in my deadlift technique and it has made all of the difference in the world. Look for bigger numbers whenever I get this sleep thing entirely on a roll. I really should have listened to myself on this one a long, long LONG time ago. Sometimes people fill your head with garbage though, and you really don't know how to filter out the good from the bad, the right from the wrong. You get garbage in - you get garbage out.

Soooo - looks like some big changes in store for me in the coming few months. A major company wants to sponsor me and move me out to this wonderful warm and tropical location, of which I'm not really allowed to announce the details yet, but it looks like I can finally pull roots up here and move on.

Here is GW and his big ol' hamhocks poking out.
GW is looking good, and will be ready for a big pull next week in California (California, MD, that is...).

And here is you know who ...believe it or not, I actually look alot better than what that picture of me portrays. I've made a few changes in a few variables, again listening to my own instincts, and lo and behold, I am happy with the results - very happy. I'm still hanging anywhere from around 159 - 161 on a normal day. (Harder to MAINTAIN weight than I thought! My body keeps wanting to GROW!!)If I could have would have stuck it out - I'm telling you sure as shooting I would have done very well at the Masters....but, of course, we'll never realize that, because I didn't and I'm not. And I'm ok with that. I'm just not ok with the lack of progress in the powerlifting department.
But I will rise up, and I will fly - again I shall fly

Weenies -

yes - I've been avoiding posting - again, because i don't have much that I want to talk about, training wise - still not back up to par... :(

sleep is still evasive...I know -WTF??? It has been a looooong time since I had a regular sleep pattern, and I am soooo tired of harping on it - but it is real, and it fucking hurts and its a drag and it suckssssssssssss, believe me... it has messed my entire being around - HOWEVER, there is hope - I got 6 straight hours of sleep last night, somehow, and I keep hoping....

So on back day last week, my left leg still was aggravated, we were supposed to rack pull, but no could do. GW's leg is still aggravated, too. We did barbell rows, always one of my favorite excersises, but not one we do often - and I still had a little aggravation in the leg whilst doing these.

I kept wanting to fall forward from lack of stabilization. Still managed two sets of 275 for six...

Legs, Sunday, we didn't do much but get the blood flowing, because we were still both crippled... :(
we went back to our old haunt, Midway Fitness, to use the Nautilus Duo-Squat, a most wonderful machine....not heavy, but I can certainly work around the spot on my legs that hurts me most. Used the whirlpool, which may be the one part of the gym that I miss the most. Did adductors, and abductors, standing leg curls, I did hip flexors at home.

Tonight - chest - not so bad...I didn't expect much due to the fact that I DID sleep, and I'm NOT used to it. Felt kind of TOO relaxed (damned if I do - damned if I don't....Damn it! :) )

I was at 157 lbs. today....so I was kind of light, but I did manage 280 for 3...after a 230 x 7 and a 260 for 4 or 5.... then 3 sets of Incline Smith machines , 3 sets of "Kate presses"...haha...3sets each of everything else - Hammer shoulder, Lateral flyes, Skull crushers, reverse pushdowns, a few drops sets here and there - not bad at all. When we were done I felt like there were big ol' balloons in my shoulders and triceps, so goal achieved.

hey - look who was back in town :







I just love BIG weenies!!!!!!! :)







And here is another big weenie ....



from a photoshoot today -