Vimless

Last night, I go in, do one work-set of deadlifts, 315 x 12, then BAM!!! I'm wasted, ready for a nap!!! That's what I'm going through, still - just lack of VIM, lack of VIGOR....I couldn't even pick the bar up off of the floor for the next set. So then I moved onto rack pulls. Now, when I do rack pulls, or "partials",I do them from beneath the knee. So many people I see move the bar from above the knee, and the bar moves about an inch...WTF??? I'm still getting about a foot of movement here. 565 for 3 or 4...I'll probably get a lot better at these, as I've only done these 2 or 3 times total in my life.
Hammer Machine single arm rows...I don't much care for this machine, but I let B pick my workout last night, as I didn't feel like thinking - just doing. Machine pullovers...blah...then cross swing dumbell curls (I don't know what else to call them). I think B made me do 85's ...you see, I wasn't thinking, so I don't remember all of the details.Then Gawwwd awful preacher curls with a barbell...oooh, I hate any kind of barbell curls. Calves toe raises on whatever that machine is. And a set of hip flexor curls on the lying leg curl. My hip flexorshave been out of synch again, as I haven't worked them for months. Traywick commented whilst watching me squat the other day that I was really wobbly on the descent. That's the sign that my hip flexors need some tending to. So I tended to them.
I'm up to about 156. I should be well into the 160's now. At least I still have some quad striations!!!
Not real good for recovery purposes, however. Weight will start to climb next week, I'm sure, and hopefully so will my energy levels!! :) Believe me this - I AM GETTING REALLY TIRED OF POSTING HOW BURNT OUT I AM!!!
It's been a gray and gloomy week, but the sun is finally shining today. It's supposed to be in the high 90's, and since I do live "at the beach", I think I'll take advantage of the breeze off the bay today, and try to soak up some of the sweltering late August sun. Hopefully the crowds will be a little thinner there today since the kiddies in most places have started school, keeping the tourists at home. Last two times I ventured down to the beach I could not find a parking space and wound up coming home. Boooo.

Alan from APT's Pro Wrist Straps, http://www.prowriststraps.com/ has agreed to sponsor us for the First State Power Frenzy once again! The man is awesome, he has sponsored us three times thus far. His equipment excels - I always use his lifting straps. I also use his knee wraps and wrist wraps, currently liking the Black Mambas. Thanks APT!!!

the First State Power Frenzy - Saturday September 15, 2007
APF sanctioned
Full Power, Push/Pull, Squat Only, Bench Only, Deadlift Only
Raw and Geared divisions
where: The Training CenterNew Castle, DE 19720
entry form: www.DE-APF.com
meet promoters:Kate Baird powerfulkate@comcast.net
Broderick Chavez - DE state APF chairman isquat700@mchsi.com
It's a Party!It's a Frenzy!It's Powerlifting!!!

I'm back in the gym. Actually, I was back Monday for squats. Things are on the upswing finally. I don't mean poundage - I mean my physical state. Unless you have been in a severe over extended, over trained state, you won't grasp the extent of what I am trying to convey. I was trashed for so long, I surely came close to unraveling. For the past week or so, I feel "normalized", back in balance... I'd love to hang on to that feeling. The forced rest came at the proper time - shows you that someone indeed must be looking out for me from above. So now I MUST be careful. I'm forcing myself to back down from my usual 900 mph, coasting a little slower. Having to drop the intensity level back a couple of notches.

I currently don't have a specific goal, a meet or contest, to train for right now, and it is best I keep it that way for awhile.Just train for training's sake.

Twiddling Thumbs

I'm just hanging about twiddling my thumbs this week...
My body is showing signs of accepting this forced rest. OK, so I have learned that I need to go out and find a dictionary that has the word "Relax" in it, and place that book somewhere with easy access at all times...

Great news for my Powerlifting meet - the First State Power Frenzy, which is held at the Training Center gym in New Castle DE on September 15th, APF sanctioned, raw and geared divisions.
AT LARGE NUTRITION and TITAN are both stepping up to help sponsor this time, and word is we may have another biggie helping out.
http://atlargenutrition.com/ and http://www.titansupport.com/.

I honestly have not tried At Large Nutrition's products yet, but I hear that they are superior to much of the stuff that lines the shelves at the vitamin stores these days.
Broderick just received a pair of Titan knee wraps a couple of weeks ago, first time he has tried them, and loves them!
If anybody who is reading this plans to compete in the FSPF, please register as soon as possible! It's hard to know how many trophies and t-shirts and such to order when you don't know how many competitors are planning to lift in the meet!

No training for a few days

I have to say after Monday's training session - "This Will Never Do"...

I am on mandatory respite from the gym again. I didn't even think about that until yesterday, whilst I was in the doctor's office having a small follow up surgery to my surgery in March.
This will work in one of two ways - I'll either benefit from additional rest, for I am having problems bouncing back into prime form from the bodybuilding, or I'll suffer from the additional stress because it was a little more traumatic than I had anticipated.
Am I good at skirting details, or what?

Anyhooo, no training for at least five days - wahhhhhhhhhhh.

Still Breaking In -

I'm still breaking myself back in - I wonder if I'll ever get over this stomach thing. Yes, it's still off and on plaguing me after 3 weeks. I'm barely tipping the scales now at 153 - 154. I just can't seem to get set straight with this weight gaining program!!! Not because I haven't been including lots of food or my Little Debbie Cakes, because they have once again become a daily staple, but my body is just plain ol' rebelling against wanting to gain weight... I'm still doing a bit less volume all around in my training. We did rack pulls the other night - I'm not really into them. I betcha, however, that in the long run they will benefit me, but even with close to 600 lbs, they just don't provide me with that overall exhilerating, body thrashed feeling I get from deadlifts. My weak spot on the dead is off the floor, not mid-point. We'll be doing these every other week to see waht happens. Deadlifting every week is counter productive for me. GW will benefit from the rack pulls, especially, as his weak link in the dead is the mid-point. My upper abs did get very sore from the rack pulls. My hips were saved alot of grief, however, and hopefully will be fresh on Monday for squatting!

The pics are of GW, Beth Beitzel and I pulverizing our legs on my last training session the Sunday before the Masters.
The Duo Squat machine is just a heck of an incredible piece of machinery. I relied on those when I could no longer push through regular squats. The sissy squat "machine" - to me, not really like a sissy squat, more like an altered front squat.
Good stuff, but manual sissys still rule - funny that they would even make a machine to try to simulate a sissy - one of the few excercises you can do any time, anywhere without a piece of equipment...????
We've all been trying to encourage Beth to compete - she's got all of the tools necessary - looks, physique, personality. She jumps in to work out with us from time to time, and she's also got alot of strength she either doesn't know she has, or is hiding....not sure which. She would be a force in figure, fitness, or bodybuilding....maybe someday, Beth??????
OK, every time I post, I'm going to try to thank one person whose influence has made my foray into bodybuilding and powerlifting the grand experience it has been and hopefully will continue to be for some time to come...
Mark Collins. My old beau during the time I was going to the Art Institute of Philadelpia, and was the first person to ever take the time to show me and explain to me what weight training was all about. I haven't seen nor spoken to him in 20+ years, but he got the ball rolling for me in the basement of a friend's row house in South Philadelphia with a set of plastic filled weights and a cheap bar. Thanks Mark.

SQUATS

I was bouncing back to health and spriteliness on Friday, then got a rebound of whateveritwas on Saturday and Sunday. It was so bad, that I finally decided that a Dr's visit was in order yesterday morning. Of course, I was on the upswing again by the time I got to the Dr's office. But that is ok, it just feels good to finally (almost) feel good again! LOL!!!
ahhhh, squats..........SQUATS!!! First session back to squatting since mid-June, and gosh, did it feel good- it was just this side of orgasmic!!! I was a little rusty, but not too bad - I was just breaking in a new stance a few months back when I had to abandon them because of bodybuilding contest prep. Yes, I HAD to, I just simply couldn't push through them any longer due to overtraining, lack of steam,etc. I would have to say, that having been in the depleted state for so long, then coming in off of a two week flu stint, I can't complain about my performance at all.
B trained with GW and I...I had almost forgotten what a sick pup he is when he trains.
315 for 8 pretty much took everything out of me as far as endurance on my first set. 365 for 2 wasn't hard at all, I felt the strength was there, my legs called out for more, but lo' and behold - no steam to push further. I need to get the "wherewithall" back in gear.
Next week, I'll be back in the 405 mode, yeah yeah yeah... I'm frothing at the mouth. Even if I'm not in the mode next week I'm going to do 405 anyway. We also did smith machine back lunges on a box - I really don't have any polite words for those...

My goal is to get at least that 450 that eluded me on the platform last year a couple of times, and to hopefully get a 475... bodybuilding contest prep definitely cuts into one's strength gains, I despise that side effect...I am ultimately after the 500 (belt and knee wraps only, of course). I need to nail down a commitment for a meet to compete at in the coming months, so stay tuned on that decision.

I'm finally on the upswing again - slowly, but finally. I was spent after the show, then that stomach flu kicked my butt. I did my two weeks mandatory rest, not as hard as I imagined because I had no choice with being sick. Going to the gym to train was NOT in the forefront of my mind. I haven't jumped back in entirely full force yet, I will be kind to myself so I don't relapse into the burn out stage.
It feels good to be refreshed, not just physically but mentally as well.
I am finally up in weight - one whole pound since weigh-ins!! Hey, you try gaining weight with a stomach flu! I am up to 151...
I did train Wednesday. It went as expected, I think I even still had a fever that morning. Powerlifting mode = bench pressing. I was able to pick off 225 x 6, yes all paused, but that's nothing for me to rave about as you know. But that's ok, realizing I need to ease back into it. I did less sets and reps for the entire session, to keep myself from overtraining.
Last night it was back to DEADLIFTS!!! Yay! It has been over two months since I pulled from the floor. I certainly was not expecting much, but I did better than I expected, especially after a couple of very stressful workdays. I expected a 315 x 5 tops, in my ragged low weight state.
I managed 315 x 10, so I did put 365 on the bar and pulled 4. It was a sucky bar with no knurling on it. It felt good to put another hole in my pants and make my leg bleed again! My ABS are what are incredibly sore this morning - hence, why I never directly work them, boys and girls. Less overall volume, again, need to back off for a week or two.
Now that I am not contest dieting, I decided to go for the ultimate post workout recovery drink - a Slurpee! Actually, it was a WaWa Icee, same thing. Hot weather is Slurpee weather, and this was my first all year. Good stuff!

The Flu

We figured out why I was having some problems drying out for the Masters - I was in the beginning stages of this horrible stomach flu that is now kicking my butt!!! Oh my God, do I feel retched. We were passing the tight fluttery stomach and constipation off to nerves and stress, but no, it was and is definitely the stomach flu. I guess if I'm going to get sick it's best to get it when I am on mandatory rest duty anyway. This will make sure that I do rest and stay out of the gym. Good thing I was able to stave off the major wrath of it until now, and good thing I didn't plan to go on to the USA, where I hear Michelle Neill is kicking butt - go girl!!!

Powerlifting USA- July edition. Thanks Scott Taylor, APA president, for saying such nice things about me. The picture on page 83 is me making a very sour face for having missed my benches - I only got my opening lifts that day. 'twas not a good day for me that day on the platform. I had big plans, but it wasnot to be that day. Plus, I would never wear a blue belt with a purple singlet!!!! The lever on my belt broke moments before the meet began, and I had to borrow my friends belt, who was lifting that day, but it was one hole size too large.

Also the write up on page 88 on the APF Delaware Power Classic (my meet) looks great! I am so proud of the evolution of that meet.

The 2006 Women's Top 20 lists are posted in the July issue, also. In the 165 class I made 13th highest squat, 15th highest Total, just missed making the bench and dead lists by 4 and 5 pounds respectively.

In the 148's I tied 11th in the squat, 9th in the bench, 14th in the dead and 9th Total.

But remember boys and girls, I'm on the lists mixed in with geared lifters, some wearing up to 5 layers of canvas, whilst I performed my lifts raw - I don't see where any raw lifters are placed ahead of any of my lifts, they are all geared lifts, except Julie Scanlon's 275 raw bench. To be fair, they did omit her raw NERB Total, probably just by mistake of 425 sq, 305 bench, and 420 dead. Julie Scanlon is awesome, and I'll give her credit anytime, after all she is one of the best, a very nice lady, and one of my favorite female powerlifters.

Awards Ceremony

Here is the ceremony presentation for the 2007 NPC Masters Nationals Tom Nine Screwed Award, presented to me by photographers Gene X and James Cook!

http://one.revver.com/watch/342704

It's never felt so good to be screwed!!! :)

After the Show Crash and Burn

I knew as soon as I stopped moving I would be hurting, and I am. I'm still in the "running on empty" stage. I'd kill myself doing back to back shows as some of the women are going straight into the USA. I am physically fried...of course, I was moving into that state for quite awhile before the show. I am now feeling the physical wrath of moving so fast for so long.

OK, the show....it was a well run event, and it is a great venue to have an event such as that.
My opinion on the placings....hmmm...yes, there were a few "WTF" placings in the show, and obviously in my division. I just simply can't elaborate because I don't feel it is right for me to say what might be construed as mean or humiliating things about people in a public forum such as this. Pictures can be found on http://www.musculardevelopment.com/ and http://www.genexmagazine.com/ . If you go to GeneX Magazine, you can read that I actually did receive an unofficial award, presened to me by some of the photographers - The first "Tom Nine Screwed Award". Most of us will always think that we should have placed higher in a competition (unless, of course, we win). I went in with the attitude knowing that the judges would probably ignore me like they usually do, so I was able to focus on other things, such as having a good time. However, it feels really good to know that I was appreciated by the photographers, the fans, other competitors. I have been told by many that 3-5 was realistic, and even a few 2nds, but I won't try to give myself too much in the way of undeserved glory. I regard the photographers' opinions pretty highly, as they go to all of the big shows and work with most of the top women. To have the honor of the TNS award I accept with my head held up very high and proud. However, I will gladly pass it along to someone else next time!!!!

My dear friend Jack Osborne only made it to tenth in the Men's Over 40 Heavyweights. But it was great to see Jack set foot up onstage again! He had some health problems over the past couple of years (almost died twice!). It was even a very last minute decision for him to compete. I hope he focuses on training for the show again next year, because he can be a major force to contend with in the line up! It was great to spend a little time with he and his wife, Chrissy. They own the Training Center in New Castle, Delaware.

I've spoken to quite a few who thought Laurie Larson should have placed higher, too.

I really like her. On Sunday she had road atlas veins poking through all over her legs. If she can bring the Sunday look she had to the Saturday show next time,

YIKES!

You would think it would have been really easy to find a good steak around the Pittsburgh area, but it took three restaurant tries before I found one, and then it was just OK. But during the restaurant hopping we were able to bump into Marlene Churchill-Wolverton and her husband, Freddy. They sat down with B and I and we really enjoyed spending some time with them. I really like her look, and was happy to see her place in the top 5.

I enjoyed working with all of the photographers - Bill Jentz, John Napfliotis, James Cook, Gene X, Tom Nine, Annie Rivvieccio, and Dan Ray. I especially liked Dan Ray's creativity. They all bring something to the table, and they all added an element of enjoyment to my trip.

Of course, I wouldn't be doing any of this if it weren't for B - Broderick Chavez, the Evil Genius.

He has had me step onstage every show he has prepped me for in exactly the shape we predetermine. (too bad we can't predetermine the judges actions). He encourages me, helps me - he got his weekend workout following me around during all of the photoshoots with all of my bags and apparatus- has helped my confidence grow to where I actually believe in myself.

Thank you, Evil Genius -

Time to hang up the posing suit until next year. I will be in powerlifter mode again starting next week.

2007 Masters Nationals weekend

I arrived back home about two hours ago, and heck, am I literally drained down to zero battery power! I started at about 700 mph at the beginning of last week getting ready for the trip, escalated up to around 1500 mph when we arrived in Pittsburgh, and just kept amping up from there!

We had a BLAST! Pittsburgh is even better now than I remember it when I lived and went to school there back in 1981.

Anyhooooo - I have alot to say and tell, but I am literally depleted, worn out, drained, exhausted... I'll get to a longer post perhaps tomorrow.
I just wanted to congratulate Debbie Bramwell one more time on her well deserved accomplishment in winning her pro card. I told her directly, and I truly believe no one will be a better positive representative for the sport of bodybuilding than she. She is just a true gem of a person, and she would be a shining star in anything she choses to do, not just bodybuilding.

My first national contest was the 2005 USA, and I just happened to be placed in line and on stage next to Debbie. I had only been training for a year and a half total, and many times the thought of "what the Hell am I thinking being here on stage with these seasoned competitors?"crossed my mind, but Debbie was a big factor in making me feel more relaxed and made the experience for me so much more positive. I saw her do the same thing for a sweet pretty figure girl doing her first show this weekend. What a heart!
Then there is Debbie's physique! I was honored to be the one to oil her up for pre-judging, and YES! those glutes are as hard as they look! She puts her heart and soul into the sport. I wish her well in every future competiton she does, and I also wish her well in everything else she does!

A beautiful lady - inside and out!

Oh - me, I placed 7th out of 12 competitors... I'm really not sure if the judges just ignore me, or I actually confuse them. I'll elaborate in the next post.

ALSO - I hope Michelle Neill gets her due at the USA next weekend. She was in tremendous shape...I looked at her, looked at Debbie, and decided I wasn't even going to do my own comparisons. I only got to talk to Michelle a couple of times briefly, but she seems to be such a genuinely sweet, nice and extremely pretty lady - and my God, what conditioning! Knock em' dead next week, Michelle!

Weigh-ins

I have but a few moments to spare this morning before I go into whirlwind mode once again. I've been whirling all week, wow, so many things to do to prep for a bodybuilding show!


My friend Lisa Scott (Lisa Lindsay to many ) came over the night before I left and finished up some terrific outfits for my photoshoots! Thank you forever, Lisa - so talented and creative.

It was a lovely drive to get here. Takes about 6 hours through very scenic countryside.
We arrived in Pittsburgh about 3:30 and had to leave the hotel at 4:30 to go to weigh-ins.

Weigh-ins rans smoothly and quickly, thank goodness. I spent some time talking with Debbie Baker from Dallas, who seems like a wonderful and very genuine lady!


I hear the awesome Jack Osborne is competing!!!! I did not see him last night, however. Jack is a dear friend, however I have never seen him compete. He has had some health problems in the past few yesr, but I hear he is in A1 shape for this show. I can't wait to see him!

Debbie Bramwell looks incredible, as she usually does!


I weighed in at 150 - 2-3 pounds less than originally anticipated. B thinks I'll be stepping onstage around 154.


Took some photos yesterday - here is a group of girls, I don't even know where they are from.
They all came running out of Hard Rock Cafe to get their picture taken with me! They were so cute!

I was wishing I was as hard as this woman!







OK, gotta getta move on!

Posing Practice

Pictures from posing practice this morning. My routine - I'm pretty happy with it. I said in a prior post that I wasn't creative, but that's not necessarily true. However,I can be a clumsy oaf, so I have to tone down any movement that might give me a chance to trip over my own feet....really.

My hair is looking its most muscular self these days, dontcha think? Yes it's my own real ball of fur atop my head.



My left arm always wants to stick out further and higher than my right. I think that comes from years of the hip and spine being misaligned....either that or I'm just friggin' crooked. Now all you people who will be at the Masters will be looking at my arm to see if it is sticking out crooked or not.
I hope it is not, but it probably will be

11 weeks is a long time.
But only 1 week to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

progress

I had to go back on my diet again yesterday - I was eating ALOT at the beginning of the week.

I thought I'd post a few progress pics that weren't of the standard norm!

Taken 2 weeks and 2 days out from the Masters - one of my more prominant bodyparts!!!

Some thoughts on my physique...

I had a good time running around stark naked in the woods with two men the other day!! Here is Kevin Fleming shooting me. It was on the verge of a downpour all afternoon, however we were able to escape the wrath of the storms, which were pretty wicked in surrounding areas. I had to spray a host of bug spray to keep the 'skeeters and horseflies off of me! The aroma of OFF mixed with ProTan is definitely not a sweet one.

The low diffuse lighting lent itself to the mood...we got alot of FANTASTIC images, and I can't wait to post some of them in my Members Section! Very artsy, and very naked! :)

We went into the studio the next morning, and shot some more.

Here is my two cents worth about my physique - when I don't flex, yes, there is muscle, but I do not wear it in a "muscular" fashion...sometimes it is not until I flex where some people actually realize that I have as much muscel. My physique is structured so that I could probably weigh in at 200 pounds and still not look as "muscular" as some women at 150. It is a curvy, athletic, feminine physique. Probably one of the more "marketable" physiques. However, onstage, I think that the judges will once again "miss" me, because of that fact. I can flex and hold my own, but they do their very first initial assessments from the quarter turns, and I'm not sure I look muscular enough. My arms are smaller in proportion to my torso than most national level female bodybuilders, not that I think that is bad, I think it looks more proportionate and more "feminine", but it is not what the judges are used to seeing, or liking. Heck, all dieted down right now unpumped they measure 15 and a half! My abs are of a different breed than most - they aren't the big, overdeveloped turtle shell looking abs that the judges are used to seeing and rewarding. Of course, I like mine, and I'm not changing them. It makes my waist look smaller. Then they'll look at my back and probably say it is "overdeveloped"...HAH!!! My legs have size to them, but because of the "athletic" shape to them, they don't appear as big as some legs, but they are.

To sum this up - I doubt that the judges will ever place me high. So be it. If I could change it, and heck, we all know that I could change it if I really, really wanted to, but I won't. Because, after all, I am female, I am a woman, and I think I have a perfect blend of what I perceive women's bodybuilding to be. But my opinion doesn't count on stage.

I trained legs on a Sunday, yesterday, due to the fact that I have a photoshoot on Tuesday, and we are doing a "run through" prior to the show, for the shoot, and training them yesterday was the only solution, unless I didn't do them at all...that was not an option!

These pics were shot immediately after training legs, so I was not as sharp as prior to, and I was pretty much on the verge of falling over, having used up all of my energy reserves, mind you!!

The Nautilus Duo Squat is currently my favorite leg movement. We are still doing pre-exaustion because I'm still weak as a kitten (purrrrrr).

Tuesday I have a photo shoot with two photographers at the same time!!! One of them being the world famous Kevin Fleming. http://www.kevinfleming.com/. He has won numerous awards worldwide, covers of Newsweek, National Geographic, etc., people pay multiple thousands of dollars for his work, so having the opportunity to spend several hours having him shoot lil' ol me is an honor!

Yes, a "run through". I will be tightening up and hardening up considerably these next two weeks. I have to eat a ton of food these next few days - I was 150 yesterday, that being my lowest as I still expect to weigh in around 152-153. I am halfway tempted to break out the Little Debbies, but I will save those until after the show. I did buy myself a box of Zebra Cakes to take with me - they are packed already (the only thing that is thus far!!!)

2 weeks

Let's get it over with!!!! :) Yes, I'm ready - I'm lean enough, now it is just the finer details to be worked out.

I really don't feel like I'm training unless I am training at heavy weight maxes, but I guess my training is still effective, because my traps are very sore today., and I couldn't give you a clue as to why they are so sore, except maybe that there isn't enough recovery food being ingested.

I did eat "normally" a couple of days this week, but my "normal" eating is always so clean it would make you sick. I'm hanging in the 151 +/- range, and will most likely increase a few pounds in the next coming weeks if our plan pans out properly, and I would certainly bet the bank that it will.

The Evil Genius actually froths at the mouth as he sits and calculates and analyzes and maps out my plan. He's extreme, but hey, I am at this stage of the game because of him. I always say - I'm the carpenter, but he is the architect. I just follow blue prints well.

Because you asked for them - I did find a couple of blade throwing pictures. They are obviously a few years old, because - look how skinny I am!!

Happy Independence Day

Good thing I am on a diet, or I might be complaining that I was sitting here all alone with nary a place to go for the holiday - no BBQ's, no Happy Hours...actually, my downstairs neighbors have a garage that they have turned into a Tiki Bar - they have the grill for bbq fired up, they always have an open invitation for all of the neighbors. It's open, and they are serving! It's way cool.
I may go to the movies. There are loads of fireworks around here, but heck - the crowds!!! I live in a resort, and summer holidays are atrocious! Perhaps a scary movie at the theater is in order...I haven't been to a scary movie in ages. Alone, of course... :( :( :( I should go to the one theater that doesn't serve popcorn, because if I smell the popcorn, it is all over!!!
Actually, I am at my lean point today, I do believe, so I'm eating regular today. I have to carefully consider getting any leaner than this, as that will take away from the roundness and fullness that I have worked so hard these past 6 months to create. I am already feeling stick-like, and I think that staying the course at this point, and just manipulating the water out of my system is the way to go for me to step on stage. I don't feel big and muscular at all. I feel very curvy, and feminine, and ok, I admit, quite sexy...(did I say that?) ooohhhh...

My strength is still down, but that's ok, as long as I can acknowledge that it is from lack of fuel and this long drawn out diet that seems like it is never going to end...I've been on it forever, or so it seems....

Sometimes I get asked what else I do for fun... not that there is much time for other activities, but sometimes I do get out and go target shooting with my busines partner / friend Jody, who is THE firearms expert and enthusiast. I have a 9mm (German Makarov) and a 45 (Bersa sub compact). Me thinks its time for some target practice. I'm a pretty darned good shot, if I do say so myself. I also like to practice throwing knives, but I pretty much suck at that. I have a small compilation of knives and swords, the focus mostly on interesting switchblades. Big shiny blades mesmerize me...HAH! I don't have any very recent pictures of me shooting, but here are two from about three years ago -

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!