3 Weeks Until Showtime

IT'S ABOUT TO GET CRAZY AROUND HERE

So I’m winding down to the last few weeks of training before prep goes into crazy overdrive with depletion workouts and nutrient manipulation to get to that final shredded state and stage ready.
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I’m working on the details of my posing routines for two different divisions in the fitness competition, that being bikini (or beach body) and figure. What I’ve learned from my coaches is that I have the body type that, for now,  can compete in bikini and, also, figure, which is a more developed muscle physique. What that means, though, is that I’ll be a smaller figure competitor, for sure. But judges look for balance and symmetry and how your body shows that. You don’t want to have overly huge thighs or even shoulders that don’t match the rest of your physique. So, with that in mind, I’m gonna go for it. Why the heck not? You only live once, right? Might as well do as much as you can.  Sink or swim. I plan to swim, even if to have to hold on to the side for a little bit. Plus, I bought a frickin amazing posing suit that I am determined  to wear more than once to get my money’s worth out of it.

Today I did a shoulder and triceps workout before hitting a session with my posing coach, who, by the way, is amazing. I’ve learned so much from Brittany Rice about  what to bring to the stage that’s going to set you apart from other competitors. I can’t even begin to tell you how far I’ve come. She’s really helped me bring my “sass” out on stage, which you definitely need to make an impact on judges, as well as the tight glutes, abs and overall muscle tone and conditioning.
This year, my challenge has been to build my shoulders. It’s been really difficult.  My coach says I must be an ectomorph. That sounds horrible but it’s basically a long, lean person who has difficulty building muscle. That would be me. (Not sure about the long and lean part at my age.) But our plan is for me to lift heavy for another week before depletion supersets start and then peak week, of course. My coach, Helen Horton, says continuing to lift heavy should keep me full in time for the stage. (You don’t want to look “flat” Read all about ectomorphs here and what body type are you www.bodybuilding.com/fun/becker3.htm )

That brings me to the next progress mention. Today I went in for body measurements and even though I knew the scale had not been moving in a downward direction much I felt a lot leaner and tighter in the midsection and all-around. I was on average about a half a pound lighter throughout the week, but at this point I’m not trying to lose much weight. It’s more about how my physique is looking overall.

Last time I checked in for body composition measurements, I was 9.4% bodyfat with 113 pounds of lean mass. Today, two weeks later, I was down to 9.1% bodyfat with 112 pounds of lean body mass. I’ve gone down only about a half a pound, but it all adds up to some nice gains over the two weeks.  Less fat plus I’m slighter lighter in weight is a great thing!

It to give you an idea how different women’s bodies can be, some figure competitor teammates and even bikini competitors on my team, have gone on stage at about 7% bodyfat. In fact, one of our teammates is currently at 7.4% bodyfat and she’s also 3 weeks out from competition. But everybody’s body shape and where you hold your weight, is so
different that 7.5% body fat on stage may look perfect on one women but that would make another competitor look like Skeletor.

For me, much of my advantage (if I do it right) will come from my posing routine, conditioning (holding the flexed pose) and angles I show on stage. Of course, the nutrition has to be on point, and with Helen’s guidance, I shouldn’t have any problems there.

All in all, this prep season has been amazing, my best one so far! I eliminated some stressors, got better sleep and was able to focus better on my nutrition. I’m not saying I didn’t feel like just quitting at some point during this training because I did!! But every time I was feeling defeated, I went through some significant turning point that kept me on the path.

So, what I’d like to share and stress to you is to never be afraid to put it all on the line. Face the scariest things in your life with staunch determination and don’t stop even when you’re at your weakest moments and you want to throw it all away, find that small grain of strength and pull yourself out of your funk and march on! It worked for me for 26 years as a TV newscaster and now as a developing fitness competitor.