2013 is a wrap!

I have a tendency to get caught up in the here and now, in the tomorrow that I forget to stop and take a look back (I promise, it's not gonna get all emotional up in here...)

2013 seems to have gone by with such a quickness, somewhat of a blur...I feel like I blinked and it was gone! The reality is, a lot has happened over the last year and when I stop to look back at how far I've come, it truly amazes me. While my posts are usually training/competition/diet focused, it's all just a piece of the puzzle in my life that shapes who I am. This was a year full of  growth....physically (duh!) but more importantly, mentally and emotionally.

When I look back to the person I was and what my life was like just this time last year, I seems as if I'm light years from that girl. I had many moments of frustration, of doubt throughout the year, moments where I felt like just throwing my hands up and saying "fuck this shit"...and truth be told, I did....a few times lol but as I always do, I got my shit together and just kept moving forward, because really there is no other option.

Life is  roller coaster, there will ALWAYS be ups and downs, 2013 was no different but who I am and how I deal with things are very different. I can honestly say, the highs were hella amazing and far out weighed the low points. I learned a lot about myself, about other people and made some incredible memories along the way...good or bad, it's an experience and at the end of the day, I'm a better person for it..

Ok, enough of me getting all philosophical on ya...
2013 is in the books and it's time to turn the page. Thank you to everyone who's followed along my crazy train over the last year...it never ceases to amaze me that people actually read my ramblings. I appreciate all of the support, messages, comments etc...you bitches betta get ready cause 2014 is going to be a fuckin blast!

Mark yo calendars!

.....And there you have it!

Yes boys and girls after much "coulda, woulda, shoulda"...I'm finally going to be getting my ass out of the gym and onto a platform! One of the things I cannot stand is those people who are the "someday, I'm gonna...eventually" type people, so enough of that shit from me...Someday is here and I WILL do it!

Truth be told, this is a long time coming as it's something I've wanted to do for some time now. Finally committing to it, putting it out there has me beyond excited and scared as fuck lol Scared of what? Failure..bombing..I hold myself to high standards, I expect much from myself so I have a tendency to put immense pressure on my shoulders, but I'm taking a different approach with this as it really is about having fun and checking shit off my bucket list.

As far as my training is concerned, as everyone knows, I always train for power so while I'm not specifically training to hit certain numbers come meet day, I am running a new strength program to get past some plateaus and nail some PR's while always working on my technique. With concern to the numbers game..Yes, of course I have numbers in my head I'd like to hit but the this is so much more than that, no matter what, just finally get up there will be a victory for me....in the gym, my maxes are a 325lb pull and a 185lb bench (which I've only hit once), a 275lb squat and a 135lb military press which obviously aren't relevant for this meet but I'll still be working on those lifts as well. Not necessarily meet related but my personal goals are a 405 pull, 300 squat and 225 bench and to rep out 135 on my presses.

On a slightly random and unrelated note, this weekend I made the trek up to Diamond Gym for RXMuscle's Bros vs. Pros. I had NO intention of actually competing, I was just going for fun and to see some friends but at the last minute, after being strong armed lol into it, I did enter the dead lift portion. Having just pulled heavy the day before and not having my chucks or belt with me, I was definitely out of my element and unprepared to say the least but it was a fuckin blast. I never pull for any sort of high reps so I was gassed...165x32 (I think lol), I probably had more in me, but eh..it is what it is. Thanks to Amanda and Colette for talking me into it and John for being a logical voice of reason. Just jumping in was a hell of a time with my girls, no doubt, it's something I will do again...but I'll be prepared next time :)



Random tidbit for ya:

I officially weighed in at the highest number I've seen on a scale...Just under 5'4" and 165lbs. Dear sweet baby jeezus, let that be muscle! *I was wearing sneakers, drinking a RockStar and I have a lot of hair lol...that's my story and Imma stick to it! I suddenly have the urge to diet and do cardio. {{is it time to prep yet???}}

She's baaaaaack!

I have received numerous messages over the last few months asking if I'm going to be blogging, when I'm going to update etc...I guess I figure the off season is less eventful than contest prep so there wouldn't be much worth talking about and to be honest, I forget that people even read this shit lol Even though, I have been posting/logging my training in my RXMuscle journal, I decided "What the hell" and get back to blogging...

Time to play catch up!

I hadn't realized it was so long since I last blogged..My last post was basically a wrap up of my Team U experience and where I was going from there. Since then I have been training my balls off (ya know, if I had balls lol) and I am absolutely thrilled with my off season thus far. I am not currently working with a coach, doing my own diet and training with some help from John Meadow's who has helped me put together a sick training cocktail of Wendler's 5/3/1 and his Mountain Dog program...cause really, why run one program when you can run 2! The progress I've made has been incredible...I'm hitting PR's on all my lifts any bringing up my physique.

Anyone who knows me, can attest to my strength obsession..I'm ALWAYS chasing a bigger number :) My progression this off season has been pretty incredible but most importantly, it's been consistent. While plateaus are inevitable, I'm confident that I can power my way through them. I'm putting up solid numbers in the gym and this off season, I want to finally get my ass on a platform. It was a goal of mine last year, but unfortunately life happens and knocked me off my game and onto my ass. Currently, my head, heart and body are on the same track and  we know when that happens, there is NO slowing my ass down.  

When it comes to actually training, I'm on my own..on the rare occasion I'll have a partner on leg day and there is always someone at my gym who can spot or lift off for me but overall it's just me and the weights...Being the loner I am, I don't mind that, but trying to get past sticking points or getting my form critiqued is tough...Cause let's be real, 99.9% of people don't hit depth on their squats..Mmmmkay lol With that said, I am getting help/advice and support from those with the knowledge and experience to help me crush some goals. I'm getting help with programming (a huge area I suck in) and most importantly, technique..I can muscle some mutherfuckin weight, but ummm...that's not always the best approach so that's a little something I need to work on as well. Of course, everyone is going to ask what numbers I want to hit and yes, I do have number goals, but I'm putting them on the back burner for the time being otherwise my head will be CONSUMED with chasing them.

As for the love of all things vanity driven...I look at hot mess fuckin mess! Ok, I'm totally being dramatic..I'm not a hot mess. I have avoided the scale basically since I stepped off stage, but recently I felt the need to hop on it and I'm sitting at about 156lbs. (@5'3.75") which is surprisingly DOWN from the 160 I was a few weeks ago. Body composition wise, I do wish I were a bit tighter as I'm carrying more bodyfat than I would like, but at the same time I am carrying the weight MUCH better than I have before..I'm big and full but not sloppy so that's a win. Now, of course I can't really complain about my body comp when my diet has been...err, ummm...less than stellar lol The truth is, I don't feel like dieting..Sure I have macros I aim for but Imma be real and say 5 out of 7 days, I eat WAY more..fuck it, if I'm hungry, Imma eat and I'm not going to die if I eat some ice cream...Ok, a pint every night is NOT productive, but every now and then wont kill me. It's called "balance and moderation"...Which, I am ALWAYS working on :)

I suppose that about sums me up for now, if you've survived my rambling without falling asleep...I'll leave you with this little gem which has been a pre training staple lately: