Fit Comp Prep Rundown 8 Wks Out

Cardio
My cardio work this month, the next 2 weeks will be focused on the ham-glute tie area.  Yes its usually where 99% of the girls focus whether they compete or not but in my case there was a huge change in that area with the knee surgeries and a few years lack of eating and exercise.
I have a short time to polish this area.
I have seen some great change already though, and fast.  Counting my blessings daily that I have kept very fit over the last many years.
Overall I am doing 5 sessions AM and 5 sessions PM but most won't total over 2 hours per day and this accounts for my 30-60 min routine work 3-5 days per week which is included and why its so high.

The cardio work will be a morning per week of shaping work with a variety of plyometrics mixed into brisk extreme incline or hill walk.
A day of treadmill, elliptical and bike focused on hills, steep inclines mixed with plyometrics for sculpting.
If I train outdoors, then for the cardio machine day I would use my slide which focuses on lateral work directly conditioning my knee and working the lower end finicky shaping areas.

What normally would be PM Cardio, I will add another cardio 2 days per wk of steep incline walking for 35 mins and 2-3 more days with uphill jogs of 15-30 mins and or work on the lateral slide, although I may opt to hit some outdoor stairs for 20 mins of work up the stairs using runs, jumps, double steps, lateral work etc.  I may do all my training in one big lump that day or break it up, some days I have 2-3 cardio things to fit in including routine practcie, I have the flexibility for this.  I like to get all my training done early and am not into training afternoon or evening so if I have a morning and night cardio its not uncommon for me to do it all in the morning and day sometimes back to back, weights and routine work too.

I will probably be practicing routine, dance and some basic gymnastics work 4-6 times per week for 30-60 mins per session on top of all this.

You want to consider some flexibility for weather, mood etc.  This gives me choice and keeps me from missing sessions.

Diet
As I mentioned in my previous post, this next 2 weeks is going to be mainly 3-4 oz of chicken or fish and greens 6 meals per day, some almonds or walnuts, yam or rice cakes and nut butter, water intake needs to go up because its only been an avg of 2 liters per day, I need 5-6 more.  Eating solid food like this is the battle I have had, I get full just looking at it never mind chewing and swallowing it down so I tend to keep everything soft and tender if I can unless it’s a good day then I can do some raw veggies instead.  Sashimi is easy to get down.  Quinoa fits in too and I can add this, I can trade a few morning proteins for egg whites with a few bits of fruit or an oatmeal if needed.  I will see as I go, and watch what my body needs.

I have not been taking much supplements, more on than off with basic multi pack, been missing glutamine but I have not felt it.  I'm sure if I was sore enough I would get on it and I will try to get these little tag ends better consistent.  This is part of the game sometimes, some things click, others come along as you go.


Weight Training
Ham Glute Tie Focus - Extra Work
I may add 2-3 days of extra glute work, 2-3 extra exercises focused solely on that, which can be done at home, anytime, watching TV, using a bosu, ankle weights which mine are 20lb adjustable, bands and stairs or chairs.

My weight lifting or resistance program and exercises are along the same lines as before, same split for 5 days, 3-4 sets of 6-30 reps depending on the area worked and its needs.  Some stuff heavy, others light.  Good volume.

Here I am now, and the previous shot from Jan 2016

My weight has not shifted a lot but my body composition has.  I am a bit fuller and lifted by some muscle gain, sculpt and conditioning.  I am also looking more petite as I tighten up and firm.  I bounce a bit up and down but mainly hovering at 118lb, 117lb todya.  My body fat sits at 16% today. The last 2 weeks I did not do weights, only 2 jogs, a bit of stress hit and I lost weight so I worked on eating, now I am back to weights as per above.
I haven't been working on posing refresh yet so I am still lopsided lol!

Fitness Comp Prep 2 Months Out!

As with most events you can always expect the need to find the calm to go with the flow.  My music is still not in my hands, choreography not done, meaning practice and polish will be intense the next while.  But luckily with years of experience I find I'm fine.  I suppose one of the benefits of overcoming major stuff in one fowl swoop means most things become 'small stuff'.
I know what I can do, I am still in safe range to put a great polished performance together with a well conditioned body.

Fitness as a sport category has dwindled in entrants because it’s the one category that pushes you hardest with the extra component of the fitness routine, so a high percentage of those who would have entered when there were not other categories but bodybuilding, are now veering into bikini, figure and those other classes which focus solely on the physique.
This means there are less fitness competition category options left, most federations do not even offer it anymore.  So even though I am not ready to retire from the sport, the sport is going to retire before I do.  I am entering this year with this in mind, even so my conditioning and timing could and would have been better planned ahead if I I knew there would be a Fitness class to enter in the next few years.  Between the various timing restrictions and tier system my entry options are limited.

I went for a few uphill jogs the past 2 weeks but dropped off weights, I lost weight again and have not been able to eat enough so the diet has been loosely followed in order to get enough nutrients in me.

I don't want to lean too fast, and I do easily.  With the size gain timing limitation I have its crucial to keep the muscle focus as priority and not allow it to starve.  The balance is a fine line.  I know I will not be as thick and bulky as I may have if the past few years had not happened so I expect to be petite lol, but at least I can keep trying to gain a bit and get full muscle for the show, keep from getting too small too fast.

My consistency in posting is loose as I am literally in limbo with the transition from tying up loose old ends, and moving forward.  Every aspect of my life is up in the air and I am not sure what I want to do.  I can do whatever I want with no limitations.  It makes you focus on what you really what at that certain point in your life when you one time had it all mapped out and then that map was blanked out.  My freedom is that of which even general knowing of whether I want to root or not, where, why, when……what do I want, what do I want to do is up in the air.  Its exciting yes but for someone who always knew what direction I was heading and what I wanted, goal oriented…… being undecided and open to anything is very new!

So for now, back to the weights, keep on the food thing, try to enjoy each moment and each day, keep healing and see where the path lights up  for me to step next.  The comp will keep me eating and focused on something other than negative thoughts from past events that still have the ability to throw me right off.  Starting my life over from scratch will just have to be done as it comes even so it would be nice to wave a wand and have it all figured out with a nice red bow on top.

My Diet this month is supposed to be basically 6 meals per day of fish or chicken with asparagus/kale/green beans or spinach, for the most part.  If I do that for the next 2 weeks I may need to add a few extra carbs and fat to keep from leaning too fast and getting skinny, so again, go with the flow day by day.

I will try to get more vid clips of cool exercises I am doing this month and share more ideas with you as well as get a comparison shot to show beside my last one taken a few months ago, lets see what changes have happened ;)))

Fitness Lemonade?

Fitness Lemons lately?

When you put together a plan for your eating and exercise or if someone does it for you, there will usually be changes as you go to make it fit better. I have covered this in my Awaken The Athlete blog and in the beginnings of this one too.

This can be frustrating. But it is part and parcel, very normal. Its not wrong, your not wrong, its just how things go with an ever rapidly evolving body.

I have had to work with forcing a meal down almost each day this week just to get food in. I know my issue is a bit outside of norm. Most people eat more crap foods or find hunger if they are not on a proper plan but my issue especially after the past few years of damage, is my appetite will shut right down as does the hunger, if I get stressed or upset and most times I keep it to myself, unless I lose it!!

Its been more work to balance the highs and lows of emotional well being after trauma but it is doable. I never used to be so easily triggered but until I am less easily affected I have been keeping to myself, work and healing time only.

Its been almost 7 days poor appetite and that’s an issue so if being reclusive for now is what it takes then so be it. Healing emotionally and mentally with my fitness is all hand in hand and will help each other along the way. If I lose one of these components the likely hood for success is decreased and it will take more time to reach my goals. That is fine if you have no deadlines or contest dates lol. I am seeing that this process will continue long after my comp. Living life robotically is not fullfilling but its how to get by when you rather just check out.

Normally dieting I do fine socially, no issues watching others eat what they please in front of me, the smells don't entice me so I do fine that way. Its just more about the fact that when you are out more in society of course there are more chances for triggers and for me it can be a sight, sound….no logic to others, nor their fault but its there so as I work on this I work on eating more normally. I dropped to 115lb after 2 days no food. I need that 5 back and just to lean a little more while I continue to fill in. That was around the 15th, now I am back up to 119. ;)))

I am feeling much more solid again which is a motivator. If I do see a friend or client and we hug, that is the comment I am getting a lot, 'your feeling solid'. Love it!! That’s a great sign.

This kind of 'throwing you off your game' crap happens to all of us and affects us in various ways but the general idea is it slows results, pushes our mindset back and can throw you right off the wagon.

Its about baby steps. So in my case now, when I had a lower frequency eating or intake day I seek protein, higher clean fats and a bit of carb with that one solo meal. The plan is to eat more frequently even if its small, that is best for my muscle vs the one off per day.

I may just need to adjust the menu a tad, finding it easier to eat the beans rather than the patty so replacing beans to that, as well as the chicken. Eating solid foods right now and swallowing has been my issue so until that settles I need plain, soft, liquid etc. Protein drinks can be yes or no, when I am sensitive like now they tend to come back up so no point. Part of my issue is if I force, nausea takes over and then I lose anything I have in me and can't eat for days after with no ability to force because its sensitive. Of course ideally my diet plan, followed to a T would be best but you do what you can when you have to deal with extenuating circumstances.

Hence the lemonade, when you get lemons………… but the idea is not to give up, keep the baby steps going, keep trying something new when the present or old does not work anymore or at that time. Change as needed, as you go.

That’s my update for now. For those of you following, if you are on a journey right now along with me I would love to hear about what yours is about and how its going!! 

If you are looking for some help, I have various options varying from super affordable to higher end custom, take a peek and let me know if you want to get on the fit train!

www.lindacusmano.com

Angel@lindacusmano.com

Here are a few feature programs that won't  break the wallet:

28 Day Fat Burn

15 Min Meal Plan

Ripped 3.0

Entry, Music, Suit, Choreography

FITNESS SHOWTIME 
Well I'm pretty thrilled I got a lot of things taken care of regarding my fitness competition today.  I found an amazing suit, it's already made.
 I'm usually pretty good with fitting most suits that I bought online that I haven't tried out prior to buying, in the past.

I've got some of my routine costume but I have to get the rest of it together.  I am going to keep my theme and music a secret!
I've got pieces of my music ready to put together for a routine track.   This is the theme and music that excites me, that picks me up off the ground and just floats me around on stage giving me all the adrenaline that I need to perform at my best.
I've got some choreography ideas put together and my entry has been paid as well as my membership.  I expect to put off a show stopping performance by the time I'm done.

My goal is to take my present gaps and showcase my strengths, the skills, moves and dance that I can do with ease.  Stick with what I am really good at and the performance will outshine the rest!  I enjoy being standout and thats what it takes to win a Fitness Competition.

This is the show info if you want to come watch!  http://vancouverproshow.com/ 

I'm thrilled that this year the BC's are part of the big pro show and expo that will be taking place five minutes away from my home at the convention centre in downtown Vancouver.   Talk about ease.

The suit I found is a one-of-a-kind and amazing and will really stand out on stage but I think I will keep secret the color ;)))
The price was very affordable and the fact that it's already to go and I'll get it within a couple days is amazing.  Can you tell I'm getting excited?

The bulk of it is put together so now it's time to polish with practice and then execute and take home a win.

Being on top of all this means now I can simply focus on my diet and my training getting my performance dialed in and enjoy the ride.

Fit Tips & Comp Prep Update

 Fitness Competition Prep Update Week 2
I have not started taking serious comparisons pics in suit and heels but I can see the weight I gained back has filled me in a bit which is great, now a little leaning and more muscle build / fill as I go through the rest of the month.
I still can't eat all the menu items, its not a lot but I went 3 years fluctuating through weeks of not eating, poor eating, not eating enough, so now its still taking time for me to eat like I did before, on comp prep amounts and frequency.  This is what I see so far and this is why I tell people to take weekly pics, its very helpful:

1. Slight lift in glutes already in a week just by using them!  
2. Quads filling a bit and shaping nicely.
3. I can see the right calve is behind
4. I have to work on right side postural and tight areas to even out my posing, lats etc.  I have damage in my C3 area which causes my posing to be unsymmetrical and I have to work really hard to pose it out to look even.  Its been 3 years so I have to practice it to remember the feel when I have it set right, then I can catch that feel on stage when I do not have mirrors to help me level it out.  Lat spread is already tricky for most and I have the hang of it well, the pain for me is what feels right is off symmetrically, making one lat look bigger and shoulders sitting unevenly then showing unevenly.  Judging is all visual.

This week I have a mix of heavy and light shaping leg exercises, 3-6 sets of 6-20 on the various choices with typical exercises, most being old skool like leg press, curl, extension and squats.

Shoulders, Back, Arms then Chest and Leg shaping for the days following my Day 1 legs this week.  Reps and sets mostly on the 10-15 reps, 3-4 sets with a random few at 6x6 or 3x20.  Most are typical exercises this week.

Cardio again 4 days morning anaerobic type walks and runs mixed with jumps and plyos.  Spin 3 times per week mid day.  Routine choreography starts Tues so I will get 3-4 days of mild dancing and prep on tricks, not full out but a good workout.

Inner right knee does feel the work, slight rare soreness but so far so good, and I can split jump even so its not high and hovering yet.  The impact is being taken nicely.

I have been sore all over for the week and had to take a day off between the days this past week, hopefully this week its 5-6 days on with no more than a day or 2 rest between.  The soreness has been minimal compared to what I expected.  Water really helps alleviate the DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness.

Diet stays same for the month, as I had outlined last week and going well.  Got up to over a gallon water on a few days which came faster than I expected, YAY!!

The results for the this past week has been amazing, I am already SEEING the changes I am seeking and so happy my body is so willing and almost seems to want it!

Keeping the ego in check every time I have to lift lighter than what I used to lift, that has been humbling of course but now seeing great results softens that issue!

Choreography for my fitness routine starts next week and I am so excited.  I love this part, love the dance and skills involved as well as how it focuses the strength of the competitor!

Costume and bikini I am still not on yet, I have a few old ones I can use but would love a new one.  Still debating on this one.  I  know my theme and music so the costume will be easy and convenient for cost, wear, comfort and functionality.  Im setting  up my music mix this week to start choreography on Tuesday.  Today I started week 2 and needed extra rest days last week to recover but that will subside by the next week or 2.

The bikini Im not sure what I want to do, what color, fabric, design.  I usually know what I want but I am still thinking on it….  But open to ideas!  Open to bikini sponsors too ;)))

Whenever I begin comp prep I noticed it seems to pick up the energy of those around me, clients and gym participants seem to pick up on the drive and energy, get positive and supportive, motivated and driven themselves more so than usual.  I love this part, love the wave or positive health energy and push it gives those around it.  The better weather is also a huge factor pushing people back to being up early, getting out, training so that they can enjoy summer and feel fit with energy.

Tips For the Week

In keeping on the beginning stages theme, motivation, water, consistency is your key for the first weeks and here are some of the things I do to keep me level:

• Find a motivational theme quote for yourself for the day, share it with others.  Something like; the theme for the day is "today I will smile at everyone even if they are frowning at you" lol, or today I will add an extra half liter of water to my intake (if you are having issues with water intake), or maybe a goal like today I will turn any negative thought I catch, into a positive somehow.  Some of the ones I like is to have integrity with yourself today and accomplish your to do list even if you want to ignore one or 2 items that need to be done.  Another is to be determined to motivate someone else by sharing a tip or exciting accomplishment in the gym, I ran faster or longer, I lifted easier or a bit more in this exercise, I am feeling more flexible today as I am now less pretzelled in this stretch or maybe resolve today I will make sure to stretch a little bit longer (if you are in need but hate to take time to stretch) and maybe share it and stretch with someone else, bringing them along for the benefits.
• Work on the water intake if you are under 2 liters.  I can't stress enough how much of a difference, how much more ease it adds to the whole fitness process especially with soreness and recovery.
• Don't forget some type of multi vitamin/mineral.  With the increase in your activity intensity, time or frequency you will most likely need to supplement your diet and training somewhat, in most cases.  Not saying you HAVE to, I know many who refuse but it will help and make things better along the way if you are open to it.
• Don't short cut yourself, if you are in training, don't skimp on sets, reps or exercises.  Do the best you can to complete your training that day and to design or have designed for you a plan that is doable, yet still yields results.  Adjust as you need.
• Most of you should get the workouts, if possible, done before the end of day.  Some just won't get it done at end of day no matter the intention, unless you are in the habit already and usually not a morning person.

We are all different so look to where your own areas of self sabotage are, where do you usually know you may fail, and rather than be in denial and say I will get it right, adjust to fit you and avoid forcing things so it eliminates the chances of failure and avoidance while still keeping you interested.

Hope you all had a great weekend!!!
And remember if you are looking for some form of fitness programs, nutrition, coaching or consultation please fee free to contact me and we can get you started on those goals!

Angel@lindacusmano.com
www.lindacusmano.com

Feeling it out, the First Week Comp Prep

So far so good, my body is taking the jump into training very well.  I did not ease in so much, a lil yes but I did push it and my body took it happily.

Finally getting water in today, lets see if I make 2 gallons or how long it will take me to get to that.  It sounds like a crazy goal but its actually common, athletes take in a ton of water with the extra protein and supplements to keep up with the higher level of training frequency and intensity.

Training is lighter than I remember but not as light as I thought I would have to go.  The soreness and rebellion has been minimal, I can still walk lol.  That helps keep motivation going and eliminates disappointment.

With my studio I have to be creative and modify many of the exercises that I used to do with machines or apparatus.  I have posted one in my media about the T bar Row and will show you more ideas to modify when you are limited in equipment.  Here is the T bar row if you have not seen it.
It’s a great basic back exercise and old skool so this helps those who need to find a way to MacGyver a way to do T bar.

I had to modify my 21s as well since I do not have a formal preacher, but you can use a bench or ball and be creative.  Here is my version.

Cardio is going much better than I expected but after only 3 days training over 5 day span, I dropped 5 lbs.  I had appetite issues so I did eat off diet, has some very high calories foods to help avoid the weight loss but my metabolism is crazy high.  I am hoping with the water intake my muscles will fill better and I will show a few lbs back up again by next week.

Here is a video collage of a few of the exercises I have done mid way through my first week, for legs, back and shoulders.  I use a couple very creative exercises I learned from the competitor trainer guru Mike Davies within this clip.
You will see I have to modify leg curls to singles on cables for a machine type exercise.
Today is Arms and next will be Chest and Leg Shaping.  I will put together some footage and ideas together as I go along to share them with you

.

I hope to better settle into my diet plan over the next 2 days.  If I can get a bit more consistent with digestion then it won't be an issue but when dealing with IBS you have unexpected things to deal with last minute sometimes.

So by the time I finished working on this blog post this morning over a few hours between clients and training, I am 2 out of 8 of my shaker cup serving of water today.
YAY!!!  That’s probably more water than I have had over the past 3 years ;)))
I am stil finding it hard to eat as much or as frequently as I need but keeping at it!

Thank you for following my journey and your moral support, I hope along the way others will find some use of the bits of info I add and post to my blogs.

Ready, Set.....GO!

With March being a write off as I was sick pretty much the whole month with Bronchial issues.  I now have 3 months left for my Fitness Competition.  Not freaking out, going to do the best I can and normally would say 'no problem'.
Being off the past 3 years almost sedentary meanwhile slowly getting malnourished from anorexia and 2 knee reconstructions setting things back, I think I am a bit behind lol.  I am not sure I can get my aerial gymnastics for this show and need to focus on lower body building to balance out the physique.  Overall conditioning is also the goal.

My 3 month, 12 full weeks of cardio, weights and nutrition meal plans are all done, detailed and printed.  I am ready to begin.
I am not going to post my plan in detail since it is specific to me and not so applicable (in that detail) to everyone.  I will be sharing a lot of this with you, especially what I think you can follow along with and can be useful in general for most peoples various fitness goals.

A lot of my social media fitness shares will be about nutrition for the month of April that should make up for the last month, I did promise to share some recipes and things.

My diet for this month is very simple and close to nature which is how I usually do competition diet.

• Focussing on getting my water up to 2 gallons a day which I've been having problems with.
• I'll wake up and start with some fruit strawberries raspberries 
• 1st snack will be some legumes and corn or green beans
• Protein shake 
• Protein like fish or chicken and some quinoa 
• Bean Patty and quinoa for dinner 
• Whole bunch of green veggies for the last snack of the day.

I'm sure some of you are questioning some of the items.  I'm leaning more toward vegetarian this month, even though I do have a meal of meat and my particular needs allow me to throw little corn in and use legumes.  I'm not coming from a heavier weight that has to be dropped down, I'm coming from being way too light and having to hold my weight while I decrease body fat slightly and increase lean muscle mass.

I'm adding some:

• kelp
• a little bit of extra B complex
• a lot of extra vitamin C
• extra vitamin D 
• multivitamin multimineral
• Gaba as well or some inositol which is a precursor
• Glutamine is always part of my competition regimen and actually I should be on it all year round.

This kind of composition shift can be done if you know your body really well and I've done it before so I know I can accomplish this.  Since it's for a three-month out goal, it's achievable.

My training for the next three months is broken down into a five day weight program:

• legs
• shoulders 
• back
• arms 
• chest with some like shaping.
• core is mixed in there 

The sets and reps varies throughout because each exercise is chosen specifically for my needs and shaping, it's specific to each area individually.  2-6 sets of 6-30 can be found throughout my plan.  A lot of it is straight sets, some of it is supersets, sometimes I will superset a few of the straight set exercises if I need to save time.

I'll be sharing some of the more unique and uncommon exercises with photos / video here, on Instagram and Facebook.

I'm adding in 4 hits of morning cardio specific to the shaping I need which for me is usually plyometrics and more of an anaerobic type cardio combo or a slowburn.
Then I have three days a week doing about 45 minutes of spin but I can pace myself as I please.

So there's the plan and its begun!  Join me on my comeback competition journey while I share some simple fitness with you.

Here is an Outdoor Combo showing some leg up lunges, lateral squat overs, one arm incline pushups and thrust step ups.  Anyone can do these and add it to your outdoor adventures.

Happy Spring Fit Friends ;)))