On Sunday, I had to start the part of precontest week that I hate the most—drinking tons of water! I can barely function all week between visits to the bathroom! I can’t stand having to force myself to drink gallons of water, so when the time comes before contest to drop my water to a normal level, it is the greatest relief for me! Other competitors complain of dehydration and extreme thirst, while I am feeling so grateful that I don’t have to drink any water!

The workout schedule is changed up quite a bit, to fine-tune the physique to release any last little bit of bodyfat and water retention clouding the muscle definition. It’s generally an easier schedule, tapering off to allow the body to rest and recover for the last couple of days before the show, while still maintaining tight full muscles. It’s good that it’s not as intense, because with the lack of carbs, my energy is definitely low and it’s really hard to get the legs moving to do cardio!

Leaving It All On Stage

For the first time in my competitive career, I stepped on stage completely calm, confident, and knowing that I had done absolutely everything I possibly could have done to prepare for the competition. I had that feeling before, from a physical standpoint, but never from a posing standpoint. But this time, I knew I would be able to present a beautiful back pose, and that made all the difference for me, mentally.

I even SLEPT through the whole night before the morning pre-judging! That was unusual. I tend to lay awake the night before, or if I do sleep, I’ll have bad dreams that I missed the alarm or didn’t wake up in time or something like that. I have those dreams before almost any big thing that I have to get up early for—-I’m NOT a good early riser!

I knew my class was going to be huge, from the reports coming out pre-show. I got online and checked out the competitor list, and then searched to see who the other women were that would be onstage with me. I soon identified who the top competitors in past shows were, but that doesn’t mean anything—-it’s who looks the best on THAT DAY that matters! And anyone could come out of anywhere to impress the judges. All the judges can do is judge what they see in front of them on stage. Nothing else counts.

Is It A Sport, or Is It Art?

That’s why the posing is SO crucial! You can have the best physique in the world, but if you present it poorly, you won’t place. Our ’sport’ really is more of an art contest than a sporting event. Our chosen medium is not paint, clay, or marble. We create beautiful sculptures out of muscle tissue. The ’sport’ part of it comes in during the training sessions, where we slowly create new muscle mass and reveal it by releasing bodyfat, much like a sculptor releases an amazing statue out of a block of marble by chipping away the excess material until the final sculpture is revealed.

When we present our physiques onstage, all we are doing is presenting our personal sculpture in the most flattering way possible. And that is also why the judging is so difficult, and the results so often anger the viewers. It is completely subjective and opinionated. Who’s to say which piece of art is the ‘best’? Is it the Mona Lisa, the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the Statue of David, Monet’s Water Lilies, or any other of an endless variety of astounding displays of artistic genius? If one were to line all these up and then choose which one is the best, do you think that maybe there would be a variety of opinions? Beauty is, after all, in the eye of the beholder. What is ‘art’ to one may be ‘junk’ to another.

My toughest competition isn’t standing next to me onstage. It’s not the beautiful women with amazing physiques who line up along with me to do quarter turns, and allow a judging panel to pick our physiques apart, looking for the tiniest flaws. Yes, that is what the judges do. EVERYONE looks great, or they wouldn’t even be there on stage at a national championship show. The judges have to find ways to separate the best from the rest, so they look for reasons–i.e. flaws–to NOT place a competitor.

My toughest competition is ME. I have to overcome my fears, limitations, cravings, weaknesses, exhaustion, hunger, and excuses to push my physique to be the best it can possibly be. No one else can do it for me. My competition is the dumbbells, barbells, cardio machines, bleachers, and track—all of which I must conquer and whip into submission on a daily basis. All I can do is be the best I can be. And I don’t know what that is.

People want to blame ‘genetics’. That’s an easy excuse. That’s a wimpy, lame, loser’s way out of really giving everything they have. Yes, some things you can’t change. You can’t change the width of your clavicle, or the length of your arms, or your bone structure, or your height. That is true. But EVERY workout you perform, where you push your body past where it has ever been, changes your DNA. It tears at the muscle fibers, creating a need for the body to repair those fibers bigger better and stronger, so that they are ready for the next threat you place on them. It creates a need for the body to consume energy from your fat stores, revealing more of that precious muscle. When does that ever really stop? How far can it go? What REALLY is your genetic potential? I say you’ll never know. No matter how far you go, when you get there, you can always see farther.

Taking ‘Hot-lanta’

When pre-judging finally arrived, I was so excited and honored to be one of the first five competitors called out for comparisons—out of nearly 50 spectacular physiques! I was way up on the riser at the back of the stage, because they had to shoehorn all of us on the stage to accommodate the huge numbers in the class. When they called my number, I couldn’t find the steps to get down off the riser to the front of the stage! Hahaha! I finally made it to center stage and performed my quarter turns along with the other four top competitors.

After our quarter turns, the judges dismissed us and we were allowed to exit the stage. Yay! It’s hard work to stand up there for long periods of time holding a very tight and uncomfortable pose, so I was glad my stage time was very brief. We were greeted by a host of photographers taking our picture as the Top Five. I had a feeling I was going to place somewhere around 5th, maybe 4th. One lady in particular was in demand by the photographers taking her aside for individual photographs, therefore I surmised she would be the winner. A great choice for sure, as she is a professional competitor in another bodybuilding federation, and is sponsored by GNC. (Wow!)

I was absolutely thrilled, and felt I was a winner no matter my placing. Sure enough, I was correct, and I won the fifth place trophy at the night show finals. The lady I thought would win placed third, and in the spirit of my original comment that anyone could come out of anywhere to win, a lovely new, relatively unknown competitor won the class and her pro card. The judges obviously made a good choice, because she went on to compete in a pro show shortly afterward, and placed third in her pro debut! So she was already good enough to be a top professional competitor.

Now, It’s ON!!!

With what I learned and the progress I made during the training and contest prep for the NPC Nationals, I feel like I am poised to win my pro card in 2011. I definitely still have some work to do, and improvements to make to my physique and stage presentation. Even before the NPC Nationals, Shannon had already given me my plan for the “Improvement Season”, as she calls it. So I already had my plan in hand to hit the ground running after the show, to make the most of the time given to me before the 2011 competition season commences.

For me, there is no such thing as an ‘off season’. No, I am not eating ‘normally’ or what most people would call ‘normal’. I do get to eat a WHOLE LOT MORE, though! I am in a growth mode again, to gain more muscle size and shape, and also to give my body and metabolism a chance to rest, reset, and recover from the extreme stress and rigors of contest dieting and preparation.

The workouts are great! I LOVE lifting heavy, and challenging myself, and I am able to work out in a more traditional bodybuilding style during Improvement Season. And there’s not nearly as much cardio to do. We do gain 5 to 10 pounds over contest weight, so I definitely don’t look as defined as I did for the contest. That’s hard, too. It’s very difficult mentally to look like that, and then to come down from it.

My goal is to win my IFBB Figure Pro Card in 2011. I know I can do it! I am dedicated, focused, and absolutely determined to let nothing stop me. I’ve declared war, and I’m going to win it! The lyrics to my new favorite workout song perfectly describe how I attack each training session!

Disturbed: “Indestructible”
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Click here to view the embedded video.

(You’ll have to click on it twice to watch it on You Tube!)
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“Another mission, The powers have called me away.
Another time, To carry the colors again.
My motivation, An oath I’ve sworn to defend.
To win the honor, Of coming back home again.
No explanation, Will matter after we begin.
Another dark destroyer that’s buried within,
My true vocation.
And now my unfortunate friend,
You will discover,
A war you’re unable to win.

I’ll have you know,
That I’ve become…

Indestructible.
Determination that is incorruptible.
From the other side.
A terror to behold.
Annihilation will be unavoidable.
Every broken enemy will know,
That their opponent had to be invincible.
Take a last look around while you’re alive,
I’m an indestructible master of war.

Another reason. Another cause for me to fight.
Another fuse uncovered, Now, for me to light.
My dedication, To all that I’ve sworn to protect.
I carry out my orders, Without a regret.
A declaration, Embedded deep under my skin.
A permanent reminder, Of how it began.
No hesitation, When I am commanded to strike.

You need to know,
That you’re in for the fight of your life.

You will be shown,
How I’ve become…

Indestructible.

Determination that is incorruptible.
From the other side.
A terror to behold.
Annihilation will be unavoidable.
Every broken enemy will know,
That their opponent had to be invincible.
Take a last look around while you’re alive,
I’m an indestructible master of war.”

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Be Defiant! Fight for your health!

And…..Fight for what you want most!

Christy

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My calf is much better. Today, I can even walk normally in flat or athletic shoes. I was OK in heels yesterday, because my calf is not in the full stretched position, but today I can push off normally on my right leg, so I am not limping around now. Thank goodness–I was having to explain my cripple-walk to everyone the last couple of days. In my workout tonight, Shannon had put in 10 sets of calf raises. It was so hard for me NOT to try to do them! If it is on my sheet, I do it, and it was hard to leave off a scheduled exercise. But I had to defy my obsessive-compulsive tendencies and realize that doing calves too soon could cause a serious long-term injury, and that would just be stupid on my part.

I want to thank everyone who has sent well wishes and wonderful positive healing energy my way. It is really helping! I certainly didn’t think on Wednesday I would be walking normally this quickly. I love and appreciate you all!!!

I received great feedback from both Shannon and Rob on my progress pics yesterday. I now have to send pics every 4 days, since Nationals is so close. They said I was now a “National Girl” and so I have a different schedule and set of standards. I loved that–a “National Girl”! Wow–I thought it would be at least next year before I reached this level. It just goes to show that anything is possible if you set a goal, focus on that goal, take massive action that leads you toward accomplishing that goal, and of course holding the positive image in your mind of having already achieved the goal so that you attract success!

I don’t know if I mentioned this. During cardio sessions, I was closing my eyes and visualizing myself on stage, posing beautifully and winning my class. (Of course I only close my eyes on the bike or elliptical. That would be dangerous on the treadmill or stepmill!) But I was visualizing winning the original November show I was training for. My dream came true much faster than expected. I truly believe that the visualization brought the reality to fruition much faster than I expected. I am doing the same thing now–except I am visualizing performing a beautiful posing routine at the NPC Nationals! And yes, I am visualizing winning, too. Hey–can’t hurt! But if I crack the Top Five, I would be ecstatic!

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Silly me! I totally forgot to post my videos from the show here on my blog! Duh! I put them on Facebook. So here they are, as I want to share them with each of you.

Overall Posedown for Masters Figure–Fort Lauderdale Cup 2009

Top Five Masters Figure Class

My Bombshell ‘Sista’ Angela was videoing these for me from the audience. Sorry the quality isn’t the best. But I am so glad she was able to capture the moment for me, especially so Michael could see them, and also so I can share with all of you!

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I just have to tell you the funny story that happened after the show. I meant to share this earlier. You know that the diet for the shows is very restrictive anyway, plus the extra workouts were very taxing. I was tired from traveling, getting ready to compete, not enough sleep, etc. to begin with, and then at the night show, there just wasn’t time to eat. Rob had me stay exactly on my normal food plan, and even added some sweet potatoes, but at the evening show a couple things happened. First, a friend of mine was feeling really low and sick, and she said she thought she needed some protein. So I gave her the fish I had with me. Then, like I mentioned before, we were really busy getting lined up for stage, and I just didn’t have time to eat with all that was going on, the extra posedowns, etc.

After the show, Shannon had lined up a killer after-party at the hotel. There was to be food, a DJ, etc. She wanted us to put on our cutest dresses, look hot, and come mingle with the judges and photographers. I was so nasty from all the tanning stuff and posing glaze that I just HAD to shower off before putting on my nice dress. So I ran up to the room, got ready, and headed down to the party.

By this time, it was about 1:15 AM. I searched until I found Rob and asked him what I could eat. He said I could eat ‘anything I wanted tonight AND tomorrow all day’. Whoa! Whoo-hoo!!! So one of the other girls–Miranda–went with me to find the waitress. Pizza was about to be consumed! Or so we thought. When we found the hostess, she said “I’m sorry–the kitchen closed at 1AM. We can’t take any more orders.” We stood there in shock, and finally I said “This is a cruel joke, right? You have starving fitness competitors here!” No joke. No kitchen, no food. And I was DYING.

So we looked at each other, and Miranda said she had an SUV. We went to the front desk and asked where the nearest IHOP was. Sure enough, just a couple streets over! So, after a little party mingling, Miranda, her husband and I all piled in the SUV and descended upon IHOP at 2AM! We stood out j-u-u-u-ust a bit from the crowd of drunk college kids, who were all agape at the fitness girls in hot dresses. They were making all kinds of comments. We didn’t care–we just wanted pancakes, NOW! Our waitress said we were wearing her out! We all ordered different kinds of pancakes, cut them up and shared them with each other. And of course, we piled them up with butter, syrup, fruits, whipped cream, etc. Boy, were those things good! Definitely my favorite were the whole-grain pancakes with walnuts and pecan syrup. Yummy! So we got back to the hotel about 3:30AM on a serious sugar buzz. We were all laughing that we couldn’t believe we were at IHOP at 3 in the morning, not drunk, and definitely not in college anymore! Haha!

That turned out to be a really awesome evening, though. I got to talk at length with Miranda, one of my fellow Bombshells that I hadn’t met before, and her awesome husband. I really enjoyed getting to know them.

Oh, and the next day, I went to PF Changs and chowed down on some awesome Chinese food, although I stuck to healthy items not far from my planned meals. I was eating by myself at the bar, and the bartender was really into fitness and had the latest Shape magazine. She was so impressed that I knew the girls in the magazine, that she gave me two of their cute little desserts in the shot glasses for free! (Delicious carrot cake–my Kryptonite! I love a good carrot cake more than life itself!) And at the airport, I went in on a big cheat and got me a Cinnabon! I used to eat those things all the time years ago. I hadn’t had one in literally 10 years. So I got a big Pecan-Bon and savored every bite. And then, I went right back to my mostly raw, Bombshell diet plan. I just didn’t want to destroy what I had worked so hard for. Interesting, though–the next morning when I did cardio, my legs got so pumped from having all the carbs that I thought my quads were going to bust through my skin! That was a neat feeling.

By the way, I make a really awesome raw vegan carrot cake. It’s actually pretty easy to make raw, and I make the icing out of creamed cashews instead of cream cheese. It really is delicious! I need to make one for my cheat meal sometime.

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Time to hit the hot tub with some Epsom salts to help the calf, and other things. Tonight’s ‘ Bombshell Booty’ workout was really intense, and my booty is definitely going to be sore! Since I couldn’t do calves, I added in a couple extra booty exercises and I am already feeling it. I think my booty needs the Epsom salts too! Haha!

OK, my booty is off to the jacuzzi!

Until next time……….Be Defiant!

Christy

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