Quick Comp Update

Just a quick update today on how things are progressing.

It has been confirmed that the competition I am aiming for is the WFF Darwin comp on Saturday the 27^th of September. It’s combined with a Health Expo and will be at the Marrara Sports Complex. This is the qualifying event for my next goal, being the Australian Championships in Hobart on October 12.

I have exactly 73 days to pull myself together and give it all I’ve got. So how is it all going?

Training

I have to admit that, with the emphasis amongst my friends being powerlifting, I got a little caught up in kilos over technique. While in a weird mood the last couple of weeks, this didn’t help in the gym because I was pushing too much weight and feeling sore and under-done. By this I mean I became a little too focused on the increase on the weights and quickly realised I wasn’t concentrating enough on the actual technique. For example – I’m currently doing Rack Pulls on back day. In essence, this is the top part of a deadlift. I got to a weight that I’m pretty proud of … but then realised I wasn’t really getting that full squeezzee at the top of the lift. The whole friggin point of the Rack Pull is to give a concentration to the top squeeze. So I gave myself a little uppercut, lowered the weights by a good 20kg and then performed them again. This time I shut my eyes and thought only about the back muscles while I used them both to lift the bar, and then to perform a solid contraction and little extra hold at the top, causing a nice burn to the back muscles.

I’ve gone back to this little “shut eyes and concentrate” technique for every lift to ensure that I’m going for quality over quantity. Funny how I can go off on a tangent when I get caught up in all of the Facebook chatter.

Food

Brilliant. I have a 7 eggwhite omelette for breakfast along with 1.5 cups of greens. That’s 49 eggs over the next 7 days. That’s over 4 dozen. So much respect for chickens.

But seriously, the food is brilliant. I find that nutrition is plain sailing while I’m at work. I pack my 6-pack lunch esky with my meals, all labelled for times when I’m tired and can’t remember which meal goes where. Being busy means meals are just that – meals. Not times to lament over tastes missed out on. Just times to get the nutrition in. At home I follow the plan but there is much more time to think. Thinking is terribly over-rated when you have a job to do.

I realised yesterday that I had been on comp prep for 10 weeks now and it has whizzed by. Too easy when you’ve got a professional managing your meals.

Comp Stuff

For the FIRST time EVER – I’m actually really organised. Can hardly believe it!!! Normally Rob has to kick me up the bum to get the bits and pieces sorted. I think he still did kick me up the bum – he just started earlier this year.

Routine was done and dusted in May. I practise it pretty much every day and reckon I could do it tomorrow if needed. Thank god it’s not!!

Bikini all but sorted, shoes sorted, music sorted, sorting hair and make-up, tan sorted (yep – the good old dark stuff is on its way!). Couple more bits and pieces and we’re done.

 

Overall

I’m feeling pretty darn good. I have the ever present issue of making weight for the day. I still have nine kilos to go. That sounds like a mountain but I’m up for the challenge.