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 Dr Buff
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| Get Into Auto-Pilot |
| 02.04.2012 07:18:00 | |
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I cannot take credit for this. This is from Roger and Ally Baker of RAB Fitness over in Kennewick, WA. Truer words were never spoken of a competitor and Competition Coach!
"In case you forgot, here's the thing about being a competitor... you wake up every day knowing that you may or may not see changes in the mirror [or] on the scale... and this does not shake you. It may be WEEKS before you see any changes. Some weeks will be awesome. Some not. Instant gratification is not in your vocabulary. You've heard this before and I'll say it again, THERE IS NO OFF-SEASON! That means that you REALIZE the dedication, sacrifice, time, sweat [and] tears that will go into this even in the dead of winter when no is looking or even paying attention. Now, this isn't something that I can just tell you and you will learn. Only time and experience will teach you this. So, if you are the one that is out there struggling today...take a deep breath, remove yourself from in front of the mirror, and get into auto pilot. Because this is just the beginning and if you stick to the plan.... you will be rewarded... " Roger/Ally Baker – RAB Fitness
Roger and Ally NAILED it on the head with this one! Look, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – if you wanna be a competitor – a GOOD competitor - then you’d better be willing to do what others won’t, don’t, and can’t. It’s not about motivation. It’s not about inspiration. It’s not about the trophy or the glitz and glamour of the night show. It’s not about size and muscularity and freakiness or anything else. Competition is preparation, pure and simple. Oh sure, we end up on stage looking our absolute best (or at least that’s the goal) but the contest is not about the end result. It’s about the journey – it always has been about the journey and it always will be about the journey. Several sayings that I’ve coined over the years and use on my website goes like this:
“Many competitors want to win. Do work first. Do not put the win before the work!” David “Dr. Buff” Patterson
“You’re not always going to win, but you sure as hell better train like a winner!” David “Dr. Buff” Patterson
Do me a favor – re-read Rog & Ally’s post one more time, this time with conviction and purpose. Read it out loud! Take every word to heart because, trust me, they both have! You don’t get to the caliber of either of them without hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. There IS NO instant gratification. There IS NO easy workouts. And there sure as hell IS NO OFF-SEASON! Not an off-season, not an off-day, not an off-hour.
Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday, traditionally a day of feasting and festivities. All I can say is, if you wanna put yourself in the best possible position to take first place, then you’d better enjoy the festivities without the feast! Some of you will get this…many of you won’t. And it will show onstage on April 20th or 21st, trust me. Personally, I’m gonna watch the game, but all by myself, at home, in my chicken and salad and green beans and yams and potatoes and rice infested house. No temptations. No struggles. Just me. Is it worth it? That’s the question each of you will have to ask yourself Sunday morning…”Is this worth it?” What do you CHOOSE to do in two days? Because remember, no one is holding a gun to your head. It will be your choice – it always has been and it always will be. If the choice is to ‘stick to the plan’, then as Rog and Ally said, “You will be rewarded…”. Peace…
The Dr.
David "Dr. Buff" Patterson, MPE, CSCS, CSTS 253-576-4859 - Mobile http://www.TheDrBuffExperience.com/wordpress http://www.facebook.com/drbuff http://www.facebook.com/TeamBuffedBods http://www.facebook.com/thedrbuffexperience "Tell me you will...tell me you won't...don't tell me you can't!"
Tags: Craig Productions | Emerald Cup | Bodybuilding | Figure | Fitness | Bikini | Dave Patterson | Determination | Goals | Mindset | Thoughts | training legs | setbacks | Dreams | Visualization | Journey | Posing | training | intensity | focused | disciplined | drive | work ethic | hard work | persistence |
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| Dr Buff
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| If It Ain't On The LIst, Don't Eat It! |
| 02.01.2012 00:10:03 | |
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Last blog I promised to write on nutrition, so here we go. Even though I’ve written dozens of blogs and probably hundreds of articles on nutrition over the years, and written quite a few on this site over the past 3 years, there’s always a new competitor who doesn’t know this game. And I also know that one person’s way of saying something just might make sense to a reader over another person’s writing style. What I’m saying is not new, not revolutionary, and definitely not the gospel on nutrition, but if it can help someone, then I’ve done my job. So lemme see if I can help that one person…and perhaps remind others of where they should be and what they should be doing in their own nutrition.
This past weekend we were 12-weeks out from the 30th Anniversary Emerald Cup. At this point, unless you’re roughly 12 lbs. or less out from your show, you should be 100% on task. What does that entail? Well…before I get into that, let me say that the number of ways to diet down are as many as the styles of Martial Arts…everyone has their own style, and they all think their style is the best. I’m not gonna argue with anyone on what the ‘best’ way to diet down is. I’ve said this many times, “All diets work, and all diets fail…”. What I WILL say is, find out what ‘plan’ works best for you and stick to it. Quit jumping from one competition diet to another. That’s why you shouldn’t get fat in the first place – so you’ll have enough time to experiment with different plans until you find the one that works best for you. Secondly, know your body type. That will typically tell you what plan(s) fall in your diet-sphere. Finally, if you need help, find someone who’s knowledgeable in ALL the ways of dieting down – not just the one way in which he/she dieted down. That way, if/when you get stuck, your competition coach will know how to take the appropriate action to get you coming down again.
I’ve seen it too many times before…a trainer who does decent in a show decides to become a ‘competition coach’ and toss his/her hat into the ring. I don’t have a problem with that as long as the trainer possesses enough knowledge and information to help ALL his/her clients – not just the ones built like him or her. Otherwise the competitor client ends up on a cookie-cutter routine or an exact replica of what the trainer does. Not smart. Not good for the competitor. Just last year I picked up 3 people whose trainers, although nationally qualified, didn’t have a clue on how to dial their people down. Sometimes the most dangerous trainer is the brand new one. As my professor, Dr. Hacker, used to constantly tell us, “A little bit of knowledge can be dangerous…”. I’ve helped many a competition coach through the dieting down stages of their clients because they (the coaches) were lost. The client stalled and the trainer didn’t know which way to go with him/her. Heck, even I still get mystified over a client every now and then. But this blog isn’t about trainers, so back on point…
We learned last blog that with 12 weeks to go, one could easily drop 10-12 lbs. of bodyfat on 1 to 1-1/2 hours of cardio and clean foods. 13 to about 20 lbs. would take around 1-1/2 to 2 hours with clean foods, while 21 or more lbs. probably would take at least 2 hours a day. Now I know some of you are wondering or questioning this info…well…I’m a cardio person, so that’s what I do and teach. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know the other ways. If you’re not a cardio person, then you’d better be ready to drop those total calories, and especially those carb calories to lean out. And if you’re a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) person and you’re pushing hard enough (and your calories are dropped enough) you can get by on one session of 30 minutes...but you’d better be ready to bust your butt, and I mean bust it HARD for that to happen. So are we clear on the cardio/no cardio/long cardio thing? I know em all, so if you need any explanation on whether you should use this or that method, holla.
Realizing that everyone is different, and this is just general information, I can’t categorically say where you’re at on the continuum and what you need to do unless I see and comp you. So I’ll use me as an example and everyone can adjust accordingly. I just cut my oatmeal to 25 gm wt with a slice of Dave’s Killer Bread as my starch for breakfast. My protein is either egg whites with some turkey breast (that amount’s classified…) or chicken. I eat what THIS body needs, realizing that I’m not a mass monster, and I know how my body works, and I know my timeline. Since my cardio is still only 45 minutes in the morning, I’m s-l-o-w-l-y dropping my starchy carbs and replacing it with Parrillo Performance’s CapTri – a medium chain triglyceride that’s called the ‘fatless fat’. It processes and acts like a carb in the system, making dieting slightly more tolerable. I only take my starchy carbs so low up to 8 weeks out and then I up my cardio to one 60-minute session. Then I’ll see how the body is responding and stair-step the carbs/cardio cuts until I achieve the look I want. All of this is assuming this ole’ body will hold up to the rigors of contest dieting…
The rest of my meals are simple – protein, veggies, carbs, in that order. I adjust as I need to based upon my timeline. What you have to understand is how to manipulate your macros, meaning we’re all eating protein, veggies, and carbs…the question is, how much do YOU get to eat, and what’s your ratio compared to mine compared to Joe’s, Sally’s, Bertha’s and all the other competitors. Another question you have to ask is HOW MUCH do I get to eat in relation to everyone else? If Big Bradd gets to eat 750 cal/meal and I try to eat what he eats, I’ll blow up faster than your kid’s summer beach ball. Now do you see why I don’t like and don’t do cookie-cutter diets? If no two people are exactly the same, how is it possible for those same two people to be on exactly the same food plan…especially if one is a 5’4”, 135 lb. female and the other is a 5’10” 195 lb. male? It’ll never work. Either one will dial in beautifully and the other will look like crap, or they’ll both be off their macros and neither will dial in to their best look.
Every person I work with, I get as much detailed info on their life and what they’ve done in the past to give me clues into what ‘plan’ will work best for that individual. Some are similar, no doubt, but some are totally way out there. For example, last year I had Gerry Bernabe, the bantamweight overall winner at the Wash. Ironman pretty much doing what he wanted until the final 3 weeks or so. His body was a genetic marvel so the best thing I could do for him was to get out of his way until the last few days and then dial him in. Barb O’Dell, on the other hand, (the Most Inspirational Award at the Ironman for having lost 180 lbs. on her way to the stage WITHOUT surgery or drugs…) had to start doing double cardio sessions 18 weeks out as her body was stubborn in releasing fat. I was wracking my brains trying to figure out how to keep her from stalling as her normally obese body was fighting her every step of the way once she got below 200 lbs. It may seem easy, but it’s not. When you’re dialing in a dozen plus competitors, let’s just say that good note-taking is highly recommended. There’s no way I can remember everyone’s individualized food plans, and when I don’t keep track, it shows!
IN GENERAL, I can tell you that many of you will fall into the 3-8 oz. of protein/meal based upon size, muscularity, sex, lifestyle, etc. Being off an ounce or two over the course of your diet doesn’t seem like it’s a big deal, but it can be the difference between 1st and 3rd come contest day. That’s why it’s important to know your body and understand your macronutrient ratios and amounts. Your veggies are easy – unlimited amounts for the majority of you. If you need an amount, then go with 7-10 oz. (that’s 150-200 gm wt for you metric people). The starchy carbs are the lil’ tricky creatures. Some of you might do well with large amounts, some with literally none, and some dispersed in small amounts throughout the day. Again, it would be unwise of me tell an entire readership what to do and expect it to work for everyone. But I can tell you that once you find that magic number of carbs that YOUR body needs, you’ll know it within a week – guaranteed! And once you find your numbers, then follow it! Don’t be haphazardly changing things up thinking you know better than your coach or you read this or that saying this is what you should do. FOLLOW THE PLAN!!! If you’re doing your own diet, you HAVE to give it about a week to 10 days to see the effects of it. You’ll know in that period of time if it’s working. If not, make subtle changes. If you’ve hired a coach, do what the coach says! That’s the only way your coach can determine what’s working for you and what isn’t.
Well, that’s about it for this blog. I’ve got just some chicken to eat for my last meal. I might have half of a Parrillo Protein bar right before bed…don’t’cha just hate those people who can still eat literally right up to bed and still diet down…peace…
The Dr.
David "Dr. Buff" Patterson, MPE, CSCS, CSTS 253-576-4859 - Mobile http://www.TheDrBuffExperience.com/wordpress http://www.facebook.com/drbuff http://www.facebook.com/TeamBuffedBods http://www.facebook.com/thedrbuffexperience "Tell me you will...tell me you won't...don't tell me you can't!" Tags: Competition Coach | Foods | nutrition | Craig Productions | Emerald Cup | Bodybuilding | Physique | Figure | Fitness | Bikini | Dave Patterson | Determination | Goals | Mindset | Thoughts | training legs | Visualization | training | focused | disciplined | drive | succeed | Dr. Buff | David Patterson | The Dr. | The Dr. Buff Experience | competition | crossfit figure cardio contest prep | coaching |
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| Dr Buff
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| Time to kick it up a notch... |
| 01.26.2012 06:26:16 | |
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12 weeks this Saturday. That’s it. That’s all the time we have. It’s an eternity – 3 months – but it’ll fly by faster than the F-18’s that scrambled out of Portland last summer when President Obama was in Seattle and some idiot invaded restricted airspace…airborne and over Seattle in less than 6 minutes I heard. That’s how fast these 12 weeks will seem to disappear.
If you’ve been on task then you have nothing to worry about. If you knew your timeline and adhered to it, you’re in good shape. But if you’ve been naughty…well…you’ve got some work to do. Let’s take a look at where you should be on the continuum timeline…
If we’re looking at how much fat we have to lose, the formula is simple – we can safely and realistically shed 1.5 to 2 lbs. of bodyfat a week. That should translate into .75 to 1% change in body composition. It’s extremely difficult to drop more than 1% of fat/week unless you’re on the dark side. That’s a blog for another day. But rest assured that a 1% change is quite a bit to change in 7 days…and to do that you’ll have to be literally perfect. The formula is simple – lose 2 lbs. of fat a week with 12 weeks to go – 24 lbs. of fat loss with minimal lean mass loss. If you have more than 24 lbs. to lose, well…you’d better plan on more cardio or even less calories or more drugs to get that fat off!
Even though losing the 24 lbs. is simple, it’s not easy. You’ll have to be perfect – beyond excellent – to make it happen. Losing 2 lbs. a week in my book means doing 2 hours of cardio a day (or expending the equivalent in HIIT cardio in a 30-45 minute period, which is DAMN HARD…) and probably dropping most of your starchy carbs out except for the oatmeal at breakfast. Not fun. Expect to suffer. Expect to suffer hard! As far as I’m concerned, cheat meals are a thing of the past. I know many individuals and trainers will disagree with me, but time and time again, I’ve seen people who ‘cheated’ through their contest diet and people who held their diet, and in just about every instance, the person who held looked significantly better. There’s a great short video out by Dave Palumbo and Kevin Levrone that says it all, in case you think I’m just stupid and don’t know what I’m talking about. Start at about 3:40 and run to the end…it’ll open your eyes if you haven’t already seen it…and it’ll re-awaken you if you have. I know it did and continues to do so for me every time I watch it. It doesn’t ‘motivate’ me, but rather it gets my head on straight on what I have to do to accomplish what I said I wanted to do – come in looking my absolute best for my last show.
I’m not saying that when the time is necessary, you plug in some starchy carbs, such as yams, potatoes, rice, beans, etc. But I am saying that the free-for-all food fest on a Friday/Saturday/or Sunday evening needs to fall by the wayside. Just humor me for a sec, will ya…if you have say, 30 lbs. of fat to drop in the next 12 weeks, why in the world are you taking in unnecessary fat every weekend? I understand the Anabolic diet, the Paleo/Caveman diet, and all the other so-called ‘best-way-to-diet-down-for-your-show’ diets. If you or your trainer wants to do that, and it WORKS for you, then you can click out and be about your merry business. But if you’ve done that in the past and went in your show fat, and you’re wanting to do that again this time, that sounds like the definition of insanity to me…doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome.
There will ALWAYS be a small percentage of the population for which ANY crazy diet will work – heck, it worked for the individual who ‘invented’ it…or did it? How many times have you seen a current picture of the person who SWEARS by this or that diet and they’re in great shape because they’ve been following it for years? Unless it’s lifestyle-oriented, I’d be willing to bet very few if any. Diets in which you have to severely restrict calories or do really dumb, stupid things to diet down are setting you up for a tremendous rebound effect post-contest. You’ve worked hard to get in the best shape of your life, and then two weeks after the show you look like a bloated beach whale about to deliver…doesn’t make sense to me. But I digress…back on point…
The goal is to be at a point to where you only need to lose 1 to 1.5 lbs. of fat/week. That makes the ‘suffering’ bearable. If you’re at a point to where you only need to lose about a pound a week, then you’re sittin’ pretty. At this point you still only need one cardio session a day. It could be the 30-minute HIIT (and please understand that a true HIIT will leave you exhausted and dripping water on the floor…) or a 45-60 minute HISS (High Intensity Steady State – you’re working in a range of 80-90% of your VO2 max as opposed to going into your anaerobic zone on the HIIT – if you don’t understand, hit me up and I’ll explain in more detail). Your foods are in order with no cheat meals added in. The goal is to be at your contest look a couple of weeks out and just coast into the show doing the water, carb, and sodium (if you do that) manipulation thing. In other words, you wanna make life easy for yourself. I absolutely HATE to put people on more than 2 hours of cardio a day…all that means is they were behind the power curve by waiting too long to get serious about their contest diet or their foods are waaaay off which usually means they’re cheating. Either way, they just increased their own misery and run the risk of either dropping out of the show or never doing another show again.
Personally, I prefer to stay within 10 lbs. of contest weight. Part of the reason is because I’m old. I don’t want to stretch out my skin any more than absolutely necessary. Heck, in a few more years I’ll be saggin’, baggin’, and draggin’ due to Father Time gettin’ in bed with me…I don’t wanna have him visit any sooner that when he’s supposed to. The other is because I’ve learned. I learned 20+ years ago that as a drug-free competitor, my contest weight, regardless of what I do, is around 160-162 lbs. As I’m aging it’s dropping a bit. But at 57 years old, I don’t expect to ‘bulk up’ in the ‘off-season’ and miraculously gain an additional 10-15-20 lbs. of muscle. C’mon…seriously? If that were going to happen, don’t you think it would’ve already happened?
I’m at 5-6 lbs. to lose to make contest weight/look. That’s assuming I haven’t lost any more lean mass due to aging. Life is good right now. Next blog I’ll go into a bit more detail on what foods you should be eating. As I say to all of my people who are dialing down, “If it ain’t on the list, don’t eat it…” Peace…
The Dr.
David "Dr. Buff" Patterson, MPE, CSCS, CSTS 253-576-4859 - Mobile http://www.TheDrBuffExperience.com/wordpress http://www.facebook.com/drbuff http://www.facebook.com/TeamBuffedBods http://www.facebook.com/thedrbuffexperience "Tell me you will...tell me you won't...don't tell me you can't!"
Tags: Emerald Cup | Bodybuilding | Dave Patterson | Dr. Buff | Determination | Goals | Mindset | training | intensity | focused | disciplined |
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| Jen B |
| Check me out on YouTube |
| 11.11.2011 00:02:43 | |
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After working for hours trying to figure out how to embed a YouTube video into the blog here I have realized I cannot figure it out...or maybe my patience has just worn out! So here is a link to a YouTube video I did explaining a bit about where I'm at and where I am heading. Its a history of my journey thus far and a precursor of so much to come! Please check it out HERE. But be aware, I am a goofball and have a very dry sense of humor...hahaa ;) Tags: Figure | Fitness | adrenal fatigue | isagenix | Emerald Cup | Craig Productions | fitness routines | competitors | mind | strengthFigure | Ironman | training legs | setbacks | energy | vision | discipline | focus | training partner | disciplined | focused | night show | persistence | commitment | choice | challenge | personal training |
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 Diane
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| Ohhh Yes...Feeling So Good! |
| 03.17.2010 12:06:16 | |
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WHOOO! So I am SOO happy because Winter Quarter is done and I actually finished strong. Although I didn't do AS much studying as I would have preferred, I left each exam feeling confident! So not only am I happy that it is all over (Thank You LORD!), but I'm pumped that I'll be on the Dean's List again! WHooo! So now that I'm feeling fresh and way less stressed, I figured I'd jump back on here and reflect on my past couple of months because it has definitely been quite the journey...I cannot count how many times I literally got down on my knees and prayed that God would help me survive my crazy schedule over the past couple months. I of all people actually woke up dreading many mornings because I was feeling wayyy too overloaded! This was crazy for me because I am the kind of person who is normally always excited to get my day going and enjoy all the opportunities that I have been blessed with. So overall the last couple months were insane and it took all my mental and physical strength possible to make it through thanks to our amazing Lord's Grace, Love and Strength! So what did I learn through all of this craziness.. First off - I learned the true meaning of the saying that you can determine someone's true character when times are tough. When I prepped for the Ironman I had a stress free summer to completely focus all of my energy on my prep! I was able to train when I needed, eat when I needed and I was working more hours, so I could definitely afford to make everything happen! It's easy to enjoy prep when the road is fairly easy. Well..this time around has been completely different. With a CRAZY school schedule I have had a very limited amount of time to focus on training and often found myself cutting my workouts short in order to finish a paper or study for an exam. I also had my hours cut at work, so affording everything that I would optimally need to compete has been tough as well! All of this mounded up to HUGE stress and it was a true test to see how I could handle it. How bad do I really want this? How bad do I REALLY want to compete at a National show? Although I had a rough start adjusting to the crazy schedule, I learned that if I want it bad enough I simply have to do whatever it takes to make it happen. I have to work with the time that I do have and make the most of it! Did I spend as much time prepping for Vancouver as I did Ironman? No. BUT I made the most of my time and that is what counts. I did what I could! So when the going gets tough...Real tough...Use this time to let your TRUE character shine! Be courageous and do what you can to still achieve your goals. It WILL get easier and when it does...It will feel SO good. That's where I'm at right now. Enjoying the fact that it has FINALLY gotten easier! WHoo! Makes the tough journey SO worth it! Second off - I learned that God is truly so good and this was His way of showing me that I can't handle everything on my own. I do have an INSANE schedule and I just simply won't make it on my own. The Lord showed that I NEED to lean on Him because that is the only way that I will discover true strength to reach my dreams and accomplish everything that is on my plate. While I have always had faith in the Lord and trained for HIS glory, I have never had to rely on HIM for strength as much as I did over the past couple months and it was such an amazing experience. As many tears as I shed and as many nights that I spent endlessly frustrated with my work load, it was truly a blessing and it truly "stretched me" for the better. He has a reason for EVERYTHING and while this is a phrase that I've always believed "Everything happens for a reason", I was able to truly experience it and it was an amazing journey! So my lesson...He is there as a might strong tower ALWAYS and sometimes we go through tough situations as a reminder of His Grace and His Purpose for our lives! So that's where I'm at. The last couple months were insane and looking back I am thankful for every single challenge that I endured! I'm now stronger than I was when the quarter started and I'm ready to challenge myself and grow stronger over the next couple months. In the meantime I'm also going to be putting ALL of my attention on prep. I actually officially put ALL of my attention on prep as soon as I left campus today! My training session tonight was great! I had a lot of energy and my cardio was awesome as well! I felt like I couldn't stop and boy did that feel great! To be 1.5 weeks away from a show and feel that good...Gosh that is GREAT! So I'm off to watch some TV...what a concept for me! I haven't had a night to just do "whatever" in forever and I'm thoroughly excited! Can't wait to kick off tomorrow strong! Chest and a couple cardio sessions! Gotta love it! Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE! Diane
Tags: focused | determined |
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| Diane
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| 2009 Wrap-Up and 2010 Goals |
| 12.30.2009 03:22:42 | |
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Alright Guys...First off, I have to admit that I did sneak in some treats on Christmas! My goal was to make it 100% clean through-out Christmas, but I didn't reach my goal! I tried some of my grandma's homemade Banana Bread and some cookies as well. Am I bummed out that I did not reach my goal for the holidays? Yes. BUT I'll continue to stay focused on what I can accomplish TODAY! The good news is that I trained hard through-out Christmas! I went to the gym Christmas Eve for a kick-butt cardio session and lifted heavy! Then I went to the gym with my mom on Christmas and did a killer cardio session. This was not a typical cardio session - It involved hundreds of walking lunges and air squats...Overall I did PRETTY good over Christmas...I stuck to my planned meals and trained hard...Not 100% good, but pretty darn good considering all the tasty food that I was surrounding me :) So that's that...Now I want to focus on my 2009 Wrap-Up and also go over my 2010 Goals...I worked my butt off this last year and I was blessed in so many more ways than I expected! I stayed focused on what I wanted to accomplish in 2009 and I did everything possible to give 100%...Plus I did it ALL for the glory of God and let me tell you...It is the most AMAZING feeling to put forth 100% of my effort to follow God's plan for my life! Of course I'm not perfect and I still have a lot of things to work on, but boy was it an amazing year! In 2009... -I was baptized on Easter and it was the most amazing experience. It was life-changing and I'm so thankful that I committed everything to the Lord -I switched my focus for training...I was no longer training just to look good, but I began training to glorify the Lord and build the strongest and healthiest body possible - This new focus kept me strong through out the year. -I was blessed with the amazing opportunity to blog on here! It has been so much fun to blog and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of Dave's blogs as well! THANK YOU ELAINE AND BRAD! -I successfully started my senior year of college and managed to stay on the Dean's List while training and working full-time. -I was able to experience and be a part of Snap Fitness' new team of competitors. The team was created in 2009 and I feel so blessed to be part of the team and meet/train with such amazing girls! They truly inspire me each and every day! -I won 1st place at the WA Ironman! This was such a blessing and such an amazing experience! It reminded me that all my hard work is paying off and also reminded me that I still have a lot to work to do in order to get to where I want to go! -I signed on with Optimum Nutrition and American Bodybuilding! I have been a loyal fan of their products for the past couple years and I am SO excited to represent such a great company! Such an amazing blessing. -I started working with John and Roxana Kreklo for my diet and I am so excited about my opportunity to work with them. I've made great progress with their diet and I'm excited to see how I progress through 2010 with my new healthy eating plan! -I've met SOOO many wonderful competitors! I cannot explain in words how much each and every person I meet inspires me...I am constantly learning something new from everyone around me and I feel so thankful to be surrounded by such uplifting and inspiring people! -Barry and myself have brought each other closer to God and our relationship glorifies Him more than ever!
Ten Goals for 2010... (1) To get my website up and running within the next couple months. (2) To earn my NSCA CSCS certification. (3) To build up my legs and glutes through persistent and focused training. (4) To build more muscle...More specifically, I want to thicken up my back, bring out my shoulders and sculpt stronger and more defined abs (5) To develop and build my organization - I want to do everything I can to promote weight-lifting to the women and teens in the Northwest (6) To spend more time with my little brother - He is growing up sooo quickly and I need to soak up these moments with him! (7) To better recognize God's will for my life and FOLLOW it! His way is the ONLY way! (8) To promote ON/ABB to the best of my ability through informative helpful product demos and networking (9) To help other girls compete - I want to help them get ready for their shows through constant support, help with posing and any other needs they might have. (10) To win Overall for the first time and successfully proceed to Nationals to win my Pro Card **I have MANY more goals, but figured I should stick to ten for now**
Well that's it for now. I urge you to write out everything that you have accomplished this year and also focus on what you want to accomplish in 2010. This is a great time to review all of your blessings and also commit your plans to the Lord for the upcoming year! Happy New Year and get ready to ROCK 2010! The opportunities are ENDLESS! Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE! Diane
Tags: Determination | Goals | focused |
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| Diane
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| In The Zone! |
| 12.23.2009 00:06:12 | |
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There's nothing better than "The Zone". It's a place I reach a few months before a show. My focus is strong and my determination to succeed is unstoppable. Once I'm in "The Zone", I always strive for a better tomorrow. Each day I strive to beat myself and improve in every way possible. It is really an amazing feeling. There's something about putting my heart and soul into training that makes me feel amazing. It creates energy - Unstoppable energy. Yes..I do get tired...I do get exhausted...But it is my mental energy that is never-ending. Once I have that vision for my future, nothing stops me from doing everything possible to succeed. So that's where I'm at. I have both the Vancouver show and ECUP on my mind - All day. Every night I lay in bed and CLEARLY visualize the stage...I visualize every single aspect of the show..My posing..My walk...My hair...Check-in...Pre-Judging...If I don't visualize it, I cannot expect to reach my full potential. That's all there is to it - Strong, Powerful, Thriving Energy and Determination. If that's what it takes to succeed, I'm on it. Tags: Determination | Mindset | Thoughts | focused | drive | energy | vision |
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| Diane
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| Write Down Your Goals! |
| 11.20.2009 23:39:47 | |
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Alright so I found something that I HAVE to share with you guys! I was going through all of my old emails!! I have a terrible (yet sometimes useful) habit of saving all my emails so I have MANY pages of old emails. Well, I figured it would be a good time to go through and clean out my INBOX. Well, I came across a powerful email that proves the importance of goal-setting and WRITING down and reviewing your goals frequently. The part of the email that I'm going to share with you was written September 4th, 2008, a month before my first show. So here it is... 3. This amazes me because a year later I DID accomplish my goal -- I placed 1st at the 2009 WA Ironman!! My old trainer, Brent, made me write out my goals on a consistent basis and he taught me to stay focused on these goals. So that's what I did. I wrote out my goal for a year down the road and I specifically stated HOW I was going to achieve that goal....and guess what?! I accomplished exactly what I wanted to accomplish. Boy was all that goal-setting worth it! This shows precisely the power of setting goals and writing them down!! Put together an online file or a journal of all of your goals...Write them down SPECIFICALLY! Write down exactly what you will do to make those goals come to life! Setting a goal is not nearly enough. You must put yourself into action and determine HOW you are going to make it happen. Then focus on that each and every day until you finally achieve the goal. So I've been staying focused on my training/prep. My cardio the last few days has been awesome. I'm busting my butt right now and continue to improve as each week passes! I'm still dreadfully sore from my back session on weds! Let's just say it hurts to lift up my arms because my lats are so sore!! I think this is the most sore that I have ever been -- I'm most definitely taking all of my glutamine and needed protein right now to help my back muscles recover! Today I'm meeting Peter at Snap for shoulders!! Little by little, I'm building that beautiful CAP. So that's about it for now... I'm excited for Tanji's workshop tomorrow -- It should be a BLAST and I cannot wait to see all the girls! It's always so great to meet all the women competing and hear their story! Everyone has their own journey and their own reason for competing and I love getting to know where everyone is at in their journey. Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE! Diane Tags: Mindset | focused | commitment | goal setting | Goals |
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| Dr Buff
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| Singularly Focused! |
| 09.15.2009 13:43:00 | |
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Singularly focused!
America, I was at the chiropractor’s office one morning last week waiting to get adjusted when it hit me – the only thing I was thinking about was stuff related to the Ironman. I remember thinking about the foods I had to prepare, my training and what I was gonna do that day, the two cardio sessions still to come, editing my music, choreographing others routines, practicing my own routine…there was absolutely nothing else I was thinking about! I’ve reached that point to where I’m what I coined ‘singularly focused’. It’s a state of mind which many athletes reach when dialing in for their competition/event. For the basketball or football player it could happen the morning of the game or even a couple of hours prior to the game to where they ‘lock in’ to the upcoming event. For Olympic athletes such as Michael Phelps it could start 6 months to a year or longer out. For me it usually starts 3-4 weeks out. That’s been my pattern. Now there’s good and bad to being singularly focused. For us (the competitors…), we’d like to think that we’re disciplined, dedicated, determined, and focused. For those outside of our circle such as family, friends, and others, we may be considered obsessed and fanatical. I’ve always said there’s a thin line between disciplined and obsessed, and an even thinner line between focused and fanatical.
I passed up a birthday party for my great-niece last weekend because of this show. Yea, yea…I know…I could have gone and taken my food and all that crap, but I know me better than you know me. I KNEW that I’d eat some cake, pie, ribs, ‘tater salad, chips, and whatever else was there that I wanted. Do I have discipline? Yes I do, but I ain’t stupid, America! I’m not gonna put my head in the lion’s mouth so to speak. One thing would happen for sure if I’d gone and not eaten – I would have been completely and totally pissed to have all that food in front of me and not be able to touch any of it. Once again, yea, yea…it’s my show, and I made the decision to compete, and I shouldn’t be angry – oh, cut it out America! I’m tired, I’m hungry, I’m sick of eating the same ole’ food every single day, my legs are dead from two cardio sessions/day, I’m not getting’ anything done around my house because I can’t think straight, and when I do think straight I just don’t feel like doing anything…need I go on??? If you’re feeling the same way, then you’re on task. Now some of you may have the willpower and discipline and mental fortitude to go out to restaurants, movies, and even the fair and do well. That’s not in my DNA, so it’s easier for me to stay home and just make it do what it do. But here’s a little bit of advice – if you go out, don’t complain about the foods, because you chose to go out! I don’t want to be mad, and I don’t want to make anyone around me mad, so I keep to myself. My discipline is at it’s strongest when I’m in my own home with my own foods.
My sister went to the fair Saturday afternoon. She brought back a dozen scones with her. I love scones, America – I’ve eaten 12-15 at the fair all by myself before. It took everything I had to not eat the scone she gave me – I put it in the freezer along with the remainder of my birthday German Chocolate Cake and all the other goodies I’m storing up for after the contest. Speaking of storing up, I must be part squirrel – I saw one in my yard trying to bury some kind of acorn as I was heading to the freezer – we just looked at each other, nodded, and said, “Wassup?” He went his way, I went mine. BTW, I’m collecting anything and everything junky for after the show – so feel free to bake me a pie, cake (you know my favorite…), or anything else you think I’ll like, America. J
As far as workouts, things are still going good. Haven’t lost any strength yet although my bodyweight is dropping – I’m down about 2 lbs from 10 days ago. Steve and I went back to a more conventional pyramid training today for our workouts – the last two weeks of 10x10 for at least two exercises each bodypart beat me up mentally. They did what I wanted them to do, but I’m glad that cycle is over. Now it’s just my normal training through the remainder of the show. Today I started my 2nd hour of cardio – prior to today I was doing a 60 minute and 45 minute session. That extra 15 minutes should make all the difference these last 3 weeks. I’ll keep a close watch on my weight, energy level, and strength, and make adjustments as needed. As you know, I don’t follow a ‘carb up’ day, cycle or routine – I only add in good carbs such as rice, potatoes or oatmeal when absolutely necessary. We talked about that in a couple of previous blogs, so I’m not gonna revisit it again. After the workout we posed HARD for about 15 minutes. I’ll outline what we did the next time I blog.
Well America, I’m sure there was more I wanted to say, but I’m hungry, I’m tired, I can’t remember anyway, and I just don’t care! So I’ll holla at’cha when I holla at’cha – I’m not on a schedule like before in case you haven’t noticed. But I will say this in parting – if you aren’t singularly focused, if this contest isn’t the dominant thought in your mind literally all day, you might want to re-evaluate doing this show. If you aren’t sacrificing then you might want to take a peek in the mirror to make sure you still look like you’re ready for contest. If you aren’t suffering you might want to change things up a bit. By the end of next week you should feel like death warmed over – this week you should feel like you just got beat with a baseball bat after being run over by a Mac Truck. Better to be ahead of the curve than behind it, and if you wait too long to attempt to play catch up…well…it’s your contest, America – do what you gotta do – no more, no less! Peace…
The Dr.
Personal Training Systems “There Are No Shortcuts!” www.personaltrainingsystems.net This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Mobile: 253.576.4859
Don’t give me excuses…give me results!
Tags: drive | determined | disciplined | focused |
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| Diane
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| Focus...It's Almost Show Time! |
| 09.14.2009 23:02:11 | |
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Wow! 19 days until the show (not including Saturday) Absolutely crazy. I mean this is really it. Time flew by!! I still feel like I JUST started blogging on here...when really it has been a few months! This is why I always say to make the most of every single day. Prep goes by a lot faster than most competitors usually expect and if you don't make the most of every day, the show will creep up and you will wish that you would have. It's easy to think "Wow, 12 weeks until show time...I don't need to clean up my diet too much right now", but then 12 weeks turns into 4 with the blink of an eye...I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about. Well, I'm happy to say that I've made the most of 99% of my days of prep. Sure I've slipped up here and there, but that's normal. I feel confident in the effort that I have put into my prep...I've trained harder than ever...stuck to my cardio VERY consistently and my diet has never been so clean. Now I just need to focus in and finish out the last 19 days strong!! I'm going to be more focused than ever for the next three weeks. I mean FOCUSED...I've kept myself very organized so that I can enjoy these last three weeks. I have everything in budget..I have all my appointments booked...I have my suit...Now I just need to train and mentally prepare myself for the stage. I'm going to be pressing more and more into God these next three weeks. It's only through Him that I will be able to push through the rest of my prep 100%...He gives me strength and He carries me when I don't think I can make it. So, I need to keep my eyes on Him...I'll need all the energy and focus I can get ;) The radio in my truck has not moved from Spirit 105.3 and it will be the only station on up until the show. Spirit's music keeps me grounded...It reminds me to stay focused on Him and to not get too caught up in all the selfish aspects of prepping for a show. When prepping, it's easy to think "me, me, me", but it's not all about YOU...That's why I love to focus on God...He reminds me that it's not all about me. It's all about Him...and that's that! So I kicked butt this weekend. I trained hard and even did some extra cardio and abs yesterday (Thanks Elaine!!). I weighed in this morning and I'm right on track!! Whoo!! Weekends are usually the toughest time for me to stick to eating/training/drinking water 100%, so weighing in Monday morning keeps me focused over the weekend because I want that weight to drop ;) I even got to bed pretty early last night, so I got a good night of sleep and I'm ready for my day today!! There's nothing better than waking up refreshed and ready to start the day. Each day is such a blessing and holds so much opportunity, so I love being well-rested and ready for everything ahead of me. Today is legs. Can't wait. When I think about the fact that I only have a few leg workouts left before the show, I really want to push myself HARD. So that's what I'm going to do!! Plus Elaine showed me a great way to tweak my form for squats...It's amazing how a little tweak can change everything! Thanks Elaine! I'm excited to get my booty in shape today, literally! Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE! Diane
Tags: training legs | Visualization | focused |
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| Diane
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| Vision Building |
| 08.24.2009 22:27:57 | |
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The topic at my Church, Champions Centre, has been VISION BUILDING. Last week, clarity was discussed and how important it is to know exactly what you want. The point was made that people who know exactly what they want push past fear. When you are focused on your vision for your life, you will be more willing to push past fear to get exactly where you want to be. People who know what they want are ready when opportunity knocks. Basically when you know exactly what you want, it keeps you focused on what must be accomplished and helps you to be ready for anything. That in itself was an amazing message. This week, my pastor went even further to say that in order to build your vision for your life, you MUST be confident. "God does not sponsor confusion" - Kevin Gerald. Overall, confidence is key in accomplishing your dreams and goals. God will not bless those who are lacking faith; confidence is faith. Every single person will meet opposition while trying to accomplish their dream, yet those who are confident in what they are doing will push past the opposition. Confidence is what gets you through opposition. By losing confidence, you're walking away from what is planned for your life. Don't let that happen. Stay strong and decide that you will not sway once you have your vision for your future and your life. As I always say, you've got one shot down here. Don't let your vision go to waste because you fear a little criticism or a little opposition....Just fight through it. There's always going to be something trying to push you down...It's simply a test to see how bad you really want it. So anyways, my weekend was amazing!! I trained my butt off on Saturday! I had an amazing back workout and kicked booty at cardio. Then yesterday I left Church feeling pumped up to start my week. The show is so close and Church always keeps me focused in on what really matters. I don't have time to waste, especially when it gets down to being 5 weeks out...So every little bit of inspiration from God and my family helps! Today is Day 1 of NO CARBS...I'll be lowering carbs until Friday. As I've said before, I do this once a month. It seems to be working out very well for me...So I'll stick to it :) Today is also Leg Day!! Whoo! I always get excited to start my week off with Legs! I also have a massage scheduled after my workout today...So it's going to be extra good!! The massage always helps me to recover and it prevents me from getting stiff and too sore! Overall, it will be a great day. It is what you make it right? Well, off to work I go. I'm anticipating a busy day in the store...Thanks to the sunshine! Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Let the Lord's Light SHINE! Diane Tags: Visualization | Determination | Goals | focused | legs |
