CRAIG PRODUCTIONS LLC

I was inspired to write this blog because today I achieved a goal I set for myself 4 years ago.

I’ve been lifting weights since I was 18. Really light of course, because back then, women didn’t lift heavy weights. When I was 21 I was introduced to heavier lifting. It was all over then. I spent all of my free time in the gym.

I was always strong at benching. Go figure because I’m 5’11” and have really long arms. Fast forward to age 27 and I would warm up with 135 for 10, 185 for 8 (give or take a few reps depending on the day) and my best press ever was 225 for a single.

I’ve continued to bench heavy on and off for the past 32 years of my life. Sometimes life got in the way of consistency so my bench suffered.

4 years ago my husband showed me an article about an 80 year old woman who had just benched 180 lbs. He was trying to inspire me to get back to my love of benching because I had temporarily lost it. It worked. I set the goal of benching 185 for a single. But I didn’t do anything about it. It’s one thing to set a goal, it’s another thing to act on it.

1 year later my husband reminded me about the article of the 80 year old woman who benched 180 lbs. Back to the benching goal, but this time – 180 lbs. If the 80 year old woman could bench 180 lbs, so could I. I was focused. 1 ½ years later, I benched the 180lbs!

But this time benching 180 for a single was different. Age has set in. My joints could feel the pounding they were taking. I decided the goal of 185 was not going to happen. So I went back to benching 115 - 135 for failure reps.

Then in February I teamed up with my current training partner Cindy Goodrich. She told me she had never bench pressed because she had never had a training partner who benched and she would love to bench heavy. My 185 lb. bench press goal crept back into my mind. Cindy is intense and loves to train and when I have a training partner I push myself harder so we gel perfectly as training partners. Every time I would go for the 180 I would fail. I could make 175 but not 180. Then 2 weeks ago it happened! A single rep of 180 was mine! I knew I would get the 185 soon. I could taste it!

6 days ago, I went out of town and had to take the week off of lifting because I wasn’t in a position to train. I was in a position to eat though. The 185 was on my mind the whole time because I knew when Cindy and I met up it would be bench day. I saw a facebook video clip from my friend and Craig Productions blogger Julie Michaelson benching her goal of 115 for reps. It was inspirational! To top that off she posted on my wall that she wanted to take a video clip of me making my goal of 185. So when I woke up this morning I made the decision I would go for it! I focused on it all day. I could see it in my mind! I knew my body was healed from a week off of lifting and a week of eating – the perfect storm! 3:30 rolled around and I took an ibuprofen (hey – I’m 53 now and I knew my joints were going to talk back to me later) and headed to the gym. 30 minutes later I benched 185 for a single and we got it on film!

So it’s been a great day! 185 is the heaviest I’m going to go. I know my joints can’t take anything heavier. The 225lb bench glory days are over for me. I plan on living to celebrate my 100^th birthday with quality of life. I’m already planning that it will be in the gym. My goal is to sprint in, load the bar up with 100lbs and press it for at least a single rep. Then I’ll eat cake!

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We’ve created a new name for the Emerald Cup Masters Over 35 Bikini. We are calling it Emerald Cup Masters Bikini Fit Body. By keeping the word bikini it still qualifies the women for all of the NPC Masters Bikini National shows. We didn’t want you to lose your qualification if you decided to go on to the national level. It’s purely semantics.

I’m 52. The thought of telling anyone I was entering a bikini show made me laugh. I’m sure it would make everyone else laugh too. I can just imagine all of the comments that would be said behind my back about it. “She’s 52 and entering a bikini contest?!!” ROFLOL!!!!! “Why does she have to enter a bikini contest?!! Who enters a bikini contest at 52? What is she trying to prove?!!” And many more that I’m sure are coming to your mind right now.

The fact is that 52 isn’t old to me. I don’t feel old. Older that I did at 22 but not old like I think I am going to feel at 92. In fact, I don’t see myself starting to take on the word old until at least 90. That’s the plan at this point. For me, old is a state of mind. As long as I can lift weights I will. As long as I can tell people about the benefits of lifting weights I will. As long as I can be an example of what I believe I will.

So that’s how the Emerald Cup Masters Bikini Fit Body was named. It gives you the option of telling people you are doing a bikini, a bikini-fit body or a fit body show/competition. You even have 3 different classes to choose from: Over 35, Over 40 and Over 50!

The New Year is upon us and it’s time to put those resolutions into action. I hope to see you in the show!

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This is my own personal blog, the way I see it. When I post on our promoter blog I feel I need to keep it free of my own opinions. It needs to pertain to Emerald Cup, Ironman and NPC updates. It needs to pertain to business, be professional. Having my own personal blog will allow me to post everything from my own point of view. I can post my opinion.

Of course not everyone is going to agree with me. I don’t expect you to. How boring would this world be if we were all the same? Many times I have written a blog but erased it because I felt it should contain just the facts and not my opinion. It should be in journalistic form. But with this blog you are reading the opinion page. You are seeing the world through my eyes, the way I see it.

About me: I have been involved in various aspects of this industry since 1980. I was a bodybuilding competitor from 1980 – 1986. I have been a qualified NPC state & regional judge since 1984 and national judge since 1986. I have been involved as an official in the NPC since it’s merge with the AFWB (American Federation of Women Bodybuilders) in 1984. I was with the AFWB prior. I have promoted shows along with my husband Brad since 1983. I have been a co-owner of 2 gyms and a personal trainer since 1982 – before it was called that. I am certified through the National Academy of Sport’s Medicine (NASM). I have taught posing classes since 1982. And before all of that my background included modeling and dance and my degrees are in fashion and merchandising/business so you can see why bodybuilding and promotion became a natural segue. I married my husband Brad in 1983 and we have a son named Brandon who will be 23 on January 9^th. My religion is Christian, my politics are conservative. Now you have some background as to what shapes the way I see it.

For the sake of all the different divisions we now have in our sport/bodybuilding, I will lump it all in the word physique. Physique is my passion. I LOVE this sport!!

As with anything there are good aspects and bad aspects. I like to focus on the good aspects.

I have never kept a journal so this will be a new experience for me. I’m excited to share my point of view…the way I see it.

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