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Huge 4 way birthday bash this weekend so ya I junked it up, I junked it down, I even junked it all around. Last pigout before warrior mode diet and training for da Cup! Wanna give a shout out to Tanji for her birthday as well. Yay us Tanj!!! Gettin' bettah and bettah every year. I'm just so blessed by the Lord for all my friends and family. Thanks guys, you mean everything to me. Big Hugs!!! OK, enough of that, lets get it on.

I mentioned silohette training before and a bunch of you have asked me what the heck that means so let me clarify: It means training to project a certain shape especially when you are doing your turns. Josh learned this from Frank Zane and Cory Everson back in da day. So you really train up your deltoid lateral and rear heads, your lateral tricep and brachialis, upper chest and and upper inner chest, lat sweep, intercostals and serratus, low back, upper glute and tie in, ham and quad sweep and inner calf. Add vacuums to this and you train for a longer, leaner, look that features muscles that "pop" when you turn and flex that few others have focused on and it makes you really stand out. At least I hope to achieve that for the Cup. Josh doesn't believe in any direct oblique work and cringes when he sees women doing dumbell side bends or training their lower pecs (when are you ever going to see that development and aren't we all working AGAINST gravity not FOR it??? Train for shape first and everything else will follow is his philosophy and it works for me.

Quick funny: my new nickname is "HAMBONE". Josh told everyone the hilarious event that happened at the Ironman where some HUGE guy kept yelling "Hambone!!!" at me thruout the night show and when we later walked by him, Josh (who's not so small himself) asked the guy to explain.  When he came back shaking his head and told me I about died. He told my husband that he meant no disrespect but that he liked my look and just wanted to knaw on me like a big ol' hambone. Josh didn't know whether to hit him or laugh and thank our Lord did the Christian thing but the name has unfortunately stuck. What a slice.....! You meet all kinds.

After all the holidays I'm at my top weight of 145 and doing HEAVY upper body moves. The idea is to slowly cut out allmost all carbs and up cardio while continuing to train as heavy as possible on upper body to increase and maintain mass. I want to compete at 128 to 132 after depleting and carbing back up (more on this later and I'll get to my supplementation thoughts next time as well). I did 50's for alternate DB curls the other day and 4 plate t bar rows so really trying to add the extra upper body mass I feel I need to be competetive for the Cup. Have any of you tried doing the lunges in the Hammer deadlift unilateral machine with one foot back and up on the brace??? Ohyeah dey burnnnnnnn. Give em a try. Siff legged deads on a bench are a mainstay too to really round out the hams, try supersetting them with lying leg curls with your hips stabilized on the bench. Pre exhaust movements for my upper chest are really bringing out the definition as well with incline flyes supersetted with incline DB presses. Work up the rack and back down and then say "I must, I must, I must increase my bust....." (or not.....). Just a thought.

Ok, thats all folks. Until next time. Praise God and ask yourself "What are you grateful for?" "What makes you happy?" You can't look down if you're a' lookin' up. Call a friend or relative TODAY that you haven't talked to in a while and see how they're doing and see if that doesn't just make your day. Put a little good out there in the darkness and see if it don't come back to you tenfold. Just sayin'........

Thought for the week:   "Unless you realize you have the power to say 'no',  you can never really say 'yes'.  To your relationships.  To your work.  To your life.  To anything.  You don't have to wait to make positive, empowering changes.  You don't HAVE to go to school; you don't HAVE to go to work;  you don't HAVE to go to war; you don't HAVE to be married, or have children, or act as other people expect or desire.  You don't HAVE to do anything.  Just recognize that every action or inaction has consequences, and that your willingness to accept these consequences gives you the power and freedom to choose who you are, where you are, and what you will do.  That's when life changes from an obligation to a blessed opportunity.  That's when miracles happen."

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