Craigproductions, Home of the Emerald Cup and Washington Ironman | Craigproductions, Home of the Emerald Cup and Washington Ironman

02.13.2012 07:53:50

There’s an old saying that goes, “In life, the only thing constant is change”. In the field of personal training, a term I coined years ago goes, “The only thing constant is, ‘People come, and people go…”. I learned years ago that change is inevitable. Even if we stand perfectly still and do absolutely nothing, change is occurring. Philosophical perhaps, but true. I also learned that no matter what I say to or do for an individual, if that individual chooses to leave, he or she will leave. End of story, no more questions. So how are these two statements related, you ask?

Last year I picked up two new female clients, both gearing for competition. I spent approximately 3 hours with each woman initially, doing a body composition, going over their life and lifestyle, and working to dial each in for her respective spring show(s). Two women, two consultations, two customized, individualized plans…piece-o-cake! Both walked out happy. I set up a training program for each as well, to ‘define’ what they needed to do as a competitor. Even though they were training, they weren’t really ‘training’ competition-style, if you get my drift. I figured, a couple of sessions on a bodypart or two in which they needed to bring up would be sufficient to get their heads in the game. I ran both through a leg workout. Both cried. Not because I did something magical or insane, but simply because I pushed them outside their comfort zone. I elicited a pain they’d never experienced before. Both couldn’t walk for several days and did the ‘potty drop’ when using the bathroom (if you’ve never done the potty drop then I can honestly say you’ve never trained legs HARD). Here’s where their paths diverged…

One competitor was changing weekly. Literally every time I saw her, I saw improvement. First week, her face is looking thinner. Second week, I could see slimness in the shoulders and arms. Third week, legs and butt were getting smaller. Fourth week, waist was tapering. Week by week, change was occurring – inevitable. The food plan I’d dialed her in on was working perfectly. There was little alteration to it each week as long as we were seeing progress. The cardio was at a constant 90 minutes a day. Body comps every couple of weeks validated the changes that we were seeing, meaning her %BF was dropping while gaining or holding lean. Finally, this last week I didn’t like what I was seeing. She looked ‘flat’…smaller but not tighter. I also noticed that her strength was dropping excessively. I always expect some loss in strength but this drop over a week’s period was too much. We did a comp this past Thursday and sure enough, she’d lost some lean. As I explained in a previous blog, doing body comps is simply a validation of what I’m already seeing in the mirror and feeling in the gym. I reviewed her foods, increased her total calories slightly, adjusted her macronutrients, and sent her on her merry way. Each day I expect an email check-in, along with me visually seeing her during her workouts to ensure that we’re heading in the right direction. I’ll comp her in a week, but I’ll be able to tell in a couple of days if the changes we made were correct. Again, the comp will simply validate what I see or don’t see.

The other competitor, on the other hand, hardly changed at all. I was administering weekly and bi-weekly comps on her but they showed little progress. One week I’d see a bit of a change in her face and body, but then the next week things would return to ‘normal’. Every week or two I would change her foods. Now here’s the interesting thing…no matter what I did, I didn’t see change. You might remember from a previous blog me saying that you can’t change a variable and not see change – that’s goes against the laws of physiology. You can’t be driving down the road at 55 mph, press on the gas and increase the speedometer to 65 yet still have the car roll at 55 – not possible! Yet each week I’d change a variable and nothing would happen. Increase in calories – no change. Decrease in calories – no change. Add carbs, cut carbs, add protein, cut protein, you name it, each comp there was literally no change. I’m racking my brains trying to figure out where I’m going wrong. With everything I’ve learned over the years, there are only two possible scenarios that could be happening…either I don’t know what I’m doing or the person is cheating. Rather than say the person was cheating, I’ll simply say that I couldn’t figure her out. Frustration set in for her and we eventually came to a mutual parting of ways. Hey, I’m not too egotistical to think that I work for everyone. Go back to my second statement, “People come, and people go..”. People hire trainers and coaches for results. I didn’t get her the results she was after so she left. I’m not upset. Y’win some, y’lose some. Here’s hoping that the next coach can dial her in. I couldn’t.

The ‘constant’ in the two statements in the first paragraph is that people continually come and go in our lives. That’s the inevitable change. As a Fitness Professional and Competition Coach, I’ve trained thousands of individuals. I wish I could say that every single one is still with me. Heck, I’d be rich if that were the case. Unfortunately, the reality is, people hire trainers for several reasons, the primary one being results. If you’re a personal trainer or competition coach whose clients are not seeing progress, recognize that something is amiss. Either they’re cheating and lying to you or you don’t have them figured out. Either way, corrective action needs to be taken. If you can’t help them, perhaps someone else can. Let them go. And on the flip side, if you’re a client who isn’t getting the results you want (and you’re not cheating…), recognize that and beg out.

Two clients, two totally different outcomes. Life goes on…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!"

Dr Buff

Get Into Auto-Pilot

02.04.2012 07:18:00

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

“I don't believe in motivation. I believe in preparing oneself so that when you step onstage you will have the necessary confidence, conditioning, and stage presence to be competitive against your peers. Motivation will not give you that. Only work will." 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 20^th or 21^st, 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!"

Dr Buff

If It Ain't On The LIst, Don't Eat It!

02.01.2012 00:10:03

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 30^th 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 1^st and 3^rd 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!"

Jen B

The Dreamer Vs. The Fear

11.11.2011 00:28:21

Anyone else's mind do this to them? I know mine does, and I've been reading, and journaling to overcome it. I have always loved training my body, have put to much focus on that and not enough on my mind. Take a minute to think about your strength not physically but mentally. What do you do to defeat the naysayers of yourself and others?

Dreamer: Check it out, Emerald Cup 30th Anniversary!! Jen do you know what this means...You could finally make it to the stage and your first competition could be at the 30th anniversary of the Emerald Cup!! Its a coincidence, I'll be 30 next year in 2012...2012 is the year of 30!!! Ok, I need to start training now, I have a lot of work to do and need to take it slow. I just started the Isagenix 30 day system and am feeling GREAT! Were on the right track, now a coach!!

The Fear: Haha...right Jen. Here you go again, the thoughts overtake you with excitement and I will crush you! You have looked for coaches before, remember how expensive they are? How are you going to pay for that, supplements, suits, music, dance classes, choreography, plane tickets, you see the list doesn't end.

Dreamer: If I have not shaken this dream yet I will not let it go. The fight in me is more than I can explain I will do this I WILL!! Ok, lets find a coach...

The Fear: See I told you...your looking for coaches, nobody near here, nobody that is going to put the time into you and stay on your back every step of the way. And do you see those price tags...sorry Charlie just not gonna happen.

Dreamer: Ok, ways to come up with competition funds? *Thinking*...I will find a way, I have come to far to not find a way and will not let this stand in my way. I wonder if anyone would be willing to invest their time in me to see me succeed? To know where I'm coming from and help me blossom into what I am about to become? Prayer and passion can take a person a long way, and I am digging deep into both right now! Stay positive Jen, it will work out.

The Fear: Your hillarious...who is going to take the time to help you, nobody knows who you are, your not a known competitor. If they do know you its because you have tried to start with them and then your body shuts down and they see you quit. No way are they going to reach out and push you! Its not time Jen, its not time.

Dreamer: I am tired of hearing its not time. When is it time? So many things in life are never "in time". What I feel in my heart, in my soul, that is what is time. And I know I feel different now, I know I feel strong. My mind strength is growing and its carrying my body further as well! I am a strong woman with motivation and drive out of this world! Some can't believe at what I have done and will do to achieve a goal, to live a dream and inspire others along the way! This is the time! Patiently waiting for my green Emerald Cup bracelet to arrive, I will wear that puppy day in and day out! And one lucky audience member will catch it when I chuck that baby off the stage during my debut!! Check it fear, you are dead, I will catch you and tear you apart!

The Fear: Right...to be continued...

Jen B

Check me out on YouTube

11.11.2011 00:02:43

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 ;)

Jen B

Doubt Will Kill Your Dreams

08.23.2011 03:38:13

Coming to this site, looking around, I am so grateful to be here writing to you. I look at the photos, I read the articles of those in the industry and I wonder what am I doing here? Who wants to hear about my challenges when you see all this success? I posted my first post and then hid, wondering if I should continue, let alone blog on one of the top competition sites! I want to thank Elaine Craig Wright for pushing me, she didn't do much. A simple post on my Facebook page. (New friends welcome) Short and sweet "Missing you on the blogs!" That simple post made my day and pushed me to face the self doubt and open up to this journey. How am I going to grace the stage if I'm already hiding from the computer screen? :)

Good news!! The doctor has given the OK to run, yup, thats it. But check out my new running kicks!

Running shoes

No more than 30 minutes a day, try not to break a sweat or get out of breath. Really? To hear that as an athlete, a fitness competitors soul is not an easy pill to swallow. I try to look forward and not backwards, though at this moment I have to look back. I was on a no activity order from the doctor. 30 minutes is a long time from nothing! So here I am 7 weeks later finishing up the 5k training program and running a steady 28 minutes with no breaks! I know, doesn't sound like much but from where I was this is GIGANTIC!

Bad News!! My body is in a recovery mode, still not super excited over my exercising and putting extra demands on it. It is holding onto the weight, actually I have gained another 2lbs. Though I do have to say my husband was checking out the tone in my legs the other day! It is so hard to understand how 7 weeks of running and I gain 2lbs. For those of you that have dealt with adrenal fatigue and hormone imbalances you know the frustration, for those that haven't it is close to absolutely impossible to push weight off while in recovery. As I need to improve my nutrition and trying to learn as a runner now, or runner in training. Resources and recommendations gladly accepted!

So where am I now? Where am I headed? I am fighting the doubt and the fear. I am fighting and keeping my eye on the prize. I am running a 5k in October, I know not the stage but even the title holders started somewhere. I have talked with a few amazing competitors with very big hearts that have gone through what I am going through and successfully manage it and compete. It took them a long time too. It is hope and motivation to hear stories of those dealing with the same conditions that I am. It can be very lonely out in the world and when we isolate ourselves it may seem as if we are in it by ourselves, that nobody could possibly understand. No matter your situation that is wrong! There are people out there that want to love you, support you, and help you succeed.

Thank you to Elaine for dropping a kind reminder that somebody does want to hear about the girl that isn't on stage YET. *smile*

~Jen B.~

Erika

From Hospital Gown to spandex: An Introduction

06.09.2010 06:30:20

First of all, I am deeply honored to have been invited to blog on the Craig Productions Site! A sincere thanks to the Craig family for such a wonderful opportunity. I'm looking forward to sharing my very unique journey back to the Ironman stage as I finally make my long-awaited transition from figure to fitness.

The Ironman holds a special place in my heart as some of you may already know. In 2006, while preparing for my very first competition, I became sick with a life-threatening paralysis and collapse of my Digestive Tract. In retrospect it seemed as though I went directly from the gym to the operating table for an emergency operation to remove part of my colon and my gallbladder. I also had my small intestine reinforced with wire mesh, and the remainder of my colon 'tied' to my backbone to prevent another collapse. "We need to do this quickly," my surgeon said "Because this is going to kill you otherwise"

Unfortunately the procedures "awakened" a dormant blood clotting disorder found in patients with Lupus that I unknowingly had, and blood clots formed in my liver in a condition known as portal vein thrombosis. I went on a potent dosage of a dangerous blood thinner called coumadin, which soon therafter landed me in the hospital with internal bleeding. Meanwhile, I was officially diagnosed with Gastroparesis and Chronic-Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction.

These diseases are extremely complex and treatment is mostly ineffective. It was a very grave time in my life, as I was expected to require a feeding tube implanted into my small intestine as well as an ileostomy to survive. I was warned of the high mortality rate that my condition carried, and that life as I knew it would be forever altered.

I was broken-hearted. Competition was no longer a viable option in the immediate future, but what I didn't know was that I had been prepping for far more than a figure competition: I had been prepping to save my life.

To my surgeon's amazement, I healed astonishingly fast. I begged him to let me start running five weeks after my discharge from the surgical unit. He looked baffled, and said "Your diet and exercise regiment has literally made you a medical miracle. I would never have expected to see you sitting here in such remarkable condition considering the kind of shape you were in when we met."Despite this, my doctors said that I would never be able to become a figure competitor.

These words, which will forever ring in my ears, were exactly what I needed to ignite my passion to prove them wrong! And in 2008 I did exactly that as I stood on stage at the Ironman: happy tears trailing down my cheeks as I stood clutching my trophy while a tiara was placed upon my head. It was one of the happiest moments of my life, as I had proven to the world and to myself that you can achieve the impossible if you have the heart to do so.

Now here we are, already through the first half of 2010 and I find myself in a similar situation as I did back then. After spending part of February, March and April in the hospital (I had another surgery and ended up suffering several complications from it), I am tired of being forced into a sedentary lifestyle and am ready to bring all I have to the Ironman stage! So here begins my blog: a chronicle of what it is to be both chronically ill and a fitness athlete. Two very distinct lives intertwined in one girl who owes this sport her life.

It is a debt I don't intend to take lightly.

Tags: Fitness | Ironman | illness | Dedication

The Craigs

Elaine

06.23.2009 01:31:15

This is the first day of my writing for the Washington Ironman 2009. I know I have been quiet for sometime on the blog and that was because I just had to start somewhere. So this is like day 1 of a diet and training regimen.

I am so excited because we are in our new venue, The Snoqualmie Casino in beautiful Snoqualmie Washington. It’s just 15 minutes East of Bellevue and absolutely gorgeous! It sits right in the mountains and when you are outside the view is breathtaking! The events center is only 2 years old so it is state of the art!! We are so excited to be able to put a show on here. The lighting system is the all new “intelligent” lighting and the music system is like listening to your ipod!

You can enter online right on our site or just email or call us and we can send you out an entry. New division ~ over 50 womens bodybuilding ~ you’ve earned it ladies!

The Wa. Ironman is a 2 year drug tested event. Evergreen Polygraph Service is the official testing company that we use. They are the chosen service for WA law enforcement and for criminal testing. We have worked with them with the Ironman for the past 10 years and stand behind their professionalism. What good is it to enter a “tested” event if you don’t know the reputation of the show, promoter and testing source/company? These are things you must consider when you as a competitor are spending your time and money to compete in a show! Ask questions!! Find out what form of testing and who it is! Make sure the promoter provides you with a phone # of the company and an address so you can check all of this out! I am writing this because there are alot of so called “tested” events out there but then you compete and they say someone is tested but there is no proof of anything. Make these promoters accountable! Okay that’s my rant, I need to get back on the subject at hand ~ info about the Ironman, this October 3.

Yes, October 3rd. It’s coming up quick! Put that date on your calendar. Better yet, get your tickets right now. I have the up front, center seat section that is totally awesome seating!!! I have them right now, today as I write, only $35.00~ no hidden fees ~ not even postage & handling! ~ if you call me so you don’t have the Ticketmaster service charge. Which is totally cheap for right up front for a live stage show with the best natural Physiques in the Northwest! If you can only go to one show the rest of this year, you will want to make it to the Ironman! There are also $30.00 and $25.00 seats but right now you have the chance to be in the up front center seats. How cool is that? If you think about it, that rarely ever happens. I have gone to the 5th Ave with my girlfriends for 7 years now and we are season ticket holders for 4 musicals a year and the closest we have ever been is in row w! Think about how many weeks a musical runs. A physique show is for one day only once a year!!! Movies you can experience on DVD if you can’t make it to the theatre but a physique show is best experienced live. So do it right now, pick up the phone and call me so that you know you have your tickets and you will be all set and ready to go! 425-949-7320.

Check back regularly as I will continue to post information on the Ironman as it unfolds!

~Elaine Craig~

CRAIG PRODUCTIONS LLC

Home of the Emerald Cup and Washington Ironman

Tag: Fitness