Mrs. Skip and I have 3 shows on the radar but have not committed to any of them yet. We will likely take the next handful of weeks and then decide.
I would prefer to not do a show without her so I am trying to schedule what I do alongside what she can do. She has had a couple of minor setbacks during this prep including having a medical issue for a couple of weeks in February and traveling to support her mother in Michigan who is battling colorectal cancer. She may well be ready for all 3 of these shows but we need more time to make sure before we commit.
This week was a solid one for both of us. I made tremendous strides in condition and I am not holding any more water so my weight has dropped a little bit. Due to some minor changes in supplementation, I have dropped weight from last week but only .5 pounds and I don’t expect to drop any more before the weekend. However, my condition is markedly improved and I say with confidence that I am ahead of schedule and will continue on as if I am not. I won’t be letting up just yet. If that needs to happen closer to the shows, fine, but I don’t let off the gas this far out.
We have made the switch to training more at Armbrust Pro Gym. I haven’t trained there much since I last competed in 2012 because it is a place for competitors and when you aren’t a competitor, it isn’t terribly appealing. However, I will say that it is damn good to be back – especially considering how shitty other gyms are and how shitty people are in those other gyms. We simply got tired of broken equipment and people sitting on machines playing with their phones and decided to go where everyone is serious. It is cool to bump into so many people that I know and, of course, the atmosphere and equipment allows you to take your training up a notch or two. We were only training legs there but are going to start going 2 of the 4 training days each week.
Met a guy at the gym that is now training with Melissa and I. I am not typically a fan of training with 2 other people but this guy is serious and keeps up a good pace. He is also a Chiropractor and for the first time in a long time I am gaining something from a training partner. No offense to my wife as she is awesome and I enjoy training with her but I have told her many times that I am typically supporting her training and I don’t get much in return out of the deal – in the gym, anyway. With this cat training with us now, he has corrected my back posture while squatting, my wrist/grip while pressing which immediately activated my right delt more and he has helped me to stabilize my lower back better by engaging my glutes during rowing movements. Honestly, this guy a God send. Melissa is totally cool with him because I think she thinks he’s hot. lol
Boring stuff:
Cardio is still double sessions but seems to be quite easy in that I feel I am in a rhythm and don’t feel too beat down. I’m hungry on occasion but still nothing terrible. The prep isn’t “easy” but I have done many preps in the past that were a lot harder at this point.
Pretty flat by the end of the week and starting to really look forward to the Skipload Day. Right now we are starting the load at bedtime Saturday night and going all day Sunday. SCGS compound in full effect.
Fun stuff:
Looking forward to a weekend of riding on Saturday as the weather is going to be beautiful here and we are having a group of friends over for Easter who don’t have family here in Colorado.
Life is good. I hope you all have a great weekend, as well!