I competed in NPC Junior Nationals on June 12-13. I came in with a much bigger and leaner package than years past. Since July we have slowly transitioned from a bodybuilding split to more of a powerlifting/strength focus, while still hitting lots of volume to build mass. Scott Paltos has been doing my programming since March. We've added quite a bit of muscle and are continuing to work some technical things with my raw lifts. Raw meet in early May!!!
Wow. The past 7 days have been a bit of a whirlwind. Just when I think I have a minute to sit down and collect my thoughts, another thing pops up.
I arrived at the Compound Thursday afternoon. Got in some bench training (which I somehow managed to delete all my videos already). But you can read about the training on my other log.
Friday spent the majority of the day watching the amateur XPC. Some solid lifting, ran into my teammates who were weighing in for Saturday and even ran over to the Expo (*gag*) for a couple hours. I was able to visit a few friends who had booths there, sponsors and caught a few folks in the Strongman/strong woman arena. Huge congrats to Kimberly Lawrance for WINNING the middle weights. She had a great day (and is also coached under my coach Scott Paltos) so that was pretty cool to see.
Saturday was chock-full-o-fun. 5 flights that started at 8:30 and went til 9:30. Long day for all involved. Several of Team EliteFTS athletes competed including Brandon Smitley, Ken Whetham, and Jo Jordan. I ended up helping out Jo and his handler a bit. Jo had a timing mishap on his first attempt, which he re-did at the end of the flight, and he came back nicely to hit a 1015 on a second. Ended with a decent day and it's always fun to help and watch Jo compete. Good job bud!
Other than Jo, and checking in on some friends and teammates, I was able to just jump in where needed, make food and drink runs for anyone who needed anything, and catch up with old friends and meet new friends. So many I hadn't seen in forever and others I've known for sometimes online and finally got a chance to meet.
Ran into Jordan Wong... literally, he ran into me.
"Oh sorry.......... (double take).... MOM!!!!!!!!!!!" Missed getting a pic with ya, you crazy kid. 😉
Will, Gracie, Nikki, Crystal, Mario, Dave, Hannah, Joe, Janel, Casey, Paul, Tuesday & Zane, Beth, Steph, Tracey, Liz, Judy, Dan, Jack and Stacia, Janae, Allison.... Oh man, I know I'm forgetting a ton.
I ran into two people who have helped me a great deal this past year. Fortunate enough to see and meet Amit Sapir, who diet prepped me for my show last year. "Hey, so I'm gonna do a raw meet in May."
"What??? I knew it!!! You're gonna kick ass... and let me look at you.... Man, you put on some size!!" As he lifts up the bottom of my shirt and pinches my tummy fluff. "And not too bad," he chuckles. "But you really are much bigger. Looks great on you!"
Pretty sure at that moment, Scott Paltos came strolling over. So now I'm being analyzed by both of my coaches. The 3 of us chatted a few minutes about meet plans, show plans and what's to come.
Later on, I got a chance to sit down and talk to Scott in more detail about my upcoming meet and what training will look like for the next 8 weeks. As I mentioned on Facebook the other day, I'm veering from what I've done for the past 15 years. Which is a good thing. Strength, physique and everything are responding well. So after talking to him, it was nice to have a visual of what's coming.
Having distance coaches can be challenging. They aren't there in person cuing lifts every day or checking body comp every day. I know it's tough because I have plenty of my own competitive distance clients. We do all we can through videos, emails and texts to provide the best coaching possible. But there's something about seeing your coaches in person that allow you to take a deep breath and know that everything will be ok.
So thank you, Amit and Scott, for all you've done and for your support through a tough year.
Anyway............ meet went late, barely stayed awake til the end and got up early Sunday morning to head to the Compound on my way out of Columbus. I got there at 9:00 as Meadows was doing a photo shoot. Place was quiet. He was jacked. And donuts were on the table.
Did my squats and accessories (bunch of back and hammie work, all in the last log). One by one, people started strolling in.
"Hey Julia... since you're the only one training hard right now, what music do you want on?"
"I don't care, Dave... something loud and angry."
Had a good conversation with Dave about women's physique, figure and bodybuilding at the Arnold. Interesting to see where's it's come from and where it's headed. Figure is getting harder and bigger. Physique routines are almost fitness-y. Left me with some good ideas and things to think about.
So yeah, I'd say a pretty good weekend. So many people and stories I'm leaving out. As annoying as the Expo can be with too many people, the meets and events are a blast. I competed at the XPC 3 years ago and it was one of the most fun meets I've done. Not to say I won't ever be there again.....
Life is certainly keeping me on my toes lately. Kids, school, activities.... all good and normal. I'm in a flow with that now. But a few other things that have popped up are both exciting and scary. I've been thinking long and hard about it all though.... and I can honestly say I'm ready for whatever comes at me.
Someone asked me the other day... "What makes you tick?"
I could've said training. I could've said my kids. I could've said my friends and coaching. But what I realized with all of those things is it's the challenges that come along with them. Both good and bad. Challenges are what make me tick. They push me to better myself, as a person, coach, lifter... They keep me learning. They force me to dig down and find myself... find that strong, beautiful, confident woman.
The good and the bad. The easy and the tough. I wouldn't be where or who I am today without those challenges. From entering a career in a male dominated field at the age of 21 (challenge), to moving across the country twice (challenge), to taking pay cuts (challenge), to balancing a career with being a mom (challenge), to being one of the best lifters in, back then, a male dominated sport (challenge), to crossing over into other endeavors (challenge). There's a lot in life where I could've just sat back and floated through. But I didn't. I stepped out.... I found myself....
And remember... we never do this alone. Speaking from experience, I often find myself in times of challenges saying:
"I can do this myself."
"I don't need help."
"And I certainly don't need anyone else to worry about my problems."
And then all of a sudden:
"Oh shit, I'm scared."
Never, if you have the right people, are you alone. It doesn't mean those challenges are solved for you. It doesn't mean you're not strong or brave or courageous. It just makes you a normal human who needs love and support. A listening ear. A slap on the back (or maybe the face). A shoulder to cry. A facetime call to make sure you're ok.
Our challenges are our own. In the end, we will face them and conquer them. But surround yourself with the right people. Good people. People who will tell you what you NEED to hear, not what you WANT to hear.
To my people.... thank you.