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!!!

With deload behind and only about 4 real training weeks to go, it's time to ramp things up. Scott has made all kinds of adjustments due to my crazy life lately. Probably not the ideal prep or schedule (sorry) or even circumstances for me to compete under... BUT, when is life ever really perfect? In fact, prepping and competing and a few convos I've had with some of my Pump teammates are probably keeping me sane right now. Grateful for my Pump peeps. Feeling ready and pretty confident.

Monday- Heavy Bench
A. Bench - 2x3 @ 150, 2x2 @ 160, 1@ 170 (video), 1@ 175, 1@ 180 (video)
Everything felt GREAT here. Stayed aggressive with the heavier weights (usually as it gets heavy, I get hesitant and sh*t the bed). So while YES, my hips did come up a bit, it's an easy fix for me. Just gotta keep focusing on that for the next few weeks.
B. Bench - 3x10 wide grip, 3x10 close grip
C. Weighted pullups - 5x4
D. Lateral raises
E. Triceps
F. Rear Delts

 

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TUESDAY- Squat accessories & Back
The idea for today was to get a little bit of leg work in, but squat and pull heavy this weekend. Right hip is a little tight after box squats. As I'm writing this, it seems that box squats tend to tighten it up more than free squats. Staying on top of good warm-ups and soft tissue work.
A.  SSB soft box squats (slightly above depth) - 8x4
B. DB Stiff leg
C. Chest Supported Rows
D. Lat Pulldowns
E. Lateral band walks - 100 steps each way!
F. Abs

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This past weekend I drove down to good ol Kentucy for the state NSCA clinic.  It was held at Eastern Kentucky University. Big thanks to AJ Mortara and Mike Lane for inviting me to speak alongside some great people in the industry.

I spoke on Training the Female Athlete. We looked at some of the technical issues, physical/training issues and the mental aspect of training women. Had some great conversations during the presentation as well as after with some more specific issues.

One topic I briefly touched on was the menstrual cycle and it's effects on performance and strength. I actually brought this topic up on Facebook a couple weeks ago and there was a ton of interest generated.... wanting to know how it affects, why it affects and what we can do about it.

I've been paying closer attention to my own training in these regards as well.  Good and bad sessions... where are they falling during my cycle. On a little bit of a personal note, I've never been on birth control or taken any sort of hormone anything. So in those regards my hormones have always followed the natural cycle. Keep in mind if you are on birth control or hormone replacement that it affects your body's natural production.  And research does seem to show that those on birth control don't have the swings that a woman NOT on birth control has.

Digging a little more personal here and not just training-wise, but I can also forecast when I will get moody. On those days, things aggravate me faster and mess with my head more. Maybe I see something, or someone says something that on any other day of the month  wouldn't be an issue, but that day it is. Simply being mindful of that has made a huge difference. While I can't control the external things around me, I can control how I react to the best of my ability. On these days, I spend less time on social media and more time finding positive things that will keep my head in check.

Dani Overcash just wrote a great post about women, the imposter syndrome and even talked about "progress" pics on social media. I have a lot to say on that, but I won't.  Unfortunately the "hey, check this girl out, she’s got some great ideas and might be someone worth teaming up with" just doesn't grab attention like a "look at my ab progress while I wear a thong, no top and hold my boobs up"  And the arguments go back and forth... let people do what they want, it's their page, they are proud of their bodies, etc etc.  Agreed, which is why I don't join in the argument. But as a coach and educator in this industry, it's tough to battle with.  *End rant*

P.S. I hope to have my slides from the conference available for download on my site soon. When they are up, I'll post and let ya know......... UPDATE!!!  They are up for your download pleasure!!! Click here.