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. Possible raw meet in May and a physique show later in the summer.

Quick and fast shoulder swole. Hit my main pressing work last Saturday so Monday is more of an accessory day, which for me builds on my physique work... still building mass in the shoulders. Funny because everyone keeps saying that my shoulders look big... and yes, I see it in the mirror too. But I don't realize just HOW much size has been put on until I see training videos paused... and I'm like whoa. Or better yet, I see a pic from a couple years ago and just how much of a different shape I have now.

Seriously considering doing a Part 2 of my Judged book. A LOT has changed regarding my training and the entire approach of the off-season and my strength work too. In short, shoulders are something that seem to take a lot of volume to grow for women.

Monday
A. DB Laterals 4x20
B. DB Shoulder press 4x10-12 
C1. Rope pulls to face 4x15
C2. Standing laterals 4x12
D. Cable upright rows. 4x15
E. Battling Ropes smashes/laterals.... descending ladder 
F. Abs 5mins (situps and knee to opposite elbow)

I guess I wouldn't really call it a "parenting fail".  None of us real "fail" at parenting, but we do make mistakes and learn a whole lot as we go.

Now, let me preface this story by saying that I strongly dislike the drop-off line at school. Here's how it's supposed to go... pull up in the half circle, kid hops out near the front door, and you pull away.  Of course, there are always a few who don't know how this works. They seem to sit there, in front of the main doors... and just sit there... blocking the line.... holding up the cars... traffic building... spilling out into the street.

So the other day we were pulling up to the front. The principal is standing out front, helping kids get out of their car and move traffic along. Kids unbuckle and I say, "Have a great day!"  My son leans up and gives me a kiss on the cheek. My daughter, fumbling with her backpack, tries to lean over for a kiss, but her brother is standing in the way, the principal is coming, waving us on... and I don't want to be that parent that holds up the line.

"Gotta go kiddo! Get outta the car!"

As they hop out, I yell, "Love you guys!" and the door closes. I wave a little "I love you" sign language at her and she waves it back. The look on her face seemed sad, although I'm not entirely sure (maybe I was reading into it too much). And even if she was, I'm sure she was fine as soon as she walked in the building and saw her friends.

As I pulled away, I was immediately stricken with guilt. I felt terrible for rushing her. All she wanted was a kiss wishing her a good day at school. It would've taken 5 seconds and in the grand scheme of things, wouldn't have really held up the line anyway.  I wanted to stop the car and run after her and tell her how much she was loved. Being that she is the older of the two, I tend to be a little tougher on her.... not on purpose by any means. I catch myself every so often, noticing that I am responding to each of them differently.  I do believe that we need to understand our children and talk, respond and interact with them in a way that is best for them.  But I think you know what I'm saying here.

When she got home from school, I gave her a big hug and apologized for  rushing her off in the morning. She smiled and said, "That's ok, Mom."  We spent some time doing homework and I made sure that the next day, she was sent off with a kiss.  While it may not seem like a big deal, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Just because my daughter can handle more "tough love" doesn't mean she should be brushed off because "she can handle it."  And just because my son tends to get upset quicker when he does something wrong doesn't mean I should avoid the moments that make him upset, as he will need to learn how to manage life through those moments. Not every day will be a good day and I want him to learn how to feel and work through the bad and hard and angry and sad moments.

So no, not a parenting fail.  But a moment I definitely learned from.

 

And now the things that I need to keep doing...
*soft tissue/foam roll
*flossing and posterior band hip distractions
*good dynamic warm up

Now that my hip is feeling better, this is where the meathead in me comes out and says, "You feel great... no need to do those things anymore." So, let it be known that I'm putting this out there in order to continue doing what I need to do to fix what went wrong and maintain the motor patterns and positions I need.  These articles confirmed what was already on my mind and something I spoke a lot about in the past... correcting some faulty motor patterns and "compensations" that have occurred over time due to certain muscles and patterns being weak/not firing/ off. (Read this great series from Dani Overcash on preferences and dominance.)