Team Universe Contest Prep Begins!

This date has been on my calendar for quite some time - the countdown to the beginning of my contest prep. I have been looking forward to this day for more reasons than one. First off, I am very excited about the package I will unveil this year! Second, I am looking forward to getting a few pounds off and being able to eat a bit less food! I have been taking in 3,300 calories for the past several months and working to get my weight up. My meals have always been all whole food with the exception of a post-workout shake making it quite a chore to both cook & eat. I am also more comfortable at a lower body weight; however, the goal this year was to gain muscle and get my body weight up to at least 140 lbs. I am beginning my contest prep at 144 pounds and feel I have gained a lot of muscle; however, some fat gain is to be expected with muscle gain. I'll be looking forward to my ultimate lean physique that we will be unveiling at this years Team Universe on July 6th & 7th!

The hardest part of beginning contest prep has been waiting on my competition plan to arrive from my trainer. I am a planner so I like to know exactly what to expect so I can get my grocery shopping done and get everything squared away ahead of time. Working with a trainer you don't always know what to expect & can't always plan ahead. The first phase of my contest prep arrived yesterday around noon. It was immediately time to kick it into high gear, see what I needed to get from the grocery store, what supplements I would need to order, & get food prepared for today & for this week. Starting a new plan is always challenging because you get so used to your previous meal plan that you know exactly how to cook things most efficiently and what you will need from the grocery store. You also have your meal plan embedded in your mind so you can quickly pack what you need take to work with you each day without the fear you will forget something. When you start a new plan, you have to rework your brain and rework your preparation process to some extent but it doesn't take long until you are up & running full speed again!

The first phase of my competition diet is really more of a clean-up phase with a moderate calorie reduction. Most people would consider my previous meal plan "clean" but it was clean/dirty in that I was able to eat some "normal" good tasting foods. For instance, my favorite meal on my off-season plan was a Mission Tortilla stuffed with black beans, rice, & lean burger. My new plan consists of very basic foods like chicken, rice, and veggies. I have found that it actually feels good to switch to these "very clean" foods and they are still actually quite tasty to me. The calories are still very high at this time. In fact they are higher than what I had eaten in my bulking phase in previous off-seasons. That just goes to show how efficiently you can get your metabolism to run after years of eating on a schedule, eating consistently and consistently good, and hard training.

My training programs are always different with a different workout every day for the 4 week phase. This keeps me very interested in my training program which keeps my motivation levels high & keeps me performing at my best which is what is needed for muscle growth. One common theme always underlies my program and that is lift as heavy as possible with form that is good enough to activate the target muscle.

Road to Team Universe - Fork In the Road - My Journey Takes a New Direction!

Monday, April 2nd, two weeks out from the start date of my competition training program, I emailed my trainer to discuss the upcoming competition as I was eagerly planning my attack! I wanted to make sure we had everything set to start. I was almost out of Creatine & I wanted to make sure my competition program would include it before I placed the order for it. I will be using Mass Machine MM1000 creatine during my training program. When I asked the question of my trainer, she jokingly responded to my email, "You ready to roll? LOL Can't wait to see the results from your hard work!"

Of course I said yes, I am ready to roll!! We began some discussions about my path. My trainer, IFBB pro Lisa Aukland, asked me if I had considered competing in the Physique class? My response was, "When Physique first came out I thought it would be where I'd best fit in if I wanted to compete in National level non-tested shows like Nationals & USA, but when I decided to compete in Team Universe (a tested show), I hadn't really thought about it.

Lisa said I'm not trying to change your mind, just keep an open mind.At first, I have to admit, my mind was pretty closed which I now realize was lack of understanding, and there is probably a LOT of it out there. My curiosity was sparked. I hadn't really looked at Physique, maybe I should learn more about it, just keep an open mind but I really didn't think it was for me. I began to research and thought long & hard, but the more I researched, the more I realized that this is where I really want to be! It took me over a week to decide this, but now that I have made the decision I am 100 percent confident in it & more excited than ever!

What did I learn in my research that influenced my decision & why did I decide that this is where I want to be? I could hear Skip saying, you have to decide who you are, what you want, as he has given me this advice before about different aspects during the Bulking & Cutting Challenge. First of all, Joy Henderson is NOT one to take the easy way out & I wanted to make sure the decision to compete in Physique was NOT going to be an easy way out. So the question was who are these Physique Competitor's? Who are the pros? Who will I be competing with as a pro once I earn my pro card in Physique?

One look at these pro girls at the 2012 IFBB Desert Muscle Classic and 2012 St. Louis Pro and you will find that they ARE very serious buisness just like me!

What is the judging criteria for Physique? From the NPC rules:
WOMEN’S PHYSIQUE DIVISION (HERIN REFERRED TO AS “WP”) HAS BEEN CREATED TO GIVE A PLATFORM FOR WOMEN WHO ENJOY WEIGHT TRAINING, COMPETING AND  CONTEST PREPERATION. COMPETITORS SHOULD DISPLAY A TONED, ATHLETIC PHYSIQUE SHOWCASING FEMININITY, MUSCLE TONE, BEAUTY/ FLOW OF PHYSIQUE.
JUDGING CRITERIA:  
WP WILL BE JUDGED ON THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA :
 SYMMETRY, SHAPE, PROPORTION, MUSCLE TONE, POISE AND BEAUTY FLOW

If you look at my contest photos, you'll see that I've always been an artistic poser with a classic physique and I work hard on providing overall presentation. I have been told my strong points are symmetry, stage-presence, conditioning. Women's Physique IS who I am! 

Is this who I want to be?  After I turn pro, what is in my future? By the way, this isn't even a question I would have thought about asking myself before I read Skip La Cour's Thinking Big. In Physique I have a future! I CAN successfully compete as a pro Physique competitor and there are a large number of IFBB Physique shows each year.

So now, I have my path, a clear path and I PLAN, yes, I said PLAN, not hope, to earn my pro card at the 2012 Team Universe in the Women's Physique division. Why do I emphasize the word plan? Well get Skip La Cour's Manformation and find out for yourself!

Contest prep begins in 5 days!