In 2010 I hit the drawing board again and began researching new training philosophies. It was a whole new start for me since I hadn't designed my own training routines since 2006. I came across the FST-7 training principle which interested me very much & as I read about it it seemed to be exactly what I needed, so I put it to work hard!! That was really the key - hard work & dedication - that's what gets you results no matter what program you use.
I decided to try my hand at the 2010 Team Universe because this time I was bound & determined I would be ready! Once again I wanted a warm-up show, but what to do? I decided on the Tracey Greenwood Philadelphia Championships in P.A. since it was a few weeks ahead of the Team Universe and not too far away from home.
This time, one of my good girlfriends accompanied me & we had a ball! For her it was a whole new learning experience of how to apply competition tanning products & walking around with an "orange girl".
I placed second in the middleweight class and this was great! Why? Because I would go ask the judges what I could improve upon for the Team Universe I would be competing in during the next few weeks & this is where I heard lots of positive feedback & most importantly met my current trainer, IFBB pro Lisa Auckland who was one of the judges and had only great things to say about me and my physique.
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I added these photos from the evening show because I think they really show how I was feeling - having a great time & enjoying the journey, proud of my hard work!
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| After the Show the Pizza Never Tasted So Good! |
After the Tracey Greenwood Philadelphia Championships, I had a few weeks to make improvements to get ready for the Team Universe. My biggest question was should I drop weight? I was a middleweight weighing 128 for the Philadelphia Championships but the weight classes are different for Team Universe with a cut-off for the middleweight class at 125.5#. I had a choice of dropping another 3 pounds and coming in as a middleweight which is the class I had competed in before at the Team U or sticking where I was at 128 and going in on the low end of the heavyweight class. When I asked for the judges advice at Philadelphia on which way I should go (middle or heavyweight), I got mixed opinions. I made the choice to kick the cardio and the diet back into high gear and drop those extra pounds. I am certainly glad I did because I won the middleweight class and found myself standing on stage battling for the Overall and a chance at that coveted pro card! Not only that but all Team Universe weight class winners qualify for the World's Championships!
I have to say that right before I went on stage to compete for the Overall thoughts started going through my head like, what if I do turn pro? What am I going to do? Will I accept the pro card and compete as a pro? All these years & I am finally here? Now what? I can't imagine that I had never really thought this through in my head & I am glad that I have now thanks to Skip La Cour and his powerful book Thinking Big which has helped me think through the bodybuilding process even more & determine exactly what I want from my bodybuilding journey.
As it turned out, I did not win the Overall title and the 2010 Team Universe and turn pro; however, I what I did have was a whole new experience to add to my life journey & a chance to compete in the World Championships! The next thing to do was find out about the World's Championships! Where would it be held, how do I get registered, how will this all work? I knew it was in October, and it was July now, how do I hold my conditioning and come in even better at the World's Championships? These were all questions running through my head and having no trainer would have to work out for myself. I was so excited at this opportunity, but at the same time, I now had to revamp my plans for the off-season and relaxation and focus on my new goal - the World's Championships!
I began to develop my game plan and determine all the steps I needed to make everything a success beginning with the registration process and contacting the appropriate people at the NPC/IFBB. After another month on the competition program including a planned vacation altered by competition plans, I was informed in a letter from the NPC that the United States would not be sending a team to compete in the 2010 World's Championships due to government warnings against travel to Mexico City due to turmoil in the country.
But! Nothing was lost, all was to gain as this experience forced me to step up and think about things that I had not thought about before so that I can be more prepared in the future.
I have to say that right before I went on stage to compete for the Overall thoughts started going through my head like, what if I do turn pro? What am I going to do? Will I accept the pro card and compete as a pro? All these years & I am finally here? Now what? I can't imagine that I had never really thought this through in my head & I am glad that I have now thanks to Skip La Cour and his powerful book Thinking Big which has helped me think through the bodybuilding process even more & determine exactly what I want from my bodybuilding journey.
As it turned out, I did not win the Overall title and the 2010 Team Universe and turn pro; however, I what I did have was a whole new experience to add to my life journey & a chance to compete in the World Championships! The next thing to do was find out about the World's Championships! Where would it be held, how do I get registered, how will this all work? I knew it was in October, and it was July now, how do I hold my conditioning and come in even better at the World's Championships? These were all questions running through my head and having no trainer would have to work out for myself. I was so excited at this opportunity, but at the same time, I now had to revamp my plans for the off-season and relaxation and focus on my new goal - the World's Championships!
I began to develop my game plan and determine all the steps I needed to make everything a success beginning with the registration process and contacting the appropriate people at the NPC/IFBB. After another month on the competition program including a planned vacation altered by competition plans, I was informed in a letter from the NPC that the United States would not be sending a team to compete in the 2010 World's Championships due to government warnings against travel to Mexico City due to turmoil in the country.
But! Nothing was lost, all was to gain as this experience forced me to step up and think about things that I had not thought about before so that I can be more prepared in the future.
2010 Team Universe
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