Hello, FitnessRx Women! I haven’t blogged in a while, so I thought there wouldn’t be a better time than right now— right smack in the middle of my contest prep for the Arnold Bikini International!
Each time I prep for an upcoming show, I do things somewhat different so my body never gets used to one form of training or diet. This is also beneficial for my mental health— it keeps prep exciting! I never get bored.
Currently, I am doing around three or four sessions of boot camp-style cardio that is offered at my local gym. I really like doing these boot camps because the intensity is as difficult as you make it and we are consistently doing different movements, working all muscles of the body while breaking a serious sweat! I am doing lots of plyometrics as well. I am keeping my lifting at about five days per week. I break my training splits down like this.
Monday: Legs (morning), chest and triceps (evening)
Tuesday: Boot camp-style cardio for 30 minutes (morning)
Wednesday: Boot camp-style cardio for 30 minutes (morning), back and biceps (afternoon)
Thursday: Glutes (evening)
Friday: Boot camp-style cardio for 30 minutes (morning)
Saturday: HIIT Cardio for 12 minutes (morning), shoulders, abs (afternoon)
Sunday: REST
Unfortunately, there aren’t many 5K races in Ohio at this time of year or I would be running one every weekend. That is what I did to get in shape for the Olympia.
Diet
My diet has been going smoothly. I am slowly decreasing my calories— most of which are from carbohydrates and increasing my intensity at the gym. Recently I have been using Fuel Meals (FuelMeals.com) to prep my meals since I have been so busy. This is a company that will prep clean, healthy meals and ship them right to your door or hotel, which is perfect for busy people like myself who may not have an entire day to prep their weekly meals. I find this to be very beneficial and it helps keep me on track!
Some of the food items in my diet right now are:
Chicken, turkey, steak, ground beef, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, Gaspari Nutrition IsoFusion protein powder, MuscleEgg Egg Whites, edamame, oatmeal, cream of rice, coconut flour, cream of wheat, bananas, apples, grapefruit, quinoa, black beans, white and brown rice, various cereals, sweet potato, canned pumpkin, squash, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, spinach, onion, avocado, almond butter, peanut butter, cashews, flax oil, flax meal, olive oil, coconut shreds/oil, almond milk.
I have been indulging in one cheat meal per week also! And as you may have noticed, there isn’t any fish on my diet. That is because I cannot stand the taste of any seafood and I refuse to eat it LOL.
Looking Forward
I am very excited for this upcoming year. I have a lot of international travel planned. Less than a week after I compete in the Arnold Bikini International, I will be competing in the Arnold Classic Australia. That is one heck of a plane ride from Ohio! I will also be traveling to Italy, Spain and the UK to assist in a few bikini seminars. I will also be making appearances at numerous fitness expos and NPC/IFBB shows with my sponsors. This will be a great opportunity to meet new people and see new places.
With about a month left to the Arnold Bikini International, I am more determined than ever to bring home another title in my home state of Ohio! This contest is extra special to me because I have been attending the Arnold Sports Festival before I ever dreamed of stepping onstage. This event is a BIG deal in Ohio. Anyone who is into fitness will be down in Columbus for that weekend. It seems the closer I get to a show, the easier my training and diet becomes because I am just so motivated and focused. It’s crunch time!
See you in Ohio!
