15 Weeks To Build Muscle!

Well while my internet is playing up, I may as well write a draft of my post to go up on my blog :)

Today and yesterday have been really good days for me. I’m feeling positive and have been great with my training and nutrition as well as keeping my head space happy too! I’m trying some different rep schemes at the moment and some new workouts that I have come across with my training because I am trying to keep my workouts short and intense. So yesterday I did just back, 4 exercises. I used a rest-pause technique with holds and negative reps, concentric failure sets, and partial reps. I also tacked on an ab workout at the end and in total, my workout was 27 minutes!!! It was a short, but intense workout and I was woken up this morning cause I could feel my lats were sore! Not only was my back suffering though, but my triceps, biceps and shoulders were all aching! So that must be a good sign!

I use the same techniques again today with my shoulders workout and then just did some straight sets and supersets for biceps. Feeling pretty sore at the moment, but it feels great and am stoked to be training so well again and in my happy place! All is good again in Kristin-land and I’m definitely passed the emotional hole I was in post-comp. Of course I am still faced with the same challenges every day with being good with my nutrition and making choices that make me happy, but it’s getting easier, so that’s a good thing.

Well that was yesterday, am now finishing this post today. I have just worked out that I have 15 weeks left of solid muscle building time, so I need to make sure that I make the most of my time and that I stick to the following things:

1. Never miss a weight training session - ever! (Unless injured or taking a rest of course)
   
2. Ensure I eat good, healthy food that will fuel my body and feed my muscles in the best possible way!
3. Be consistent with taking my supplements every day and make sure I don't just 'forget'!
4. Make sure that I get sufficient rest every night - 7 hours minimum, 8 if possible and that I also allow myself at least one day where I sleep as long as my body needs to :) - this is an important one because this is the crucial time when my muscles are going to grow if I have trained them hard enough and supplied the fuel!!!
   

These aren't hard things to do... what IS challenging is being consistent with these things, planning ahead and making sure that I don't get caught out. Of course I know that it's going to happen occasionally, but so long as I don't let it drag on and I get right back on track as soon as possible, then I will be just fine. Christmas and New Year are in the middle of this imprtant time for me, and I sure am glad that I am not going to be trying to 'diet' down during this period. I should cope very well with the Holiday Season due to the fact that I will be full of good, nutritious and healthy food and hence, will not be experiencing those horrible cravings. I will be able to enjoy some yummy Christmas food and not feel guilty about it! It feels pretty good to know that too :)

After this 15 weeks is up, I will be 20 weeks out from the All-Female Classic and it will be time to up the cardio and start slowly losing the body fat. I'm going with 20 weeks because over the next 15 weeks I will be trying to build muscle and I am certain that this time around I will have more fat to lose. I'd rather start the preparation a little bit earlier than the typical 12-16 weeks to ensure that I can go slowly and hang on to as much muscle as possible. I will need to!

So, on that note, off to the gym for legs and abs.... my legs won't know what hit 'em today! The session will be over before they know it, but it should feel like they have been hit by a bus! Lol!

On another note - check out the new Success Stories we have recently posted on our site, there have been some amazing transformations lately and we are so proud of ALL these wonderful women for succeeding at their goals:

http://www.idealbodiesonline.com/success-stories

K xoxo

You Can't Build Muscles Without Training!!!

Ok, time for an update on how I'm REALLY going.

Training has been lacking.... almost non-existent and this is NOT good. I'm on a muscle building diet, so that means I am eating more than my maintenance calories in order to slowly add muscle and as minimal fat as possible, but I'm missing one important ingredient to my success....... WEIGHT TRAINING!!! I don't like using time as an excuse, because time is not even a thing, but I have been and it's really starting to shit me! I'm lecturing myself about how I'm using my time! Working full time for the wonderful Sue at IBO as well as trying to do 2, 3 or 4 shifts a week at Lorna Jane has finally taken it's toll on me. Enough is enough. I am ditching LJ's this week because it has basically over taken my training time and it really is taking me nowhere and doing nothing for me. Every day I am working from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed and I feel like I am trying to stretch my time too far. LJ's is not for me, there is no reason for me to be there, I love what I do for Sue and we have so many things in the works that I need to devote my energy to.

I've done this before you know.... taken on extra work because I felt life would be better if I was earning more money to pay my bills quicker... but once again, I've learnt the same lesson that money does not make me happier!!!!

I am happier when I am healthy, looking after myself, achieving my small goals on a day to day basis while working towards bigger and better ones (as well as focusing more energy on what I do every day that I love and that is helping women make the same transformations as I did - or even better ones!!!).... THAT is what makes me happy and this week I am all about concentrating on that. I AM going to have a 100% perfect week from today until Friday. I am going to Melbourne on Saturday for 5 days to visit my amazing friend Nikki and so I know I will be a bit more relaxed about my nutrition when I get there... so in order to do that guilt free, my aim is to earn it!

I've put on some unwated weight, I know that. Emotionally though, I'm going great guns! It's just taken some time to get used to the soft body again, but I can confidently say that I am loving myself again, as you all know was a question I was unsure how to answer not that long ago, but I'm just not loving my choices in how I'm spending my time! SO, of course that will be changing. I already feel happier knowing that this week will be my last stressful week of working overtime with two jobs. I have two shifts at LJ's at the end of this week and when I call my manager tomorrow I will work them for her if she needs, but that will be it. My trip to Melbourne on Saturday will be the starting point of going back to my happy life with the time that I need to train!

I am ITCHING to get in a full week of training cause I really am missing it. The few sessions I have done over the past couple of weeks have been great! I've been smashing out the heavy weights and it feels good! Today I'm going to walk to the gym and back for my cardio and do a heavy back session. I can't wait! I'm excited just sitting here writing about it, but must get some work done and I like to go around lunchtime anyway as it's the quietest time of the day.

You know, something else I noticed since putting on some weight...... the boys at the gym are starting to talk to me!!!!! Lol! Not that I need them to talk to me, but it is nice to say hello to familiar faces and I'm also on the scope for a training partner and in my case, a guy is definitely the best option to help me lift heavy. Honestly though, I think that during my comp prep as I was leaning down, the leaner I got, the more stuck up I probably looked, cause let's face it, I was feeling smokin hot, my muscles were bulging out everywhere and I probably looked bloody stuck up cause I was feeling rather confident! I've been there for 6 months and there are some guys I have seen in my gym all the time.... just the other day I had not one, but TWO of them strike up a bit of a conversation with me........... my guess is that they now must not be so SCARED of me! Lol! Funny isn't it? I may be wrong, but that's just my observation :)

Anyway, I best be off, as I have a lot to get done this week before I set off to Melbourne. This trip to Melbourne was originally the one that I planned when I was going to have photos taken in the middle of my two comps... unfortunately that didn't eventuate and I'm really not photo material at the moment, but I will be chatting with Nikki about how to make sure any of our clients that go to her for photos get the best possible poses, so she will be all set for any of you Melbourne folk who need some 'after' photos done upon completion of your 12 weeks. I'll also be talking with Nikki about her being around to be my personal photographer at my next show. I plan on being in better shape next time and will be much more prepared and ready to have some photos done. I'm excited just thinking about the prospect of my next comp! Bring it on!

K xoxo

P.S. I like my new blog colours, think I will stick with this for a while, what do you think???

Sunshine Coast, Nicole and Moving House!

Ok, a lot to report on today, so I will try and keep it brief.

First of all, Eric and I had an awesome time away up at Novotel Twin Waters on the Sunnie Coast for a night, can't believe that it's over already, but I guess that's how it feels when it's only one night!!! We met our awesome friends Josh and Anita for drinks and dinner and because Josh works there (he is the head Chef of Banquets) we were well looked after... including a free upgrade to a room with a spa! We were pretty stoked about that! The next day we had the most amazing breakfast at this little cafe up the road followed by a sail! We used the free Catamaran's and went sailing around on the lake that Novotel is situated on, which was so cool and relaxing... I've never been sailing before, but now Eric and I are super keen to get ourselves a little catamaran in the future... when we can afford it :(

Following that we went for a drive up to Noosa and had a look around and THEN, we met up with the lovely Nicole for coffee at the coffee club at Mount Coolum. It was so awesome to finally meet Nicole. I remember when Nicole first contacted us at Ideal Bodies Online to sign up for a program and since then she completed two programs with us before going off on her own to continue on her own weight loss journey. To date, she has lost an amazing 27kg and finally competed in her run-swim-run event which was her very first goal when she started!!! CONGRATULATIONS Nicole for achieving this milestone! I am SO proud of her and Nicole is such an awesome chick. It was so nice to talk to someone who, 12 months on is still happy and working at her goals and is proof that you CAN make these changes a way of life and that just because it STARTS as a 12 week program, doesn't mean that it can't continue and you can't maintain the good habits that you put in to place. I do hear people bagging 12 week programs because they say it's about doing things for life, but for us, the 12 weeks is just the beginning and Nicole is living proof of that, amoung so many of you others out there. It really makes me happy to meet people like Nicole because they really do make my job that much more valuable. To know that I was a part of helping her make those changes is really special for me and I was pretty chuffed when Nicole hugged me and thanked me for my support over her journey. Nicole, you are one amazing chick and you will be able to achieve anything you set your mind to!

The other big news is that I found out yesterday I am moving!!! Again!!! Yep, Eric and I have decided that we want to save a bit of money and move in with Eric's Mum and brother. It's something we have been talking about for a while and were considering because we can have a house, not a shitty little apartment and more space... not to mention being able to get away from this bloody highway noise. I do like our apartment here at Burleigh, but I can't live with the doors all locked up to block out the highway noise and it's pretty squashy here too, even with just two of us. We looked at this house in Burleigh Waters (so literally 5 minutes further from the beach then where we are now) on Tuesday and by Thursday we had applied for it and been offered it by the owners. We are stoked. It's such a nice place, HUGE kitchen (most important for me), 4 bedrooms, plus two living rooms, dining room, a pool, double lock up garage, fire place (not that we'll need that), solar water heating, rain water tanks, outdoor patio area and a front lawn. It's very new and very spacious and it's perfect for pretty much two separate families to live under the one roof. It's going to take some adjusting living with each other, but I am certain we can make it work. I get along really well with Eric's Mum Cathy and Eric and his brother always go surfing together, so they will be fine. There is going to have to be a little bit of give and take, but I think it will be fun and will work well. We've decided to name the house the "Glinkton's" - this stands for our last names, Gleeson (me), Jinks (Eric and his brother Matt) and Stainton (Cathy)... so already we are having fun with it! We move when our lease is up here, mid-December... SO not looking forward to that part, but that's ok... got to be done I guess... *sigh*

Well, best be off, have to get some work done before I head off for the gym. Today is going to be Legs and Shoulders day as I have to combine them since I've been away and missed a session this week! I really need to get myself a prorgam done up too, I keep putting it off cause I'm so busy writing programs for others that I just try to 'wing' my own and I think I'm using it as an excuse to slack off a bit! Not good! Must get on top of that this coming week!

Another Speedy Gonzales Post!

I've used this legend before, time for him to come back for another post :)

I am SO flat out right now and I really want to be able to enjoy my night away tomorrow to the Sunshine Coast, so I have to get some stuff done before I go to bed! Yep, that's right, Eric and I are going away for one night to the Sunnia Coast in the middle of the week for no specific reason.... just because we can... oh and because we have a free night's accomodation that we have to use before the 30th October or it goes to waste!!!! Hehe... apart from that, I REALLY need it, I am so stressed out to the max it's not funny. I'm also going to organise a massage at the Day Spa while we are there, we are staying at the Novotel Twin Waters and man it looks nice! Woohoo! Yay me! SO deserved, that's for sure :)

Apart from being stressed, I'm going ok. Things are not that bad, I just tend to get too stressed sometimes and it's all my own doing really. I just need to take a chill pill I think and I will thoroughly enjoy having another go at surfing with Eric on Thursday too if the swell is not too big. I can't wait! This week I have been going great guns. Feeling really good and positive and doing so well with my food (and training too - had a smashing heavy back session today and it felt so good to be able to lift so heavy and have so much energy - I'm hitting PB's all over the place at each sesssion I am doing at the moment and I hope it will only continue). I've been a bit emotional and I've let some things get to me this week though... ie things that people have said to me... no one that any of you know, but just stupid things that really should be water off a duck's back! But I got back on track and am feeling great! Thanks Boss, you're always there for me :)

Anywho, got to get on with it, so much to do, so little time! I guess that working so much to pay off these bills from comp is just something that I have to put up with since I took the liberty of taking it easy to focus on comp prep :)

Train hard, eat well, sleep lots and stay positive! I will report in again as soon as I can! Thanks for all the positive vibes... oh and I WILL be changing my blog again soon, I don't like it, I'm with Kerry, there is something not quite right!


K xoxo