Where do we go from here....

Took some time to adjust after Yorton and our extended vacation thanks to hurricane Sandy.  Here we are roughly 6 weeks post-show, Bill's weight is settling in along with his nightly hot cookies and milk.  What happens now?  Both he and I are asking ourselves.  Usually I have a plan in place....for whatever reason I think it was time to hit the pause button and let his body heal.  The downside to not having a plan puts Hubby in a little of a tail spin, trying to find the purpose in training and working through the mental/physical pain of uncertainty.

Yorton Cup 2012 ranks as Bill's most difficult show, placing 3rd was a sweet sigh of relief....in my book he will always be numero uno!  Heading into the new year and training comes back into the forefront, we will start to make adjustments and decide where/when/what show should come and in what order.

2012 was an amazing year as we settled two of our girls in new colleges, 1st/Overall and 3rd place finishes in our first year of pro competing, a daughter completing a marathon.  Looking back on 2012 I am pleased with the outcomes, challenges, struggles, victories, laughter, and most of all our teamwork.  Stay tuned for 2013, you never know where Team Body Shop will show up next!

6 more days till showtime!

It's Sunday morning, Bill is moving at a snail's pace.....eating even takes longer.  Packing hasn't begun, more importantly, getting the travel meals into the freezer.  Hardest part of traveling for shows would be the food prep/organization, there may be slight adjustments in carbohydrates based on how he looks each day.....We need to pack roughly 12 meals to cover 2.5 days of his eating (oh and I will try not to forget about feeding myself, so another 8+ meals).  His house chores are about complete so killing time in between meals will seem like an eternity, I'm sure he's wondering how long before bed so he can tick off this day!

Two training days, 3 posing sessions, and 3.5 days of work left until we board our flight late Thursday  morning.  I enjoy the count-down of body parts being trained (i.e. last heavy squat day etc.), Hubby does not enjoy it, but it helps me bring the stage closer. Mon/Tues will be 1 light set per body part for both days, with the main focus on posing. We believe that we've gotten much closer this show to complete glycogen depletion so carbohydrate re-loading may start a day earlier (he will start to increase his carbohydrate intake Tues/Wed).....hooray for more calories!!

There is a box of Jello No-Bake Oreo Cookie dessert sitting on the counter that Bill has been eyeballing since JMU Family weekend, a slight deviation from his prior post-show wants, he normally wants plain Oreo's and a 1/2 gallon of milk.  Mini Reese's made it into the mix along with the usual payday bars.  First thing when we get to Phoenix.......a six pack of beer (first thing he wants after a show)!!!

Around the world and a ping pong frenzie

Thank you Kline's Dairy Bar for providing a serious craving for my Hubby and an amazing sugar rush that Tess and I enjoyed during our stay at Parents Weekend at JMU.  It also spurred a lifecycle race, ping pong tournament, and a game of Around the World (basketball), and lets not forget the race to the car, Bill did not participate in some of these activities due to his caloric intake.  What a trooper he was as we walked through the dining hall (ranked #4 in the nation) with his egg white omelet, strawberries, two pieces of bacon, and a few slices of pork loin (this weekend will have a re-do so he can really enjoy E Dining Hall!).  Together we have 3 daughters.....never did I ever think that I would be in the boys department in Target (Bill forgot a belt on our trip), he is so lean that adult belts are too big, LOL!!!!

Training has been going well, up until last week he was squatting 405 for his top sets now he's finally made the drop to 365 for his final two weeks of heavy training. This time he was able to hang onto his strength for an extra week (mental note to retrace)....on a personal note, Bill know's I enjoy getting close to his weights - albeit for a short time at just 3 weeks out!!

Finito Completo!

The Yorton project is complete! I can't begin to tell you how relieved we are - 8 months and two expansions, time to focus on the show...for real.   Legend Fitness I can't say enough about the company, what a great process from beginning to end. The bottle of champagne supplied by Frank and Nancy Sharp, that was emptied on Saturday evening, was well worth the wait (thank you Frank and Nancy!). Our week of celebrating will come to a close tomorrow evening as I check off one more year...I've never felt better physically with the exception of my eye site, hello forties!

4 weeks out and roughly 3 weeks left of training (final week will be light, mostly posing), this brings solace to my hubby.  The butterflies in my tummy start now and flutter until he's done competing on 10/27, the excitement builds daily, and  sleeping will be nonexistent as his body readies for the show. Carbs will be cut a little bit lower this week along with posing time increasing...hopefully he decides on his music soon!

Now we just have family weekend at JMU and the Baltimore Marathon before Phoenix!

Refridgerator Challenges

Less than 5 weeks now.......this is where the fun begins.  It was a big sign that Hubby was getting leaner when I found the opened jar of grape jam in the pantry (yes refrigerate after opening) ...no biggee just odd since he is so detailed oriented and through all the show diets I have never seen him do this.  He was down to 153 last week, me I'm up 1.5!  Our fridge is empty, which I blame on Tess for going off to college.....there are no fun foods to even stare at.  So that means more food shows.

Arlington Gold's should pay Bill a salary because when he is dieting clutter bothers him more. It starts subtly, I was getting ready to mount 60lb dumbbells (which he had to hand to me) on a flat bench when he decided to re-align the bench, then he'll put random attachments away, unload plates, and on occasion will straighten large pieces of equipment i.e. leg extension machine.  Training sessions have gotten longer as he fights to remain focused, it's always best if I don't sing!

Yorton project is almost done!  Ceiling fan up, rubber mats have been delivered, mirrors to arrive on 9/29, and we got word last week that the equipment is nearing the end of production.  This week we will go another year of non-cake birthday's/wedding anniversary, although champagne is always worked into the diet!  Happy Birthday and Anniversary to Us!!

Really only 7 more weeks......

A lesson in patience.  Growing up I used to help my daddio with his other job of custom decks/fences, my brother and he would build and I would clean up and seal them.  Last weekend was just such, cleaning up and sealing.  Hubby shows such calm as he methodically seals our deck with a sprayer, I on the other hand, hand paint for what is to total 15 hours over the course of three days.   It's like a bad scene in Karate Kid......  This is all good for Hubby's mind to remove him from the angst of dieting along with a marathon of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives  wtf I'm starving and I'm not dieting (He becomes obsessed with the food network at this point up till show time.....I should start gaining weight any day now)!

7 weeks means adding another day of training.....and just one more to go before posing begins and the late nights run into one another.  Staying focused within the workouts starts to get tough for both of us - I get more excited as the show approaches as he can think of nothing but the muscle contraction within each rep and how it will transpire to the stage. Bill's diet has seen another calorie cut, although minor but important, instead of an ounce of 2% cheese in his morning egg whites, he gets 1/2 ounce and his pure protein bars have been cut in half.....literally!

Keep up the positive thoughts for Bill, this is where the separation between wanting to be number one and training to be number one reigns.

Working through the pain 9 weeks out...

The dorm paraphernalia has been moved to JMU and we're trying to fill the void in our empty house......Saturday brought a long time coming project, painting the garage a calming shade of french gray (now the floor needs to be done, maybe in the winter!). I find solace in painting as where my calorie depleted hubby would say anything but! It was also my way of getting some cardio in for him, nothing like 7 hours of rolling a two car garage ceiling and walls!

His body is transforming almost daily at this point, new cuts and vascularity becomes more evident.  Glycomaize was cut from post-workout shake this week, just a small change to keep his metabolism in check.  Training.....that's another story.  We have been frequenting several gyms in the area to keep focus up and have some variety.  Old injuries can make the workouts incredibly challenging, it never ceases to amaze me how Bill works through an enormous amount of joint pain while still pushing pre-show diet strength.  His strength should start to decrease within the next 3-4 weeks, and where I begin pushing drop sets and negatives to really ramp up the intensity for the remainder of show prep.

Our Yorton project is at a standstill for the moment, thanks to Legend Fitness!  The new equipment is being manufactured and should arrive late September/early October.  We also marked a landmark anniversary, the studio turned 5 on August 27th! A huge thanks to our dedicated clients who continue to spread the word!