14 weeks, Kansas here we come!

Airline tickets booked, hotel reserved, this week the diet starts.  After a weekend of eating out and celebrating the start of a diet, not to mention gaining an extra 2lbs. Tess and I both gained due to Rich Murphy (long time friend) so graciously bringing Hubby back Garrett's Popcorn from New York, my weight is up hovering @142ish...Hubby's starting weight:  170, 23lbs. to lose in order to get to goal weight, and  I will attempt to take off my extra 10 due to the extended off-season!

Training will not change for a few weeks, more of the same and less talking to the folks at Arlington Gold's!  I'm hoping that the series of chiropractic/active release sessions will bring better result for this show prep, training is hard enough let alone adding joint issues to the mix.

Good bye Sunday morning waffles with real maple syrup and eggs over-easy.....well, for 14 weeks anyway!

What a difference a year makes...

This time last year, our eldest, Chelsea, was finishing up her first semester at University of Baltimore, now on track to graduate a year early. Tess, our second daughter, was getting ready to graduate high school, she will have completed her first year at James Madison University this week.  Bill was a week a away from his first IFPA Pro show...

Roughly 6 weeks out from the start of dieting for September 14th competition, things are almost in order and eating out will come to a halt...well for the most part!  The 6 month break from dieting has given the mind and body a much needed break, all the while I have been trying to complete projects so that our focus will be free from, hopefully, major disruptions.  Unlike me, Hubby will need a project to get through the weeks that build up to the competition...hmm what to do??

Life is good in the off season!

Is it that his weight is hovering around 170, or that we had cookies and ice cream three nights in a row, or perhaps the three comments from strangers about his developed delts in the last week....what it's all saying is that it's time to get back to work and back on stage!

The goal this year is to make one or two competitions, with the focus of four for next year.  Still no definite decision on what competitions, September looks to be busy! Serious dieting not to begin until end of May early June, so I'm going to sit back and enjoy the last few weeks of off season!

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!