The Half Way Point

I've nearly reached the half way point for my 7-month long training regimen, leading up to competitions on Oct. 3 and 23. Therefore, I thought this would be a good time to reflect and project. Looking back at the last 3 months, I can say without a doubt that I've gained a lot of strength. No longer do demanding exercises leave me wiped out or ridiculously sore. I also have a much better command over a wider range of exercises. My trainers have expanded my knowledge to a point where I can create a very well balanced workout that doesn't duplicate anything I've done in the last week. I've also moved beyond the machines. Before I started this intense training, that's almost exclusively how I worked out, with some lunges, squats and barbell work thrown in here and there. I'm proud of the fact that now I know multiple ways to work any particular muscle. However, while all of this is nice, the key is whether I'm gaining definition. At competitions, that is the bottom line. The answer is yes, I've got some sculpture going on with my upper body. How will it compare to other competitors? I can't answer that, but I think I look like I'd belong with the others in a line up. I do realize though that it's easier to build an upper body than it is to build the lower half because of the way women retain fat down there. So when it comes to my legs, I still need to do more work. This is very high priority. The other key aspect to this body building enterprise, aside from building muscle, is losing fat. I have subtracted some, but I've got a lot more to shed. To me, this is more daunting than anything else. I know that once I reduce the amount I have, it will transform my entire look. Everything will go "ping." That's the vision I cling to. But the body needs some fat, especially for women, and bodies don't let go of it easily. The measures necessary to get down to 10 or 12% body fat are what I call draconian. Sometime toward the beginning of July, I'll need to make some dramatic changes to the already clean diet I'm maintaining. As I've been told, I'll be crabby and I'll have low energy but life will need to go on, including the training, walking the dogs daily, completing some cardio, writing my book, shopping, getting dinner on the table, etc. All that, while I feel like crap. But if the fat starts disappearing, I might be able to handle it. As I've addressed in earlier posts, I don't expect to find any sympathy anywhere, but that won't stop me from venting here on this blog. For now, as my trainers have told me, the important thing is to build muscle. So that's what my focus is, with a watchful eye on what I eat. As for what I drink, it's up to almost 50 ounces of water per day. Later, it will need to go even higher. To fully document where I'm at, a bikini shot will arrive on Monday.