Found some traction

I'm a feeling a little restored by finding some traction, partly drawn from the photo here that I looked up last night. Of the 4 competitors, pictured in the March show at the same venue and with the same sponsor for the show I'll be attending tomorrow, the lady with the least muscularity is indisputably the one on the far left. [for a better view, use this link: http://gallery.rxmuscle.com/index.php?comparison=2182#1]

Guest who won her class and WAS THE OVERALL SHOW WINNER? The one on the left. She looks great, but would you pick her out of the line up as the winner? So, as trainer Glenn says, it's a crap shoot. If that's how it's played, then I'm game for some craps.

He also reminded me that being confident goes a long way. Hell, I can do that. I may have conflicting voices in my head, but if I choose to listen, one of them is feeling emboldened by this journey and by the changes reflected back in the mirror. She also appreciates the lunacy of everything. I can and will listen to her.

I also am looking forward to that tan. A nice golden glow can only make me shine.

To offer further calm and balance, tonight I intend to read extreme surfer Laird Hamilton's book, "Force of Nature: Mind, Body, Soul and, of course, Surfing."

Bummed out

I'm a little bummed right now because my body fat measured at 15% today. That's not a very competitive number. I thought the number would be lower since I've lost weight but no. So I guess I'd need to weigh something 96 lbs. to pose a threat. That's a really scary number. Fortunately, I'm never going to see it because after these two competitions, I'm not doing this again. My goal in life is not ultra fitness. It's more like, can I put on a bikini and not send anyone fleeing in fright.

Anyway, in a show of support, some friends dropped off a gift today with a card that read on the outside: What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of! And on the inside was handwritten: "Like hell they are - they are made of muscles, sweat and perserverance! We are so proud of you. Kick ass this Saturday!" Wow!! That came as a pleasant surprise!

In a follow-up email correspondence with one of these friends, she wrote: "I'm incredibly proud of you. I really do know how much hard work goes into this. The weight training is the least of it. Your true commitment is inspiring. You won't need it b/c you already won (as far as I'm concerned), but good luck. Breathe and truly enjoy YOUR moment. I'm cheering for you."

I totally appreciate their interest and emotional involvement. But I can't seem to share that notion of accomplishment at this particular moment. I know the show on Saturday is very competitive and right now, I'd bet against me. While I never considered a top spot a possibility, I also don't want to come in last. I've been believing that everything hinges on the body fat percentage because numbers don't lie. But I think I was seduced by the scale and believed somehow that the number 102 - a very low weight to me - would bring the magic, that it would translate into a lower percentage like maybe 12 or 13.

So I need to somehow put myself in turnaround and find a way to feel positive. I'm not sure how I'm going to do that, but I've got about 24 hours to figure it out.

'Nother thing. I wasn't going to mention it, but what the hell. I got my period today, about 4 days early. Oh joy. A friend told me to make sure that the tampon string isn't hanging out on stage Saturday. That much I think I can do.

3 More Days to Go

I've been drinking a gallon of water daily since Sunday. The only way to make it happen is by adhering to a strict schedule involving consumption of a 16 oz. bottle every 90 minutes, for a total of 8 bottles. That works out to be one bottle at the following intervals:10 a.m., 11:30, 1 p.m., 2:30, 4, 5:30, 7 and 8:30. The mechanics behind this regimen involves training my body to process the water at a continual rate because it's going to keep on coming all day long. When I stop at night, my body continues to process it, and by morning, I've expelled everything (that includes getting up once every night to pee) and can be considered "dehydrated," not in the sense of the medical condition but in terms of water depletion. Essentially, the biology of drinking lots of water is counter-intuitive. It makes you retain less water.

I've also subtracted from my diet all added salt. This does not suggest that I'm not getting any salt because many foods contain it including the staples in my diet right now like chicken, turkey, spinach, sweet potato and eggs. I'm ingesting between 650 and 725 mg. of sodium each day (tracked through my sparkpeople.com page) and the daily recommended amount is anywhere between 500 and 2,500 mg. I think you'd need to eat cardboard to keep it down to 500 mg. So my numbers are low, but nothing extreme.

My weight today is 102-point-nothing and trainer Glenn will do a final body mass assessment on me tomorrow for which I'll post the results here.

Some readers might note that I'm not following "traditional" bodybuilding procedure whereby I "carb deplete" then "carb load" a few days before competing. My reasons for departing from tradition are simple. I feel like that process merely brings you full circle - you wind up back where you started, but maybe you think you're more pumped up only because you just made yourself look and feel like crap. So why bother? You're not actually making any gains. Also, I've achieved my muscle increase and fat reduction through a gradual process - nothing extreme - and now is not the time to mess with that. The carb cycling doesn't always work, either, meaning that it's not always timed right and people return to their original condition too late. Plenty of people will say they look better the day after the show, once they return to more regular food consumption. Of course, the majority of people in this sport will disagree with me on this point. I accept that. But I've been following a semi unconventional path all along - low cardio, 4 days in the gym per week, not 5 or 6, low rep/high weight for some of my training, and a steady and healthy amount of carbs the whole way.

Whether I place or not in the competition does not entirely determine whether my methodology and strategy are correct. It's genetics that largely determines the shape your muscles can grow to be. Massive Mark once said to me "Poor genetics? Then work harder." I applaud that mentality and I certainly have striven as much as I can and I definitely have increased my muscle mass since March 1. But there's a limit to how far I can go, especially without drugs and that's not an option. I accept my reality.

4 Days to Go

A few people have asked me how many women I'll be competing against on Saturday. From what I understand, the answer is about 15 in each of the two classes I'm competing in within the figure category. The first class is my age group, 40-49. There's also a 30-39 group and a 50-59. From what I observed when I attended this show in March (it runs twice a year), the 40 year olds were the most competitive bunch, which is not to say the others didn't look great, it's just that there was more range in those groups in terms of okay looking to great looking. Among the 40 year olds, almost everyone looked amazing. Their success lies with a combination of mature muscle and, according to my self-determined theory, less estrogen. Estrogen makes your skin more fluffy and that could describe some of the 30 year olds. The 40 year olds have a leaner, meaner look. The other class I'll be competing in is called "open," and it's grouped by height. I'll be in the shortest group, those 5' 2 1/2" and under. I'm 5' 2 1/4".

Another question I've been asked is what I'm going to do after I'm done with the two competitions next month. The answer is pole dancing. I'm quite serious about this, too. Think Cirque du Soleil, not strip club. As long as I'm able to do it, I'd like to give it a try, with weekly lessons. I've watched lots of youtube videos featuring some very accomplished people and I think the activity is a great combination of acrobatics and strength work, plus a little dance. I'll still continue with weight training in the gym, but I'll work this activity into my schedule.

I digress...

I have been successfully distracting myself with extreme surfing and skiing documentaries and I've stumbled upon yet another one that merits mention because it's so spellbinding. It's called "Riding Giants," directed by Stacy Peralta who also directed "Dogtown and Z-Boys," a documentary about the emergence of the extreme skateboarding culture in southern California (another title worth pursuing). "Riding Giants" is a reference is the waves of choice, roughly 30 to 50 feet where the bottom of the wave can become the top in just 5 seconds, and as they increase in size, they move faster, pushing a surfer to about 35 mph in some cases. The guys who favor these monsters are featured in action and interviewed in amazing cameos. The drama is as huge as the waves they ride. A few guys die. Others take waves never before attempted. Who knew there is an incredible wave half a mile out in the ocean, off the coast of San Fransisco, where the hazards abound including sharks, rocks and rip currents along with ocean chop. As one of the surfers says in the dvd extras, "the film hits you to the core and challenges you to be bigger, better and freer, and to take the chance that you've never taken but dreamed about." Does that include a bodybuilding competition? I think so! And it beats extreme surfing because, as someone says in the movie, "to catch the ultimate thrill, you must be willing to pay the ultimate price." Anyway, their bold sense of daring and adventure is very appealing. So is the hunky surfing star Laird Hamilton (pictured here) whose reverence for other surfing pioneers is very charming, considering that he's the world's best at riding giants.

6 days to go

I didn't make it to the gym yesterday. I felt like I needed one more day of recovery to make the next 5 days effective. It was a calculated move, and not related to lethary. Today, I'll hit it and make it count. To ensure that yesterday at least felt productive, I started creating my "mind emptying" playlist for the competition. I want to keep my head clear and vacant while I'm waiting to go onstage. Some highlights include: "Blue Monday" by New Order, an old track that reaches my core and can bust through any emotional condition, "Can't Get Blue Monday Out of My Head," by Kylie Minogue which is a mash up of her song "Can't Get You Out of My Head" and "Blue Monday" and it's so damn hot it might fry some brain cells, "Walking on a Dream" remix by Empire of the Sun, "Hot" by Inna, a song whose lyrics make zero sense but it sounds awesome and, for when I need to settle down, "Early Winter" by Gwen Stefani. I'm still collecting more tracks for all my psychological needs.

Some people have asked me about the details surrounding Saturday's show. It's at Lakewood High School, 14100 Franklin Avenue, in the school's auditorium, and the parking situation in a minor nightmare. Parking is available behind the school, but that lot fills up. The only other options are side streets. Wear your hiking shoes. Tickets cost $15. It starts at 10 a.m. with the bikini competitors which are hot girls that lack muscle definition. By 10:30 or sooner, the figure competitors should be lining up. Interspersed with the figure bunch likely will be a class of female bodybuilders, very lean chicks with crazy definition.

This morning competition does NOT reveal winners. They are announced at the evening portion of the event. Why? So the promoter can make more money by selling more tickets. However, what will be revealed in the morning is who's in the top 5. Generally, the first 5 girls called out from the line up for side by side comparisons are the winners, 1-5, with #1 standing in the center. Since there is a big break between the morning and evening shows, I'll post here that afternoon whether I was called out in that initial group.

8 days to go

I should be going to the gym today, but my muscles are totally fried from what has probably been my hardest workout week. There is a point of diminishing return and working out today would definitely cross that line. My trainers did full body workouts with me, plus hill running on the non-gym days. Glenn added another up-and-down lap for a total of 6, plus he increased by 10 lbs. the weight of the sack of oats I carry for 3 of the laps (up from 25 to 35 lbs.). Every part of me needs a short break. My legs are close to shaking if I make any extra demands of them. My feet hurt, too, from practicing in the heels I'll wear for the competition. I'll go back to the gym tomorrow.

I weigh 103.4 right now. The end of the line is 102-point-whatever, in terms of my actual weight. When the water weight starts draining, it will go lower, but that's artificial and highly temporary. I'm satisfied with these numbers.

The thing that has me feeling VERY cranky is the loss of all salt, starting Sunday and lasting until the competition on Saturday. My food is going to taste extremely objectionable and I'm not looking forward to it. I bought a no-salt seasoning, but really, that isn't going to help all that much. The key to my whole diet since Aug. 1 has been to use seasoned salts and rubs (next to no calories! very flavorful! part of my salt-is-my-new-sugar mantra). I haven't had a bad food week yet, so I probably shouldn't complain about finally having one. Still, it's going to be unpleasant.

The other dramatic dietary change is the requirement to drink more water starting Sunday. I'll need to consume a gallon every day until Friday night before the competition, then I won't really drink again until after the Saturday morning judging. I can have a few sips Saturday morning so I'm not parched, but that's it. This water increase means that I'm making no plans except for running to the bathroom to pee every 30 seconds, I mean 30 minutes. Seriously, it's going to suck.

These two elements are supposed to have a dramatic impact on my look. I know that my posing suit pictures don't reveal tons of muscle, but I can guarantee that it's there, and these additional changes in my diet will express it further. So I hope everyone is grossly underestimating me - :> - so I can offer a big surprise with my competition photos. The tan will make a huge difference, as well as all the other factors that my look needs (pumping up, good lighting and draining the water held in my skin).

Final note. I've watched 2 more "extreme" movies and I need to recommend them. "Steep" features the craziest skiing you've ever seen. If miles of remote pure vertical drop isn't enough, then why not launch yourself off of a cliff with nothing below you and your skis, then shortly afterward, hit your parachute button and glide back down to earth. Another is "Extreme," a National Geographic program, featuring skiing and surfing AND wind surfing to the max. These guys take off from the top of an enormous wave, then flip and fly for a few seconds, seeming to defy gravity, until they touch down and take off in the surf from the high winds. Absoltuely breath-takingly stunning.

Since I feel like a piece of meat...

I stand before the grill.

Right about now, some drama...

...or lack thereof. One might expect this period, 13 days from the competition, to be highly stressful and anxiety-ridden. But it's not. I'm feeling very settled, like I've prepared myself and I'm ready to go. This morning, I weighed 103.8 which means I'll probably make my goal of 102 by next week. This is a semi arbitrary number, but it reflects the amount I estimated I'd need to lose to achieve the right, lean look.

The most drama I can summon revolves around the make-over last week which was extremely aggravating and disappointing. The girl who tried out some colors on me was not very skilled and she made me look horrible. I was appalled and embarrassed. After removing the first layer of eyeshadow, she tried another shade that I liked much more and figured I could apply it better myself at home. So I bought a few things, including a gel eyeliner which is amazing and a vast improvement over pencil liner which I've used all my life and now have officially quit. But later that evening, my eyelids felt like they were on fire, a sure(fire) sign that I'm allergic. The next morning, I took the eyeshadow back and fortunately, didn't have any trouble. I also left with ample samples of two different foundation colors, meaning I won't need to buy the crap which is nice since I'll only be using it twice, once for each show. The purpose is to have my face match my (spray) tanned body.

My haircut and color came out fine, no drama there.

Perhaps my posing suit will be the thing that crushes me.

Confession: I haven't even tried on the posing suit since picking it up a week ago. Why? I'm afraid of what I'll look like in it. So this is something I'll need to overcome, starting tomorrow. I have posing practice with trainer Michelle in the morning and I'll be wearing it then. She'll snap a few pictures which I'll post here Tuesday afternoon. Stay tuned, things might take a nosedive.

Advice from Massive Mark

I've seen Massive Mark at the gym on numerous occasions and we generally give each other a nod and that's all, but today, I think we were both more interested in conversation than work. So we chatted. That's how I finally learned his name. And when I attach "massive," I mean huge! I also learned that he'll be 42 next month like me, and he'll be attending the competition on Oct. 2 with a bunch of his other bodybuilding buddies.

I bring him up here because he was generous enough to give me some good advice about competing. No, he wasn't hitting on me (that's what you do for some gain and he wasn't after anything) but maybe he was flirting which is harmless. Ok, with that out of the way, he explained how important it is to be confident on stage. It's all in your face, he says. It doesn't lie. Everyone there is thinking the same thing, he said. "I look good, but...." NO "BUT"!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO "BUT"! "You've got to go out there and know that you look the best you've ever looked and present that as confidence." This is not to be confused with cockiness, he said, although I suppose that might work, too, but that isn't me. He reinforced this point by saying that he has studied people's photos and seen the differences in expression between those at the top and those who placed lower.

In a close competition where several women have similar shapes and dimensions, it's the little things that will separate them and send one ahead of another. If there's anywhere to reach for a little edge, this is one of those places. Massive Mark seemed to believe in me and that felt good. It makes me believe in myself a little more, and every little bit matters. I feel like it was kinda serendipitous and karmic that we had this conversation today.

Extreme...or not?

When I first told trainer Ed King at King's Gym back in February that I was thinking about training for a bodybuilding competition, he warned me that such an activity is an extreme sport. He wasn't taunting or teasing me, just being matter of fact. But that sort of intensified my interest.

I'm not an extreme person in style or conduct, and I rarely engage in anything that could be considered remotely extreme. Of course, "extreme" is a matter of definition, and one person's "extreme" might be another's cakewalk.

But the thought stuck with me as I began my training. I'm doing something extreme! Yay! How bold and daring of my typically conventional self! I've crossed a boundary and now I'm on treading on some wild turf! Whooppee!

So here I am, closing in on competition time and I've been reflecting on whether or not I really believe I've done anything extreme. I think part of my problem with definitively answering the question is deciding what qualifies as extreme to me. I recently mentioned watching a couple of surfing documentaries and I knew as I witnessed guys taking 20 foot waves that their sport qualified as extreme.

What I believe is that I've demonstrated some extreme discipline.

I've lifted heavy weight, I've adhered to a strict diet and I haven't really taken a break in my 6-day-a-week workout schedule during the entire 6 months, but for a day or two due to exhaustion (as opposed to slothfulness). Are these extreme undertakings? Not in and of themselves. But I think that, when combined and sustained for an extended period (I believe 6 months qualifies), they amount to extremism, in the neighborhood of discipline.

I love a solid challenge, I like to defy expectations and I enjoy the sense of accomplishment that accompanies achieving a goal. Whether or not I do well in the competitions is somewhat beside the point. My goal revolved around building muscle, losing fat and remaining healthy throughout the process. I've nailed all three (I've got a 6 pack to prove it!) and that gives me an extreme sense of satisfaction.

That being said, doing well in the competitions still would make me extremely happy, but if I don't do well, I hope that I'm not extremely disappointed. Of course, "doing well" is a matter of definition.

Nothing to do with anything

I just came across this video and wanted to share it. It's kinda wild and entertaining.

Challenging gravity (it's harder than it looks)

A sledding hill doubles as a track for cardio work, for those inclined (hahaha).

3 weeks from today: the 1st competition (I'm fine)

I picked up my posing suit today and here it is! I'm really happy with how it looks. Someday, when I'm 80something, I'll pull it out of storage and say, hahaha, I wore this! In public! On stage! I would have posed in it for a photo here but...I have an unsightly problem. I was practicing my posing moves in a bikini earlier this week in my backyard where there's a patio with wonderfully reflecting sliding glass doors leading outside. I didn't feel it at the time, but my rear was attacked by a gang of mosquitoes, or maybe it was one particularly militant one (target practice on June's ass!). Anyway, I have at least half a dozen bites on my butt. And they itch something awful! 'Nuf said.

OK, I finally decided to make water consumption a high priority, now that my time is running out on this critical element of my preparation. I've been trying to get the prescribed gallon down, but I haven't come close. I actually hate this part of my diet, but I understand that it's a necessity. At best, all I've done in the last few weeks is half a gallon (64 ounces). Yesterday, I made 100 ounces happen, and I know I can keep that up. 128 ounces = one gallon, but Glenn said that drinking my body weight in ounces of water should be enough.

My weigh today is 105 exactly. I'm hoping that tomorrow, I'll bust into the 104s.

I never did run up and down a hill with Glenn earlier this week (scheduling conflicts), but we have a plan to do that Sunday.

In the coming week, I'm having my hair cut shorter and I'm having it colored. I'll also stop at the M.A.C. make-up counter for a little experimentation to see how we can punch things up a little for the stage. So maybe by the end of next week, once my bites have healed and with my new look, I'll slap on the posing suit and take a picture to post here.

As for the posing itself, the back pose is my greatest challenge. My back faces the judges and the issue lies with making my upper back on the right (bad) side line up evenly with the left. The unsteadiness is most of the problem. The musculature is there, but it's hard to present it properly. Glenn suggested steadying my right arm by letting my right hand rest on my right hip instead of letting in hang freely. I think I'm going to go with that and hopefully, the judges won't say anything.

In the meantime, I continue to lift heavy and hard (i.e. yesterday - walking lunges across the length of a fitness studio carrying 20 lb. dumbbells in each hand. 3 times there and back. And the end of each lap, I held the lunge position and dipped down 10 times, left leg first, next lap, right leg.)

Latest numbers

This time trainer Glenn did a body mass assessment on me not at my request but of his own volition. I submitted because I guess a part of me is still curious while also realizing that these numbers tend to be not favorable. As the day wore on, I kept guessing what the percentage of body fat would be (the number I'm most hung up on), to test myself on how I would feel about each potential outcome. Finally, at 5:15, he texted me the results. I was surprised. I would like the the body fat percentage to be lower, but I feel pretty good about where it stands. It marks a big decrease from last time. However, I've lost a pound of muscle which probably can be expected at this point and that figure could always be worse, like 2 pounds of lost muscle. The results, as compared to those taken on July 29, are:

16.1% body fat (down from 19%)
16.9 lbs. fat (down from 20.8)
88.1 lbs. lean body mass (down from 89.8)

And why not compare today's results with those from March, the first time we took measurements:

26.75% body fat
30 lbs. fat
83.5 lean body mass

Big changes!

If I can get down to 14% body fat, I'll be satisfied. At the beginning of this process, I thought I might reach 12%, but I'm realizing that's not going to happen. I can accept that. Hopefully, in these final 3 weeks, I'll lose a few more pounds of fat and if I'm lucky, I'll retain all my muscle.

The Cleveland show

This past weekend, there was a big bodybuilding show held in Cleveland. I thought I'd post the top 3 winners in my category (figure) and my class (the shortest) for the sake of...I don't know what. But here they are, first place starting at the top left, going clockwise.

Time out/Wiped out

I took a big time out yesterday. I was wiped out. I also was sore from Friday's deadlifts - 3 sets of 20 reps with a 40 lb. barbell. Having hamstrings that hurt is really annoying, every time you take a step. I should have run a mile last night, but no way. Plus, after my 1,500 calories for the day was reached with dinner, I was still hungry later in the evening. This has happened before and it's a matter of degree. Sometimes I eat something innocuous like sauteed mushrooms or carrots at 10 p.m. Last night I went for the hummus. Probably not the greatest idea but I didn't care. This morning the scale said 105.2 so it didn't do any harm. I'll probably break into the 104s very soon.

Speaking of wipe outs, I've watched 2 terrific surfing documentaries this weekend and I highly recommend them. Both are 90 minutes long and shot all over the world. "Step into Liquid" was the first and it was technically amazing. The things these guys and a few women can do on a board are bold, daring and fascinating. Really spellbinding. They're very competitive with each other which pushed them to be even crazier. The height and strength of the waves suggest the very real possibility of death or injury, too. In one case, it was the latter. One guy made a habit of facing the open water rather than the beach when he surfed. OK...

The other movie is a classic from 1964, "The Endless Summer," a reference to 2 guys traveling around the globe to find waves and summer in Africa, New Zealand and Tahiti, to name a few of the many beach locations to which they dragged their boards. This movie is very much a product of its time period with 1960's cars, hair/clothing styles and the cheesy background music found in everything filmed from that age. One wild discovery made in Tahiti was a cove where the waves broke heading away from shore, so they surfed them in the reverse direction. On the cape of S. Africa where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean, they learned that there is a 20 degree temperature difference in the water within a short distance. In Durban, on the southeast coast, they needed to surf some enormous sand dunes to get to the beach. In Ghana, way up north nearly on the equator, they met up with conditions where the air was about 100 degrees, there was tremendous humidity and the water was 90 degrees. Insane!

Weight/Wait

It looks like I'll need to wait a little longer until I see a change on the scale. My weight is holding at 105.6. I blew through 106 easily, but 105 isn't coming off so fast. I haven't been doing anything wrong, so I'm not sure what's up, but I'm also not making any changes right now. I'll see what next week brings. I'm hoping to lose 2-3 more pounds by the week before the first competition on Oct. 2 which is four weeks from today. If I don't succeed, I know Michelle has methods that will strip away the fat, but they're not fun. I haven't asked for details, but I think it involves carb depletion and severe calorie restriction, like in the neighborhood of 900. Sounds highly unpleasant. Fortunately, we haven't needed to resort to anything drastic yet. That was one of my gravest fears surrounding this activity: an extended period, maybe 6-8 weeks before the competition, when I imagined I'd feel like crap, have no energy and suffer from persistent headaches for which I'd pop tylenol like candy from a pez dispenser. I believe that my trainers have guided me well so that I've managed to avoid this conceivable scenario. I actually feel fine, except by the end of the week, my muscles are definitely drained and Saturday, my day off, brings tremendous relief.

Buffalo

The second competition I'm signed up for is Oct. 23 in Buffalo. I just booked my hotel, filled out the application form and - check this out - scheduled my lie detector test! Yes, they make every competitor submit to a test where they'll ask about any drug usage. I will happily oblige. Anything to ensure that "natural" means natural. No anabolic steroids, growth hormone, prescription diuretics, depressant drugs, narcotics, muscle implants (??) and clenbuterol, all banned. The sponsor of this show takes the matter very seriously and I have loads of respect for him. It's only fair for apples to compete with apples and not rotten cores.

Round up

Well, it looks like I will not be attending the North American Bodybuilding Championships in Cleveland this weekend. The figure competitors (my category) are judged at 8:30 a.m. on Sat. and that's a wee bit too early. Of course, if I REALLY wanted to go, I'd get up at 6:30, be out the door by 7:30 and in my seat by 8:30. But the truth is, I'd rather not extend myself at that hour. Plus, I have a feeling that the show would seriously mess with my head. Some of the women who are competing have taken drugs and the difference is apparent, and I'd wind up spending the whole time there wondering who's natural and who's not. That's annoying. Of course, I'll be wondering the same thing during the show I'm competing in, but hey, whatever. It's worth recalling though that the judging criteria is not based on size but definition, symmetry and proportion. And muscles built naturally stay with you after the show, whereas muscles that are "juiced" deflate after the show, assuming the drugs are curtailed to avoid dire consequences.

*

As it turns out, last night was my last swim in the backyard pool. The heat has evaporated enough water where the level is lower than it needs to be and I don't want to fill it up with a hose for the purpose of 1 or 2 more swims, only to drain the whole thing in 10 more days for the paint job. So trainer Glenn has stepped up and offered another method of torture: hills. He plans to join me at a sledding hill to scale it with weight somehow attached to me. I haven't bothered to gain a full understanding of what he has in mind cuz it would instill fear and trepidation. I prefer blissful ignorance, for as long as it can last. Our first session will be Wed. "But what if it rains?" I asked Glenn. "So?" was his reply. I guess I can count on participating in this activity no matter what. It will only take about 10 or 20 minutes, he said, depending on how much rest I require.

This exercise fits Glenn's "minimal cardio" approach to fitness. It's based on the principle that dedicated cardio beyond roughly 20 minutes can lead to catabolism where muscle is burned for fuel instead of fat. Of course, cardio (or an elevated heart rate) is a direct part of solid weight training, especially where super sets are involved (a set of say 12 reps with one exercise or machine, then a set of 12 with another exercise or machine, repeated in rotation say 3 times). This builds muscle while burning fat. What's considered by many fitness professionals to be a superior form of cardio is the HIIT approach (high intensity interval training) where the heart rate spikes through challenging work for say a minute, then drops for a minute, then spikes, then drops over maybe 8-10 minutes. Weight training can achieve this pattern. So can hill climbing. Gravity will be very punishing.

*

This holiday weekend will be the final challenge to my meal-time mettle. I'm going to be surrounded by lots of food and alcohol and those things will not be easy to resist. My only coping mechanism is to try to ensure that I'm never hungry when I'm around the things I can't eat. This method makes it a little easier to control myself. But it's still hard. Really hard. I know, however, that the time period for which I need to behave is shrinking, and there's sugar on the horizon! I think about this a lot, too. I try to imagine a gradual reintroduction, rather than a massive binge. Except we just booked an 8 day cruise for winter break. If I manage to not go crazy up until then, I don't know how well I'll succeed on vacation. I guess there's always my food scale, measuring cups and calorie restriction for when I return.