Blonde vs World

Joined LifeTime today

womanvsmetropolis — Fri, 31 May 2013 18:31:16 -0400

Now have 2 gym memberships, which is appropriate for what I do in my free time. (Not much.)

Love, love, love it. Gorgeous gym. Tons of equipment. I’m going to enjoy my time there. <3

It’s HARDER, let’s be honest. I love the gym....

womanvsmetropolis — Sat, 25 May 2013 12:11:45 -0400

It’s HARDER, let’s be honest. I love the gym. Controlling what’s on my plate is difficult sometimes/most of the time. I DO it. But it’s not EASY.

Sometimes you need a change of scenery from the gym.

womanvsmetropolis — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:47:31 -0400

Sometimes you need a change of scenery from the gym.

Get yo summertime stack on today with coupon code...

womanvsmetropolis — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:52:26 -0400

Get yo summertime stack on today with coupon code ‘blondevsworld’. You’ll get 20% and a 5 day L2 water weight shredder for free with your purchase of 90 ct T7 and 60 ct CLK. L2 will not show up in your cart and only at cellucor.com.

CLK is a non-stimulant weight loss aid that features clinical doses of four of the most highly regarded, highly publicized and highly effective ingredients on the market today; CLA (Conjugated linoleic acid), Raspberry Ketones, 7-Keto and Carnitine. CLK features an innovative softgel delivery system enhanced with a sweet raspberry flavor

Cellucor’s T7 Extreme is a 100% stimulant free, safe, natural weight loss aid. Because it’s caffeine free, T7 Extreme is the fat loss product for stimulant-sensitive individuals. The innovative formula utilizes 5-HTP to curb appetite and promote happiness and well-being—essential while dieting and trying to lose weight.

When the level of the feel-good chemical serotonin in your brain falls, your body senses starvation, and to protect itself, starts craving carbs. 5-HTP combats this, allowing for consistent weight loss.

And as always shipping is free. :)

May 11th-13th, buy 120ct Super HD, get a free Cellucor...

womanvsmetropolis — Sat, 11 May 2013 14:58:27 -0400

May 11th-13th, buy 120ct Super HD, get a free Cellucor T-shirt!

Only with code ‘blondevsworld’ and don’t worry, you’ll still get your 20% off and free shipping.

The shirt won’t show up in your cart, it will be manually added to your order!!

I’m about to switch back to HD (I’ve been using D4 for contest prep) but for my last 6 weeks, I’m going to push out with HD. I take it before my fasted cardio with BCAA’s (Only Cellucor BCAA’s have beta alanine which will give you that extra boost of energy) and I can stairmaster foreverrrrrrr.

Tip: If you don’t like that ‘tingly’ feeling you get from preworkout or BCAA’s, drink part of it before you’re workout, like 1/4, and then sip the rest throughout the workout. That’s my method and it works wonderfully.

No cheats May!

womanvsmetropolis — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:22:22 -0400

I was terrible this weekend with my cheat meal. It was completely unnecessary to indulge the amount that I did. No turning back now, though.
I want to go the entire month of May without cheats and June I guess. No more cheats until after the Adela Garcia! (June 22nd)

Then I want to keep it pretty clean until Thailand (August 8th)—because I want to be shredded for that. 😛

My only trial will be going to Scotland for 6 days. We leave on the 14th (of may) and I’m worried I won’t be able to be 100% there, particularly because I doubt there will be a convenient gym. But we’ll see how that road block goes when we hit it.

Happy hump day. :)

"Athletes train and eat, they don’t exercise and diet."

womanvsmetropolis — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:44:21 -0400

“Athletes train and eat, they don’t exercise and diet.”

- Phil Stevens (via gymcandy)

Pain. Progress. Results. Loving my leeeeegs, the rest of me is...

womanvsmetropolis — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:30:32 -0400

Pain. Progress. Results. Loving my leeeeegs, the rest of me is coming along pretty well too.

Adela Garcia in 9 weeks!! Eek!

10 Weeks Til The Adela Garcia Classic!

womanvsmetropolis — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:47:12 -0400

I’m feeling good! I’m now going to cut out cheat meals for a few weeks to see how that goes. I’ve also now taken oil out of my cooking, coconut and extra virgin olive oil, and instead have been cooking my chicken in water. (Yummmm….not.)

But I feel good! I feel healthy, and I feel like my body is responding well to what I’m doing. I have a tiny portion of sweet potato with 3 meals that have 3-4 oz of chicken with it, and I drink 2 16 oz veggie juices a day.

I also have 2 protein shakes a day with egg whites, almond milk, and water.

I’ve been drinking these carbonated flavored waters to drive away my appetite, they work really well for me. As well as my D4/HD (I swap frequently), which help with my cravings.

Oh and in the morning I have egg whites with turkey and sometimes I have oats also.

I’m obviously on a caloric deficit, and I make sure I’m tracking so I don’t hit too low. I have a couple cuties a day too. I know this is an extreme diet and I wouldn’t do it all year (mostly because it’s BORING) but that’s what competition prep is!

But yes! That’s my current diet. Combined with fish oil, my cellucor supps, and a multivitamin. I also just ordered an enzyme probiotic, it should come in soon and we’ll see how that goes.

Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday! :)

xxx

Morning ritual: immediately upon waking I take...

womanvsmetropolis — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:33:00 -0400

Morning ritual: immediately upon waking I take my #cellucor #fatburner: either HD or D4. And then a scoop of watermelon BCAA’s because they’re the bomb and then I go do an hour of cardio.

(BCAA’s are extremely important before you do fasted cardio because they will assist the body in targeting fat instead of burning hard earned muscle. BCAA’s also make up 1/3 of your muscle so it makes sense that they would be useful in your daily lifting regimen! )

As is #competitionprep life. It’s not so bad though. I’m on the fourth#gameofthrones book and though it doesn’t have Daenarys in it at ALL, it’s getting good. Great time to get the reading done, while pounding away on the stairmaster.

And if you buy the HD and the BCAA’s you get a free Cellucor shaker cup and towel! It ends up being like $62 with my code!

Aaaah, I love my new BEAST sports bra from Anonymous...

womanvsmetropolis — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 10:20:25 -0400

Aaaah, I love my new BEAST sports bra from Anonymous Talents!!

(anonymoustalents.com)

I’m typically not confident enough to strut around the gym in a bra, but today—Im about to slam out some HIIT in this baby. Prepped with my cellucor bcaas, which give an phenomenal boost of energy—I’ve been using it even without preworkout, and I’m ready to rock!

(Cellucor.com code ‘blondevsworld’ for 20% off, free shipping!)

Me and buds being buff on Instagram. If you don’t follow...

womanvsmetropolis — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:06:43 -0400

Me and buds being buff on Instagram.

If you don’t follow me—you should: blondevsworld.

I haven’t been keeping track of the macros that come from...

womanvsmetropolis — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:39:15 -0400

I haven’t been keeping track of the macros that come from my juice, so I decided to actually measure everything and put them all into myfitnesspal.

This is what went into it:

45g kale
97g zucchini squash
158g yellow squash
172g celery
152g asparagus
54g baby spinach
107g broccoli

Which ended up being:

174 calories
30g carbs
17g protein
3g sugar

I read that even if you juice them, they retain all the calories, just not the fiber or something—so I’m assuming this is correct. (Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.)

I did NOT know that my juices had so much protein! Pleasantly surprised. Also didn’t really think about the carb content. Which I should probably keep track of, somewhat. Though I do wonder if the carbs are the same if you remove all the solids from the vegetable. I’m not sure, I’m still new to this—either way though: it’s definitely not bad for me.

Just trying to get in those micronutrients too! The things you can’t track as easily.

Got to keep the body healthy and happy. :)

Comp Prep Diaries: 81 Days Out

womanvsmetropolis — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:18:00 -0400

Today was Day 1, did a nice delt workout, supersetting every exercise with plyo. I tend to make it up as I go, depending on how I feel that day, so I did some:

-Clean and press
-Circular shoulder raise? Not sure what they’re called
-One arm, leaning shoulder lat raise (I’m clearing making up names)
-Shoulder press (where I got laughed at by 2 guys because I tried to go too heavy and almost crushed my face, lol. No shame.)
-Standing Front Barbell raise

And for plyo, I mostly did the thing where you push the sled back and forth and then side to side lateral jumps on a box in between sets.

I feel like my brain is depleted right now and what I’m typing doesn’t make sense, but just bear with me.

Diet-wise, trying to cut out carbs except for vegetables for a couple days and then have a carb day where I allow myself rice and oats and sweet potato. We’ll see how the carb cycling works this time around.

Didn’t get up in time to do fasted cardio this morning (way to go, Nikki—screwing up on day 1) but I will be incorporating that at least a few days a week to get my body fat down.

I’ll do measurements and before photos tonight and keep ya’ll updated on my triumphs and woes.

Wish me luck. :)

Officially starting my 12 week prep for the Adela Garcia Classic today!!

womanvsmetropolis — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:08:00 -0400

SUPER EXCITED.

Difference in competition diet than my current diet?

Mainly just cutting out the fun stuff: egg whites instead of eggs, less frequent carbs, no cheese, no turkey bacon, less fruit, more veggies, more protein! Oh and more CARDIO. (Bane of my existence right there.)

It’s going to be fun.

I’ll take my ‘before’ pictures today and then see what I look like in 2 weeks on this plan, and then debate how to change my diet and workouts from there.

My body is my favorite hobby, it’s just like a giant experiment that only I can control. It’s fantastic. Try it out sometime.

Products I Want to Try

womanvsmetropolis — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:26:10 -0400

1. Sun Warrior Vegan Protein

No, I am not a Vegan. However, while competition prepping, there is a certain point where you have to cut out dairy, to avoid any possible bloating. (Whey protein is a dairy product, in case you didn’t know. I never really think of it as one.) So I’m tempting to try this. I also like that it’s all natural, with no artificial chemicals or sweeteners in it. (The Natural version, I believe the flavors have a few things like Xanthan gum in the ingredients.)

2. Muscle Egg

Who gets bored with eating 2 cups of egg whites a day? This girl.
I tried a sample of every single flavor and definitely enjoyed them all. They’re all scrumptious, in comparison to traditional egg whites-(which I normally just add to protein shakes anyway)-however, a bit on the pricer side. I believe 4 gallon containers is about $100. It’s a bit much, but I’ll splurge on them one day.

Photo

womanvsmetropolis — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:49:00 -0400

Proper Use of Belts During Weight Training

womanvsmetropolis — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:23:00 -0400

I found this article useful while debating the topic earlier today. Attempted a leg day, and had some weird knee pains, just in the right one. Very annoying. So I researched some various lifting aids, and first invested in these wonders:

Rehband Knee Support…things.
I feel like my right knee has always been a problem so I’m hoping they’ll assist in that problem.

And then when I was researching this, I somehow got on the topic of weight belts, and have always been confused about their needed use, so I found this article useful in explaining it to me:

The practice of wearing weightlifting belts used to be limited to Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting. In recent years, however, even recreational lifters of varying degrees of skill and experience are wearing belts. Is such a device necessary for recreational lifting? If so, what are the proper ways to use a belt? What are improper ways to use a belt? What ill effects can result from its misuse?

A weightlifting belt has two main purposes. It reduces stress on the lower back while the person is lifting in an upright position and prevents back hyperextension during overhead lifts. A belt reduces low back stress by compressing the contents of the abdominal cavity. This increases the intra-abdominal pressure (IAP), providing more support in front of the bones of the lower back. This allows the spinal erector muscles, which would normally provide this support of the lower back, to produce less force during the lift. Another benefit of increased IAP is a reduction in the amount of spinal shrinkage (lower back compression) a lifter may experience during circuit weight training. Some belts have a wide back and a narrow front. Therefore, it would be advisable to wear the belt backwards if increased IAP is desired, as the area gives the contents of the abdominal cavity more surface area to push against.

The belt prevents back hyperextension by forming a rigid wall around the lower torso, connecting the rib cage to the hip. This not only limits back movement, but it also prevents sideward bending and twisting. A powerlifting-style belt that is the same width all the way around would be ideal for this purpose. Otherwise, a conventional belt can be worn in the usual manner with the wide part of the belt in the back.

Wearing a belt also causes the lifter to be more aware of the position of his or her back. This is because the physical sensation of a belt against the skin provides additional information prompting the lifter to consider his or her back position and what muscles must be activated to maintain good posture. In this case, the belt does not need to be worn too tightly for an effect. Some lifters report feeling more secure and confident while wearing a belt even if IAP and muscle activity are unaffected.

However, a belt must be worn tightly to maximize its usefulness. This is physically taxing and should not be done for long periods of time. Research has shown that wearing a tight belt during exercise can elevate blood pressure. For this reason, belts should only be used on two primary occasions. The first is when performing maximal or submaximal lifts in exercises such as the squat or deadlift, in which the weight is supported by the lifter’s back. The second is while performing exercises, such as the military press, which may cause the back to hyperextend. The belt should be loosened to allow blood pressure to return to normal levels in between sets.

*Read the rest of the article here—source http://sportsmedicine.about.com/

Photo

womanvsmetropolis — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:39:10 -0400

So. For those who are wondering: my next competition will be the...

womanvsmetropolis — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 19:32:00 -0400

So.

For those who are wondering: my next competition will be the Adela Garcia Classic in Austin, Texas June 22nd.

I’ve gotta step out on that stage at least one more time, it was such a rush the first time. Plus I already bought a suit, that was supposed to be for the Phil Heath.

However, after I compete in that, I want to try to master something else in the fitness world. I think CrossFit is a well-rounded fitness genre, that combines endurance with strength and performance is the goal, rather than aesthetics being the main focus.

My gym membership is up in July, so I’m going to switch to CrossFit and see how that goes for a while. I’ll be back in school by then, so when I want to lift, I can go to school gym, which is extremely nice.

I just want to be a well-rounded fitness individual. Yoga will be next on my to-do list. :)

But guys, I’m really excited about this competition. It’s going to be amazing. I’m really going to give it my all, I’d love to place again! *cross fingers*