Arnold Classic 2009 - Amateur Event & Bodybuilding.com Booth

It has been quite a journey between January 1, and now - March 1, 2009. The time went quickly as I have been very busy with school, and of course my preparations for the Arnold. I can remember when they announced a few years back that they were going to have the Arnold Amateur event - I was so excited. The first year I could not compete as I did not meet the requirements, however, after leaning about the show, the decision to switch to the CBBF and thus the NPC was a no-brainer. It was time. It was time to go for the IFBB pro card, and well competing in the amateur is another step in the journey. Is this show a pro qualifier or pro card winning event? No. Not yet. Hopefully they will decide to do just that as many international athletes attend the show, and have already qualified to turn pro.

My training and diet in the last week have been pretty much the same all along. A few changes, like eliminating my protein shakes, and sticking to real food; drinking more water; sleeping more, and increasing routine practice. My cardio has remained constant throughout this prep - no more than 25 mins per day, 5 days per week. When I do my routine it is 15 mins of warmup and not hard core. Just enough to get the muscles working.

My swimsuit is by Sylvia Tremblay of TremblayDesigns.com - she does fabulous work. I also purchased a suit from CeeJay of CJ's Elite Custom Suits - another amazing designer. I barely sent her my measurements, and arrives this beautiful suit that fits perfectly. I will wear her design at my second show of the season - the Natural Physique otherwise known as the National Qualifier. Maggie Blanchard of MaggieFit.com has so saved my butt, and made me a costume in a very short period of time. It is hard to find a suit designer who does costumes for fitness as well. Hopefully with the elimination of the one piece, more girls will return to fitness who otherwise would have chosen figure. That way they get more face time on stage.

Here are some shots from yesterday. This is the suit that I will be wearing. Red. Gotta love red. (looks kinda orangey in the photos though....)









































































Some girls don't want to show the suit before the stage. Some would compare it to the wedding dress, before the wedding. I paid "X" amount of dollars on this suit -- I am showing it to any one and everyone who is interested. The same went for my wedding dress - I showed everyone - but I digress.

My routine practice went really well over the last few weeks. I did it twice full out yesterday and really had to push through for the second time, but it is worth it. I try to cross train with running sprints to mimic the routine, but really the only way to have stamina for the routine (I find this anyway) is the work the routine. Practicing every part - the face, the feeling of the crowd, getting psyched to mimic the adrenaline.

Today, I am cooking. Still working with food all the time. My husband asked me today if I was "sick of eating that crap yet". Well, sure it is not peanut M&Ms (which are my favorite - and it is hard to go to Costco and pass by the 1.5 kg bag of them), but it is a means to what I want to achieve. I just keep telling myself that the food will be there tomorrow. Actually I really just want a huge, gigantic grilled chicken salad. That is right a huge salad, with all the fixings. I am sure this does not sound, post competition enough. Ok, I want bread as well - a big huge garlic loaf.

Tomorrow, packing and off early am on Wed to Columbus. I have a bunch of movies to watch while traveling, and a book to finish off. Plenty to keep my mind occupied.

I am very thankful to be able to compete again. I love being on stage in the spotlight - even if it is only for oh...a total of what? 5 mins?

Hopefully you can stop by and see me compete. It would be nice to have some supporters in the audience. The Arnold Amateur fitness, figure, and bikini event will be held on Thursday March 4th, at 7pm sharp at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus Ohio. I believe all events are free and this is the first bikini event of the year, so that is going to be very interesting to watch and see the progression throughout the year.

And after the competition, the Arnold Expo begins on Friday. All weekend I will be at the Bodybuilding.com booth.



Even though the weekend is going to be busy, I am very excited to be competing, hanging with some very close friends, meeting new people, and new competitors, taking lots of pictures, videos, and making some connections.

See you soon,

A.