13 days to go: squatting 80kgs

Hi! I’m glad you all liked my post asking who your “physique inspiration” is. Thanks for your comments!

Today I met up with my coach, Kat, and her friend Annie Uelese (an experienced competitor and avid follower of the sport) for some training, posing and… to unveil my posing routine!

For the physique class of the bodybuilding comps I’m entering, competitors do compulsory poses first and then, in the evening, we can dress up in jazzier bikinis to do our posing routines – 60 or 90 second solos, to music of our choice. I made my routine up so – whilst I really like it – I had no idea if it was “right” or as it should be. So it was great to be able to show it to Kat and Annie (who made some minor tweaks to improve it – thanks, ladies!)

Here’s a sneak peak of some of the moves from my routine

Beforehand, Kat and I trained (twice no less!): here’s me squatting 80kgs and leg pressing 200kgs – not bad for 13 days out from my comp! I have neither proper squat rack nor this kind of “push the plate away” leg press at my local gym, hence the grin! 😀

I feel fine, strong and full of energy BUT when my energy goes, it goes. Suddenly and overwhelmingly!

Quick Q&A

I’ve had a few questions recently on Facebook and Twitter and here’s as good a place as any to answer them:

“Tell me – what are you going to eat once the competition is over? What’s the first thing you’re going to run to?!”

It sounds weird but I honestly haven’t missed much. The one thing is pizza, so either that it just a big juicy steak (which I have now anyway!) but with more choice of ‘sides’. I’ll just enjoy having stuff like Greek yoghurt, peanut butter etc which is good for you but I’ve still had to limit it during prep. Husband and I are going to our favourite Italian place (meat and fish, not pizza and pasta type place) 😀

“It would be nice to hear on your blog what exactly you do eat, and how you keep track of it. Are you following the principles of clean eating, a formal nutritional plan, counting calories, or just replacing certain foods?”

Well, it depends on when you’re asking about! This week is different to last week, and next week will be different again. At the moment, I am eating in a caloric deficit, as obviously I need to lose bodyfat for the competition, and that’s how you do that. When I was putting on my muscle a few months ago, I was eating in a surplus. Both times, I prioritise protein, eating more than most people (and I eat less carbohydrate, too). Most of my carbs come from a vast selection of vegetables, with some coming from sweet potatoes, oats and other grains. The latter I keep to before and after training. Protein comes from protein powders (whey, casein, pea, hemp, goat’s whey), eggs, egg whites, fish of all sorts (fresh and canned), beef, chicken, turkey and also meats like bison (when I can find it) and liver. So, to answer your questions: I keep track of it on a spreadsheet which I send to my coach weekly. I suppose it is “clean eating” but it really depends what you mean by that. A formal nutrition plan: yes and no, Kat guides me but doesn’t tell me exactly what meal to eat or which ingredients to use, no. Counting calories, yes at the moment. Replacing foods: no not really, if I can’t have pasta, for instance, I’d rather just not have it than try to find some low-carb replacement. It’s really all about the macros (protein, fat, carbs) – if I hit the required amounts of those, everything else tends to take care of itself.

Right, that’s it, I’m shattered so it’s off to bed I think. Stay tuned for a (lonnnnng overdue “Fitness kit I’ve tested this week” post)

13 days to go: squatting 80kgs is a post from The Fit Writer blog.

Nicola Joyce – the Fit Writer – is a freelance copywriter and journalist who writes for the sport and fitness industry. Her main website is here.