Day 327: Happy Thanksgiving!

Quote of the Day

"Nothing is ever gained by being afraid." - Understanding psychological preparation for sport: Theory and practice of elite performers (Hardy, Jones & Gould)

Training

HIIT:
a. 4 min easy
b. 8 x 1 min effort/30 sec easy
c. 4 min easy

Gym - Arms (1 min recovery between supersets/trisets):
Superset A -
1. Close-Grip Pull-Ups 4 x 16, 12, 8, 6
2. Bicep Curls 4 x 15, 12, 10, 8
Superset B -
3. Dips 4 x 6
4. Tricep Push-Downs 4 x 12, 10, 8, 6
Triset -
5. Close-Grip BB Bicep Curls 4 x 8, 7, 6, 5
6. Alternate Hammer Curls 4 x 10 per side
7. Close-Grip Flat BB Bench Press 4 x 8, 7, 6, 5

Stretch 20 min.

Comments

Sleep - Time and Quality: Was shattered as when I woke this morning, and went easily back to sleep for almost another two hours.

Mood/Aggression: Good.

Energy: I have it.

Mental Focus and Clarity: I have to cram a 9-week assessment into THREE weeks - GOT to be on the ball ALL the time!

Stress: High.

Libido: Still raging.

Joints: Erase must not be as strong as Triazole as an AI (although it has other very beneficial effects I desire), since my joints have actually gradually been getting better since using it.

Endurance: Fine.

Strength: Better than before my week off!

Pump: Pretty much from the start, with pump in triceps painful after Superset B.

Vascularity: Great.

Quality of Training: HIIT was good. Very thirsty during . . . Resistance training was great. I cut down my recovery period after Close-Grip Pull-Ups superset from three to one minute - which is a HUGE deal for me, and my strength was NOT affected . . .

Recovery: For some reason, my hips, glutes, and legs are feeling like they have DOMS - must be from my HIIT Run on Tuesday, because I can't think of too much else that might have caused it.

Question of the Day

If you could go back and change time, what would you do differently?

The REVOLUTION CONTINUES with ERASE

DISCUSSION

The last five weeks did not go as planned and have a been a huge reality check for me, hitting home more than ever how important it is that I start taking care of my HEALTH.

Training is something that I do for ME, initially because I loved it and wanted to, but now that I have a love-hate relationship with it (as I grew to have with my cycling), I do it because I HAVE to. Training is more than just an obsession or compulsion for me - it has been, is, and HAS to be my way of life, and plays a dominant role in the maintenance of my physiological (and mental) health.

Having the last five weeks not go as planned, with the constant adjusting and redirection re my body's responses and reactions, I have had to carefully reconsider my goals. I have not yet decided whether I will compete again or not - although I am leaning towards it, because I want to see what I can do if I REALLY put the effort in; plus, it helps to have a dated end-goal to work towards, AND I hate losing - but I AM going to work on a few areas that if I DO compete again (I will have made this decision by the end of the month), will help present a more balanced figure and the complete package that is desired.

Today is my last day on Driven Sports' Triazole.

Tomorrow I start using Erase - a product in the same category as Triazole. Once again, I am the FIRST female to use this product, logging my experience so that other women can see effects and have some idea of what to expect, etc. should they consider using Erase.

GOALS

The readjusted goal post-competition was: "To do is to get back below 9% bodyfat, then 8% bodyfat, and then LEANER, with the eventual focus to maintain 8-9% bodyfat once I achieve the lowest level of leanness I possibly can."

Because of everything that has happened - especially in the last two weeks - I am no longer going to pressure myself into getting as lean as physiologically possible, because right now my body is fighting every attempt to do that, doing instead what it does best: RECOMPING.

Therefore, looking at what has been, what is, and what will and might be, the more realistic goal is to CONTINUE TO RECOMP whilst maintaining 8-10% bodyfat, with a few other specifics:
* Work on capping my delts and adding a little more mass to my arms
* Build my strength back up
* Get back to a decent level of fitness

I'm starting this log at:
* Body Composition of 9.5% bodyfat
* Body Mass of 115 pounds
* Resting Pulse of 32 beats per minute

TRAINING

I really need to get back into a rigid structure with my training.

Weights

Day 1: Shoulders

Day 2: Arms

Day 3: Full-Body

Day 4: Full-Body

Day 5: Upper Body

Resistance sessions will get done in this order each week. I have a day of just cardio - which will be done where my body feels that it needs it (although I will endeavour to do it on Thursday), and a day OFF ALL training each week (usually Sunday).

I am going back to lower reps, so that I can lift heavier - which means improved strength, more mass, and leanness easier to maintain. I always lift as heavy as I can for the reps I set out to do each session, and I use 30 seconds to 1 minute recovery between sets/supersets/trisets/giant sets.

I do not do any specific work for my legs as my lower body overwhelms my upper body. If I train legs, I gain muscle mass despite what I do and more muscle in my legs is NOT what I want or need. ANY Legs work (i.e. Full-Body days) is going to be specific to Hamstrings, and I will deliberately use lighter weights, bodyweight, or plyometric exercises only.

Cardio

Day 1: HIIT Cardio

Day 2: 20 min Cardio

Day 3: HIIT Cardio

Day 4: 20 min Cardio

Day 5 HIIT Cardio

Day 6: 20 min Cardio

Resistance sessions will get done in this order each week. Note that the days do not "match" the same numbered resistance day.

Flexibility

Stretch 20-30 minutes every training day (i.e. six days a week).

NUTRITION

It's more important than ever now though, that I DO stop or minimize the foods that I am sensitive and have intolerances to, since my body can no longer handle the weekly fluctuations of 10-15 pounds gain and then loss - sometimes over only a few days - in scale weight.

Even though I will be calorie cycling, LISTENING to my body on a daily basis and adjusting my nutrition (as I do my training) as required is KEY.

I have 5-6 meals daily, 2-3 hours apart.

I drink 1-2 UK galleons (a UK galleon is 4.54 litres) of water a day, with the only other liquid that I consume re drinks being herbal or green tea.

SUPPLEMENTS

(in alphabetical order):

Alpha-T2: 2 caps first thing and 2 caps ~8 hours post-Dose 1.

BC+EAA - New Watermelon-Kiwi Flavour: 3-4 x 10.5-21 grams daily.

BLACK CATS: 3 caps first thing and 2 caps 6-8 hours post-Dose 1.

EndoAmp Max: 1.1 gram first thing and 1.1 gram post-training.

Erase: 1 cap first thing and 1 cap 6-8 hours post-Dose 1.

IGF-2: 2 caps first thing, 2 caps ~40 min pre-resistance training, and 2 caps pre-bed.

MuscleGels: 1-2 packets daily.

Organic VitaBerry: 5 grams post-Meal 1 and 5 grams post-Meal 3.

NeoVar Recomped: 2 caps ~60-min pre-training, 2 caps immediately post-training, and 4 caps pre-bed.

PerformaStrips VB-12: 1 strip pre-training.

Shred Matrix: 3 caps 30-45 min pre-Meal 1 and 3 caps either 30-45 min pre-Meal later in the day or pre-bed.

Topicals: LipoBURN applied post-post-training shower and Eviscerate Smolder applied post-pre-bed shower.

Vitamin C: 1 gram first thing, 1 gram immediately post-training, and 1 gram pre-bed.

Let's get ready! NO PRISONERS!

Review of Driven Sports' Triazole

I have two more days of Triazole left, but am going to do my review now, since two days should not make too much of a difference re results . . .

So, here is my first experience with - and the first female perspective of - Driven Sports' Triazole . . .


What is it?



* Reduce estrogen
* Boost Testosterone
* More muscle mass
* Anti-catabolic
* Improve in-gym performance
* Antioxidant capacity to help reduce oxidative stress and help recovery
* Anti-inflammatory
* Strengthen the immune system
* Fortify libido
* Anti-depressant effects

For more information, please review Driven Sports - Triazole.


Estrogen Levels: N/A. Although I would have liked to see the changes in my Estrogen levels from pre to post-Triazole, I did not have bloods done. However, I WILL note that I experienced a rare (I say rare, because I usually do not bleed) menstrual cycle during my use of Triazole - whether this is from an increase in Estrogen, or because I have not been training as intensely or with as much volume as I usually do, I do not know.

Testosterone levels: N/A. Although I would have liked to see the changes in my Testosterone (total and free) levels from pre to post-Triazole, I did not have bloods done.

Body Composition: 7/10. Body composition over my time with Triazole was interesting - not because of the product as much, but because of my training, and one must be aware of what my training was like: The week post-competition I did two resistance sessions and four cardio sessions; the second week post-competition I did Maintenance training; the third week post-competition I did four resistance sessions and six cardio sessions; the fourth week post-competition I did Maintenance training; and this last week I did four resistance sessions and six cardio sessions. When I started Triazole, I had just been dieting for a week, training for several weeks at levels well over Maintenance training - which is why I used my body statistics at the end of the first week post-competition as my 'baseline' to go from. 'Baseline' was 111.4 pounds at 9% bodyfat. For two weeks my scale weight and body composition increased, coming out at 122.4 pounds and 10.1% bodyfat at the end of my third week post-competition. The last two weeks of Triazole, both my scale weight and body composition decreased again, finishing with a recomp at 115 pounds and 9.5% bodyfat, leaving me with a final gain of 3.6 pounds at a ratio of 3 to 1 increase in lean mass (+2.7 pounds) and bodyfat (+0.9 pounds) respectively. The lean mass gains, surprisingly, have been made in my shoulders. Interestingly enough, if anyone else had had the lack of training and overabundance of calories that I have had in the last five weeks, they would have gained a LOT more bodyfat than I did, so at least Triazole contributed in minimizing the damage inflicted.

Strength: N/A. My training over the last five weeks has not been about making strength gains. Also note that I started back on creatine just over three weeks into Triazole, after having not used it for ~5 weeks (so my muscle creatine levels were back at baseline), and increasing creatine levels would have helped contribute to any strength gains made from then on.

Recovery: 5/10. Like training, recovery has been all over the place - great some days and other days the training from the day before taking more out of me than it should have.

Joints: 7/10. Knees and elbows noticed this the most. Knees started feeling mechanical after a couple of weeks, and after three weeks my left elbow especially clicked during almost every resistance session that required elbow flexion. Left wrist ached a bit during resistance training sometimes as well, but that occurred BEFORE starting Triazole and will continue after stopping it. There was no pain in my [other] joints - they were just dry.

Libido: 9/10. Libido has been pretty high over the course of my use of Triazole, only fading in the last week because my stomach was in so much pain that I could barely concentrate on anything else. Until then, though, my body was very responsive and sometimes its wants were actually TOO much for what it could handle.

Immune System: 9/10. Everyone else around me has been getting or been sick whilst I've been using Triazole. Add to that the changes in weather with it getting colder and crisper, and the fact that when I decrease my training volume and intensity, that's the time I will get sick if I am going to, I SHOULD have gotten sick. However, despite all that, I have been fine, only having a sniffle for all of a couple of days.

Mood: 5/10. My mood has been highly INconsistent the entire time I have been using Triazole, and my aggression more than anything has been heightened because of circumstances, stress, not training as I want to and feel that I should be, nutrition, etc.

Other Effects: 7/10. I did not lose my breasts, and if anything, they are fuller than they were before I started using Triazole. I did not get acne. I did not grow facial hair. I did not start looking like a male. All indicators that Triazole is very much ok for female use - for those who questioned and thought that I shouldn't be using such a product . . . On a more serious note, I noticed a difference between when I did and did not dose Triazole pre-bed - when I was only using two caps daily, I did not dose pre-bed, and sometimes when I was dosing three caps daily, I passed out before the time planned for my 'pre-bed' supplement doses. Dosing pre-bed meant no water retention the next day from that day's food consumption, often looking drier in the morning and midsection not bloated or puffy, which is great, considering that most often, my largest meal of the day was pre-bed (also note that I was started using Shred Matrix pre-bed as well though, so this effect would have been a combination result of both products) . . . Another effect I have noticed is that my vascularity has been pretty strong throughout my use of Triazole, especially through my anterior deltoids and biceps (why couldn't it have been like this for competition?!) . . .

Overall: The last five weeks have been very UNcharacteristic of me, and I have been UNcommonly inconsistent, with my training and nutrition unusual and all over the place. NOTHING has gone as planned and everything has been readjusted and readjusted again over this period from what my goals, etc. were at the start. Because of this, I do not feel that I gave Triazole a fair trial, and therefore cannot assign it an "overall" score.

Would I use again? Yes. Because of how things have been over the last five weeks, I feel and know that I did not really give Triazole a decent chance at showing me what it was capable of doing, and I want to do this, because Triazole has a brilliant formulator, an interesting ingredient profile, and bloodwork/data that undisputedly backs it up. I would also dose Triazole at 4 caps daily, instead of 2-3 caps daily.

Would I recommend? The science, bloodwork, and others' results would give me cause to recommend Triazole if it was relevant. I would probably also recommend stacking it with something like Activate Xtreme and/or Lean Xtreme. Otherwise, I would need to give it a fair trial before I could recommend it from a personal perspective.

Day 308: My Strengths are also Weaknesses!

Quote of the Day

"God often attaches a major weakness to a major strength . . . God wants to use your weaknesses, not just your strengths . . . Sometimes, however, God turns a strength into a weakness in order to use us even more." - Rick Warren, The Purpose Drive Life

Music Video of the Day

Casting Crowns - Who am I

Training

HIIT Cardio:
a. 4 min easy
b. 8 x 20 sec effort/10 sec easy
c. 8 x 60 sec effort/30 sec easy

Gym - Full-Body (30 sec recovery):
1. BB Bent Over Row 1 x 20
2. Overhead BB Squat 1 x 20
3. Dips 1 x 20
4. Ab Wheel Rollout 1 x 20
5. Wide-Grip Lat Pull-Downs (in squat position, knees and hips at 90 degree flexion) 1 x 20
6. Incline BB Bench Press 1 x 20
7. BB Romanian Deadlifts (plates to touch floor) 1 x 20
8. Close-Grip BB Bicep Curls 1 x 20
9. Hanging Straight-Leg Raises 1 x 20

Post-Weights Cardio 20 min.

Stretch 22 min.

Comments

Sleep - Time and Quality: Since I got home from my night work on Thursday, the pain in my stomach has meant the foetal position and passing in and out of sleep until ~1000 this morning.

Energy: I have no energy - the pain is draining any I might have away - and anything I DO do is forced.

Mental Focus and Clarity: Don't really want to concentrate on anything, even though I MUST.

Stress: HIGH!

Joints: Dry, clicking continuing.

Endurance: Fine.

Strength: Less about strength than it was in just getting a session DONE.

Pump: None.

Vascularity: None.

Quality of Training: HIIT was ok . . . Resistance training was ok. Didn't feel like I did anything, because most of my focus - despite trying not to - was on the pain in my stomach . . .

Recovery: Only place that hurts is something I can't fix with rest and recovery.

Other Notes: Stomach pain is a little duller today - at least I can get up and walk around without wanting to scream or just sit right back down and curl up into a tight, little ball. Because I've passed out and forgotten to dose Triazole pre-bed those nights, I have a couple of extra days left on it, and will be finishing on Tuesday instead of tomorrow . . . I also used the last of my current bottle of Lipotrophin-PM yesterday . . .

Day 302: A Week of Triazole Left

Quote of the Day

"If you want something bad enough, that's what you do." - Ava Cowan, Ava Cowan: Naturally Driven | Ava’s Story

Music Video of the Day

Kutless - Changing World

Training

Day OFF.

Comments

Sleep - Time and Quality: From tomorrow, I am going to be regimented with this no matter what!

Energy: Focused.

Mental Focus and Clarity: Work and study today.

Stress: High.

Libido: Needing constant attention, LOL.

Recovery: Even though they're only 30-40 minutes long, I am feeling the FIVE resistance sessions, up from 3-4 a week of the last few months, but my body will settle back into it quickly enough.

Body Composition and Look: 9.9% bodyfat.

Other Notes: I have a week of Triazole left . . . I finish my current tub of BC+EAA today, and tomorrow I am going to be using a tub of the new Watermelon-Kiwi flavour . . .

Day 288: Discipline in ALL areas please!

Training

No training today - my body is thankful!

Comments

Mood/Aggression: Very blah, "I can't be bothered" mood today.

Energy: Today is going to be a lazy day!

Mental Focus and Clarity: Next week it's time for all focus to be on STUDY.

Stress: Any stress I have, I am tucking away in a corner.

Immune System: Fine.

Libido: This is the ONLY exercise I'll be getting today!

Joints: Knees still giving me issues.

Recovery: My entire body aches today, so definitely glad for a day OFF.

Body Composition and Look: Not where I want to be yet - but I WILL be!

Other Notes: I definitely need to follow my training as planned, because doing this week backwards re resistance sessions has not been kind to my body. Nutrition has not been good this week, so at least I DID get training in, but it needs to be better and there needs to be no more issues. Think of this week as my 'easing' back into training after my week off - now you see why I do NOT like weeks off and why I refuse to have a complete seven days doing nothing anymore . . . I finish my third bottle of Alpha-T2 today. Also start back using MuscleGels - these are NOT going to leave my supplements staple arsenal from now on! Start CreaPure when it arrives next week - I definitely notice the difference when NOT using creatine! Been dosing EndoAmp Max at only one scoop first thing and will keep it like that And from tomorrow, I will be dosing Triazole at THREE caps daily: first thing, 6-8 hours post-Dose 1, and pre-bed . . .

Day 287: Rollercoaster

Training

Cardio - Stepper:
20 min @ 10 floors/min

Gym - Full-Body (30 sec recovery between alternate sets):
Alternate Set A -
1. Plyometric Side-to-Side Bench Jumps 6 x 12-15 per side
2. Bench Step-Ups 6 x 12-15 per leg
Alternate Set B -
3. Flat BB Bench Press 8 x 12-15
4. Close-Grip V-Bar Seated Row 8 x 12-15
Alternate Set C -
5. DB Clean and Press 8 x 12
6. DB Hammer Raises 8 x 12
Alternate Set D -
7. DB Bicep Curls 8 x 12
8. Incline Dips 8 x 12
Alternate Set E -
9. Weighted V-Sits (on bench) 6 x 12
10. Bicycle (on bench) 6 x 12 per side

Stretch 20 min.

Comments

Mood/Aggression: NOT very happy during training - and yes, I DID finish earlier today because I did NOT do Post-Weights Cardio . . . Walked into my night work and was goofy as, which was interesting considering the foul mood and "I can't be bothered" mood I was in only an hour earlier on returning from the gym, and I later concluded that it was probably a sugar high from the apple-banana bread I had post-training - I usually only have some peanut butter, a chicken breast, and a shake before going to work.

Energy: There was NO time for slowing down today - even if I wanted to.

Mental Focus and Clarity: No time for focus to be off, either.

Stress: Tried to let it go and be in the moment.

Libido: Wanting it (and the black lace didn't help make it go away, LOL).

Joints: Knees - both of them, left worse than the right. I did less sets for Legs today because my knees were bothering me so badly - sharp pain on bending, and creaks and crackles and clicks constantly.

Endurance: Great.

Strength: It's going to be nice to be able to start lifting some REAL weight again soon.

Pump: Right from the start. I could see it just from after Cardio! Definitely all the carbohydrates I have been having lately are making a HUGE difference re pump/s.

Vascularity: High, especially through deltoids, biceps, and forearms - THIS is what I want ALL the time! Carbohydrates and the heat definitely working on this.

Quality of Training: Like yesterday, I was getting frustrated during resistance training. I figured it would be ok to do two less sets than planned for Legs since my knees were playing up. Got a bit lightheaded, with blurry vision, during a few sets later on. Wanted to stop a lot earlier than I did, to be honest. In the end training was just becoming too much and being there was doing more damage to my mind than good, so I did two less sets than planned for Abs and left, still making my resistance session just under two hours.

Recovery: My body is ok - it's my MIND that seems to be exhausted.

Day 282: The Start of Brutal

Training

HIIT Cardio:
a. 4 min jogging
b. 4 x 20 sec effort/40 sec recovery
c. 4 min jogging
d. 4 x 20 sec effort/40 sec recovery
e. 4 min jogging

Stretch 10 min.

Gym - Full-Body (30 sec recovery between alternate sets):
Alternate Set A -
1. BB Good Mornings 8 x 12
2. Side-to-side Plyometric Bench Jumps 8 x 24
Alternate Set B -
3. Push-Ups (feet on bench, hands on DB) 8 x 10
4. BB Bent Over Rows 8 x 10
Alternate Set C -
5. DB Hammer Raises 8 x 10
6. DB Lateral Raises 8 x 10
Alternate Set D -
7. Dips 8 x 10
8. DB Bicep Curls 8 x 10-12
Alternate Set E -
9. Rope Crunch 8 x 10
10. Hanging Straight-Leg Raises (hips to 90 degree flexion) 8 x 10

Post-Weights Cardio - Stepper:
20 min @ 11 floors/min

Stretch 10 min.

Comments

Sleep - Time and Quality: Waking ~3 hours after going to sleep.

Mood/Aggression: Up and down. Someone mentioned in the gym that "you don't look very happy to be training", and my reply was, "I've been here a long time". Definitely was NOT a happy woman during training, and I am resigning myself to this fate for the next five weeks.

Energy: It was reasonable, but not out of this world.

Mental Focus and Clarity: Fine.

Stress: HIGH. I am going to have to make a real effort over the next five weeks to really try and decrease this, and stop taking on more than I should.

Immune System: Fine.

Libido: Sometimes enough is never enough even when it is enough!

Joints: Lateral left ankle was aching from the start of my training, and by the end, my left wrist was throbbing as well.

Endurance: Excellent.

Strength: I'm NOT going to be focusing on strength until these five weeks are up.

Pump: Minimal - certainly nowhere near as good as this session last time.

Vascularity: Hints of some blue lines - but that was only during the cardio aspects of my training; during resistance training I was lucky to see a few knots towards the end of the session.

Quality of Training: HIIT was HARD. For some reason my body was shattered after a few efforts . . . Resistance training was fine. Just under two hours - it's only day ONE of this, and already I can't wait for it to be over and done with! . . . Post-Weights Cardio was an effort. I'll be glad when I can stop doing this as well - even though I feel like I'm being bad if I DON'T do this after EVERY resistance session now . . .

Recovery: We'll see tomorrow.

Body Composition and Look: 9% bodyfat at 111.6 pounds. So, gained a little bodyfat - or it could just be that I am still holding some water from the last week. Either way, 9% bodyfat is my "starting point" for getting as lean as possible.

Other Effects: I'm looking forward to the Triazole drying me out.

Slin-Sane Notes: I have started dosing 1 cap of Slin-Sane first thing, and find this very effective.

Eviscerate Smolder Notes: I have noticed that there is minimal to no water retention with this - unlike the original Eviscerate, which caused quite a lot of water retention for me.

Other Notes: So far, all the NO products I have tried do NOT work for me. I used PlasmaJet only today, and got similar results to when I used Anadraulic Pump re less of a pump and vascularity than usual, etc. Tomorrow I am going to use GlycoCarn-GPLC only pre-training and see how that goes, and then on Wednesday stack PlasmaJet and GlycoCarn-GPLC to see what happens. On Wednesday I will be able to say for definite whether or not NO products are like Growth Hormone boosters for me and simply do NOT work with my body (except IGF-2 - which I use as a staple).

Day 276: Day 2 of Triazole

Training

Because I HAVE been training for 19 weeks without a break or a week off, I am going to make this week an EASY week. I say "easy" because I do NOT want to have a complete week off for a LONG time; my body does best when I am training intensely, at least 5-6 days a week. Therefore, I AM going to do a couple of resistance training sessions this week, both Full-Body, but a lot shorter in duration than what I have been doing. Cardio will be done today until Saturday inclusive.

NEXT week will start me back on schedule re training, and also be my first "week-pre-competition" week.

Cardio - Stepper:
20 min @ 10 floors/min

Full-Body (30 sec recovery between sets):
1. Hanging Straight-Leg Raises 1 x 20
2. Reverse Curls (on bench) 1 x 20
3. Alternate DB Bicep Curls 1 x 20 per side
4. Dips 1 x 20
5. BB Military Press 1 x 20
6. Supinated BB Bent Over Rows 1 x 20
7. Flat BB Bench Press 1 x 20
8. Single-Leg Deadlifts (with lateral twist and reach) 1 x 20 per leg

Stretch 20 min.

Comments

Sleep - Time and Quality: ~5 hours. Broken.

Mood/Aggression: Upset with myself for not training and constantly eating for the last two days, even though I know I'll be fine once I'm training again.

Energy: I have it.

Mental Focus and Clarity: There. Now that competition is over, it's time to focus my attention more on study.

Stress: High.

Immune System: No sniffles in the gym today.

Libido: High.

Joints: Left hip was a bit tight on the Stepper, but nothing major.

Endurance: Good.

Strength: Just getting back into it.

Pump: From the start, hard and fast, and enjoyed it.

Vascularity: Through deltoids and arms.

Quality of Training: It was quite pleasant to be in and out of the gym in an HOUR! Felt like I did NOTHING! Knowing that my body needs an easy time this week, though - I do NOT want it to crash on me again and have a recurrent bout of Chronic Fatigue (I AM going to have to see what I can do about taking some time off stimulants though, sometime soon, to prevent any Adrenal Fatigue return as well).

Recovery: I feel fine.

Body Composition and Look: I have gained 13-15 pounds over the last two days, and I can feel every pound! I am uncomfortable and disappointed in myself for letting it happen, but I know that it's predominantly food and water weight, back to my usual body mass by the end of next week at the latest.

Other Effects: Nothing from the products I am using now, but the tan has left my skin itchy - I am so relieved NOT to have to do that anymore!

Completing the Female Terminator's REMODEL

19 weeks since I started training again, ~6 weeks since I have been back at Maintenance training levels.

I have just competed in my debut US Figure competition, where I placed third. I had initially planned on competing at the Worlds in November. However, I have reconsidered, deciding that I want to do 1-2 more competitions before stepping up to the World stage (IF I decide I want to continue competing in this arena).

I was not as lean as I wanted to be for my competition, and there is NO reason for me NOT to continue on the intense preparation that has occurred over the last week or so to get to the leanest and ULTIMATE conditioning of my life! I am giving myself one month maximum to lose 1% bodyfat (the leaner one gets, the harder it is to lose bodyfat, and a slower rate of loss will also mean a higher rate of being able to maintain that leanness) and ~2 inches from each my hips, and thighs (since I have gained muscle mass in those areas, I am not sure how much I will actually lose with losing some muscle mass - although I don't mind some going from my legs) - a loss of 1% bodyfat is going to make a dramatic difference to my physique.

Matt Cahill at Driven Sports wants a female perspective on Triazole - I am logging my experience so that other women can see effects and have some idea of what to expect, etc. should they consider using this product.

I am also using Slin-Sane - this is replacing NeoVar Recomped as my nutrient repartitioner/insulin mimetic.

AND I am one of the privileged who get to try the new Eviscerate Smolder betas!

GOALS

* Body Composition of 7% bodyfat (or as lean as physiologically possible - I want to be able to use myself for an anatomy chart!)
* Maintain Resting Pulse of 30-32 beats per minute

I'm starting this log at:
* Body Composition of 8% bodyfat
* Resting Pulse of 32 beats per minute

TRAINING

Monday: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 minutes + Full-Body + 20 min Post-Weights Cardio

Tuesday: 20 min Cardio + Stretch 20-30 minutes + Full-Body + 20 min Post-Weights Cardio

Wednesday: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 minutes + Upper Body + 20 min Post-Weights Cardio

Thursday: 20 min Cardio + Stretch 20-30 minutes

Friday: HIIT Cardio + Stretch 20-30 minutes + Shoulders/Arms/Abs + 20 min Post-Weights Cardio

Saturday: HIT + Stretch 20-30 minutes

Sunday: Day OFF

A second cardio session (either am or pm) will be added in 2-4 days a week as well.

My training does not stay the same re exercises, order, sets, reps, or weight used, each week, but varies. I always lift as heavy as I can for the reps I set out to do each session, and I use 30 seconds to 1 minute recovery between sets/supersets/trisets/giant sets.

I am not going to do any specific work for my legs - aside from a few exercises for my hamstrings each week - as my lower body overwhelms my upper body. If I train legs, I gain muscle mass despite what I do (as has been shown over the last 8 weeks), and more muscle mass in my legs is NOT what I want or need.

I train first thing in the morning, since this is the most effective for me.

And for any given week training can be changed and adapted, based on how my body is feeling, recovery, etc.

NUTRITION

I am going to be doing a week-pre-competition diet every second week. Every first week I will allow myself a cheat meal either once every 3-4 days or once a week (on my Day OFF), depending on how I'm feeling after training, etc.

I will be having 5-6 meals daily, 2-3 hours apart.

I will continue to drink 1-2 galleons of water a day, with the only other liquid that I consume re drinks being herbal or green tea.

SUPPLEMENTS

(in alphabetical order):

Alpha-T2: 2 caps first thing and 2 caps ~8 hours post-Dose 1.

BC+EAA: 3-4 x 10.5-21 grams daily.

BLACK CATS: 3 caps first thing and 2 caps 6-8 hours post-Dose 1.

CreaPure: 2.5g 60 min pre-training and 2.5g immediately post-training.

EndoAmp Max: first thing, post-training, and pre-bed.

IGF-2: 3 caps first thing and 3 caps pre-bed.

Lipotrophin-PM: 2 caps first thing and 2 caps pre-bed.

MuscleGels: 1-2 daily.

Organic VitaBerry: 5g first thing and 5 g post-Meal 1.

Slin-Sane: 1 cap 15-20 min pre-Meal 1, and 1 cap pre-bed (as well as 1-2 caps 15-20 min pre-meal containing high carbohydrates).

Topicals: Eviscerate Smolder applied post-shower once daily.

Triazole: 1 cap first thing and 1 cap 6-8 hours post-Dose 1.

Vitamin C: 1 gram first thing, 1 gram immediately post-training, and 1 gram pre-bed.

I'll also be using GlycoCarn-GPLC (4.5g ~60 min pre-training) and PlasmaJet (10 caps 1-2 hours pre-training) on and off.

COMMENTS

Please note that I may or may not comment on all the factors listed below in each 'update'.

Sleep - Time and Quality
Mood/Aggression
Energy
Mental Focus and Clarity

Stress
Immune System
Libido
Joints
Endurance
Strength
Pump
Vascularity
Quality of Training
Recovery
Body Composition and Look
Other Effects

So, going to be a lot of fun over the next four weeks!