9 1/2 weeks out from my first show

[Sassy69]

I was waiting for you to post up here

I do not have experience competing, but I think you've done great (esp with the legs) while maintaining such a low BF, which is what your trainer wanted to do.

I agree with Sassy & DG , and my only additional comment would be in the lat area. Your back looks great, but something tells me maybe a little more width if you can swing it. Sassy, DG, Missy of you don't agree please comment.

Great Job HT!

Yea, I was gonna request a lat spread pic - but I assumed these pix posted were just a variety of progress pix as opposed to mandatory pose pix. I've commented before that you have sort of a "boy"-type waist which means that the "X" shape between your upper, mid & lower body can appear to thrown off. A wider lat spread can help to offset the width of your waist and create more "X" - that was the same direction I was thinking w/ your front & rear double bi pose - if you step out & flex which ever of your legs displays best when you do those poses, it will reduce the straight up & down look. I'm not saying you have a "fat" waist or anythign - its just that some people are built w/ narrower hips and that proportion can make it look like you are wide in the waist or if your quads aren't sweepy enough, your mid-section can over power your legs & make them appear smaller.

I agree 100% w/ DG on your progress tho! Fan-f'n-tastic! W/ the progress you've made at low low bodyfat, I have no doubt that in the next couple months you can totally build up your hams -- calves just take whatever you can get in the time you have - simply because if you aren't born w/ large calves, it can be really damn hard to develop them except over time.

Then just continue to perfect your mandatories to get the best presentation of your assets to the judges.

Another commnet, along the lines of those who are naturally very lean - make sure you don't come out too lean & look stringy for show time - that may be something you look at w/ your trainer when you lay out your last week's dieting strategy -- focus more on coming in full than on cutting the water would be my thought. You'll be lean enough so where water is the biggest problem for most people, it won't be as critical for you.

 

[hoteacher]

Thanks so much for everyones advice. First question is I am currently training calves, seated and standing, everyother day...six sets of each, about 25-30 reps till they BURN. Should I increase? Start training daily? Also, how does everyone feel about abs. I am lean and can see stomach veins in my lower stomach, but cannot seem to get that think sticking out six pack. How often can I train them? Curretnly doing five sets everyother day 50 reps of crunches with 25lb weight.

I ended up letting go of my trainer due to some teaching style differences...my wonderful husband is now training me ...so I kind of at a loss for my plan for the last week. Should I "test out the water depletion?" and see what I look like. I have worked very hard to get where I am and definetely DO NOT WANT to come in looking stringy! The plan at this time is to take in as much salt as possible so I am holding onto water. I am drinking 2.0 gallons of TAP water a day. At three weeks out I will dramatically increase the salt....then I think the week before I switch to DISTILLED water only. Then cut water on Wednesday before and only take in what I excrete out? Is that right? Sassy....what do you think of this plan? Should I try it first, to see if how I look?

I am also not currently carb rotating except on my day off, when i only eat carbs in the first meal. I know everyone is different, just wondering if now is the time to test all of this out?

 

[nsashbl01]

I was waiting for you to post up here

I do not have experience competing, but I think you've done great (esp with the legs) while maintaining such a low BF, which is what your trainer wanted to do.

I agree with Sassy & DG , and my only additional comment would be in the lat area. Your back looks great, but something tells me maybe a little more width if you can swing it. Sassy, DG, Missy of you don't agree please comment.

Great Job HT!

Lats were one of the first targets actually. They have grown, but still need some. Up untill recently, she could not even flex them. Found a few ways to help her feel them, after gettng them really pumped, she can now flex them. I'm still hoping that they don't call out a lat spread, (often don't for women) because her left trap that is lacking shows in this pose. Being a teacher and right hand dominant, her traps are pretty lop-sided. She also holds her right shoulder higher in all poses, which is very evident in one of these pics. Were working on that though!

Here is a rear lat spread. Not a good one for her, but it's all I have on this pc.... There's three weeks of lat hammering inbetween the pics.... (1/3 and 1/24)...

As of yesterday, I added a seated calf to my home gym to help hammer those calves!

 

[caligirl]

Lats were one of the first targets actually. They have grown, but still need some. Up untill recently, she could not even flex them. Found a few ways to help her feel them, after gettng them really pumped, she can now flex them. I'm still hoping that they don't call out a lat spread, (often don't for women) because her left trap that is lacking shows in this pose. Being a teacher and right hand dominant, her traps are pretty lop-sided. She also holds her right shoulder higher in all poses, which is very evident in one of these pics. Were working on that though!

Here is a rear lat spread. Not a good one for her, but it's all I have on this pc.... There's three weeks of lat hammering inbetween the pics.... (1/3 and 1/24)...

As of yesterday, I added a seated calf to my home gym to help hammer those calves!

Now thats a supportive hubby! So nice to see! My husband is like that too, it's the greatest thing to have someone you care about share your intrest!
great, great, grrrrrrreat!

 

[Sassy69]

See if you can compensate some on the lat spread just by holding the shoulder points up higher. It takes some adjustment to change what you do naturally to balance the presentation out, but it is critical when you are up against other people. Asymmetries, disproportions &l lagging bodyparts are all put up for scrutiny & they become so obvious under the lights.

RE: the salt load & deplete -I'd try it - you are far enough ahead of the game that you should tweak the finer details now. I'd also suggest trying a carb deplete & load - that load should help pull you away from any stringy look & fill you out a lot. I think you also have time to play with that while you are this far out. The salt load -I've done it before, but can't say it ever really made that much of a diff. Discuss your trainer's carb deplete & load strategy tho and see what he says about it.

Another comment - on my last show I did a 5 day water deplete instead of the superload & 3 day deplete. On the Sunday before the show, I drank whatever weight I was in in oz of water (e.g. 142 lb, 142 oz water). Then from Mon - Fri, I dropped the amount by 20% each day, and stopped drinking anythign except sipping as needed. after 3 pm on Friday, I've done the distilled water thign as well - again the perpetual controversy w/ people as to whether or not it works. I have no idea. The 5 day water deplete was very easy for me to do - I never felt radically depleted and I think I dried out very nicely.

 

[*Bunny*]

See if you can compensate some on the lat spread just by holding the shoulder points up higher. It takes some adjustment to change what you do naturally to balance the presentation out, but it is critical when you are up against other people. Asymmetries, disproportions &l lagging bodyparts are all put up for scrutiny & they become so obvious under the lights.

RE: the salt load & deplete -I'd try it - you are far enough ahead of the game that you should tweak the finer details now. I'd also suggest trying a carb deplete & load - that load should help pull you away from any stringy look & fill you out a lot. I think you also have time to play with that while you are this far out. The salt load -I've done it before, but can't say it ever really made that much of a diff. Discuss your trainer's carb deplete & load strategy tho and see what he says about it.

Another comment - on my last show I did a 5 day water deplete instead of the superload & 3 day deplete. On the Sunday before the show, I drank whatever weight I was in in oz of water (e.g. 142 lb, 142 oz water). Then from Mon - Fri, I dropped the amount by 20% each day, and stopped drinking anythign except sipping as needed. after 3 pm on Friday, I've done the distilled water thign as well - again the perpetual controversy w/ people as to whether or not it works. I have no idea. The 5 day water deplete was very easy for me to do - I never felt radically depleted and I think I dried out very nicely.

Water wasn't your problem, it was those dang potatoes ... Sassy you looked unbelievable on that stage

 

[superqt4u2nv]

WOWZA looking fantastic for 9.5 weeks out very lean you upper body is off the hook!

Also I must say since June there has been a very BIG improvment in your legs keep up the hard work you are on the right track!

 

[hoteacher]

Thanks so much for the comments. Forgot to answer some questions ....Daisy-we got married at Chapel of the Bells I guess this is where Vegas Vacation was filmed. It was everyting you could expect from a dwontown Vegas Chapel...but it was the best night of my life!

Sassy-Here is the deal...I let me trainer go due to some teaching style differences so now it is just my husband and I trying to figure this stuff out . The old trainer said noting about cutting carbs or carb loasing...so I am in the dark with this. How should I try it? Carb deplete for three days, then "carb up" and see what happens? I currently take in about 150 carbs per day for four days, then down to 50 carbs on day off, then back again. What do you suggest for the proportions of carb depleting and then carb loading?

Thanks SOOOOO much for everyone's support...

 

[Gymgurl]

WOW you look great....just don't get to lean.....keep up the work!