Hi everyone!

I just wanted to make an announcement regarding the NJ State Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure Championships.  The contest is being held on November 8th and is being promoted by Robert Samborsky and Irina Veselova of Apollon Gym.  I will be co-hosting and also guest performing my routine.  Other guest posers include IFBB Pros Kai Greene, Dennis Wolf, and top national NPC competitors Drew Jemmot and Guy Cisternino.

This is typically a big show, and we are looking to make it even bigger and even better!  There is an open category for non-NJ resident competitors, so all competitors are welcome.  This show is a national qualifier for all divisions.  In addition to the NPC competition, we will also be having a Model Search, sponsored by Hardfitness, with cash prizes awarded.

For more information, please visit
http://www.njchampionships.com/

We look forward to seeing you there....it's going to be a great show!

Rip,  trust me, you will get there before you know it!  I was feeling the same way and then it seemed like all of a sudden, Bam, I was in shape, and the show is more or less here, LOL.  Funny how the body/mind works.

But GOOD LUCK at the powerlifting meet this weekend!  That is really, really cool! I started doing some "strongman" style training for conditioning purposes, and I've found it to be very helpful.
Can't wait to hear about the new record!!
Go Get It!! 

Wow, you looked great!!  And you look so beautiful...that suit was a perfect choice.  Is it a Maggiefit suit?

Congratulations and best wishes going into the Jr's.  I know you'll do great!

Wow! Looking Great!  Keep up the hard work, it's definitely paying off.  And 6 weeks (if thats what it still is) is a loooooong time to see changes.  You will be right where you need to be come stage time!!

Beast, girl, you are looking Awesome!!!  Great improvements in the past few weeks!! I love the side chest pose in the first group of pictures, and the front lat spread shot....great quads!! And you look so pretty in your Arnold pics! 

There is a guy at one of the gyms I work at that is working with Palumbo.  I think he is 5 weeks out and is ripped...but still pretty big and full.  I think you will be just fine, but I also don't think it's a bad thing to ask questions.  At least he might be able to give you an explanation that will ease your mind.  With the whole process being such a mental game, you don't want to be doubting anything.

But again, I think you look GREAT!

Rick, my boyfriend and I were keeping our fingers crossed for a top 3 for Julie.  It seemed like she may have had it during the physique rounds, and we both really liked her routine...

but top 5 for the Arnold is AMAZING!!   She should be soo excited and proud of herself!! Please tell her congrats from me (Erin)!!

Beast, you are looking GREAT!  How many weeks out now?


And to Danielson.....we all get what you are saying....and you do make some valid points, but the fact that you consider Kelly Rippa "ripped" just shows that we are on completely different pages  .  Beast or Rip, post a contest picture of what "ripped" means, LOL>

And Beast, by the way, I remember reading threads about you way back when (before I really started lifting heavy) where you were squatting something like 315?  I was so amazed, and I always thought wow, I could never do that, but thought it was so cool.  Yesterday I was able to do 255 for 5 good reps...and I was so excited, LOL. Not quite 315, but there's hope, LOL.  And now from seeing your legs in your pics....WOW, no wonder why you were able to squat so much!

Keep up the great work!

Danielson, it's a very good point, and many "normal" women would agree with you...but you must remember, we are competitive athletes, and our off-season building programs are part of our sport.  When I was a gymnast, did I like 7am morning conditioning? No.  But I did it because I knew it would make me better.  Do football players like 3-a-day practices in the heat of summer.  Probably not, but they do it because it prepares them for their season and makes them better.

It is a part of our sport, and it makes us better when we step on stage the next time.  And besides, most off-season physique athletes are still in better shape than 95% of the population.

The diet needed to compete is so much more extreme than what a typical "skinny" woman eats to stay "skinny."  There is no room for "moderation," or making up for a splurge by skipping a few meals, and the monotony of eating the same thing day after day, meal after meal is enough to drive someone insane.  A competition diet requires perfection (or close to it), and it is so physically and mentally draining, that after a long competition season, you just need a break.  And once you take that break, even if you are eating like a "normal, skinny" woman does, you will inevitably gain weight.

So, yes, I like being in competition shape, but I also like to be able to go out with friends and family and enjoy myself.  And no, right now I don't look like I do in my photos from the summer, but I also don't mind how I look now either.  There are benefits and disadvantages to both seasons......it's all just a part of the sport (and thats why it takes a special type of person to compete in our sport  )

And I don't think any of us fit into "skinny jeans" anyways....we all have too much muscle on our legs 

We couldn't look like what we do when we compete if we didn't look like what we do during off season (did that statement make any sense?)....in order to put on muscle, you have to be taking in extra calories, and you have to gain weight.  Without adding muscle, a bodybuilder (or fitness/figure competitor) would never be able to look like they do on show-day.  (Some fitness/figure competitors might be able to get away with it if they have been lifting for a long time, have "quality, mature" muscle, and are content with their physique...but most likely not bodybuilders)

Although Kelly looks "skinny"...I would doubt that her bodyfat is much lower than Beast's.  It is actually very unhealthy for a bodybuilder to maintain that leanness year round.  A lot of physique athletes look "big" in the off-season because we have muscle and then a small layer of fat on top of the muscle giving us that "off-season look"-- when in reality, our bodyfats are probably less than most "skinny-looking" people.

Besides, no one would ever build a physique or improve their physique if they looked stage ready year round.

Wow, I hope this isn't true, but if it is.....

Like others have mentioned, she seems like an extremely determined individual, and if she did in fact suffer this injury, I am sure she will not let it keep her down for very long. 
I wish her a speedy recovery!
Get Well Soon Tanji!!!

I will occasionally do a "sissy squat" type exercise...  I use the lying leg press machine (where you are basically parallel to the floor....you know, the girly leg press, LOL).  So you lie down with feet on the platform, and lift your butt up off the sled so there is no angle at the hips, and then perform the press from that position.

Sorry, I have no pictures , and I am bad at explaining things  ....but if you can figure out what I'm trying to describe, its a very good exercise for quad sweep

Wow!  Very cool, and a great little write-up about the athletes and what they go through.

Thanks so much!

Lindsey is a FigureRX athlete, and she has an off-season training journal going on in her backstage area at FigureRX.com.  Talk about an amazingly strong woman!!!  Some of her numbers would put most guys to shame    Go and check it out when you get a chance....(my journal is up too, but my numbers are not nearly as impressive as hers 

She definitely has the glutes to pull it off though   

What an amazing physique!  Hopefully she will get a better look next year.

I think it depends.  When I practice my routine I will usually practice on a gymnastics floor (softer, more cushioned) until I'm closer to the show.  Then I start doing one time per week on the hard wood aerobics floor.
As far as safety...the cushioned floor is better for the joints as far as pounding goes, but if you're like me and have "loose" ankle joints, it's a sprained ankle waiting to happen.  The softness, for some reason, just makes it a lot easier to "roll" an ankle.  I don't mind competing up on the harder stage.  I don't think any of the ladies are doing such difficult gymnastics moves (like double twists and so on) that a softer floor would be necessary.  But I do think that it does help to save the joints to practice on a softer floor (and for me, I practice barefoot and with my ankle(s) taped).

Hope this was clear.  It is an intersesting question.  But I don't know how they could make a stage more cushioned, unless they put wrestling mats or something up there.  Personally, My worst fear is doing the routine after bodybuilders have been on stage.....oil can be very slippery.

After looking through this thread, I'll second the comment by mightylightweight in that I would love to have the chance to shoot with this photographer.  I think every photo in this thread is beautiful, and none are the typical bodybuilding poses.....
WOW...

And Double WOW for those pics of Claire.  Absolutely amazing!

Roe,

I was a spectator at the Gold's.  I'm all done competing for the year, LOL.  I competed at 4 shows over the summer and dieted for a total of 31 weeks straight, so it was time for a nice break.  Right now I'm working on my off-season.  Next show for me will be the Europa....although I was asked to possibly be a guest poser at the NJ State show next year (which I believe is in June)..I think that will be really fun 

Again, what Lisa (?) has accomplished is just incredible.  Unfortunatley I won't be attending the East Coast today (can't take off from work again), but wish her the best for me...she really deserves it!

Erin

Roeperson-

I was at the Gold's last weekend and when the ladies first came out, I most noticed number 47 and number 48 (Lisa?).  I had no idea that she had obtained that physique after starting out 60+ pounds heavier.  She looked INCREDIBLE, and now that I know the whole story, I am even that much more impressed.  Very inspiring.

Wish her good luck for me at her upcoming shows and in the future, from a fellow NJ competitor (fitness),
Erin

AZ...you looked great!  I was there for the pre-judging and when you ladies came onto stage, I was like, wow, I think thats the woman that posts on getbig, and my boyfriend and I both thought you looked great.  If you don't mind me asking, where in Jersey do you train?  I thought I saw Del near you guys after prejudging, and i know he occasionally trains people at the gym I work/train at...so I was just curious if you were in my area? 

Anyways, congrats and good luck at Easterns...you will do great!

az...you're from NJ?  What show are ou prepping for?  Anything in NJ, or is it the nationals?  Just curious because I'm from jersey too, and am planning to attend the Golds this weekend and then the eastern USA"s in 3 weeks.  Either way, good luck with your prep!!

Oh, and kick some @$$ Luv....you look GREAT 

Thanks Luv and Rip!

I agree, Gene takes some wonderful photos, and it was really great to work with him.  I definitely will be looking to shoot with him again in the future.  I especialy love the black and white photos  .

couple more....
no idea who the guy in that one picture is, but he wanted a picture with me, LOL

From AC:

Sandra,

Wow, what a story.  I'm going to restate the obvious and say that the judging in Spain was obviously far from fair, and you deserved to be on that Olympia Stage.  And furthermore, I really think you had a fair shot at the top 10 in the Olympia.

But what I would really like to say is that you really are an inspiration.  As a young fitness competitor that is very new to the sport, I think it is really great to have individuals like you to look up to as role models.  You set an amazing example for us new competitors, in that you never give up, and you always show up ready to compete, no matter what the circumstances. 

It is unfortunate what happened in Spain, but I hope that it has just put that much more fire in your drive to reach your dream.  If you can continue to do what you're doing, it would be an insult to the sport for you not to be on the Olympia stage next year.  I look forward to getting the chance to meet you at one of the shows next year 

Now go kick some butt in West Palm Beach.  I will most certainly be rooting for you!!

woohoo!! Tied for 34th, LOL 

I guess next season I need to compete a little more and earn a few more points.

Very Cool Rick...and also very interesting.  Thanks!