RIPITUP'S CONTEST PREP THREAD - ONWARD TO NATIONALS!!!!!

[benz]

the guy in background @ pic #2 is taking a piss, epic 

[CT_Muscle]

And the backside...

Yes, there's some to lose on the backside still!! 

Jenny is going to give me a hard time for wearing shorts that make my ass look larger than it already is.   

Nice ass! 

[ripitupbaby]

Nice ass! 

LOL thanks! 
 

[jtsunami]

Playboy watch out!   So hot right now Rip 

[Luv2Hurt]

Thanks...I'm with you Luv Baby!  Milk, cheese, sugar...what are those things?!?! 
The diet is pretty tight right now.  For this week and into next week, I am going to hold the diet steady but focus on getting control of my water retention by weening myself off of soy sauce and tamari sauce, which I am totally addicted to.  I think that cutting down on my sodium intake will help significantly.  My backside and hams were actually tighter a week ago, and I know I haven't gained any fat, so I definitely have some water issues to deal with.  (not to say that I don't have another 10-12 pounds to lose  )

I also started Third Degree Burn this morning and will take that for the next 8 weeks, in addition to Palumbo's fat burner, which I am still taking.  I'll add Thyrotabs for the final 5-6 weeks. 

One thing is for sure...the bright sunlight is very unforgiving!  It washes your muscle definition right out.  If you can look good and hard in outdoor pics in the bright sunlight, then you can look good and hard anywhere!!

For comparison purposes, these are a few pics of me at 8 weeks out from Junior Nats last year.  It's kind of hard to compare because I had almost a year for a very productive off-season, so I look a bit different.  I may have been a little tighter last year at 8 weeks out, but I am definitely bigger in the legs and thicker everywhere than I was last year. 

SOY SAUCE! tell me your freeking kidding! No weening just stop with it right now. Yeah no reason to cut all the salt but those things loaded with it should go now.  Pretty much enough naturaly occuring sodium in the foods you eat at this point.

Keep pounding the water.  Where are your carbs comming from?  Time to get Spartan with this shit.

Your pics from last year (very cute I may add) yes it looks like you have added some size but its hard to tell where you will end up in shape.  You look sleeker in 07, waist smaller at this point.

You can still get this done.  weeks 4-2 should show the biggest improvements.

[flexingtonsteele]

you were definetely tighter at this point last year, but u have added some size in your lower body, WHICH YOU NEEDED! So just keep goin with the diet and cardio, and do overdo the stimulants since your body is already stressed out with everything elese, and you'll bring your best YET!

Glen

[ripitupbaby]

SOY SAUCE! tell me your freeking kidding! No weening just stop with it right now. Yeah no reason to cut all the salt but those things loaded with it should go now.  Pretty much enough naturaly occuring sodium in the foods you eat at this point.

Keep pounding the water.  Where are your carbs comming from?  Time to get Spartan with this shit.

Your pics from last year (very cute I may add) yes it looks like you have added some size but its hard to tell where you will end up in shape.  You look sleeker in 07, waist smaller at this point.

You can still get this done.  weeks 4-2 should show the biggest improvements.

LOL OK I am officially off the soy sauce. 

Carbs change as I move through the diet and will change in a couple weeks, but right now, my complex carbs consist of 1/2 cup of organic five grain oatmeal (oats, flax, barley, tritcale, rye) every morning, and 3/4 cup of brown rice on my "high" days, maybe like 2-3 times a week.

you were definetely tighter at this point last year, but u have added some size in your lower body, WHICH YOU NEEDED! So just keep goin with the diet and cardio, and do overdo the stimulants since your body is already stressed out with everything elese, and you'll bring your best YET!

Glen

It's all good.  Nothing I can do now but move forward and see what happens in the next few weeks. 

[ripitupbaby]

OH, and I forgot to log my workout from yesterday (back and abs), but you can just assume I am training and doing my cardio every day even if I don't say so.  I did want to log my leg workout from tonight, though.  It's amazing how WEAK I feel all of a sudden.  It's a good thing the powerlifting meet is over LOL.  Big thanks to Hedge for teaching me how to get my strength to peak for that meet.  It's been downhill since then.   

AM - cardio 50 mins on the bike

PM - legs/cardio

SQUATS - ass to calves!
barx15, 95x15
135x8
155x5/3 sets (or maybe four?)
135x8
I increased the reps a little bit on a couple sets, but this would be considered a light workout for me, and it didn't feel so light!

Leg Extensions - Hammer strength plate loaded, 4 sets x 12 (last set was a dropset about 25 reps)
Seated Calf Raise - Hammer strength plate loaded, 4 sets x 15
-Two extra sets of unweighted calf raises on my poor little left calf, which will never catch up to the right one
-Three sets x 12 of this cool little squatting exercise/stretch thing with the body bar, squatting ass to calves
Life Fitness Calf Extension - 3 sets x 15

Finished with another 45 minutes on the bike.

[The BEAST]

SOY SAUCE! tell me your freeking kidding! No weening just stop with it right now. Yeah no reason to cut all the salt but those things loaded with it should go now.  Pretty much enough naturaly occuring sodium in the foods you eat at this point.

are you serious?  IMO sodium isn't a bad thing this far out...I used lots of soy sauce, mustard, hot sauce, pickles and plain old salt until the very end.  Retaining water isn't that big a deal until the morning of the show...

[The BEAST]

Also get rid of those awful shorts and your taper will look much better and your waist smaller.

It is hard to compare the pics because the difference in lighting, I think you may be a tad tighter last year but I don't think it is by much.

[Luv2Hurt]

are you serious?  IMO sodium isn't a bad thing this far out...I used lots of soy sauce, mustard, hot sauce, pickles and plain old salt until the very end.  Retaining water isn't that big a deal until the morning of the show...

Very serious, did it sound like i was joking or something? as I said no reason to cut it out completly but its not good to load up on it.  Really dont see the point, I see you like salty stuff, good for you.

[flexingtonsteele]

yea i dont think there is a problem with soy sauce, a little extra sodium is most likely a good thing this far out especially with the low carbs. Keep her from getting dehydrated, and sodium plays a big part in getting the beloved "pump".

[jtsunami]

Also get rid of those awful shorts and your taper will look much better and your waist smaller.

It is hard to compare the pics because the difference in lighting, I think you may be a tad tighter last year but I don't think it is by much.

I love those shorts, I think you just don't want her to get all the attention   

[w8m8]

WOW  You look incredible. You really are very beautiful.

DITTO 

way to go Rip !!

Congrats too .. awesome work from an awesome girl !!!

[The_Leafy_Bug]

Thanks...I'm with you Luv Baby!  Milk, cheese, sugar...what are those things?!?! 
The diet is pretty tight right now.  For this week and into next week, I am going to hold the diet steady but focus on getting control of my water retention by weening myself off of soy sauce and tamari sauce, which I am totally addicted to.  I think that cutting down on my sodium intake will help significantly.  My backside and hams were actually tighter a week ago, and I know I haven't gained any fat, so I definitely have some water issues to deal with.  (not to say that I don't have another 10-12 pounds to lose  )

I also started Third Degree Burn this morning and will take that for the next 8 weeks, in addition to Palumbo's fat burner, which I am still taking.  I'll add Thyrotabs for the final 5-6 weeks. 

One thing is for sure...the bright sunlight is very unforgiving!  It washes your muscle definition right out.  If you can look good and hard in outdoor pics in the bright sunlight, then you can look good and hard anywhere!!

For comparison purposes, these are a few pics of me at 8 weeks out from Junior Nats last year.  It's kind of hard to compare because I had almost a year for a very productive off-season, so I look a bit different.  I may have been a little tighter last year at 8 weeks out, but I am definitely bigger in the legs and thicker everywhere than I was last year. 

I don't know why you are cutting the salt. I usually use excessive amounts along with tons of water but do what you are doing. I don't want to mess you up by giving you too many ideas 

[ripitupbaby]

Thanks w8m8! 

And thank you guys for the input.  Jenny's right about the shorts.  But believe it or not, I do not have a posing suit in my possession rigt now.  The ones for this year are on order.

As for the diet, salt intake, etc. you can give me whatever ideas you want, it's always interesting to hear everyone's perspective, and we all know there are a million ways to do things.  But make no mistake, I am running everything by Carla and basically doing whatever she tells me.

Yesterday was a really bad day.  It was one of those days when everything just catches up with me and almost takes me down.  LOL
My back is super tweeked in several places and is killing me.  My lower back hurts from the PL meet still, and somehow I have managed to completely kink it in between my shoulder blades now too.  It's giving me sleeping problems now.  I called my chiro, but his office is totally closed for vacation until Monday.  On top of it, my legs are SO sore from that workout the other day... my quads and hips are killing me.  So pretty much everything from the neck down hurt yesterday.   

I had a meeting to drive to (2 hours each way which was almost unbearable, and I have no AC in my car either), so I got up early to do cardio and then drove to the meeting.  I was so uncomfortable and so tired that I had to pull over twice and lay in the back of the car for a little bit.  I completely sweated out my clothes before I even got to the meeting LOL. 
I then left the meeting early because I felt horrible, stopped off and somehow banged out another 40 mins of cardio before almost passing out, had an emergency protein shake at the gym, barely made it home, and passed out for two hours on my couch.  I almost never sleep during the day or take naps, so you know I'm in bad shape when I do.

No weight training last night... I have no idea how I even managed to get my cardio in because it was one of the worst days I've had yet.  I'm more rested today and my leg soreness is getting better, but my back is in bad shape.  Got 50 mins of cardio done this morning, and I weighed 127.8 pounds.  Today will be a better day... it has to be!!  I am also ordering up a tub of glutamine and BCAAs and some ZMA today... I've been slack about the supplements that I should be taking.

[flexingtonsteele]

bcaa's, zinc and magnesium are definite must haves, you'll feel a difference ( recovery wise ) just adding those into your regimine.

Sorry you had the shitty day lori, but its better it happens now than 8 weeks from now

Stay Strong

[bthomas77]

awww....

**hugs**

i will definatly keep you and your back in my prayers.

its crazy how back pain, more then anything can just drain you.

anyway, good on you for getting your cardio in, but remember, your overall health should be number one.....be careful.

[AVBG]

Keep it going RIP!  It's all about consistency from now till the show. You look improved in the pics, it seems like your off-season with the PL so far has paid off. 

[ripitupbaby]

Thanks guys... thanks alex!!!   

Eh, that's the way it goes...you have good days and bad days.  Contest prep isn't easy, no matter what anyone ever says. 
I'm going to try not to make any more emo posts!!   

Yesterday was a decent day... 50 mins on the bike in the morning, 45 on the elliptical after work, and a good arm workout last night.  I got my cardio in this morning... I'll do my cardio tonight, but I'm not sure yet if I'll train.

[ramapo28]

Hey Rip! Follwing along!  You really put on some nice size!  Hope your feeling better today

[knny187]

freak show

[Luv2Hurt]

freak show

In a good way.

[bthomas77]

hope you are doing well....

[ripitupbaby]

Thank you guys... ramapo, thanks for putting your first post in my thread. 

I'm doing alright. 
Had a very busy weekend.  I did a good workout Friday night, and then we worked a BB show all day yesterday and went to a birthday party last night.  We went racing all day today.

I took a couple of totally spur of the moment pics at the race track today, right after I came back from a 20 minute run.  It was really HOT, and I was a mess.   

My midsection has tightened up quite a bit, my abs are just about in, and my legs aren't as watery as they were last week...although it's still hard to flex them because they are always so beaten on.  I swear, they are harder than they appear in the pics!  Still having problems with my lat spread too.

I'm actually pretty happy with where I am for seven weeks out.  I'm finally starting to feel on track.