SweetCapri's journal: I Can Do It All! Can't I?

[SweetCapri Profile Website]

I began logging my training and some of my nutrition over on the Muscle & Fitness Hers forums but I will be moving everything here. I will be copying and pasting my previous posts and continue logging on here. Hope you enjoy my tiny, humble, boring little life.

xoxo

[SweetCapri Profile Website]

(copied and pasted from my journal entry on M & F Hers on 7-3-14)
So I had been looking at several forums to start a journal and I settled on this one. I am a little biased but we'll go into that later.
I am a mom first and foremost to 2 children. They are the most important thing in my life right now. They are older, 14 and 16 so that gives me flexibility and freedom to do a lot more things now that they can watch themselves. But I do have stories which I will share later. You just wait.
I've been competing in figure since 2003. Even though I have qualified for nationals every year I've competed, I've never had as much desire, drive and focus to do a national show until this year.
One of the reasons being is having an extremely supportive team behind me, a wonderful coach, and family members who are behind me and all see potential in me.
Thankfully I am self-employed - I do wellness and fitness coaching, and I am a makeup artist. I designed and maintain my own website, social media networks and I blog frequently about various topics such as relationships, stage makeup, and just random other things. This can be very time consuming. I am also my own bookkeeper, accountant, secretary, etc. Talk about multi-tasker. LOL. My work as a makeup artist has grown significantly this year and there are days I have a hard time getting my meals in and training in due to all the traveling.
Wait, there's more. I am applying to PhD programs because apparently my life isn't complete or busy enough if I don't get yet another college degree. In the midst of it all, I have been writing a short narrative story to be published which is turning out to be more work than I thought, again, due to all the traveling. I can still do it all...can't I?
I love what I do though!
So anyway, I did the Atlantic States June 2nd this year and I placed 2nd in the Figure A class and won the Master's Overall class. Felt good!
I lost nearly 30lbs in the process, possibly the most weight I've ever gained and lost in my years competing. The only other time I lost that much weight was after I had my daughter and decided I wanted to get into the fitness lifestyle. I had gone from a size 14-12 to a size 5 and then when I began competing I rarely went over a size 2-3. I am a small girl though, so even 120lbs on me looks "thick". I didn't even realize stress, life, divorce, relationship issues, etc. had my weight sky rocket! I had never gone above 10-15lbs over my competition weight. Damn, what happened to me?
Anyway, I had set myself up to do MASTER'S NATIONALS...but I will write more about that in another post.
I will also post about my trips to shows and doing makeup, my training and workouts, meals, etc. Hopefully I can get some tips and discover new recipes and hear from other women...moms especially!

[SweetCapri Profile Website]

*From 7-4-12*
My gym closed at 1pm today so I had to do both cardio and lifting. I am going to have to skip my 2nd cardio session but this is supposed to be my week off anyway.
About that week off - after the Atlantic States I took very little time off and was at the gym I think 2-3 days later. I wasn't sticking to my diet 100% but was still eating clean. I didn't blow up or gain too much weight. In fact, I stayed within 2 pounds of contest weight for nearly 2 weeks!
So my coach and I decided to do Master's Nationals. I was excited! But then...I began having to travel to attend to posing clients, makeup clients at shows...and I was having a hard time with it all. I also didn't feel the same drive I felt prepping for the Atlantic States...not even close. It didn't feel right.
I realized I hadn't even enjoyed a burger or a full meal in months, not to mention going out to eat with my children or family.
The Saturday after the Hartford Europa I went out to eat with the bodybuilding champ Juan Morel and friends at a diner. We had a great time, but, I was eating tilapia and lettuce. LOL. That same night I was asked out to dinner and went out for sushi.
When I got home I realized that I wanted and needed a break!
I emailed my coach and we went back and forth with a more feasible plan. This week OFF, next week after Team Universe, and the holidays is back on track! We are shooting for the North Americans and I am committed to it! I feel much better about it.
Now if I could just stay away from chocolate this week...hmmm...
oh crap...my son just gave me a chocolate chip cookie. I ate it.
Next week will be here before I know it so might as well enjoy!

[SweetCapri Profile Website]

From July 5, 2012
I had so much to do including the packing, so my workout, although intense, was a bit short. I ave also been experiencing dizziness all day. It sucks.
Here's today's ham/glute workout
4 sets seated curls - 12-15 reps
4 sets leg presses - 12 -15 reps
4 plie squats - 12 - 15 reps
3 sets of stiffed leg deadlifts - 10 - 12

45 minutes of cardio.

Came home and had my shake!

Now packed a gazillion things for Team U!

[SweetCapri Profile Website]

From July 9, 2012
Team Universe was exhausting to say the least. I left Friday after my cardio and some meal prep time.
I was also sitting around waiting for an order from MAC that contained a bunch of fake lashes I'd be using on makeup clients I had booked for the show. Of course the order didn't show up on time so I ended up having to stop at a MAC en route and pick up lashes. Uggh!
I knew I wasn't going to make it to the gym and I also knew I'd be off the diet. It was my last few days "off" until I went back into it full force for the North Americans.
My day began early Saturday morning. Very early - an unexpected 4am makeup client showed up at my door. I wasn't thrilled but what can I do.
But that's when my day got more hectic. A client passed out in my room - EMTs had to be called. Ladies, stop taking things to the extreme! That last week could be very dangerous and potentially fatal. And if you are doing figure or bikini, stop doing things that male bodybuilders do. I notice a lot of these girls are trained by their boyfriends and have them do crazy stuff. No. Just no!
Anyway, I worked NON-STOP pretty much all of Saturday. Traffic in and out of my room was constant.
I was very proud of being a one-woman makeup show yet handling all my clients on a timely fashion while providing quality work. I will post a link to some of the photos soon!
I checked out of my hotel Sunday, still no cardio, training or diet. Went out for brunch with a few friends at IHOP and it was followed by a trip to a BBQ hosted by Juan Morel and his fiance Karen. My tummy still hurts from all the yummy foods and desserts!
Today I had a lot of running around to do and I am still exhausted. Actually exhausted is an understatement.
Started back on my diet and training for the North Americans today. I did do my fasted morning cardio but I am still exhausted and not sure I'll have the energy to go train or do a second cardio session. I feel like I still need to recover.
This week I have almost NO carbs in my diet which will make the adjustment feel a little more cold turkey-ish.
My next workout will be shoulders and I will post the details tomorrow!

[SweetCapri Profile Website]

From July 13, 2012
Been on my diet and training grind on my way to the North Americans for almost a week now. I'd be lying if I didn't mention that it was hard to go cold turkey. Last diet my coach IFBB Pro Fakhri Mubarak gave me had almost no carbs and that's where I picked it up from. OMG!
Not only that but I'd been doing my 2-45 minute cardio sessions.

I won't bore you with the shoulder workout I was supposed to post but I will go right ahead and cheerfully share with you the insanity I decided to put myself through by doing Rob Youells' leg workout. He, along with Guy Cisternino posted pics on Twitter about it, along with another guy who ended up puking. I thought to myself...hey, that's the workout for me!
Here's what it consisted of (taken directly from his blog on MD)
"4 sets leg extensions, squeeze at the top of the rep
1-3 strips set to failure, with small partial reps at the end
4 sets leg presses, working up to 20 plates
1-5 strip sets, taking off two plates at a time to failure (or yack, which is what our buddy did)
4 sets of inverted leg presses, wider stance, deeper rep to hit glutes even harder
4 sets of squats at 225 to failure (which happens a lot quicker at the end of all the other stuff)
3 sets of seated leg curls, pyramiding up in weight
3 sets of lying leg curls, pyramiding up in weight."

Clearly I did not do the 20 plates on the leg press but I did perform all the exercises except the lying leg curls. I didn't quite puke but holy cow did I feel sick. The worst part for me was doing my cardio after. I could hardly remain balanced and my legs felt like jelly. It's now Friday and my quads hurt to the touch.
Umm, yah, I'll be skipping that workout for a while. LOL.

Other than that I'm still recovering from the craziness at Team U. I haven't even unpacked and sorted my makeup.

Oh and here's a cool article I wrote that's being shared. I guess a lot of competitors appreciated my perspective and I certainly appreciate the positive feedback. Here's the link! http://www.amandasweetcapri.blogspot.co ... -show.html
Also, those who still frequent these forums and keep a journal on here sit tight. There might be some new options for us!

[SweetCapri Profile Website]

Haven't posted much since my trip to Vegas where I spent much of time learning this new website and the system, and working. I barely had time to train. I think in the next few days I have to make a solid and sound decision about whether competing at the North Americans is a good idea right now. I will be on the road a few more times, with my next trip being the Tampa Pro.
The most difficult thing for me was getting my meals in. While preparing to head out to Vegas for the USAs, I took the advice of Rob Youells by freezing my tilapia and spinach to bring on the plane. I thought I was all set, but of course my ass forgets to bring it. There was a lot of going out to eat and I tried my best to stay within my dietary boundaries and I think I did pretty good at it. My only problem became getting my meals in...I was running on empty for over 3 hours at time.
I have been back on track with my nutrition and training since returning from Vegas and I'm back on my double cardio sessions.
My energy has been at an all time low though but I'm hoping by middle of this week I can feel better.

[SweetCapri Profile Website]

Another leg day and again, I gotta admit that I am LOVING LEG DAY! I used to hate doing legs...hate hate hate. But now I get such a great feeling of accomplishment, that soreness, and like I'm finally getting some results. Yah, took me like 7 years of competing to finally get here.
There is no squat rack at a planet fitness, the ONLY gym near me, and their smith machine SUCKS. So I haven't gone all out on squats in a while.
I do leg presses instead, with my feet about an inch outside of shoulder width.
Today's workout:
Leg Press 2 warm up sets, 4 working sets x 6-12 reps
Leg extensions 4 sets 12 - 15 reps
Smith Machine Squats with my feet only about an 1 1/2 -2 inches apart. This has been AMAZING at working my
glutes. I go very very light with high reps and do 3 to 4 sets with 15-18 reps.

That's all I did. Remember, I also do a 2nd leg workout to specifically hit hamstrings and glutes. Those have been my weak areas and I am determined to improve them.

I finished my workout with 45 WONDERFUL minutes on the treadmill on a 15 incline. I thank Fakhri for introducing me to this...best thing I could have ever done to shape my glutes for competition.

Until next workout.

xoxo

[SweetCapri Profile Website]

Well, this past weekend I was in Tampa for the PBW Championships and needless to say, I did not hit the gym nor did I follow any type of diet while on the trip. You'd think that this would be a nice relief and break from the dieting but it turns out that I eat a lot less with the amount of work that's on my plate.
I did train very hard the week leading to my departure because I knew I'd hardly have time to train or follow my diet.
I came back Sunday afternoon and on Monday I was ready to things back up.
I trained BACK on Monday and I'm still feeling sore.
- Dumbbell Bent-over rows 4 x 10-15
- Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns 3 x 12 - 15
- One arm cable seated rows 3 x 12 -15
- Pulldowns on cable pulley 3 x 12

I typically do 2 -3 more exercises but the gym was crowded and my patience was running low. I proceeded to my 2nd cardio session.
My back is one of those body parts that's well developed and I don't necessarily have to train it too much.
I stuck to my diet + some ice cream. Go ahead, sue me! LOL.

[SweetCapri Profile Website]

Oh how I'm becoming a seasoned traveler and I'm learning to pack my meals and make sure I get some type of workout in while I'm on the road. In the past my trips had been short, only 2 1/2-3 hours back and forth from MA to NY and I had a "home gym" in both states. Now I have to prepare and plan ahead...way ahead!
With that said, my new tactic and approach is to train my ass off during the week, make sure I don't miss any meals or training days, get my 2 cardio sessions in daily, because I know my weekends will be hectic.
I hit hamstrings pretty hard the Wednesday before I left. Once I arrived to Dallas on Thursday I noticed a very sharp pain on my right foot...still I did my cardio shortly after settling into my hotel room.
The pain didn't get better throughout the weekend and I could hardly do cardio but I still pushed through it and got cardio sessions in Friday and Saturday. I took Sunday off.
My right foot still in pain, not sure if it was due to my hauling my luggage around in flip flops or what. Whenever I rest my foot flat on the ground, it sends shocking pain all the way up to my head and it almost make me cry.

Anyway, I'm still getting my workouts in! Today I'll be training triceps. I have gone back to doing one body part only so I can fit in my cardio. I found that I feel so much better when I get my cardio in, and it also keeps in shape!

On another note, I am now contemplating doing the EAsterns in NYC...I always get that itch to step on stage. I am just not sure how my travel schedule would accommodate a contest prep! Any thoughts or suggestions, feel free to post them!

[SweetCapri Profile Website]

Talk about slacking, uh?
Well, I have an excuse, as I do for mostly everything. I have been going through a few changes and I will document it in more details on my blog.
The Olympia is just around the corner and everyone's trying to look all cute and in shape. For me, not being in contest prep mode has made me be a little more lenient and easy on my diet. I'm not sure if I like it.
The past couple of weeks I hadn't been consistent with my dieting and training as I was dealing with a move and some family stuff. It's all under control now and I'm eager to resume a more consistent training routine.
My diet has outright sucked. I am not getting as much as I should be as far as protein intake and I am finding myself stretched thin working at all kinds of hours. Blahh!
Whenever possible I still try to get AT LEAST 40 minutes of cardio daily. It's the only way I get to stay in decent shape and feel great.
I will keep you guys posted as this new week develops and I am trying to get back on track.
How are you guys feeling?

[SweetCapri Profile Website]

Hello my friends. I've been lost in the wilderness. Well, I've been very busy and clearly my training has suffered a lot. I am not too worried about my diet since I am not in contest prep mode. However, I do have to say that I am excited to start training for the shows I've picked for next year. Let's just say enough is enough and I'm ready for a Pro card! I will write more details about this on my blog!
I am still maintaining a cardio program of at the very least 30 minutes, 4 day per week. Some people cut out their cardio altogether in the off season but I was determined to not gain the amount of weight I gained last year. The cardio helps me stay lean and it also makes me feel great.
Now the thing that I am finding is not lifting enough - I think I have to consciously make a decision on days where I can't fit in both cardio and lifting, to opt for the lifting alone. I need to work on the weak body parts and maintain the ones that are okay.
My biggest challenge out of all thing is...believe it or not, EATING! Have you ever felt so consumed by your daily routine that you find hours going by before you get a meal in? Well, that's me right now. With the launching of a new website, meetings with sponsors, writing articles, etc, I just forget to eat. I'm not sure how this is going to affect me once I begin prepping.
Well that's my brief update. Hope to give you another one very soon!

[SweetCapri Profile Website]

Clearly I have put training and dieting in the back burner since my last post. I have picked things back up in the new year.
I have cleaned up my diet because I ain't gonna lie, I ate...a lot, during the holidays. I have been feeling pretty good and healthy also as I celebrated my other 28th birthday.
Right now my focus is to stay training and keeping my cardio at 35 minutes, at LEAST 4 days per week. This is very important to me because I don't want to go nuts once I start dieting down and do the insane cardio most end up having to do.
I have also been very conscious of my eating choices, holiday eating aside, and I think that's the other reason why my contest prep will go smoother than ever.
My diet still consists mostly of fish. Yup...you read it correctly. I feel much better when I eat fish. I did manage to eat my 3rd burger since March of 2012. I loved it!

I still do my legs 2x per week. This has been helping my lower body remain tight since that's been a problem area, especially now as I get older.

Alright...look for some more updates as the season begins! Who's going to the Arnold this year?!