blinged out

finally finished stoning my suit!!!
800+ stones later and here is a sneak peak:
excuse the blurry-ness,these pictures don't even show half of how sparkly it is!

Friday I'm headed off to check in and then after that its more coats of tan,and getting the house picked up and show bag packed.
and then i will be looking to my pre-comp meal of a big fat juicy steak with sweet potato!
nom nom nom nom......

and then in 36 hours,i plan to get major carb faced and I'm sure i will wake up Sunday morning looking something like this:

happy Thursday(almost friday!) yall!!!

last chance workout :D

AM cardio:50 minutes running done!
afternoon workout: DONE!
legs/shoulders/abs/tris
4x24 single leg leg press jumps
4x18 hip abd
4x18 hip add
4x15 lying leg curl
4x12 upright rows ss w
4x30 dirty 30's
giant set of
4x15 hack straight leg dead leg lifts
4x15 DB overhead triceps extension
4x12 DB lateral raises
4x12 front raises ss w
4x15 DB kickbacks with twists
3x12 military press ss w
3x10 dips
quad set of
3x30 weighted hip ups
3x30 weighted russian twists
3x12 pikes off ex ball
3x1 minute plank with alternating lateral arm movement

immediately afterwards:
30 min HIIT on elliptical. (5 miles)
1 min on/1 min off
total sweatfest.

PM cardio: DONE!
 after kiddos went to bed i ran another 5 miles on the TM.
i am officially DONE with workouts!
now its up to nutrition,water and tons of good luck to carry me to the stage in less than 72 hours!

yay!
to say i have been burning my candle at both ends is an understatement,
my body NEEDS the rest on Thursday and Friday.....well "rest" from the gym.
still a busy next 2 days until show day.

its the final countdown yall!
I'm getting excited!!!!
and my husband cant wait to get his wife back. she has been temporarily replaced with Ms.Moody Cranky Pants.
she will be gone soon,promise!!!!
heres praying to the prep gods i come in on stage looking how i need to
and that all stays stress free,
everything will run smoothly
and that i can trust the process!
happy wednesday yall!

pics-smoke and mirrors

so i finally got a couple pics to upload.....this is how i was looking was at two weeks out

 and this is where i was at 4 days ago

im doing my best to stay positive here!!
one good thing is that i ALMOST done stoning my suit!!!!
i ran out of stones and am waiting on more to come in tomorrow. should be done by Thursday-i am excited about that...
i am also getting really excited to be able to eat "real food" after the show.
4 days left!
gah i have literally been dreaming about food.
th other night i dreamed i was eating homemade chocolate chip pumpkin cookies after eating lomein noodles,fried rice and big bowl of cereal with a banana sliced on top...
how crazy is that???
just had to LOL on that one...
I've had crazy dreams during prep before,always involving being on stage wwithout a tan and in horrible condition,or forgetting my shoes or suit,or makeup.....
but food dreams?too. funny.

anyways,
tomorrow is my last chance workout,
I'm actually looking forward to it!
its legs/tris/abs/shoulders on the agenda,followed by sprints and then i plan on running until my wheels fall off that night.....

for those competitors out there,
what is the craziest dream you have had during prep?

measurements-1 wk out

still not able to get pics on here!
gah!
but i am seeing changes.
measurements:
waist-20.5"
hips-29.5"
thigh-14.5"
arm-9.4"

because my shoulders have grown some,i am seeing a slightly stronger V,my back has gotten a touch more thickness to it,and has kept the detail work in as well...
my abs are there,i just can not figure out how to get them to pop out when im in heels!
shoulders are finally capped off nicely,
my legs,well i am very impressed with how they are looking.glute/ham tie in is there,hams are split as with quads,and i can see glimpses of the 4th head of the quads if i flex just right.....

now its just the hoping and praying that my body holds out on me and does nothing crazy during peak week. if i can just maintain what i have now,then i will be bringing in a hopefully more competitive package to the stage...
4 more days left to hit the weight room
and then its up to nutrition and water (and some good luck) to carry me through until show day!

:D

peak week

well, even though that doesn't start until tomorrow,the misadventures of peak week have already begun. (yes,every peak week has started off bad,EVERY one)
my middle baby has caught the sickies i had and was up all night puking.
I'm sure its just a matter of time before the other 2 catch it it as well.
as most know by now,i have a phobia of vomit.
this will be a nerve wracking week for me to say the very very least!!!!
ill be a sanitizing fool for the next week.
don't know when i can get in workouts seeing as my husbands work schedule is crazy busy.

heres to a better day tomorrow and a hopefully stress free rest of peak week?????????

back in the saddle again...

thank you everyone for the kind words/comments on my last posts!
the positive vibes were felt,and I'm feeling a little better.
I'm back at it-back in the gym,back with cardio,back on track with nutrition....

I've had some tough workouts these past 2 days,and by tough i mean pansy.and by pansy,i mean pansy as in light weights.
but its something,and that's better than nothing.

i hope i can try to find the energy inside and crank out 6 more days of workouts. i hope the little sickness wasn't a huge setback,I'm still a little bloated over,but hopefully by this weekend,things will be looking better.
i will try to post pictures this weekend.
camera is still not wanting to upload pics!
grrr.
9 days left.
i can do this.
i am stronger than what i think...
this is the time where i have to step up or shut up,where i have to dig deep and push hard when my body doesn't feel like it can go anymore,and then after that,push myself even more.
time to play the game!

:D

sick

oh no! 11 days out from this show and i am sick.
was up all night.
not much is staying down.
im feeling like dog poo right now.i am  hoping this passes ASAP.
this is not a good time to be getting depleted right now!!

and yes lacey,i have been thinking about you and when you wrote this post:
http://shesinyourface.blogspot.com/2011/09/perspective.html

heres hoping i feel better soon and am able to resume contest prep as usual by tomorrow!!!!

birthday boy!

i cant believe that my first born baby turned 8 today!!!!
he is so awesome.
i am truely blessed to have such a wonderful young man!!

seems like yesterday he was holding his first little sister...

 and wow,it feels like less than yesterday he was my sweet lil baby boy!

of course he will ALWAYS be my sweet baby!
where is time going by????
happy birthday to my monkey mo Bailey!

2 weeks out!

yeah 12 days now!
my camera is down so no pics until it works again!
ugh!
but i am seeing small changes
measurements-
waist-20.6"
hips-29.8"
arms-9.4"
legs-14.6"

lots going on here in the Cunningham house.(hence the semi MIA in blogland) busy with sports and school stuff with the kids,and of course keeping up with a 1yr old and getting workouts in and cardio and staying on point with nutrition..
so a run down with prep:

physically-exhausted. counting the days until AM/PMcardio is over with.my body is really feeling the training.
my strength is WAY down. seriously,10lb DBs feel like 50lbs!
 little sleep (thanks to my lil teething party girl) and over training makes for long days.
mentally-to be honest,at times i'm having a hard time staying focused. i am still staying on point with nutrition and workouts,even though i could totally choke slam someone right now for a frappacino and/or fresh baked bread!!!
i just try to tell myself to take it one rep,one mile,one hour,one meal,one day at a time!
one mental block i am having right now is trying to feel more positive about going in this show fuller and not as detailed. for some reason,even though i know i will go on stage in great condition,i fear i wont feel i am stage ready and will totally be blown out of the water on show day.
 yeah i know totally silly-but its one of those thoughts in the back of my head.
i always have these doubts so close to a show.....

emotionally-ready to do this!ready to get back to "normalcy"after the show. my husband wants his wife back and is really wanting to feed this gal more carbs and soon! i get cranky when i start to taper carbs! am really trying to keep things in check though. although my energy and patience levels are very low right now,life is still moving right along and just cause mamma is tired,dont mean i can slow down any at all!!

in other prep news,i received the roster of the lineup for the show.
16 gals.
tough gals.
good news is that there will be 2 classes,so i wont be with the tall girls this time!

this will be a hard show to place at. every single girl competing is out to win this.
in a way,knowing who is going to be there has helped calm the nerves some. I've been on stage with at least half of these girls before. I'm feeling slightly intimidated,but slightly excited to be able to share this stage with this group of ladies!

its getting down to the wire now! I'm just hoping and praying my body holds out for 12 more days!!!!!
:D
today's workout was surprisingly good considering i was really tired and sore!


plyos-30 minute sweatfest...NO REST in between cycles this time

cycle 1: (each exercise 30seconds)
weighted sumo squat with explosive jumps,traveling russian jumps,knee tucks,lateral sprints,front raises

cycle 2:
jump lunges,lateral step up and overs,mountain climbers,gazelle bounds,DB flys

cycle 3:
double box jumps low to high,weighted ski lunge,blurpies,kareoki

then ended with hack deadlifts,traveling lunges,reverse traveling lunges and mule kicks.
ran out of time to do sprints but will playcatch up tomorrow!
so I'm going to keep this ball rolling....this is my last full week of workouts!
i gotta make every workout count...
I've got a pro show to win............(but ill take top 5!)

i call it the booty shaker....

plyos today,but the giant set i did AFTER totally left my glutes on fire!
the exercises?
15 DB stiff legged deadleg lifts on upside down BOSU
30 DB traveling lunges
30 DB REVERSE traveling lunges
12 pistol squats,(each leg)and I'm talking ATG here....
30 seconds rest,repeat 4x.....

by the 2nd set my muscles were shaking,aching and burning!
 the plyo work:
3 rounds of 3 cycles:

group 1:
box jumps-low to high
blurpies
weighted ski lunge
lateral sprints
group 2:
weighted jump lunges
weighted lateral step ups
mountain climbers
gazelle bounds
group 3:
weighted sumo squat with explosive jump
traveling Russian jumps
jump tucks
karaoke

by the last cycle,that karaoke looked like a sideways shuffle...
ended with about 5 miles on elliptical
just finished up 6 miles running on the TM while the kids are in bed.
i am one tired mamma!!!
this week will be busy with ball games every night,and then my sons birthday in 6 days!!!
he wants to make lots of treats,like cupcakes and chocolate covered marshmallows and all sorts of Halloween themed things.
and i will. he only turns 8 once!
at this point in prep,although the IDEA of sticking my face in a bowl of chocolate sounds tempting,my body really isnt craving sweets.
what i am craving though:
COFFEE. and fresh baked bread.........and a bowl of cereal.
mmmmmmmm
oh yeah and sleep!!!!
18 more days....
 it seems like that will take forever to get here.
my body is feeling the training,
my mind is all over the place...

but deep down i know i can do this!!!
heres to a great week yall!!

suit is here!!!

WOW!!!! you know you have a tiny suit when the package is small,and when opened,all the contents fit in a ziplock sandwich bag.
you know its an even SMALLER suit when it can fit into a SNACK bag

the GOOD news is that this new suit has a different cut than the last one. a stronger V front and bottom...and yes very little coverage in the back! the other good news---when i tried it on,i didnt feel like crawling into the closet and crying for days,LOL!!!!
it actually fit well...what?????
well, i still need some work to do,but its not nearly as bad as i was anticipating!
SO i just ordered the stones and hopefully by midweek i can start stoning away...

hope yall have a happy weekend!

3wks out!

just a few pics.funny how this morning was random picture while getting kids ready for baseball/t-ball/soccer games...lol!

 and this was last week.........

so not much change this week.
measurements:
waist-20.6
hips-30.2
arm-9.5
leg-14.6
still have almost an inch to lose in my hips/glutes.dangit!!!
yesterdays workout was solid.
i really had to push myself and if i sat down for too long i was afraid i wouldn't be able to keep pace....
the run down
back/bis/abs/shoulders
4x12 pullups
giant set of
4x12 t-bar ss w
4x18 barbell curls (6 reps narrow,nutral and wide)
4x12 upright rows barbell
giant set of
4x12 woodchops
4x12 hi cable single bicep curl
4x20 weighted crunch downs
giant set of
4x15 straight arm lat pull down ss w
4x30 mofo's (10 reps cable curl rear facing,10 reps curl forward facing,10 reps lateral curls)
3x10 lateral raises

4x12 rear delt fly
quad set of
4x12 military press with arnold twist
4x20 v-up
4x15 pikes on ex ball
4x1 min planks w alternating lateral arm movement

i was exhausted after this so i did an easy 5 miles on elliptical and then ran later last night for 5 miles.
got 4 miles in this morning,planning on speed work (HIIT) and legs/triceps in gym and then an hour of cardio tonight before bed.
i still have almost an inch to lose in my hips/glutes.have i mentioned that?
after tomorrow is said and done with,i should have about 85miles under my belt for the week
.next week I'm aiming for 90-100 and then after that will taper down the miles some back to 70ish,and then peak week,yeah maybe 45 or less...

to be honest,this week has been very hard on me emotionally.
more so from a personal aspect.
all i can say at this point is that life can throw some pretty wicked curve balls sometimes,and I'm dealing with stresses of that.
no worries,i will be OK.
 i am a worrier by nature so add in the stress of life plus the physical (and sometimes emotional) stress of the show...
yeah,i know these next 21 days will be hard and that will only make prep twice as hard.
BUT all i can do is just stay positive,stay focused and just roll with it!!!
what doesn't kill me,only makes me stronger.
here's praying to the prep gods to help me lose that last inch and keep/gain some detail work!!!
:D

here's to a happy weekend yall!!!!!

legs with weighted plyos for active rest

leg day with weighted plyos as active rest-yes I'm sick like that

4x30 single leg leg press jumps with
4x30 weighted ski lunge
4x12 lying leg curl with
4x20 weighted jump lunge
4x12,10,8,6 heavy leg extension with
4x10 blurpies with explosive jump tucks
4x12 DB dead leg lift on upside BOSU with
4x20 traveling DB lunges and 4x20 backwards traveling DB lunges

then finished up with some sprints on TM....
12x1 minute sprints with 1 min jog in between


thought i was going to die due to lack of oxygen......
3.4 miles in 22 min average 6:28 pace

feeling tired ,but thats expected at this point
still have abs/shoulders and another 45-60 minutes of cardio when kiddos go to bed...
gotta keep the ball rolling!!

hope all are having a great Thursday!

3wk 2 day out sneak peak-i got to keep on moving!

quick sneak of how i looked after running this morning. i really need a tan. really bad. please forgive my Casper like complexion!

 this is where i was 3 weeks out last comp....

23 days to bring out the details in mu upper half.i DON'T want super striated shoulders like last show. i need to still maintain clean lines,but without all the striations.

the next 23 days will be very hard on me. more emotionally/mentally i think. just because it is hard making a conscious effort to try to change my physique based on judges feedback. i really hope it pays off and i will be able to be on stage and still feel competitive!!!!

anyways,ill stop my rants before they start.all i can do at this point is keep on track. stay focused and stay positive.i am pleased with how my legs are looking! will post better pictures later,full body.

i got to keep on moving!!!!!

plyos and ladders

i love days that i leave the weight room exhausted.
pushed myself today.
plyos and then sprints on the TM
couldnt hole myself away in the aerobics room to do plyos at the gym so i had to do it out in the open.
talk about pressure to not slack!
and oh yeah,lots of strange looks,especially when i was gazelle bounding around all over the place....
30 minute sweatfest


3 cycles each:
group 1:boxjumps,blurpies,weighted lateral jump overs,lateral sprint
group 2: weighted jump lunge,mountain climbers,russian jumps,gazelle bounds
group 3: weighted sumo squat with explosive jumps,bench jump overs,(hand on bench)lateral sprint,jump tucks
1 minute rest between groups
each exercise for 30-45 seconds
then did mini speed work on TM immediate after.....

Ladders-like a HIIT
just alternating between 8.5,9.0,9.5 and 10.0mph on the treadmill....1-2 minute intervals
7.4mph jogs in between
3.5 miles in 24 minutes-6:51 average pace
1 mile warm up/cd
i was feeling tired and just like i couldn't catch my breath on the TM. i wanted to stop.several times. was mad i wasn't going fast.lots of negative self talk.
but after it was over with,i was glad i finished the workout,and was over it!

now its off to baseball games and then more miles on the TM
3rd day of 3 a days! i love it! whoooooo!
happy Tuesday yall!

signed,sealed and delivered!!!

auuugh!!!!! just sent off my entry form to to World Cup.
O.M.Goodness!!!!
its starting to feel more real now,
and while i may have my moments of second guessing,all that is being overridden by my extreme sense of excitement!!!!
I've waited 2 years to make it to this particular stage. i couldn't do it last year due to being pregnant with lil M and i made it a huge goal to qualify this year...

i may be being propelled by fear and sheer excitement,but hey,i making the journey to this stage,and hoping and praying i will be climbing the ranks as a Rookie Pro...

will i be able to hold my own?
will i place well?
its a long way to the top,if you wanna rock and roll!

game on yall!!!!
26 days to BRING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:D
:D

what goal have YOU been trying to reach? have you made it? are you working on it?

4wks out...pics

ok,its been another week down! about the hit the gym but thought id share a few blurry and bloaty pics.i really didn't want to post these,I'm way to hard on myself-
yes I'm bloated,TOM is approaching i think-(I'm so off schedule)....which helps explain the tiredness,lack of energy,cravings like mad and of course this stupid bloat. did i mention i feel/am bloated?
lol!
anyways-measurements so far:
waist-20.8"
hips-30.2"
arms- 9.7"
legs-14.8"
small changes,small drops,but considering I'm holding water right now,I'm happy about the numbers!
so first pic...taken this afternoon

 and the pic below is from last week. no major changes.bleh

and this pic below was from 5wks out last show

my arm is positioned different so it looks like my arms are bigger-but in actuality,my arms are 1/2inch bigger now than they were last prep.ahhh posing is all about illusions,eh?

and this last pic was taken a few minutes ago....forgive the pastiness of my skin and blurriness of pics but up for comparison purposes only.

  not that thrilled to see the comparisons but i have to tell myself that hopefully in the next 2 weeks the water will be gone and I'm just praying  this inconsistent TOM thing wont leave me having a PMS peak week...
ok I'm off to the gym to get legs and sprints in-whooooooo!
happy weekend yall!!
28 more days! where is time going?????