Abby's New Blog

Follow Abby's progress in her new blog here. Due to high viewer interest, she has devoted a separate blog that is exclusive to her competitions and training.

Burned Muscle; What To Do Now?

I burned over a pound of muscle last week by adding my cardio...not good. However I emailed Tanji updated pics and she said I was right on target and looked great. She recommended doing no more than 3 30 minute cardio sessions...NO Intensity. I will also up my protein by 1 oz per meal and then reassess on Saturday. I really need to maintain the muscle I have gained and tighten up a little bit more. I am only 2 weeks out now so I don't have a ton of time to switch things up too much. On another note, I got my wedding dress yesterday! It's perfect and I am so excited. Danny and I are getting married in Hawaii in May. My goal after all my shows will be to maintain that hot bikini body for Hawaii! Yippee!
xoxo,
Abby

3 Weeks Out

Last week I met with Tanji and she was pleased with my progression. I am down to 12.37% body fat and 126 pounds. As of now its not so much about the % but more about how my body looks. Every body carries their body fat differently. The goal is to look tight, lean (especially the butt) and have shape. I could go on stage at 11% or 12%. It doesn't matter, what does matter is how I do look. Therefore I am increasing my cardio to 4 sessions per week in addition to my 5 days of strength training. My focus is to cut and to maintain my current muscle mass. The best scenario would be a decrease of fat and a little increase of muscle.
My other focus is to practice posing. Tanji gave me a set of poses that flatter my physique so now I have to get comfortable with them and the transitions.
Stay tuned for more information about my upcoming shows.
Love,
Abby

Game Plan after meeting w/Tanji

Today is my 26th birthday! I will not be getting smashed your stuffing my face with my favorite...cheesecake. Instead I am up early blogging then working out. I am getting a massage later though! Danny got me presents that I have yet to open. He always gets me such thoughtful and awesome gifts so I can't wait! We decided to take the day off today and just spend it together. Tomorrow we are heading to Under The Sun in Bonners Ferry. Its a cute little shop with a great cafe. We did it last year so its kinda tradition.
Okay so Tanji was pleased with my physique. I need to focus on cutting. So that means not changing my diet and increasing cardio 3-4 days per week. I need to drop about 1-2% more body fat. I need to continue to practice posing fiercely! Everyday!
Love,
Abby

Busy Day!

Today is full of adventure to prepare for my competition. After working out (leg day!) I teach yoga then immediately head off to the dentist. I have a little bit of cleaning and I am getting a set of trays to bleach my teeth for free! Family dentist office's are the way to go. Gibbins and Frank down in Post Falls, ID are amazing and have really helped Danny and I out a great deal. Pearly white teeth for the show? CHECK! Next on my list is meeting with a lady named Vickie at Adhara Spa down in Couer d'alene. I received a gift certificate at the pose clinic for a free body polish. I have never had one so I am very excited. I am also consulting with her for tanning and makeup for my Missoula and Spokane show. After my body polish and hydrating my skin its down to Spokane, WA to meet with Tanji for a 30 minute private and then 1.30 hours of posing practice! I am down to 12.75% body fat as of yesterday and weigh 126.6. I think she will be happy. I may look a little puffy due to the carb cycling and "Aunt Flow" came in to town yesterday! I think she will be pleased though. Speaking of Tanji, this woman is incredible! She is a serious athlete who has worked so hard to get to where she is today. She placed 2nd at the Arnold Classic on March 4th. Personally, after seeing the video, I think she should have placed 1st! I am very honored to have her as my coach. Coach T if you are reading this blog, first of all thank you for reading it and second THANK YOU! XOXO
Love,
Abby

Carb Cycling- 4 Weeks Out

I am down to 127.0 lbs and 13.03% body fat. I meet Tanji on Thursday and she wanted to see me with bigger shoulders and quads and between 12-13%. I think she will be pleased.
I am currently in the middle of my second week of carb cycling.

What is carb cycling?

About 4-6 weeks out (I started 5 weeks out) athletes may carb cycle to see what their muscles look like the day of show, or in other words when they "peak".
From Sunday-Thursday I have NO carbs after lunch. For example, my afternoon snack is 3/4 cup of 2% cottage cheese and dinner would be 4 oz lean meat, warm spinach with balsamic vinaigrette, and 9 chopped raw almonds (fat). I still have my last snack which is a protein shake before bed.
The purpose of carb cycling is to manipulate your body and see how it responds to certain amounts of carbs. Sun-Thurs I drink 1 gallon of spring water per day so that I over hydrate and then Friday and Sat I carb load (about 1 gram per pound of body weight) and drink only about 1/2 gallon of spring water. Its like a science project. I go without many carbs and drink lots of water ( I look puffy during this phase), then I eat a lot of carbs like brown rice or sweet potato so that the water under my skin from over hydrating is literally pulled into my muscles (because glycogen storage requires tons of water) and by Saturday morning (day of competition) I should look my best. Full, round muscles. If I look puffy I had too many carbs. If look flat I didn't have enough. Being 4 weeks out I have time to figure out what works best for my body so that I peak on Saturday. My goal is to maintain and maybe grow a little bit more muscle while I cut for the last 4 weeks. It will obviously be harder to grow much more due to decrease in carbs, but maintaining will be a must!
How is it going? Well to be honest its a true test to my last blog...commitment. No, its not easy but I am determined and if I start to feel week or self pity I find a way to motivate myself. Actually, Danny has been a huge support system for me. He keeps me going when I feel like giving up. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have him in my corner. I am very lucky! Thank you Danny!
Peace & Love,
Abby

The Truth About Commitment

Commitment...not a commitment to another person, work or your favorite TV show. I am talking about a commitment to your health and fitness. I have been a personal trainer for 6 years now and apart of the gym world for over 10. You see the ones who get super stoked about their new years resolution and hit the gym hard and then burn out because they aren't getting the " American fast food" like results and quit. They then flee to yo-yo dieting, bad supplements that say will give them the results they want in only 12 days, or even worse going under the knife. Change takes time...if it were quick and easy we'd all have 6 pack abs.
If you want to change the way you look, feel, or increase your sport/athletic performance and you have yet to see the results you really want but continue to do the exact same thing (like just take aerobics classes or walk on the treadmill for 1 hour) then guess what results you are going to get? The same results you have been getting! If you want to change you must commit to your training. You must commit to nutrition. You must commit to yourself! There is no way around it.
Take my word for it. I have seen dramatic results in my body since I have finally committed to eating right and training smart. Yes ladies, you must lift weights if you want to see some definition. No ladies, you will not look like a dude. For example, I am currently training for a bikini contest. One would think all I do is starve myself all day and do tons of cardio. There's no way I would lift weights because I would just bulk and not look like a bikini model at all. Wrong! 4-5 days per week I strength train...hard and heavy. I include kettlebells, barbells, dumbbells, power ropes, and pull-ups. I do 1 maybe 2 cardio sessions at the most per week and one day off for recovery. And starving myself? No way. I eat 6 meals a day every 3 hours. I eat almost 1800 calories per day. I understand every body is different and will vary (that's why you should work with a qualified trainer and nutritionist). If you continue to float around shooting in the dark your results will never be met. Having control of my nutrition and training has given me freedom from the stress and unhappiness I felt when I couldn't get my body to where I wanted it.
I have committed. I know many of our members have also committed to their health and it is inspirational. I applaud all of you for making this commitment. You are true warriors.
There are no excuses when it comes to your health. Only laziness and ignorance. If what your doing now is not getting what you really want but refuse to try something different and listen to someone who knows what they are talking about and can truly help you...that's your own stubbornness and your own problem. There are 24 hours in the day...find time. Your family, your co-workers, and your body will be very grateful that you did.
Love,
Abby