Next on the list...

Well, it's been an eventful 2007 to say the least. I finally graduated from UT-Austin on May 18, 2007 (WHOOHOOOO)!! After that, I had to do quite a bit of traveling for family reasons, and the pace at work has picked up at an incredible rate. Anyway, I've decided to go to RKC in October and hope to do a show immediately thereafter in November. I've put on alot of muscle in the off-season. I decided to try power lifting for 1 month. I had less than 5 sessions, didn't use much weight, but wow did I put on muscle FAST!! I've had to cool it on lifting weights to give my muscles a chance to atrophy a bit, but it's slow coming. I put on about 3" in my hips, 3.5" in my waist, 4" in my chest (but that's mainly due to my new found love of eating). I definitely don't need to train legs at all, but I still need to focus on my chest, shoulders, back, and arms. I am very proud of myself because I was able to find my 2-rep max on bench press through the help of my boyfriend! I was able to bench 185 for 2 unassisted reps a few weeks ago!! I felt GREAT! That's always a goal that I had (find my 1 rep max, and press at least my body weight). I've also been working on my pullups with the help of Woody Bands. In the off-season I also did some crossfit training, and trained at CATZ fitness center 3-4 times per week. CATZ was great for overall sports conditioning and improved agility. If you have one in your area, you should definitely check them out (http://www.catzsports.com/)!

I'm currently weighing in at 179, and I'd like to get down to 154 or less by the time RKC gets here in October (so that I can test my snatch with the 12kg instead of the 16kg). I'm on a physical regimen to improve my conditioning since RKC will be super long, grueling days. I've dropped this much weight before, so I know it can be done. It's just a given that energy and muscle mass will go along with it. Though, I didn't have kettlebells back then, so I'm not sure what will happen. During the last 3 months of grad school, kettlebell training went out the door. I'm just getting back into regular workouts, and oh how I've missed my bells!

Here's a snapshot of how I've been training this month:
Sun, July 1: ETK Program Minimum + Cardio
Tues, July 2: ETK Program Minimum (TGU day) + Cardio
Mon, July 9: Sarah Lurie's Iron Core Vol 2 + snatch practice + P90X Shoulders & Arms
Wed, July 11: Track work HOC style. Did 6 laps, 4:6 with weighted vest (10 lbs). Added swings & snatches after each lap. Finished with walking swings & 3 minutes snatch test.
Sat, July 14: AOS Newport + 5 min snatch test + 1 mile w/ weighted vest
Sun, July 15: Just cardio (early AM)
Tues, July 17: AoS Providence (mostly with 16kg; still needed 12kg for overhead & pressing drills)

Exhaustion is setting in today, so I'm not sure what workout I will do. I wanted to do Smokin' Ladders or one of Andrea DuCane's KB Goddess workouts, but I'm not sure I have the energy. I actually used my better judgement and got alot of rest instead of working out. I caught up on sleep & vitamins instead of pushing myself further for a grueling workout.