Why it's been hard to write recently...

Hey everyone,

Sorry I've been so slack over the last 10 days. It's been a bit hard to know how to put what I've been thinking about into words, but I'm going to give it a go.

I've hit the first part of this journey where my self confidence took a bit of a hit, and although I do know it's mostly in my head, it's been hard to deal with.

As you guys know I've been on a bit of a bulk the last 2 months, trying to put on a little more size before I start the next part of my work towards my show. It's been good to give my body a break from such a strict eating regime and I've enjoyed a tiny bit of variety in my food.

I have gained some good size, but have lost a little of the leanness I have been working so hard on. This really has started to weigh (haha) on my mind quite a lot. I'm the heaviest I have been in a very long time, and just hit 59kgs (129lbs) the other day.  It's been extremely hard trying to accept I need this weight gain and it's only going to benefit me in the long run. I'm not used to seeing much less ab definition and really don't like the feeling of being so much heavier.

The upside, and what I'm really trying to focus on, is that this bulk has been really beneficial too and this has been reflected in both my size and an increase in my strength.

 It's been good to see some width in my shoulders that wasn't there before, more thickness in my legs and glutes and more size in my back, traps and arms.

                                  5 February 2014                                        22 April 2014

I'm getting stronger and hit couple of PR's on bench, 24kg (52lb) dumbbells on incline bench press and 75kg (165lb) bench press, up from 62.5kg ( 137lb).

I need this size now, because when I start to cut down, I know I'm going to lose some of this size, so better to start with more than less.

I'm looking forward to changing up my diet again and will post more about this as I start on the next stage of my prep.

xox AJ xox

Quick update

Well I got my first midterm for my course out of the way and now have a couple of weeks with no class, to work on assignments and catch up with work. I feel like I'm slowly getting back into the rhythm of studying! It's definitely not been easy but I'm happy that I'm doing it.

I got sick over the weekend with the first of the winter colds, so this took a little bit out of my lifting. I'm feeling a lot better now, so had a good deadlift session this evening. I haven't gone heavy in a while where it's felt comfortable, but I worked up to 105kg this evening. I made two 110kg attempts but didn't quite get it.

I'm still eating a lot more and trying to put a little more size on. Even though 16 weeks is 31 May I'm going to clean up my diet from 1 May and start getting into the serious prep frame of mind. I've signed up for a competition workshop on 19 July, so I'm pretty excited about that! I'm looking forward to learning more about it.

xox AJ xox

Fitocracy Team Fitness Group - First-Place Physiques

So you may have already seen, the awesome people at Fitocracy got in touch with me and asked me if I'd like to lead a new Team Fitness Group on Fito!

How could I say no!!??

First-place Physiques is a group where you can join up and get the great environment of Fitocracy, all the benefits of Hero and heaps of additional support from your Teammates and I!

This group is a place to set and share your goals, get support and the motivation you need to achieve them! Whether you're looking to compete in bodybuilding, powerlifting,  or any other sport, or you just want an awesome body to show off on the beach this summer, there is a place for you in this group!

So to tell you a little more about it, I made a wee video!

Brian Wang (Xenowang) CEO of Fitocracy had this to say about the new Team Fitness Groups

"Team Fitness groups have a different focus compared to regular Fito groups. Team Fitness groups are specifically about motivation and guidance. They offer a leader/coach (in this case, AJV) who is dedicated to keeping you motivated and helping you succeed. Members lean on the leader to answer questions and support them while the leader makes sure to monitor members, keep them engaged, and share their own experiences and advice. 

"The groups that xoxAJVxox, roryn, and exyxe don't offer specific training programs, but that's also why these are just $15/month. 

Why is it a paid membership? Because these coaches are dedicating their time to you and it's important that members are just as committed as the coaches. Plus, membership automatically makes you a Hero as well. And you can cancel any time, of course. "

I am so pumped to be a part of this, as well as training hard myself I love being able to motivate other people. All your stories of how awesome you're doing in your own fitness goals makes sharing my journey so much more important to me! I couldn't be doing all this without the supportive environment my friends create for me, so I want to give back and do the same for other people!

As far as my own training is concerned, I've had a good hard week, trying to push myself a little further, to lift more and try and make some more gains. I feel the extra cals have been helping fill my muscles out more...even if I'm not feeling quite as lean.

 I went to a party last night and a friend of a friend blurted out she was sorry if it was inappropriate, but I had the most incredible ass lol! It was hilarious, made my day and I know I'll be smiling through at least the first 5 minutes of my leg training today!

31 May is 16 weeks out from competition, and this is the date I'll be starting my cut and show prep, so I want to have a really solid foundation before then, and gain as much muscle as possible without gaining too much body fat.

I'm still practicing my posing and I'm figuring out the areas that are going to be a lot harder for me. I really need more flexibility and to dedicate a little more time to stretching.

I'm still studying through all this and have my first test on 15 April and so I have started putting together all my notes for this. Studying, working full time and training is a lot, but I'm managing well so far!

I've got some other stuff in the pipelines that I'll let you guys know about as soon as it happens, but for now there's so much exciting stuff going on that I've got plenty to work on!

xox AJ xox

1st Phorm, progress and some pretty awesome news?

Hey everyone! 

Well the 1st Phorm Athlete search is over for now, and although I didn't win, I had such an amazing time doing this! It really made me put myself out there a little bit more, and gave me an opportunity to reach out to so many people! I have had so many amazing people contact me since the contest ended telling me how much my entry meant to them and how I inspired them to get back in the gym, I am so absolutely honoured.

The winner Ami Houde is so awesome, so heartfelt congratulations to her!

The video announcement is here

I'm talking to a few people who approached me during the competition and seeing what opportunities might come out of that.

1st Phorm are running another competition and picking 5 more people to represent their company. They seem like a great company to be associated with, after seeing Ami's effort I would definitely have to up my game!

Training is going well, I seem to be putting a little weight now, having gone from 56 to almost 58kgs :D I'm hoping that's some solid leangains!

My lifts seem to be getting heavier and I'm able to work a little harder now. 

Just under 6 months out :D

I need a bit more width in my shoulders, so that's going to be something I work on in the next wee while. 

I was going to start cutting again on 7 April, but I think I will extend it out a little longer. 16 weeks is 31 May 2014, so it would be good if I can keep putting on some size until then.

The news... well, I also have some very cool news to share....

but I'm not sure I'm allowed yet, so I'll stay quiet until I'm 100% sure!

It's very cool and will be worth the wait!