Road to the 2011 Figure Olympia: Diary of A Pro Figure Competitor
Well it is officially here - the last week of prep before I hit the stage for the Tournament of Champions and the Figure Olympia -- WOW!!! I have been literally busting my butt the past three weeks in hopes of bringing together a conditioned, balanced, feminine physique.... Here's hoping! I have a beautiful new suit to wear at these shows as well and I am super excited.
This weekend was absolutely beautiful in Vancouver. I visited my friend Nicole Wilson at her Skechers booth at the Vancouver Femsport event which was held on Saturday. I don't know how those women were training in that heat because it was so hot out! Kudos to them for making it such a great event. Other than that I trained, posed, cleaned the condo, altered some outfits for the Olympia (I have a dress I've been dying to wear but the straps were too long in the back), and just relaxed at home. It is amazing to see how important rest is in a contest prep - you only grow when your body is at rest!
(at the Skechers booth in downtown Vancouver, Canada)
My coach Tad Inoue and I have been working VERY hard for this prep. Here is a snapshot of what my week looks like:
Mon - cardio 60 mins, chest & calves, cardio 60 mins
Tues - cardio 60 mins, delts & abs, cardio 60 mins
Wed - cardio 60 mins, back, cardio 60 mins
Thurs - cardio 60 mins, cardio 60 mins, posing
Fri - cardio 60 mins, arms & abs, cardio 60 mins
Sat - cardio 60 mins, legs, posing, cardio 60 mins
Sun - cardio 60 mins, cardio 60 mins, posing
I am also only resting 30 seconds between sets and keeping the intensity high - fat incineration guaranteed!
Scary huh? Oh yes and I sandwich in a 40 hour work week in there too -- YIKES! My colleagues are always asking what 'phase' I'm in now and they like to poke fun when I start water loading and cart my water bottle around to every meeting of the day…. Oh the sacrifices. In addition I have also been having white fish every day, but have been flavouring it with cayenne pepper and cajun spice to make it a little more exciting.
(my dinners look like this!)
With the upcoming long weekend I am super excited to make it productive, keep moving forward, and get ready for my trips. I also have a shoot scheduled with Tommy Europe on Sunday which should be a lot of fun, and other than that I am going to hit the gym, keep on posing away and also pack for my trip to California on the 10th. I have a tried and true packing list which I print off before each show, given that being carb depleted does not help the memory and I absolutely cannot forget anything vital for the show. I also have to pre-cook/prep all my food and have that with me.
So full swing into the last 10 days or so before show time -- back next week with all the final thoughts before the Tournament of Champions!!!
Eat, Sleep, Train, COMPETE!!!!
Yours in Health,
Natalie
Natalie Waples
IFBB Figure Pro
www.nataliewaplesfitness.com
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