Cannuck's Corner-Installment #4
Hi Everyone!
I hope you had an absolutely wonderful holiday and are now back into the swing of things and ready to take on 2012! The past year has been extremely busy, very exciting, and from a fitness point of view I am really looking forward to what lies ahead. My coach Tad Inoue and I had our first call of the year yesterday, and we decided that my first show of 2012 will be the Europa Show of Champions in Orlando, FL on April 27-28! This is going to be another great show promoted by Ed & Betty Pariso, and my friends and fellow Team Tadster athletes (and these two are also Canucks) Aleisha Hart and Cea Anna Kerr are also competing, so it is going to be great! Cea Anna is crossing over to the new women's physique division, whereas Aleisha and I will be rocking it out on the Figure stage. The Europa shows are always amazing as they put on a full expo with tonnes of events to watch and participate in http://www.visionstarinc.com/, plus visiting Florida after a long, Canadian winter is going to be sweet!
As you may have guessed, it has gotten rather chilly north of the border these past few weeks so I have settled into a nice indoor training routine which involves some heavy weight training, minimal cardio (need to shock the body once I actually start contest prep) and lots of stretching to fend off any injuries. I have a new split which looks a little bit like this:
Mon: Back (focus on width/lats) and Abs
Tues: Delts (focus on anterior, medial and laterals) and Calves
Wed: Arms
Thurs:Chest and Abs
Fri: Legs
Sat: Back (focus on mid back and depth) and Delts (focus on posterior)
Sun: Off
Yes I am training 6 days a week, but by breaking up my back and delt workouts (as they are my main areas for improvement) I am able to train them more fully. I am also doing only four, thirty minute sessions of cardio a week for the time being, and this will ramp up in early February when I start my contest prep for the Europa show. As far as stretching goes, I make sure to do this during and after each workout and am definitely feeling the benefits! Also on tap is some volleyball (which I absolutely love) so I am playing with a competitive, co-ed team -- lots of fun and a nice break from the gym.
If you have already made your New Year's resolutions start to materialize, my hat's off to you! This week has been slow going after a long week of travel home and some flight delays, etc., but I think 2012 is going to bring some big things for all the special people in my life, and from a fitness industry point of view, I am curious to see how the new Olympia qualifying rules will shake up the game this year. There are a whopping 16 IFBB Pro Figure shows before the 2012 Olympia, so it will be interesting to see how all the contests will shape up, and how many 'already qualified' athletes will still compete, possible snagging those precious qualifications. My placing 4th at Border States in October was bitter sweet as it was an absolutely amazing show, but missing that qualification by 3 points is a kick in the pants! It certainly added fuel to the fire in terms of coming in 'improved' this year, and after three years in the IFBB, looking for my first pro win. Difficult yes, but impossible? No way ;-)
This month I have a feature in FLEX magazine which is really neat! Isaac Hinds and I shot this picture the Monday after the Figure Olympia in Las Vegas -- great way to finish off my trip!
I also published my first 'official' newsletter on my website -- please check it out! http://nataliewaplesfitness.com/newsletter/
Wishing you all a wonderful January! Next month I will be updating on my first stages of contest prep, and of course the countdown to the Arnold Sports Festival will be in full effect. Have a wonderfully productive month my fitness friends!
Yours in Health,
Natalie Waples
IFBB Figure Pro
www.nataliewaplesfitness.com
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