Project 2: Bodybuilding: The very beginners guide

Now that the elation of completing the Fan Dance is over, my hands and feet have restored to normal body temperature and the post traumatic stress of Snickers bar overload has dissipated, its time for my
next project; the Bodybuilding contest. This is  where I will compete in the category "Fitness Model" on June 1st at the 02 arena in Greenwich. I realised that this may well be akin to a "Jodie Marsh" situation but I hope not. At the end of the day, anyone who willingly gets up on a stage in next to nothing with a perma tan, open to the relentless criticising by perfect strangers has to have some balls. I have gotten into boxing rings for fights, where you are judged on your fitness, technical ability, courage and heart but I have never been on a stage like this. I wonder whether I will cream in......

A little bit on confidence

So the conclusion is, this will really test my confidence, an attribute which often waxes and wanes even without any added pressures.  I like to think I have evolved with time and failure to derive confidence from things other than appearance, because "looks" come and go and then one day they just go!! Confidence built solely on this is not good for one's morale. I am however by no means immune to the fat day but I have come to understand its relative place in ranking of importance. I was taught this lesson after losing my health for the first time aged 28. It took 2 years to recover and a complete loss of self at the same time. So rebuilding it, requires a different perspective.
So with this in hindsight, the whole concept of training for aesthetics is really foreign, because I value training for function. It's strange and bizarre and most definitely a challenge. The training is hard and the psychological game is relentless. The key I think to maintaining sanity is maintaining perspective, but I expect there is an inverse proportional relationship with calories consumed and sense of perspective! This is where the brutal honesty of loved ones to tell you when you are being a narcisitic asshole becomes crucial. A good friend is one that will tell you this!

I have done 3 months now of general training and no dieting, just to get into the routine of strength training properly, but now the pressure starts with a 16 week build-up which is fairly standard for a show preparation.
I have thrown myself into this project by training at Metroflex gym in Lower Sydenham which is fantastic, a no frills gym predominantly used by competitive bodybuilders and well... just really big blokes. I most definitely felt out of my comfort zone on the first visit for obvious reasons; a lot of very muscular men and very few women! but it now starts to feel like home. Like minded, genuine people, training hard with a distinct lack of BS! Being predominantly really solitary in nature (97%), I have to admit I like the graft. If there is hard way or an easy way, I usually take the hard way because the reward is in the feeling of having really earnt something. Perhaps this is why I like the gym, I like the work ethic. The last 3% of my character is actually really extrovert; the yin and yang of human character. So this part I will have to tap into whilst parading in diamante.

The advice and support given to me at the gym has been fantastic and the lesson learnt here is I am doing more things wrong than I am doing right.

Lesson 1: Lets get the definitions straight

My definition of cardio is not the same as a bodybuilders definition!! I have always been a enthusiast of high intensity (HIT) training and being of decent cardiovascular fitness (CV), a fast paced run will often constitute a cardio session. In the bodybuilding world, the priority is diet and training. Energy conservation is therefore retained for weight lifting. Recommended cardio for bodybuilding is 30-60min fast paced walking at 65% MaxHR AFTER a hard lifting session, which has depleted glycogen stores and every other kind of store! The idea is to tap into fat metabolism but retain maximum muscle tissue. The finer points of muscle retention in response to exercise intensity often presents my brain with problems as there doesn't seem to be conclusive evidence about which is best; ultimately because people are different and respond differently. HIT training, as effective as it is for "CV fitness" I find depletes me of energy and requires longer recovery, so with the added volume and load of weight sessions, low intensity CV may well be the way to go. This allows maximum focus to go into weight training. I've not ever done it this way but we'll see!

The psychological implication of this is I have to learn "reigning in". It's hard and I find myself quite chatty, often terrifying the poor bloke next to me on the treadmill, in attempt to distract myself from 1) the boredom and 2) the lack of perceived effort. I fall into that category of all or nothing, so learning new moderate behaviour is a challenge.

Lesson 2: The diet

Good lord the diet. It's so so important and yet again I have continued to get this wrong for about 3 months. The main problem is not getting enough protein. This isn't a post to bore about food menu's but perhaps more to share errors and explanations for lack of progress. 1.5g protein per 1lb body weight is a lot compared to what I used to eat so its a really conscious effort to think "chicken!!" I have found keeping a food diary helps keep everything real. Its amazing how well the human body and mind can deceive itself, especially in emotional states, so writing EVERYTHING down has proved to be my truth serum.
I am NOT enjoying those protein shakes but finally settling on a brand called PHD is a compromise, it is no way delicious but it doesn't illicit the gag reflex either. Egg Protein and Pea Protein was an experiment and really not one to ever be repeated.

Finally 

Lesson 3: The Trap Bar

I love this!! An alternate way of doing deadlifts which is kinder to the lumbodorsal musculature.

A hunk of metal has now become my new best friend!

Project 1: The fan dance - Done but not dusted!

Hmmmm where to begin;

18th January 2014: 8.30am Storey Arms.
Weather: Clag, gale force winds and horizontal rain. 

Recounting this story from approximately 6am on the morning of the event would culminate in me appearing like a complete maverick with very bad admin so I'm going to omit the "prep"; thank goodness for poetic licence.

I've been training for a few months for this event so it was very nice to see how my training strategy paid off.

The event http://www.thefandancerace.com/ was a 26km loaded march over the Brecon Beacons. This route is used in the military SAS selection, a there and back (nav free) route that is basically just a thrash. Luckily us civvies only had to weight bear 25lb (females) and 35lb (males), plus food and water. I think I would have creamed in if I had to carry anything heavier. There is also a non weight bearing category called clean fatigue.

However, I was very pleased to see when I finally stumbled over the finish line the time on my watch was 3:35:00s, so 24 minutes faster than my first attempt. This placed me 1st Woman and overall 5th, out of 320 load bearing competitors (500 total competitors).
The weather, needless to say was absolutely appalling with cross winds of 40-50mph up on Pen y Fan.
There is no doubt that this event is really hard and is universally viewed this way. There were a lot of people falling arse over elbow en route and the only problem with this type of falling over is when you have the weight of a small child on your back, there is no getting up quickly and often relies on the help of a passer by to pull you up. In fact, a very kind chap bought me a bottle of beer at the finish when I had to scoop him up after he face planted into the bog.

Collecting my prize from Ken Jones the organizer; Hair!! Proof of high winds and not a pre- race perm. 

What worked from a training perspective

1. Time on feet: It doesn't need to necessarily be at pace but being accustomed to 3-4 hours on your feet on tricky terrain in crap weather is very helpful. I would often walk for 9-10 hours non stop, at least once every two weeks.

2. Split the route into sections and run these sections at faster than race pace e.g do half of the route at a min/mile faster than target pace and then just walk the following half. Experiment with pace at different sections of the route.

3. General strength training 3-4 times a week; 4 sets of 12-15 reps, compound exercises like deep squats, lunges, step ups, chest press etc. Get used to putting heavy weight through the spine (barbell), as it seems to work a treat on the spinal stabilising muscles and preventing knee and back issues.  It is also great core training, without doing a single sit-up. I didn't get any hint of a niggle the whole way through the event or training for it. I did however have to live with 4 months of DOMS (muscle soreness!).

4. Always train with a backpack with weight; the optimum for myself was 5-11kg. More than this didn't work well. I trialled 15kg on a training run and it was a disaster.


A word on nutrition....
Honestly, I think jelly babies and dairy milk buttons are the way to go. Sod the "techno" gel, I keep cutting my mouth on those foil wrappers. In error, I force fed myself half a snickers bars every 30min and 72 hours later I still have post traumatic stress induced by that dry combination of peanut and chocolate. It's an overwhelming feeling of asphyxiating from trying to eat a frozen chewy nutty bar and breathing whilst running. NOT to be repeated. Snickers is the "fan dance" enemy.
I have to admit I only drank about 30ml of water the whole race and that was stupid because I managed to get cramp in my adductors and quadriceps not surprisingly after the transition between downhill running off Pen y Fan and a short ascent just before finishing. It is not pleasant and trying to walk out cramp, not only is it severely painful but looks something like the "ministry of silly walks". Not dignified and I suspect wholly avoidable. The cold didn't help but hydration is something you have full control over.


All in all, this is a fantastic event. Great camaraderie and a real test of mental and physical endurance. The race was really well organised and I take my hats off to the race marshall's that made sure no one walked off a cliff top or died of hypothermia. A big thank-you to them!

The art of suffering is to do well!

What I also realised was how easy it is to suffer when you are doing well. Although I didn't look at my watch through the race, I was aware of my pace and relative position so I knew I was doing well. It is no surprise that to push and suffer is not difficult when you are doing well. The reverse is when you are not on target with your goal, then you are going to experience real pain! This is when ones fortitude is really tested, justly summed up by Mike Tyson's quote "It's all very well having a plan until you get punched in the face". But in all honesty, morale was high doing this.

I hope I can conclude that good preparation and training has paid off. It doesn't always work that way but a good amount of time spent on that route, replicating race conditions in diabolical weather seemed to have worked. It also helps that I love the Beacons and it is always a treat being there.

So, I can sign off from this event... until the next one! 20th July.