Bikini, Bikini, Bikini.

   Did any of you do the last workout that I posted? It was a good one huh?
Here's the second workout! I seriously loved these, and again it takes less than 20 minutes, you've got this!
    Some of you probably saw on my Instagram that I decided that I am going to compete in the NPC bikini show that is in October. AHHH. I'm crazy for doing it again I know, but it's addicting! I've been working really hard since November to build some muscle and I'm really happy with my progress so far.
    My main goal is to have awesome shoulders :) Since I was little I've had bad shoulders because of gymnastics which meant I did everything I could to incorporate skills that didn't use my shoulders as much, this also inevitably meant that I almost never did any strength exercises that used my shoulders. End rant. To sum it up I've never had defined shoulders so I'm going to get them now, ok cool. Anyways, here are a few pictures of where I am at now:

   I've come a long way with my muscle growth and I'm pretty happy about it! I can actually see some shoulder muscles now! I'm definitely not as lean as I would like to be at the moment, but sometimes you have to make some sacrifices in order to put on some muscle. I love competing and being motivated to be a better version of myself, and for me at this point means I'm going to compete in bikini competitions :) Hope you all have a good weekend!

Ideal Shape Workout Video/Challenge

Ok guys!! It's been forever since I've posted anything but I promise I will get better. My awesome husband just got me a new computer so basically I don't have any other excuses :) I thought I'd start my first post back with a little workout video I helped out with a few months ago, its just a portion of the Ideal Shape Up Challenge, so go check out their site here . These workouts don't require much equipment and the entire workout is under 20 minutes. I'm pretty sure we can all spare 20 minutes of our day to get a little workout in! Plus, swimsuit season is just around the corner right? Enjoy!! There are a few more videos that I promise I will post next week.

Fat Blaster Cardio Workout

Yesterday I went to the gym and really did not feel like being there, but I knew I needed to get it done, I had lifted earlier in the morning and went back for some more cardio in the afternoon (it was my day off of work so I had the time). I made up an awesome cardio workout on the Cybex machine. Have any of you used this machine before? I recently started using it more and I have fallen in cardio love. I know cardio machines aren't always the most accurate calorie counters but for what it's worth, this machine seems to burn the most calories, so that's always a plus! I was literally still dripping sweat when I got home from the gym and it only took 25 minutes! Here's what I did:   5 minute warm up Incline: 6-7  Resistance 30 (same speed thewhole time) then for 20 minutes...  30 second sprint at 35 resistance 60 second 'rest' at warm up pace and 30 resistance repeat I don't know about any of you but listening to music while I work out can totally change everything! I don't know what it is but I seriously get in the zone when I listen to good music. Golds Gym has wifi so I just listen to Pandora, I added a new station today (Till' I Collapse' by Eminem) and it was the bomb! 

This seriously kicked my butt. Switching up the speeds and resistance makes the time go by a lot faster too! I burned over 400 calories in less than half an hour! I'd say that's pretty good! So.....Try it out! You won't regret it :)

'Skinny Legs' and Costco Runs

Hello my lovely followers! I've been a slacker and haven't been blogging as much as I have wanted to. My sister and I went to Boise this weekend to visit our Aunt Tracey, we had a blast!! I had today off of work so I decided to do a Costco run since we had no food at home due to my husband being home alone from Wednesday to Sunday.. you know how that goes. Anyways, I am a frequent Costco shopper, I find myself there at least once a week. As I am on my competition diet my choices are limited, but none the less they still have just about EVERYTHING that I need. Here are some of my staples (and until mid October, about the only things) that I get from Costco. 

1. Canned Green Beans 2. Celery 3. Asparagus 4. Organic Spinach 5. Eggs (5 dozen) 6. Raspberries 7. Blueberries 8. Chicken Breast 9. Avocados 10. Tilapia 11. C4 (Pre-workout)
      So I posted a picture on instagram earlier today and kept getting skinny leg comments,It must just be a really great angle because ironically my legs are probably the biggest and bulkiest they have been in a while! They are also the strongest they have ever been. I've gained a lot of lean muscle mass during this competition prep which is awesome! I just can't wait for them to shred a little more so you can actually see the muscles I've been working my butt off for! One of my friends asked me to post about how I got my 'skinny legs' so I'm going to share one of my leg workouts! I did this leg workout once a week for two weeks at the beginning of my prep and it really helped build a lot of muscle. Granted I also worked my glutes and hamstrings a lot as well but that's for another day! (Ps when an exercise says 'superset' that means you alternate between that one and the other one that says superset. If you don't know what some of these exercises are google them, they are super easy to find!)
Quads

• Leg Extensions 3x15
• Smith Machine Squats 4x20 (superset)
• Body Weight Squats 4x20 (superset)
• Step-ups 3x12
• Single leg squats 3x12

Good Luck!! 

The Skinny on the Bikini Competition

As some of you know, I am currently in the process of preparing for a fitness (bikini) competition. Why? Because now that gymnastics is over for me, I felt like I needed something to keep me motivated; something to keep me pushing my physical limits and striving to attain goals. I'm seven weeks into my prep and have about 7 weeks to go. It's crazy how much your body can change if you just put in the effort and are consistent with your program. Here's a few pictures of my progress from one week into it versus 7 weeks into my program. Oh and please disregard my sleepy/ugly faces in the pictures :)It was really early.

These are my results from consistency in my eating and in my workouts. I don't know my exact body fat percentage in either of the pictures but I can definitely tell I have gotten leaner within this last month. My diet and work out plan change about every 2 weeks according to what my trainer thinks will be best for me. I'll be periodically posting some of my contest prep progress pictures throughout these next 7 weeks! I can't wait to see my body start changing more and more. The below picture is my motivation and inspiration to keep going!

This spring I worked out at a gym for 3 weeks with my sister. I won a free trial thing so I decided to try it out! This was one of the exercises we did and it kicked my butt! It only takes about 20 minutes max, and anyone can do something for 20 minutes right? Give it a try! It's easy to do at home as no equipment is required. And it'll get your heart rate up and burn fat for sure! I described a few of the exercises so you know how to do it! Time yourself and let me know how fast you do it! If you have any questions feel free to email me! Good luck :)

1. 100 burpees

2. 90 x over jacks (jumping jacks bringing your hand down to your opposite foot in between each jack)

3. 80 high knee touches

4. 70 air squats

5. 60 jumping jacks

6. 50 mountain climbers (100 total) (running in plank position)

7. 40 superman squeezes (lay on your stomach and bring feet and arms out and down)

8. 30 jump squats

9. 20 Spider-Man kicks (like mt climbers but bring your knees out to the side)

10. 10 push-ups