Hello 2015!!

I hope everyone had a FABULOUS holiday season! I had a really nice time at home with my family,  not to mention a few much-needed days off from work! I got some fun new toys from Santa, which I will get into later on. I wanted to do a year-end post to help ring in 2015 and reflect upon 2014. It was a whirlwind year for me-from moving home, to starting two (!) new jobs, to moving into the city....plus two competitions and lots of training ups and downs! This year FLEW by, I can't believe it's already almost New Year's Eve! First, I'm going to do a quick reflection on my past year:

Although I technically moved back home to Framingham, MA in December 2013, I still consider it part of this "year in review". I left New Jersey after 6 months to come back home and started a part-time job as a Fitness Specialist for LifeStart Wellness Network, a corporate health and wellness company. I had been trying to get a job like this since I graduated college, so I was pretty excited about it. 2014 started out a little rough, I was still getting used to a new schedule and big changes. Once I got in my groove, everything turned around. I was eating well and following my training plan. I felt great and looked great! I trained for a competition in April, in Ithaca, NY. Although I didn't do as well as I hoped to, I hit a squat and deadlift PR and placed first in my division. After that competition, I started online training with John Gaglione and had a huge improvement overall in all my lifts. I joined the 1st Phorm Athlete Search and "met" (on social media) so many inspiring people through that that have helped motivate me and have supported me. I moved out of my parent's house to Somerville in September and, a week later, started my current job as a full-time Fitness Specialist for FitCorp. This is where I was met with a lot of challenges. Again, I had to adjust to a new schedule and to living in the city. The biggest adjustment was giving up the freedom of having a car and learning to depend on trains and buses. My training and my health suffered. But, I continued to train and never missed a workout through this time which is something I'm very proud of. My next competition was just a few weeks ago at the beginning of December in Long Island. I hit squat and bench PRs, but again was not happy with my performance. I know I have to make a lot of changes in 2015, and I've never been more motivated to do so.

So, what's the plan for 2015?

First things first, I need to get healthy. This means going to a doctor and assessing my hernia situation. In the meantime, I'm going to continue training and working on my weak spots. I obviously can't lift heavy (UGH), so I'm going to be focusing on lighter weights, higher reps. I've actually already been doing this since the competition, and so far it's going well! I'm not going to let this medical issue prevent me from training-instead I'm going to find ways to work around it and make sure I don't lose too much. As far as my training goals and competitive future, I'm not making any plans to compete again until I feel ready. I don't want to leave a meet anymore feeling like I could have done better. I've set goals for myself and once I hit them I'll feel ready to compete again. I'm hoping that will be sometime in the summer or fall. There's no reason for me to rush into JUST to compete. I'd rather prepare long and well than feel shitty about my performance.

Since I'm not going to be stressing about training for a competition, I'm going to focus almost entirely on my diet. Since I moved to the city, I have REALLY been slacking in this area. It's just straight-up laziness-no point in sugarcoating it. It's hard to go grocery shopping without a car, and most nights I just don't feel like cooking anything (plus its hard when you go from having mom and dad cooking your dinner to having to cook it yourself). I'm going to work on making a real lifestyle change in the new year. I can do extreme dieting for when I need to cut down, but none of those actually stick. Last year I did IIFYM and it worked really well for me. I fell off the IIFYM wagon after my competition in April and never really got back on. For Christmas, I received a Nutribullet and a spiralizer and I can't wait to start using them! I'm hoping this makes it easier to prepare healthy food ahead of time and make me more inclined to eat it! I'm also planning on using the slow-cooker more. My roommate has one but I've never used it. I've already started looking up recipes and have a bunch lined up for the new year.

Speaking of nutrition, a few months ago I signed up for the pre-sale of the Precision Nutrition course for March. I've officially decided that I am going to do it, so starting in March I'll be studying nutrition and actually learning about it! This is going to be great not only for my career, but also for my personal health and wellness. I can't wait. PN is the best nutrition certification out there. I did a ton of research when trying to pick a nutrition certification to do. I've heard so many great things about PN and heard one of the founders speak at the Cressey seminar in September. I also know a few people who have it and they agree that PN is the, bar none, the best one to get. I'm very excited to start it!!

My other big goal for the new year is to do better with this blog! I've been slacking on updating it and I think it's because I've just been bored of it. There's only so much I can say about my training each week before it becomes repetitive! So I'm going to start adding other things to this. I'll probably post about food and share the recipes I'm trying out. Since I am TRX certified, I think I'm also going to start a weekly feature "TRX Exercise of the Week". Would people be interested in that?? If anyone has any other ideas of things you would like to see on here, please let me know! I'm very open to suggestions :) I'll still be writing about my workouts and such, but with other things thrown in there to mix it up!

So that's my plan. I'm looking forward to this year and I think it will be one of my best years yet. I've never been in a better place personally, socially, and mentally. I'm so happy and things can only go up from here. I can't wait until I start feeling better and (hopefully) looking better! I'm kicking off 2015 down on Cape Cod with my family, my aunt, uncle, and cousins, and my amazing boyfriend. I can't wait! I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year. Here's to the future!!

Gaglione Strength Clash for Cash Recap

This weekend I competed in the 6th full power meet, Gaglione Strength's Christmas Clash for Cash in Long Island. This was the first meet I went to completely by myself, and also the first meet that I had my coach there with me. While I overall didn't do as well as I wanted to, I won the 114 division (and had actual competition this time, 2 other 114s!) and also received the "Soaring Eagle Award", which really meant a lot to me (more on this later).

As you can probably tell from my lack of blog posts, the prep and training for this meet was the hardest I've ever gone through. I went through some major life changes right around the start of this training cycle, which I've written about in previous posts. I wasn't always focused on my training and a lot of the time I just got it done to do it. My diet was completely out of control-moving to the city and out of my parents house meant a lot of nights of "I'll just eat whatever I have" and throwing shit together. I rarely cooked actual meals and I was ordering out a lot. I gained about 8 pounds, which made this weight cut incredibly hard. Yes, some of that weight was lean mass and yes I do feel like I have put on muscle but still. I felt awful for most of this cycle and as a result had more bad workouts than good. My back was at its worst and I had some health issues that made me lose a week or so right in the middle of my program. I couldn't afford to make it up, I just had to skip those weeks and move on. Did I go into this meet feeling confident? Somewhat. I was confident in my squat and bench, but had zero confidence in my deadlift. I've written before that I never allow myself to miss deadlifts in competition.....well this time I did and it made me feel absolutely awful.

The Weight Cut
I compete in the 114 weight class, but my "regular" weight during training usually sits somewhere between 116-118. I usually only have to drop 2-4 pounds to make weight. Since I knew I was up higher (in the 120-122 range) at the start of this training cycle, I decided to start dieting down about 6 weeks out. This basically meant cleaning up my diet and stopped drinking alcohol. Around Halloween I had some stomach issues and could only eat bland foods for about a week. If you don't know, bland foods is just a fancy phrase for empty carbs. I was bloated, weak, and felt awful. As soon as I felt better, I got back to dieting and cutting. After 4 weeks, I had only lost 3 pounds and was stuck at around 119. I thought I wasn't going to make weight and I was so confused as to why I wasn't losing anything. I did everything the same as I have in the past-being aware of macros, avoiding processed foods, preparing all my meals...not to mention spending a shitload of money on food twice a week. I basically had to skip Thanksgiving, which was the hardest part of this prep. One week out, I was still at 118. I decided to do water loading as well as cut all carbs and dairy the week of my meet. I used Caitlyn Trout's water loading protocol via an article she wrote which can be found here. Basically all I ate all week were eggs, chicken, and broccoli. Luckily it paid off and I weighed in at a light 113 pounds. HOWEVER-lesson learned. As soon as Christmas is over (come on, give me a break I missed Thanksgiving) I'm going to keep my diet clean as much as I possibly can to avoid having to do this again. Definitely the hardest weight cut I've ever done and yes, I do think it affected my performance.

The Meet
Let's start out by saying I had very high goals for myself for this meet and I hold myself to a very high standard. My goals were 200 squat, 105 bench, and 250 deadlift and AT LEAST a 500 total. I went 5/9 with 180-95-195 and a 470 total. Squat and bench were meet PRs, but my deadlift was absolutely embarrassing. The week of the meet my left hip flexors seized up to the point where I couldn't even walk. I had an emergency chiropractic session before I left on Thursday to release them, which did help a lot. Then sitting in a car for SEVEN hours (seriously, LI traffic can suck it) made them tense up again but after stretching and rolling they felt better. I felt pretty good after rehydrating and eating on Friday. The morning of the meet I felt normal again, just a little nervous as always. My squats felt pretty good during warm-ups and I crushed my 170 opener. I took 180 next and got a little stuck at the top but pushed through to get it. I've hit 190 in the gym, so I assumed that's what I would be going for next (coach was calling all my weights, which was awesome. I didn't have to worry about it), but I took 185 as my third, got stuck halfway up and couldn't push through. Miss. I was upset, but 180 is a 5lb meet PR. Not a huge PR but still a PR! Bench came next, which also felt great during warmups. I took 90 as my opener-already a 5lb meet PR-and got it easy. 95 was next. I didn't set-up correctly and ended up touching too high on my chest then not being able to push it all t he way up. I missed it, so had to take it as my third attempt. Luckily I got it, for a 10lb meet PR. While this is still a really awesome accomplishment, I really wanted 105 or at least 100 on bench. I was feeling a little upset over this but had to push it out of my mind to focus on deadlift. In training, my deadlift has not been going well. I had a lot of back issues that have been fixed, but I lost a lot of strength due to that. I haven't been able to hit anything over 185 in training since the summer. So I wasn't expecting a miracle, but I was hoping that meet adrenaline paired with my own personal desire would help a little. Warm-ups actually felt pretty good. I could feel my hip flexors a little as I got heavier but I just ignored that. I was taking 195 as my opener-a weight I hadn't hit in months. Missed it. I was in shock. I couldn't believe I had missed my OPENER. How embarrassing. I came back and easily hit it as my second attempt, but at this point I now needed 225 to total 500. We decided to go for it. The bar didn't move at all. I was upset, embarrassed, shocked-I was ending with a 470 total, down 25 pounds from my last total (which was 495) and equal to a total I hit over a year ago. I should be improving, not moving backwards! John knew I was clearly upset and said to just focus on the accomplishments. I had 2 meet PRs, which is great. I knew deadlifts weren't going to be good. I just expected more from myself. The Soaring Eagle award was a surprise-so much so that I almost cried when John announced that I had won it! It really put things into perspective for me. Yes, I had a lot of rough patches while training for this meet, but I still showed up and worked my hardest. There will be others and I will do better in the future. Now I'm more motivated than ever to hit-and surpass-my goals. Videos if bench and deadlift are below, unfortunately I don't have any squat videos :(

The Future
Before I plan on doing any more events, I need to see a doctor about the hernia in my stomach. After bench was done, it was killing me on Saturday. Maybe this had something to do with my dismal deadlifting performance, maybe it didn't, but I need to figure out what's going on with that. I was planning on doing the Ithaca meet in March, but I might not be able to now. I would really like to do a local meet. I've never done a meet in Boston, I always travel to them. I do think this affects my performance because traveling is very taxing on the body. I also want people to be there for me. This may sound stupid but having no one at the meet with me was tough. I made friends, of course, but its not the same as having your loved ones there supporting you. When I travel, its hard for them to come. I'm lucky enough that my parents have been to a couple, but no one came with  me this time and I was pretty lonely. Doing a local meet would mean my family and friends could be there to support me. I think that would also help them better understand why I love doing this. I'm also hoping to reach out to a few people in Boston to see about training with them-even once a month would help. The environment in which you train really makes a difference. I've noticed this both times I've trained at Cortland. Having someone there to push you helps so much and I don't have that. I train by myself and as much as I love being an independent woman in the gym, it really sucks sometimes! So if anyone in the Boston area is reading this....I'm on the hunt for a training partner! :)

I've set new goals for myself, and I can't wait to get back into training. I'm more determined than ever to get to where I want to be. Shoutout to John Gaglione for everything you've done for me so far and for being there for me this past weekend! Congrats on another successful event! Can't wait for the next one!!

Stay STRONG and Stay FIERCE!!

Crunch Time!

Alright lifting pretty babes. I'm officially 4 weeks out from my next meet, which means I am in full meet-prep mode. Started cutting weight 2 weeks ago but had some complications which I'll get to later. I'm also in my last cycle of my program, which will peak me for the competition. I am SO EXCITED to get back on the platform! I love competing, if I could do it once a month I would!


This will be my 6th meet. I can't even believe I just wrote that. I've competed in full-power meets 5 times already! If you told high-school Chrissy that present-day Chrissy would be a competitive powerlifter, she would have laughed in your face and called you crazy. Yet here I am! This will be the first meet where I'll actually have my coach there with me, so I'm excited to see how it will be different from the meets I've done in the past. I'm also planning on writing a post about what I do to prepare for meets so be on the lookout for that in the next few weeks!


My training has been improving a lot in the past 2 weeks. Even my deadlift feels a million times better, and I'm attributing that to the chiropractor I went to last week. I've had chronic back pain for YEARS-it started my sophomore year of high school so almost 10 years (wow I feel old!). I've been to my PCP and a back specialist and no one has been able to give me a straight answer about why I have the pain. When I was 15 I was "diagnosed" with arthritis and scoliosis in my spine. I use that word lightly because I'm pretty sure this was a false diagnoses. While I know it's possible to have arthritis at a young age, that just didn't make sense to me. I've had MRIs, CT Scans, and X-Rays on my back and they all show a normal, healthy spine, except for the slight curve due to scoliosis. So I was kind of at my wit's end. No one could tell me what was wrong and I didn't know how to fix it. I started focusing on strengthening my back and core muscles and that did help a little bit. I've toyed with the idea of seeing a chiro for about a year now, but I was always too scared to go. I finally bit the bullet and OH MY GOD I AM SO GLAD I DID. It was seriously LIFE-CHANGING. My co-worker recommended Dr. Morrissey of Khalsa Chiropractic. She's not the typical "crack your back" chiro, which is what I liked about her. She specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of soft tissue injuries, and utilizes various manual therapies to help enhance joint mobility. She used Graston Technique and Active Release Techniques on me. It was INCREDIBLE. I felt so great after! I'll be going to her once a week until the meet! What she found was a lot of tension in my lower and upper back. She also worked on my glutes and hamstrings. When I deadlifted the next day, for the first time EVER, I felt what a painless deadlift was like. I was so happy! I can't wait to see how this impacts me and hopefully I'll go into this meet feeling healthy and strong!


So other than the chiro, I mentioned above that I had some complications. 2 weeks ago I woke up with this sharp pain in my stomach on the right side. Being the hypochondriac that I am, I immediately freaked out because I thought my appendix was bursting. I ended up going to my PCP, and I'm glad I did. She didn't think it was my appendix, but that it was an ovarian cyst that had burst. That day I had a CT Scan on my stomach area, which showed a healthy appendix (thank god!), enlarged lymph nodes, and a cyst on my left kidney. My ovaries looked normal, but my doctor still thinks that's what happened. I was on a "bland foods" diet (read: all carbs, and bad ones) for the next few days until my bloating went down and I felt normal again. I didn't lift for a few days but then got back into it the next week. This messed up my weight cut a little bit. I'm hoping I can still get down to 114, I have about 8 pounds to go. If not, I'll just move up a weight class. No biggie. The cut is mostly mental for me, and I've seriously been slacking on my nutrition since I moved into Boston, so I really want to try to get back on the right track. That's why I'm actually doing a weight cut. It would be easy to say screw it and just compete at 123, but I need to do this. After this meet I'll indulge a little over the holidays but I feel so much better when I eat clean. And I'm convinced my lifts go up too! I fell off the clean eating bandwagon over the summer, and I'm paying for it now. I don't want that to happen again!! Mind over matter! Veggies over pizza! (jk, pizza over everything)


Other than that, things are going well! I hit a squat rep PR last week, 175x2. Will this be the meet I finally hit that 200lb squat?? I HOPE SO!! Bench is staying pretty consistent as well, hit 90x2 last week. Bench is like my powerlifting great white buffalo. I've never hit anything above 88 in competition, but this time I am fully confident than I will. I feel like I need to prove myself on bench, and I can't wait to do that. I'm still a little worried about my deadlift but I'm not going to let that get to me too much. It is feeling a lot  better, just not where it needs to be, Just gotta keep moving forward and working hard these next 4 weeks. Now I'm gonna go heat up some chicken and veggies before my chiro appointment today! Can't wait!!




Stay STRONG and Stay FIERCE!!

6-Weeks Out Check-In

Ok, ok I know I've been slacking on updating this, I've just been SO busy doing fall activities and stressing out about my Halloween costume. Even though I haven't updated, I have not missed a workout in the past 6 weeks. I'm about halfway through my training for my next meet on December 6th. I wish I could say everything is going GREAT...but I would be lying. The past few weeks have been pretty tough and I've had a lot of ups and downs, which I'm attributing to adjusting to a brand new schedule, gym, job, and apartment. I hate using that as an excuse because I feel like its BS, but the truth is that stuff can affect you a lot more than you'd think. I also need to get my diet back on track and get more sleep. AKA....less drinking and going out and more IIFYM and sleeping. I have been having a lot of fun since I moved but it's time for me to calm down and focus on myself and getting ready for this meet. Let's go lift by lift:


Squat
This is one lift that has been fluctuating a lot. The first few weeks on this new program I felt like my squat went waaaay down. I didn't feel as strong as I used to and I stopped squatting heavy because I thought I couldn't. That was stupid. Very stupid. If you've followed this blog or know anything about me, you know that I train alone. I've been training a lot at work just because its convenient with my schedule, but that means there usually isn't anyone around to spot me. I was so scared of failing on a lift that I stopped trying. It wasn't until 2 weeks ago that I finally screwed my head back on straight, put up the safety bars, and put heavier weight back on the bar. And guess what? I didn't fail. I feel a lot better about my squat now. Last week I did 170x2, which is my 3RM. I'm testing my 3RM squat this week, so stay tuned for that. I'm going to really focus on my squat because I want to break 200 SO badly at the meet. And I know I can do it.
Current Meet PR: 175
Current Gym PR: 190
Meet Goal: 200-205
Things I'm working on: hitting consistent depth, not dropping lighter weights deep in the hole


Bench
The only lift that has stayed consistent since starting this program. I am consistently hitting 90 for reps, which is my 3RM. Again, I have the issue of not having a spotter so it has been hard to go heavier than that, but I'm testing my 3RM again this week and I know I can hit 95. I'm actually very excited to bench in a competition, which is rare because I hate benching! I feel like I have to redeem myself for the last meet I did, which ended in an 85 lb bench (so embarrassing). I'm finally training it correctly and sticking to a program that is obviously working for me.
Current Meet PR: 88
Current Gym PR: 100
Meet Goal: 105-110
Things I'm working on: pausing at the top so I don't miss the rack command, staying tight through the upper back


Deadlift
By far the worst of the three so far in this training cycle. My DL has gone from bad to good to very  bad. I've been having a lot of back problems again (actually seeing a chiro for the first time ever next week!), and its been killing  me mentally and obviously physically on deads. I was doing alright for a couple weeks, hitting near-maximal numbers on conventional deadlift then switching back to sumo. I actually pulled 190 for 1 the first week back into sumo. Since then I have been really inconsistent. I was supposed to do a max triple last week, which was 205 the last time I tested it. This time, I couldn't even get 185 off the floor ONCE. That was so frustrating because that should be an easy weight for me. But, I'm not going to dwell on it, I'm going to learn from it and move on. I can't focus on lifts I didn't make, I need to set my sights on lifts I CAN and WILL make.
Current Meet PR: 235
Current Gym PR: 225 (I rarely max test my DL because it hurts my back. I save it for the platform)
Meet Goal: 245-250
Things I'm working on: everything? Kidding. Staying tight in my lats and not yanking the bar up. Speed off the floor


So, safe to say I've been feeling very frustrated and defeated the past few weeks but I am trying very hard to keep focused and keep a positive attitude. I know that changing my diet and taking care of myself better will help a lot, I just need to do it!


Oh, and let's not talk about weight cut just yet. I'm dreading it. DREADING IT.






Stay STRONG and Stay FIERCE!!

From Barres to Barbells: How Lifting Changed My Life

Since joining the 1st Phorm Athlete Search, I've been putting myself out there more, and trying to figure out what I would want my "image" to be. What do I want to accomplish if I am chosen as one of their newest athlete? What message do I want to send out? I figured now would be a good time to reflect on myself and actually answer these questions. The story I sent 1st Phorm when I entered the contest was short and sweet (click here to read that post). This is the extended version.

What sets me apart? Besides the obvious-being a female powerlifter. There are so many amazing people already in the 1st Phorm family-I’m humbled to even be considered and it would be a huge honor to be picked and join these athletes. What I did notice is that they don’t have any female powerlifters in their ranks-and I want to be the first.

I started powerlifting when I was a senior in college, 2 and a half years ago. My ex-boyfriend got me into it, and immediately I felt like this was what was missing in my life. Before I started lifting, I was a dancer for my whole life. I started dancing when I was 3 years old, and continued until age 22. Dance, and more specifically ballet, was my entire life and it helped shape me into the person I am today. When I was in middle and high school, I spent every day after school and all day Saturday in class and rehearsal. Summers were spent at dance camp, 40 hours a week for 8 weeks. I loved it, but at the same time I hated it. The dance world is very competitive-and not always in a good way. You have to look a certain way, act a certain way, and accept what’s given to you. There are certain standards that all professional dancers must meet-tall, thin, and lean. Unfortunately, I didn't meet any of those standards. I grew up hearing phrases like

“you’re too short”

“you won’t fit into the costume”

“you’re too curvy”

“you won’t look good on stage next to so and so”

As you can see, I'm a full head shorter than the other dancers

....repeatedly hearing this definitely had an impact on me. I remember being devastated after audition results came out, every single year. "Why are all the other people in the dance advanced beginners...?" "I'm not in the snow scene? *cue meltdown*" "Why am I the ONLY senior without a solo in Nutcracker this year?!?!?!"....you get the picture. Every year I would swear it was my last, but auditions would roll around again and I'd be there, number pinned to my leotard, just like every other year. I was always stuck with the younger kids because of my size. I never danced a solo-not once. And it wasn't because of my abilities. I didn't 'look' the part of a soloist, so I never was one. And unfortunately, stuff like this wasn't uncommon in the dance world. The teachers always told me I would be 'repaid' someday, but that day never came (like the year I had to dance with beginners in the summer dance concert because they needed an extra person and I was the only one who would fit into the costume...I was 15, they were all between the ages of 6-9). And my teachers were right-I WAS small. At just 5 feet tall, I weighed less than 100 pounds until I went to college (freshman 15, holla). But it wasn't only me that got picked on. Many of my friends developed eating disorders and had serious psychological issues. I knew amazing dancers who had to give it all up because they couldn't handle the pressure. I witnessed girls collapse backstage from lack of food after a performance. I listened to girls throw up their lunches before class. And I didn't do anything about it.

Dance taught me a lot of things, like discipline, time-management, determination, the ability to work hard...but self-confidence and positive body image were not any of these things. I struggled with feeling good about my body for a long time.

That’s where lifting really changed my life. I continued to dance recreationally through college, but when I found powerlifting my life did a complete 180. What I love about lifting is, you don’t have to look a certain way. It’s not about what you look like, it’s about your strength and your abilities. Powerlifters come in all shapes and sizes-and every single one of them is supportive of one another.  It’s such an amazing community and I'm so glad I found it! In the dance community, someone could be your best friend one day, then stab you in the back to get a role they desired the next day. Now, complete strangers look up to me, help me, motivate me, are motivated BY me. There’s no feeling quite like going to a competition, and having people who you don’t know at all encourage you and congratulate you and offer advice. 

Since I started lifting, I’ve gained so much self-confidence and I’ve learned to love my body. I’ve always been a little bit reserved, shy and quiet, but I feel like I’ve come out of my shell. Lifting has made me a better version of myself.

What started out as a hobby, a way for me to bond with my boyfriend, turned into a full-blown lifestyle. Even after our relationship ended, I had no intentions of stopping. When I first started lifting, I never thought I would ever compete. I competed for the first time in October 2012, and after that I was hooked. I wanted to go to a meet every weekend! In the past 2.5 years, I’ve competed 5 times, finishing in first place 4 times and second place once. I don’t pretend to be the best-I’m far from it. I still consider myself very new to the sport and I know I have a lot to learn. I’ve met so many amazing people that have helped me along the way, and my coach John Gags is always there to offer guidance and support! Not to mention my family and friends who have always supported and encouraged me, even though I know they thought I was crazy at first! There are even people I've connected with via social media-instagram and facebook-who I've never met but are some of my biggest supporters. At first there were a lot of people who told me I couldn't do it and I’m proud to have proved them wrong. This is where the “never settle” mindset comes in for me. I’m not going to give up. Once I hit my goals I make new ones. I'm always looking for ways to improve and better myself.  

I will never settle.

One of my proudest competition moments....235lb deadlift!

Winning the athlete search would mean so much to me. Not only would it be amazing to be a part of a company whose values I believe in, but I would get a chance to be alongside some of the best athletes out there! I hope to be someone for other women and girls to look up to. I want to encourage women to get out there and chase your dreams. I want to be a motivator for women to be the best versions of themselves. I know what it’s like to be scared of things-I spent most of my life being this small, timid girl. I spent my high school years trying to be as invisible as possible. And I never went to the gym. I was way too scared. Now, I’m often the only girl in the weight room, and let me tell you, its empowering! I want all women to feel that. I want all women to know their strength, because I can guarantee you’re stronger than you think! I want women to understand that there’s nothing wrong with being strong. You won’t get bulky unless that’s what you want-look at me! I tell people I lift and I always get this surprised reaction. I’m still a girl-I’m actually a very girly girl. All my gear is pink, my competition singlet is pink, I love getting dolled up in a dress and heels and dancing the night away with my girlfriends.

Going to the gym doesn’t mean you have to give up your femininity! And I want more women to understand that!

See? Still SUPER girly!!

So now the big question, what everyone wants to know-what would I do with the money if I won? Well to be honest, it’s not about the money for me. But if I did win…..I’ve always wanted to own my own business. I went to school for clinical exercise science, and I currently work as a fitness specialist for a corporate health and wellness company, but I am also a personal trainer and group ex teacher. I think it would be awesome to open a female-only strength training gym. A place where women who are serious about getting strong can come together in a community, lift together, and motivate each other. I want somewhere where women can go that's not intimidating.

I know what it's like to be scared....I spent most of my life being scared! I want to help women find their true potential-help them come out of THEIR shell, just like I did! 

Right now it’s just a dream, but if I won I could be much closer to making that a reality.

Facebook: Chrissy Giorgetti

Instagram: @cahrissay

Email: chrissy.giorgetti@gmail.com

Stay STRONG and Stay FIERCE!!

First Bootcamp of October!!

This week's workout is a total-body tabata workout! For those of you who are not familiar with tabata, it's simple! You do the instructed exercise for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, then go back to the exercise. Alternating 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest for 4 minutes, giving you 8 "rounds" of the exercise! I'd recommend downloading a tabata timer app on your phone-its just easier than using the stopwatch. Trust.

SO! Total Body Tabata Workout:

You will need: medium-heavy weights, mat, jump rope, KB or heavy DB, and a medicine ball!

Set 1:

Squat to Shoulder Press (med-heavy weight)

Plank Jax

Alternate the two exercises, so you'll do each 4 times!

Set 2:

Push-up to Row (med-heavy weight)

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNdDIB90MVg

Mountain Climbers

Alternate the two exercises, so you'll do each 4 times!

Set 3:

Reverse Lunge (med-heavy weight)

Russian Twists (heavy weight)

Alternate the two exercises, so you'll do each 4 times!

Set 4:

Tricep Dips

Kettlebell/Dumbbell Swing (heavy weight)

Alternate the two exercises, so you'll do each 4 times!

Set 5:

Jump Rope

Medball Slams (heavy)

Alternate the two exercises, so you'll do each 4 times!

Make sure you're watching FORM! There's no shame in dropping the weight if you start sacrificing form. Better to do it right and light than ugly and heavy! :)


Leave a comment if you try this workout!




Stay STRONG and Stay FIERCE!

Cressey Sports Performance Fall Seminar Recap

This past Sunday I attended the 3rd annual Fall Seminar at Cressey Sports Performance. It was a long day full of learning and I loved it! I soaked up SO much information, I thought my brain was going to explode! It was also my first time at CSP, so getting to (finally) see the facility was awesome. I went with some of my friends who came down from Cortland to attend it. They drive out here on Saturday, and stopped at CSP on their way to deadlift. I'm so sad I couldn't join them, but I don't have a car and seeing as CSP is about 45 min away in Hudson, it just wasn't going to happen. Someday I'll lift there!






The seminar lasted about 8 hours, with 6 speakers and an hour break for lunch. All of the speakers were current or former coaches at CSP. The lectures ranged from nutrition, to various injuries, to coaching. It was a lot of information in a short amount of time, but I definitely learned a lot. Eric Cressey spoke on Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, and how to diagnose it. I didn't know much about TOS before this, so it was great to learn more about it. I probably won't ever encounter it in my career, but if I ever do I'll know what to look for!






My two favorite speakers were Brian St. Pierre, whose talk was titled "Paleo: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" and Chris Howard with "Trigger Points 101". There is a lot of current discussion regarding the paleo diet, and hearing all the facts about it was really cool. The basis of his discussion was that the paleo diet does have a lot of good qualities; such as encouraging the intake of whole foods, lean proteins, veggies, fruits, and healthy fats; however it also has some flaws. The "evolutionary" argument hasn't been proven and the evidence for excluding dairy, legumes, and grains isn't very strong. Definitely a very cool and "current" topic to speak about, and I learned a lot about the paleo diet! I'll still never try it....this Italian girl canNOT give up grains!




Trigger Points is a topic I have a very particular interest in. I'm a self-proclaimed "soft tissue nerd"...I take it upon myself to learn as much as I can about soft-tissue therapy and using it as injury rehab. So, naturally, this talk was really interesting to me! The discussion was much more in-depth than anything I've read about, and he incorporated case studies which was very cool. He also talked about how trigger points can mimic other conditions and may be diagnosed as something else. I see this all the time in my clients-people think they have this horrible injury when it's really just tender muscles! I definitely learned a lot from this lecture and I will be implementing a lot of stuff in my work!


So overall it was a great day. Long and exhausting, but still really fun! I think I've mentioned this in other posts, but if you work in fitness, investing in seminars and conferences and summits etc is a MUST. Yes, they are expensive but the information you can get from them is invaluable. Plus, you'll definitely use it and it will pay for itself in time. It's also a great way to network and meet new people! So suck it up, give up a few weekends, and go to continuing ed events. You won't regret it.




Stay STRONG and Stay FIERCE!

Bootcamp Workout Week of 9/22

This workout is designed to test your willpower! Mind over matter ladies and gents!


5 minute plank
If you drop or lose form, perform 10 burpees then get back into the plank for the remaining time. If you drop again, 20 burpees. So on and so forth (+10 every time you fail)


5 minute wall-sit
If you drop or lose form, perform 20 mountain climbers then get back into the wall-sit for the remaining time. If you drop again, 40 mountain climbers. So on and so forth (+20 every time you fail)


5 minute side plank-right side
If you drop or lose form, perform 5 star jumps then get back into the side plank for the remaining time. If you drop again, 10 star jumps. So on and so forth (+5 every time you fail)


5 minute plate hold (arms outstretched in front of you, holding a plate)
If you drop or lose form, perform 20 jumping jacks then get back into the plate hold for the remaining time. If you drop again, 40 jumping jacks. So on and so forth (+20 every time you fail)


5 minute side plank-left side
If you drop or lose form, perform 10 speed skaters then get back into the side plank for the remaining time. If you drop again, 20 speed skaters. So on and so forth (+10 every time you fail)


Repeat the above workout twice through.


If you HATE cardio, make sure you don't have to do any simply by holding each position for 5 minutes. I say simply....this workout is far from simple! Don't forget to breathe and don't think about the time!


Leave a comment if you try this!






Stay STRONG and Stay FIERCE!!

Week of 9/15 Bootcamp Workout

For this workout you'll need heavy weights and a mat! You're going to go directly from one exercise to the next, and rest at the end. Workout is as follows:

*Squat to Overhead Press-15 reps

Burpees-12 reps

*Reverse Lunges Alternating-20 reps

Jumping Jax-50 reps

*Bentover Rows-15 reps

Burpees-12 reps

Push-ups-25 reps

Jumping Jax-50 reps

Plank Hold-1 minute

*=use your weights!

Repeat this circuit three times, resting 2 minutes between each time. REMEMBER!!!! It's not a race! Take your time and do each rep with perfect form!


Leave a comment if you try this workout! :)






Stay STRONG and Stay FIERCE!

Clash for Cash Meet Prep First Weeks

In my previous post, I mentioned that I signed up for my next meet. I will be competing in Gaglione Strength's Clash for Cash on December 6! I can't wait for this meet, I think it'll be really good. Plus it'll be great to have my coach there handling me and all that stuff. I've never had that before, so it'll be interesting to see how its different. I've already started my prep for this meet, even though its far off. The program Gags started me on 2 weeks ago will peak me for the meet, so it's perfect. I kinda messed up a little bit the first 2 weeks and did the wrong workouts, but now I'm back on track and so far feeling great.

I started in week 3 of the program, so last week (week 4) was technically a deload week. Which actually worked out well because I was pretty tired and sore from moving over the weekend. My 3 main lifts were halting conventional deadlift, pause squat, and long-pause bench. Everything went well, but I'm still adjusting to lifting in a new space so I don't actually have any bench videos. And I'm still trying to figure out the best way to rig up something so I can video my squats and deadlifts, so sorry for the bad camera angles on the videos below!

For deadlifts, I only worked up to 145. My back was killing me after the move, so I decided to not kill myself with deadlifts last week. I also did the wrong workout, because I got confused lol OOPS. So I ended up going 5x5 when it was actually supposed to be a deload with 6x3.
I went: 95x5, 125x5, 135x5, 145x5, 125x5 (lifting with bumper plates is AWESOME, btw)
Here is the video of my top set:

As you can see my hand goes right to my back after this set, which I did subconsciously, but halting deadlifts do put more pressure on it. I was sore for a few days after this but nothing crazy.

Squats were 8x2 paused. I was still confused and thought they were supposed to be beltless, so I didn't bring my belt to the gym (that shit gets heavy when you have to walk 25 min, okay?). So I ended up working up to 140lbs, which was as high as I felt comfortable going without a belt. Which is actually I think also the heaviest I've ever gone without a belt. All in all pretty smooth workout. I was feeling weak from not squatting in a week, but once I got back into I was fine.
I went: 105x2, 115x2, 125x2, 135x2, 140x2, 135x2, 125x2, 115x2
Here's the video of the top set:

And bench. This was 9x3 long-pause (5ct) bench. Like I mentioned above, I don't have any videos because I couldn't figure out how to set it up and I was there alone. I'm not comfortable enough in the gym to ask anyone to video me yet....
Sets were: 45x3, 55x3, 60x3, 65x3, 75x3, 65x3, 60x3, 55x3, 45x3
Again, I was alone so I only felt comfortable going up to 75. Hopefully once I get used to this new gym I'll stop being so shy and ask someone for help! I hate doing that though, its so awkward. And also no one knows how to spot correctly...

So this week I jump back into full workouts (not deloads)! See my instagram page (@cahrissay) for videos if you can't wait till next week for my weekly update!

Also I wanted to congratulate the newest 1st Phorm athlete Twayne Russell! Such a great choice and so well-deserved. Check out his video on their facebook page! It's an awesome video, that makes me really proud to be representing them (and makes me want to win even more!) Next winner is announced October 6th! Keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Stay STRONG and Stay FIERCE!

Week of 9/8 Bootcamp Workout

As promised, I'll be posting one workout a week for anyone that wants to do it.


This week is a total-body cardio strength workout. You'll need a mat for floor work and ONE heavy weight. This is mainly a bodyweight workout-you only need the weight for one exercise at the end!


REMEMBER: Form over time! I don't care how long it takes you, make every rep perfect!

Warm-up:

Air squats

High Knees

Butt Kicks

Jumping Jax

Easy jog in place

30 seconds each, 2x

Circuit 1:

50 air squats

40 push-ups

30 sec plank

20 dips

10 side lunges EACH SIDE

Circuit 2:

50 mountain climbers

40 reverse lunges EACH SIDE

30 burpees

20 high knees

10 inchworms

Circuit 3:

50 bicycle crunches

40 superman flies

30 jump squats

20 tricep push-ups

10 donkey kicks EACH SIDE

Circuit 4:

50 alternating lunge jumps (25 each side)

40 plié squats to calf raise

30 v-sit in and outs

20 single-leg deadlifts EACH SIDE (use your weight here)

10 clam shell side planks EACH SIDE

Cool down with stretching

Leave a comment if you try it!!


Stay STRONG and Stay FIERCE!

New Apartment, New Job, New Gym....phew!

So it's been a few weeks since I've given an update....but only because I've been SO incredibly busy! So many changes have happened in the past few weeks that have left my head spinning, but I'm finally settling in and things are calming down. After my max test week, I did a recovery week and signed up for my next meet! I'll be competing at my coach John Gaglione's next meet on December 6th, 2014. I'm so excited for this and I can't wait to get back on the platform! I have about 14 weeks to go and I've already started my new program! The first few weeks have been a little rough-between moving and finding a new place to lift and starting a new job, I barely had time to fit it in (but I still did!)


Oh yeah-I moved! I finally have my first Boston apartment! Well, technically its in Somerville, but still. It was a really big step for me to move closer to the city. Not only am I living with 3 great girls, but my commute has been cut in half! It's so nice! We moved over Labor Day Weekend and I have been loving it. I love having my own space, I love being so close to the city, and my apartment is just great! I don't have a car anymore, so that was a big adjustment, having to either walk or take public transportation everywhere, but I think I've adjusted well and now I love it. Probably won't feel the same way in the winter buuuuut...we'll cross that bridge when I get there. I get to walk through Harvard Yard every day on my way to the train. Harvard is a beautiful campus plus it looks JUST like Hogwarts. So I can pretend I'm a wizard every day. It's awesome.


Another big change is my new job! I accepted a full-time Fitness Specialist position with FitCorp and today is my first day! FitCorp is another corporate health and wellness company, so I'm actually working in the new State Street Bank building. It's very similar to the job I held with LifeStart, but it's full-time. I was working part-time at LS, so it was really important to me to get the full-time title, especially with moving and having actual bills to pay. LS couldn't offer it to me, so I had to look elsewhere. I'm so glad I found this opportunity and I'm so grateful that the position was offered to me! I'm excited to dive right in and get started! It's located in South Boston, kind of near the Seaport, so my commute didn't really have to change at all. Just have to go one more T stop past South Station :) I can't wait to see what this position has to offer, and I'm up to the challenge of a brand-new facility (it's only been open since June!).


And the last big change-finding a new place to lift. Obviously the most important thing. There is a squat rack at my new job, which I will probably use a few times a week, but last week while I was still at LS, I had to find a place to lift. To my disappointment, all the gyms within walking distance to my apartment only had smith machines and no actual racks. I was getting so frustrated! I did look at a beautiful facility that had Olympic platforms, turf, ropes, and everything that was a block away from my place. The problem? It's a private training facility. Small group training, classes, and personal training only. No open gym. I was heartbroken! It was so nice! So what I ended up doing was joining BSC in Central Square. It's one stop away from Harvard, which is where I get off to go home, so it will be easy to just stop there on my way home. There's also a bus that picks up a block away from me and goes right to Central Square, so that's also really easy. I would have liked it to be a little closer, but I can't be picky. The plus side? FitCorp is owned by BSC, so I have a free membership. Awesome!


So those are my excuses for not  updating in awhile. Later on today when I get home I will post about my workouts last week. Another new thing I'll be adding to this blog is a weekly workout for anyone that wants to do a total-body boot-camp style workout. This was specially requested by my LifeStart girls, and I don't want to let them down! I'll try to get this workout up mid-week, hopefully Wednesday or Thursday! So be on the look-out for that! Other than that, my workouts will go up each week as usual, along with any training, diet, or life updates I feel like sharing :)


Stay STRONG and stay FIERCE!

Max Test Week

So this week I max tested all my lifts (except deadlift kinda). I was supposed to test last week but I was sick, so I pushed it to this week, which meant I wasn't really peaked right for it. I did another deload week last week. I didn't exactly hit the numbers I wanted, but with everything going on right now, that's ok. Plus I PRed my bench 2 weeks ago by accident....oops

Deadlift:

I touched on this a little bit in a previous post, but my back started hurting again about a month ago, so I switched from sumo to conventional for a couple weeks. This is a 175 convo pull, which is the most I've ever pulled conventional. After this I went for 195, missed it, dropped down to 185, and pulled it about a foot off the ground but couldn't stand all the way up. That NEVER happens to me when I deadlift-usually if I break the floor it flies up. But, convo is different than sumo so it's looking like I'm going to have to work on my convo lockout. I'm much stronger pulling sumo, but I need to heal my back before I can get back into it. So frustrating!

Squat:

5 lb PR on my squat! 190 lbs. This was my second attempt at it, I missed it the first time. Obviously it's super slow and ugly, but a PR is a PR! I know I have more in me when I'm peaked correctly, I want that 200 raw squat soooooo bad! Before I hit this, 180 went up super fast. Way easier than I expected it to. I haven't hit anything heavier than 175 since my meet, so I was happy with that. It took awhile for me to get over the 165 hump, and now I'm hitting 170-175 consistently. So I'm definitely proud of myself for that. Can't wait to get back into regular training and see how much stronger my squat gets!

Bench:

Ok, so obviously not a PR, but I wanted to throw this in here anyways. I went for 105 after 100 flew off my chest, but I couldn't do it. According to my coach, a 5 lb jump on bench is a lot for someone my size, and I probably could have had 102.5 if I had plates for it. Again, I'm off a week so I wasn't peaked right, but I know I have this and more in me. I'm consistently hitting 95 and 100, after not being able to get over 95 for almost a year. And I count that as a win. I've never hit anything heavier than 85 in a competition, and I'm never letting that happen again.

So what's next for me? This coming week I'm going to do mostly dumbbell work and recover a little bit before starting my next program with John Gaglione. I was planning on competing in October in Ithaca like I always do, however after talking with him we decided it might be a good idea to wait until December to compete again. This is a really hard decision for me, because I LOVE competing in Ithaca. It's my absolute favorite meet. And I know my team will be competing. But, I'm moving 2 weeks from today (YIKES), and with all the changes that will be going on, it's going to be really hard for me to prepare for a meet. At least if I compete in December that gives me time to settle in and get used to everything without the added pressure of meet prep. I will probably still go to the Ithaca meet to support my team though!

Last thought here-I know I say this all. the. time. But, I need to acknowledge a couple people who have helped me these past few months. First, my coach John Gaglione for not only being my coach, but also my friend. He's so supportive of me and always there when I need to talk and I can't thank him enough for that. He's made me a much more confident lifter. And not to mention a much stronger lifter too! Second, thank you Zsquad and especially my good friend Joe for the support and motivation from a distance. I wish I could train with you all the time, but knowing I can come to you for help or advice whenever I need to means a lot to me. Lastly, everyone who's helped me in the gym with spotting or videoing or whatever-Mike, for pushing me this week and helping me test my lifts, and the crew at Anytime Fitness for all the help and support. I'll miss you guys when I move!!

Now it's time for me to spend the rest of my day packing aka figuring out what to do with all my crap. So fun!

The #gymselfie Epidemic

I recently read this article about the whole gym selfies thing. This is a topic I have debated writing about probably 20 times. I really liked that article, so I took it as a sign that it was time to put throw in my two cents.

So, what's my opinion on gym selfies? This will probably upset almost everyone, but I think they're just a cry for attention. I can hear you now..."but CHRISSY! You post videos and pictures of you lifting, how is that not a cry for attention?!" Well, you've got a point. But, I can honestly tell you I do not do it for attention. I do it because my coach and teammates live far away from me. It's a great way for us to see how everyone's doing, and my coach NEEDS videos in order to see how I'm progressing (and so he can do his job of programming for me). I do it for the feedback I can get from other lifters. I train alone, for the most part, so its important to me to be critiqued by other lifters. You'd be surprised how much you can learn from an instagram comment....that's how I found my current coach! And I also do it because, lifting heavy is freakin awesome.

I'm not the kind of person to post a #gymselfie of myself half naked, posing with the lights dimmed so that my muscles look better than they actually are. There are a few reasons for this:
1) I have never been confident enough in my body to do that
2) I know for a fact my followers don't want to see that
3) I get enough unwanted attention just for being a female powerlifter-I don't want more by posting pictures like that.

Now, just because I don't post any pictures like that, doesn't mean I don't take them. My phone is actually full of pics of me in a bikini in front of a mirror. I do this for MYSELF. I like to see progress I'm making. I have no plans to ever post these pictures anywhere. So, I guess what I'm saying is, I understand why people do them. I understand the whole progress pic thing. I understand that some outlets of fitness (especially people who compete in physique competitions) need to do this to show how far they've come. And I think that's great-in moderation. I don't think it's necessary to post something like that every week/day/whatever. I don't need to be scrolling through instagram seeing a half-naked chick posing every other picture. Show me REAL progress-lifting pics/videos.

Which brings me to my next point. I strongly believe that spending time looking at these #gymselfies can be detrimental to physical and mental health. The article above referenced 2 "studies" done about this topic. Here is my personal story:

I used to follow a TON of "fitspo" accounts on IG. I also have a lot of friends who compete in things like bikini, figure, bodybuilding, etc. So, I would always see a ton of those pics every time I would open my IG and scroll through. This started having a negative effect on my body image. I would stare at myself in the mirror and wonder why I didn't look like that. I was lifting heavy, I was doing (some) cardio, I was eating healthy. It got to a point where I increased my cardio so much that the back pain had been been working on getting rid of so diligently for 8 weeks came back. I completely undid all the back rehab with just 3 cardio-centered workouts. Talk about stupid. When my coach asked me why I was increasing cardio without talking to him first, my response was, "I'm getting fat". To which he replied, "Shut up. No you're not. You look great and you're so much stronger than you've ever been. Where is this coming from?" We went on to discuss what I was feeling and after talking to him, I felt a lot better. I unfollowed most of those accounts, because I don't need to be looking at that every day if this is what it will do to me. Was it a momentary lapse in judgement? Did I just freak-out for a hot second? Maybe. But I don't want it to happen again.

I've come to terms with the fact that I am NOT a fitness model or physique competitor. I am a powerlifter. I may never have visible abs and that's ok. I will never have a thigh gap, because I really, really, love to squat. But I WILL always be strong. I don't go to the gym to get a "pump" or to work on one specific muscle-I go to get stronger. I don't want other women (or men) to look up to me because of how I look-I want them to look up to me because of what I've accomplished. If you can't be impressed by my lifting alone, you're not someone I want in my life anyways.

1st Phorm Package!

Came home to my official #LegionOfBoom package waiting for me!

Don't forget to follow my journey on Instagram! @cahrissay
My youtube video will be coming soon....eek

1st Phorm Athlete Search

I have some exciting news! I'm officially entered in the 1st Phorm Athlete Search contest! Received my confirmation email this morning. Here is a brief desription of the contest:

"On the 1st Phorm Athlete Search website, we mentioned this isn't just about a pretty pic or a buff bod and that's because our mission is to redefine what the fitness and supplement industry is all about.  We see a lot of selfish, "it's all about me" attitudes in this industry … and that’s not our style. 1st Phorm is a high quality, premier, supplement brand. We are all about being the best we can be at everything we do … and having the best athletes represent the best products!  We’re about HELPING OTHERS be the best they can be - motivating them, encouraging them, educating them and inspiring them!"

I was on the fence about entering this. I don't have a "fitness model" body. I lift, but I'm not super strong. After reading the website and learning about the company, I decided to give it a go. What the hell, right? They are picking 5 winners between now and December. While this contest is happening, I will be adding some hashtags to my instagram photos so that they're seen by the company, but other than that nothing will change!

Here is the story I submitted to them:
"I was a ballet dancer for 16 years. Growing up, I was very shy, quiet, and reserved. I often tell people that I spent most of my high school years trying to be as invisible as possible. I loved dancing, but the dance world can be very catty and unforgiving at times. I was often skipped over for roles in shows because of my size. I didn't have the right "dancer's body"-I was short, and curvier than most of the other girls. I also suffered a number of injuries over the years, including ankle sprains, a back injury, and a partially torn meniscus in my knee. I knew I couldn't pursue dance as a career, but continued dancing recreationally in college. My senior year, I found powerlifting. My focus shifted entirely. I started training in powerlifting about halfway through that year, and never looked back. I was becoming so much stronger than I had ever been. I had never touched a barbell before, so I really started from the bottom. I started noticing not only my body changing, but also my attitude. Lifting gave me confidence that I never had before. I'm an entirely different person now than I was even 2 years ago. I love going to the gym and lifting heavy. I love competing, which I have done 5 times. I compete in the 114 weight class, and my best lifts currently are 185 (squat), 100 (bench), and 235 (deadlift). Although I've been training for just over 2 years now, I still consider myself very new to the sport. I can't wait to see what my future in powerlifting holds. I hope to inspire other women to get into lifting and not be scared of the weight room like I was!"

If you would like to follow my journey throughout this contest, head over to my instagram and twitter and follow me there!
@cahrissay (both IG and twitter)

12-Week Program Recap

Last week I ended my first 12-week Gaglione Strength program. Making the decision to work with a coach was a big step for me, and I didn't really know what to expect. I thought that maybe I wouldn't get great results because I was doing online coaching, rather than in-person coaching, but I was wrong. Not only did every workout push me to new levels, but I already hit some PRs! (I haven't even max tested yet!). Having a coach was not only great programming-wise, but also for keeping me accountable. Before, if I was tired, or not feeling great, or going away for the weekend, I would skip my workout. I'm proud to say that in the entire 12 weeks, I never missed a workout. And I know that now I'll keep it up, and I won't make excuses to miss workouts anymore. I've seen how important it is to stay on a program. I went to my competition in April after half-assing my training, and was upset when I didn't do as well as I wanted to. I'm never going to let that happen again.

The last week of the program was more of a deload week in preparation for testing my maxes. Since I've been having issues with my back, I'm going to test my conventional deadlift instead of sumo for now. And of course I'll test my squat and bench as well. I'm so excited to see my results. And after that, I'm excited to start on meet prep! I'm planning on competing in the fall, hopefully October or November.

This week I did dynamic-effort deadlift and bench, and speed squats. Everything stayed pretty light. My bench was feeling pretty good, so I decided to go for 90x3 (video below), which would have been a 3RM PR. Not only did I hit that, but it was WAY easier than I was expecting! I had at least 3 more reps in me! I'm so happy my bench is finally improving, and I'm actually learning how to train it correctly. I've always HATED benching, but now I can at least tolerate it....I'm actually the most excited to test out my bench 1RM. I'm hoping for great results!

So max  testing will be happening over the next 2 weeks. This week I picked up some extra shifts at my old job, so I have NO free time. I am going to try to get to the gym in the mornings before work and do some light work and accessory work-almost treat this week like another deload week-so that I can go into next week ready to hit some big numbers.

I want to thank my coach, John Gaglione, for all his help and guidance. I can't wait to continue working with him! Not only is he my coach, but he's also a friend. He's been there for me through a lot these past few months, and I know I can count on him. It's really important to find a coach who shares the same values as you, practices what they preach, and actually cares about you. Gags definitely has all these qualities and I'm so happy I decided to work with him! Can't wait to see what my future with him holds.....