[Clare]

Today is a rest day. I had some dry needling treatment on my elbow/forearm earlier this morning… Ouch, that hurt! The tension in my forearm seems to have eased a little. I think it’s just going to be a case of rest, smart training and additional anti inflammatory supplements to get on top of it like I’ve done before.

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[Clare]

I just wanted to point out that the decision to use a small amount of assistance this year wasn’t taken lightly. I’ve been lifting weights throughout my whole life ever since my teenage years and have competed naturally for 5 years, winning a British Championships and getting some high placings at International shows, so I would always advise young lifters or competitors to maximise their natural potential for as long as possible before considering adding in any kind of assistance. You can certainly still progress and achieve at a high level without. I feel I’m at a point now where I’m noticing plateaus. I may still make improvements, albeit very slow and minimal, but at my training age, adding a small amount could potentially help and possibly minimise muscle loss when dieting. This certainly isn’t an excuse not to put the work in as I absolutely will and have proved that and will still need to. I know a lot of girls that follow me look up to me as an example of someone who can achieve at a high level naturally and that’s still the case and I would encourage it. I spent several months reading, researching and talking to knowledgeable people before making this decision, so I hope this is understood.

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[Clare]

Thanks for following @ajmeags

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[Clare]

You might be better off posting this directly on the Fortitude Training website.. I know @scott-stevenson answers questions daily on there.

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[Clare]

Checked in with Jordan this morning. My weight was 55.8kg and we’ve agreed that I’m pretty much at my max off season weight right now, so we ideally don’t want to push up any further (Basically I’m getting a tad chubby!). We’ve also discussed potential shows for this year and agreed on one that puts me at 21 weeks out.. so I guess this page is now a prep log and you’ll be able to follow exactly what we do leading into a show.

We’re going to be adding in 10mg anavar, which should help re-comp me a little before any adjustments are made to my diet.
I’m also going to double up on my Curcumin and Omega 3 dosages while my elbow is still giving me grief.
No other changes will be made as of yet.

Please feel free to ask me anything if you have any questions. I’ll hopefully be able to get some vids in for the site too in the lead up to my shows.

I’ve attached my check in pictures for you to see my starting point.

Today was also a Push Day.. I didn’t do any of the bicep exercises programmed because of my elbow/forearm issue and I used lower weight/higher rep on cuff laterals, but all other movements went really well.

PUSH 3

Smith shoulder press – 2 sets for 8-10
High Inc machine press – 2 sets of 8-10
Dip machine – 1 set of 8-10
Low incline DB fly – 1 set of 15
Lying cuff side raises – 3 sets of 15 (Today I hit 20 reps as I lowered the weight)
Dual rope Tricep pushdown – 3 sets of 12
Single arm seated DB preacher curl – 2 sets of 8-10 reps (Missed these out)
Dual zbar curl, seated – 1 set of 15 (Missed these out)
Abs – 4 sets of any exercise, 1 min rest in between, aiming for 15 (Cable Rope crunch)

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[Clare]

Pull Today.. An old elbow/forearm issue has flared up a little this week, which affected some of my lifts today. Very frustrating as I knew the strength was there, but I was getting pain down my forearm if I lifted too heavy. Direct bicep work was a no go too. I’ve had physio on it in the past and a course of shock wave therapy, but interestingly enough high doses of CBD seemed to help the most. Could just have been coincidental, but I’ll give it a go again.
Me and @haider-mehdi seem a right pair at the moment .. haha!
Anyhow I’m not going to let it get me down. I’ll get it looked at again by someone else if needed and work around it the best I can when training.

Workout is below:
Pull 2
Lat pull down – 1 set of 10-12, stay on the same weight for another set 
Dual DB row – 2 sets of 8-10
Assisted chin – 2 sets of 10-12 (Using a band)
Mid back row machine – 2 sets of 10-12
Rev pec dec – 3 sets of 10-12 
Single arm cable curl – 1 quad drop – 12 on the first (Missed these out today)
Seated calves – 3 sets of 8-10 reps (1 min rest between sets, last set straight into a stretch)

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[Clare]

No problem doing that, so long as you account for it.

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[Clare]

Menstrual cycle is back ???? ..8 weeks post show. I never feel like my body has fully recovered until my cycle comes back. I’m sure many women would be glad to see the back of theirs, but it’s essentially a sign that our bodies are working ‘normally’ and in a healthy state to prepare for a possible pregnancy, so I’m always pleased to see mine return!

Rest Day today and all set for a Pull Session tomorrow ????

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[Clare]

Just take it first thing in the morning. No need to take it pre training or pre cardio as far as I know.

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[Clare]

Legs this morning and a trip to an ENT specialist this evening!

Seeing as I’m baring all on this log, I may as well fill you all in…

At the beginning of last year I had blood tests done through my doctor. It was around a time not long after a prep, so hormones were a little downregulated. He wasn’t too concerned, but wanted me to get an MRI on my pituitary gland to check all was ok. I finally had that appointment through recently on the NHS and results were all clear, but they noticed some grey shading on the left side of my head, so I was called back for another MRI scan. This came back showing I had a very small benign growth in my left ear canal known as an Acoustic Neuroma. With this news, I decided to request to see an ENT specialist with my Private medical Insurance and had my first appointment today. The growth is apparently only 3mm wide and not causing any harm or issues, so he wasn’t too concerned, but I’ve been referred to another Doctor that specialises in this particular area who will take care of me from here on. Likely I’ll just be having scans every 6-12 months to monitor it and there are options further down the line to remove it if it gets any bigger. In some cases they’ve been known to disappear completely, although rare. Anyway, I’ve been assured I have nothing to worry about with it being so small and having been found early. Nothing I’ve done has caused it thank goodness, it’s just one of those unexplained things.. S**t me up a little none the less!

On a brighter note, Leg workout this morning was really good!

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[Clare]

If you’ve been using creatine in the off season with no issues, there’s no need to drop it during a prep. I can’t see this being an issue at all. Are you working with a coach? Remember scale weight isn’t the only indicator of progress.

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[Clare]

Phil Graham also has some excellent resources for Diabetics and is very knowledgeable in this area. I believe he offers coaching too.

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[Clare]

Eldest daughter back at Uni, youngest back at School, other half back at work, tidy house and not a sign that Christmas ever happened! .. I’m just plodding on with my usual routine.. minus all the additional work that comes with extra bodies around the house!

Fortunately today is a rest day, so I’ve managed to get all of my jobs done today before going into work later on for Clients.

I feel completely recovered now from whatever virus I had over the last week and extremely determined to make the most of what’s left of my off season. I’m under no illusion that I have improvements to make if I want to be competitive at a high level, but I can’t control outcomes, however, what I can control is how much effort I put into the now. Nutrition, recovery, training, sleep, stress, supplementation.. all variables that can and need to be controlled every day to maximise potential.

Have a great start to the week 🙂

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[Clare]

Push this morning. Decent session. My progression on push movements always seems relatively slow. I just want to grab the 30’s and start shoulder pressing them, ha! but I’m not Corinne, so back to reality! I’m still gradually moving in the right direction, so all good.

Below was today’s workout. I had 4 sets of abs programmed at the end, but missed them out on this occasion as the thought of doing any kind of ab contraction after the stomach cramps I’ve been having recently made me a little wary!

PUSH 2

Shoulder press machine – 2 sets for 8-10
High Inc Smith press – 2 sets of 8-10
Dips – 1 set of 8-10
Cable x over – 1 set of 15
Side raise machine – 3 sets of 15
Tricep bar pushdown – 3 sets of 12  
Single arm seated DB curl  – 2 sets of 8-10
Dual machine curl – 1 set of 15

And..
I’ve just seen the release of the 2019 Amateur Pro Qualifier Schedule, so I’ve been looking through and tentatively picking potential shows. I’m still not 100% set on any yet, but once myself and Jordan have a first one in mind to aim for, we will then have an idea of how long I have left of this off season and how to plan things out.. Won’t seem long before I’m prepping again! eek.. Pass me the cheesecake 😉
 

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[Clare]

I’m back in the game! Actually went to the gym today and had a decent Pull session.

Really pleased I took an extra rest day yesterday.. and despite how much we worry about taking time off the gym when we’re ill, I had no strength loss and felt motivated and energised throughout the session. It just goes to show that taking time away when needed will usually have little to no impact on progress. If I’d have trained through my illness, however, or gone back too soon, I could potentially have regressed and impacted my recovery capabilities. It’s still tough to take our own advice, and sometimes we need a reminder from others, but ultimately we need to take the rational approach.

Let’s hope I’ve kicked this illness completely now and can get back to consistent training and eating.

PULL 1

Wide Lat pull down – 1 set of 10-12 reps, stay on the same weight for another set 
T bar row – 2 sets of 8-10 reps
Assisted chin – 2 sets of 10-12 (Using bands)
Seated cable row (narrow attachment) – 2 sets of 10-12
High cable for rear delts – 3 sets of 10-12 (Using wrist cuffs)
Seated Single arm DB curl – 1 quad drop – 12 on the first
Standing calves – 3 sets of 8-10 reps – 1 min rest between sets

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