New coach

I'm so excited about this! Things are getting real!!! OMG! it's so cool!  :)
Friday I had my first consultation with my new coach and I hired her. We talked about my goals and how she can help me reach them. Up to now with my former PT ( he said himself he cannot give himself the title of "coach") we focused mainly on strength and form but now we'll be focusing also in changing my body. I told her my goal would be competing in a bb competition, in division figure or physique but that I'm also interested in powerlifting. She's a bodybuilder and powerlifter herself , she's the best, and the toghest question was if I want to do a powerlifting meeting too or gop directly for physique. My main goal is Physique, and she told me I can train first for powerlifting and once I'm done with the meeting, go to physique because what I have trained for powerlifting would help me for physique.... just  I can't train simultaneously for both. She does it, but she's a pro! and i'm still a newbie...So I think I'll go for that possibility: first power lifting and then physique ...though what I REALLY REALLY want in the bottom of my heart is competing for physique, it's like a dream!...I also want to be strong though...damn it! hard decision!

By the end of this weeekend she will give me the meal plan, actually the macro breakdown and later on the training plan. I can't wait to get started!!!! though I have to cause I'm still injured actually, The pain is almost totally gone but I still notice it a bit, it's taking forever to heal!!!!

About the meals: big change: I'm giving up vegetarianism. At least for this first phase until I build enough muscle. maybe later i could be able to mantain in on a vegetarian (even maybe vegan) diet...? Anyway that would be something for the future so I don't need to think about it now. I agreed to eat egg whites and fish.... other kinds of meat would be a bit difficult for me after so many years of being a vegetarian.... Difficult , not impossible...so...maybe i will? ...?...? ha ha...i don't think so but that's not a definite NO!

That has been the story of my life so i'm changing it. Always going down with the calories, losing weight (including muscle), binging, putting on weigh, losing again reducing calories and again and again. It doesn't work! Trying vegetarianism, veganism.... so now I'm changing things and i have the best guidance for that! I'll follow her plan to the T and I'll get to be as awesome as she is <3

This time i'm going to do it, I believe I can and i will. I'm gonna turn the best "me". I feel really motivated :)

In other order of things....i'm trying to be the best me in EVERY field, not only physically but also mentally and spiritually and i'm trying actively to be more generous and expect the least possible or even nothing. Expectations are bad, you have to be able to not expect anything. It's hard but it's rewarding! I'm trying it actively and when I succeed I feel good...but sometimes I have to stop and remind myself about doing it.... some day it will come automatically. :)

And I'm also working on my self-esteem and  getting rid of jealousy. I try to be as rational as possible when it comes to jealousy cause it doesn't make any sense.... stay rational!!! ha ha. Srsly! I just.... I'm in love. <3

Time to change things a bit

Today I met my coach at the vegan fest. Not for a session or for a talk but I obviously told him how things in the gym are going...I told him that some of my lifts are not going to well and he asks about how I sleep (well), how I eat (actually more that I should last week) and how I train...now here's where the problem seems to be, I told him that this week I lifted 4 times (planning on a 5th still this week) and cardio 3 times planning on one more..... he told me that's too much and I'm sabotaging myself...that I might need more rest ... Maybe he's right, I'm feeling drained today... But it doesn't seem too much to me...Anyways, he's my coach and I'll do what he tells me, after all I paid him for that.... I also have to get grip on my diet. Last week was soooo awful that I have put on weight, the worst thing being that even putting on weight, my lifts are not better! that's so annoying!!!! I'll do what he told me to! I was thinking about a "shortcut" to lose weight faster, something like the protein sparing modified fast....but I haven't even mentioned that to him cause he would be so mad!!!! I guess I'Ll stick to what he said just decreasing minimally the calories on training days so that I'm always on deficit, at least til I los this one kilo (2,2 lbs) I have put on.... or until I feel more comfortable with my looks....

In other order of things, seeing all these vegan powerlifters today kinda motivated me to keep on trying veganism... the macros are a bit tricky, you have to rely a lot on protein powder to fit them...but so what! it's worth a try! The animals , the climate and my conscience will thank me.... Another thing to it is the challenge: I want to show the world (or whoever wants to know) that it is possible to lift heavy being a vegan and that you can achieve a physique too! Now, if I really want to prove that I have to work hard, not because of veganism per se, but fighting cravings and excesive calories.... Even vegans can go on surplus and eat much more than allowed, vegans don't eat only carrots, LOL.... I have to see that I keep my calories and macros in track! I need support, I need will power.... but here's a new motivation found, whichj I also needed...maybe just being patient , open-minded and letting things come to you without denying them will make everything come into place again...it's my hope!... (hey...i have hope! how great is that?!) :D

Already before starting I was REALLY nervous. He already had told me via email that he would be testing my 1 RM on squats and deadlifts...that sounded scary and also the idea of performing in front of him after so much time. I was doubting myself a little, I have learnt a lot with him but what if I had "unlearnt" and he caught me doing everything wrong...? that would be awful, I felt a bit insecure but wanting to give everything and then some more!

So we met and enter the gym together: test-day at a gym in which neither he nor me have a membership, since now we don't train at the same gym. We started squatting: God, I'm so scared of squatting! We did, after the warm up, of course, my 1 RM which happens to be 75 kg (165,3 lbs) , then 2 setsof each one rep with 70 kg (154,3 lbs) and then my regular set 5x5 with 65 kg (143,3 lbs.) that it's going to be my usual for now, I also did like that yesterday on my own :)... Not too bad but he had expected me to hit 80 kg... Too bad I couldn't.... :/ Next time! :)

Then Deadlifts :) I love the deadlift, it's my favorite lift. We tested my 1 RM: He loaded the bar and I didn't want to count and told him not to tell me til I'm finished cause sometimes the number scares me and I do worse just out of fear...so I did my 1 RM...with bad form I must say and it was... 100 kg ( 220 lbs.) WOW! When he told me I was so happy that I started jumping and hugging him, LOL...It was great cause I had that goal for December and look at me! I achieved it in August! Awesome!

(BTW my bodyweight is about 117 lbs)

He wrote this on my wall:
"Told you that you're a lot stronger than you sometimes think you are Alex , today was a perfect example, keep the work ethic up and an year from now you'll actually be destroying some good numbers and be competing"

That made me so happy!!!! almost as much as having lifted the 100 kg! :D it means a lot of me when he praises me. He's the best and very strict. He never holds back what he has to say be it good or bad, when I'm doing a shit job, he also says that, actually he even "dumped" me I think because of that, of one day me doing awfully bad at the gym and he getting pissed .... Anyway... I'm really happy, and since he said that I could be competing in a year...the idea is in my mind.... a powerlifter girl... that would be like.... AWESOME! ha ha.... but it's just a fantasy for now, not a goal: As a goal I have just keeping up the good work and also getting stronger and leaner...but it was such a motivation boost training with him! I love that guy! Now I also feel more focused. he gave me the guidelines about how to eat and train for my (slow) cut. That's great because I felt lost and now I know what to follow and I'll stick to it. The guy knows his shit for sure! I'm really happy he's my coach and grateful....

And the other day, the day after the training, he told me in a message:

"thanks to you
i hit a PR today
145 x 6 on the squat"

How can I not love him?! LOL.... Srsly...awesome!