Lean Bodies - Lisa Peper

I can’t believe it has already been a week since the competition.  Fourteen week’s worth of work over and done in one day and already history.  As I mentioned, I was incredibly thrilled with the outcome.  I never expected to do so well.  While bringing home a trophy was certainly the highlight of the weekend, it was a wonderful experience overall. 

Here’s a recap of the trip:

I flew into Cleveland on Thursday, joined by my girlfriend Jess, who was along for support, painting on tanner, and most importantly hair and makeup detail.  Right away we realized it was just going to be one of those trips.  We didn’t know Continental Airlines only allowed one check-in bag, and any additional bags would be $25 a pop.  So we’re standing at the curbside check-in shuffling everything we could, stuffing two suitcases as full as possible, making sure all liquid items got in, and somehow we managed to get 4 bags into 2 and avoided the fees.  Of course, this meant we were taking two pretty darn full carry-on bags with us, one of mine being a cooler of food.  This wouldn’t have been a problem if we hadn’t been stuffed into a completely full plane the size of a Honda Civic.  And uncomfortable hour later we landed in Cleveland and made our way to the hotel.

The afternoon was nice and lazy, including a nap and some bumming around the mall.  At this point I was still depleting, pretty darn hungry, and generally exhausted.  We took it easy and got to bed early. 

Unfortunately, though, given my current work and sleep schedule, I was up at 4 a.m. Friday.  The good news was that I got to start carb-loading that day.  With a little more energy, I was in for a long, but fun-filled day.  First, I got to meet Erik and his wife Laura, Jen and her husband Will and Neely and her boyfriend John.  For those of you who aren’t on leanbodiesfitness.com, both Neely and Jen train with Erik and competed in figure as well.  It was so nice to finally meet everyone and spend some time visiting with them. 

Then it was off to get my first layer of tan on.  First attempt – not so good.  Tanning in the beds had made my skin really dry, and despite my efforts to exfoliate, I looked like I had some weird skin condition when the Jantana went on.  Thank goodness for a good friend who will scrub you down like a dog when you need it!  Jess got me tanned up, as evenly as possible, then we did a test run on my hair and make-up. 

We finished up just when my grandma and aunt arrived.  They live just an hour away from Cleveland and came up to spend the night, provide support and take in their first bodybuilding and figure show.  It was so nice to have them there!  We met up with the rest of the crew and went to the Hard Rock for a big fat loading meal.  I was so ready to eat.  And I did.  My family and Jess watched me like I was a freak show as I easily consumed a big steak, mashed potatoes, French fries and several “scotcharoos” – the most fabulous homemade peanut butter, chocolate, butterscotch bars, which my grandma made for me.  I don’t know where I put it all, but it did the trick – my muscles quickly filled out, and I was incredibly excited to get on stage the next day.  First was another layer of tan before bed.

When I finally did get tucked in around midnight, sleep didn’t come easy.  Grandma was snoring, Aunt Cheryl was tossing and turning, and Jess was making some strange clicking noise.  I was up at 4 a.m. again, but at least getting up meant getting to eat more goodies!  We did one more layer of tan, then Jess worked her magic on my hair and makeup, and I was off to the competitors meeting, then backstage ready for pre-judging to start. 

It was fun hanging out with Neely and Jen, but man did we wait forever to go on stage.  It seemed like the judges were counting rhinestones on the suits, with how long it took them to get through the shorter classes.  Finally we got lined up, only to stand freezing for a good 15 minutes before going out on stage.  Whatever pump I had was gone, but I was so thrilled to be up there.  They called out the first four girls, and sent them off stage.  I stood there, hoping with all my might to get in the second callout and was so happy to hear my number called.  I don’t think I could have smiled any bigger.  I was top ten for sure, which was my goal.  But, the possibility was there for top 5 now, and I wanted it so bad. 

The judges started moving faster through the classes, and it wasn’t too long before they were on to the one-piece round.  A much shorter wait in line and we were on-stage.  They called out the first five, and I had to double-check my button when I heard 182 called as the fifth girl.  I was in the top five for the one-piece round!  I couldn’t believe it!

We had a few hours between pre-judging and the finals, so Grandma, Aunt Cheryl , Jess and I went in search of lunch.  Erik had said I could get pretty much what I wanted, but not to overdo it.  I opted for a McDonalds cheeseburger and fries.  I was excited to call and update my husband on the unexpected turn of events.  Then it was time for the night show to begin.  This was the easy part – just file out on stage and back off, with the top five to be announced and brought back out.  My nerves were going nuts – wondering if I had placed in the top five, wondering if they would be calling me back out.  I could have screamed with the expeditor called my number to go back on stage.  I graciously accepted the 5^th place trophy and couldn’t have been more thrilled.

What an experience – to go into a show not sure if I’d even get noticed and to walk away placing in the top five!  I am so appreciative to Erik – I certainly couldn’t have done it without him.  I am grateful for a wonderful friend, Jess, who made me look like I belonged on stage, and for my family, which provided the best support for me.  It was truly a magical weekend.

I slept like a baby Saturday night, and it was nice to take our time the next day, since our flight didn’t leave until the afternoon.  It also gave us a chance to have lunch with Erik and Laura before they drove home.  The flight home was uneventful, thank goodness, and I ended the weekend with a nice dinner out with my husband.

Even now, a week later, it almost seems surreal.  Everything just went so smoothly – it all came together right on time.  I couldn’t have been happier with how I looked that day. 

Of course, now I’m thinking about next year.  Clearly the most important thing I need to do is to put on more size, especially in my upper body, to shoot for the top spot.  I need to polish up my posing and stage presence, and I’m probably going to get a new two-piece suit in a darker color.  While I love the pink, I think the lighter color isn’t as flattering, and actually makes me look smaller on stage.  But I have a year to work on things, and I’m incredibly optimistic for the future. 

As many of you know, I’m entering the police academy Oct.1, so my most immediate concerns are to get my running up to speed and my push-ups down pat.  I’m going to continue working with Erik during my off-season to get the most out of my training and keep my weight in check with a goal of competing again next summer.  I can’t wait to see what my new best will be!

 Here are some photos from musculardevelopment.com:

Here are a few more pictures .  A recap and update coming soon!

I am so thrilled to have placed 5th in the D Class at the IFBB North Americas this past weekend! I had no expectations of doing so well, and even making the top 10 would have been exciting. So, needless to say, I’m very happy with my 5th place trophy, especially considering it was my first national show, and my third show ever. Many, many thanks to Erik - everything came together perfectly. Having a coach who really knows what they are doing makes the world of difference - not only was my contest prep so much more comfortable and enjoyable, despite losing around 20 lbs in 14 weeks, the final preparations went smoothly, and I was completely happy with the end results. I’ll write more about the weekend soon, but for now - here are some pictures!

The awards presentation - I couldn’t have smiled any bigger!

Back in the hotel room in my 1 piece suit.

Trophy!!

Me and my girlfriend Jess, who did my hair and make-up.

Front comparisons in the 1 piece round.

More to come…

Here are some pics from this morning - keep in mind I’m very much depleted right now. I’m so excited! It’s been such an amazing journey, and I’m looking forward to getting on stage.

The lighting in these pictures really sucks, but I figured bad pictures were better than no pictures at all!

Now is the easiest and toughest part of the prep.  With the competition so close, it’s easy to stay on track with diet and exercise.  The tough part is keeping my emotions in check. All this work.  All these weeks of training and dieting.  All coming down to one day on stage.  One minute I’m feeling confident, strong and lean as can be.  But I have to be honest.  The next minute I’m frantic about my posing, looking at my butt in the mirror and worrying that my upper body is too lean.  What a ride.

Hitting this point – less than three weeks to go – has intensified everything.  I can no longer say,  “Oh, I’ve got plenty of time” in response to my internal worries.  Time is waning and “judgment day” is quickly approaching.  I just keep telling myself that I’m going to make the most of the time I have, do everything I can to prepare, and be confident that I gave it my all.

The hard part about competing against yourself is that winning is never quite enough.  I know I’m going to look better than last year.  In that sense, I’ve already won.  But am I going to look as good as I possibly could?  I don’t know.  That’s when the “if onlys” start.  If only I had kept my weight in check better during my off-season…If only I had built up my shoulders more…If only I had started practicing holding my poses sooner…  Insecurity is a nasty little creature.  While I know I can’t kill it, I can try to control it.

So for now, I’m reminding myself of all I have done, all I have accomplished and the strengths I am bringing to stage.  And while I don’t have a lot of time, I do have some time, and I’m certainly going to use it to the best of my ability.  And more important than ever, I have a great coach who is going to help me get there, and a wonderful people in my life supporting me. 

While the roller coaster will keep rolling, I’m going to do my best to hold on.

Well, less than three weeks to go.  This show is approaching so quickly.  I am getting incredibly excited – and admittedly – a little nervous.  The one thing I can happily say is I am confident I’ll meet my goal of presenting my best physique yet.  Already, I’m leaner than I was last year, and I feel that, while they’re slight, I did make some improvements.  What more can I ask for?  Now it’s just a matter of presenting that on stage.

Over the past three weeks I started to get refeeds – short periods of time where I consume a crazy amount of low-fat carbs.  Friday was my last one.  Whooeee did I feel like a stuffed pig after all that food.  It was like Thanksgiving – food coma and a strong calling for stretchy pants.  It’s crazy how you can go from raving hungry, to never wanting to eat again, to being willing to give a kidney for a sandwich – all in the course of 24 hours!  So far they really worked for me, and I saw some big drops in the past couple of weeks.  I’m hoping to see some more good changes this week, too. 

As the show gets closer, it is getting harder.  I’m starting to notice a change in my energy level some days and a little more irritability, but when I ompare it to how I was last year, it’s not bad at all.  It’s funny to think I’m doing less cardio now, at three weeks out, than I did last year at 14 weeks out.  But the need for discipline and especially emotional discipline is still there.  This sport plays with your mind, and you have to be able to keep everything in check. 

So from here on out, it’s tunnel vision.  I’m right on track with where I want to be, so its just a matter of executing these next three weeks to make it come together on stage.  I’ve got to hammer down some details of the trip, such as how many suitcases can I take on the plane? And how much can they weigh?  I really need to make myself practice posing more and holding my poses, because I know at my height (5’5 ½ ”) I’m going to be up there for a LONG time.  Of course, there are a million other little things I won’t bore you with, but there’s plenty to keep me busy up until the show.

Homestretch now.  Just a few more weeks.

Here are some shots from last night. I’ll update more this weekend!

 Sometimes it’s hard to believe I’ve been dieting down for nearly 10 weeks, because, frankly, I feel great.  It hit me as I was leaving the gym yesterday.  I’m this far in, this lean, and I feel great.  I had a good workout, felt strong, and left with that sense of accomplishment a successful workout provides. 

This is a stark contrast to last year.  Last year I would dread my workouts, muddle through them, hate every minute of cardio and drive home in a zombie state.  By this time last year, all I could think about was the end.  I longed for my energy back.  I longed to have a great workout again.  I just wanted to feel normal.

This year, I still feel normal.  I feel great in fact.  And I’m just a little over four weeks out from my show.  I’m excited to get on stage, but not really looking forward to the end.  I love the challenge.  I generally have good energy and certainly don’t feel like I’m suffering.  Yes, I want to eat more, and I get hungry, but it’s not unbearable.  Even more, I still have the drive and fight left in me to take on more.  Instead of dreading getting more cardio or having my meals reduced, I’m focused and determined on doing what it takes to bring my best physique to Cleveland.

It’s all about having the right program, which means having the right trainer.  Working with Erik has made this contest prep so enjoyable for me.  He’s pushing me, not killing me.  Unfortunately, so many women out there are prepping for shows, much like I did last year, wondering how much more they can endure, hating the time spent in the gym, going through their days like zombies and looking forward to nothing more than binging after the show.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  You can prepare for a show and lead a normal life.

With just over four weeks to go, I still have some challenges in front of me.  I still have fat to lose and my butt needs to come down.  I definitely need to practice my posing more.  I have to start thinking about some of the details to presenting my best package that day.  It’s hard to believe it’s just a month away!

Here are some pictures!  I’m really happy with how things are going and am feeling good.  Just five more weeks!