[Kiera]

The main factor here is weather or not you are on prep and trying to compete. If so then it’s very nice of you to be making compromises to eat out for a special occasion but i would suggest that your other half should also be making some compromises as to where you eat out. You were never going to find something healthy at a fast food Restaurant like KFC so i assume you felt guilty before even eating anything from there. Pretty much any restaurant or pub will have something a lot healthier than a fast food restaurant so i would suggest if you are on prep and wanting to still celebrate special occasions then book somewhere in advance.

However, if you are not on prep and not trying to do a drastic cut for something i would honestly say not to worry, one off plan meal will not set you back, even two off plan meals. As long as you are consistent with your diet, training and cardio from here on out you will be fine.

[Kiera]

Shoulder is a little stiff today but apart from that it is all good! Im going to bench on Thursday and hopefully it will feel decent.

I’ve decreased my training days to 3 this week as my body is a little tired, back is a little bit more fragile and taking a bit longer to recover and feel a slight rest/ deload is needed before next Monday. I’ve been off cycle for nearly 6 weeks now and still training the same way i was on cycle which is perfect but my recovery isn’t as amazing.

Next Monday i start phase 1 of training for my July meet. I’m planning to do Squat (legs) and bench twice a week and deadlift once a week. That was my split leading up to this comp too and worked really well for me until my injury. Im planning to have one squat session and one hack squat session followed by a BB style leg workout after spending a good period of time on those key exercises. I usually spend an hour squatting before moving onto the remaining exercises. I will be hitting grip 3x a week – one session incorporated into my deadlift session and then 2 exercises thrown in after a bench session and/or squat session. I only focus on one exercise for grip, it might be double overhand rack holds, reverse grip overload holds, 10 second holds ect..

[Kiera]

Happy Monday 🙂

i had my cortisone injection into my shoulder this morning. It’s been rearranged a few times but thankfully they fitted me in this morning. It was ultrasound led so they could pin point exactly where to inject it given my MRI results. It will take a few days up to a week for it to fully kick in but i plan to bench in 2/3 days time to test it out. I had immediate pain with the bar before so it will interesting to see if its gone. Obviously the injection doesn’t fix the problem it just blocks the pain. I will be attending treatment for it and i am going to be altering my bench sessions so that i’m doing the minimum amount i need to to get where i want to be. No high reps or sets are really going to be happening from here on out and i have been advised to stay away from curling and over head movements.

I scheduled today as a rest day so i will be working and enjoying the sun for the rest of the day 🙂

[Kiera]

If it’s pain that’s come about whilst being on a Deload and you haven’t trained, then likely it isn’t anything serious – this is fairly common, and often bad posture, sleeping position etc has caused a minor strain – if it still hurts and isn’t getting better in a week to abs see a physio

[Kiera]

Not an ideal squat session today, lower back still playing up so I have booked in to see someone out here. To be honest I have been neglecting frequent check ups and treatment which I was getting back in the U.K. and with the concentration being on my shoulder I slacked on keeping up with the rest of my body.

Went up-to 150kg and did some higher volume working sets but nowhere near where I wanted todays session to be. However I know when things are feeling fragile and pushing it would not have been worth it today. I have a lot of time to play with now so I’d rather do it sensibly.

[Kiera]

The rule I use is, if it still hurts after a week, get someone to have a look at it, physio ect.

Likely this is just a minor strain, so nothing to worry about. But when you return to the exercise, simply take your time warming up, and pausing in the hole/lengthened position – if you feel that new positioning on the exercise is one that you are going to keep and get good at. Gradually work your way up, and perhaps for the nex my fee sessions, lower the weight by a bit and keep in those higher rep ranges before progressing

[Kiera]

Happy Saturday, wasn’t feeling amazing to hit heavy squats today so took hamstrings out of the session and hit some hamstrings, glutes, grip and accessories instead. I will squat tomorrow, knowing I’ll be on top form and can give it my all. Going for 180kg for reps and sets so that should be fun.

I start a cut on the 21st just going to be fully cleaning up my diet, putting myself in a slight deficit and adding cardio in 6x a week. I hope to lose 3/4kg in 6/8 weeks. My body is very stubborn and takes a long time for me to lose any weight. When I last cut I started at 78kg and went on stage at 70kg – A whole 26 week prep with an 8kg weight drop. So 3/4kg is quite considerable for me. – I’m only doing it to put myself in a better body composition and because I’m fully aware I am already sitting at the top of my weight class with 5 months worth of training/growth and strength to go.

So that’s my plan. I will definitely be going for sushi before the 21st though haha.

[Kiera]

So best thing to do, is choose a room in your house that you can make dark, – thick curtains or blinds – so external light sources remain consistent

Then for a source of light – either a box light or a ring light

Then a black photography backdrop that you can buy on Amazon.

And finally a Bluetooth clicker that you can link with your phone that’s on a tripod

[Kiera]

My cortisone injection was meant to be this morning, drove to the hospital, checked in, sat on the bed in the robe literally ready for the injection and then the nurse says the surgeon had been called to an emergency operation earlier that morning. So no injection today but it has been rearranged for Sunday.

Today was going to be a rest day anyway after yesterdays big deadlift session so training wasn’t messed about by it. Back and piriformis are sensitive as always but will be ok tomorrow. I’m not supposed to be training legs tomorrow but I think if I feel ok I’ll bring it forward by a day, like to get it done before needed a 2 days upper body rest from the injection. Personally I’ll go by feel but I have been told the area does go quite weak for 24 hours so we will see.

[Kiera]

So I would definitely avoid it, – the lack of micronutrients in whey is significant vs real food. – however if it is a must, – I would ensure you at least use a high quality Vegan Whey as well such as Trainedbyjp which contains pea protein and also is a complete protein source and your body will thank you greatly – as there is a high chance of digestive issues having a dairy based protein source 24/7

[Kiera]

Mental deadlift session today.

My last deadlift session was a challenge, i managed it which meant i needed to increase the weights by 5kg for this session and keep the reps the same. Meaning todays target was 235kg for 3 sets of 5 reps and 215kg x 10 reps for my 4th set.

That’s weight i’ve never moved off cycle before. I am 5 weeks off cycle now and amazed at how much strength i have managed to retain from constantly pushing the reps and weight on deadlifts (and squat to be honest – even though i have reverted back to high bar so it seems less, i’m actually near to my best working set with a much better form).

I didn’t get 10 on the last set of 215kg. Truth be told i was fucking knackered and i settled for 8 reps, i felt the 9th and for the sake of it didn’t think it would be worth the grind as i knew 9 reps would have been it. But im chuffed with tha, 220kg x 8 has been my best FRESH and on cycle so to rep out 215kg after 3 working sets off cycle (and at the same body weight) i’m happy.

I have my cortisone injection tomorrow morning at 10.30am so looks like tomorrow is going to be a rest day for me, i will probably do some cardio later in the afternoon and will update you on how it goes, not a fan of needles haha ?.

[Kiera]

For maximal fat loss potential, you should take clen everyday, as you don’t desensitise to it. Studies showed Clen increased resting energy expenditure by 21% at 80mcg – However, using clen shouldn’t be the only factor in determining weight loss.
You are simply still eating too much or are not creating enough of a deficit through energy expenditure.

[Kiera]

A bit too much excitement for a Wednesday.

Started the day off heading to the hospital as I was called to see the surgeon. I thought it would be something to do with my pre op assessment but instead was completely the opposite. The surgeon wanted another surgeon to look over my MRI and then that surgeon phoned another surgeon to look over my MRI and after 2 hours of waiting they came to the conclusion that the SLAP teat that the first surgeon claimed was the main problem and reason for surgery actually wasn’t a one.

I have attached the first surgeons original report below if anyone in interested in reading this but as it stands there are multiple differences in opinions between the surgeons, however they all agreed that it wasn’t a slap tear after further investigation.

From what I gathered from today I have degradation of the bicep tendon near the origin and have been told it will get worse over time without significant rest. It’s not bad enough to operate on right now and I’m not going to rest for months to allow it to ‘potentially’ heal so
I’ve been told the best thing to do is an ultrasound leg cortisone injection ( possibly 2 to get me through to next year and through this year of competing ).
THe plan is to get that done in the next few days and then go for an MRI in a few months to keep an eye on on the deterioration of the bicep tendon.

This doesn’t change my plans to compete in the meets I already have planned but it might mean that I compete in one a little earlier in the year too. I will resume training as usual minus bench and once it’s been a few days post injection I can start benching normally hopefully.

[Kiera]

Agreed, you should start off with both as you don’t want to become dependent on one.

Hopefully you have a rough estimate of how many calories you are eating right now and whether that puts you in a deficit, maintenance or surplus . Like Hilly said put yourself in a deficit of 250 calories and set yourself a realistic and obtainable cardio goal to do daily. By incorporating both you don’t have to drastically focus on one or the other and then you can adjust over time accordingly depending on how fast/slow the weight close is occurring.

[Kiera]

It was a rest day for me today. I woke up early did 20 minutes HIIT session on the Nordic track bike, (still on beginner ?) it’s so much harder than I thought it would be but a lot of fun. Cracked down with some work and then headed to a really nice beach/pool club for the afternoon with friends. It’s really nice to be able to be sociable but at the same time not have to eat shitty food or feel uncomfortable for not taking part. Right now my diet is not massively restrictive but I still plan and choose when I have an off plan meal and the rest is scheduled. That’s how I’ve been for the last 3 years and it works well for me.

Tomorrow I have deadlifts again which came round WAY too fast and I’m meant to be increasing by 5kg on all sets so let’s see what happens ?