Moving in to Precontest...

I am like any other human - it takes me a good 6 weeks to form a permanent habit. Knowing this, I like to start my competition training with a mental training starting about 2 months before the physical training begins. This is a time for me to get everything straight in my life, particularly my spiritual and mental self. Getting rid of stress, finishing open projects and not letting myself procrastinate help prepare me for the rigors of contest training.

I also let my body get used to the restricted diet and increased training frequency and volume, both a little at a time. And since my body reacts differently every time I start dieting, it gives me time to create a baseline diet and set the nutrition starting point.

All that being said, I've been "pre-prepping" since around the beginning of May. At my heaviest this off-season, I weighed a whopping 165 lbs., truly living up to my high school nickname "Big Lis"! Taking a full year off let me really dig in during the off-season and add a lot of quality muscle density, size and strength. Now, I don't have to play catch-up on my physique, and I can just coast that in while focusing primarily on my fitness routine, which has always been the weaker of the components for me. After about 8 weeks of pre-prep, I am now tightening up nicely and starting to show off my newly developed muscle. My current weight is 156, which is still high considering I competed at 135 last July. I don't know what my goal weight is - I go by appearance - but I figure it's between 135 and 140. I am going for the "tiny and tight" this year and hope the new size I added won't make me look too big.

This season will officially kick-off next week with a trip out to Seattle to train and learn this year's fitness routine with my coach and mentor, IFBB Fitness Pro Tanji Johnson (http://www.tanjijohnson.com). Tanji is an incredible woman and competitor, taking the pro stage by storm last year, winning several titles and placing top 5 at the Arnold. She will be choreographing a hot new Beastie Boys-inspired routine for me to rock the stage in Dallas!

So, July 1 is the serious pre-contest phase. I'll be doing the NPC Grand Prix MD show in October as a warm-up for Dallas Nationals, so come July I'll have 15 weeks to lean down for the warm-up show, then another 5 to tweak and tighten for Nats if need be.

I invite you all to share me in my journey! This season is a bit like starting from scratch for me. I had a life-changing transformation last year and rededicated my life to Christ. I love competing and still would love to win, but every training session, meal and performance will be dedicated to Him and for His glory! So my personal theme this year is based off 1 Corinthians 10:31:

"Therefore; whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do
everything for God's glory."

Join me as I transform my body and take my athleticism to a new level, as I dedicate my physical self wholly to my God and to His glory!

Thanks for your support,
Alissa