Well we have all had our fair share of competitions these last few months. With the most recent federation the NABBA/WFF adding hugely to the 2011 contest calendar year,  the opportunity for athletes to shake their little tushes on stage has increased and with so many options of competitions, there doesnt seem to be a decrease in numbers competing either. the Nabba nationals had over 150 competitors in it..  Now thats huge.  That takes me back to the early days of the NZFBB when we used to wind up a show at 1am..   NABBA/WFF had their nationals last week with around 50 competitors  but they were very high quality and the physiques on show that days were impressive.  Alot of the competitors have supported all federations and I did hear of somebody who was going to try to do the NABBA/WFF nationals and the NZFBB show both in one day, by commuting quickly as possible from Takapuna to Hamilton.   It could of been possible maybe cos it is only 1.5 hours to Hamilton,  but the way the two comps were ran he didnt have the time to jump off stage, into the car and on stage to the next.   Would of been a laugh if he pulled that off. 

As you all know, Bee and I both competed together and love it together, then I had two weeks to continue dieting for to do my guest pose in Nelson.  During that time Bee was still dieting but I have to say that selfishly  - I really wanted him to stop.  I was dying for us to get back to normal to have  meals out, party some, relax at night instead of cardioing till the small hours, then waking up again in the small hours to do so again.  I just wanted my lovely times with my man back, and he did too so Bee pulled out of his competiton and we havent been happier knowing that next year is another year, and we can use this time to grow and improve.   

For  the supporters of the  athletes, the husbands, wifes, besties, training partners, work mates, bosses etc,   I can see them sighing a long drawn out sigh  when being told " Hell its only another 3 weeks away, I may as well do another show". 
Well we all know that that 3 little weeks really is more like 21 more days of constant hunger, blank minds,  mood swings,   vague stares, sunken eyes, dropped lips, slow motion movements, constant grazing, constant cravings, early mornings, late nights, sleepless nights, smelly containers,  tuna cans galore, sweaty washing,  lingering fish scents, enough eggs shells to create a shell garden, kitchen decorated with supplement jars... and thats just a few things I can draw to mind. 

But in the competitors defence,  there is also all of the above  to contend with,  plus some of these stupid personal feelings that competitors get and must get their heads around, which I must say can change minute by minute  - personal appreciation (love oneself) ,  personal depreciation (hates oneself) ,  fatorexia (feeling too fat), scraggyrexia ( feeling too skinny)  determined to succeed , deemed to fail,  high libido ( hands up for the high),  low libido  (frustrating for all!!) , energetic and high spirited, low in energy and wants nobody in their face.  So basically it is a very very challenging time for all, overall.    But once the day arrives, damn it is good.  I love to watch the look on the competitors faces at the competitions. Not on stage cos most are pretty damn scared, but after they have been on stage, and they are relaxed, its awesome to see their buzzing bodies floating around the venues and the way their supporters just brim with excitement for them.  Nothing feels better than contest day.   

But the day after new feelings begin to emerge that both the competitor and the ones closest to them have to bear or witness. Like accepting their placing.  Its alot of hard work competing, with preparation normally being 3-4 months so not placing can be pretty gut wreching.   So my advice for them is to sit back and relax for a couple of weeks,  purchase the video and sit down and really access where they felt they placed and why. Its not always easy to accept it at the time of the comp and supporters will always saysay that the competitor should of won or placed higher, thats only natural of course but take a look at oneself  as you if you were another person and really access your own physique and work out where you need to improve next time. Then get over it!!

Next lot of yuk feelings, Feeling full and bloated after eating normally and not being used to it,  not knowing whatvcompetition to do next, getting used to a paler body and most likely softer body, and despising some  pics floating around around the internet.  The eating part is easy.. Have some treats but keep the carbs down and keep the protien up.  Work a few treats around that rule.  Contests are on all year apart from december thru to March so select a month of the year, aim for a regional and a nationals an d plan your training.. Dont go for too many. You will only end up looking overtrained, tired and you cannot come into good condition for all of them.  As for the body part, I dont always like my body off season but I have accepted it as ME.  As a matter of fact alot of the time I really dont like it,  but I have accepted the fact that my body is only cut and lean for a couple of months leading to a competition.. and Ill never be a skinny person cos I love my food toooo much,  but I now try to make the most of the body I have and i am reasonably confident with it. 

Now with only a handful of contests to come for the remainder of the year, Im pretty happy. Last weekend   we went over to the NABBA/WFF nationals till 4.30pm then drove to hamilton for the NZFBB event.  we got home at a reasonable time but two comps....  phrew!! Anyway that about wraps it up for now.  We have a NABBA competition this coming weekend and the NZFBB nationals in a couple of weeks time.  Hope to see you all there.  xxx P.s  be supportive and if you are the competitor, be supportive of your closest and dearest. 

This week I am featuring my friend and client Neville Marshall.  Neville is a freelance hairdresser out West and after owning his own salon for many years, he  is now working as a freelance hairdresser  from Chill on Te Atatu Pensinsula.  I first met Neville about 2002 when he did my hair for a photo shoot which I did for Brass Magazine.  It was 9 years later that I began to train him - putting him through abit a pain to lose his - well excess layer of fat....

Neville already had a good training background after working with a trainer for a long period of time,  but specialising more in stretching and other methods of training.  He had decided at the stage when he came to me that he wanted a leaner more muscular body so we have been working on achieving that.  The good thing about working with Neville is he is very consistant. We work together almost each morning, and he works damn hard in the gym and out of the gym, often running and training at home with his family.  He keeps his nutrition healthy and eats to gain muscle and keep his bodyfat down. So far Neville has made 13.5kgs of difference to his body, a huge 11.0kgs down in fat and an increase of  2.5 kgs of  muscle.   His fat percentage  is almost where he should be, so now we want to maintain his current body fat level and hold it there for a period of around 6 weeks while working on gaining more muscle.  While still  striving for his sought after pack he has been dreaming we will be letting his muscle work for him to burn his body fat so there is no need to decrease his calories....In 6 weeks time when his body has accepted its new normal weight range, we will then go for our final goal of "The Mr Athletic compeition body".  Lets say Im looking foward to seeing Nevilles results and standing on stage for the first time.  

Neville also runs a mean Hair Product Outlet which is located at the NVision salon where he works.

Neville has also just gotten into Facebook so I love catching up on whats happening in his life that he doesnt share with me each morning lol.  So if you need a brilliant cut and colour, or some hair products, contact Neville or pop in and see him.. The salon is gorgeous and has the added bonus of having a tatoo saloon and beauty salon as well.
Here is Nevilles facebook page.......  ask nicely and he may friend you. 

And dont worry, I shall post up pics of Neville with his ABs as soon as all six appear..... that should be in  8-10 weeks

Well one week since I have written and I have to say we have been having a fabulous time.  Bee has decided to not compete again this year so it is all relaxing and little training, and lots of loving for us this week.  Last week we did train and I did a few runs 2 or 3, but this week we are having the whole week off weights and just doing my runs. As much as I love training, having the time off is incredible.  Just not having the crazy rushing between clients etc to get training etc done has been lovely and Im feeling really quite spoilt having so much time on my hands, well not a huge amount but just a spare hour or two in the evening is making me feel pretty fortunate.  

And geez I love to see Bee eating again.  He always did say that he loved to see me eating, whether it is a huge diet meal or a huge bad meal,  eating makes us happy and all couples want to see each other happy.  It was killing me to not be dieting anymore but to see Bee  hungry or eying up the avocados and cashews, or  sitting on the bike at night doing his cardio etc while I wasnt - it just didnt feel right. Since we have been going out it has been part of our relationship to train, cardio and diet together  - we really only had 2 months together before we launhed into our contest diet and alot of that was spent eating out or eating Bee's fabulous home cooked meals. 
so when one of us wasnt doing comp dieting,  it felt really odd.  When he told me on Saturday that he wasnt competing soon, I cant tell you how happy I was. Not in a selfish way either - I would of supported him either way but I wanted our courting days back. Basically I just wanted my "Bee"  back -  just like when I was dieting and training at my hardest, Bee just wanted his "Jo" back.  Even though things can be going good between you,  competition is on our minds 24/7 so everything a competitor does revolves around training and dieting.  That is how it has to be to do well.   The tiredness can be draining and the hunger for other foods and tastes does show on our faces alot of the time - puppy dog eyes give it away.. Bee never complained and always ate to the plan which was good, but whenhe is off his diet, he can eat like the best of them.

So here we are now, having the week off, enjoying some gorgeous food, me enjoying some cardio without feelling like I have to do it but cos I want to do it, and we are loving spending more time with Jordan who at 13 doesnt necessarily need us much of the time,  but he has been enjoying coming out and having meals and picking dvds etc and grocery shopping to fill the pantry with normal healthy, and some junky food.  So spending some quality time with him has been nice.

So next week we are back into training.  Both aiming to put some size on, and my aim is to keep my bodyfat low as it is now.  We have all the comps coming up for alot of the weekends so come say hi if you see Bee and I at the BSc stalls at the events.  The next one we are doing is the NABBA Nationals which has 140 competitors registered so they say.  C U soon. xxx

These are beautiful crisp cheesy baskets that turn a salad into something spectacular. The ones  here I made are filled with salad, olives, capers,  slivered honeyed almonds with a 3 cheese dressings. The  baskets are a little time consuming but yummy and definitely worth the time they took to prepare and present.

They looked a bit untidy in the early stages but once they were filled with salad, they were looked and tasted divine.

How to do it

1. Preheat the oven on grill.
2. Going by the size of the bowl you will be using, draw the outline of the bowl on your baking paper.   Lay the parmesan cheese on the baking paper thickly in the  circle making sure it is the same size and is an even layer.
3. Place under the grill and watch very carefully.   When it is bubbling and looking evenly cooked , take out and quickly flip over your bowl which is turned upside down on the bench.
4. Work as quickly as you can and mould the hot parmesan into an acceptable shape by stretching out any holes which may of appeared.  Keep pulling down the sides to fit but try not to rip it. It is amazing how pliable this is when still hot (oh and how greasy it is).

When the baskets are cold, set them out you can begin to fill them with any combos you like. Flavoured tunas and salmons are nice, any seafood or chicken combo.  Salad and garlic prawns are gorgeous.You can flatten it out like a tortilla so you can change the look of the meal. Enjoy!

My cardio programme $45.00 is perfect for working the lower body hard, and burning way more calories than you can imagine.

It is just perfect to do 1-2 times per week in the build up to your competition Its tough, but it works Here is a testimonial to the plan I have put together for us girls.

I train with Jo on a Wednesday morning and this particular day I was feeling like a muffin, measures were due and I knew they wouldnt be good - and of course I was right and was ready to walk out the door again without training. Jo had other plans of course and little was I to know that I was to be the guinea pig for her new cardio programme. With a smile on her face she lead me to the dreaded treadmill and it began. Be warned you have to concentrate when doing this particular form of cardio otherwise you will end up on your arse with your legs around your head. She started it on 3.5 which is barely a walk but oooh what she had in store for me! This training is done in blocks on 1 to 2 min intervals at a time. What is great about this type of cardio is you are doing something different for every minute and one cycle of this takes 10 minutes so you only need to go thru it 2-3 times and theres your cardio workout. I was going to tell you in detail what Jo made me do but then that would be giving trade secrets away so you will have to contact Jo yourself and get her programme. Be warned you will sweat, it does require concentration. But when its over I guarantee you will feel fantastic and will leave the gym not feeling like the muffin you were when you walked in!

Happy cardio'ing everyone!

Vannessa

Contact me now to get involved with my cardio programme.

Cath is a very successful personal trainer in Napier at The Arena Gym in Pettigrew and has competed herself many times.  Until she makes her comeback she is training females for competition and for all aspects of fitness.  

I’ve been seeing Jo Stewart for my pre/post competition nutritional advice since May 2006.

I saw her website advertised in a fitness magazine along with her photos and thought “she looks amazing…I need to contact this lady!” A couple of months later I hit the Stewart household for a “Muscle Weekend”  a fantastic way for all competitors to kick start their goals for the year and I’d recommend it to anyone. (Book in a massage on Monday though cause those muscles are sore afterwards!)

The great thing about Jo is everything she advises just “makes sense”. I trust her 100% and know she’d never risk my health just to get me on stage – she makes sure all her diets are as safe and manageable as possible so I have heaps of energy for hard training.

People have asked me what are the things I’ve learnt from seeing Jo and I’d have to say the 4 major things are:

1. If you’re willing to put in the commitment and effort you can do well in bodybuilding and stay completely natural.

2. Women can grow some serious muscle but still look like a “woman” All Jo’s girls look elegant and professional on the competition weekend – right from registration on the Friday through to the evening show.

3. You don’t have to eat chicken and broccoli for 16 weeks to come in lean…there’s heaps of yummy options.

4. And finally to have a bit of fun with this sport – you don’t have to walk around the gym for half the year looking like you could kill somebody just because you’ve decided to “compete”!

So Jo – thank you so much for all your wisdom, patience and advice…you know your stuff for sure and I’d recommend you to anybody wanting to get that buzz of getting on that stage!

Yours in Health & Fitness

Cath Gibson
Personal Trainer
Ph.  021 4222 18
Email. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

This is the business facebook page  of IFBB Pro Bodybuilder Michael Kingsnorth.

Mike is now the NZ Rep for BodyScience and has been busy getting BSc products into supplements stores not only in Auckland but all around NZ.  Products are readily available in store and online. 

Current BSc Retailers

• Gymeez Christchurch
• Mark Anderson PT Sudio - Nelson
• Wai Weight Gym - Masterton
• Shotgun Supplements
• Gymeez Wellington
• Supplements.co.nz - Mt Wellington and Henderson
• Evolution Systems - CBD
• NZ Muscle - Queen St & Mairangi bay
• Punch Supplements - Takapuna
• Nutrition Plus - Takapuna
• The Recovery Room - Milford
• Wholesale Muscle - Glenfield
• Supplements Direct - Whangarei

Check out the BSc stall at many of the bodybuilding events coming up for for all federations. 

To contact Mike friend him on Facebook or email him on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Please read my blog about my experience guest posing at Top of the South.  The pictures in this Gallery were taken by Alan Stubbington who is turning out to be abit of a whizz with the camera.  Thanks Alan.

Well this time last week I was starving...  Not to the point where I could chew on cardboard or anything but I was definitely hungry, and tired and wanting something sweet and a different texture to that of George Foreman chicken. 
Not giving away too many secrets here but I read a book from an author whose dieting theories are almost identical to mine - except he is alot more knowledgeable than I am.  I know what works for me and what works for most of my clients but this time I thought I would try something different. 

After the Pans Pacific’s I got busy with work so my cardio was down on what I was doing for the actual competition.  Not only did I not have the time,  but I did want to try something different to come in fuller and to perhaps not hold so much water, so guest pose was time to experiment for me. I know my body so well that if anything went wrong I could still pull back and change again pretty quickly.  My body can change from hour to hour so it is pretty easy to manipulate it depending on how I am looking. During dieting with Bee,  he was quite amazed at how much I could change in a day, even well before the competition.   3 months out I can play with my carbs and appear leaner straight away, or eat a big meal of steak and carbs and fat and come out fuller and vascular so its good to muck around and see how things play day to day
So this week for my guest pose week I kept my oats and protein powder in for the entire week.  The first two days I increased my water, had my oats and then it was just protein for the rest of the day however I added in my cashew nuts and my flaxseed oil at odd intervals so I never experienced that horrible slump that we get de-carbing.  Friday I started to carb up - heaven.... but this time I kept it to dry carbs, so no baby food  nor anything wet.  It seemed to work out good for me...  I took photos of different stages of my carb up so you can see how my body filled out over the time..  I should take one now to show you how much I have filled out now..... 4 days after the guest pose but we wont go there....lol...

Bee and I arrived in Nelson nice and early.....  We were there by 10am so we went straight to the Palms Hotel and settled into our room, had a sleep then walked to the supermarket to shop for our food - all $170 worth. Well its expensive feeding two bodybuilders especially one who is carbing up.
My carb up food included 1 jar of liquid honey, almost ripe bananas, rice cakes, packets of white and brown rice and kumara, toasted coconut mushroom lollies, my favourites,  and bottles of PowerAid to drink after the event to rehydrate, oh and the red wine to dehydrate,  after hydrating with the PowerAid. Lol.  Any excuse I tell you.

So I grazed on those products every few hours or so.... mashing my banana squirting good amounts of honey into it  before spreading on my rice cakes.  Was so delicious!.  My kumara was baked in the microwave and my rice was mostly mixed with a small mashed banana and honey too. 

Friday my body was good and cut but I felt skinny... real skinny... But thats how we should feel as there is nothing in the muscles.  That is fixed by carbing up.  By Saturday morning I was feeling fuller but still smaller than I usually feel so my eating got more frequent.  By lunchtime at the event I was filling out but Bee was a little worried at the time that I wasnt eating enough then as I had stopped. I was getting full and cant stand that feeling so despite Bee telling me to eat I had very little over the next 4 hours.  Mike Kingsnorth gave me a BSc protein bar to fill up on and that was yummy and while Bee was making finishing touches to my tan,  I threw back a squeezy gel pack of BSC choc Endurance Gel  which was super sweet and gave me an amazing rush - you can search facebook for Mike Kingsnorth  or  BSc New Zealand to find out where to get his from. It is invaluable for the final part of your contest nutrition. As it turned out  I only had a  minute to pump up so I did a few biceps and back rows and felt the blood pumping straight away which was a good indication that I had eaten enough.  Still I could of been alot more pumped on stage but it looked fine by the pics.  My almost 4 min routine went without a hitch really, well to the audiences eye.  I had left out one of the poses  I really wanted to do to show my hamstrings off, and I did one pose wrong, but nobody would of known except Bee who had helped me with my routine.  The crowd were very quiet but I could tell by their faces that they didn’t hate me,  they just weren’t used to seeing a woman with my muscle.  You can view the newspaper article following my guest pose by clicking on the link below

The competition was brilliant.   42 competitors in total.  Brilliant atmosphere and well organised by Mark Anderson and  his team.  The trophies were gorgeous - I didn't get one unfortunately so no more for my collection.  The after function was attended by heaps at the Smugglers Arms where we snacked on seafood and good wine.   I was in my element.

Sunday we had the whole day in Nelson but unfortunately sunny Nelson was cold wet Nelson.  Not much fun when you have no car and a full tummy....    Hideous weather meant we had to sit in cafes looking at food I would of killed for a week prior,  but felt sick looking at on that day.  Never happy are we..

Ok so what does a girl eat the day after a comp.. Here goes,,,,
On waking - 6 rice cakes with honey.... thats it just honey and half a dozen of my toasted coconut mushrooms and day old plunger coffee cost thats all there was.  Desperate!!
Then off to a coffee place for a long black and a muffin with choc and caramel centre.  It was mediocre. 
Next we brought 6 small cubes of assorted fudges which we shared walking around the stores, then we settled in a restaurant and ordered garlic bread which was better than your average garlic bread, beer fries and pumpkin and feta pizza, hot choc and a white wine.....  I was pleased I had my new stretch jeans on..   Staggered out of there quite full then went to the airport at 4pm and had coffee and a muffin. Struggled with the coffee but ate the muffin obviously, then 2  hours later arrived at Auckland airport where we were hanging out for sushi.  Had salmon sushi and miso soup,  not at all hungry so I downsized to an 8 pack ( hehe) then came home at 8.00 for my most favourite caramel and macadamia nut slice and red wine....However I had to miss dinner cos I was full for some reason.....  ????  Cant figure why. 

Well if any of you would like any help with your final preparation for contest then drop me a text or flick me an email.  I'd love to help

Below is the link for the newpaper article from the Nelson paper.. p.s.  I hate that pic...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/5608002/Stewarts-body-one-in-a-million