Hannah\’s Blog

Well, the working week is almost over and it has been a good one.  Apart from being a little tired and I still have a tight right calf muscle from the weekends posing life is good!  It is good being able to get back into my role of site-manager and coach.  All my clients have worked real hard whilst I had my week off and it shows.  Well done to Bekah who pressed the 10kg for db shoulder press for 12 clean reps, you should be really pleased!  My Tuesday TBA ladies worked real hard as usual for me.  Rachel, great legs today, the Womens Paignton Rugby Team should be real chuffed to have you on their side!  Chantel, keep with it and stick to it and I’ll see you Monday!

Most of all, Good Luck to Becky who departs for London today, ready to fly to New York in the morning for her first marathon.  And like you told me yesterday, you have worked to be in the best shape of your life and have never eaten so well.  so now, you have to go and enjoy the experience of running your first marathon in an amazing city!  Go for it!!! x

Pictures of the finals are on www.winners2000.co.uk under gallery and news.

hopefully by weekend all my pictures will be updated on my gallery, will let you all know asap.

I was unplaced at the finals, which I was really surprised about.  However, I felt really good about how I looked and performed so I am not disappointed.  As we have said many times, figure and bodybuilding events tend to be hard to workout and this was no different.  What I was disappointed about is that I had asked for some instruction in the weeks prior to the the final, with regards to how I should be (lean) and whether my free posing routine needed more movement.  I had followed the guidance I was given, but the girls picked in front of me didn’t really match what I had been told and it was a real shock and did make me angry and let down.

I also must have misunderstood what the NPA Trained Figure criteria were, as the girls that placed above me were harder looking, more of a body builder style ripped, which is exactly what I thought we were not supposed to be showing off!!! I am also confused as to the rules of balance, symmetry and proportion which somewhere seemed to go amiss.

Right now, it is frustrating and feels like a waste of my time and effort, although I am sure it is the emotions of the event.  Simon has told me from day 1 that 1st place isn’t winning, it is a personal thing and to disregard what any judge says, “to always be proud of what you have done and how you present yourself”.

As for what next, I am not sure.  This experience has made me think twice about competing again with the NPA, so right now I am just taking some time to think things through.  I love competition of any kind, whether that be sports performance or figure/fitness, but when you want to win, you want to know clearly the rules of the game or you don’t have a chance.

Thanks to you all for your support and messages of good luck.  It is really nice to have so many people supporting me and on my side.  In fact, right after the places were awarded, the first thing I thought about was “right, time to go back to work” and to getting back to working with you all.

See you at the gym  or speak soon,

Hannah x

Well, I can’t beleive it, crossing off my calender this morning and seeing 1 day to go! 

I am ready and very excited about the National NPA Finals, Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa.  This time tomorrow 3pm, I should be on or about to go on for the first round.  ( I am having trouble typing, could be here a while!).  Ihave done the best I can over this last 3 weeks and today my coach SJ says I am in the best shape ever (even since last show!) so all is good.

I took some pics this morning of my body and they will be updated on the site next week along with tomorows pics.

So, just wanted to check in and say thanks for all your kind word and inspiration.  I have been waiting a long time for this and I am ready, let the battle commence!!!

So, training is all done now and no more cardio for me.  Just rest, rest, rest!!!!!!!!!!

I have been spending time uploading my pictures onto my gallery.  Will be finished tomorrow afternoon and hopefully my picture cd will arrive any day soon, so I will have professional pics on site too.  Then I will be arranging my albums in latest order so that it will be much easier to view, lucky for the time off eh???

So, chilling and relaxing and preparing for the big Sunday!

6 days to go.  Routine music has to be changed from 90 to 60 secs for the British Finals, so few poses will be taken out.  Not a problem, this is due to the number of competitors in the Finals.  It’s all very exciting!

I am off this week resting and catching up with sleep and resting and doing little jobs like skin, hair, nails etc so should be good.  Training has gone well this weekend and today is a rest day. 

So to all my clients reading this, make sure as usual you are training hard and stay foucussed, it’s only a week and we know that a lot can happen, so make sure you all keep your eye on the ball! x

My gallery is currently under going construction and should be back up very soon, before the finals I hope.  I wanted my current photo albums starting from the top, so my designer is working hard at it at the moment.  Also I am going to be able to post pictures into my blog which will be great to show my client successes!  Thanks Brian!

So, 10 days to go……  First of all before I start about my training, I would like to mention a well done to Melanie, who completed 3 sets of press ups 10/10/8, brilliant job!  Never before has she managed to complete a press up and thought ’she would have no chance’!  The countdown is also on for Becky who has the New York Marathon coming up, she just is running small runs now, 10 miles at the weekend and is itching to run more, hold back Becky!  Soon be time!!! 

The outdoor sprint run with Jon on Tuesday was great and so nice to be out in the fresh air, he had a bag of tricks, I was running along dragging him behind me (like a husky dog!) and sprinting around cones and then galloping side lunges around the cones in a star shape!  Loved it!

Yesterday was Quads and back and then in evening after my shift cardio, calves and hip extensions.  I am already feeling my glutes getting harder and muscle setting in.  Body is still looking in shape, so everything is going well. 

Today was arms and they got a great ‘pump’.  It’s interesting as I am and have been off the NE2 and Creatine since before the last qualifier and am still getting a great pump, I suppose it is much easier to see as I am leaner and therefore you can see the separation in the muscles.  It is hard to not train TOO hard as I know I have to save my energy and I don’t have all that muscle glycogen to spare! 

Tomorrow is no weights with uphill outdoor walking in the fresh air, great place hear for that as we have the sea as a perfect backdrop setting in Torquay!

Trained hard over the weekend, legs were heavy on Saturday due to the ‘great outdoors’ on Friday, but quads and back were hit well.  Sunday, had a lovely Swedish Full Body massage, which was really good, not a traditional relaxing one, but due to being lean felt quite ‘tougher’ than usual, but it was good.  Then it was back for ‘arms’ in the afternoon, they got a real good pump so it was a good weekends worth of training.  Yesterday was hams, delts and chest.  Waiting for the musles to kick in today, sure they will later on as I have no weights today, just an outdoor training cardio session with Jon in a couple of hours after I have done a few clients.

Well done to everyone in PUMP last night.  The step routine was amazing and you all looked so good doing it!  Real proud of you all.

Tammy, I hope you are feeling better today and the workout made you feel a lot better!

I have ordered the dvd and picture cd from Eric Guy from the qualifier show.  But in the meantime, whilst I am waiting for pics to go on from my website man Brian, there are some great picture on the NPA site, www.npabodybuilding.com  and Michael Phillips has also put some on the link of Jon Harris’s site, so you can see more pics there.

Have a great day!

Trained real hard as usual yesterday, cardio in the morning and then hamstrings, shoulders and chest.  My triceps are still sore from Wednesdays workout, so taking lots of glutamine and BCAA’s in between meals to help recovery and prevent muscle breakdown.

Today was rest day off weights and Joh took me for outdoor cardio.  It was brilliant, the weather was gorgeous and we did beach sprints, then beach sprints with a parachute on my back!  Brilliant and then hill sprints mixed with steps!  It was great not having to think about the workout or coaching clients for a change and was really enjoyable.  Looking forward to Tuesdays session.  Legs are feeling tired, hope my glutes are sore tomorrow, my hamstrings are coming on from yesterdays workout.

I passed GB Fitness ‘Diploma in Optimum Nutrition’, so thats great news for me and well done to all my other colleagues for passing too!

Sarah and Tammy, I have missed training you both this week, I hope you are both feeling better and getting over your colds!

Started back training on Tuesday, Quads and Back!  New Metallica album on my i pod and I was away!  It was a hard workout and my quads were really pumped, I am still looking hard and dry - unbelievable, drinking 10 litres of water to hydrate my body, down to 6 today thank goodness! 

Front squats, extensions and walking lunges, close grip pulldowns and seated rows, bent over rows and straight arm pulldowns.  Back and legs are feeling it today, but in a good way.

Today I trained, ARMS!  Got a good pump, lying cable french presses and bicep curls on cable, supination curls, single arm extension and many more!  Cardio, calves and hip extnsions of my glutes.  Biceps coming on as I am writing.  Looking forward to tomorrows session, chest, hams and delts!

Well done to Rebekah, you are in great shape, rotating the carbs (carb cycling) is really working well for you and I am pleased you are happy! 

Becky is itching for a long run, 14 miles this weekend and then dropping, before you know it, you will be in New York and then you can fly the marathon!  Keep focussed and relaxed with the meditation cd!

Hope to get new pictures on site by the end of the week of the competiton to show you all x