Lift like a girl- Lord give me Abs!

And by Lord I mean Max.

I'm still quite happy with how single lift went, even tho not entirely as planned 

(you can read that here)

I'm really loving being a Powerlifting Princess.

So next up is The National  Powerlifting Championships in May.

Now at Single Lifts you could chose to enter in Bench, Squat or Deadlift.

Or 2 of the 3 or 3 of 3.

Full power however is all 3 and then your score is accumulated.

Not only am I training to get V strong for that as my squat sucks at the minute, I'm also trying to cut down on my squishy bits and get a nice ol bod.

First up- My diet.

While I didn't have the worlds worst diet- I know my good food from my bad. I can cook and quite well actually (I just can't clean), Firstly- I constantly over eat- even on the good stuff. I had no portion control what so ever. Secondly- I mindlessly eat, as in I never realized when I'm at an event lets say and how many goujons and cocktail sausages would pass my lips pretty much without my knowledge. Lastly- I absolutely Love Ice Cream.

Now while I'm not going to tell you exactly what my day to day food plan is (because I genuinely think that everyone is different and this has been tailor made for me and my lifestyle)

I will say it ain't bad. 

*Disclaimer* I would like to apologize to my poor Boyf who could possibly disagree with this statement as I may or may not have lost my shit with him my first weekend as my sugar cravings were in overdrive* but then again if it wasn't that it would have probably been something else.

And then I figured out that there's room for my Ice cream once a week *yay*.

Next up was a consultation with the my fellow lifter but full time fairy Órla O'Flaherty Naturopath & Herbalist. Bit of a TMI moment here but I just got the contraceptive implant removed from my arm so lucky for me Orla was on hand with her magic herbs to regulate my hormones!

That and my life. She has such a calming nature and knows her stuff and I'm a little bit stressed out at the minute working different jobs - THAT I LOVE- I'm not complaining about my work but it's a serious change and a lot of pressure so coming out of her office I felt A-OK and it's great to know she's there to pop into anytime.

(not what Orla gave me but an example of what she's all about! Read her personal transformation story here)

And then there's my training. As I'm travelling between Dublin and Galway I couldn't commit to 5 days in Maximum Results - cue tears!

Luckily for me Max devised a Hell like programme where I can get my 5 days done in 3, or if anything spills over I can head to Flyefit to do a little bit while I'm in The Big Smoke.

What I'm lovin' the most right now is how much I'm surprising myself- like being able to do a power push up no problemo and I'm on my way to doing a pull up.

Goals within Goals.

Instead of giving out about not being toned and defined, I'm going to give out about getting toned and defined and super dooper strong. But I'm under no illusion this is going to be easy, luckily I have a kind and supportive network surrounding me that only sends encouraging messages (sort of)

Because basically I like to whinge.

Lift Like a Girl......The big weekend!

National Single Lifts Gorey are dunzo hunzo!

With 7 weeks training I took to the platform and it was honestly one of the greatest experiences ever.

Kicked of the weekend last Friday with the 5 hour trip to Wexico, felt like 5 minutes because the banter was so much fun!

Landed down did a big shop and I'm kind of depressed to be home now because we took Princess Powerlifting very seriously!!

Double en suite room, serious vanity mirror and meals whipped up every evening followed by a foot massage and Rocky!! bahhaha!

Saturday morning up at the crack of dawn for weigh ins at 7am,

then it was breakfast, coffee and next thing it was time to get into the beaut of a singlet and warm up.

I was a little bit nervous the first day, but with reassurance from Max and the team I was good to go. 

My main worry about Bench was that I'd miss my commands.

Basically Max hands me the bar, I wait for the official to say down, then press, then rack.

Doing any of these too soon results in a red light. 

There are 3 lights per lift and at least 2 of them have to be white to pass.

My opening lift was 42kg, Soft.

Then 45kg - easy breezy.

Then 47.5. Tough as flip. 

I got one red light as I was uneven but I got there!

Whooo hoooo!!!!!! 

And then to top it off the ever fantastic Laura O'Shea finishing 1st in the Sr division for bench!

I was on an absolute high. 

Then we had Wexford County Matters come and film a little interview about the Single Lifts and our Lift like a girl and 

it was so odd to be the far side of the camera, answering questions, not asking them!

Back to our house for the night where dinner was whipped up by the dream team of Corey and Laura, all the while Max was busy inflicting pain with his elbow in the form of "ironing out the creases" and trying to get rid of an accumulation of knots that have built up from training so hard...

then this was followed by Orla's magic tea and a foot massage.

Literally spoilt.

Sunday Morning it was time for deadlift.

I actually can't explain how well I was feeling that morning.

No pains, no random twinges, I wasn't tired and I wasn't hungry!

But when I went to the warm up area I was lifting 90kg and it literally felt like 190kg. 

Max assured me it was just the warm up and I'd be fine.

It was my time then to take to the platform.

117.5kg was my opening lift.

I've done this 100 times with ease.

I've ripped that bar off the ground feeling like my ass cheeks are going to explode in pain and my hamstrings are about to blow.

Nothing.

Not a peep of pain.

I just could not lift that damn bar.

Totes awks.

I couldn't drop down in weight so I had to go for the same again.

Nothing.

I was mortified.

And the shit feeling that I had let everybody down after all that training was the worst.

Now this is the point I need to stress, we we're at a competition, competing against each other, and girls I've never met before are coming up to me telling me it's fine,this happens all the time and then cheering me on. Even all the officials really want you to do it.

Last time up to the platform, I'm laughing now thinking about it but at the time I was distraught.

I may as well have been trying to lift a house.

I could not get it up. 

I was so embarrassed, and all I was thinking was why the hell did I do this, bawling crying like a toddler and then laughing because while we joke about me being a prissy powerlifting princess to any onlooker that's exactly what I looked like throwing the toys out of the pram!

Big Well Done to Laura who pulled 150kg

and Corey with 172.5kg deadlift!

The experience of the entire weekend wouldn't have been the same without the Maximum Results family! 

Corey- for just being cool as a cucumber when everyone needed it, a general lol, bullying your way into the kitchen to help O'Shea cooking up greatness and listening to the same stories out of my mouth 100 times and pretending it was the first!!

Laura O'Shea- for getting us across the border to Wexico, being a constant source of entertainment, being Mammy cooking seriously yummy dinners every night and just being a serious trooper.

Orla- for minding me, pep talks on the ready, being a great friend and those delicious coconut balls!

Max Pain- for making this all possible! The initial idea for #liftlikeagirl, all the training, running such an unreal gym, all your greatness in general.

But having said all of that I am going to produce this picture for being literally a pain in my ass!!!!!!

All official!!

And of course not forgetting the Team at home sending messages of support!

The Highs- coming exactly smack bang in the middle of my division for bench with 3 clean lifts, 

the banter, the chums and the dinners!

The lows- bombing out in my deadlift and Max's elbow.

I'm happy out in my life right now eating a tub of Ben&Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup Ice cream for breakfast, just finished the weekends episode of the kardashians and on to the 1 Direction movie and I'm not even sorry!

Back to the gym later to see what torture with be inflicted on me for my quest for abs!

and the next phase of Foxy the Powerlifting Princess!

#liftlikeagirl