A midlife awakening

     When I started training with Brandon Mauro in May of last year I never would have imagined the transformation journey I was embarking on. And I certainly would not have believed anyone if they had told me that this year I would be obsessed with reaching new goals in powerlifting. I can honestly say that at the time that I started training I had no idea what powerlifting was and I had never followed it as a sport. And last month when Brandon had suggested that I compete in a powerlifting meet, I was like 'yeah right.' I thought he was crazy. Back in November when he explained to me about deadlifts, progressive overload, PRs and deficits (See Deadlifts, progressive overload, PR max and deficits, yeah mind blown!) I thought it was amazing that he was sharing his knowledge and experience of lifting but didn't believe it would be something I could do. I mean, let's be honest, I'm almost 49 years old. Who waits until they're approaching their 50's to enter a sport and become an athlete for the first time in their life? Let alone, enter a sport that puts such strain on the body and the central nervous system. 

     But as the months progressed and I got into pulling and squatting heavier weights, I became obsessed with beating my own personal records and pushing the limits to see what I could do. And back in February when I joined the Winter Transformation Challenge at Muscle Inc. Brandon decided it was time for me to step up my game and suggested a stricter diet and more intense training that included core exercises and interval cardio. And as my body began to change, so did my views on lifting heavy. Even after moving to Arizona, in our weekly conversations Brandon continues to motivate me and inspire me to push myself beyond what I think I can do. After attending The Arnold expo last month and experiencing the energy of the crowd at a powerlifting event, I became interested in attending another one in the future. I went online looking for local events in powerlifting and discovered there was an event for rookies happening in the fall locally. When I mentioned it to Brandon, before I could say I wanted to go watch the meet he said to me "you should enter!" and I was like "I was just gonna go and watch." But he insisted that I should enter. But I went online a few days later to see what the entry fee was and was disappointed to find out the event was already full. And the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do an event. Brandon agreed to coach me and explained how we would train to prep for a meet. So we decided I would enter an event in the fall of this year and I am getting more excited the more I think about it. I could not wait to see what I am capable of lifting.


     So I ended up finding out what I was made of sooner than I thought I would. There was a Push/Pull charity meet happening at Muscle Inc. on April 14 that I planned on attending. One day before the event I was training at the gym and mentioned to Bobby (trainer and owner of Muscle Inc.) that I was talking to Brandon about entering a USAPL event in the fall and Bobby suggested I enter the Push/Pull charity event on April 14. He told me it was the perfect opportunity to get my feet wet and see what I can do. When I mentioned it to Brandon he enthusiastically responded with, 'DO IT!' So I told Bobby to sign me up. At first I was just going to do the deadlifts because I never really do bench or pay attention to PR's or anything. I mean, I knew I would have to start paying attention if I was going to be doing USAPL events but up to this point I had no idea what I could lift on bench. Then Brandon told me it wasn't good to avoid something because you need to improve on it. "Powerlifting is an individual sport. It's you vs. you. Don't worry about anyone else. Do both and see where you are at and we can work from there." So I signed up for both one week before the event and would see where I was at with lifts when I trained that week. 

   Monday night, 6 days before the event I worked on my deadlifts and maxed out at 225 lbs for 4 reps. I had someone at the gym take a video so I could analyze it and send it to Brandon. I made it look easy and quite frankly, it felt easy. Starting with 225 for my first attempt at the meet should be cake. Tuesday night, 5 days before the event I worked on my bench press. Working the bench for me was a little different since I didn't know what I was capable of. I had struggled with tendonitis in both elbows and my left shoulder, had surgery on both my right wrist and my neck and dealt with carpal tunnel in my left wrist. My upper body was always my weak spot. I started with the bar and added plates until I worked up to and maxed out at 105 lbs for 2 reps. But I felt more comfortable with 95 lbs for 5 reps. The second rep at 105 lbs was a struggle and my arms were not steady. So I figured starting at 95 lbs for my first attempt at the meet would probably be best. 

     As the weekend approached I became more and more anxious about the event. It didn't help that nutrition-wise I was on my second week of zero carbs as I had started a cyclical keto diet on March 29. I couldn't wait for the weekend of the event for the carb days let alone the push/pull. The night before I got a pep talk from Brandon where he explained how a powerlifting event usually runs, the commands and the rules. He also recommended I pack a meal and a few snacks and be prepared to be there for a few hours. And as anxious as I was, after talking to him I felt a lot better about what to expect. Still, the next morning I woke up with a knot in my stomach and a pounding chest. I was nervous because of the 'unknown' element of doing something new but more so, I was excited to finally see what I would lift that day!

     And I was amazed at what I was able to lift at the push pull. The event was a huge success. I think Bobby said there were 40 lifters all together. When I arrived I registered, weighed in and they recorded my first attempt for both bench and deadlift. There was a bit of waiting around but finally the event started with bench. My first attempt at 95 lbs was good. Second attempt at 105 lbs was disqualified because I didn't wait for the command to rack it. So for my 3rd attempt I went for 105 again. Success. I was happy with what I pushed on bench but deadlifts were what I couldn't wait to do. I started with 225 lbs on my first attempt and as I figured it went up easy and didn't feel heavy at all. What I never imagined was pulling 250lbs for my second attempt and (holy cow!) 275 lbs for my third attempt. And even though my 275 lbs lift was disqualified for hitching (moving the bar up and down your thighs to get to the locked position) I’m still damn proud of myself for getting it all the way up and not dropping it! (see videos below) Next meet I will beat myself for sure! I’m addicted. The energy in the room was exactly as I imagined. It was that energy, the sound of people calling my name, yelling 'pull' on my last lift and cheering that gave me the drive to pull that last weight to the standing position and not drop it. I thought to myself, 'I am not dropping this bar. It is coming up!'

     It is amazing how much an event like that takes out of you. Brandon had told me it taxes the central nervous system but I never really imagined what he meant until it was all over. The next day I woke up feeling like I had been in a car accident, sore all over. Two days after the event my lower back was still very sore. Three days after the event I noticed bruises on my biceps and swelling on my wrists. By the fourth day I had charlie-horse pain in my left glute and hamstring. Brandon had told me to take a break from training to let my body recover and that is exactly what I did. I scheduled a massage and took it easy. It took me about a week to feel fully recovered. I have to say, at one point I thought to myself, 'I am never lifting again!' But when my body bounced back I thought to myself, 'What the hell was I thinking?" And Brandon has convinced me that when I do a future event with the proper prep, although I will still need time to recover, my body will be conditioned and prepared to lift heavier weights. And I cannot wait.

So much to talk about

     Wow! It is hard to believe it has been almost two months since my last post on this blog!! Sorry if you follow and have felt neglected. So much has been going on in the last 8 weeks I don't think I can fit it all in one blog post. But I will begin with an update of where I am in my fitness journey because in the last two months of my transformation I have placed in another transformation challenge, started seriously training in powerlifting, continued writing my book and somewhere in there I went from blond to red. 

Top 3 AGAIN?! 
     About a week after the last post I wrote was the final weigh-in and measurements for the Winter Transformation Challenge at Muscle Inc. (my second home).  In the 12 week challenge, I pushed myself harder than I ever have since this whole journey began. This time was tougher because I didn't have Brandon there with me physically to guide me through my workouts, push me when I was having a bad day, and keep me set on my goals with his motivational talks. But we touched base every day and even remotely he had an impact on my success. Although Brandon was guiding me through this challenge with training and diet, I learned a lot about myself and what I am capable of doing. The challenge started about 6 weeks after Brandon moved to Arizona and I was still a newbie to working out on my own. And navigating through a training session alone has a completely different vibe than working with a trainer at my side. I learned that if I didn't know what a certain exercise looked like to ask someone at the gym or to look up a video on Youtube. I pushed myself by imagining that Brandon was still there standing next to me motivating me with "get it!" "finish strong" "come on!" I visualized my goal and focused on what I had to do to get there. I learned to depend on myself because if I didn't do it, no one was going to do it for me. In the end, I placed 3rd overall in the challenge...again! I lost an additional 21 lbs and an amazing additional 5 1/2 inches off my waistline. I was stoked and I couldn't have been happier with myself. Top three in back-to-back transformation challenges! When that was over I started to think about the next goal...

Powerlifting
     The last post I wrote was about my experience as a first-time athlete in a powerlifting meet. The meet, held at Muscle Inc. back in April, was a charity event for Special Olympics and the Exercise Science Club at East Stroudsburg University. It was an event I had decided to enter just a week before and I had zero prep time. But in the end, I surprised myself when I pulled 275 lbs on my final deadlift attempt. And even though that lift was disqualified for hitching (the act of using your thighs to help push the bar up to the locked position) I still lifted 275 lbs off the ground to a standing position, something I had no idea I had the strength to do.  I had so much fun doing the event that I have made it my mission and next fitness goal to compete in a sanctioned 3 lift event (bench press, deadlift & back squat) with the USAPL (USA Powerlifting). My trainer Brandon Mauro, who became my remote trainer in December when he moved to Arizona, has been coaching me remotely to prep for an event in October. I couldn't be more psyched. Although recently, I had a slight set back when I hurt my right knee, my knee has recovered enough for me to return to lifting heavy. I just need to maintain a regular routine of hip and glute strengthening, recovery treatments and joint supplements to stay strong as I move forward. And each week I get so pumped when it comes time to work on my lifts. I cannot wait to see where this prep leads me.

After 3 weeks off from heavy lifting and focusing on 

strengthening my knee it felt good on Sunday 7/21/2019 

to get back to squatting heavy with a 

new PR 155 lbs for 2 sets of 10.

Health Coaching
     At the time of the last post, I was approaching the halfway point in the health coaching certification program at The Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN). Driven by an interest in the science behind what I was eating while I train and a desire to pay it forward and help people the same way I was helped by my trainer, I enrolled in the accelerated certification program at IIN back in February. At this point, I am three-quarters of the way finished with the program and have already met with a few potential clients for practice consultations. I've come to the conclusion that my target market for my health coaching business has to be women who are in the same situation as I was when I started; women who feel trapped in their lives or in their own bodies and don't know where to begin or what to do and have become so frustrated that it is easier to give up. Women who need a coach on the sidelines guiding them in the right direction as they set their health goals and work towards them. Just as my trainer, Brandon, introduced me to positive thinking, life balance, good nutrition and a love for working out, I want to pay it forward to other women through my health coaching business. The best part of all this is right now I can do it while working as a full-time teacher. Once I see where this business leads me I can decide what impact it will have on a possible career change. I have always loved working with people which is why I became a teacher. Helping women get healthy and love their lives is a second career I know I will LOVE. So for now I am working on networking through social media, finishing the program at IIN, making connections through people I meet in the field of health and fitness, and getting my name out there so when I am ready to jump into the business of health coaching people know who I am and why they should work with me. It's going to be so fulfilling to see clients set goals and crush them. And who knows, maybe I'll get certified in personal training in the future too so I can offer the whole package. 

The Book
     Ok. So at the time of my last blog post in April, I was writing my book of memoirs contrasting my positive mindset and life of intentional health and wellness with the negative life I lived in an abusive marriage for 20 years and how good nutrition, training, and life coaching from a skilled personal trainer helped me get my life back. Well, I am still writing the book. I am beginning chapter 6 of the 11 chapters I have outlined and I am editing chapters 4 and 5. I have launched an author's site with a sneak peek of part of chapter one at www.triciaannleibig.com and have gotten a significant number of comments of positive feedback about the book so far. Writing the book has been therapeutic for me as I reconcile my past and come to terms with what I experienced and why and how it relates to my life today. I cannot wait to share it with the world!

Well, there are so many other things I have learned and have experienced in the last two months but I will wait and share in future posts where I can dedicate more attention to a single topic. And as I move forward in this transformation journey I will continue to blog, write my book and pay it forward with health coaching. Thank you to everyone who has inspired and motivated me to get to this point and want to continue. My life is forever changed because of the right people crossing my path at the right time with the right purpose.