Mr. Olympia 2011 and weight gaining

I haven't updated in a few weeks, with good reason. Things have been rather jam packed lately. I now work 5 days a week at David Barton Gym and decided to stop bartending for a while or for good. Anddd Mr. Olympia 2011 was last weekend in Las Vegas. I'd have to say aside from the car rental company making us pay stupid fees for not being 25 year (yet), and United losing our luggage full of samples/foam roller/supplements for 3 days, it was a pretty incredible trip!

Highlights:

• Got to meet some of my favorite bodybuilders and figure/bikini competitors (pictures to follow)
• Got to root for my girl Alicia Harris on the Olympia stage! She looks absolutely gorgeous!
• Working out at Golds Gym again for the Universal Animal Event. Did bent over rows next to the great Evan Centopani, and had the pleasure of watching Dennis Wolf and my boy Victor Martinez do a shoot for Muscular Developement.
• Eating Ruth Chris Filet Mignon cooked in butter
• Eating at In N Out Burger
• Shopping at Burberry
• All you can eat buffets not once but 3 times!
• Getting my picture in front of the Evogen Nutrition sign!
• Flying over the Grand Canyon
• Getting to drive our own rental car around Vegas
• Riding New York New York
• Getting Nicole Wilkins and Nicole Nagrini to sign a bikini calender of them lol!
• Seeing Phil Heath and Jay Cutler duke it out!!!!
• And most importantly getting to experience it all with the love of my life!

On to my progress in weight training and building mass! So far so good I think. I can tell an overall difference with how my body looks. I have basically just started eating whatever I want, with some exceptions. I eat everything with knowledge of what is in it, and try to meet a certain daily intake of my carbs/fats/proteins/etc. I have put on a few pounds. I am at 114.5 this monring! I can see more definition in my shoulders, triceps, calves, and even quads. I also can squat my bodyweight! That is a HUGE accomplishment for me. I wouldn't be able to do it without Mike's help motivating me to get to this point. Building mass is really difficult for a lot of people, I am definitely feeling the struggle and do get discouraged at times. Going to the Olympia expo and meeting Nicole Wilkins and Justine Munro was really motivating for me. I can't wait to get there some day! Here are some pictures from our trip! :)

Enjoy! <3

                                               Me with my favorite bikini pro Justine Munro

Olympia Bikini Winner Nicole Nagrini

 At the Evogen Nutrition Booth!!

 The one and only Evan Centopani

 Me and my biggest role model and Ms. Figure Olympia and Sheru Class winnner Nicole Wilkins!!!!!

 Me and the most gorgeous man alive and my boyfriend Mike!!!

 Dont remember his name but he ruled!!!

 ANNDDD VICTOR MARTINEZ HE BE FLEXIN!!!!



Evogen Nutrition Interview!! and Olympia!!!

So I forgot to post this when they first upated my interview! Thanks to all the help of friends, family, and everyone that spread the word for the Evogen Nutrition contest! I won and was featured for a week on their homepage, here is the link- Evogen Nutrition Bikini Model Search  . Its pretty awesome, I got a supplement stack (pre and post-work out supplements.) Their products are high quality and work great, so I am so thankful for this opportunity. In about 10 weeks there will be another competition between all the girls and whoever wins get to be their next sponsored athlete. I hope to be at a higher fitness level at that point! My training and dieting seem to be working great, I can see the slight difference in definition in my muscles where as before I was just toned. I am still skinny mini but I have increased my caloric intake and eat more frequently when possible. I hope to be at 125-130 lbs by the end of my gains but still at my leanest. I can't wait for that day, but its a slow and steady process!

And oh my gosh!!! Can't I say 2 weeks from today Mike and I will be in Las Vegas for the Olympia Expo and Show! So very excited. We just decided to get a rental car while out there so we can enjoy the sites a bit more and not spend so much on cabs to go to and from gym/grocery/olympia show etc. I think its going to be such an awesome trip, I seriously cant wait. Next year we are going to try to the Grand Canyon or Hoover Damn. I have never been to either so I think itd be really amazing to do, but no time to allow it this trip!! So happy :)

Envy and progressing

Envy is the art of counting the other fellow's blessings instead of your own.  ~Harold Coffin
Today I have experiened envy and had to remind myself that I should be thankful for the life I have been given and worked for.  Not one person grows up the same as the next and you can't change where you came from. Everyone, myself included should be thankful for just being alive. The saying, "You make your own destiny," it couldn't be any more clear and true. If you truly want to achieve something, it only takes but effort to get there. I didn't come from a lot of money, get everything I wanted, and I turned out fine. I always envied other kids growing up because they would go on Summer Vacations to Hawaii or Florida on a regular basis, or they had nicer clothes than me, or nicer cars as I got older. I envied, and to this day I still catch myself being jealous of what others have. This made me realize something, instead of having negative feelings of "I want that, or wish I had that," why not turn those negative feelings into a positive drive to make it happen. You have the power to suceed and to make it happen, you just determine how quickly it happens. Sometimes things can be out of your means for a while, but if you work towards it, the payoff will beyond. You weren't instantly gratified with what you wanted then and now, but you worked for it. That process makes the goal/item/whatever you may have worked towards, even better. I can't even describe to you how many challenges I have faced in my life, but I wouldn't be here without those road blocks. I am blessed for that!!

<3

Evogen Nutrition by Hany Rambod Competition

So at the beginning of last week Mike came across the supplement company Evogen Nutrition on facebook and noticed they were doing a Bikini Model/Athlete Search/Competition and told me to enter. It was a pretty simply competition where you post a photo of you in a bikini (I used the photo John Lathrop took at the ABA competition) and you get as many people to like their page and vote for you by liking your photo. I am NEVER good at any popularity contests only because I just feel like if you put in the work things will happen for themselves. But in this case I got a pretty awesome response at the start of the competition and decided to spread the word on Facebook, and my fabulous friends/family/friends of jumped on and supported me. I got a great response and by the end of the competition I had 138 votes putting me in first. The prize for this weekly competition is a Feature on the Evogen Nutrition Website  and a supplement stack. Even better at the end of the 12 week competition they are doing, they will take all 12 of the winners and have voting again, the next winner will get to be their next Sponsored Athlete! That is huge, they are a great supplement company, started by Jay Cutlers trainer/nutrition guru Hany Rambod. So exciting!! If anything the feature is a huge deal for me! My ultimate goal is to be a sponsored athlete and eventual IFBB Pro, but it is a slow process of getting to the size I want to be to compete again!

My training has been going very well, I have been eating a TON of food (all good stuff I swear), sometimes more than I can handle, but it is really necessary because of how high my metabolism is. I am incorporating more healthy fats/carbs, as well as  red meats! Woohoo!
Can only go up from here!!!
Less than a month until we go to Las Vegas for the Mr. Olympia Show and Convention! So excited for that!

Here are some progress photos and a shot of all the bikini diva tall class competitors and trophies!

<3
Danielle

Competition Update &Pictures

Hey guys!!

Here is the results from the show!!  http://www.naturalolympia.com/2011NatNA_ContestResults.html

So I didn't get a chance since Thursday to update! My show was on Saturday, it was a very long day indeed!
Friday night we headed to Bolingbrook to get my competition spray tan by Whitnie from Bella Bronze, sbe did a fabulous job on my color! I then registered and talked to a few people and eventually ran into Murrel Hall, my PE teacher from Elementary School. He is 70 years old and just got his pro card! He looks incredible!!  Here are some pictures of him!
We then headed to my aunts in Oswego, got there a little after 9 and ate some food. My friend Alicia Harris came over to help me out with some final walking/posing for the show. She is incredibly sweet and so helpful! I couldn't have had the confidence on stage with out her guidance! Finally got to bed around 1230am and woke up around 6am to eat my first meal and get ready. I had makeup with Megan Melone at 650am and we had Athlete check in at 9am. I did my own hair which actually turned out fine. Prejudging started a bit late, but that is okay!

Prejudging was at 11am and the late show was at 6pm, ultimately we got done closer to 2pm and headed back to Oswego to recoop, eat, and redo my hair! Then back for the show at 5pm to get a new coat of color and she put this great shimmer bronzer on top of my color! Late show went by pretty quick and before we knew it, they were announcing the placings. Finally the bikini tall overall came up, I felt pretty good about my performance but definitely wasn't sure what to expect. I ended up placing 4th in the Tall overall, I got a trophy! Pretty cool. Definitely not what I expected, but I am thankful for the experience. I really loved prepping for this show, and even though at times it was incredibly frustrating, it was such a great learning process. I met a ton of incredible people within Illinois Bodybuilding and definitely would love to build some great relationships and keep building and learning. I want to compete again soon but will be focusing on bulking for the next few months!  I was really happy with how I looked at the competition but absolutely know that I need to be at least 10lbs heavier to get to where I want to be!

The great part of all is I am so blessed so have great friends, boyfriend, and family that are super supportive of my life goals and were able to come out and cheer me on. I wouldn't have done so well without all of them!! :)

So that brings me to the next step, I get to increase my calories by about 500 calories and will be eating more carbs/protein (I love food, so this won't be a problem for me) AND I am training on the same program my boyfriend is, which helps build overall strength and hypertrophy. I jumped in his training yesterday and today and feel it will be very beneficial to stick with it. Here is a layout of what we did today and yesterday!

Sunday-Back & Shoulders
(Back)
 1-back power exercise- bent over rows (3x10) at 65% ten rep max
2-dumbell rows- 3 sets of  10-2reps
3- rack chins- 3 sets of 10-15 reps
4- close grip cable pull downs-2 sets 12-15reps
5-weighted hangs-holding for 60 secs at a time (eventually adding weight until you can't hang for 60 secs anymore) I had a hard time with these as my grip isn't where I'd like it to be.

(Shoulders)
1-Shoulder Power-Military Press 3 sets of 10 reps at 65% ten rep max
2-dumbell side lat raises 3 sets of 10-12reps
3-machine laterals 2 sets of 12-15reps
4th- bent over dumbell laterals 2 sets of 12-15

This week is going to be easy as it will help with keeping a pump, building strength, but still recovering without using too much weight. It is preparing for the coming weeks of training.

Monday: Lower Body
70% normal 5 rep max x 4 sets
1-Quad Power exercise-squat @ 80 lbs
2 Leg Extensions- 2 sets of 15-20
3 Ham Power Exercise-Stiff Leg Dead lifts @ 70
4 Standing Calf Raises-4 sets of 6-10reps
5 Seated Calf Raises 3 sets of 10-12 reps


So far its going well, excited to eat potatoes and steak and all things delicious but still "clean."

Here are some pictures from the competition!! :)

Long Day-Great day

Productive and positive day. Mike and I both had the day off, and of course the great boyfriend he is, he drove me around to help make errand running a lot faster (gosh I need a car.) We got a ton of stuff done, even went to the gym AND went to the fitness store to get a power lifting belt and some odds and ends. We had a little fun, so I thought I would share some funny pictures!

Also side night, I am craving Lou Malnati's deep dish pizza, I can't wait to have a delicious slice (or 2) on Saturday night, with a salad of course! 

 

That is all for now!!! :) 

<3 

Danielle

So close I can taste it!

I have decided I am going to update each day until the show, it really helps me feel calm about everything. I have always gotten so nervous before anything big I do, this is no exception.

Monday and Tuesday were my higher carb days, now I am slowly tapering them until the show so I fill out as best as possible. I don't want to look too flat or too cut so I won't know until Saturday what I really need to take in.

I had a really good upper body work out yesterday, this week is much different than my regular training schedule. Typically I am doing a split-routine so I can really isolate the major muscle groups and focus on hypertrophy (or increasing muscle growth.) It has really worked great for my glutes/back. I will be starting a new approach for my upper body after Saturday. As for this week I just have my major leg day (Monday), upper body (Tuesday), and for today I will be focusing on a total body pump. I won't hit any weights Thursday or Friday, maybe only do some Stairmaster tomorrow to help my glutes/hams recover and some pump up stuff.

As for today, I had my solid balanced Protein/Carb/Fat breakfast with my normal supplements and now sipping on some Apple Cider Vinegar. My cold or allergies are still lingering but I am hanging in there. Not feeling too shabby this morning. Gotta go get MORE chicken and eggs for Mike and I. I can't wait to eat more red meat again! Yay for steak!!

I can really see the difference in leanness from last week to this week. Taking pictures often really does show your exact progress. It is really great. I will post some of those post competition so I can share my bodys transformation just from dieting so well and lifting heavy!

Have a great day! Today is my bartending shift, so it'll be a later night than I prefer :-/

<3
Danielle

Monday-Last leg day

Happy Monday! What a long long day it has been! But I couldn't be happier, leg day=high carb day=me happy dance.

Still have a slight cold, it is mostly just a sore scratchy throat at night and runny nose all day. Hope my immunity booster helps!! Doesn't help with getting a solid nights sleep though, yikes!

Woke up early, got my hair retouched by my roomie DeAndre, he even gave me some sassy curls! You know you gotta have cute hair for leg day. :-)  Headed home to feed my cats, hopped on the train, and gulped down my last preworkout for the week!

Usually on leg day I like to train at Quads Gym, but since I was cutting it close for time I trained at David Barton Gym where I work. I had by far the best leg workout, at least for a long while. I just felt the rage and passion to do my best so I can come out looking my best. Focused on doing a lot of single-leg exercises to really target the glutes/hamstrings. Of course always finished off with my favorite stiff legged deadlift-with dumbells to give myself a challenge, and alternating single leg. Good challenge, I love the pump and energy I get after a good workout. I'd definitely have to say glutes/hamstrings/lats are my favorite muscles to train, I love being strong!

Weigh in-I weighed myself this morning and I am down to 108.5lbs. That is incredibly lean and a little lighter than I would like to be idealy, but for this point in the game not much more I can do to add mass. I hope my leanness does not hurt me in the end. Overal, I am really happy with how I look. Last summer at this point I weighed 123 and had no idea my glutes could be this round, or my abs could ever look like this. So I am proud no matter what!

Almost finished here at work, got an early morning shoot at Krista K-going tanning, working, then working out, home, sleep, repeat!!!

<3
Danielle

6 days out!!!

It is almost here! My show is so close I can taste it. I have been planning this for so many months now it seems, but it started to fall into place best when I got all the things I need for next Saturday. It feels so real now. I truly wish I would have started this blog sooner, so I could have shared my full experience.

This whole process has been challenging to say the least but really great as well. I have learned a lot about myself and can only begin to describe how my full body strength has increased. My biggest challenge has been/still is developing my upper body, especially my delts. I have such a small frame and an incredibly high metabolism. It is almost as if my body doesn't want to absorb the protein, carbs, fats, supplements, etc. I guess that is the exciting part about this whole thing. It is like a science experiment every day. I get to learn how to train my body, how to sculpt my muscles/shape, and have the knowledge of how diet plays a HUGE role in the whole process.

Tomorrow, and the days leading up to my competition will be the true test. Mike is helping me plan out my diet and make sure everything happens accordingly. My diet will play a big part in how I look on Saturday. I don't want to come out looking too flat or stringy. I am already very lean at about 9.5% body fat right now (maybe lower.) So I have to make sure to eat to fill my muscles out properly. Then everything will be up to my stage performance and confidence. I am fighting off either a small cold or allergies right now so I hope I can get rid of it soon. Being this low in body fat and working as hard as I do in the gym can be really deplete your immune system. Thanks to my endless supply of supplements (thanks Mike and GNC) I think I can win this battle!

In this game, it seems like knowledge is your greatest trainer. If you educate yourself about this industry, and really truly have a passion for your goals, you will succeed. Maybe not right away, but with determination, hard work, and support you can go pretty far. You just have to make it happen, and not let small things distract you from the bigger picture. My bigger picture: Success and overall happiness.

What does success and happiness really entail? It all depends on every individual. My goals in life career specifically are; utilize my NASM personal training certification to help others achieve their goals and overall health & wellness (preventative health care), I want to go back to school to gain more knowledge about Exercise Science and Nutrition, continue modeling, and ultimately become a bikini pro athlete. I would love to combine my love and passion for fitness/heatlh with my modeling goals to really educate people about achieving your life goals. And of course share these great life lessons with someone really spectacular!

In the end, no matter how well I do in this competition, I plan to try and add some size post competition and compete again in the spring!

Til then!

<3
Danielle Maddox

2 Weeks

Hello!
Welcome to my other blog! For those of you who don't know me, I am 24 years old, and have been actively working as a professional model for 7+  years now. I have done some pretty incredible stuff in my career, I've had the opportunity to work with some amazing teams of designers, stylists, makeup artists, hair geniuses, and travel a bit while doing it. For the past year now, my biggest focus and goals have been around fitness.I grew up around gyms, my stepdad always loved working out, his brother did some bodybuilding, and I just really enjoyed going to the gym (even though at 12 it can be pretty intimidating!) Then I approached high school and let's just say, I was the tall lanky uncomfortable with my body type. When it came to gym and lifting, I was nothing short of self conscious. It was always about competition and I just didn't have the confidence or strength to try and lift heavier than the more atheletic girls (I was a dancer.) Now fast forward to present time, I am no longer the self conscious (no more than usual) type, and I LOVE lifting heavy. One of my main fitness goals is to improve my power lifting skills. I love anything and everything powerlifting.

    I live, breath, and own fitness. It posseses my entire being. After watching my boyfriend compete in his natural bodybuilding show last August (2010) and going to Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas, I decided I should give it a try. And here we are now, I am 2 weeks out from my first show. I will be competing at the ABA Natural Bodybuilding Competition August 13th as a bikini competitor. I have been working out half my life but never like this. I plan my meals, I calculate/measure my food(as precisely as possible with a scale), I've pushed myself to go to the gym and lift heavier each set, and I couldn't be happier with how far I have come. It has been mentally, physically, and even financially challenging for me to get here. It is a long journey, but this is only the start of many shows I hope to do. I have my boyfriend Mike to thank for his knowledge and full out support in so many ways!! He has opened my eyes to a new world of challenges. I am so excited to get to share this experience with him and everyone else too!!

I will be back to update soon!

Thanks for reading!!
Danielle

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