Diet: Well, the diet has been very extreme this week. A few days of very low lows, and one day of a very high-high day! The low days consisted of a few rice cakes and the high day was stuffed to the brim with rice and a burger at the end of the night. The low days just so happened to be over the course of the weekend we were traveling to Boca for the guest posing! Which sounds terrible but kind of worked in my favor. Having lower carbs, yes definitely hungrier, but it also keeps my body a little tighter. I was exhausted to say the very least by Sunday when we were driving home. After traveling and training and then guest posing I was plain just beat up. However, I woke up at a new low weight Monday morning and was rewarded with a huuugggeeee high carb day. So, the hunger and energy I put in over the weekend paid off wonderfully. The high day was lots of jasmine rice and cream of rice all day long, and then a double burger with fries and halo top ice cream! (was supposed to be half the pint… supposed to be). I went to bed in gastric pain, and woke up with a huge food baby. In a good way though. I felt on top of the world and went to bed a happy prepper. So moral of the diet story is to keep pushing and doing the next right move, as hard as it may seem, it’s temporary, this too shall pass and the other side if you can stick with it, is oh so abundant and sweet.

Training: Training is nothing crazy different. We may be super setting more and drop setting more to keep the heart rate higher for longer. But the typical rep range I find myself in now is 10-20 reps with shorter rest periods. Quick and intense! Something I do want to tell you guys about in regards to training that I do frequently, is mimic poses with some of the exercises I choose, as well as posing in between sets. The way I see it is, practice how you compete. The more I can choose exercises that mimic poses, the more I grow in that particular pose, essentially because I am adding weight to the pose. I find when I pose in between sets, the better the mind muscle connection becomes. And then when I go to train that specific muscle group, the proprioceptors are primed and ready to be damaged by the weight ? So in a nutshell, high volume, lots of mind muscle connection, just sculpting and getting to know my body more.

Cardio: We have switched up this week, and thank the universe for that! For the last few weeks I was doing 55 minutes in the morning, and then 25 minutes post workout a few times a week. The 55 minutes was on the stepper or step mill, and I could get into it and enjoy it, but after a few weeks of that I began getting restless and I found myself having to switch between machines to keep interested. I don’t typically do the treadmill or elliptical, most times it doesn’t get me in the zone enough. On that same token, I don’t know that I ever do steady state cardio anymore. There is always room for intervals. Like I mentioned this week we switched it up and we are doing less time, around 30 minutes and more High Intensity Interval Training on the stepper or spin bike. I personally like that better. It hurts like a frick, especially with sore legs, but there is something about the pain and intensity that really lights my spirit up. I know it’s go time, and it’s almost show time. It’s like I trust the energy I am putting in will come back as results, so every pedal I push, every step I take is harder than the last… my mind is focused, the tunes are up, bring it on.

Supplements: My new jam this week from Redcon1 is the Double Tap Powder fat burner. I have never really tried a powdered fat burner before this one, and I am a huge fan. I have been using it frequently to get me through my workouts. What I notice is that my body heats up quite a bit faster and I break a sweat quicker than if I don’t take it. I also notice an increase in energy, kind of a big increase in energy to be honest, and that is so awesome because my energy is beginning to get lower as the prep gets harder. Right now, this supplement is perfect for what I need because it keeps my workouts intense, and the name of the game for me is calorie burn with muscle maintenance. So, the thermal effects are highly sought after. I also like that it has dandelion root in it, this is great for ridding excess water, so you can see all the shreds. I like it so much Ian and I even put together a fun little special effect video for it. (check it out on my Instagram) One more thing about supplements, the Isotope protein shake, I have both the chocolate peanut butter and the cake batter. This past weekend while we were traveling I brought a few shakes with me just in case I needed extra meals… and man was I pleasantly surprised! I did try both of them over the course of the weekend, and they were very very good. Especially for an isolate. Definitely not your typical dirty water isolate protein shake. And my favorite thing to do is make it a cereal meal with some crushed up rice cakes in it, mmmmmm so good forgetaboutit!

With less than 5 weeks until I hit the stage again, I am in a very good positive spot, I feel like I’ve already conquered the world and I am Redcon1 for what’s to come!! Talk to you soon!

Great vibes and lots of light.

Dani

In the latest Olympia video diary from IFBB Pro Lil’ Monstar Dani Reardon, we get to see a very personal and humble athlete as she reveals her mindset 5 weeks out from the biggest bodybuilding competition in the world. You’d think the #2 Women’s Physique athlete on planet Earth wouldn’t have anxiety headed into competition, well think again. Dani is human just like the rest of us. Her physique may be like Wonder Woman, but she faces real deal problems that all of us face. Not only is she prepping to win the title, but is getting married on November 11th and trying to close on a new home with her fiancé Ian. And for anyone who has bought a home, you know the circus it can be. But through it all, you can see the passion and excitement that Dani has for the sport of bodybuilding. She loves the challenge of carb cycling and doesn’t just sleep walk through cardio, but instead treats it as intensely as a lifting session. Stay tuned for more updates from Dani as we get closer to the Olympia this September.

Today, we are 46 days out from the 2017 Olympia. My goodness its coming quick. I have not competed since last year’s Olympia, where I was awarded second place!! (still in shock over that one). This offseason I learned a lot about myself. Not so much physically, as I would have predicted, but more so, mentally. I learned a lot about myself as a competitor, role model, who I have been, and most importantly the person I want to be. I’ll tell you that what I have realized about the difference between first and second is simple. It’s far from easy… but it’s simple. My off-season lessons had a lot to do with me dissecting this idea “it is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us”. I won’t get too deep into it but a simple question I have learned to ask myself constantly is, “to be, or not to be”, and in my case, I finish it with, Ms. Olympia. I guess the take home lesson is that, every moment we have a decision to make, and it can go one of two ways. Either in alignment getting us closer to our goal, or out of alignment bringing us further away from our goal. Its inescapable, and can be your best friend if you just do the next right thing. So out of a dark offseason came a lot of light and lessons. The acquisition of new mental tools and insight about myself, my intentions, and my purpose for bodybuilding.  And so here we go 46 days out from the biggest show of my life. No Pressure or anything, I am Redcon.

Diet: The diet is really going smoothly this go around, my body changes daily, and it feels as if my cells are conspiring to make something amazing happen. I think it’s because I am truly sticking to it 111%. Its funny what happens when you don’t cut corners, or add in nibbles, and do the right thing. I find that the time I had off from the structure was a great reset for my body and mind. I am excited to prep again, and I am responding quickly to changes. The other day I was given a huge refeed with tons of carbs coming from white rice and cream of rice mostly, and then at the end of the day I got to eat a huge burger, fries and halo top ice cream!! It sounds amazing, and was for the most part. I ate so much that I was in literal pain. And my digestion still isn’t one hundred percent back to normal. So yes cheat meals are great, and helpful if necessary but they do come with a price (water retention, messed up belly). To be completely honest, sometimes cheat meals are not as worth it as our brain leads us to believe. My advice about diets and cheats would be…. Diet for conditioning. That should come first and foremost, and then you will get cheats and refeeds because of your awesome conditioning and progress. If you find yourself dieting so you can have the next cheat meal or refeed (instead of new level of progress), it would be a good idea to double check your motives and intentions behind contest prep… we can make this so much easier on ourselves if we just switch our focus off peanut butter and onto progress. See doesn’t that feel better already?

Training: My training has been great! I feel like I have a better connection with my muscles than I ever have. Strength is never really a huge factor for me. So when I get a little bit weaker as contest prep progresses it doesn’t bother me at all. In fact I prefer volume training over strength training. Something new that I have been doing is Yoga. I absolutely love it, and wish I could fit it in more. And do you want to know I think that my increased mind muscle connection is due to yoga. Whats cool is that you can take any approach that you would like. You can make it more of a stretching practice or a strength practice. I kind of do both, sometimes I want a challenge and sometimes I just want to move better at the end of the class… Either way my conclusion with yoga is that its awesome and has been helping me… if I can lengthen and move my muscles better I can contract my muscles better, thus making me better at what I do. Also energetically, I find it’s a nice balance to the constant aggressive nature of training intensely in the gym all the time.

Supplements: Being a new athlete for Redcon1 has opened up a whole world of supplements. Some of the supplements I have been taking daily are RPG, the glucose disposal agent, as well as both fat burners, double tap and silencer. I like them both, I notice good energy, and I like a little stimulant here and there. Before writing this, I actually took mental trigger.. and I think its safe to say, its effective. ? Pre workouts I took a break from a while ago, however, now I am back in action with them… I forgot after not using them for so long that they really do help your workout… I have just started using total war, big noise and breach. So far so good, flavors off the chain!! Pumped and focused!!

Exciting and Positive News: The most recent piece of news I have is becoming a sponsored athlete with Redcon1!! Super excited and grateful for this opportunity. Thank you all very much!! I am guest posing in South Florida August 12^th at the Florida Muscle Classic!! And omg, pretty much minutes ago as I am typing this, our offer was accepted on the house we wanted!!!!  It’s a lateral move financially and spaciously… but the back yard for the dog is just magical. If you guys don’t already know, one more exciting life thing, just around the corner in November my fiancé Ian and I are getting married!!! 11-11-17. So woa, yes we have a big exciting year ahead of us and it coming quick. Need to be on my A game for this. Thanks for your time and energy if you made it down this far ?

Until Next time… Good Vibes, Hoodie up, Bel1eve

Dani