Prepping, Priority Number One

by Kris Pitcher

On a sunny Saturday last February, I was shredding downhill on my skis when I thought to myself, "This is dangerous!" If you're planning to compete, you have to make it to the stage.

I love a good Yogiism. It was that sunny day I decided my prep was the most important thing. On my way to compete at the national level for the first time...I made a choice. See, if you're hurt you won't make it.

Now, things happen. Injury isn't always like a blaring neon light flashing in front of our eyes. Prepping in a smart way is all about minimizing exposure. Exposure to excess, exposure to unintended injury, and exposure to energy expenditure you can't afford.

Aside from feeling a little exhausted, I was enjoying the scenery. Jacques and I looked at each other at about the same time on the chair lift back up and gave the nod. This would be the last time. It wouldn't be until June that I would hit the stage. June! But if I was going to make it, I needed to actually make it.

Lots of people do all kinds of extra-curricular things during prep. More power to you! For me, I'm all about minimizing loss. I'm all about focused effort. And I'll be darned if I'm doing any extra cardio. For some clients, my husband designs their entire program around their adventure sports. Hiking, paddle boarding, surfing, skiing, riding and what ever else they're into.

At a certain point you choose. Search my blog for muscle fiber type for a reminder about training type A and B fibers. There's a point at which you're competing against your own goals. So, I focus on one thing at a time. I'll have plenty of time to recreate off season.

So really there's two issues here. There's getting to the stage without getting hurt. Then there's training specificity. Sure, most of us can afford a day on the mountain this time of year and it's not going to make or break our prep.

Unless of course we're escorted down the hill...with a broken wrist, or arm, or leg. You get the idea. With all the hard work going into prepping for a contest, it just makes sense to protect your investment. And actually get to the stage.

Again, we can't go around in a bubble avoiding life. But, we can avoid the unnecessary by being smart about what we set out to do. When prepping is your number one priority, go all out and get to the stage. Minimize your risk and avoid the avoidable. I'll see you on stage!

Getting Lucky

by Kris Pitcher

An interesting question came across my path this week. Do you feel like you're lucky? As a panelist in an interview process, this question was a favorite of one of the other participants. I have a number of thoughts about this...

The first was, "What color are you?" Followed by, "Are you a square or a triangle?" Innovative corporations like to ask questions to which there are no real answers. But this one, I do have strong feelings about.

Do you feel like you're lucky? Do things happen to you, or do you make things happen? I have a lot of ideas about this. I believe strongly that you attract things to you. I believe in the self fulfilling prophecy. I believe you create opportunity.

I am also acutely aware of my fortune. I am fortunate to live in a place where I have certain freedoms and liberties. I am fortunate to have been born into the middle class family I was born into. Luck? Not really. Definitely fortune.

As for being lucky in life...that's a question of how you see things. Do you see opportunity in situations? Or do you fall to your knees in desperation when things go bad. When something is presented to you, do you take a new direction...or are you stuck where you are?

Can you will things, or attract things, to you? I believe you can. When you focus on certain things, your energies go toward those things bringing them to you. When you want something, putting it at the forefront of your thought allows you to create patterns, habits, choices, which draw it to you.

Is that luck? Or have you created that? So, I believe in fortune, but luck? Not so sure. I believe you create opportunity. I believe people who appear to have "luck" have worked very hard to attract certain things to their lives.

Luck, fortune and happiness are not to be confused. I know some people who have lots of fortune, but no happiness. Plenty of people who have what would be considered by many to be good luck certainly live their lives out in an unhappy, unfulfilled way. Again, it's all in how you see it.

So, do you feel like you're lucky? It's an interesting question. It's one I think about when I consider wanting what I have versus having what I want. It's one I think about as I make choices about who I spend time with, and how I prioritize.

Getting lucky is mostly about your perception of life. Your ideas about how you see yourself, what you do with opportunity, and what you will to yourself. What are you willing to work to create in your life? Go and get it!

My Valentine, I Pick ME!

by Kris Pitcher

LOVE is in the air! But love shouldn't only come one day a year...one big, red, commercial day! When I think about it, it's a good reminder to take care of those around you and also yourself.

I keep my ears perked around me and I hear a lot of dismissed compliments and even more personal cut downs. So today I'm reminding you to be your own valentine. Give yourself some love! Start by accepting a compliment.

"Thanks but..." and that's when you go into the laundry list of why you don't deserve the compliment. Just stop at, "Thanks." When you compliment someone, you don't want your compliment handed back to you. Neither do the people sending compliments your way. They want you to keep them.

You deserve them! It feels good to take them. Try it. The other thing I hear so much of is everyone cutting themselves apart, compartmentalizing, and outright talking negatively about themselves (and their body parts!).

Stop that! This is just a bad habit. It feeds your self-loathing and poor body image. Why would you continue to do that? Be your own valentine and show yourself some love here. If you start with something, well, you've got...something!

What DO you like about yourself, or your body? Recognize one thing, maybe there are more. It's perfectly fine not to be 100% satisfied with everything in your life. That's normal. But broadcasting it and reinforcing it verbally to yourself and the world isn't the way to improve it.

Want to work on it? Great! Work on it. Set some goals and go for it. This week I'm tired. I've caught myself loathing about it several times. Then I decided to stop being a big crybaby! It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Sure, I had some travel, nights away from home...lost some sleep. Guess what? I'll be FINE. I adjusted my schedule so I could get enough sleep, I am making sure I get my water and my BCAAs in, and I'm eating all my clean meals. I'm getting right on track! No one wants to hear a complainer.

So stop complaining about all your parts. Begin to love yourself, just a little. Turn your perspective to the positive. It's all your choice whether you are your own valentine or not. I pick ME! And you should pick YOU!

HIIT or Steady State, Which Cult are You?

by Kris Pitcher

People are passionate, I'll give them that. The level of anger and taking sides over what kind of prep diet is "right" and what kind of cardio is "better" is verging on cultish.

Which camp am I in? I'm in the camp of least resistance. What I mean by that is, when I prep I want to begin with the least amount of work needed to elicit change. Period. It's pretty simple. Let's start with the cardio war.

HIIT or steady state? The answer, yes.There are studies to support both camps on this. But, I'm not camping, I'm prepping. Neither is in damnation here. It's about the path of least resistance. It's about having multiple "tools" in your tool box to create a progressive program.

If for instance I'm doing 30 minutes of steady state cardio and continue to get results from that, why would I change? It's when I hit a plateau that it's time to make a progression in my plan. There are numerous ways to do that. I could add more time, increasing the duration. The intensity could be increased. The modality could be changed.

Now, what if I simply did not have additional time in my schedule to add? So, my coach is now considering my "lifestyle". How considerate. I work a 10 hour day, commute an hour, need to lift, and there just isn't another 15 minutes in my day. No problem.

Maybe we start with increasing the intensity. Bingo! My body responds. This is the art of prepping. Progression. Down the road, I may hit another plateau. That might be the time to bring in some HIIT cardio and decrease my time. It's all about changing things up. It's not about damnation, or joining one cult or another.

The path of least resistance. The same goes with food. Oh my gosh. Clean eaters vs. flexible eaters. Really, there should be a reality show. Isn't it really the same thing? This whole thing confuses me to be honest.

I'm eating clean foods, whole foods, unprocessed foods. I have a list of "like" foods I can swap out. In fact, just yesterday, I didn't want to eat my rice...and I ate a corn tortilla instead! Isn't that both clean and flexible?

Do we really need to fight and get mad about this? There isn't one correct way. If a person has the interest in counting calories and is able to work with a group of like items, why not let them loose on swapping one lean protein for another?

On the other hand, if I'm just too busy, don't mind repetition and want to eat chicken and spinach for my meals away from home each day...why are you so mad? Isn't this about preference, lifestyle, and personal success?

If you hate eggs and your coach can't suggest an alternative, you might have someone feeding you a cookie cutter program without the ability to apply the science. You should have a list of items you can swap out. I don't expect you to know the nutritional science, that's why you hire someone, but you should have the tools provided so you can make the decisions.

So, I don't really get why every one's so mad. I don't understand why any coach would only have ONE way they feed or exercise EVERYONE. Doesn't that seem stupid? If every athlete is an individual, and responds differently wouldn't you want someone who had a whole box of tools...meaning a complete understanding of how to apply the science?

I sure would. All of the methods are OK. Everything works in certain ways for certain people depending on what they can tolerate, what they prefer, and what they respond to. And any great coach understands that. It's all about progression, and the path of least resistance.

My advice? Stop labeling, being so mad, or joining cults over these issues. Just do your work, get on stage, and support one another.

Sisterhood of the Offseason Pants

by Kris Pitcher


While lots of competitors around me are trimming down, I'm still bulking. It's a strange thing to be on a different schedule. But like much of my life, I'm on my own path. My timeline is different.


So while people are posting about fitting into their size (insert little size), well I'm moving in the other direction. In the direction of the sisterhood of the offseason pants.


Now, I'm not ashamed of what size I am. I don't put any emotion into a number. If I'm an 8, I'm an 8. Fine. If by chance I'm a 10 so be it. Big deal. But the problem isn't even size related in this sisterhood.


When I went recently to try slacks on, I couldn't even get them over my thighs. At first I put my clothes back on and went back out to the rack for a larger size. That size didn't fit either. Nor the next one up. Hmm?


Coming to the realization I am simply not the same shape as the pants on the rack, I left with none. It wasn't necessarily a size problem, but a shape problem. My butt is in the wrong place, my thighs are too big for the pants...and they are all either too long, or way too short.


Most offseasons I come to this same conclusion (after this same exercise) I have to just put the pants away. It's time to move on to my dresses, my skirts, unstructured knits and anything with stretch fabric combinations.


I can't wear my suits, and I won't be able to get my upper body into any structured jacket. I've broken the mold. It doesn't fit me. Rather than being frustrated by it, I find what does work for my figure. Somehow, somewhere, approximately ten years ago I bought a pair of slacks I still wear.


They're grey, have some stretch to them, are boot cut, have a low waist and have room in them for my butt. Other than that I run toward my knits, and love my dresses. And for all of you in the sisterhood of offseason pants, I know you've stood in the dressing room in complete disbelief at what was happening.


Unite sisters! Grow! And I wish you luck as you find exactly what fits your amazing shape. It won't be until well into my prep that this body fits back into slacks. And that's just fine.

Fitness Results, Make Things Count

by Kris Pitcher


It's not quite February and there are still a few resolutioner's in the gym. But many of you have already become frustrated with working out. And the reason is, you're not seeing the results you may have expected.


I have a secret for you. You cannot out exercise your poor diet. Period. You can't undo the blow-out weekend you had watching football. The wine with the girls Thursday night did some damage. You skipped breakfast, didn't pack your lunch and picked up dinner on the way home.


Now, I give you credit for making it to the gym. Your efforts are valiant. But seriously, you need to put these two pieces together. Continuing to take one step forward and two steps back every week will leave you quitting once again.


So what are you to do? Clean things up that's what. Eat your meals, plan ahead, shop good clean food. Start your day with breakfast. Eat frequently throughout the day every two to three hours. Make sure you're getting plenty of lean protein, complex carbohydrates in moderation, and good fats.


Skip the sugar, the refined flour, things that are processed and save the alcohol for special occasions. Sound tough? It's not. Besides, wasn't it you who wanted to see changes? This is how it's done. Oh, and drink some water too.


I don't care if you're a super hero, you can't out run a crappy diet. This is one of the top frustrations for people trying to make change. They think that if they get their 30 minutes of cardio, or their group exercise class in...they can eat whatever they want.


Sorry, there's no tooth fairy either. But you know me, I tell it to you straight. Now put down the giant latte with extra whip and whip yourself into shape. Start making things count.

Your Prep Diet

by Kris Pitcher

As we near the end of January, either you've entirely quit your resolutions, or you're still at it. Lots of you are deep in the throws of prep, or other eating plans for one goal or another. And I've started to notice something.

There are two kinds of "dieters", and I'll use that term very loosely. There are the ones who just go about their business, eat what they are supposed to eat, and don't draw a lot of attention. They don't worry about what every one else is doing, eating, or thinking. Then there's the rest.

I can see the look in your eye as you watch the "normals" eat around you. The disgust, distaste, and anger rises in you until you almost can't stand it. Pretty soon you're emptying out the candy dish on the receptionist's desk, or throwing out the cookies in the break room.

Sound familiar? Guess what? It's you who's on a diet. Not the entire world. Pay attention to your own self. Worry about your own plan. Eat what you are supposed to eat. Know that, the rest of the world will have lots of other items not on your plan.

It will be all around you, it will surround you all the time. That's life. Reaching your goals isn't about "fairness". You can't eat cupcakes every week in the break room at work AND stand on stage competing. So let's just get some perspective here.

Your goals are yours. What you want is different from what 99% of the population want, or could do. Stay focused, that's your job. Clear your head, stop thinking about what you can't have and think about what fuels you.

Be an athlete. BE. Don't just do the things an athlete does. BE ONE. That means you stay focused every meal, every bite, every choice that crosses your path. This is your choice. Stop being resentful about it because every one around you hasn't made the same choice. Stop throwing away their stuff.

You are stronger than that. And if you're not, meditate on that. Find your inner strength because this is a long haul and it's going to get more difficult. Change your perception. Choose your attitude. Make this easier on yourself. Own your decision to BE an athlete. Now, join the others and quit judging what they're eating.