Ripitupbaby's contest prep 2008 - north americans and nationals

[ripitupbaby]

HI Guys
I figured I would go ahead and get things started on this board since I am in the midst of my 2008 contest prep.

I'm Lori Steele. I'm a figure competitor turned bodybuilder. I won the figure overall at the NPC New Englands in 2006, went to Figure Nationals and realized that I was cut out to be a bodybuilder. I decided to switch over permanently, and I won the Lightweight BB at the 2007 NPC Junior Nationals.

I am currently prepping for the 2008 NPC Nationals on November 22, and I am also very hopeful to compete in the 2008 IFBB North Americans on August 29/30. That puts me about 18.5 weeks from Nats and only 6.5 weeks from the North Americans.

I had a very long and productive off-season (10 months) and just came off a great powerlifting season as well. I competed in the USPF Nationals June 28/29 and won the best lifter overall for the women, along with setting a WPF World Bench Press Record for the 132 weight class (226 pounds).

Now that powerlifting is over for now, I am focused 100% on bodybuilding, and I am dieting down to hopefully make the Lightweights at the North Americans. I started dieting at 18 weeks out from the North Americans at about 148 pounds. Right now, I am about 127 pounds. The LW BB class is under 115 pounds, so I have a little more than 6 weeks to lose 12 pounds if I am going to do the North Americans.

That's it in a nutshell. I am happy to answer questions and provide some info about my prep, and I will try to update this thread with progress pics, etc. as we go along.

I'll start with a few pics from Junior Nationals last year. Hard to believe that I'll be back in this kind of shape in the near future!

[ripitupbaby]

Couple more from Junior Nats. I weighed 111.5 last year, and I am hoping to weigh closer to 115 this year.

[ripitupbaby]

And the pics I took at Seven Weeks Out (last weekend)...about 127-ish pounds.

My legs are always the last thing to come down, so I am not terribly worried about them right now. They are WAY bigger than they were at this time last year...not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing LOL.

[Luv2Hurt]

Nice job Ripitupbaby. Looks like you will do well.

[ripitupbaby]

Nice job Ripitupbaby. Looks like you will do well.

Thanks Luv. It's nice to see you over here.

[PT]

you look great. you have perfect defination evreywere. let us know how the nationals go in november

[Overload]

Looking fantastic already Rip!

Good luck!

[ripitupbaby]

Thanks guys. This prep has been the toughest one ever for me for several reasons.
It's hard to look forward and see how the next six weeks will go, and then even harder to think that there are 12 weeks after that until Nationals. But I'm fairly confident that I will do the North Americans in six weeks, so we'll take one step at a time.

My trainer is IFBB Pro Carla Salotti (see pics below), and she's just THE BEST. For any of you who compete on the National level, you know Carla and how awesome of a person she is. She and I are getting together for the day tomorrow to make a final decision about how to proceed, and I think I'll be feeling alot better once I have spent some time with her. I need some of her energy!!!

[Arnold jr]

One of the best here guys...one of the best that will be here. Watch for Rip to dominate her stage the next few months...that's right, "her" stage!

[ripitupbaby]

One of the best here guys...one of the best that will be here. Watch for Rip to dominate her stage the next few months...that's right, "her" stage!

LOL Thanks AJ!

Looks like the North Americans will be a go. I am six weeks out in these pics.

126 pounds. I need to make the lightweights at under 115 pounds.