Karen Mullarkey's blog

I am in the final stretch until my IFBB bikini debut and I can see the pizza at the end of the tunnel! Training has been going great and I love the week of the show because of I do not have to lift as intense. I just hit upper body Monday-Wednesday and focus on cardio, diet and posing.

The diet this week will be a bit challenging for the next 3-4 days as I lower my carb intake to dial my body in. I will then add carbs back in on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The TOC is a one day show so I won't have to worry about going on stage 2 days in a row, which can be very tiring.

Well, I am back at it again. My last figure competition was back in February of this year. I am now just 12 days out from competing at the Tournament of Champions in Culver City, CA on September 11th. There is just one difference between now and then, I have decided to make the switch from figure to bikini. This is the first year they are allowing bikini at the Olympia and I figured, "What the Heck"!

I wanted to give a shout out to my trainer and best friend, Ernie Villegas on his birthday! Yes, trainers need trainers, too. I started training with Ernie of Ernie's Elite Team www.ernieseliteteam.com back in July of 2004 for my very 1st figure competition and have been training with him ever since. Ernie and I have been with each other through thick and thin. He has taught me so much about fitness and nutrition and he is the one responsible for changing my physique and lifestyle. I also have him to thank for guiding me down the road of personal training.

About 2 months ago, I received an email from a guy by the name of Mark Patrick Murray out of New York City. He said that he had accidentally stumbled upon my website while looking up a great photo editor also by the name of Karen Mullarkey. Mark is a photographer and was looking to contact her regarding business. The funny thing is, I knew exactly who he was talking about because when I about 8 years old my parents saw Karen's name in an issue of Sports Illustrated.

SInce 2007 when I decided to start my own personal training business and to also go after a career in fitness modeling I have learned so much about marketing. Graduating with a major in Geography, I could geographically get from point A to point B but I had no business background whatsoever. Boy, did I have a lot to learn.

Since I started "No Mullarkey" Personal Training 2 years ago, I have learned so much. Never in my life did I think I would be able to quit my "Day Job" and do what I love for a living. My business has slowly grown over the past 2 years and it has been such an amazing learning experience. I have grown so much as a business woman and a trainer. I am now so busy I am looking at hiring help, I never saw that coming!

I attended the FMI conference in LA last October and I must say that it was a life changing event. I really did not know much about FMI and I had randomly heard about it through Elisabetta Rogiani when I had ordered some modeling outfits for an upcoming shoot. I spoke with the promoter, Gary Warren and I quickly realized that it was certainly an event that I could not miss.

Does this sound like you? You are at the gym before work and have to run from your workout to hit the shower so you can be at work on time? You figured you got your workout in and that you will stretch later. Later came and went and you forgot to stretch.

Yesterday, I logged onto my Facebook account only to get a message from an old friend telling me some very bad news! A close friend that we used to run with back in high school was in a bad accident and has been on life support for the past 40 hours. His parents have made the awful decision that no parent should ever have to make, to go ahead and take him off of life support last evening. Shocked! That is pretty much my reaction. Here is a man in his mid 30's with so much life to live and in an instant it is over. Fair! Is it ever fair?

How many of you out there are tired of your same old cardio routine? Don't you wish you could get outside and enjoy the nice spring air? Well, maybe you should sign up for a boot camp.

My trainer and I run a boot camp every Saturday morning at a local high school track. With the weather getting warmer, our turnout is getting larger. Everyone loves the idea of getting a cardio session in outdoors with a group of people with a common goal, to get fit!