Blog

Hello my friends!
I’m sorry for the lack of blog posts recently. After my last show I haven’t really had a whole lot going on that you don’t already know. Basically, gym, eat, gym, eat, sleep, repeat. Not too much variance, not much traveling, hence, not too much to talk about. A couple things that I HAVE been brewing up however!

1: The Store!
You asked for it, and here it is! I have released a store account where you can finally have access to purchasing posters and snapchat! I must have spent 2+ hours just deciding on which font to use for the posters.. you have no idea how much overthinking I did with this! But alas, they are here and they are ordered :) I was able to make them reasonably cheaper that I would have by selling them on MFC (since they take a portion of the revenue) AAAAND snapchat available!
MyAspenStore.com

2: I’m a sponsored athlete!
I won’t drop names here.. (since this is an adult site after all) but you can check out my instagram for more info on that :D Its a HUGE deal for me and I am beyond excited for this opportunity to work with this company. This means I get some super dope clothes and lots of photoshoots :)



3: Less than one week until Vegas... homestretch!!!

XOXO Aspen

Holy shit we did it!!!

On July 1st, I took the stage once again and competed in my 2nd figure class. Having won overall (in both novice and open last show in October) I was not allowed to compete in the novice class, and competed only the “Open Figure” class.

As I type this, a whirlwind of emotions hit me as I recall every hour leading up to the time I hit stage. Happiness, anxiousness, THIRST, anger (I’ll get to that part later) but most of all, insane gratitude!

The Water Cut: As you saw from my MFC stream the days leading up to the show, I have to go through a water cut.. my water intake goes from 1 gallon - my usual, to 8oz the day before the show, and no water the day of. This has always been the hardest and most difficult part of prep for me. When you’re thirsty, nothing matters.. not hunger, not sleep, not “selfies”, all you can think about is WATERRRRR. Come the day before the show, trying to choke down all the white rice and protein with cotton mouth is really trying.. ranting aside, you gotta do what you gotta do! The long and short of it is: the water cut + the carb load is what fills your muscles out without “spilling you over” and making you look soft and watery. There’s a lot of science that goes into it, but that would be the most simple way to explain it.

The Day of the Show: I had to wake up at 3am to continue my carbing up and choke down salmon and white rice. (It took about 30 mins to accomplish this) I woke up and I swear someone left cotton balls in my mouth overnight! I was thankfully able to fall back asleep until I had to be up at 6am for another meal, and then it was off to get my 2nd coat of spray tan and get my hair and make up all done. My coach is not only my biggest inspiration within the fitness industry, but she’s multitalented and did my hair and make up that morning as well!

Pre-Judging: Backstage, right before I step on, I get to eat jam and rice cakes to pump up! The jam was SOO good (primarily because it was moist and was the closest thing that resembled water I was allowed to have that day). I pumped up with the weights back stage and stepped on stage with as much confidence and poise I could muster! I was in an open class with 8 (I think) other girls. Once we complete our routine we go through “call outs” where they place us. I was first called out, center stage (which 99% of the time means you’ve got 1st!) I was ecstatic! ..however, still cautious because it ain’t over till the fat lady sings. (Strange saying for a bodybuilding show, huh?)

Mid-Afternoon: The LONGEST waiting of my life.. I was back in my hotel around 11am and had to wait until 6:30 to go back. My coach gave me a burger to have in-between (fucking awesome right?) The burger was probably delicious, but I was so focused on the water from the tomatoes, it was hard to really enjoy it. The rest of the afternoon is a blur, in and out of sleep just waiting…

Back Stage Pre-Finals: "It's lowkey at the night show (ooh)” The lyrics I had stuck in my head the entire time.. I arrive at 6pm to get make up touched up, and then I wait… and wait.. and wait.. Master’s Figure (35+ and 45+) goes on stage, and Novice figure lines up. That is my cue to get my shit together: Suite glued (yes, its literally glued onto my body) Eat spoonful of jam, pump up, lips touched up and get glazed so I can look like a perfectly roasted rotisserie chicken. As my suit was being glued and all things had been done they make an announcement back stage that they were moving the order of the show and the “Women’s Pro Physique” and “Men’s Pro” were going to be bumped ahead of my class and that would set me back 1 1/2 hours. “NOOOOOO!!!!!” I was READY!! My mind was right, my suite was glued, I had eaten my jelly and rice cake, all systems were GO! I was devastated (and yes, clearly very emotional lol) My first thought was “FUCK now I have to wait until 9:30pm before I can have water. WHAT THE HELL” I moped to the audience to sit with my friends to watch some of the show and sat in misery and anger towards the pros for stealing my spot.

Finals: FINALLY! The pros were done, and it was MY TURN! I marched on stage, strutted my stuff and was presented with the 1st place trophy for my class. Ahhhhhh!!! #worththethirst After winning 1st, you remain back stage along with the other 1st place winners for the “overall showdown/comparisons” This was the big one for me… I wanted more than anything to come home with another sword. I posed my best along side the other best women in their classes, and then it happened! “Please come to the center stage to collect her overall sword, ASPEN RAE!” Ahhhh I could cry. Remembering this gives me the goosebumps all over again. I was so happy!! I collected my sword with the wearing the biggest smile, and proudly walked off stage to meet my coaches who were waiting for me with a big jug of water.

Post-Show: Knowing that I have USA’s at the end of the month, I tried to keep my shit together and not go overboard on the sweets. 1 doughnut, 2 cookies, and as much sushi as I could stomach! And here we go! Onto the next show, the National Stage!! I am so grateful to have such amazing hands-on coaches, and it was a honor to compete against some amazing women who had worked their asses off to compete!



xo Aspen

As a lot of you have probably already heard (from my constant babbling on MFC, (and twitter or Instagram) I’ve recently completed my 2nd solo cross country flight!! It was equally thrilling as it was rewarding.

This particular flight was especially challenging for me because unlike the previous solo XC I took, this flight required me to go through SEVEN different control towers…and that was just on my way up to point B! Communications have always been forever reason, a little tricky for me. When you talk to tower, it’s like speaking in an entirely different language. The first time I heard my instructor talking to tower I hadn’t the faintest idea what was happening “Tower Chopper 5 with Mike at Echo Charlie for straight out departure with services” Just a little example… :)
I have my first competition coming up in just over a week now! After then, I should be back in the air for my 3rd and FINAL solo!! Yay!!

I’ve included some badass pics that were made of me by @angelinabiel on twitter! It got me even more pumped and motivated to keep on flying. I don’t want to wait until July! Getting closer and closer to preparing for that check ride...

WOW! What an amazing experience this was for me! I was flown to Vegas to shoot for a site I never dreamed possible! This site is LOADED with women who are dedicated to fitness. They have shot women that I absolutely idolize in the industry and a TON of professional figure competitors, including Miss Olympia! (Biggest title of them all)! It was a huge honor to have them shoot me.

I had such an amazing experience I tried to document as much as I could and made a little BTS (behind the scenes) video of some of the action, as well as a photoset for you to enjoy!

Day 1: (Fasted Cardio and leg day first) We shot in a ghost town - heat of the day 105 degrees!! Day 2: (Fasted Cardio and back day- which was filmed and photographed) then hotel shoot, including walking around the Las Vegas strip in thigh high black leather boots and booty shorts!! We had so many people watching me and taking pics of me!!

I had probably 10ish outfit changes and I was flexing hard for nearly 10 hours on day 2! I couldn’t believe I was still able to engage my abs at the end of the night! :P

It was by far one of the most challenging shoots I’ve done. Its one thing to shoot pretty girl model shoots (porn) and just worry about having a sexy face, its another to have abs flexed, shoulders flexed, legs flexed, biceps flexed AND have a relaxed face to make it look like it’s no big thang… lol I learned a lot about muscle control and boy am I sore!!

Even though this was a paid shoot (Yes, I got paid to keep my clothes ON! ((holy shit right!!)) ) I will still be getting content from the shoot to share with you all!

I hope you enjoy! I had such an amazing time doing this and I hope to shoot with them more again!

XO -AR

I get asked a lot about diet and nutrition. When I eat, how I eat, but most importantly WHAT I eat. The long and short of it is, every one is different, and everyone requires different food (macros) to help achieve the body they desire. (Obviously, the diet of a 250lb man hoping to lose weight is going to differ from a 120lb female hoping to get abs and muscle definition) However, without knowing you, or your goals, I have found in most general cases; that breakfast can be pretty straightforward for most people.

Throughout my preps for bikini, my off-season (bulk), and on prep for figure, my breakfast is typically the only thing that remains consistent.

I’ve been eating the same breakfast for about 4 years now.. and it still continues my favorite meal of the day, no matter how routine it is :)

It is extremely cliche to say “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” but what is often misunderstood is that it's not so much the “magical breakfast macros” but more so the habit of starting your day off on the right foot. I LOVE to have pancakes and nutella french toast just as much as the next girl. But even with the experience and discipline that I have gained, it is damn hard to eat my 2nd meal of healthy protein and veggies after my tongue has tasted the sweet goodness of syrup and bacon. The cravings are harder to turn down, and all in all, it makes for a 10000% harder day to stay on your diet once you start off with high processed carbs and sugar.

So here it is! A break down of what my basic breakfast includes the following:

COFFEE!!

2 whole eggs + 1 cup of egg whites + 2 tbs salsa or Tapatio (occasionally I will add chopped asparagus or spinach)

1/2 uncooked old fashioned oatmeal + 1/4 cup of berries (I use truvia + cinnamon to sweeten oatmeal, since I have an insane sweet tooth!)

(On prep, I forfeit all fruit)

This basic breakfast has 44g Protein 27g Carbs 10g Fat (plus trace carbs + sugar in the salsa and berries)

When cooking eggs, be careful of the spray you chose to use. I always use coconut spray and stay away from “pam” or any other oils, as this adds additional fat.

I hope this helps with a little guidance and insight as to what I start my day with each morning! Leave me some comments if you have any questions or want future posts like this one! I love feedback!!
-XO AR