Bi-Weekly Check-in (5/20)

Since I announced last week that I am not going to compete this summer, I have really been back to focusing on gaining muscle mass and have upped my calories (mostly through carbs) this week.  I know it’s only been a week since the diet change, which is typically not long enough to see much difference, but I am actually down another ½ pound from my previous check-in…  That is very disappointing.

The thing with diet/training changes is you really have to be patient and trust the process – as long as you are not on a time constraint (like an upcoming competition), I typically have my clients follow a plan for 4 week before making any revisions.  The clients that are pressed for time, however, get changes every other week – and even every week depending on how far away their goal date is.

My diet changes have been minimal, adding too many calories to your diet at once can cause excess fat gain, which no one particularly wants… By slowly adding calories in over longer periods of time (similar to reverse dieting) you are able to ensure that most of the weight gain in lean body mass.

My training hasn’t changed, and most likely won’t.  I can achieve most of my goals by simply changing my diet and continuing to lift heavy weight for low to moderate reps.  I always have and probably always will train like a bodybuilder, although over the past 2 years my training has become more functional.  I want to look good, but I also want to be able to perform well.  When I was competing it was all about aesthetics, now it is more about balance.

I do plan to cut back on my cardio a bit – I currently only do 8 minutes 5-6 times a week but I will be dropping that back to 3 days a week.  Because I have a very high metabolism and am an avid lifter, I have to be very leery of the amount of cardio I do when trying to gain weight.  I am a true hard gainer, which is really nice at times, but incredibly frustrating when your goal is to increase muscle mass.

Most of my measurements this time around stayed the same, I did lose ½ an inch around my hips but otherwise I haven’t lost anymore size, which makes me happy!  Hopefully by my next check-in I am stable, at least, if not up a little – I have been consistently losing weight since February and enough is enough!

This week’s measurements:

Calf: 14.5 inches
Quad: 22 inches
Hips: 35 inches
Waist: 26 inches
Forearm: 11 inches
Bicep: 13 inches
Weight: 126.2

Last check-in (5/5):

Fabletics Review

Since I basically live in workout clothes, I am always on the hunt for new places to get cute, affordable, reliable stuff – and I really found a winner with Fabletics! 

In case you are unfamiliar with them, here is some info pulled straight from their website (and for the record, no one asked me to post this, nor was I compensated – I just love their products and wanted to share them with you!):

HOW THE VIP MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM WORKS

VIP MEMBER PERKS

·   Up to 40% OFF retail prices

·   FREE SHIPPING on orders over $49.95

·   Earn VIP REWARDS POINTS!

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SHOP

Browse your personalized picks ready on the 1st of the month. Complete outfits start at just $49.95

SKIP BY THE 5TH

Make a purchase or log into your account to "Skip the Month" by the 5th and you will not be charged. If you do not shop or skip by the 5th, your credit card will be charged $49.95 (1 membership credit) on the 6th until you cancel. Skip as many months as you'd like – you may still shop after skipping the month. Each credit can be redeemed toward 1 outfit - use it to shop anytime.•

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* New members who join the VIP Membership program this month do not have to shop or skip until the following month.

You can also earn points towards free stuff!  You get points simply by placing an order, but also by reviewing your products.  And, you can refer friends to get a $10 credit on your account (which I will get if anyone uses my referral link, so thank you for that!).

This is a great service, they have tons of super cute choices and everything is incredibly reasonably priced – I ordered 3 separate pieces (not an pre-designed outfit), and absolutely loved all 3 items!  I purchased the Aruba  Wrap Top II, Dili Shorts, and Vaasa Sports Bra, as shown below:

First of all the Dili shorts are great – they have a think waistband so they don’t cut in to your sides, although I do roll mine down in the front (it’s a habit I have).  They stay put on your legs and are super comfortable – I love the side cinch that you can use to shorten them a little – and the color is fantastic!

 The Vaasa Sports Bra is without a doubt my new favorite bra – it is also incredibly comfortable and the bask design is awesome!  I am a sucker for strappy back on sports bras and shirts, so as soon as I saw this on their website I knew I needed it.  It offers just the right amount of support for my training, without making me feel claustrophobic like some sports bras do..

And the Aruba Wrap Top II, OMG!  I am obsessed.  I have worn this thing constantly since I got it and it is becoming my new favorite top for just about any occasion.  I wore it to the NPC Eastern Seaboard last weekend which was the first time I wore it and I got so many compliments!

I remember eyeing this shirt the first time it came up for sale, but I waited too long and it sold out – as soon as I saw it was back I knew I had to jump on the opportunity ASAP.  The fabric is super soft and comfortable, and the fit is amazing.  I haven’t worked out in it yet, but I have basically lived in it everywhere else and love it!

I highly recommend Fabletics as a great source for workout clothes that are so much more – coming from the girl who lives in gym clothes, it’s nice to have cute options that work both in and outside the gym.  If you’re in the mood to do some shopping, be sure to check them out!

Bi-Weekly Check-in (5/5) and Posing Practice!

I was really eager to do my bi-weekly check in this week, in hopes of finally gaining some weight back after our recent trip to the coast, but alas I am down 3 more pounds...  It's really making me think I should definitely get on stage in July - I am leaning out so effortlessly that I think I could get through a prep without too much stress.

That being said, I started posing again.  No decisions have been made just yet but since competing has been such a constant thought lately I figured I should go with it for now and just see what happens.. No promises, no commitments, just kinda-sorta prepping but not really? Does that even make sense?

This is my third posing session - I spared everyone the first (it was rough), and I posted a brief clip of the second on Instagram, but the third time was definitely the charm!  Please excuse the awful music choice - it was first time making a video and apparently this is the only song I had to choose from - I will fix that before the next one though I promise!

Ok, now that that's out of the way on to my bi-weekly..

As I said, I am down 3 pounds and lost a little bit of size around my calves, quads, and biceps.  Losing size around my quads is really upsetting to me, since I work so hard to try to gain size there.  I guess I really need to start looking at my training and figure out what I can change to hopefully see some results - but then again if I do decide to get on stage I guess the gains will have to wait!  Decisions, decisions...

This week's measurements:
Calf: 14.5 inches
Quad: 22 inches
Hips: 35.5 inches
Waist: 26 inches
Forearm: 11 inches
Bicep: 13 inches
Weight: 126.8

Last check-in (4/20):

Thoughts on Alcohol

Black & Blue Margarita - Longhorn Steakhouse

That pretty little thing above was my dinner last night - well, scratch that - 2 of them were my dinner last night.  And coming in at a whopping 410 calories EACH (820 total), they just barely 'fit my macros'.  Actually, I take that back, they didn't fit my macros at all, because my macros don't account for alcohol.  And that's what I'd like to discuss today...

People want to lose weight, and get in really great shape - they know they need to watch what they eat and exercise more, but what many of them fail to realize is they also have to watch what they drink.  And I'm not just talking about alcohol here - but sugary soft drinks, fancy flavored coffees, even things you would typically consider healthy like juices.  The problem with liquid calories is more often than not you drink them, but they do not leave you feeling satiated - so you end up getting a bunch of extra calories from your beverage choices, that really aren't doing you any good.

Today, however, I just want to briefly touch on alcohol and not all the rest, because alcohol seems to be a pretty hot topic especially for all the 20-somethings (and 30, 40, 50-somethings).  So, do you have to stop drinking to get healthy?

Yes.

And no.

I drink very rarely - those 2 margaritas were unplanned (and absolutely incredible) - before that the last time I drank alcohol was on my birthday - and I only had 4 beers over the course of the entire day.  Prior to my birthday? Well, I honestly don't remember - maybe New Years? Or Thanksgiving? Whenever it was, my point is I don't drink often.  And when I'm prepping for a show - I don't drink at all.  I know people that do, but personally if I am limiting my calories I would prefer to get the few I'm allowed to have as FOOD than liquid.  I like food, a lot.  Offseason I allow myself some drinks here and there - and I don't see anything wrong with it.  So I do allow my clients to do the same - I think it should be limited though - alcohol is dangerous for a whole slew of reasons I won't go into on here and therefore should not be treated lightly.

In the world of flexible dieting, macro-nutrients are key - and knowing your specific macro breakdowns is necessary.  So for those macro-counters (and those who are just curious) a little summary:

1 gram of fat = 9 calories

1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories

1 gram of protein = 4 calories

1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories.

As you can see, each gram of alcohol has nearly twice the calories of a gram of fat or protein - the problem is all of these calories are empty, alcohol has NO nutritional value.  To make matters worse, alcohol actually slows your metabolism - when you drink alcohol, your body makes it the top priority, working to process it before any other macro-nutrient.  When you drink alcohol, your liver process the alcohol first which can lead to a build up of fatty acids (leftover from whatever other calories you may have consumed) which can lead to weight gain.  Not only that, but drinking is proven to lower inhibitions, which can lead to diet sabotage when, after that second or third drink, unhealthy food becomes much more difficult to turn down.

If you enjoy drinking, that is completely fine and a choice that is for you to make personally, but if you are really serious about not only losing weight, but getting healthy - you may want to think those drinks through.  If you are interested in reading more on the topic, this is a fantastic article that I would highly recommend: http://www.builtlean.com/2012/11/26/alcohol-weight-loss/

Bi-Weekly Check-in 4/8/15

Time for another bi-weekly check-in!

I have actually lost weight, again... My overall calories haven't changed in the past 2 weeks, which most likely means my metabolism is still speeding up (something I have been actively working on for a few years now).  That is GREAT news, but also means that I need to adjust and compensate if I want to continue to add size.  I lost 1/4 inch on my quads, and 1/2 an inch around my ass - not cool. Those are 2 areas I have been working REALLY hard to gain some size on.

My strategy for the next 2 weeks is going to be more food - I am adding straight dextrose (a form of sugar) to my post workout shake - and I'm going to try to add more carbs in to other meals as well.  My protein and fat intake is already high, so I don't think I really need to add anything there.  But carbs are muscles best friends!  Carbs will keep them full and growing!

Also, I am going to cut back on cardio (again).. I don't do much as it is, only 8 minutes a few days a week, but I do tend to lift at a fairly quick pace which keeps my heart rate elevated and leads to burning more calories than lifting at a generally slower pace.  So, I need to start taking a little more rest between sets and possibly cutting back the supersets a little.

With those changes, we'll see where I'm at in 2 weeks and go from there.  This is why I think check-ins are so important, no matter what your goal is, they give you a chance to see how you are progressing and change your approach if necessary.  I think 2 weeks is a fair amount of time to use as a check point - weighing and measuring yourself more often than that can be counter productive (depending on your goals - once a week is good for those in contest prep or those looking to drop significant amounts of fat).  I have to note that I DO weigh myself, but I don't really use that number to determine my progress - I use the pictures and the measurements for that because weight only tells part of the story.

4-7

Measurements from yesterday (4-7):
Calf:  14.5 inches
Quad: 22.5 inches
Hips: 35.5 inches
Waist: 26.5 inches
Forearm:  11 inches
Bicep: 13.25 inches
Weight: 131

Previous check-in:

3-24

What I ate ... (Sunday 3-29)

I haven’t done one of these in a few weeks, so I thought I’d share my meals from yesterday (3-29).   I trained legs, so I proceeded to eat pretty much everything in sight – hey, you have to EAT to GROW!

For my first meal I had one of my favorite go-to breakfasts: egg whites, parmesan cheese, oatmeal, and peanut butter!  Nothing against whole eggs AT ALL, in fact, I eat them almost everyday, but I usually stick to just the whites when I’m putting peanut butter in my oatmeal to even out the fat a little :-)

Recycled picture, but you get the idea...

After breakfast I had some time to kill before I hit the gym, so I did my usual Sunday Meal Prep..

I also tried a new way to season my crockpot chicken – with Mrs. Dash Chicken seasoning!  I was actually out of the Italian Dressing seasoning I usually use and really didn’t want to go back to Kroger, so I improvised and it turned out great, I’ll definitely be doing this more often!

 After my breakfast digested a little, and my meal prep for the week was done – I headed to the gym for leg day!  Easily my favorite day of the week…

After my lift I had some Hot Fudge Sundae Pop Tarts (amazing) and a serving of whey protein – like I’ve mentioned before, I always follow a leg workout with Pop Tarts, they are my (not so) secret weapon!

I actually did eat both Pop Tarts - one obviously didn't make the picture because it was already being devoured...

I went home after the gym and did some cleaning/hanging out with this little diva while John was at work.. On a side note – Lily just weighed in at 75 pounds on Saturday – she has put on 6 pounds in roughly 2 months – looks like I found a new client…

Who's fat? Me? I'm not fat!

I tried a new-to-me Bertolli frozen dinner a couple hours after the gym, we like to have these occasionally for taste and convenience – the only problem is, they really don’t make enough to feed both of us.  I ate the whole thing!  Meals for 2? 2 what? Babies???  It was absolutely delicious though :-)

To finish out my day I had a PBJ and 2 servings of whey protein – simple and delicious.  Sometimes there is really nothing better than a classic PBJ!  I ate this while I watched the Season Finale of Walking Dead – OMG – does anyone else watch?!  I need to talk to people about it!! I am not going to make it until the next season starts!

It may not look all that pretty, but it definitely hit the spot!

**Linking up with the QUEEN of WIAW posts today (for my first time) - thanks Jenn for hosting!!**

Sample Shoulder (and Ab) Workout

I have decided to leave off the weights I use in my workouts from now on – I think it will do you all more good to just see the workouts and exercises for what they are, without the specific weights I used for each set.  I can always go back to including them if you prefer, but to me it feels more organic this way and easier to customize for all of you – I want you to focus on actually incorporating these exercises without worrying if you are using the same weights I did.  It doesn’t matter how much you are lifting, just that you ARE lifting and that you are using a weight that challenges you, while still being able to keep good form!

This was the workout I did Tuesday night for shoulders and abs – I usually train abs 1-2 times a week and focus mostly on strengthening my whole core – not just doing countless amounts of crunches.  All the crunches in the world won’t compensate for a poor diet and training routine – sorry!

I started with standing dumbbell lateral raises to warm-up: 4 sets of 12

Superset Seated Dumbbell Military Press & Toes to Bar:
Press: 1 warm-up set of 10, 4 working sets of 8
Toes to bar: 4 sets of 10

Superset Standing Cable Face Pulls & Standing Dumbbell Front Raises:
Face Pulls: 5 sets of 8
Front Raises: 4 sets of 8 (each side)

Superset Standing Barbell Military Press & Hanging Leg Raises:
Press: 1 warm-up set of 16, 4 working sets of 10 **When I do these, I alternate each rep in front of my head and behind my head – if you want to try this please make sure you use a significantly lower weight than you would for standard barbell military presses!
Raises: 4 sets of 15

Superset Peck Deck Rear Delt Flys & BW Dips:
Flys: 4 sets of 10, plus a drop set at the end from the heaviest weight I used to the lightest on the stack
Dips: 5 sets of 10

Superset Hammerstrength Shoulder Press & Front Plate Raises:
Press: 4 sets of 10
Raises: 4 sets of 10-12

Drop-set Dumbbell Lateral Raises:
“Run the rack” for these – I do 3 big drop sets (I will use the weights I use for this because it’s easier to explain): I started with 25’s for 10, then immediately dropped to 20’s for 8, then 15’s for 8, 10’s for 8, and 5’s for as many as possible.  I did that twice, and for my third set I skipped the 25’s and started with 20’s for 10, 15’s for 10, 10’s for 10, and 5’s until I thought my shoulders were going to fall off :-)

Superset Handstand Push-ups (against a wall) & Sprints:
I did 4 sets of 8 handstand push-ups (I am obsessed with handstand everything right now) and ran sprints in between each for some cardio.

And that’s it – I think this lasted about an hour and 15 minutes maybe an hour and a half – the sprints/handstand push-ups at the end took the longest – I needed a LOT of recovery time between sets – my cardio isn’t exactly the greatest…   I tend to do most of my workout at a pretty fast pace, but I do allow more rest time for the big moves (like my presses) so that I can use a heavier weight and still get the amount of reps I aim for.

If you ever have any questions about any of the workouts I post – please let me know!  I would be happy to clarify anything for you :-)

And a picture, because the idea of doing an entire blog post without a single picture kind of freaks me out…

Silent Saturday (that time I competed at the ARNOLD)

Yesterday's post was super wordy, I promised less words and more pictures today, so here you go!  In honor of Arnold weekend - a look back at the time I competed in the Arnold (2 years ago) - enjoy!

And an EXTRA old picture - from the 2011 Arnold! 

The Thirst...

This time of year, it hits me really hard – the desire to get back on stage.  I’m not sure if it stems from the fact that for the past 5 years, I have always done spring/summer shows (and therefore always been in prep this time of year) – or the fact that it’s Arnold season (stay tuned for a flashback post on this tomorrow!) – or from watching everyone else starting their preps for the upcoming season.  But whatever the cause, it’s here and it’s proven to be a little tough for me this time around.

You see, the last time I got on stage was 2 years ago (has it been THAT long) at the Arnold.  That same year I moved to GA and during my prep for Nationals, decided I needed a break.  At first, the break was welcome… my body and my mind needed it.  I had gone through a lot of change and some rough spots in my life and instead of facing them, I used my competitions as a way of ignoring them and focusing my energy on something else, and it worked (at the time), but it caused me to become pretty burnt out both physically and mentally.  So, in September of 2013 I decided not to compete at Nationals and give myself an indefinite break for the stage.  Since then, I have spent most of my time thankful to not be in prep, and not be competing, but every once in awhile the urge would hit me again.  Usually it didn’t last long, a minute, a day, a week tops – I would consider it, then consider the diet, and remember I like food to much to deal with that again.  Sometimes the urge was stronger than others, and sometimes not so much… But lately, it is back, with a vengeance.

Does this mean I’m jumping on stage anytime soon? Honestly, I’m not sure… Prep is hard, for me at least – and I enjoy my life when I’m not dieting.  But, strangely enough, I enjoy my life when I AM dieting too.  I like having a goal, and the work that goes into reaching that goal.  I like seeing the body I’ve worked so hard to build over the years.  I like getting on stage and for a few short moments being the center of attention (which, if you know me, is usually NOT the case at all).  I also like not having to do cardio, like, at all - and being able to eat copious amounts of ice cream without really worrying much about it.  I like having some extra body fat (well, JOHN likes when I have extra body fat – I like that he likes it LOL), and truth be told – I want to have children someday – I know plenty of competitors that have been able to have children, but I know enough women that aren’t able as well – and I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that.

I have been avoiding social media a lot lately, and I’ve been doing a lot of thinking…  I thought maybe writing all this out on here would help me figure some of this out, BUT I think I may have made it harder on myself.  Someone asked me how many weeks out I am the other day – I told her none, but I think the correct answer should have been TBA.

Sorry for all the words (and lack of pictures) – that’s a blogging no-no, isn’t it?

Oh well – come back tomorrow for less words, and more pictures.

Sample Workout (Chest & Abs!)

I am probably going to end up in bodybuilder hell for this, but chest day is my absolute least favorite day of the week… That being said, I know it’s necessary and I try not to let my general dislike of it affect my training – I hit is just as hard as I would any other body part and last night was no exception!  As you will see in a moment, I also train abs when I train chest – I know I said chest was my least favorite, but I take it back, abs are my least favorite.  Yes, I combine my 2 least favorite body parts on the same day, what can I say, I’m a glutton for punishment…

Here is the chest & ab workout I did yesterday – it lasted about an hour:

This is why I absolutely REFUSE to train chest on Monday!

Superset Cable Flies & Toes to Bar:

I can’t remember the weight I used for the flies, but I did 4 sets of 10 each – for the toes to bar I did as many strict as I could, and then finished up to 10 for each set with regular straight leg raises.

Bench Press:

95 for 10, 115 for 8, 135 for 6, 5, 4, 115 for 8

Bodyweight Dips:
10, 8, 8, 8, 8

Superset Dumbbell Bench Press & Dumbbell Pullovers:
Press: 45’s for 8 – 4 sets total
Pullovers: 25 for 10 – 4 sets total

Superset Hammerstrength Super Incline Press & Ab Wheel Rollouts:
35’s for 10, 9, 9, 8 drop to 25’s for 6
12, 10, 10, 10

To finish, I ran sprints for the first time in months (I am recovering from a foot injury and sprints have been off limits for awhile).  My gym has an indoor turf area – I have no idea how long it is (maybe 120 feet?), I ran down & back twice – and then did 5 handstand push ups.  I did that combo 3 times, and then spent a little more time practicing handstands and doing some planks – I have been doing a LOT of handstand practice lately because I am obsessed with them and want to be able to do them without a wall by my birthday (in about 3 weeks) – I think I will be able to – I have the strength part down, I just need to learn how to balance!

I hope you enjoy these sample workouts – I typically switch things up a little every week, but for the most part my workouts are always pretty similar and incorporate the same movements.  I change things like weight, reps, sets, and the order of some things – to keep it interesting and avoid plateaus.  I like to share these workouts to help keep myself accountable, and to hopefully help you with your own workouts.  It you’re looking for a new chest workout – give this one a shot – just change the weights/reps to accommodate you, and let me know if you like it!  And please, don’t get discouraged by the numbers, everyone is different and everyone has to start somewhere – the important thing is that you start!