ShawnCarla's: Double-T Transformation Contest Log

[ShawnCarla]

Hello all! Alrighty I thought I would put together a log of my supplement use and thoughts and feelings throughout this challenge. I'll supply the information about how I feel and when I change things up. I know we all have different goals in our workouts and training so I don't want to confuse things too much by getting really technical about my workouts and calorie intake and expenditure. I want you all to have the information I think will help you with your own transformations... especially if you're doing this particular challenge too!


Just a few things about me... I was the band geek in high school, the drama nerd. I did play Field Hockey, but I wasn't very good. My parents always pushed me into the arts and my sister was the "jock" so I never felt like an athlete even though I SO wanted to be!
So continued with the arts, went to college for Music Ed. Got my bachelors, and now absolutely nothing with it!
I had ups and downs with my weight and diet my whole life. I got into modeling and acting and was always told I was "too tall" or "too short". I was "too skinny", "too fat", "too pretty", "too ugly"... As you can see, no matter what I did, it wasn't good enough. This led to a lot of self esteem issues, yo-yo dieting and just really unhealthy living in body, mind, and spirit.
So finally I mustered up my inner strength and said "Screw this!" I asked myself, "If I could do one thing my whole life and never worry about money what would it be." My answer was... Work out and be on stage. So how do I marry those two passions?? FIGURE! I got myself a trainer and I became that athlete I always wanted to be and the performer I always have been.
I finished my first competition season strong, I took home two 2nd place trophies, a 3rd and a 4th Place as well. Then came the "off season". Let me tell you, I HATE the "off" season. I HATE bulking! I HATE the slower workouts, the higher calories, and the general lack of motivation associated with it. I've been itching to be back into a faster steady groove again when one day I was on BodyBuilding.com and saw the Double-T Transformation contest. I thought to myself, "Perfect!"
I showed the supplements to my trainer and told her I wanted to go for it. To my surprise she actually gave the green light! The reason I was surprised is because she rarely suggests or recommends supplements because in general she doesn't believe in them.
When I showed her the CreaDly and NO Beta she was surprised and said they actually look like great supplements. So here I am! I'm beginning my journey to my next competition season with Double-T on my team and I cannot WAIT! My goal with my training, diet, and now my supplementation with Double-T is to take home first place and qualify for NPC Nationals in my next Figure competition this spring!

--------------------------------------------
Day One 2/14/2010
I'm on a fast-paced 3-day circuit training schedule at the moment designed to help me gain muscle density while keeping my heart rate elevated as to burn more calories.
I loved the pump the stack gave me in my Chest-Back-Shoulders workout. I lifted heavier on all my sets and felt stronger at the end of the workout. I took 3 NOBeta's when I first woke up then took 3 more 15 minutes before my workout. I didn't feel anything from the morning dose, but when I took the NO Beta before my workout, mixed with one scoop of CreaDly (sipping through my workout) I definitely got the pump I was looking for...only problem, I couldn't wind back down!
1050 calories
Decline Cable Chest Fly 3x10-12
Push ups on the floor 3xfatigue
Assisted Pull ups 3xfatigue

Hanging Leg Lifts 3xfatigue
Lat Pull Down 3x10-12
Tri Lat Pull Down 3xfatigue

BB Bench Press 3x10-12
Wide Grip Cable Seated Row 3x10-12
Cable Chops-high to low 3x15-18

DB Chest Fly on Stability Ball 3x12
Medicine Ball Slams 3x15-20
Decline obliques 3xfatigue

Day Two 2/15/2010
I woke up disappointed... 6 inches of snow on the ground. This in Tennessee means that everything is shut down and I had to workout at home. Bummer...I love the energy I get in the gym and you just can't manifest that at home... but I have the Tower 200 here so I know I could still get a good Arm workout in. This time I took the 3 NO Beta's before my workout and a scoop of CreaDyl during my workout. Woah! Niacin Flush! It felt odd, but I knew what was happening so I pushed through it and had another awesome workout. I wanted to do cardio today too but by the end of my arm workout I was drained.
Here's a possible TMI part, I started my menses today so even the thought of getting off the couch on the first day is usually unheard of. So the fact that the Stack got me up and running and through a fabulous strength workout is a testament in itself!
1050 calories
DB Overhead Shoulder Press 3x10-12
DB Reverse Fly 3x10-12
EZ Bar Skull Crushers 3x10-12

EZ Bar Bicep Curl 3x10-12
Rope Tricep Extensions straight down 3x10-12
Tricep Pushups on medicine ball 3xfatigue

DB Lateral Raises 3x10-12
Machine Overhead Shoulder Press 3x10-12
DB Hammer Curls 3x10-12

Planks-hold to fatigue 3xfatigue
One arm supinated tricep extension 3x10-12
Rope cable bicep curls 3x10-12

[cw955588]

Sub'd! Good luck with your transformation and contest prep! :)

[ShawnCarla]

Sub'd! Good luck with your transformation and contest prep! :)

Thanks! And the same to you... be sure to update on your competition results!

[maxrx]

Thanks! And the same to you... be sure to update on your competition results!

I think the ladies are going to tear it up

[tiffanee777]

I think the ladies are going to tear it up

Got that right!!!

[ShawnCarla]

I think the ladies are going to tear it up

Hehe... We are Women Hear Us Roar!

[ShawnCarla]

Another Day Down:
I had a GREAT workout today except for one little thing...
People, if you work in a gym, what is the number one safety hazard?...
Water on the floor.
So if you're working at a gym wouldn't you think the worst time to mop the floor would be during peak hours? Right. SO DON'T DO THAT!!!
The staff and my gym is apparently not bright enough to realize that and decided to mop the weight room at 6PM when the gym was packed. I almost busted my ass at least ten times and my feet kept slipping off the calf press and I was beyond freaked out to do squats on the wet floor. Oh and my Burpees... forget about it.. I slipped with every jump. Ugh...talk about frustrating!
But I pushed through it and ended up pushing my weights up on each of my sets. I felt great and pushed all the energy I could into every rep.
I took 3 NOBetas in the morning... I'm still not feeling much from that at all so I'm going to try taking 4 tomorrow morning. I did another 3 15 minutes before my workout and paired with with the CreaDly. I still got a bit of that Niacin Flush but it was gone within my first circuit. I can see a HUGE pump in my muscles with the CreaDyl. I think that's the most fun part about it. It looks like my muscles are gonna bust through my skin. Love it!

1050 calories

Leg Press-Feet as wide as shoulders 3x10-12
Burpees-30-45 sec 3x's
Reverse Crunches 3x Fatigue

BB Squat 3x10-12
Outer Thigh Machine 3x12-15
Hip Extensions on Roman Chair 3x Fatigue
Ab machine 3x Fatigue

Iso-Lateral Leg Extensions 3x10-12
Seated Calf Raises 3x10-12
Squat Jumps 15
Decline Crunches 3x Fatigue

Glute Machine 3x10-12
Inner Thigh Machine 3x10
Steps ups on a bench for 1 min Holding 35lb DB in each hand 3x's

[jovinni]

Hey there, sub'd to this thread! Good luck with your goals!!

[ShawnCarla]

Ok dumb question... how do you "sub" to a thread???

[cw955588]

at the top of the page (right above your first post), "click on thread tools", then "subscribe to this thread" and then you can choose if/how often you want to be notified about new posts. Not a dumb question... took me a few days to figure it out LOL!

[ShawnCarla]

at the top of the page (right above your first post), "click on thread tools", then "subscribe to this thread" and then you can choose if/how often you want to be notified about new posts. Not a dumb question... took me a few days to figure it out LOL!

Ahhhhh ok.... yeah I was looking all over the place and I figured It'd probably just be easier to ask!

[hwy2hottie]

subbed girl.....i love that you want to help others within your log!!


Ahhhhh ok.... yeah I was looking all over the place and I figured It'd probably just be easier to ask!

[fitlover]

Sub'd to this!!


You ladies are really ripping this contest UP!!! :D

[fitlover]

One thing I would suggest right now, is that you up your calories a little...1050 is VERY low, especially for a girl with your weight, height, and activity level. You don't want to stall your metabolism!

I would also cut down on a few exercises, and use more compound moves instead. JMO though.

[ShawnCarla]

One thing I would suggest right now, is that you up your calories a little...1050 is VERY low, especially for a girl with your weight, height, and activity level. You don't want to stall your metabolism!

I would also cut down on a few exercises, and use more compound moves instead. JMO though.

Oh I know... these are drop days to help me cut a bit... I do 2 days at 1050 and 1 at 1300... I just skipped cardio this time through (due to my menses)so I kept my calories lower. I switch my workouts up every 6 weeks... I just came out of a heavy strength training program with very little cardio. It's hard to take a snap-shot of a workout/diet plan and be able to understand everything about it. I work really closely with my trainer so we change things all the time.

[ShawnCarla]

Sub'd to this!!


You ladies are really ripping this contest UP!!! :D

Oh and I like you siggy..."Not with the lights on, I'm bulking."
I hear that! Ugh! So happy to be coming down off that now!

[cw955588]

Your modeling pics are GORGEOUS btw!!

[ShawnCarla]

Your modeling pics are GORGEOUS btw!!

Thank you :)

[ShawnCarla]

2/17/2010
Today was a weird day. I was super tired through the day and kept trying to push myself so I wouldn't loose motivation to go to the gym. And I wasn't hungry at all either. I eat every 2 1/2 hours and my body is so trained that my stomach starts to growl at that 2 hour mark. But today I had to force-feed myself.
I still have to work on my timing of my supplements. I took the NOBetas, 4 of them, as I left my house for the gym. Once I got there I started sipping the CreaDly. The last two days, that worked out great. Today it took about 10 minutes into my workout before I felt anything. Once it hit, I felt great! I think the variable is the amount of food I eat with the NOBeta. I use to eat my meal, head to the gym and work out. Now I have to wait about a half hour after my meal, take the NOBeta, then head to the gym. So it's gonna take a little while before I get that timing just right.
The best part of my workout today... the cosmetic effect. My vascularity in my arms was ridiculous! That's been the toughest thing for me to master is my vascularity. When I did my competitions I'd be hard enough on stage, but could not get a vein to pop anywhere. The next day without fail I'd have these two huge veins running from my pelvis all the way up my abdomen, chest, neck, and arms. It's really frustrating! Today I had a butt-load of veins popping through my forearms. So I hope that means I'm leaning out!
As I was leaving the gym this older lady stopped me and asked me a bunch of questions about Smoothy King. I've never seen the woman before, let alone talked to her, but I did notice her watching me workout tonight. So it was kind of cool to just have a random person come ask me about nutrition. It made me realize people look up to me even when I'm not paying attention. That was a nice confidence booster.

1050 Calories

Decline Cable Chest Fly 3x10-12
Push ups on the floor 3x-Fatigue
Assisted Pull ups 3x-Fatigue

Hanging Leg Lifts 3x-Fatigue
Lat Pull Down 3x10-12
Tri Lat Pull Down 3x-Fatigue

BB Bench Press 3x10-12
Wide Grip Cable Seated Row 3x10-12
Cable Chops-high to low 3x-15-18

DB Chest Fly on Stability Ball 3x12
Medicine Ball Slams 3x-20
Decline obliques 3x-Fatigue

[cw955588]

Great job staying focused and motivated even though you were tired! :) And congrats on getting those veins to pop!

[jovinni]

I was looking at your pics (you're adorable by the way) and saw the comment that you made your own suit. Did you make it from scratch or were you just referring to the stoning?

The reason I ask is that I did the stoning of my first suits (one piece and two piece) but I want to make my next one myself (for the comp this fall). I would love to wear my old one (old is relative, I have yet to compete in it) but I have since had an augmentation and well, let's just say I want to keep things respectable ;) so a new suit is necessary. I bought the material and was just going to use my current suit as a template and hope for the best.

So I was just wondering how you made yours

[castille]

Sub'd! Good luck with your transformation:)

[ShawnCarla]

I was looking at your pics (you're adorable by the way) and saw the comment that you made your own suit. Did you make it from scratch or were you just referring to the stoning?

The reason I ask is that I did the stoning of my first suits (one piece and two piece) but I want to make my next one myself (for the comp this fall). I would love to wear my old one (old is relative, I have yet to compete in it) but I have since had an augmentation and well, let's just say I want to keep things respectable ;) so a new suit is necessary. I bought the material and was just going to use my current suit as a template and hope for the best.

So I was just wondering how you made yours

Yep I did it from scratch. The top was easy but the bottom was really tricky. I took my own measurments and I did use my first suit as a model as well. As long as you've worked with lycra/swimsuit material before you should be ok. And make sure you have a great sewing machine too. That makes a huge difference as I had mine on the wrong setting at first and took forever to get it right. With stones it cost me about $70 to make... which in comparison to my other $500 suit, it was quite the savings!

[ShawnCarla]

Great job staying focused and motivated even though you were tired! :) And congrats on getting those veins to pop!

Those are the workouts I get the most satisfaction out of!

[ShawnCarla]

2/18/2010
First off...Happy Birthday to my Mom!
Ok got that out of the way!
Today I experimented with my timing again. I ate my meal, waited about 20 minutes then I took 3 NOBeta before I left the house, took just a sip of the CreaDyl, went in to pick up a couple things from the store before the gym, then hit the gym and sipped the CreaDyl again... Perfect timing. I also ration my CreaDyl out to last the whole workout. That way it's a steady form of energy, and not too much or too little at one time.
I got in there and upped my weights by at least 15lb per exercise... and for arms, that's HUGE! I was using 30lb dumbells for shoulder presses and bicep curls... Just to give perspective.... when I started a year ago I could barely lift 25lb with BOTH arms. This same sequence of arm exercises I did today I did just last week at half the weight I did today. Then it was time to do cardio... The cardio I'm on now is a super fast circut 3 times through. I'm usually DEAD by the end of it and it's really hard to finish. Today it was still challenging and I sweating buckets, but I felt like I could go through the circuit probably twice more before I'd be as exhausted as I typically am after this workout. The other thing that impressed me today was my internal temp. I am STILL sweating and I've been home, ate, and showered. My body is burning that fat! Woo Hoo!
DB Overhead Shoulder Press circuit 1 3x10-12
DB Reverse Fly circuit 1 3x10-12
EZ Bar Skull Crushers circuit 1 3x10-12

EZ Bar Bicep Curl circuit 2 3x10-12
Rope Tricep Extensions straight down circuit 2 3x10-12
Tricep Pushups on medicine ball circuit 2 3xftg

DB Lateral Raises circuit 3 3x10-12
Machine Overhead Shoulder Press circuit 3 3x10-12
DB Hammer Curls circuit 3 3x10-12

Planks-hold to fatigue (arms on exercise ball, feet on BOSU) circuit 4 3x
One arm supinated tricep extension circuit 4 3x10-12
Rope cable bicep curls circuit 4 3x10-12


CARDIO 3x's through
Walk on steep incline on treadmill 3 min
Burpees 30 seconds
Run on treadmill 2 min
Jump up on Bench 20x
Run up and down on step 90 sec
Alternating reverse lunges 10x/side
Jumping Jacks 20x

[jovinni]

Yep I did it from scratch. The top was easy but the bottom was really tricky. I took my own measurments and I did use my first suit as a model as well. As long as you've worked with lycra/swimsuit material before you should be ok. And make sure you have a great sewing machine too. That makes a huge difference as I had mine on the wrong setting at first and took forever to get it right. With stones it cost me about $70 to make... which in comparison to my other $500 suit, it was quite the savings!

Awesome, I'm looking forward to making my suit. I'll just have to give myself enough time. I'm just glad t know that someone else has done it too. I haven't sewn in a couple of years but I have been anxious to make something lately.

[ShawnCarla]

Awesome, I'm looking forward to making my suit. I'll just have to give myself enough time. I'm just glad t know that someone else has done it too. I haven't sewn in a couple of years but I have been anxious to make something lately.

It's tricky working with the fabric and elastic on such small pieces of material, but I like a challenge! I'm going to make another new one for this season as I'm sure my measurements will be different. Also with the new red hair, I'm thinking an emerald green suit would look killer on stage!

[jovinni]

It's tricky working with the fabric and elastic on such small pieces of material, but I like a challenge! I'm going to make another new one for this season as I'm sure my measurements will be different. Also with the new red hair, I'm thinking an emerald green suit would look killer on stage!

Yeah, I figure I'll be doing a lot of reinforcements by hand :)

Emerald green will be amazing with your coloring and hair color. The suit I'm going to make is a royal blue.

[drooks10]

My suit is gonna be purple with bedazzled jewels all over it! It is going to be so beautiful. Haha!

[jovinni]

My suit is gonna be purple with bedazzled jewels all over it! It is going to be so beautiful. Haha!

Purple will TOTALLY bring out your eyes, good choice!

[ShawnCarla]

Oh and a note, yesterday's calories were 1300...Today's my day off from the gym. I did take 3 NOBetas this morning and sipped CreaDly through the morning to keep me going. Worked out great. I felt wonderful and no bloating or crappy feeling like I use to get with other similar supplements. This was extra important because I had a photoshoot today... just to get a new headshot with my red hair. Uncomfortable feelings come across on camera. But I"m happy to say that they came out great! I'll be posting it later.
1050 on the calorie intake for today!

[ShawnCarla]

Yeah, I figure I'll be doing a lot of reinforcements by hand :)

Emerald green will be amazing with your coloring and hair color. The suit I'm going to make is a royal blue.

Royal Blue is great with dark hair... I see a lot of blondes in Royal Blue, but not brunettes. You want a color that will stand out for sure!

[hwy2hottie]

Purple will TOTALLY bring out your eyes, good choice!

hahaha that reminds me of the other day i was working out with my bigboy gym buddy and i dont know how but the thought of dressing him up as a girl for halloween came up. it was a funny thought. i'd love to do that one day.

[ShawnCarla]

My suit is gonna be purple with bedazzled jewels all over it! It is going to be so beautiful. Haha!

I would suggest against the bedazzler... you need swarovski crystals to really bling it out! lol

[ShawnCarla]

I have been having the weirdest sleeping patterns. I go to bed and get up the same time every day but recently I've been having nightmares and today I actually woke up singing... yes, belting out show tunes when I woke up... weird.

[ShawnCarla]

2/20/2010
Today's my CHEAT DAY! Yay! I know a lot of people have different thoughts when it comes to "cheating" on your diet. Personally, I think it's an essential part of a successful diet. Not only does it calm all those cravings, it gives you something to look forward to each week. For example, I don't even THINK about cheating on my diet through the week because I know that on Saturday I've allowed myself time to eat whatever I'd like to that day. It also helps break plateaus in your metabolism. If your body is use to clean food all the time, introducing junk food to it makes your body go into shock and work in over-drive to get rid of it. This is my opinion though, you have to do what works for you.
Depending on where I am in my training or contest prep my "cheats" can last for a whole day or just a meal or not at all. Right now I'm not in contest prep yet but I am still cutting so I've kept it to a meal. I'm indulging myself in a couple chocolates from Valentine's Day and Pizza. The rest of my meals are all at 175 calories... 40% Protein, 50% Carbs and 10% fat typically.
Then tonight is a Girls Night Out so I'll have a couple cocktails. One of the great things about dieting the way I do is the lack of alcohol tolerance. I use to drink every single night... I mean I lived in Vegas and it's available 24/7 pretty much for free. So you get the attitude of "Why not?" Now I drink maybe once a month at most and it only takes two drinks to get me hammered! lmao! I gotta watch out because I sometimes think I can drink like I use to, but I can't. I have this amazing little trigger in my body though... As soon as my body thinks I have drank enough, I get hiccups. Without fail. So then I stop drinking and start pounding water. It actually works out very well!

I did my leg and ab workout today and I'm getting stronger and stronger. It's amazing really! I know a lot of it has to do with this Stack. I've got a bad right knee and I'm always afraid to put a lot of weight on squats and things and I'm always very very careful with my knee placement. With the Stack though I don't feel those twinges of pain in my knee and I can push heavier and harder through the whole work out. It's AWESOME!

Leg Press-Feet as wide as shoulders circuit 1 3x10-12
Burpees-30-45 sec circuit 1 3x
Reverse Crunches circuit 1 3xftg

BB Squat circuit 2 3x10-12
Outer Thigh Machine circuit 2 3x12-15
Hip Extensions on Roman Chair circuit 2 3xftg
Ab machine circuit 2 3xftg

Iso-Lateral Leg Extensions circuit 3 3x10-12
Seated Calf Raises circuit 3 3x10-12
Squat Jumps circuit 3 3x15
Decline Crunches circuit 3 3xftg

Glute Machine circuit 4 3x10-12
Inner Thigh Machine circuit 4 3x10
Steps ups on a bench for 1 min w 35lb DB in each hand circuit 4 3x

[cw955588]

Great workout! Have fun tonight and enjoy! :)

[The_10_2s]

Just a few things about me... I was the band geek in high school, the drama nerd.

First of all Subbed :-)

2nd i was a band-o and Drama geek too lol. What instrument? i played the Trumpet. In several of my yearbook entries i have the "don't forget us when your on the big screen." lol. only ever did a few comercials. did some modeling when i was younger (in my teens).

Once i get through this awesome challenge i hope to be ripped up enough to get back into modeling etc. definately going to compete.

Keep up the great work and best to you in the challenge.

[ShawnCarla]

First of all Subbed :-)

2nd i was a band-o and Drama geek too lol. What instrument? i played the Trumpet. In several of my yearbook entries i have the "don't forget us when your on the big screen." lol. only ever did a few comercials. did some modeling when i was younger (in my teens).

Once i get through this awesome challenge i hope to be ripped up enough to get back into modeling etc. definately going to compete.

Keep up the great work and best to you in the challenge.

Clarinet and Euphonium.... I was even the Band President...which in my school was BIG. That's second to Student Body President. The music program in my school was huge. I loved it.
I did pretty well with my entertainment career and hoping with this contest to parlay that into the endorsement deal! I really want to make health and fitness my full-time deal. I love it, and I love helping others reach their goals... plus I love the lime-light so doing this sort of thing is perfect for me! I'm putting in the work, and I know it's going to pay off in more ways then one!

[ShawnCarla]

2/21/2010
Ugh...I SO know better!
I'm lactose intolerant. Sometimes I feel like I can stomach dairy and I go ahead and eat it, or drink milk. I have gotten so sensitive that even Whey Protein Powder really hurts my digestive system. Well today was one of those days I thought I was immune to my intolerance... I'm not. I ate some cottage cheese and now I feel like death! I've been trying to just work it out of my system and it's not happening. So I'm downing some alka seltzer and hoping to just push through my workout as best I can. Wish me luck...

[ShawnCarla]

Today's Workout...
Alright so The Stack did me a lot of good today. I took my 2 NOBetas on an empty stomach and started sipping the CreaDyl about 15 minutes later. It got me up off the couch and on to my Tower 200. For those of you who don't know what that is... watch any late-night infomercial channel and I guarantee you'll see it. I actually really like it. It attaches to your door and you can get a full body workout from the resistance bands. I use it about once a week to switch up my regular workout and challenge myself in a different way.
So I got on the Tower and did about 2/3 of my chest and back workout before I was spent. Without the Stack, I wouldn't have even been able to start. Whew! Ok now I just have to remember I cannot eat dairy. Ugh... it's horrible because I LOVE milk and cheeses and yogurt but it literally paralyzes me from the pain. Such a pain in the butt!

On another note... Who's going to the Arnold this year? I'll be there Friday-Sunday and cannot wait! This will be my first time there and I'm so looking forward to all the events and the Expo!

[ShawnCarla]

Great workout! Have fun tonight and enjoy! :)

Thanks! And I had a great time with the girls... literally zero drama... which never happens! lol

[jovinni]

Sorry to hear about your issues with the cottage cheese. I go through the same thing from time to time. I have IBS and I even though I'm well of my trigger foods and what the consequences are if I eat too much of something, there is always one day I seem to 'forget'. I then spend the next 12 hours paying for it. Horrible.

I am SO excited for the Arnold! This will be my second time going and I can't wait. Last year I nearly had to drag my husband to go, but once he got there he really enjoyed himself. This time around we got a hotel room and we're planning out our day a little better.

We're getting down there Friday night but won't hit the expo until Saturday.

[ShawnCarla]

Sorry to hear about your issues with the cottage cheese. I go through the same thing from time to time. I have IBS and I even though I'm well of my trigger foods and what the consequences are if I eat too much of something, there is always one day I seem to 'forget'. I then spend the next 12 hours paying for it. Horrible.

I am SO excited for the Arnold! This will be my second time going and I can't wait. Last year I nearly had to drag my husband to go, but once he got there he really enjoyed himself. This time around we got a hotel room and we're planning out our day a little better.

We're getting down there Friday night but won't hit the expo until Saturday.

It's so weird cuz I was that kid who drank a gallon of milk every day. Then all of a sudden I couldn't drink it anymore. I went vegetarian for about six months and when I came out of that I could no longer eat dairy. I know the majority of people out there ARE lactose intolerant. I just wish I wasn't a part of that statistic!

I was going to drive up to the Arnold (I'm about 7 hours away) but found a flight that's waaaay cheaper and faster then driving. So I'm gonna get to the expo friday afternoon, watch the Figure competition that night and the Figure comps on saturday and hit that expo all weekend! Can't wait!

[cw955588]

That is great about the flight! You are going to have a blast!!! About the food issues... I have celiac disease (wheat/gluten intolerance) so I definitely understand! After a number of times thinking I could handle it "just this one time" I finally needed to face reality!!! I hope you feel better!!! :)

[ShawnCarla]

2/22/10
Oh the joys of pumping iron!
Today I did my cardio in the morning. I typically do like to split my cardio up from lifting. Over the last few months because of my work scheudal I hadn't been able to. Well now I'm back on my normal schedual so I WAS able to. I took two NOBeta's and drank a half a scoop of CreaDyl beforehand and blew through my cardio. It was SO easy! I'm gonna have to up the intensity next time.
Then tonight I took 3 NOBeta's and another half scoop of CreaDyl before my arm workout... and I'm still tingling! I had been working quickly through my circuts and increasing weight on each set. Tonight I took a different approach and just blew through it without resting at all. Let me tell you, my arms feel like they're gonna fall off! Whew! GREAT Work Out!

DB Overhead Shoulder Press circuit 1 3x10-12
DB Reverse Fly circuit 1 3x10-12
EZ Bar Skull Crushers circuit 1 3x10-12

EZ Bar Bicep Curl circuit 2 3x10-12
Rope Tricep Extensions straight down circuit 2 3x10-12
Tricep Pushups on medicine ball circuit 2 3xftg

DB Lateral Raises circuit 3 3x10-12
Machine Overhead Shoulder Press circuit 3 3x10-12
DB Hammer Curls circuit 3 3x10-12

Planks-hold to fatigue (arms on exercise ball, feet on BOSU) circuit 4 3x
One arm supinated tricep extension circuit 4 3x10-12
Rope cable bicep curls circuit 4 3x10-12


CARDIO 3x's through
Walk on steep incline on treadmill 3 min
Burpees 30 seconds
Run on treadmill 2 min
Jump up on Bench 20x
Run up and down on step 90 sec
Alternating reverse lunges 10x/side
Jumping Jacks 20x

[ShawnCarla]

Oh and my boyfriend just got home. The conversation went like this..
Him, "Whatcha doing?"
Me, "I just finished working out."
"What did you work out? Your arms?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I can tell, they're huge."

So I guess that pump is working! lol

[ShawnCarla]

2/23/2010
Today was my leg workout again. After talking with my trainer, today I stuck to the same mentality as yesterday. I kept all my weights the same and just blew through the exercises as fast as I could without resting. Let me tell you, that was a challenge! My heart rate didn't drop below 158 the whole time!
I'm into my second week on the Stack and I still am only taking 3 NOBetas. I've always been really sensitive to the NO supplements so I don't think I'm going to raise the dosage or a while. I'm still getting a great pump and push in the gym with what I'm taking now so I don't want to over-do it.
I'm on 1050 for my calorie intake for today again. Next week I'm going to start cycling my carbs.
Feeling great!

Leg Press-Feet as wide as shoulders circuit 1 3x10-12
Burpees-30-45 sec circuit 1 3x
Reverse Crunches circuit 1 3xftg

BB Squat circuit 2 3x10-12
Outer Thigh Machine circuit 2 3x12-15
Hip Extensions on Roman Chair circuit 2 3xftg
Ab machine circuit 2 3xftg

Iso-Lateral Leg Extensions circuit 3 3x10-12
Seated Calf Raises circuit 3 3x10-12
Squat Jumps circuit 3 3x15
Decline Crunches circuit 3 3xftg

Glute Machine circuit 4 3x10-12
Inner Thigh Machine circuit 4 3x10
Steps ups on a bench for 1 min w 35lb DB in each hand circuit 4 3x

[jovinni]

If you don't mind sharing, what does your diet look like? I'm just curious as to what you're eating. Those are such low calories with such intense training. I think I would pass out! LOL

Nice job on the workout!

[tiffanee777]

If you don't mind sharing, what does your diet look like? I'm just curious as to what you're eating. Those are such low calories with such intense training. I think I would pass out! LOL

Nice job on the workout!

I agree on the passing out! I would be worried about losing muscle as well, especially at 5'9!

[ShawnCarla]

If you don't mind sharing, what does your diet look like? I'm just curious as to what you're eating. Those are such low calories with such intense training. I think I would pass out! LOL

Nice job on the workout!

Well I eat a lot actually... I know the calories look low but I don't eat grains or any processed foods. I eat fruits, vegetables, lean meats, a lot of fish, and nuts. That's about it. So I eat 6 times a day and an example meal could be like this...
3 oz tilapia (70 calories)
1 pear (60 calories)
1/2tbs peanut butter (50 calories)

Do that 6 times a day and I'd be at 1080 for the day

And remember these are my Drop Days. I do two days at 1050, then one at 1300. Then on the weekend I have my "cheat day" where I don't measure my calories as strictly.
I actually really find it hard to eat more then 1200 a day with the foods that I eat.... it's a lot of food volume especially when I'm eating more vegetables then anything else.
I've been doing this sort of thing for the last year and I do cycle my calories up and down depending on my training. This is just what I'm doing right now... next week it'll change again!

[ShawnCarla]

I agree on the passing out! I would be worried about losing muscle as well, especially at 5'9!

And what we're working on is gaining muscle with minimal fat gains... so I'm actually putting muscle on like this believe it or not.

[tiffanee777]

And what we're working on is gaining muscle with minimal fat gains... so I'm actually putting muscle on like this believe it or not.

That's interesting because I always thought, or was taught that it is impossible to GAIN muscle with a huge deficit of calories?? If you don't eat enough calories, your body will preserve fat for energy, therefore you will start to burn muscle as well!?

In order to gain muscle (or clean bulk) wouldn't you need to eat a couple hundred over maintenence, which would probably be almost a thousand more calories?? Guess I am just super confused now??!!

I guess everybody's body is different though, so what works for one, may not work for another!!

[drooks10]

Couple of questions:

1. Are you taking a BCAA supp intra-wo?

2. Are you actually putting on muscle OR are you becoming leaner due to the caloric deficit/training which would make you appear "more muscular?"

Congrats on the progress so far!!! Good luck the rest of the way!

[ShawnCarla]

That's interesting because I always thought, or was taught that it is impossible to GAIN muscle with a huge deficit of calories?? If you don't eat enough calories, your body will preserve fat for energy, therefore you will start to burn muscle as well!?

In order to gain muscle (or clean bulk) wouldn't you need to eat a couple hundred over maintenence, which would probably be almost a thousand more calories?? Guess I am just super confused now??!!

I guess everybody's body is different though, so what works for one, may not work for another!!

Ok yes you're right there are a lot of teachings out there confirming what you're saying and yes I agree. However I ALSO agree that every body is different. My trainer and I work together very closely to mold my body the way it needs to be molded. It's really difficult to see just from a small note on what I have been doing to my body over the last year. So don't get too confused because you're not wrong. This is just the program I am on right now. As I mentioned, next week it's changing again!

[ShawnCarla]

Couple of questions:

1. Are you taking a BCAA supp intra-wo?

2. Are you actually putting on muscle OR are you becoming leaner due to the caloric deficit/training which would make you appear "more muscular?"

Congrats on the progress so far!!! Good luck the rest of the way!

Yes this is very close to what I'm doing right now... I am still attempting to gain muscle but I'm also leaning out... so maybe the best way to word it is that I'm maintaining the muscle mass I have while cutting fat... but I'm also working different parts of my body differently... for example, gaining mass on my shoulders while cutting away at my thighs. Does this make more sense?

[ShawnCarla]

If you don't mind sharing, what does your diet look like? I'm just curious as to what you're eating. Those are such low calories with such intense training. I think I would pass out! LOL

Nice job on the workout!


Originally Posted by tiffanee777
That's interesting because I always thought, or was taught that it is impossible to GAIN muscle with a huge deficit of calories?? If you don't eat enough calories, your body will preserve fat for energy, therefore you will start to burn muscle as well!?

In order to gain muscle (or clean bulk) wouldn't you need to eat a couple hundred over maintenence, which would probably be almost a thousand more calories?? Guess I am just super confused now??!!

I guess everybody's body is different though, so what works for one, may not work for another!!!

Maybe something else that will help you understand my caloric intake... I don't go by the "daily" intake so much as the "weekly" for my overall calories. I cycle my calories because that allows for me to cut more fat...but if you look at my caloric intake over the entire week, it averages out to be much higher then 1050. Does that make more sense as to what I'm doing?

[tiffanee777]

Maybe something else that will help you understand my caloric intake... I don't go by the "daily" intake so much as the "weekly" for my overall calories. I cycle my calories because that allows for me to cut more fat...but if you look at my caloric intake over the entire week, it averages out to be much higher then 1050. Does that make more sense as to what I'm doing?

Makes much more sense! Thank you for clarifying. Always nice to see how someone else does it!!

[jovinni]

I think you just must have a rockin' genetic make up :)


*I'll tell myself anything so I won't be jealous ;)*

[castille]

I can understand how your body does good even with lower calories.
Everything I read says I should be taking in more calories than I do but after doing this
for so many years I have learned what my body responds best to.

I am 240 pounds and I have to stay between 1,800 and 2,300 to lose fat.

Also when you are on lower calories your body will use your fat to make up the calorie deficit so it is possible to be in a calorie deficit and put on some muscle.

[ShawnCarla]

I can understand how your body does good even with lower calories.
Everything I read says I should be taking in more calories than I do but after doing this
for so many years I have learned what my body responds best to.

I am 240 pounds and I have to stay between 1,800 and 2,300 to lose fat.

Also when you are on lower calories your body will use your fat to make up the calorie deficit so it is possible to be in a calorie deficit and put on some muscle.

Yep... it surprises me that people think I'd pass out to be honest... I feel like I'm eating a TON every day. It's just the fact that it's all whole foods that's why the calories are lower. Even on my Drop Days I really don't feel sluggish. The only thing the effects me is when I drop my carbs. But even then I don't really have a problem. This goes back to the fact that every body is different. If I eat more calories I blow up like a balloon... Part of it is due to the fact that I have a very tricky digestive system as well. I physically cannot eat large meals. I pay for it!




So in conclusion on this topic everyone, what's good for the goose is NOT always good for the gander! There are a lot of "rules" to bodybuilding that work well for some, and not so well for others. My boyfriend was a bodybuilder as well and he was shocked at the way I was dieting and training with my trainer. But it's obviously been helpful to me... the proof is in the pudding!
Hopefully reading through my log can show another way to approach this kind of training...maybe it'd work for you too!

[ShawnCarla]

Makes much more sense! Thank you for clarifying. Always nice to see how someone else does it!!

No problem! I'm always learning and trying new things... have you ever read "Live Right For your Type"? It's a book about how you Blood Type can effect your life/diet/training/etc. It's very interesting! It's changed my thoughts on a few things and helped me tweak my diet too!

[ShawnCarla]

I think you just must have a rockin' genetic make up :)


*I'll tell myself anything so I won't be jealous ;)*

Lol... well I'll be honest, I think genetics does have something to do with it. I've always had a "swimmers" body. I have a lot of mass to my body and it's really easy for me to put more on... not so easy to take it off!

[cw955588]

Yep... it surprises me that people think I'd pass out to be honest... I feel like I'm eating a TON every day. It's just the fact that it's all whole foods that's why the calories are lower. Even on my Drop Days I really don't feel sluggish. The only thing the effects me is when I drop my carbs. But even then I don't really have a problem. This goes back to the fact that every body is different. If I eat more calories I blow up like a balloon... Part of it is due to the fact that I have a very tricky digestive system as well. I physically cannot eat large meals. I pay for it!




So in conclusion on this topic everyone, what's good for the goose is NOT always good for the gander! There are a lot of "rules" to bodybuilding that work well for some, and not so well for others. My boyfriend was a bodybuilder as well and he was shocked at the way I was dieting and training with my trainer. But it's obviously been helpful to me... the proof is in the pudding!
Hopefully reading through my log can show another way to approach this kind of training...maybe it'd work for you too!


Well said! :)

[ShawnCarla]

2/24/2010
Chest and Back day...
I'm still on just 3 NOBetas and a scoop of CreaDly. I really don't need more and that's great. Usually I max out these supplement's doses pretty quickly with my tolerance levels. Not so with the Stack so far!
Now on another note... I'm exhausted. I can feel my body starting to break down and I'm going to get sick if I'm not careful. The weather outside is changing from snow to 70's in the matter of a day and I know the spring flu could be coming around the corner. So I'm taking it easy and not pushing myself til I'm dead. I took a 4 hour nap today... yes, 4 hours. And then pushed myself to workout. I'm glad I did, but if I still feel this lethargic the next few days I'll take an extra day off.
I'm trying to push myself through til next weekend because of the Arnold. I know I'm going to be missing a couple days of my workouts due to the Expo and competitions so I want to take advantage of the time I have now.

[The_10_2s]

2/24/2010
Chest and Back day...
I'm still on just 3 NOBetas and a scoop of CreaDly. I really don't need more and that's great. Usually I max out these supplement's doses pretty quickly with my tolerance levels. Not so with the Stack so far!
Now on another note... I'm exhausted. I can feel my body starting to break down and I'm going to get sick if I'm not careful. The weather outside is changing from snow to 70's in the matter of a day and I know the spring flu could be coming around the corner. So I'm taking it easy and not pushing myself til I'm dead. I took a 4 hour nap today... yes, 4 hours. And then pushed myself to workout. I'm glad I did, but if I still feel this lethargic the next few days I'll take an extra day off.
I'm trying to push myself through til next weekend because of the Arnold. I know I'm going to be missing a couple days of my workouts due to the Expo and competitions so I want to take advantage of the time I have now.

I believe you can still do fine working out even if you are a bit under the weather... however as you know it is important to listen to your body hence the 4 hour nap... good for you!

I was just thinking with all the walking and talking you are going to be doing and all the free stuff you are going to be carrying around i don't think you will "be missing a couple days of my workouts" you'll just be getting a different type of workout... and we all know muscle confusion is good ;-) :-D shopping and exhibiting can be a workout!

[ShawnCarla]

I believe you can still do fine working out even if you are a bit under the weather... however as you know it is important to listen to your body hence the 4 hour nap... good for you!

I was just thinking with all the walking and talking you are going to be doing and all the free stuff you are going to be carrying around i don't think you will "be missing a couple days of my workouts" you'll just be getting a different type of workout... and we all know muscle confusion is good ;-) :-D shopping and exhibiting can be a workout!

Yes I agree... I still get my blood pumping, just don't push quite as hard.

And I'll remember that about the "muscle confusion" next weekend!

[ShawnCarla]

2/25/2010
Arms and Cardio today...
I was still a little tired this morning so I upped my carbs a bit. That helped a lot!
I had a great arms workout, again with 3 NOBetas and a scoop of CreaDyl. Then I came home, ate, and two hours later did my cardio. I FLEW through my cardio again. It felt great! I still had the energy from the Stack plus the added carbs so everything was pumping really well.
Only thing that bugged me is that I was in a full on sprint when this girl next to me decided to grab my arm and ask, "How do you work the TV on this thing?" Referring to the treadmill. I mean really? Who does that? Plus I had my Ipod in and wasn't using the TV. She's lucky I didn't slip and bust my butt! I just don't understand the lack of common sense of some people!
Tomorrow's my day off from the gym, yay for rest days!

[cw955588]

2/25/2010
Arms and Cardio today...
I was still a little tired this morning so I upped my carbs a bit. That helped a lot!
I had a great arms workout, again with 3 NOBetas and a scoop of CreaDyl. Then I came home, ate, and two hours later did my cardio. I FLEW through my cardio again. It felt great! I still had the energy from the Stack plus the added carbs so everything was pumping really well.
Only thing that bugged me is that I was in a full on sprint when this girl next to me decided to grab my arm and ask, "How do you work the TV on this thing?" Referring to the treadmill. I mean really? Who does that? Plus I had my Ipod in and wasn't using the TV. She's lucky I didn't slip and bust my butt! I just don't understand the lack of common sense of some people!
Tomorrow's my day off from the gym, yay for rest days!

LOL!!! Great job keeping your cool... I would have Hulked out on her!

[jovinni]

2/25/2010
Arms and Cardio today...
I was still a little tired this morning so I upped my carbs a bit. That helped a lot!
I had a great arms workout, again with 3 NOBetas and a scoop of CreaDyl. Then I came home, ate, and two hours later did my cardio. I FLEW through my cardio again. It felt great! I still had the energy from the Stack plus the added carbs so everything was pumping really well.
Only thing that bugged me is that I was in a full on sprint when this girl next to me decided to grab my arm and ask, "How do you work the TV on this thing?" Referring to the treadmill. I mean really? Who does that? Plus I had my Ipod in and wasn't using the TV. She's lucky I didn't slip and bust my butt! I just don't understand the lack of common sense of some people!
Tomorrow's my day off from the gym, yay for rest days!

My husband and I were JUST talking about the lack of gym etiquette some people have. It leaves me in awe sometimes...

[The_10_2s]

Yes I agree... I still get my blood pumping, just don't push quite as hard.

And I'll remember that about the "muscle confusion" next weekend!

Totally jealous btw wish i could go... i'll plan for it next year. :-)

[ShawnCarla]

My husband and I were JUST talking about the lack of gym etiquette some people have. It leaves me in awe sometimes...

I know, It's crazy... between her and the guy yesterday who jumped in on my weighted cable when I grabbed a sip of water, I mean geeze! I don't mind a person working in on a set at all... just ask me! Don't just jump in and move my weights and cables around when I'm standing right there! It's a simple common courtesy!

[ShawnCarla]

LOL!!! Great job keeping your cool... I would have Hulked out on her!

I've always been pretty good at keeping my cool... but I also would get walked all over. So I don't know if it's because I now KNOW I'm stronger then most GUYS out there, but I definitely stand up for myself more! In this case it was just a factor of stupidity and I can't really justify bowing up on someone for being ignorant... so I took my frustration out on myself in my cardio routine. That worked out quite well for me! lol

[ShawnCarla]

Totally jealous btw wish i could go... i'll plan for it next year. :-)

That's how I felt with the Olympia came around... I wanted to go SO bad, but I just couldn't swing it. So I started planning for the Arnold then!

[castille]

2/25/2010
Arms and Cardio today...
I was still a little tired this morning so I upped my carbs a bit. That helped a lot!
I had a great arms workout, again with 3 NOBetas and a scoop of CreaDyl. Then I came home, ate, and two hours later did my cardio. I FLEW through my cardio again. It felt great! I still had the energy from the Stack plus the added carbs so everything was pumping really well.
Only thing that bugged me is that I was in a full on sprint when this girl next to me decided to grab my arm and ask, "How do you work the TV on this thing?" Referring to the treadmill. I mean really? Who does that? Plus I had my Ipod in and wasn't using the TV. She's lucky I didn't slip and bust my butt! I just don't understand the lack of common sense of some people!
Tomorrow's my day off from the gym, yay for rest days!

When I hear things like that it makes me happy that I workout at home. But I do enjoy working out at the gym minus the people who want to bother you in the middle of your workout.

[ShawnCarla]

When I hear things like that it makes me happy that I workout at home. But I do enjoy working out at the gym minus the people who want to bother you in the middle of your workout.

Yeah it's a catch 22 because I feed off the energy of the other people in the gym. I never get as great a workout at home because of that. BUT I HATE fighting over equipment and people who slow you down in the gym. So I typically go at off-peak hours. That way there are people there, but not enough people to really mess with my workout.

[specialkr]

Stronger than most guys??? Yeah OK! HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!


I've always been pretty good at keeping my cool... but I also would get walked all over. So I don't know if it's because I now KNOW I'm stronger then most GUYS out there, but I definitely stand up for myself more! In this case it was just a factor of stupidity and I can't really justify bowing up on someone for being ignorant... so I took my frustration out on myself in my cardio routine. That worked out quite well for me! lol

[ShawnCarla]

2/27/2010
After a much needed day off yesterday I came back to do chest and back today. Typically today would have been a leg and ab day but I've been having pain in my knee. The other night I noticed a bruise forming on the inside of my right knee so under the advisement of my trainer, I'm taking a couple days off from my leg work outs. I had this issue with my knee when I first started lifting about 10 months ago but that was due to poor knee alignment. Once the alignment was fixed, so was my knee pain. Then I started doing plyometrics and the knee pain returned. So I stopped that and without that added impact I had no further knee issues. Well my cardio for the last few weeks has involved a lot of burpees and squat jumps and I have a feeling these moves are messing with my knee once again. SUCKS DONKEY DING DONGS!!
Oh well, I just have to be careful and change my training once again.

I upped my dose of NOBetas to 4 for this workout today and DANG... HUGE pump! And the Niacin flush again... my ears are still tingling right now. It's such a weird feeling but I actually prefer that to the jittery out-of-control feeling I get with most NO products. The tingle just gives extra heat to my workouts...it's kinda neat!

I am entering my third week as of tomorrow. This may be an issue when I go to take my pics next week as I'll be in Columbus for the Arnold. I'll probably just wait until I get home Sunday night to take those 4 week progress photos. Though it should be interesting doing that after traveling... I hold a butt-load of water whenever I fly. That too sucks donkey ding dong!

Today is also my cheat day so I'm off to enjoy my boyfriend's home-made sauce with hot peppers and onions, glass of red wine, and the NFL combine on ESPN!

Decline Cable Chest Fly3x 10 to 12
Push ups on the floor3x ftg
Assisted Pull ups3x ftg

Hanging Leg Lifts 3x ftg
Lat Pull Down 3x 10 to 12
Tri Lat Pull Down 3x ftg

BB Bench Press 3x 10 to 12
Wide Grip Cable Seated Row 3x 10 to 12
Cable Chops-high to low 3x 15 to 18

DB Chest Fly on Stability Ball 3x 12
Medicine Ball Slams 3x 15 to 20
Decline obliques 3x ftg

[drooks10]

2/27/2010
After a much needed day off yesterday I came back to do chest and back today. Typically today would have been a leg and ab day but I've been having pain in my knee. The other night I noticed a bruise forming on the inside of my right knee so under the advisement of my trainer, I'm taking a couple days off from my leg work outs. I had this issue with my knee when I first started lifting about 10 months ago but that was due to poor knee alignment. Once the alignment was fixed, so was my knee pain. Then I started doing plyometrics and the knee pain returned. So I stopped that and without that added impact I had no further knee issues. Well my cardio for the last few weeks has involved a lot of burpees and squat jumps and I have a feeling these moves are messing with my knee once again. SUCKS DONKEY DING DONGS!!
Oh well, I just have to be careful and change my training once again.

I upped my dose of NOBetas to 4 for this workout today and DANG... HUGE pump! And the Niacin flush again... my ears are still tingling right now. It's such a weird feeling but I actually prefer that to the jittery out-of-control feeling I get with most NO products. The tingle just gives extra heat to my workouts...it's kinda neat!

I am entering my third week as of tomorrow. This may be an issue when I go to take my pics next week as I'll be in Columbus for the Arnold. I'll probably just wait until I get home Sunday night to take those 4 week progress photos. Though it should be interesting doing that after traveling... I hold a butt-load of water whenever I fly. That too sucks donkey ding dong!

Today is also my cheat day so I'm off to enjoy my boyfriend's home-made sauce with hot peppers and onions, glass of red wine, and the NFL combine on ESPN!

Decline Cable Chest Fly3x 10 to 12
Push ups on the floor3x ftg
Assisted Pull ups3x ftg

Hanging Leg Lifts 3x ftg
Lat Pull Down 3x 10 to 12
Tri Lat Pull Down 3x ftg

BB Bench Press 3x 10 to 12
Wide Grip Cable Seated Row 3x 10 to 12
Cable Chops-high to low 3x 15 to 18

DB Chest Fly on Stability Ball 3x 12
Medicine Ball Slams 3x 15 to 20
Decline obliques 3x ftg

Ok, this is what you need to do for your progress pictures. In the middle of the men's contest, jump up on stage, hit your poses, take the pictures, and then jump back off. I would die if I saw that on tv during the contest! Haha. You would at least have great lighting!

Nice workout today, and enjoy the evening!

[ShawnCarla]

Ok, this is what you need to do for your progress pictures. In the middle of the men's contest, jump up on stage, hit your poses, take the pictures, and then jump back off. I would die if I saw that on tv during the contest! Haha. You would at least have great lighting!

Nice workout today, and enjoy the evening!

Lol... I think I had a dream like that once...
Well now I have something to shoot for! lol

[maxrx]

About 2 weeks ago I had a dream I met with President Obama and sold him GlutaCene for the entire country. I've been playing with TestX6 and the crazy dreams. If I were competing I wonder what kind of dreams I would have. BTW I read in the first page you were only eating 1050 calories is that right or was I dreaming?

[fitlover]

That's a lot of exercises! Have you considered reducing the sets and reps a little, while upping the weight?

Anyway, doing good, keep it up!

[ShawnCarla]

About 2 weeks ago I had a dream I met with President Obama and sold him GlutaCene for the entire country. I've been playing with TestX6 and the crazy dreams. If I were competing I wonder what kind of dreams I would have. BTW I read in the first page you were only eating 1050 calories is that right or was I dreaming?

Lol! Well I don't know if you read my post a few days ago but I actually woke myself up belting out show-tunes the other day!
And yes you're right, I was eating 1050 calories... but I further explained that this was a Drop Day... I do NOT eat 1050 on a regular basis... I cycle my calories from 1050 up to 1300 through the week and end with a "cheat meal" so my calories average out to much higher then just 1050... This is to help cut fat.

[ShawnCarla]

That's a lot of exercises! Have you considered reducing the sets and reps a little, while upping the weight?

Anyway, doing good, keep it up!

Yep, I just came out of a program doing just that. This one is set up to keep me moving and keep my heart rate up while still lifting at the same time.

[fitlover]

Yep, I just came out of a program doing just that. This one is set up to keep me moving and keep my heart rate up while still lifting at the same time.

Ahh I see. Do you superset the exercises?

[ShawnCarla]

Ahh I see. Do you superset the exercises?

Yes... each grouping is a superset... or circut since it's three exercises at a time....so in other words I did 4 circuts today.

[The_10_2s]

2/27/2010
After a much needed day off yesterday I came back to do chest and back today. Typically today would have been a leg and ab day but I've been having pain in my knee. The other night I noticed a bruise forming on the inside of my right knee so under the advisement of my trainer, I'm taking a couple days off from my leg work outs. I had this issue with my knee when I first started lifting about 10 months ago but that was due to poor knee alignment. Once the alignment was fixed, so was my knee pain. Then I started doing plyometrics and the knee pain returned. So I stopped that and without that added impact I had no further knee issues. Well my cardio for the last few weeks has involved a lot of burpees and squat jumps and I have a feeling these moves are messing with my knee once again. SUCKS DONKEY DING DONGS!!
Oh well, I just have to be careful and change my training once again.

I upped my dose of NOBetas to 4 for this workout today and DANG... HUGE pump! And the Niacin flush again... my ears are still tingling right now. It's such a weird feeling but I actually prefer that to the jittery out-of-control feeling I get with most NO products. The tingle just gives extra heat to my workouts...it's kinda neat!

I am entering my third week as of tomorrow. This may be an issue when I go to take my pics next week as I'll be in Columbus for the Arnold. I'll probably just wait until I get home Sunday night to take those 4 week progress photos. Though it should be interesting doing that after traveling... I hold a butt-load of water whenever I fly. That too sucks donkey ding dong!

Today is also my cheat day so I'm off to enjoy my boyfriend's home-made sauce with hot peppers and onions, glass of red wine, and the NFL combine on ESPN!

Decline Cable Chest Fly3x 10 to 12
Push ups on the floor3x ftg
Assisted Pull ups3x ftg

Hanging Leg Lifts 3x ftg
Lat Pull Down 3x 10 to 12
Tri Lat Pull Down 3x ftg

BB Bench Press 3x 10 to 12
Wide Grip Cable Seated Row 3x 10 to 12
Cable Chops-high to low 3x 15 to 18

DB Chest Fly on Stability Ball 3x 12
Medicine Ball Slams 3x 15 to 20
Decline obliques 3x ftg

Plyo got me knee aching too it is some serious stuff... Your message is hilarious.. not sure what a Donkey Ding Dong is but it certainly sounds funny as heck i was rofl when i read that!

how much weight do you use in your work outs... ? you just put the amount of reps so that mean you lift enough weight to be failure at 10-12?

[ShawnCarla]

Plyo got me knee aching too it is some serious stuff... Your message is hilarious.. not sure what a Donkey Ding Dong is but it certainly sounds funny as heck i was rofl when i read that!

how much weight do you use in your work outs... ? you just put the amount of reps so that mean you lift enough weight to be failure at 10-12?

Yeah I tried to keep my posts PG :D
And I lift enough on those sets to be 1 rep from failure. The sets marked at FTG are enough weight and reps til failure. Because I'm not giving myself ANY rest through the workout, that makes reaching those higher reps really difficult!

[ShawnCarla]

GO USA Hockey!
Just had to say it.

[tiffanee777]

go usa hockey!
Just had to say it.

agreed!!!!!!

[ShawnCarla]

2/28/2010

Arms day!
Today I did my arms (though it really should be my chest and back day).
And I also did the Frog Squat challenge post on the group page. Here is a copy of the post I placed in that thread...

I decided to give this a try tonight. It was an arms day for me but I have been putting off my leg workouts because of knee issues. My knee wasn't hurting today so I thought this would be a good circuit to try since I could control my knee placement and there wouldn't be any real strain on them... which did work out.
I took 4 NOBetas and after 10 minutes sipped on Creadyl. Gave it another 5 minutes to kick in then went to work.
I started with the Extensions... which I did iso-laterally because my left quad is weaker then my right so I've been working on balancing them out (this is another product of having a weak right knee) then jumped to the frog squats. At first I thought, "Oh this is no big deal"... til I got to about rep 15 and my legs were BURNING! I've never done frog squats before so this was ALL new to me!
I kept going and did all 4 sets but dear lord my heart was pumping so fast and my legs were shaking! I also wore tight non-stretch pants so I could tell if my legs were swelling or not through the tension in the cloth. They definitely were! I didn't need the cloth to tell me that! I wish I had done this at the end of my arm workout because when I switched over it was extremely difficult to stand up and keep my balance with my legs shaking like they were!
I'm gonna give these a go on my next leg day again!

So after that I went over to my arm workout. I think because I upped my dose to 4 NOBetas I got a HUGE pump in my arms tonight. And when I say huge, I mean I thought my muscles were going to bust through my skin. I asked my boyfriend to touch them to see how much they had swollen up and he barely squeezed them and it hurt like hell! The muscles are so full it's crazy!
Does this stack work for competitions? I'm wondering if I take these before I step on stage if they'd give me this pumped up look. This could be a great tool to use. Any thoughts?

[jovinni]

Those frog squats are intense, I love them!

[The_10_2s]

2/28/2010

Arms day!
Today I did my arms (though it really should be my chest and back day).
And I also did the Frog Squat challenge post on the group page. Here is a copy of the post I placed in that thread...

I decided to give this a try tonight. It was an arms day for me but I have been putting off my leg workouts because of knee issues. My knee wasn't hurting today so I thought this would be a good circuit to try since I could control my knee placement and there wouldn't be any real strain on them... which did work out.
I took 4 NOBetas and after 10 minutes sipped on Creadyl. Gave it another 5 minutes to kick in then went to work.
I started with the Extensions... which I did iso-laterally because my left quad is weaker then my right so I've been working on balancing them out (this is another product of having a weak right knee) then jumped to the frog squats. At first I thought, "Oh this is no big deal"... til I got to about rep 15 and my legs were BURNING! I've never done frog squats before so this was ALL new to me!
I kept going and did all 4 sets but dear lord my heart was pumping so fast and my legs were shaking! I also wore tight non-stretch pants so I could tell if my legs were swelling or not through the tension in the cloth. They definitely were! I didn't need the cloth to tell me that! I wish I had done this at the end of my arm workout because when I switched over it was extremely difficult to stand up and keep my balance with my legs shaking like they were!
I'm gonna give these a go on my next leg day again!

So after that I went over to my arm workout. I think because I upped my dose to 4 NOBetas I got a HUGE pump in my arms tonight. And when I say huge, I mean I thought my muscles were going to bust through my skin. I asked my boyfriend to touch them to see how much they had swollen up and he barely squeezed them and it hurt like hell! The muscles are so full it's crazy!
Does this stack work for competitions? I'm wondering if I take these before I step on stage if they'd give me this pumped up look. This could be a great tool to use. Any thoughts?

No idea if the NO-B will give you the pump b4 getting on stage or not but might as well try it lol...

hey on the frog squats where does it target? quads or quads and glutes?

[castille]

GO USA Hockey!
Just had to say it.

Even though they didn't win gold it was a great game by them to come back after being down 2-0.

Have a Great Day:)

[ShawnCarla]

No idea if the NO-B will give you the pump b4 getting on stage or not but might as well try it lol...

hey on the frog squats where does it target? quads or quads and glutes?

Well my quads were already fatigued due to the extensions so they burned throught the frog squats... though I focused on driving through the heels which targeted the hamstrings... and today the hamstrings are what are sore as HECK!

[ShawnCarla]

Even though they didn't win gold it was a great game by them to come back after being down 2-0.

Have a Great Day:)

It was a great game... Miller saved us from loosing about 50 to 2. We put up a good fight but Canada dominated. Here's the thing though...
Hockey is Canada's National Sport... how the heck did they let us come so close to taking it from them? I'd like to see them come down and do the same to us in Football or Baseball!

[ShawnCarla]

So I just realized I jumped the gun... next weekend is 3 weeks into my transformation... not 4. I got a bit confused because of the 28 days in Feb I believe.... or maybe I just got confused in general! lol
I can still blame all my blonde moments on my hair... I am a natural blonde after all!
So not to worry about my 4 week progress photos, I'll get them in without any issues!

[drooks10]

I think you are actually on week 10!!!! Oh no, you better post your final pics......Haha.

[ShawnCarla]

3/1/2010
My first leg day in a while. I went light on everything and just exhausted each muscle with reps and no rest. I've pinpointed my knee issues. My knee was perfectly fine until I did my Burpees. I pushed through them, but from now on I’m going to supplement a different exercise. They just made my knee throb. I did my jump squats with my hands on a bar. That way I could control how I landed and focused the impact on my heels, not my toes, and made sure that my knees were behind my toes each time I landed. That helped a lot.
I took 4 NOBetas again and my quads blew up about twice their size through the workout. It's so awesome to be able to see my muscles working right in front of me!
I'm depleting my carbs a bit this week as I want to eliminate as much water as I can for the Arnold this weekend. So far so good! I did 100g of carbs today and I'll be going down to 80g tomorrow… pray for my boyfriend who has to deal with my crankiness over the next few days!

[jovinni]

I love it that you're 'prepping' for the Arnold, so am I! So funny to know i'm not alone. Well not that I'm really alone, my husband totally understands why I would want to look my best while there. But I love it that you have that goal as well.

Good job on the leg workout. I never thought about doing jump squats with a bar. I tend to feel like I'm all over the place when I do those, holding onto a bar would make such a difference.

[ShawnCarla]

I love it that you're 'prepping' for the Arnold, so am I! So funny to know i'm not alone. Well not that I'm really alone, my husband totally understands why I would want to look my best while there. But I love it that you have that goal as well.

Good job on the leg workout. I never thought about doing jump squats with a bar. I tend to feel like I'm all over the place when I do those, holding onto a bar would make such a difference.

Lol... of course! You have to prep for something like that! My thoughts are that the whole world in which I want to eventually be veiwed as a professional in, is going to be there. Dress for the job you want, not the job you have, right?!

Oh and I spoke incorrectly about those jump squats.. I didn't "focus the impact on my heals"...I still landed on my toes, but I was able to control the movement down through my heels with my knees being aligned over the toes, not past them.

[Simpy]

I think the NoBeta before the comp would be fine. When are you doing a show? Have you thought about your carb-up? That's going to be the real kicker. Especially if you're doing figure. Figure girls don't get as lean, and therefore the carb-up can be trickier. I've had a real issue with that in teh past.

[ShawnCarla]

I think the NoBeta before the comp would be fine. When are you doing a show? Have you thought about your carb-up? That's going to be the real kicker. Especially if you're doing figure. Figure girls don't get as lean, and therefore the carb-up can be trickier. I've had a real issue with that in teh past.

I spoke to my trainer about it... she said that if I get a good pump before stage the NOBetas could help... but I'll need to go off them for a few weeks in order to see the biggest difference.
You're right with the carbing up...I'm really sensative to carbs. So I have to watch how I react to each little bit. I think just the pump I get from the Stack would be GREAT pre-stage. But I'm going to play with it a little bit before I compete again and see what kind of effects I get from it. I have a few photoshoots planned over the next few months and those are going to be where I experiment with it and see what kind of cosmetic effects I get!

[journey2swole]

Looks like you are on a great path with your transformation and doing great for three weeks in. If you keep that pace up you may give drooks10 a run for his money on judging day LOL.
Keep up the good work and good luck!!

[ShawnCarla]

Looks like you are on a great path with your transformation and doing great for three weeks in. If you keep that pace up you may give drooks10 a run for his money on judging day LOL.
Keep up the good work and good luck!!

Haha, well thank you! You know there's more then one winner here, which is a great part about this competition. We can all encourage each other because we all have a shot at winning!

[ShawnCarla]

3/2/2010
Today was a chest and back day. My workout was just ok. I have to be honest that my heart wasn't really in it because it was a very long and stressful day. The only reason I was able to workout at all was because I got good news at the end of it all.
My boyfriend and I have two dogs, Casey and Sugar. Sugar is my 4 year old mini doxie and Casey is my boyfriend's 10 year old yellow lab. Casey has had a lot of health issues in her life and yesterday she started breathing really heavy and her gums were white... a dog that's getting enough blood pumping and oxygen in her blood will have red gums. Well long story short, we took her in last night, they kept her overnight and ran tests this morning. These tests showed an enlarged spleen with bumps all over it. The vet thought these bumps could be tumors which could be cancerous. So she went through a number of other tests all day today. It was emotionally draining. At the end of the tests, she doesn't have cancer, thank god. She's just got a bunch of health issues due to her old age... but NO cancer. That was the big thing we were worried about. After we got the news I was able to push through a workout... with Casey by my side. She loves to sit next to me and watch me workout. It's so cute. So thankfully today is over!

[jovinni]

3/2/2010
Today was a chest and back day. My workout was just ok. I have to be honest that my heart wasn't really in it because it was a very long and stressful day. The only reason I was able to workout at all was because I got good news at the end of it all.
My boyfriend and I have two dogs, Casey and Sugar. Sugar is my 4 year old mini doxie and Casey is my boyfriend's 10 year old yellow lab. Casey has had a lot of health issues in her life and yesterday she started breathing really heavy and her gums were white... a dog that's getting enough blood pumping and oxygen in her blood will have red gums. Well long story short, we took her in last night, they kept her overnight and ran tests this morning. These tests showed an enlarged spleen with bumps all over it. The vet thought these bumps could be tumors which could be cancerous. So she went through a number of other tests all day today. It was emotionally draining. At the end of the tests, she doesn't have cancer, thank god. She's just got a bunch of health issues due to her old age... but NO cancer. That was the big thing we were worried about. After we got the news I was able to push through a workout... with Casey by my side. She loves to sit next to me and watch me workout. It's so cute. So thankfully today is over!

So glad Casey is in the clear from Cancer. It's amazing how connected we become with our pets. Definitely good news :)

Just a few more days until the Arnold!! Woo hoo!

[drooks10]

That is great news to hear!

[ShawnCarla]

So glad Casey is in the clear from Cancer. It's amazing how connected we become with our pets. Definitely good news :)

Just a few more days until the Arnold!! Woo hoo!

I know, she's just the sweetest dog you'll ever meet... we've never had to yell at her... ever. And if she DID have cancer I probably would have canceled my Arnold trip, so that's another thing to be thankful for as well! I'm excited, I can't wait to get out there!

[ShawnCarla]

That is great news to hear!

It is, and thank you... I had a lot of people out there praying for her. My sister's dog just died of cancer in November, he was only 2 years old and from the time he was diagnosed to the time he passed was less then 3 weeks. It just rips right through them. So yes, we are extremely happy Casey's ok.

[Iron Chicano]

Just now checking out the thread. Looking great so far and sorry to hear about the dog, glad she is fine though! I have a dog and know the attachment feeling. Good luck with the rest of your challenge.

[ShawnCarla]

Just now checking out the thread. Looking great so far and sorry to hear about the dog, glad she is fine though! I have a dog and know the attachment feeling. Good luck with the rest of your challenge.

Thanks a lot! My dog's are my life... they are the best! I'll post a pic of them next :)

[ShawnCarla]

This was our Christmas Card... that's Sugar, the mini doxie, Casey, the lab, and my boyfriend, Dan. Aren't they cute? :)
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy236/ShawnHektor/s-d-005bigger.jpg

[ShawnCarla]

3/3/2010
Today was an arm day. Typically on arm days I do cardio as well but I switched it up today because of my diet. As I mentioned, I'm carb depleting for the Arnold this weekend, so without those carbs I really don't have the Ooompf to push through cardio. Plus I'm cycling my calories and today being a drop day means double that "no energy" feeling. I pushed through my workout with 3 NoBetas and a scoop of CreaDyl on my side! One more day of carb depletion and then I'm in Columbus! WooHoo!
I'm baking my protein bars and protein cookies to take with me for the weekend. I'll bring some sweet potatoes and bananas as well and get my meats fresh there. When I did my competition in Vegas I literally packed an entire suitcase with beef, sweet potatoes, oats, raisins and Snicker's bars (that's what I used to carb up). It was hilarious! Thank god Southwest doesn't have baggage charges!

DB Overhead Shoulder Press circuit 1 3x10-12
DB Reverse Fly circuit 1 3x10-12
EZ Bar Skull Crushers circuit 1 3x10-12

EZ Bar Bicep Curl circuit 2 3x10-12
Rope Tricep Extensions straight down circuit 2 3x10-12
Tricep Pushups on medicine ball circuit 2 3xftg

DB Lateral Raises circuit 3 3x10-12
Machine Overhead Shoulder Press circuit 3 3x10-12
DB Hammer Curls circuit 3 3x10-12

Planks-hold to fatigue (arms on exercise ball, feet on BOSU) circuit 4 3x
One arm supinated tricep extension circuit 4 3x10-12
Rope cable bicep curls circuit 4 3x10-12

[jovinni]

This was our Christmas Card... that's Sugar, the mini doxie, Casey, the lab, and my boyfriend, Dan. Aren't they cute? :)
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy236/ShawnHektor/s-d-005bigger.jpg


Too cute!!! :D

[ShawnCarla]

I wanted to make a quick note about Protein Powders. I'm lactose intolerant so even Whey Protein upsets my stomach. I've had a really tough time finding a protein that won't mess me up. If you are the same way, try Jay Robb's Egg White Protein. This is a GODSEND! It tastes great and no lactose! The only issue I have with it is that it doesn't mix very well with water. But that's not even an issue since the powder tastes good on it's own anyway. Just wanted to let you all know, I am now a believer!

[fitlover]

Cute picture!!


I wanted to make a quick note about Protein Powders. I'm lactose intolerant so even Whey Protein upsets my stomach. I've had a really tough time finding a protein that won't mess me up. If you are the same way, try Jay Robb's Egg White Protein. This is a GODSEND! It tastes great and no lactose! The only issue I have with it is that it doesn't mix very well with water. But that's not even an issue since the powder tastes good on it's own anyway. Just wanted to let you all know, I am now a believer!

How much did the protein powder cost you?

[castille]

We have a mini named Hershey. Have a great weekend at the Arnold:)

[ShawnCarla]

Cute picture!!



How much did the protein powder cost you?

It's expensive... I just have the sample packets right now because I was trying it before I committed to it... the samples were $2.50 each... so yeah, not good for the budget. But for me, it's worth it since the others really make me immobile from the lactose.

[ShawnCarla]

We have a mini named Hershey. Have a great weekend at the Arnold:)

Awe!
My boyfriend's sister fell in love with Sugar over the holidays and just bought herself a mini a couple weeks ago...named her Canela; which is Spanish for Cinnamon. So now we have Sugar and Cinnamon.
Also my little sister got a Dachshund/Black Lab mix (so basically a mix between Sugar and Casey) named Junior. So it looks like the Dachshunds are taking over our family! lol

[ShawnCarla]

3/4/2010
Ugh! What a frustrating evening. I won't go into all the details but basically things did NOT go as planned and the result was a missed workout... sort of. I just did a series of plyometrics for about 20 minutes. It got my heart rate up and I do feel better, just wish I could have gotten my full workout in.
Still carb depleting.... tomorrow my diet's gonna go to poop I'm sure since I'll be traveling to the Arnold, but I'll have my homemade protein bars and cookies to take with me. So at least I'll get proper nutrition. The only problem is the protein bars have oats in them and I never eat grains because they make me hold water like crazy. The cookies have splenda in them and THAT makes me hold water too! So I'm just gonna have to drink water nonstop to negate all of that.
I'm excited nontheless and cannot wait to take advantage of the weekend!

[The_10_2s]

3/4/2010
Ugh! What a frustrating evening. I won't go into all the details but basically things did NOT go as planned and the result was a missed workout... sort of. I just did a series of plyometrics for about 20 minutes. It got my heart rate up and I do feel better, just wish I could have gotten my full workout in.
Still carb depleting.... tomorrow my diet's gonna go to poop I'm sure since I'll be traveling to the Arnold, but I'll have my homemade protein bars and cookies to take with me. So at least I'll get proper nutrition. The only problem is the protein bars have oats in them and I never eat grains because they make me hold water like crazy. The cookies have splenda in them and THAT makes me hold water too! So I'm just gonna have to drink water nonstop to negate all of that.
I'm excited nontheless and cannot wait to take advantage of the weekend!

Homemade protein bars and cookies?! You holding out on us... ? i want recipes! :-)

Hey travel safely please as much as i don't need the competition in this event i definately would rather have you in the game! ;-) heheh.

get lots of pics and post them and tell someone famous that you meet that Paris from CA said hello... LOL.

[ShawnCarla]

OFF to the AIRPORT! In my short one hour flight I'll be in Columbus! Can't wait!

[drooks10]

OFF to the AIRPORT! In my short one hour flight I'll be in Columbus! Can't wait!

I'm not too happy with you right now! Enjoy the trip and the event!

[ShawnCarla]

I'm not too happy with you right now! Enjoy the trip and the event!

Lol... sorry! Great weekend so far... I'm exhausted!

[ShawnCarla]

Just posting a quick note on here in regard to this weekend. The Arnold was Awesome! I had a great time, learned a lot and made a lot of great connections. I'll be updating more through tonight but it's gonna take me a while to get all caught up!

[ShawnCarla]

3/8/2010

Alright I'm back! This weekend was a whirlwind. I got zero gym time but I got plenty of time walking and dancing and pushing my way through crowds at the Arnold! I also did a photoshoot and was posing and flexing and pumping myself up for 2 hours so that was fun!... and I took 4 NOBetas before the shoot so that pumped me up too! I even did an arm wrestling match and won! Haha!

Being at the Arnold was intimidating at first. All the best in this business were there and it's difficult to see these people who have been at it for years and years and think that I could ever be where they are. But as the weekend went on, I told myself that I belonged there just as much as the other people there. I put in just as much work and I care just as much as they do. So I started talking with people and realized I DO have a lot to offer this industry and I'm more excited then ever to be on the path that I'm on!

It feels good to be back on my normal schedual now... and to sleep in my own bed! I literally got about 6 hours of sleep all weekend just because the hotel room made all sorts of funny noises and the bed was SO uncomfortable! This week is kind of a "fun" week. It's my transition into my new program. I'm going to compete again on June 12th so my 12 weeks of prep start this coming weekend. Yay! No more cheating!
So my workout today was a fun fast-paced upper body workout.
Though it felt like this workout was over before it began, my heart rate was up the whole time and I was sweating buckets by the end.
I'm up to 4 NOBetas and a scoop of CreaDyl and that still gives me a great pump and I'm three weeks in. Again, impressed with the fact that my tolerance hasn't gone through the roof already like it does with most products!

Super Set 1
Push Ups: 2 sets of 10 reps
Body-weight Triceps Dips: 2 sets of 10 reps
60 seconds of jump rope between each set

Super Set 2
Chest Press: 2 sets of 10 reps
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension: 2 sets of 10 reps
45 seconds of jump rope between each set

Super Set 3
Overhead Dumbbell Presses: 2 sets of 10 reps
Bent Over One-Arm Row: 2 sets of 10 reps
60 seconds of jump rope between each set

Super Set 4
Standing Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 2 sets of 10 reps
Cable Rope Tricep Extension Straight Down: 2 sets of 10 reps
Cable Rope Crunches: 2 sets of 10 reps
45 seconds of jump rope between each set

Calorie intake for the day 1100 :135g Protein 140g Carbs 20g Fat

[cw955588]

3/8/2010

Alright I'm back! This weekend was a whirlwind. I got zero gym time but I got plenty of time walking and dancing and pushing my way through crowds at the Arnold! I also did a photoshoot and was posing and flexing and pumping myself up for 2 hours so that was fun!... and I took 4 NOBetas before the shoot so that pumped me up too! I even did an arm wrestling match and won! Haha!

Being at the Arnold was intimidating at first. All the best in this business were there and it's difficult to see these people who have been at it for years and years and think that I could ever be where they are. But as the weekend went on, I told myself that I belonged there just as much as the other people there. I put in just as much work and I care just as much as they do. So I started talking with people and realized I DO have a lot to offer this industry and I'm more excited then ever to be on the path that I'm on!

It feels good to be back on my normal schedual now... and to sleep in my own bed! I literally got about 6 hours of sleep all weekend just because the hotel room made all sorts of funny noises and the bed was SO uncomfortable! This week is kind of a "fun" week. It's my transition into my new program. I'm going to compete again on June 12th so my 12 weeks of prep start this coming weekend. Yay! No more cheating!
So my workout today was a fun fast-paced upper body workout.
Though it felt like this workout was over before it began, my heart rate was up the whole time and I was sweating buckets by the end.
I'm up to 4 NOBetas and a scoop of CreaDyl and that still gives me a great pump and I'm three weeks in. Again, impressed with the fact that my tolerance hasn't gone through the roof already like it does with most products!

Super Set 1
Push Ups: 2 sets of 10 reps
Body-weight Triceps Dips: 2 sets of 10 reps
60 seconds of jump rope between each set

Super Set 2
Chest Press: 2 sets of 10 reps
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension: 2 sets of 10 reps
45 seconds of jump rope between each set

Super Set 3
Overhead Dumbbell Presses: 2 sets of 10 reps
Bent Over One-Arm Row: 2 sets of 10 reps
60 seconds of jump rope between each set

Super Set 4
Standing Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 2 sets of 10 reps
Cable Rope Tricep Extension Straight Down: 2 sets of 10 reps
Cable Rope Crunches: 2 sets of 10 reps
45 seconds of jump rope between each set

Calorie intake for the day 1100 :135g Protein 140g Carbs 20g Fat

Awesome work out!!! I'm so glad you had a great time at the Arnold!! That is really exciting about picking your next comp! Get ready to kill it!!

[The_10_2s]

Sounds like you had a blast... i am jealous... i am making plans to go to the Olympia whether i win the free tickets in this contest or not...

post pics if you have some to share!

[castille]

Glad you had a good time at the Arnold:) Good luck with the change into competition mode!!

[ShawnCarla]

Sounds like you had a blast... i am jealous... i am making plans to go to the Olympia whether i win the free tickets in this contest or not...

post pics if you have some to share!

I will post pics soon... gotta get them uploaded.. my boyfriend has to do it... for some reason my computer no longer recognises my camera... don't ask me why! LOL

[ShawnCarla]

Glad you had a good time at the Arnold:) Good luck with the change into competition mode!!

Thanks! And I love contest prep... you see your body change in front of your eyes each day... it's nuts!

[drooks10]

Thanks! And I love contest prep... you see your body change in front of your eyes each day... it's nuts!

I know what you mean....My wife keeps asking me, "are you gonna eat normally after this is over?" I'm like, "baby, I love to eat and FEEL this way!"

[ShawnCarla]

I know what you mean....My wife keeps asking me, "are you gonna eat normally after this is over?" I'm like, "baby, I love to eat and FEEL this way!"
Oh yeah! But I get to put off my contest prep for one more week.... my next post will explain why.. I'm so EXCITED!!!!!!!

[ShawnCarla]

So I just jumped ahead a YEAR in my goals today and I'm totally freaking out.
Last summer I did the TN State Show which is a National Qualifier. Well I was told that you had to place top 2 in your class to qualify for Nationals... I took 3rd. And I was told WRONG! It's Top 3! OMG! That means I'm qualified for Nationals!!!!! I can't believe it! I literally JUST found this out right now so I'm freaking out! My whole goal this year was to qualify for Nationals and since August I already HAVE been qualified! AHHHHH! Such a great day!

[ShawnCarla]

3/9/2010
So after my exciting news today I had to re-visit my entire training regimen and kick it into high gear. I will be competing in Jr. Nationals in Chicago June 18th... which means my contest prep starts next weekend, not this weekend. BUT I'm going to go onto that National Stage a blow them away! Woo HOO! I am beyond stoked!
So today I did a great leg and ab workout. Really focused on going super slow through the movements and squeezing my muscles hard at the end of each rep. It was awesome! I have a new found motivation... I am just now wrapping my head around the fact that I have a real chance of going Pro this year! AHHH!

Super Set
Leg Extension (iso lateral) 3x12
Hamstring Curl (iso lateral) 3x12
(went from extension then curl on left leg to extension then curl on right leg)

Super Set
Alt. Lunges with Ab Twist 3x10
Frog Squats 3x15

Super Set
Standing Calf Raises on yoga block 3x15
Crunch to V-up 3x15

Super Set
Raised Hip Raises 3x20
Reverse Crunches 3x15

[The_10_2s]

3/9/2010
So after my exciting news today I had to re-visit my entire training regimen and kick it into high gear. I will be competing in Jr. Nationals in Chicago June 18th... which means my contest prep starts next weekend, not this weekend. BUT I'm going to go onto that National Stage a blow them away! Woo HOO! I am beyond stoked!
So today I did a great leg and ab workout. Really focused on going super slow through the movements and squeezing my muscles hard at the end of each rep. It was awesome! I have a new found motivation... I am just now wrapping my head around the fact that I have a real chance of going Pro this year! AHHH!

Super Set
Leg Extension (iso lateral) 3x12
Hamstring Curl (iso lateral) 3x12
(went from extension then curl on left leg to extension then curl on right leg)

Super Set
Alt. Lunges with Ab Twist 3x10
Frog Squats 3x15

Super Set
Standing Calf Raises on yoga block 3x15
Crunch to V-up 3x15

Super Set
Raised Hip Raises 3x20
Reverse Crunches 3x15

Wow that is sooo cool... Congratz!

Its funny how life sometimes throws us some great news!

[castille]

So I just jumped ahead a YEAR in my goals today and I'm totally freaking out.
Last summer I did the TN State Show which is a National Qualifier. Well I was told that you had to place top 2 in your class to qualify for Nationals... I took 3rd. And I was told WRONG! It's Top 3! OMG! That means I'm qualified for Nationals!!!!! I can't believe it! I literally JUST found this out right now so I'm freaking out! My whole goal this year was to qualify for Nationals and since August I already HAVE been qualified! AHHHHH! Such a great day!

WOW that is great news!! I know you will do great:)

[jovinni]

That's awesome!! Good for you!! Can't wait to see what this year brings you :)

[ShawnCarla]

Wow that is sooo cool... Congratz!

Its funny how life sometimes throws us some great news!

Thank you! And yes, I'm still trying to mentaly grasp it. I'm so excited!

[ShawnCarla]

WOW that is great news!! I know you will do great:)

Thank you! I appreciate the kind words and motivation... that helps!

[ShawnCarla]

That's awesome!! Good for you!! Can't wait to see what this year brings you :)

Thank you! I can't wait either!

[cw955588]

So I just jumped ahead a YEAR in my goals today and I'm totally freaking out.
Last summer I did the TN State Show which is a National Qualifier. Well I was told that you had to place top 2 in your class to qualify for Nationals... I took 3rd. And I was told WRONG! It's Top 3! OMG! That means I'm qualified for Nationals!!!!! I can't believe it! I literally JUST found this out right now so I'm freaking out! My whole goal this year was to qualify for Nationals and since August I already HAVE been qualified! AHHHHH! Such a great day!

LOVE this!!!!!!! Look out IFBB... here she comes!!!! :)

[ShawnCarla]

LOVE this!!!!!!! Look out IFBB... here she comes!!!! :)

lol... thanks!

[ShawnCarla]

3/11/2010 (about 3/10)
Yesterday was an Arms day... I did the same workout from Monday, just added another set so it looked like this...
Super Set 1
Push Ups: 2 sets of 10 reps
Body-weight Triceps Dips: 2 sets of 10 reps
60 seconds of jump rope between each set

Super Set 2
Chest Press: 3 sets of 10 reps
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension: 3 sets of 10 reps
45 seconds of jump rope between each set

Super Set 3
Overhead Dumbbell Presses: 3 sets of 10 reps
Bent Over One-Arm Row: 3 sets of 10 reps
60 seconds of jump rope between each set

Super Set 4
Standing Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps
Cable Rope Tricep Extension Straight Down: 3 sets of 10 reps
Cable Rope Crunches: 3 sets of 10 reps
45 seconds of jump rope between each set

Calories: 1100 135g Protein 120g Carbs 20g Fat

It was a great workout but shortly after that I started going down-hill. I was starting to get sick and through the day it got progressively worse. Not to mention the fact I worked 12 hour yesterday with 6 of those hours being at a beer convention so I was screaming and yelling at beer distributors all night long. It was exhausting and I have no voice and feel work now.
So today we'll see if I can make it through a workout... I'm going to try. I'm waiting til after I get done with work and take a nap though. I'd rather skip one day at the gym then a few weeks from being sick... I cannot afford to do that!
I'll post some Arnold pics later too! :)

[ShawnCarla]

Here are a few photos from the Arnold... still waiting for my boyfriend to upload mine, but these were some of my friend's....
My friend Rico and I... we've been friends for about 5 years, way before I was into BodyBuilding. Now we've both got the same goals!
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy236/ShawnHektor/arnold3.jpg
Holding one of the MANY free magazines from the weekend... I had a suitcase filled with these things!
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy236/ShawnHektor/arnold.jpg
Me and Carrie Ann... one of the many "Facebook Friends" I met in person over the weekend!
http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy236/ShawnHektor/arnold1.jpg
More to come!

[journey2swole]

3/11/2010 (about 3/10)
Yesterday was an Arms day... I did the same workout from Monday, just added another set so it looked like this...
Super Set 1
Push Ups: 2 sets of 10 reps
Body-weight Triceps Dips: 2 sets of 10 reps
60 seconds of jump rope between each set

Super Set 2
Chest Press: 3 sets of 10 reps
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension: 3 sets of 10 reps
45 seconds of jump rope between each set

Super Set 3
Overhead Dumbbell Presses: 3 sets of 10 reps
Bent Over One-Arm Row: 3 sets of 10 reps
60 seconds of jump rope between each set

Super Set 4
Standing Lateral Dumbbell Raises: 3 sets of 10 reps
Cable Rope Tricep Extension Straight Down: 3 sets of 10 reps
Cable Rope Crunches: 3 sets of 10 reps
45 seconds of jump rope between each set

Calories: 1100 135g Protein 120g Carbs 20g Fat

It was a great workout but shortly after that I started going down-hill. I was starting to get sick and through the day it got progressively worse. Not to mention the fact I worked 12 hour yesterday with 6 of those hours being at a beer convention so I was screaming and yelling at beer distributors all night long. It was exhausting and I have no voice and feel work now.
So today we'll see if I can make it through a workout... I'm going to try. I'm waiting til after I get done with work and take a nap though. I'd rather skip one day at the gym then a few weeks from being sick... I cannot afford to do that!
I'll post some Arnold pics later too! :)

Still a strong workout session there. Hope you get to feeling better and can really knock out a great routine. The Arnold pics are looking good too!

[ShawnCarla]

Still a strong workout session there. Hope you get to feeling better and can really knock out a great routine. The Arnold pics are looking good too!

Thanks! I am feeling ok... I may do just some light cardio today or yoga. I'm not even hungry so I'm force feeding myself to keep up my strength.
The Arnold pics came out pretty cute considering I was on about 6 hours of sleep the whole weekend! I can tell I've put on a lot of size over the winter so it's fun to anticipate what I'm going to look like now that I'm starting to cut down again!

[cw955588]

Thanks! I am feeling ok... I may do just some light cardio today or yoga. I'm not even hungry so I'm force feeding myself to keep up my strength.
The Arnold pics came out pretty cute considering I was on about 6 hours of sleep the whole weekend! I can tell I've put on a lot of size over the winter so it's fun to anticipate what I'm going to look like now that I'm starting to cut down again!

You look gorgeous! :)

[ShawnCarla]

You look gorgeous! :)

Thank you! :)

[ShawnCarla]

3/11/2010
Today because I wasn't feeling well I just did a slow stretching workout. My boyfriend does P90X and he convinced me to do the stretching video. It's an hour of low-intensity bending and twisting and it felt great! I have always been really flexible but I have noticed my flexibility going down as I put on more muscle. So doing this video was great and I'm going to start doing it a few times a week. I feel loose and limber. I did take my 4 NOBetas and scoop of CreaDyl beforehand so even though I wasn't doing anything heavy, the blood got flowing and my muscles filled right up! Overall, even though I wasn't feeling well, this was a good day!

[The_10_2s]

I will post pics soon... gotta get them uploaded.. my boyfriend has to do it... for some reason my computer no longer recognises my camera... don't ask me why! LOL

my computer just started logging me out of BB.com every time i browse to a different page... even if the page is withing bb.com crazy! i think sometimes they have a mind of their own! if not one thing its another! lol

BTW sweet pics so far from the Arnold.

[ShawnCarla]

Just ordered my materials for next competition suit! It's gonna be kelly green and copper... with lots of bling of course! Can't wait to get started on it.

[ShawnCarla]

3/12/2010
OMG what a GREAT workout I had tonight! I decided to hit it hard today since I had slacked from being sick yesterday. I put together a bunch of huge circuits and hit the gym. By the time I got to the gym my motivation level had dropped but I put in my ipod, stepped on the treadmill to warm up and started sipping my CreaDyl... oh and I upped my dose of NOBeta to 5 to see what would happen.
After my warmup I proceeded to my sets and LORD did it burn! Each of my super sets focused on one muscle group either back, biceps, shoulders, or abs. I found that with the Stack in play, paired with the focus on one group, that group swelled so much I felt they would burst. It was a great feeling. But so much so that it was really difficult for me to lift, especially on my biceps sets. This was a good thing as I upped my weights for each set and I could really feel everything moving and working...and working hard at that!
I'm gonna do that stretching video again tomorrow morning as I'm sure I'm going to need it after tonight!
I also included my weights on this workout just to give an idea of my strength level... I forgot my gloves tonight and that killed my hands!

1
Hyperextensions 2 sets of 10 to warm up. First set w/0 weight, second with a 25lb plate

Lat Pull Downs 2x 10reps (100lbs; 110lbs)
Assisted Chin-ups 2x 10reps (69.5lbs; 61lbs)
Seated Row 2x 10reps (130lbs; 140lbs)
Hyperextensions 2x 10reps (25lb plate)

2
Preacher Curls 1 set of 10 to warm up @ 35lbs

Barbell Curls 2x 10reps (45lbs)
Hammer Curls 2x 10reps (20lbs DB's)
Preacher Curls 2x 10reps (45lbs)

3
Shrugs 2 sets of 10 to warm up. First set w/20lbs Dumbbells second set w/40lb Dumbbells

Dumbbell Shoulder Press 2x 10reps (20lbs DB's; 25lbs DB's)
Side Raises with Dumbbells 2x 10reps (15lbs DB's)
Front Raises with Dumbbells 2x 10reps (10lbs DB's; 15lb DB's)
Shrugs 2x 10reps (40lbs DB's)

4
Oblique Crunches 2x to FTG (30 each side; 20 each side)
Hanging Leg Raises 2x to FTG (15)
Sit ups with Weights 2x to FTG (25lb plate 15 reps)

[ShawnCarla]

Tomorrow's my 4 weeks!... and I'm going to be honest with you, I'm even surprising myself. I took a couple pics today and it's seriously amazing how quickly my body is changing. I look at myself in the mirror every day and I don't really see it.
As I've mentioned before I feel progress pics are the best way to assess where you are. I was shocked when I snapped the couple I did today. I can't wait to take all of them tomorrow morning and compare! I think you all are in for a treat!

[ShawnCarla]

my computer just started logging me out of BB.com every time i browse to a different page... even if the page is withing bb.com crazy! i think sometimes they have a mind of their own! if not one thing its another! lol

BTW sweet pics so far from the Arnold.

I think BB is updating their whole site... there have been a lot of technical issues the last few days. None of the exercise videos are working, my profile says I have no friends and no comments. It's odd... but I've noticed new things popping up so I'm guessing they're doing an over-haul of the site.

[tiffanee777]

Tomorrow's my 4 weeks!... and I'm going to be honest with you, I'm even surprising myself. I took a couple pics today and it's seriously amazing how quickly my body is changing. I look at myself in the mirror every day and I don't really see it.
As I've mentioned before I feel progress pics are the best way to assess where you are. I was shocked when I snapped the couple I did today. I can't wait to take all of them tomorrow morning and compare! I think you all are in for a treat!

Maybe because you've done this cutting thing before, you already know how to come in conditioned! You've had prior experience to help you out. Plus the fact that you have a trainer and nutritionist. Most of us don't have that luxury. I know it's still hard work, but easier because you already know how your body responds!

[ShawnCarla]

Maybe because you've done this cutting thing before, you already know how to come in conditioned! You've had prior experience to help you out. Plus the fact that you have a trainer and nutritionist. Most of us don't have that luxury. I know it's still hard work, but easier because you already know how your body responds!

You're right, I have done it before but you have to understand that this sort of thing is not a "one and done" process. Your body is always changing and always throwing curve balls just like life does. Being in top physical shape will NEVER be easy. Which is one of the biggest problems with our society today. They're looking for a magic pill in a bottle or once they loose the weight they think they can go right back to what they were doing before and keep it off... doesn't happen. It's a constant struggle and daily hard work.
And though a trainer and nutritionist may seem like a "luxury" it's not, it's a sacrifice. I pay her for her help because I need it. Trust me, the $150 a month I pay her could easily go toward something else in my life. But I choose to take her guidance so that I can push harder, further, and better. I don't sit by and wait to see how my training will go. I use her expertise to my advantage. Ever heard the saying that there's always someone out there pushing and working harder then you are? It's true. Instead of making excuses for why I'm not succeeding, I choose to find someone who can help give me a path to walk down. I'm still the one who has to push my way to the end of that path.
This is also the reason Double-T is a great supplement... because I HAVE done this before and I know what works for me and what doesn't. I know it's the supplements that are giving me the results because I know how my body works. The fact that Double-T is helping to push me to a new higher level, speaks volumes about their product. Because as I have done this before, I have also tried just about every supplement out there and very very few ACTUALLY WORK. I can say honestly that Double-T DOES work. As I've mentioned through my blog, typical pre-workout formulas promise big results and deliver much less. Also most supplements I've tried fizzle out after a week or two. I could name a half dozen fat burners that I no longer feel after a week of taking them. I could also name a half dozen NO products that react horribly with my body.
So perhaps experience is a good thing for this transformation contest, not a bad thing.

[tiffanee777]

Yes, just like you said, you know what works for you, and what doesn't! As far as the luxury goes, it IS a luxury to people like me (and others), with 4 children. So, on that level we can't even compare....As far as Double T being so great, IT IS!! But, being that you've made 'transformations' before, how can you say it's all Double-T doing the work, because you have the progress pics up to prove you can already come in looking pretty cut, without there product, I guess unless you put on a ton more muscle!

[ShawnCarla]

Yes, just like you said, you know what works for you, and what doesn't! As far as the luxury goes, it IS a luxury to people like me (and others), with 4 children. So, on that level we can't even compare....As far as Double T being so great, IT IS!! But, being that you've made 'transformations' before, how can you say it's all Double-T doing the work, because you have the progress pics up to prove you can already come in looking pretty cut, without there product, I guess unless you put on a ton more muscle!

Just another note on the luxury aspect and then I'm going to leave it alone... no I don't have 4 kids, but don't assume that I don't have my own personal issues to deal with. I'm not about to go spreading my dirty laundry. But trust me, it is a sacrifice.

Just as I mentioned in my other post, and you did as well, I know what works for my body and what doesn't... also there is no such thing as a miracle in a bottle... as most people are looking for that. No supplement is ever going to take the place of a solid diet and workout plan. But when I actually feel the supplement expanding in my muscles and allowing me to lift 10-20lbs heavier then I do without it, I can say that's the work of the Stack. This alone is not going to change my body instantly (though it does give a great cosmetic effect while you're still pumped up in the gym!). However if I'm consistently lifting heavier and more then I was before, obviously my body is going to grow more then if I was lifting 10-20lbs lighter.
As an example: The same is true if you were to take steroids. Yes they are drugs to enhance your physique. However, if those guys just stuck the needle in their butt and didn't hit the gym or eat the way they do wouldn't grow either.
It's not what the supplement does, it's what it helps you to achieve.

And I'm going to upload the photos asap. So you'll have to check them out...
To answer your question earlier as well... yes I have put on a TON of muscle in the last four months. I have never gone through a "bulking phase" as I still have only been training for about 11 months... not even a full year yet.

[tiffanee777]

Just another note on the luxury aspect and then I'm going to leave it alone... no I don't have 4 kids, but don't assume that I don't have my own personal issues to deal with. I'm not about to go spreading my dirty laundry. But trust me, it is a sacrifice.

Just as I mentioned in my other post, and you did as well, I know what works for my body and what doesn't... also there is no such thing as a miracle in a bottle... as most people are looking for that. No supplement is ever going to take the place of a solid diet and workout plan. But when I actually feel the supplement expanding in my muscles and allowing me to lift 10-20lbs heavier then I do without it, I can say that's the work of the Stack. This alone is not going to change my body instantly (though it does give a great cosmetic effect while you're still pumped up in the gym!). However if I'm consistently lifting heavier and more then I was before, obviously my body is going to grow more then if I was lifting 10-20lbs lighter.
As an example: The same is true if you were to take steroids. Yes they are drugs to enhance your physique. However, if those guys just stuck the needle in their butt and didn't hit the gym or eat the way they do wouldn't grow either.
It's not what the supplement does, it's what it helps you to achieve.

And I'm going to upload the photos asap. So you'll have to check them out...
To answer your question earlier as well... yes I have put on a TON of muscle in the last four months. I have never gone through a "bulking phase" as I still have only been training for about 11 months... not even a full year yet.

I will look at your pics! I know it takes alot of hard work....as I am trying to achieve a goal as well! And, you do look good, that's a given!! I think you looked good from the start. Wasn't trying to start anything, just had a few things to get off my chest. You are right, we don't know each others struggles......

[ShawnCarla]

I will look at your pics! I know it takes alot of hard work....as I am trying to achieve a goal as well! And, you do look good, that's a given!! I think you looked good from the start. Wasn't trying to start anything, just had a few things to get off my chest. You are right, we don't know each others struggles......

I understand and I welcome the questions... that's the point of this transformation and the blogs.
It's hard when you look at someone from the outside and think they must have things so much easier then you do. I would encourage you to continue to be hungry for the knowledge in this industry. There is a lot out there to learn and there is a lot to gain from it.
It's not easy, it never will be and it's very easy to look at someone and get upset. I know I do it all the time. I see people in this field that are doing what I want to be doing full-time and I don't understand why that isn't me.
But what I have realized is that we are all in charge of our own destiny and we all have the power to do whatever it is we want to do with our lives. I stopped making excuses for myself and my situation and I started making things happen. It's never been an easy road and it never will be, but that's what makes the journey down that road so important and so meaningful.

[ShawnCarla]

3/14/2010
Start of a new workout program and a new diet plan today!
The diet will be high protein and fats and low carbs.
I've basically got a list of exercises to do and I can choose which ones to do which order to do them in and how many set of each with a set number of reps for each exercise. Grouped into Super Sets and meant to keep my heart rate elevated the whole time. The goal here is to keep switching things up each and every workout. That way my body will keep guessing and won't have any chance to adapt and therefore will grow and grow fast! Today I did a full body workout. From arms to shoulders to chest to abs to glutes. And boy was it a challenge and a TON of FUN!
I took my 4 NOBetas and scoop of Creadyl. The pump is starting to go so I'm going to bump up to 5 NOBetas tomorrow.

Set 1
Front Raises 10lb/16reps, 15/12, 15/12
Lat Raises 15lb/13reps, 15/12, 15/12
DB Overhead Shoulder Press (Start both arms at the top and then alternate arms) 25lbs/12rep, 25/12, 25/12

Set 2
EZ Bar Preacher Curl 45lb/12reps, 45/12
DB Hammer Curls 20lb/10reps, 20/10

Set 3
DB Fly on Ball 20lb/16reps, 25/13
Horizontal Cable Fly (Cables at chest height. Bring handles to center then alternate arms) 85lb/16reps, 100/16
Machine Chest Press 120lb/12reps, 120/12

Set 4
Machine Crunches (partial range of motion; make sure arms and hip flexors are not doing the work) 100lb/15reps 110/12, 110/12
Decline Crunches (partial range of motion; put plate on your chest for more of a challenge) 25lb/12reps 25/12, 25/12

Set 5
Iso-Lateral Smith Deadlifts (stand on a step w/ risers and do a straight leg deadlift with one leg on Smith Machine. Then switch sides. Keep weight medium to light.) 75lb/16reps, 75/16
Iso-Lateral Seated Leg Curl 60lb/16reps 60/16, 60/16

[ShawnCarla]

3/15/2010
Pumped it up to 5 NOBetas and a scoop of Creadyl today before my workout. I felt a little of the tingle of the CreaDyl, at the beginning but that flush passed as I went through my circuits. I think I'm going to bump up to a scoop and a half tomorrow and see if I can handle it. These workouts I'm doing right now are super intense and I'm on low carbs so I think the added CreaDyl could help me push harder through it.
My workout today kicked ass! It was another full-body workout jumping from exersize to exercise without any rest. I was spent by the end... love that feeling!

1
DB Reverse Fly 20lbx16reps; 25x13
Reverse Fly 70lbsx13rpes; 70x12

2
Cable Tricep Kickbacks 30lbsx12reps; 30x12; 30x12
Tricep Extension w/Rope 70lbsx16reps; 80x14, 80x14
Tricep Machine 95lbsx16reps; 100x14, 100x12

3
Wide Grip Lat Pull Down 100lbsx13reps
Wide Grip Cable Seated Row 130lbsx13reps
Assisted Pull Ups 69.5lbsx12reps
DB Bent over Rows 35lbsx15reps

4
Side Planks 15lbsx20reps; 20x20; 20x20

5
Cable Leg Lifts 20lbsx12reps
Hanging Leg Lifts (Keep legs straight; then bend knees and keep going to fatigue) 14reps...6reps

6
BB Squat 175lbsx 10reps; 175x10
Leg Extensions 115lbsx10reps; 115x9

7
Seated Calf Raise 136lbsx20reps; 136x16; 136x16
Straight Leg Calf Raises on Leg Press 200lbsx16reps; 200x16; 200x16

[castille]

Workouts are looking great!! Nothing like leaving the gym totally spent.

[drooks10]

You go, girl!!!! Great workout.

[ShawnCarla]

Workouts are looking great!! Nothing like leaving the gym totally spent.
Agreed! I feel so much better when that happens.

You go, girl!!!! Great workout.

Thank you! I love intense workouts... keeps the body growing!

[cw955588]

Pics look awesome! Congrats on making so much progress in such a short period of time!!!

[ShawnCarla]

3/16/2010
Yesterday was a Cardio day! I worked my biceps and abs before 35minutes of cardio. I did take 5 NOBetas and A rounded scoop of CreaDyl. My timing was a little off on when I started drinking the CreaDly so I drank most of it at once. Usually I sip the CreaDyl through my whole workout. Taking most of it at once sent a huge flush through my body as I began lifting. It looked funny! I had just gotten my hair freshly dyed red and my skin pretty much matched it! lol But it was good, it pushed me through the lifting. And I felt my muscles working more then ever. I used a new ab machine I never had before and that thing killed! I did intervals on the treadmill... 60 seconds sprinting and 120 seconds walking. I love the way my body looks when I run. I see my muscles tense and at work while I'm running and it's such a cool look! I feel like Wonder Woman or something. lol
I'm still on low carbs (70g a day) so the boost from the Stack is VERY welcomed!

Preacher Curls 3x16
Hammer Curls 3x12
Cable Fly-Curl 3x12

Reverse Crunches 3x16
Ab Machine 3x 12
Decline Crunches 3x15

[ShawnCarla]

Pics look awesome! Congrats on making so much progress in such a short period of time!!!

Thank you! Yeah like I said, I was honestly shocked myself! I didn't realize just how much I had improved til I took those pics! Yay for The Stack!

[ShawnCarla]

3/17/2010
Today was a tough workout! In a good way... it was a full body workout so I was walking like I had a stick up my bumm by the end of it!
I was a little off on my timing again... thanks to a 2 hour conversation with the IRS. Gotta love it!
But when I took my NOBeta's and CreaDyl my stomach was beyond empty. So I was doing well til about halfway through my workout when the carbs from the CreaDyl started messing with my stomach. I was ok.. just uncomfortable! On the up-side, now that I'm on low carbs, when I take the CreaDyl my veins are popping like crazy!
Wait til you see all my exercises from today! Whew!

1
Front Raises 15x12; 20x12

2
Lateral Raises 15x12; 15;12
Dumbbell Overhead Shoulder Press (Start both arms at the top and then alternate arms) 25x9; 25x9
Machine Shoulder Press 70x10; 70x9

3
Cable Tricep Kickbacks 30x12
Tricep Extensions with Rope 90x12
Tricep Machine 110x10

4
DB Fly on Stability Ball 25x10; 25x10
Flat Bench DB Chest Press 35x8; 35x8
Horizontal Cable Fly 115x10; 115x10
Machine Chest Press 85x8; 85x8

5
Iso-Lat Smith Deadlifts 95x12; 80x12
Iso-lat Leg Press 95x12; 95x12
Hip Abduction Machine 110x12; 120x12
Alt. Rev. Lunges on Smith Machine 55x16; 60x12

6
Hip Extensions on Bench 20x12
Seated Leg Curl 100x14

7
Seated Calf Raises 136x14
Straight leg calf raise on leg press 200x16

[ShawnCarla]

3/19/2010


It's been a very busy couple of days so I missed writing out my workout yesterday... I'm on 5 NOBetas and a heaping scoop of CreaDly for my Stack dosage. I'm also drinking a cup of coffee prior to working out. The reason for all of this is because I'm still on low carbs. Taking the extra carbs and caffiene before my workout really helps me push harder through it. And remember I'm doing these sets straight through with as little rest as possible... it's beyond exhausting! Here's my workout from yesterday....

DB Reverse Fly 25lb/12; 30lb/10
Reverse Fly Machine 85lb/8; 85lb/8

EZ Bar Preacher Curl 35lb/20; 40lb/16
Cable Curl to Fly 20lb/20; 25lb/16
DB Hammer Curl 20lb/16; 20lb/16

Side Planks 20lb/16; 20lb/16; 20lb/16;

Wide Grip Lat Pull Down 110lb/12; 110lb/11
Assisted Pull Ups 69.5/10; 69.5/8
Wide Grip Seated Row 140lb/11; 140lb/10
DB Bent Over Row 40lb/12; 40lb/8

Leg Extension 100lb/12; 100lb/12
BB Squat 160lb/12; 160lb/12
Cable Leg Lifts 20lb/12; 20lb/12; 20lb/12
Hanging Leg Lifts 0lb/19; 0lb/14; 0lb/16


Today was a cardio day as well as lifting...

Seated Calf Raises 136lb/16; 136lb/16; 136lb/16;
Straight Leg Calf Press on Leg Press 200lb/16; 200lb/16; 200lb/16;

DB Overhead Shoulder Press 20lb/16
Lat Raises 15lb/16
Machine Shoulder Press 50lb/16
Front Raises 15lb/16

Tricep Machine 95lb/16
Tricep Extension with Rope 95lb/16
Cable Tricep Kickbacks 20lb/16

Reverse Crunches 0lb/12; 0lb/12; 0lb/12;
Decline Crunches 30lb/12; 30lb/10; 30lb/12
Machine Crunches 110lb/12; 110lb/12; 110lb/12;

Following this I did 35 minutes of cardio 60 seconds on and 120 seconds off. I did 20 minutes of it on the ski machine and 15 on the spin bike.

Overall, I'm whooped from this week! I'm happy to have tomorrow off. My boyfriend's birthday is Monday so we're celebrating it this weekend. We're taking the dogs for a hike and a picnic. I'm really looking forward to spending time outside with my family. It's the first time we've had nice weather since summer.... sooooooo excited!
I'm also baking carrot cake and cooking breakfast tomorrow. Carrot cake is my boyfriend's (and mine too) favorite. So I made a healthier version with applesauce instead of oil. Can't wait!!

[cw955588]

Great workouts! Hope you guys have a great time on the birthday hike/picnic!!!

[ShawnCarla]

3/22/2010

I missed putting up my workout from yesterday but it was doozy... full-body with a ton of exercises. I took 5 NOBetas and a scoop of CreaDyl. The cool part is my muscles we super hard through the workout. I am on a low-carb diet right now and since Saturday was my last cheat day I had a ton of carbs... it was my boyfriend's birthday so I made an amazing carrot cake for him! The added carbs totally filled all my muscles yesterday!
Today was a leg/oblique/hip flexor day. 4 sets of each exercise. I made the decision to do my squats first... and made the decision to up my NoBetas to 6. Holy Crap! After my squats my legs felt like they were going to explode! I had to take extra time to stretch them all out in between sets. I literally thought my hamstrings were going to pop out of my skin by the time I got to my hip flexor exercises. So needless to say, tomorrow I'm going back to 5 NOBetas! I don't need those 6 yet!
Also on Wednesday I head to LA until Sunday. So I know that's going to effect my diet and workouts... but I'm bringing chicken breast, protein powder, and baby food with me to stick to eating clean... yes I said baby food. They have organic baby food without any preservatives added in little plastic containers. They're perfect for traveling!
I'm thrilled with how my physique is coming in now! Here comes week 6, can't wait to get to week 10!

[castille]

Workouts on Monday are always great since I use Sunday as a carb up day.
Sounds like ya'll had a great weekend. Have a great week of workouts.

[Simpy]

The baby food is a great idea. I've never thought of that before.

[ShawnCarla]

The baby food is a great idea. I've never thought of that before.

I hadn't either... I was walking through the grocery store contemplating how to take fruits and veggies with me (knowing I won't have a refrigerator or the ability to get to a grocery store) when I walked past the baby isle. And though... hummm... I wonder.... so I started looking at the ingredients and some of them are awful so you have to be careful. But a lot of them just contain the fruit or veggie and water. The sodium content is low and the plastic containers just make them perfect!

[drooks10]

I've heard of numerous bbers using baby food in their contest prep. Me...not so much! Haha

[THEMANBEAST]

I couldnt imagine eating baby food lol

[ShawnCarla]

I've heard of numerous bbers using baby food in their contest prep. Me...not so much! Haha

Yeah I'm not going to make it common practice... but given the alternative (really crappy food)... I'll take it!

I couldnt imagine eating baby food lol

It's not so bad! I haven't eaten it in a long time but I remember having to test it to feed my baby brother. And when it comes down to it, the nutrients are what's important!

[Iron Chicano]

Don't grocery stores sell small cans of veggies with the pop tops? I saw some today while browsing the isle. Not sure how baby food taste but I would imagine the canned veggies taste better no?

[jordansrt]

I gotta say, baby food is probaly better than most foods for us

[Simpy]

I couldnt imagine eating baby food lol

The stuff for toddlers isn't so bad.

[Simpy]

Hey, SC. How was your weekend?

[ShawnCarla]

Hey, SC. How was your weekend?

It was a GREAT weekend! I'm still getting caught up on everything but the baby food worked PERFECT! I'll write a longer update later... off to the gym now!

[ShawnCarla]

Ok so an update….What a week! LA was SOOOO much fun! And what was great about it is that I was able to stay on my diet and keep active too. Unfortunately the gym at my hotel was $20 a day so I skipped that. I did some plyo in my room and literally danced ALL day and night! We were busy from the moment we woke up to the moment we went to bed. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had so much fun.
So today I got back into my regular schedule and hit the gym. I’m officially in my 12 weeks until my next competition… Jr Nationals. I think I’m going to do the NPC Southern States as well. It’s two weeks before Jr Nationals and there are 5 National NPC judges there. So I can go and get my face in front of them before Chicago and they can give me critiques I need to come in as best I can at Jr Nationals.
I also spoke to a National NPC judge last week and he gave me a ton of critiques to work on my physique. It was great! First of all I realized I have an issue with insulin in my body which is what gives me the fat in my thighs and lower back I can never get rid of! So guess who is cutting out everything sweet in my diet… everything from artificial sweeteners to fruit! Can you believe it?!?! So now I’m not only on low carbs but I’m also on NOTHING sweet! The ONLY exception I’m making is the CreaDly in my Stack because I burn it off in my workout.
So here’s my workout for today…
Cable Tricep Kickbacks 25lbs/15; 25lb/15
Tricep Machine 100lbs/15; 100lb/13
Tricep Extension w/Rope 80lbs/16; 90lb/13

Cable leg lifts 30lb/16; 35lb/12; 35lb/12
Hanging leg lifts 0lb/20; 5lb/12; 5lb/12

Leg extensions 100lb/12; 100lb/12; 100lb/12
BB Squat 165lb/12; 145lb/12; 145lb/12

Straight leg calf raises 205lb/12; 210lb/12
Seated Calf Raises 156lb/10; 156lb/9

Reverse Crunches 0lb/15; 0lb/13; 0lb/12
Decline Crunches 25lb/16; 25lb/13; 25lb/13
Machine Crunches 100lb/16; 100lb/15; 100lb/16

[Simpy]

I'm glad you had fun in LA. And the insulin issue sounds familiar - I also deal with that.

[ShawnCarla]

I'm glad you had fun in LA. And the insulin issue sounds familiar - I also deal with that.

I had absolutely no idea this was the reason I had issues ridding my body fat in these areas. it's always been my trouble area. Now that I know, I'm thrilled I can get rid of it! Not so thrilled I can't eat anything sweet, but I'll deal with it if it'll make those pudgy patches disappear!

[ShawnCarla]

I also wanted to share this.... I'm extremely inspired by my friend Chris Rovente's desire to change his life for the better. Follow along on his blog - www.newbalancenewself.com and keep him accountable! I also just contributed a short article for him, maybe one of my tips can help you too!

[ShawnCarla]

I gotta say, baby food is probaly better than most foods for us

yeah I grabbed the ones with just the vegetable and water as the ingredients... they're much better then ordering in a restaurant and wondering what's hidden in the dishes!

[ShawnCarla]

Don't grocery stores sell small cans of veggies with the pop tops? I saw some today while browsing the isle. Not sure how baby food taste but I would imagine the canned veggies taste better no?

You just have to watch the ingredients... some of them contain a lot of preservatives and additives. They just taste like the vegetable or fruit that's in them!

[cw955588]

That is crazy about the insulin thing... and how lucky to have figured it out right as you are starting contest prep... it must be a sign! :)

[ShawnCarla]

That is crazy about the insulin thing... and how lucky to have figured it out right as you are starting contest prep... it must be a sign! :)

Lol I know! I was excited to get in contact with that judge... he had judged one of my shows last season so it was great to get critiques from him.
And your final pics look great btw!

[ShawnCarla]

Today was biceps, obliques and cardio. After my talks with the judges and trainer I'm tweaking my training a bit. I'm going lower weight and higher reps on the biceps and I'm going to stop working obliques for a while. My obliques are getting too thick and I need more of a V Taper and my biceps (and triceps) are growing with my shoulders, when I want my shoulders to be larger. So I'm going to start incorporating these principals into my training now that I'm 12 weeks from Chicago!
I'm still on just 5 NOBetas and a scoop of CreaDyl. My arms were on fire through my workout cuz of the niacin!

EZ Bar Preacher Curl 4x 12reps
DB Hammer Curl 4x 12reps (per arm)
Cable Curl/Fly 4x 12reps (per arm)

Side Planks 4x 20reps (per side)

35 minutes on the ski machine 30 seconds on 60 seconds off

[Simpy]

Best thing I ever did for my shoulders was handstand pushups. When I added those in I saw the biggest difference of all time with my shoulders.

[jovinni]

Best thing I ever did for my shoulders was handstand pushups. When I added those in I saw the biggest difference of all time with my shoulders.

Handstand push ups are amazing, even though I haven't done them since my days in gymnastics. SC, if you can't manage to get up in a handstand to do them, I have found the pike push ups are a good modified version. Instead of your legs up high, you just have them propped on a bench. Still hard, but a little bit easier.

[ShawnCarla]

Best thing I ever did for my shoulders was handstand pushups. When I added those in I saw the biggest difference of all time with my shoulders.


Handstand push ups are amazing, even though I haven't done them since my days in gymnastics. SC, if you can't manage to get up in a handstand to do them, I have found the pike push ups are a good modified version. Instead of your legs up high, you just have them propped on a bench. Still hard, but a little bit easier.

Oooo interesting! I'm always a fan of body-weighted exercises. I've never done the handstand ones but I have done the piked ones. I think in order for me to do the handstand ones I'd have to be up against a wall. But I'm going to work them back into my workout as well. Thanks!!!

[ShawnCarla]

I just wanted to give an update... it's been a week since I cut out everything sweet from my diet. You will not believe it but I literally have lost a half inch of fat on each side of my lower back! I'm THRILLED! I had no idea it would work so well. And I don't even miss the fruit or sweeteners... I'm an all-or-nothing girl. So with all my sweets gone, I don't even think about them! Yay!

[castille]

I just wanted to give an update... it's been a week since I cut out everything sweet from my diet. You will not believe it but I literally have lost a half inch of fat on each side of my lower back! I'm THRILLED! I had no idea it would work so well. And I don't even miss the fruit or sweeteners... I'm an all-or-nothing girl. So with all my sweets gone, I don't even think about them! Yay!

It's great to see it is paying off:) Have a Great Day!!

[ShawnCarla]

3/30/2010
So I had a bit of a rough day mentally today. It just was one of those days when all your insecurities come to the surface and you ask yourself... What the hell am I doing with my life??? I have sense taken some deep breaths and pushed through these issues for the moment, but they're still there and I'm kind of on a low right now. To increase my spirits I am trying to focus on my physique and training right now because they're both going SO SO well! My workout was beyond intense today and I truely needed it after my day.
I learned a few new stretching techniques for my legs and it really really helped me go in deep on my hamstring and calf exercises. It felt SO good!
I am still on 5 NoBetas and a scoop of CreaDyl. Tomorrow I'm going to take a scoop and a half of CreaDyl since I'm going to be adding extra cardio tomorrow.

Front Raises 20lbs-3x12
Lateral Raises 15lbs-3x12
DB Overhead Shoulder Press 25lbs-3x12
Machine Shoulder Press 60lbs-3x12

DB Reverse Fly 25lbs-1x10; 1x12
Reverse Fly Machine 85lbs-2x8

Cable Tricep Kickbacks 20lbx16
Tricep Extensions with Rope 80lbx16
Tricep Machine 100lbx16

Wide Grip Lat Pull Down 90lbx16; 90lbx16
Wide Grip Cable Seated Row 120lbx16
Assisted Pull ups 86.5lbx16; 96.5lbx16
DB Bent Over Row 35lbx16

DB Fly on Stability Ball 25lbx12
Flat Bench DB Chest Press 30lbx12
Horizontal Cable Fly 120lbsx12
Machine Chest Press 80lbsx12

Iso-Lat Smith Deadlifts 65lbsx8; 65lbsx10
Iso-lat Leg Press 100lbx9; 100lbx10
Hip Abduction Machine 130lbx11; 130lbx11
Alt. Rev. Lunges on Smith Machine 50lbx10; 50lbx10

Hip Extensions on Roman Chair 25lbx14
Seated Leg Curl 90lbx17

Seated Calf Raises 156lbx17
Straight leg calf raise on leg press 200lbx17

[The_10_2s]

3/30/2010
So I had a bit of a rough day mentally today. It just was one of those days when all your insecurities come to the surface and you ask yourself... What the hell am I doing with my life??? I have sense taken some deep breaths and pushed through these issues for the moment, but they're still there and I'm kind of on a low right now. To increase my spirits I am trying to focus on my physique and training right now because they're both going SO SO well! My workout was beyond intense today and I truely needed it after my day.
I learned a few new stretching techniques for my legs and it really really helped me go in deep on my hamstring and calf exercises. It felt SO good!
I am still on 5 NoBetas and a scoop of CreaDyl. Tomorrow I'm going to take a scoop and a half of CreaDyl since I'm going to be adding extra cardio tomorrow.

Front Raises 20lbs-3x12
Lateral Raises 15lbs-3x12
DB Overhead Shoulder Press 25lbs-3x12
Machine Shoulder Press 60lbs-3x12

DB Reverse Fly 25lbs-1x10; 1x12
Reverse Fly Machine 85lbs-2x8

Cable Tricep Kickbacks 20lbx16
Tricep Extensions with Rope 80lbx16
Tricep Machine 100lbx16

Wide Grip Lat Pull Down 90lbx16; 90lbx16
Wide Grip Cable Seated Row 120lbx16
Assisted Pull ups 86.5lbx16; 96.5lbx16
DB Bent Over Row 35lbx16

DB Fly on Stability Ball 25lbx12
Flat Bench DB Chest Press 30lbx12
Horizontal Cable Fly 120lbsx12
Machine Chest Press 80lbsx12

Iso-Lat Smith Deadlifts 65lbsx8; 65lbsx10
Iso-lat Leg Press 100lbx9; 100lbx10
Hip Abduction Machine 130lbx11; 130lbx11
Alt. Rev. Lunges on Smith Machine 50lbx10; 50lbx10

Hip Extensions on Roman Chair 25lbx14
Seated Leg Curl 90lbx17

Seated Calf Raises 156lbx17
Straight leg calf raise on leg press 200lbx17

Hey i know how you feel... somedays you just wonder who, what, when, where, how and why?! lol then you realize you are still alive and the one qoute that helps me is "this too shall pass"

after i read that and then i read your w/o. the first thing i said was HOLY COW, you moved a lot of iron tonight... keep rockin it!

great work!

[Simpy]

It's especially hard to keep your spirits up when your busy, training, and dropping your cals so low. You're doing great though! :)

[ShawnCarla]

Hey i know how you feel... somedays you just wonder who, what, when, where, how and why?! lol then you realize you are still alive and the one qoute that helps me is "this too shall pass"

after i read that and then i read your w/o. the first thing i said was HOLY COW, you moved a lot of iron tonight... keep rockin it!

great work!
lol... yeah I'm pushing some SERIOUS iron! It feels great to get in there and just take my frustrations out on the weights and machines. Those dumbells took a beating!

It's especially hard to keep your spirits up when your busy, training, and dropping your cals so low. You're doing great though! :)

Yeah it doesn't help! But nothing a scoop of peanut butter can't cure! Is it just me or is peanut butter like chocolate when you're dieting??? :)

[tiffanee777]

lol... yeah I'm pushing some SERIOUS iron! It feels great to get in there and just take my frustrations out on the weights and machines. Those dumbells took a beating!


Yeah it doesn't help! But nothing a scoop of peanut butter can't cure! Is it just me or is peanut butter like chocolate when you're dieting??? :)

PB is soooo good! It totally tastes like a sin when dieting :)

[ShawnCarla]

pb is soooo good! It totally tastes like a sin when dieting :)

amen!

[ShawnCarla]

It's great to see it is paying off:) Have a Great Day!!

For sure! And have a great day too!

[cw955588]

OMG Shawn I just read your post about the horrible hopeless mood you were in and I thought you were writing about me LMAO! I was an uberbiotch yesterday and when my husband asked me what was wrong I said "I'm fat, I'm ugly, I have no future, I hate these pants and I hate my shoes" The look on his face was priceless! And after having the kind of workout that would make a grown man cry (for an example please refer to the one you just had!) I was back to normal! Happens to the best of us!... and peanut butter.... I can't even go there! :)

[jovinni]

The wonders of peanut butter...it's truly magical isn't it?

[ShawnCarla]

OMG Shawn I just read your post about the horrible hopeless mood you were in and I thought you were writing about me LMAO! I was an uberbiotch yesterday and when my husband asked me what was wrong I said "I'm fat, I'm ugly, I have no future, I hate these pants and I hate my shoes" The look on his face was priceless! And after having the kind of workout that would make a grown man cry (for an example please refer to the one you just had!) I was back to normal! Happens to the best of us!... and peanut butter.... I can't even go there! :)

Lol... it's like we have PMS when we don't! My boyfriend last year use to say he liked me better on carbs. LOL!

[ShawnCarla]

The wonders of peanut butter...it's truly magical isn't it?

Totaly! At least I'm not alone in my thoughts... and if you like peanut butter, give cashew butter a try... trust me, you'll thank me! lol

[ShawnCarla]

4/1/2010
So today I felt a lot better... made it past my issues yesterday! And today's workout kicked ass too. I felt super strong and I really love seeing my body lean out and take shape. I feel like every day I'm getting harder and harder! Next week I start carb cycling so I should be leaning out even more and I cannot wait. My body right now is perfect for "maintenance mode" but I have to shave off some more fat to get into competition shape here!
I took my 5 NOBetas and a Scoop and a half of CreaDly before my workout tonight and I blew through it!

EZ Bar Preacher Curl 35lbx20; 35lbx17
DB Hammer Curl 20lbx17; 20lbx20
Cable Curl/Fly 15lbx17; 15lbx16

BB Squat 155lbx9; 155lbx8
Leg Extensions 100lbx8; 100lbx8

Hanging leg lifts 10lbx12; 10lbx10; 10lbx10
Cable leg lifts 30lbx12; 30lbx12; 30lbx12

Reverse Crunches 0lbx12; 0lbx12; 0lbx12
Decline Crunches 25lbx12; 25lbx10; 25lbx10
Rope Cable crunches 80lbx12; 100lbx12; 110lbx12

Cardio... 30minutes long-stride fast walking (3.9)
2% incline 2mins
12% incline 1min

[cw955588]

Lol... it's like we have PMS when we don't! My boyfriend last year use to say he liked me better on carbs. LOL!

I've heard that a time or two before! To which I reply... you want me to have a nice attitude or a nice body? LOL!

[cw955588]

NICE workout!!! That's how you get it done girl! :)

[Simpy]

How are you planning to carb cycle? There are a million different ways. And once you get started on that, I want an update with your energy levels. The Creadyl should help, so keep me informed.

[Synapsin]

How are you planning to carb cycle? There are a million different ways. And once you get started on that, I want an update with your energy levels. The Creadyl should help, so keep me informed.

Agreed. Carb cycling if not well thought out can turn out horrible for you.

[ShawnCarla]

How are you planning to carb cycle? There are a million different ways. And once you get started on that, I want an update with your energy levels. The Creadyl should help, so keep me informed.


Agreed. Carb cycling if not well thought out can turn out horrible for you.

We are putting the program together right now. I carb cycled last year as well and I really didn't have an issue with it. My calories stay pretty much in the same range, all that varries is the amount of carbs or protein in the particular day... more intense workouts=higher carbs lower protein. And we're only talking 20-50g difference in carbs.... not a huge swing. I know people have issues with it but I am never ever doing really extreem changes... just subtle ones. That way we can really monitor my body and see what is working and what's not. A lot of people crash diet to get into contest shape, my program allows me to slowly drop my body fat. I'll keep ya'll updated!

[ShawnCarla]

I've heard that a time or two before! To which I reply... you want me to have a nice attitude or a nice body? LOL!
Lol! In my case, my boyfriend comes from a huge Italian/Spanish family... where Food=Love.... so he's fine with the extra rolls... on me and on the table! lol. But when it comes down to it, when I'm in contest shape, I get a hell of a lot more compliments from him!

NICE workout!!! That's how you get it done girl! :)
Hell yeah! We are women, hear us roar! :)

[Simpy]

We are putting the program together right now. I carb cycled last year as well and I really didn't have an issue with it. My calories stay pretty much in the same range, all that varries is the amount of carbs or protein in the particular day... more intense workouts=higher carbs lower protein. And we're only talking 20-50g difference in carbs.... not a huge swing. I know people have issues with it but I am never ever doing really extreem changes... just subtle ones. That way we can really monitor my body and see what is working and what's not. A lot of people crash diet to get into contest shape, my program allows me to slowly drop my body fat. I'll keep ya'll updated!

Let me know what you figure out, for no other reason that I'm curious. I love to carb cycle and there are million different ways to do it.

[ShawnCarla]

4/2/2010
Today's workout was a bit tough. It's the end of the week and I think the way that I progressed my exercises just drained everything out of me. My shoulders felt like they were dieing by the end of the first few super set. Loving my Cardio though... I love doing intervals!
Tomorrow's a rest day and I'm going to the spa! Woo Hoo!

Front Raises 15lbx20; 15lbx20; 15lbx17
DB Reverse Fly 25lbx12; 20lbx16; 20lbx16
Reverse Fly Machine 70lbx12; 70lbx12; 70lbx12

Machine Shoulder Press 59lbx17; 50lbx16; 50lbx16
DB Overhead Shoulder Press 20lbx16; 15lbx16, 15lbx16
Lateral Raises 15lbx16; 10lbx16; 10lbx16

Tricep Machine 100lbx12
Tricep Extension w/Rope 90lbx12
Cable Tricep Kickbacks 30lbx10

Straight Leg Calf Raises on Leg press 205lbx16; 220lbx16
Seated Calf Raises 156lbx14; 156lbx12

Cardio= 35min... 60 seconds running; 120 seconds walking

[cw955588]

Awesome week Shawn! Especially coming back off a trip and hitting it hard like that! Most people use the excuse "well I just got back into town so... (insert multiple excuses here)"!!!! Also... since I am officially 12 weeks out I was doing some self-evaluation and had to go back and read your "insulin issue"... I am holding fat on my lower back that I am realizing no matter how lean I get I can't remember a time that it went away... so I'm going to cut out fruit (which is my last sweet I'm holding on to!), and see what happens... basically, your journal may have helped me solve a problem!... so Thank you!!:)

[ShawnCarla]

Awesome week Shawn! Especially coming back off a trip and hitting it hard like that! Most people use the excuse "well I just got back into town so... (insert multiple excuses here)"!!!! Also... since I am officially 12 weeks out I was doing some self-evaluation and had to go back and read your "insulin issue"... I am holding fat on my lower back that I am realizing no matter how lean I get I can't remember a time that it went away... so I'm going to cut out fruit (which is my last sweet I'm holding on to!), and see what happens... basically, your journal may have helped me solve a problem!... so Thank you!!:)

That's awesome! I'm so glad I could help you! Trust me, if that's your problem, you'll notice the difference almost immediately. It's so crazy that something so little can make such a huge difference. For me it's like all of a sudden I have a V Taper that I've never seen before on my body... even when I've been at my leanest. And BTW, that's one of the main reasons girls never get their pro card! That fat in the back and butt! So if it does work.... you're a huge step ahead of the game!

[ShawnCarla]

Awesome week Shawn! Especially coming back off a trip and hitting it hard like that! Most people use the excuse "well I just got back into town so... (insert multiple excuses here)"!!!!

Oh yeah, and I've never been one for excuses... I mean, I'm only cheating myself!

[ShawnCarla]

Had a great weekend and hope you all did too! I'll be back later to give an update on my workout from yesterday and also fill you in on what I did on my day off on Saturday... it was AWESOME!

[Simpy]

Glad to hear you had a great weekend. And I, too, love interval training for my cardio sessions. It's always been my favorite. Now that you're getting leaner, how is your energy/stamina holding up for you? Have the supplements helped?

[dpressma]

Looking forward to the update :)

[ShawnCarla]

Glad to hear you had a great weekend. And I, too, love interval training for my cardio sessions. It's always been my favorite. Now that you're getting leaner, how is your energy/stamina holding up for you? Have the supplements helped?

My energy and stamina is great! Though I have to admit it wouldn't be as great for my workout if I didn't have the push from the Stack. It just helps me bring a lot of focus into my workouts. The power I get from the Stack allows me to throw a lot more weights around then I can without it!
And I'm not doing a ton of cardio because I'm more worried about conserving muscle then I am cutting fat right now (that's not to say I'm not cutting fat... I am... just don't want to loose muscle too!). And also because I'm doing my lifting very randomly... mixing up the sequences and body parts to keep my body guessing the whole way through. That's burning more calories then just cardio would on it's own.
I compared pics of myself this weekend to those I took last year during a "peak" practice and seriously right now I'm harder then I ever was on stage last year... it's crazy! So I feel like I'm way a head of the game for my competitions this year... which could be a BAD thing. I can't get over-confident. I have to keep pushing... And now I can really focusing on tweaking my physique to where I need the improvements. I really can't wait to take my 8 week photos... the difference is unreal!

[cw955588]

Awesome job SC!!! What an great position to be in to get ahead of the game... I don't peg you as the type to get over-confident to the point where you'll screw something up so I see this being a very good thing for you!!! Such an amazing feeling to just have to tweak a little here and there rather than having to pull 2 and 3 hour cardio sessions 2 weeks out from a show! Psyched for the "Weekend update" LOL!

[ShawnCarla]

Ok so a quick update on my Day Off...
Friday night my boyfriend surprised me and set our bedroom up like a spa... he lit candles, set the bed like a massage table, played soft music... it was great! Then he gave me a full body deep tissue massage. he knows how sore I've been and how much weight I'm pushing in the gym so he dug in really deep and I felt like a million bucks afterward... now he has to do that for me once a week during my contest prep. lol!
Saturday was my day off... so it's still not really hot outside yet and I don't get a great sweat in the gym. I don't sweat much naturally. So I decided to hit the spa and use the sauna. (my gym doesn't have one). It was a private dry sauna... very dark and relaxing... so once my body was warmed up I stretched and pulled every muscle I had for about 20 minutes... it did wonders for me as well! Plus I got a new vein! After I stepped out of the shower I had this vein running down my shoulder I'd never seen before... that was awesome, proves I'm getting leaner!
So now I'm going to repeat this cycle every Saturday (day off). I really felt rejuvenated afterward... it did wonders for my body, but also for my mind.

[cw955588]

Ok so a quick update on my Day Off...
Friday night my boyfriend surprised me and set our bedroom up like a spa... he lit candles, set the bed like a massage table, played soft music... it was great! Then he gave me a full body deep tissue massage. he knows how sore I've been and how much weight I'm pushing in the gym so he dug in really deep and I felt like a million bucks afterward... now he has to do that for me once a week during my contest prep. lol!
Saturday was my day off... so it's still not really hot outside yet and I don't get a great sweat in the gym. I don't sweat much naturally. So I decided to hit the spa and use the sauna. (my gym doesn't have one). It was a private dry sauna... very dark and relaxing... so once my body was warmed up I stretched and pulled every muscle I had for about 20 minutes... it did wonders for me as well! Plus I got a new vein! After I stepped out of the shower I had this vein running down my shoulder I'd never seen before... that was awesome, proves I'm getting leaner!
So now I'm going to repeat this cycle every Saturday (day off). I really felt rejuvenated afterward... it did wonders for my body, but also for my mind.

Awesome... just plain AWESOME!!!! :)

[Synapsin]

Ok so a quick update on my Day Off...
Friday night my boyfriend surprised me and set our bedroom up like a spa... he lit candles, set the bed like a massage table, played soft music... it was great! Then he gave me a full body deep tissue massage. he knows how sore I've been and how much weight I'm pushing in the gym so he dug in really deep and I felt like a million bucks afterward... now he has to do that for me once a week during my contest prep. lol!
Saturday was my day off... so it's still not really hot outside yet and I don't get a great sweat in the gym. I don't sweat much naturally. So I decided to hit the spa and use the sauna. (my gym doesn't have one). It was a private dry sauna... very dark and relaxing... so once my body was warmed up I stretched and pulled every muscle I had for about 20 minutes... it did wonders for me as well! Plus I got a new vein! After I stepped out of the shower I had this vein running down my shoulder I'd never seen before... that was awesome, proves I'm getting leaner!
So now I'm going to repeat this cycle every Saturday (day off). I really felt rejuvenated afterward... it did wonders for my body, but also for my mind.

Note to self, do this for my GF haha

[mariplay2004]

great thread ..at least you're moving forward ..I've seemed to hit a wall =(

[ShawnCarla]

great thread ..at least you're moving forward ..I've seemed to hit a wall =(

We all hit walls once in a while.... the important part is that you pick yourself back up and keep going. I know from personal experience that it sometimes feels like you're a hamster on a wheel. But you have to remember that what you're doing is not a short fix... it's for a better quality of life and to continue on... just as you wake up and get out of bed each day. Over time you'll see the positive changes. Slowly but surely!

[mariplay2004]

We all hit walls once in a while.... the important part is that you pick yourself back up and keep going. I know from personal experience that it sometimes feels like you're a hamster on a wheel. But you have to remember that what you're doing is not a short fix... it's for a better quality of life and to continue on... just as you wake up and get out of bed each day. Over time you'll see the positive changes. Slowly but surely!

thanks that's very nice .and true...I have to remember that I'm making these changes for the rest of my life...thanks again .

[mariplay2004]

4/2/2010
Today's workout was a bit tough. It's the end of the week and I think the way that I progressed my exercises just drained everything out of me. My shoulders felt like they were dieing by the end of the first few super set. Loving my Cardio though... I love doing intervals!
Tomorrow's a rest day and I'm going to the spa! Woo Hoo!

Front Raises 15lbx20; 15lbx20; 15lbx17
DB Reverse Fly 25lbx12; 20lbx16; 20lbx16
Reverse Fly Machine 70lbx12; 70lbx12; 70lbx12

Machine Shoulder Press 59lbx17; 50lbx16; 50lbx16
DB Overhead Shoulder Press 20lbx16; 15lbx16, 15lbx16
Lateral Raises 15lbx16; 10lbx16; 10lbx16

Tricep Machine 100lbx12
Tricep Extension w/Rope 90lbx12
Cable Tricep Kickbacks 30lbx10

Straight Leg Calf Raises on Leg press 205lbx16; 220lbx16
Seated Calf Raises 156lbx14; 156lbx12

Cardio= 35min... 60 seconds running; 120 seconds walking


I did those for my first time at a good weight (use to do them at 40lbs LOl)
but went to the gym with my husband and he started me off at 125lbs ,,so for me thats allot

had me do 15reps ..and then took 10 pounds off ..

but the following day OMG ..my calves where soooooo sore ..I felt like i was walking in tipy toes LOL
but it was a great feeling

[ShawnCarla]

4/5/2010


I don't have a ton of time to write, but I wanted to include my workout from yesterday for you....
Each one of these is a large super set. You'll see that some of the exercises have 1 or 2 sets in the super set while others have 2 or 3. What I did is I ran through the superset, I just did those exercises for that 2nd or 3rd time through.

Wide Grip Lat Pull Downs 100/11; 100/11; 100/10
Cable Tricep Kickbacks 20/16; 20/16
Wide Grip Cable Seated Row 130/12; 130/12; 130/12
Tricep Extension with Rope 80/20; 80/20
Asst. Pull Ups 88/12; 88/10; 88/8
Tricep Machine 90/17; 90/16
DB Bent Over Row 35/12; 35/12; 35/12

Reverse Crunches (butt off end of bench) 0/16; 0/16; 0/16
Decline Crunches 25/16; 25/16 25/16
Machine Crunches 100/17; 100/18; 100/20

DB Reverse Fly 25/12; 25/12
EZ Bar Preacher Curl 45/10
Reverse Fly Machine 85/10; 85/10
DB Hammer Curl 25/8
Cable Curl/Fly 30/10

30 min Cardio fast-walking 60 seconds on 12% incline 120 seconds on 2% incline





Then today's workout....I really focused on squeezing hard at the end of each rep... I could hardly walk afterward! I also up-ed my dose to 6 NOBets... damn, why does that ONE pill have such an effect?? It's like I need 5 1/2... not 6!
(I got the best compliment in the gym today. Two big strong guys came up to me and told me I made them feel like wimps and asked if they could follow me in my workout. It was sooooo cool. :))

Iso-Lateral Smith Deadlifts 70/10; 70/9
Front Raises 20/10; 20/10; 20/10
Hip Abduct Machine 130/11; 130/11
Lat Raises 15/12; 15/12; 15/12

Iso-Lateral Leg Press 100/9; 100/10
Db Overhead Shoulder Press 25/11; 25/10; 25/9
Lunges- long stride (plate in each hand) 50/12; 50/12; 50/12
Machine Shoulder Press 60/12; 65/12

DB Fly on Ball 20/12
Cable Leg Lift 25/15; 25/16
Flat Bench Chest Press 110/10
Hanging Leg Lifts 5.15; 5/16

Horizontal Cable Fly 60/12; 60/13
BB Squat 145/12; 145/12
Machine Chest Press 80/12

Hip Extension on Roman Chair 25/8; 25/9
Leg Extension 90/12; 90/12
Seated Leg Curl 100/12; 100/12

[jovinni]

Awesome workout and nice way of putting men in their place ;)

I have yet to go up to 6 tabs. I seem to be just fine at 5, I'm a bit intimidated by a 6th one :)

[Simpy]

So what was the effect from the extra pill? Too much of a pump? Red, itchy skin? Do tell.

And great workout, btw.

[ShawnCarla]

So what was the effect from the extra pill? Too much of a pump? Red, itchy skin? Do tell.

And great workout, btw.

Thanks! And it's a big pump that that 6th pill adds... I find that the NoBetas really help with my focus when I'm working out as I feel all the blood rushing to the body part I'm working on. The 5th pill helps but I'm starting to build my immunity past it. So I added that 6th pill and when I do that it's like I'm on the brink of not being able to control that pump.... if that makes sense. I think if I took 5 1/2 it'd be perfect, but 6 makes me a little on edge about it. Maybe I'll try chopping one in half for my workout tonight!

[ShawnCarla]

Awesome workout and nice way of putting men in their place ;)

I have yet to go up to 6 tabs. I seem to be just fine at 5, I'm a bit intimidated by a 6th one :)

It was neat because they were seriously interested in working out with me. They weren't throwing me a line or anything... I saw them watching me as I ran through my sets and they were taking notes! lol Then when they finally came up and talked to me about it they mimicked everything I did. It really was a big compliment!

[ShawnCarla]

Note to self, do this for my GF haha

Lol... trust me... she'll REALLY thank you for it! ;)

[ShawnCarla]

Awesome job SC!!! What an great position to be in to get ahead of the game... I don't peg you as the type to get over-confident to the point where you'll screw something up so I see this being a very good thing for you!!! Such an amazing feeling to just have to tweak a little here and there rather than having to pull 2 and 3 hour cardio sessions 2 weeks out from a show! Psyched for the "Weekend update" LOL!

You're right... I'm never over-confident. I over analyze everything and focus on every detail... I can never be ready enough! I think that has to do with the fact that I'm a Virgo... we are VERY detail oriented.

[ShawnCarla]

Holy crap I just realized my 8 weeks are up this sunday! I thought I had another week... wow time flies! Yay!

[cw955588]

It was neat because they were seriously interested in working out with me. They weren't throwing me a line or anything... I saw them watching me as I ran through my sets and they were taking notes! lol Then when they finally came up and talked to me about it they mimicked everything I did. It really was a big compliment!

That is awesome!!! And so psyched for your 8 week pics! I'm sure they are amazing I know you're working your a$s off!!!

[ShawnCarla]

4/6/2010

I took another 6 NOBetas today. I usually take them as I'm leaving them house so that by the time I get to the gym, I drink the Creadyl and I'm good to go. Well today there was an accident on the interstate so instead of it taking 10 minutes to get to the gym to took 45.... SUCKED! And what's more is I felt the NOBetas kick in while I was sitting in traffic. All of a sudden my ears started tingling... the flush is back! Thankfully the Stack stuck with me through my workout but Whew I was exhausted afterward. On these lower carbs (55g a day) I function well but I need to get food in my body immediately after my workout....and considering I got stuck in traffic I was beyond starving by the end. Tomorrow I go up to 80g of carbs...still low... but I've been typically (before I began cycling)on 70g a day so it'll be a bump up. As I mentioned before, we're not trying to do too extreme of a change. I function really well on lower carbs and hopefully just my fluctuating them this little bit, that'll help me lean down more.


Decline Crunches 25/16; 25/15
DB Reverse Fly 20/18; 20/16
Machine Crunches 100/16; 100/16
Reverse Fly Machine 70/16; 70/16
Reverse Crunches (butt off bench) 0/14; 0/14

Cable Fly/Curl 30/12; 30/12
Cable Tricep Kickbacks 30/12; 30/12
EZ Bar Preacher Curl 40/13; 40/13
Straight Leg Calf Press 166/10; 100/12
DB Hammer Curl 20/13; 20/13
Iso-Tricep Extension w/Rope 40/12; 45/12
Seated Calf Raises 230/12; 250/12
Tricep Machine 110/13; 110/15

Cardio
Ski machine 35 minutes
30seconds at 60% resistance
60seconds at 35% resistance

[Synapsin]

Good work out :) and that sucks about the traffic, I'd hate sitting in traffic with the BA tingles going on haha.

[dpressma]

6 NO Beta's a strong dose! I personally like getting tingly ears :D

[ShawnCarla]

6 NO Beta's a strong dose! I personally like getting tingly ears :D

Yes it is a big dose... I've just now gone up to 6 and I've been on them for almost 8 weeks. 6 is still a bit too much for me... I have to work up to it... I like the tingle too... just not when I'm sitting in my car!

[Simpy]

Perhaps the flush is back because you didn't have as much food and/or carbs in your system? It seems like I rushed a lot more when I was eating keto.

[ShawnCarla]

Perhaps the flush is back because you didn't have as much food and/or carbs in your system? It seems like I rushed a lot more when I was eating keto.

Oh yeah... it was for sure because of the lack of food... I waited longer so I'd be on an empty stomach when I took the NoBetas... then couple that with being stuck in traffic. So yeah, it was def due to that!

[dpressma]

Any good songs on the radio at least to get you pumped while you were waiting?