DJ anne-marie - Contest prep

Hello gang! I've been working with Beast/Derek for 6 weeks now preparing for April competition(s). Time is flying by! I think I was supposed to start this journal a while back. But I have been posting a blog on my BB bodyspace.

I've been on the Carb Hater's lean mass building diet. I quite like it. Avocadoes, almonds, peanut butter.. what's not to like?! However, I do begin most days with oatmeal with protein powder.

Last week I was doing 5 sets of everything! Love the burn. This week, I'm back to 3 sets. Today I did 25 mins of HIITs on the Arc Trainer and then worked biceps/triceps.

I'm very pleased with results on my upper body - although still yearning for bigger lats! But I really want to sculpt the quads and hams. Working hard on it. I will likely compete again in May and maybe later in the season. I'm hoping to improve continuoiusly over the coming months. My first and only competition so far was last November. So I look forward to seeing improvements this year. Gotta focus!

Looking to you guys to give me strength. I've followed some of the other amazing women on this forum and I'm both motivated and intimidated! You ladies are awesome!!

.....
annemarie_dj
If you don't take risks, you won't get far.

Welcome Anne Marie. I'll definitely be following you along to your next contest. Another Ottawa girl joins in on the fun....

Great to see you started a journal! I will be following :)

hey there DJ - welcome to the enthusiasm & perseverance palce to be !
i hope that u will reach ur goals / gains with great ease - i hope u see the good :D !
ps: great progress so far - keep rawkin it !

Hey girl!! Welcome!!!!

Derek is the man :) I'm sure you already know that :) I hope you find these forums as amazing as I have!!

PS - You train @ my gym :D Another Ontario gal! WOO HOO!!

Heidi

Well this is cool. Thanks all. Funny to hear I'm at the same gym as Heidi. (Say hello next time you see me.) Small world!! I also met another girl there who is working with Beast. Derek's a popular guy! haha

OK well I started my day with a 30 minute run with my dog. He's a serious runner! Then I was stuck in meetings allllll day! I brought my own delish food so I wouldn't have to eat fatty muffins and cakes and mayonnaise-laden mystery meat sandwiches. I think people were jealous of my yummy chicken breast and spinach!

I went to the gym afterwards and was pleased to have a good leg work-out without pain (from lightly pulled abductor last week). I think I'm going to try going to the gym early in the morning more often. It's just too busy at 5 p.m.

That's it for today. I'm now relaxing and sipping my watermelon Xtend. Yummy!

Catch y'all later...and happy workouts to all !

anne-marie

Did shoulders today. 4 sets:
lat raises 10x15
reverse delts 10x15
db press 9x25, 9x22.5
front raise 9x12
cable x-over high standing reverse 9x15
cable x-over side lat low setting 6x10
stdg calves lifts 4x20x15lbs (I don't add too much weight for calves as they are already big enough. Just need better def.)
Abs

Followed by 35 mins on treadmill

I'd forgotten how much I love cardio. I'm a runner originally. I had stopped because I was getting too thin and stringy before my November competition. But now that I'm gaining weight, I need to get the legs back under control. Derek has prescribed 35 mins of cardio on training days (5 dayx/week) and 35 mins HIITs on off days (2 days/ week). I'm sure that will make a huge diff.

My upper body/shoulders are looking pretty good. But need to work on glutes and legs now and start slowly lowering the BF%.

Gym training is the fun part. With 6 weeks to go, I really need to focus on strage presence too. I'll be attending a few workshop in March in Toronto. Looking forward to learning and meeting fellow competitors.

Welcome! Those are strong raises :)

Things went pretty well today. It was a beautiful cold winter day in Canada (-10 C or around 20 F) but sunny and no wind. So I went for a nice run with my dog, Nanook. He's a running dog! A big Eskimo/lab mix. You should see us on roller blades in the summer! He PULLS ! haha Twit pic posted here: [url]http://twitpic.com/1s86y[/url]

Anyway, that was a 40 minute run and then I worked on glutes. I've added glutes day above and beyond Derek's program because I really need to work the legs alot to get any kind of def. So I'm working out 5 days a week. That's fine w/ me.

Glutes: 4 sets this week:
Bench step ups 1x12x15lbs; 3x10x15lbs
Hip raise (bridges) w/ stab ball: 4x15x15lbs
1-leg dip/lunge with stab ball against wall: 4x10x10lbs
froggy on bench: 3x15x10lbs
side leg lifts w/ elastics: 3x10

Any suggestions for glute exercises are welcome!

Ab crunches on floor 2x12
Ab obliques on floor 2x12
planks 2x2 min

I was really pooped by the end of it. Some days I lack energy, but then realized I hadn't eaten that much. My Xtend was holding me through! Yumm..
Also today was stats day. I'm 115 lbs and about 14% bf. Other numbers are posted on bb.com profile.

Tomorrow is my day off. So I will do HIITs on the stair mill.

Have a great week, everyone!

Which shows are you doing in April? :)

Just stoppin' by to cheer you onward!

[QUOTE=jaim91;295964561]Which shows are you doing in April? :)[/QUOTE]

It's looking like Fitness STAR in Toronto. Also considering UFE the week before. But that will be alot of traveling back and florth. Don't know if I can handle it... the day job is quite intense. So I'm going to focus on April 11.

[QUOTE=BuffedStuff;295977021]Just stoppin' by to cheer you onward![/QUOTE]

Thanks so much!

Today is a day off for me. So I went to the gym at lunch time and only did HIITs. 35 minutes on the Arc Trainer and then some stretching. Took a shower and went back to work!

I'm on the 1200 CHA LBM diet. I've been reading all Scivation diets and comparing. Lots of great info. You guys are smart!! I hate to cut out carbs completely. My body doesn't mind them that much. Tomorrow morning, I'm working out at 5 a.m., so I'll have my half-cup oatmeal when I get back. (A huge treat!!) Actually, here's something I learned reading Derek and Marc's literature. Did not know that I shouldn't combine carbs with protein because it causes sugar spikes. In the weeks leading up to my November competition, I started everyday with oatmeal mixed with vanilla casein protein powder. I love the flavor and it kept me satisfied. So this time around, I will still eat this (maybe not every day) but will add some fat as recommended. So either a spoonful of fresh ground flax, or chopped almonds. Hope that's ok.

Today's food input:
Meal 1 - 7:45 am:
half grapefruit; 1 egg, 3 whites, 1 oz chicken (I was totally stuffed, ughh)
coffee

Meal 2 - 11:30 a.m.
1 tblsp peanut butter (I just couldn't get the eggs off my gut, not hungry)

NOON workout with Xtend

Meal 3 - 1:15
4 oz Salmon, lettuce

Meal 4 - 3:15
4 oz chicken breast, 1 oz avocado, 1/4 cup broccoli, 1 cup spinach and lettuce

Meal 5 - 6:30 pm
4 oz Salmon with 1 cup spinach

Meal 6 - 9:15 pm
1 protein shake

1200 cals; 150 g protein; 50 g fat; 39 g carbs

Pefect day- must be Monday! Happy training...

Are you planning on being on 1200 calories from now until April?

1200 cals - yep, I think so. Too little? I didn't think it would be enough, but it seems good. Now I'm starting up more cardio, I may have to eat more. We'll see how the week goes.

Hi DJ! Hahahah, I would totally starve on 1200 calories :o How is your energy level? :)

Interested to follow along on your progress and prep. I'm leaning out, but not gaining much muscle. Trying not to worry about the muscle until I'm leaner as I don't seem to be able to do both together. Carb Haters diet, can that be found on BB.com? Currently trying to drop another 5 so I'm on carb depleting diet, can't stay on that forever. Where are your competitions, are you going to the Calgary one in May? Best of luck!

[QUOTE=BrandyTKO;296681941]Interested to follow along on your progress and prep. I'm leaning out, but not gaining much muscle. Trying not to worry about the muscle until I'm leaner as I don't seem to be able to do both together. [/QUOTE]

Doing both together is almost impossive. In order to "tone up" or lose bodyfat, you must be in a caloric deficit, which means you are burning more calories than you are taking in. In order to gain muscle, you need to be in a caloric excess. So it's pretty much one or the other. The most important thing that you can do while dieting is maintain your hard earned muscle.

[QUOTE=BrandyTKO;296681941]Carb Haters diet, can that be found on BB.com? Currently trying to drop another 5 so I'm on carb depleting diet, can't stay on that forever. Where are your competitions, are you going to the Calgary one in May? Best of luck![/QUOTE]

yes, the CHA diet can be found on both bodybuilding.com and on Scivationbooks.com. Just download the book from there.

I'm late but I'm in. Good luck with the comp, your in good hands with Derek and team scivation!

[QUOTE=IronIc;296473311]Hi DJ! Hahahah, I would totally starve on 1200 calories :o How is your energy level? :)[/QUOTE]

I know it doesn't seem like much. At first I thought, oh no, I'll disappear. But I seem ok. Actually, come to think of it, I'm hungry now! haha I think I'll go have a bedtime scoop of peanut butter!

[QUOTE=Lando33;296686361]Doing both together is almost impossive. In order to "tone up" or lose bodyfat, you must be in a caloric deficit, which means you are burning more calories than you are taking in. In order to gain muscle, you need to be in a caloric excess. So it's pretty much one or the other. The most important thing that you can do while dieting is maintain your hard earned muscle.

yes, the CHA diet can be found on both bodybuilding.com and on Scivationbooks.com. Just download the book from there.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for responding to that one so eloquently. Funny how everyone wants to gain muscle mass but lose weight. That's what I wanted to do too! Working with you guys, I've gained a few pounds, but I look much leaner. It's just hard to get the brain to understand that it's OKAY to gain weight! Arghhh I'll always struggle with that one!

[QUOTE=BrandyTKO;296681941]Interested to follow along on your progress and prep. I'm leaning out, but not gaining much muscle. Trying not to worry about the muscle until I'm leaner as I don't seem to be able to do both together. Carb Haters diet, can that be found on BB.com? Currently trying to drop another 5 so I'm on carb depleting diet, can't stay on that forever. Where are your competitions, are you going to the Calgary one in May? Best of luck![/QUOTE]

You really should read the material on the Scivation website and on this forum. Well written and well documented. 'Cause no, as you say, you can't stay on that forever. You've come a long way! Keep it going! I'm competing in Toronto, then maybe Ottawa, etc..?!? Cheers!

[QUOTE=annemarie_DJ;296903261]Thanks for responding to that one so eloquently. Funny how everyone wants to gain muscle mass but lose weight. That's what I wanted to do too! Working with you guys, I've gained a few pounds, but I look much leaner. It's just hard to get the brain to understand that it's OKAY to gain weight! Arghhh I'll always struggle with that one![/QUOTE]

hey DJ :D!
u gained weight/muscle mass and look leaner - whoooohoooo - keep on keepin on i say, for sure !
look ahead, think ahead & plan ahead: just one of my mantra's.
hope this massage finds u well :cool: !

Will you be posting progress pictures?

I think I'm going to the Fitness Star show, as my Ex bf might be in it.

What category are yo udoing?

[QUOTE=jaim91;296910531]Will you be posting progress pictures?

I think I'm going to the Fitness Star show, as my Ex bf might be in it.

What category are yo udoing?[/QUOTE]

Cool ! It would be great to meet you in T.O.! I will compete in Masters Fitness Model. Ughhh I'm getting nervous just writing that down! Yikes!

So today I ate more calories than usual. That's because I got up at 5 a.m. had a half-cup of cottage cheese and went to the gym until after 7. Had my "other" breakfast at 7:45. And now, it's 9 p.m. so I'm hungry again. I know we're not supposed to "count" calories. But I always have an extra meal on the early morning days.

Can anyone recommend an early pre-workout meal? Maybe just a protein shake would be better than CC. Plus I had my Xtend with me to keep me going.

Today's cals = 1360: 165 gms Protein; 46 gms Fat; 77 grms Carbs

Workout:
4x5 Pull ups body weight
4x7 Dips body weight
Incline DB press: 2x10x25; 2x8x30
Seated row: 3x8x40; 1x7x42.5
Decline BB: 2x9x65; 2x7x75
Straight arm pull down: 4x6x40
Cable x-over: 2x7x30; 2x6x35
Lat pull down: 1x9x60; 3x8x70

22 mins on stepmill. I was cooked by then and out of time.

Wow, you're a fitness model???? Major kudos. Those routines are breathtaking! :)

Nice workout too! BW exercises totally kick my ass :o

[QUOTE=annemarie_DJ;296932491]So today I ate more calories than usual. That's because I got up at 5 a.m. had a half-cup of cottage cheese and went to the gym until after 7. Had my "other" breakfast at 7:45. And now, it's 9 p.m. so I'm hungry again. I know we're not supposed to "count" calories. But I always have an extra meal on the early morning days.

Can anyone recommend an early pre-workout meal? Maybe just a protein shake would be better than CC. Plus I had my Xtend with me to keep me going.

Today's cals = 1360: 165 gms Protein; 46 gms Fat; 77 grms Carbs

Workout:
4x5 Pull ups body weight
4x7 Dips body weight
Incline DB press: 2x10x25; 2x8x30
Seated row: 3x8x40; 1x7x42.5
Decline BB: 2x9x65; 2x7x75
Straight arm pull down: 4x6x40
Cable x-over: 2x7x30; 2x6x35
Lat pull down: 1x9x60; 3x8x70

22 mins on stepmill. I was cooked by then and out of time.[/QUOTE]

Hey girl, workout looks kickin'...drink a protein shake before workout instead of the cottage cheese, this seems to help me...I'm on a low cal diet also:)

Thank you ladies! I'm getting up early again tomorrow so I'll try a 5 a.m. protein shake instead of CC. Did someone ask about my energy levels? I had another low-cal, no carb day today. Energy? What's that? haha I"m fading... Work stress isn't helping. It's good stress, but still...

I ran 30 minutes with the dog this morning in the cold sunny weather (-16 C / 4 F) Brrrr Just did some core this evening: Stability ball, bosu ball, kick backs, planks...

Talk soon. Maybe I'll post some progress pics soon. Ciaoww