An Amazon's Journey

goddessamazon · 11-07-2008, 05:16 PM

For the past few months I've been getting several emails from tall women asking for advice on losing weight, building muscles, competing or all three. When I started lifting weights 2 years ago I had no idea I would get this far. I still have a long road ahead of me so I decided to create a journal geared towards Tall Women.

Now before I begin let me tell you what I consider "Tall" for a female. A woman who is 5'9" or above is considered tall in my book. All women six feet and over are considered Amazons. I know the NPC consider 5'7" to be tall but I consider that a joke! It's obvious that many "Tall" females shy away from the competition stage and honey let me tell you...........I was one of them. When you see the tallest female competing at 5'7" and you stand 6'2" (without heels) you tend to second guess these things.

This year I competed in 3 bodybuilding competitions and next year I'm going to enter the figure division. So now that it's offseason I am at a point where I have learned a lot of DO's and DON'TS for tall women. I am going to use this journal to jot them all down in hope to help others like myself who had no clue on how to get started in female bodybuilding.

So my journey is dedicated to women 5'9" and over. If you are tall and have some information to share with other tall women please feel free to join in.

goddessamazon · 11-07-2008, 05:16 PM

How long did it take for you to gain muscles?

I seriously started lifting weights in February 2007. I had no clue on what I was doing and neither did the 4 personal trainers who I hired and fired to help me. When I first started lifting I would do lots of reps with moderate weights. For example.

This was my original arm workout

Dumbbell Curl 10lbs x 20 reps for 4 sets.
Barbell Curl 20lbs x 20 reps for 4 sets
Isolation Cable Curl 10lbs x 25 reps for 4 sets
Hammer Curls 15lbs x 20 reps for 4 sets

THIS WAS A WASTE OF MY TIME!!!!

I saw no improvements for over a month. Finally I begin to read some journals in the 35 and over section. I noticed that all the "Big Guys" would lift heavy with fewer reps. After spending countless hours studying it on bodybuilding.com and a couple of books I decided to go that route.

So after spending 6 weeks on lifting moderate weights with lots of reps and seeing no improvement I decided to lift heavy with fewer reps. So my new program looks something like this.

This was my original arm workout

Dumbbell Curl
15lbs x 15 reps
20lbs x 12 reps
25lbs x 10 reps
30lbs x 8 reps (or as many as I could lift)

Barbell Curl
25lbs x 15 reps
30lbs x 15 reps
35lbs x 12 reps
40lbs x 10 reps

Isolation Cable Curl

20lbs x 15 reps
30lbs x 10 reps
30lbs x 10 reps
40lbs x 8 reps (or as many as I could lift)

Hammer Curls

20lbs x 15 reps
25lbs x 15 reps
25lbs x 15 reps
30lbs x 10 reps

After lifting heavy like this as a beginner for two months I started to see muscle definition. Not a lot of muscle definition mind you but enough to see that lifting heavy was the key for muscle growth for a tall woman like myself.

Ok next time I'm gonna talk about losing weight and bulking for tall women.

KissYour4Head · 11-08-2008, 10:10 AM

... info for tall women! Wanted to be one of your first fans to say THANK YOU!!!
Went to the gym at 4a.m. (slept in this morning) and had a pretty good leg/shoulder/bicep workout. Wish I would have come to this site prior to going to the gym.

Let me ask, do you eat prior to working out?

goddessamazon · 11-08-2008, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KissYour4Head

... info for tall women! Wanted to be one of your first fans to say THANK YOU!!!
Went to the gym at 4a.m. (slept in this morning) and had a pretty good leg/shoulder/bicep workout. Wish I would have come to this site prior to going to the gym.

Let me ask, do you eat prior to working out?

This off season I'm doing something different. I am staying faithful to my eating every 3 hours. As you know I am taking White Flood Tablets. Nitric Oxide gives your body these tingling sensations which drives me crazy. Before taking them I would eat 1 hour before working out. Now that I'm taking these tablets I eat 20 - 30 minutes before working out ONLY because it takes the tingling sensations away.

But here's the catch. I am only eating clean foods this early before working out. Therefore, I don't have that heavy feeling when I'm pushing weights. I don't think I would be in the mood to lift weights if I ate a big heavy meal before working out. Who wants to workout on a full stomach?

Before working out I eat 1 cup of brown rice and two pieces of Talipia or 6oz of grilled salmon and bowl of okra or broccoli.

KissYour4Head · 11-08-2008, 07:05 PM

I used to get that feeling when I used GABA at bedtime, just before I fell asleep. Crazy enough, I liked it!

And thank you for the response. I think my problem is that I workout between 3 and 4am, and eating is just not appealing at that time. I do take a protein drink with me to drink immediately after my workout.

Hope you're having fun this weekend!

Oh, another question: Is your routine the same as on your bodyspace page?

goddessamazon · 11-10-2008, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KissYour4Head

I used to get that feeling when I used GABA at bedtime, just before I fell asleep. Crazy enough, I liked it!

And thank you for the response. I think my problem is that I workout between 3 and 4am, and eating is just not appealing at that time. I do take a protein drink with me to drink immediately after my workout.

Hope you're having fun this weekend!

Oh, another question: Is your routine the same as on your bodyspace page?

I'm a control freak and I don't like feeling any abnormal sensations in my body that I can't control.

This is probably whey I don't drink or take drugs, especially drugs like "weed". I'm weired like that though. LOL

Nope my routine is different than the one on my bodyspace. I'll post my recent routine up soon but then that will change come December because that's the month I'll be starting my cut for 2009

Amazon Virgin · 11-10-2008, 02:52 PM

All hail the Amazons! I am so happy to see this thread. I wanted to know if any amazons do cardio. I kinda have no choice because I put on 70 lbs of fat due to illness. I am so motivated to lose the weight, I normally work out twice a day. I weight train in the morning and do cardio in the early evening (btw I HATE CARDIO!!). I have seen a tiny bit of results in the last 3 weeks back in the gym.
Off to peruse the rest of this forum

ConnieChung · 11-10-2008, 03:09 PM

by no means am i one of these average babe either...that being said...im glad to have rolled across this forum...cardio (i hate it toooo!!!!) but i have come to find that it is the meat AND potatoes when leaning down...ooops and ur diet is the plate which holds it all together. for me its trying to consume all the calories that i supposed need...im just not hungry for that much food...i weigh about 211, so according to most calculators im supposed to get almost 200 grams of protein a day...did i mention i am a vegatarian too and uhm yeah i dont think no one person should drink that much protein in one day (lol)...sooooo i say all of that to say, i hit the treadmill for an hour a day L2.8 @ 14% incline and grind it out...im seeing results...but i may b back in a few days talking like i cant stand cardio and am in tru need of a foot in my tail to get back on the tmil.

ok im rambling....u chicas have a super fantastic day...

peace & b well....

joed · 11-10-2008, 09:42 PM

How are ya GA, long time no see. Mind if I sit quietly in the back seat and listen to the girls talk? This thread is long overdue.

goddessamazon · 11-10-2008, 10:15 PM

For the record everyone can join our Amazon family. Anyone can post to this thread and ask questions. I'm just dedicating it to tall women and only providing information that I've collected over the past two years for tall women.

There isn't any information on weight training, fat loss and muscle building for tall women so I thought I would start one.

Right now I'm bush so when I wake up I'll answer questions and then talk about the cardio methods that seem to work best for tall women.

good night!

goddessamazon · 11-11-2008, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amazon Virgin

All hail the Amazons! I am so happy to see this thread. I wanted to know if any amazons do cardio. I kinda have no choice because I put on 70 lbs of fat due to illness. I am so motivated to lose the weight, I normally work out twice a day. I weight train in the morning and do cardio in the early evening (btw I HATE CARDIO!!). I have seen a tiny bit of results in the last 3 weeks back in the gym.
Off to peruse the rest of this forum

If you want to lose weight the healthy way you MUST do cardio.

I know you all hate cardio but you have to find a way to make it interesting. Me? I can only do cardio as long as I have my IPOD. My motto is "No IPOD? No Cardio"

I'm a music lover so I enjoyed creating a music list of motivating songs to listen to my IPOD and listening to it while I did cardio.

You must ask yourself what can I do make cardio enjoyable? If you like to watch TV while doing cardio then do that? If you are a competitive person then make a game out of cardio and compete against yourself. What is your fastest time? How far can you go? If you enjoy the outdoors then do your cardio in the park, on a nature trail or in your own neighborhood.

Right now I'm doing 30 minutes of cardio but when cutting season rolls around next month I'll be 1 hour of cardio in the morning and another hour in the evening. As long as I have my IPOD I won't have any problems.

goddessamazon · 11-11-2008, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ConnieChung

by no means am i one of these average babe either...that being said...im glad to have rolled across this forum...cardio (i hate it toooo!!!!) but i have come to find that it is the meat AND potatoes when leaning down...ooops and ur diet is the plate which holds it all together. for me its trying to consume all the calories that i supposed need...im just not hungry for that much food...i weigh about 211, so according to most calculators im supposed to get almost 200 grams of protein a day...did i mention i am a vegatarian too and uhm yeah i dont think no one person should drink that much protein in one day (lol)...sooooo i say all of that to say, i hit the treadmill for an hour a day L2.8 @ 14% incline and grind it out...im seeing results...but i may b back in a few days talking like i cant stand cardio and am in tru need of a foot in my tail to get back on the tmil.

ok im rambling....u chicas have a super fantastic day...

peace & b well....

Before you start any program you must ask yourself these questions.

1. What is my short term health goal?
2. What is my long term health goal?
3. What is my time frame to lose 10lbs? 20lbs? 30 or 100lbs?
4. Why do you want to do this?

Unless you're trying to be a bodybuilder like myself you don't need that much protein. Remember, most of the information that you see on bodybuilding.com is for those who want to build muscles. If you just want to lose weight then their are several routes you can take. In my opinion, losing fat was a cake walk but losing fat while retaining muscles was very HARD!!!!

I was a vegetarian for 16 years. After my 3rd competition this past October I took a real hard look at my body. I also took into consideration the Judge's opinion about my body. My muscles aren't full and I wasn't doing what I needed to do as a vegetarian to make them full. So two weeks later I decided to eat fish, turkey and chicken again but for some reason I can't stand the texture of chicken so I'm only eating turkey and fish.

I just wanted to show people that it was possible to gain muscles and compete against other bodybuilders on a vegetarian diet. I did that and now I have bigger goals to achieve.

Do you want to lose weight or do you want to lose weight while gaining muscles? Those are the questions you need to ask yourself before you start any program.

Mindi911 · 11-11-2008, 09:54 AM

I'm in

Oh and subbed for life

LOL even though I'm short.

goddessamazon · 11-11-2008, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mindi911

I'm in

Oh and subbed for life

LOL even though I'm short.

Now you know you can join any thread that I create! LOL

Mindi911 · 11-11-2008, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goddessamazon

Now you know you can join any thread that I create! LOL

I know

goddessamazon · 11-11-2008, 10:41 AM

Cardio

I did something really stupid in 2007 that I vowed never to do again. I went on a bulk diet! A BAD! BAD! BAD DECISION ON MY PART!

I've hired and fired 5 trainers who didn't now squat about how to train a tall woman to build muscles. Hell! They didn't know how to train women bodybuilders at all. So the only thing I had at the time was this website. I spent countless hours reading and reading and reading. I read this thing about bulking and so I decided to give it a try. Now I'll talk more about that fiasco later but let me get to the heart of the matter.

My first competition was 4 months away and I was at a 33% bodyfat level. No competitive bodybuilder should be that heavy four months away from their competitions but I was thanks to that stupid bulk. I needed to lose a lot of weight and I needed to lose it fast. So what did I do? I did HIIT.

HIIT means High Intensity Interval Training

Here's a great article about it.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/richb3.htm

HIIT saved my butt and I only did it for 3 months. I did lose a little muscle in the process but the trade off was worth it in the end. After that time I haven't done HIIT cardio sense but I promise you that it definitely works.

Now that I have my bodyfat under control and know from personal experience not to bulk again I don't do HIIT anymore.

Now I do this thing called "slow cardio". I learned this method from the Mighty Italian Stallion himself Bob Chicherillo. You know what? Every time I type or say the word "Chicherillo" I have this huge urge to eat some pizza!

Anywho, Bob has a fool proof method for bodybuilders called "slow cardio" and it WORKS! I started using this method a month before my first competition. So once I finished doing HIIT I started doing slow cardio and loved it. I was doing it twice a day. One hour in the morning and one hour in the evening after I lift weights.

Here's an article he wrote about it. A GREAT READ!!!!!
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bobchic3.htm

These are the only two cardio methods that worked for me.

Any other method of cardio was just a set up for sabotage. Now if you ask me which method is my favorite I would have to say "slow cardio" is my favorite method BY FAR! I believe this method will work for you even if you're not a bodybuilder like myself. Give it two months and see for yourself.

Mindi911 · 11-11-2008, 11:53 AM

Very inspirational Goddess.

Amazon Virgin · 11-12-2008, 09:03 AM

I do 'zumba' for cardio 2 days a week, what type of cardio is that?

Mindi911 · 11-12-2008, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amazon Virgin

I do 'zumba' for cardio 2 days a week, what type of cardio is that?

What on earth is Zumba cardio?

KissYour4Head · 11-12-2008, 01:59 PM

I use the elliptical machine for my cardio at an interval level (Pseudo HITT)
I'll do 30 minutes first thing out of bed followed by weight training. (5days/week)

Something tells me I'm doing it backwards. (should be weight training and then cardio, I think)

Goddess.....help!!!! Im backwards, huh? (smile)

KissYour4Head · 11-12-2008, 02:02 PM

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ujEfUZ4i1Ko

bull.dogz · 11-13-2008, 12:53 PM

Lookee what we have here. Ok, I'm a shorty but I'm still in for this. I believe with heels on I can just about reach your belly button.

goddessamazon · 11-13-2008, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KissYour4Head

I use the elliptical machine for my cardio at an interval level (Pseudo HITT)
I'll do 30 minutes first thing out of bed followed by weight training. (5days/week)

Something tells me I'm doing it backwards. (should be weight training and then cardio, I think)

Goddess.....help!!!! Im backwards, huh? (smile)

Yup! Hit those weights first and then do the cardio. Cardio should either be done first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with no other exercise before or after. OR you can do your weight training and then finish your workout with cardio but don't put cardio before your weights.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amazon Virgin

I do 'zumba' for cardio 2 days a week, what type of cardio is that?

Quote:

Originally Posted by KissYour4Head

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ujEfUZ4i1Ko

Now that looks like fun. I love to dance and I would do this "zumba" thing for pure fun but I wouldn't include it in my workout. I'm doing the natural bodybuilding transformation and it's "slow cardio" for me during comp season but for offseason I take Hip Hop cardio and this awesome class called "Grove" cardio for pure fun. Once I start cutting the first week of December those classes will be eliminated from my workout program.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bull.dogz

Lookee what we have here. Ok, I'm a shorty but I'm still in for this. I believe with heels on I can just about reach your belly button.

All are welcomed to our world. With or without heels.

Mark1T · 11-13-2008, 07:58 PM

Hey Ms. Goddess. Good to see you

goddessamazon · 11-13-2008, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark1T

Hey Ms. Goddess. Good to see you

MARK!!!!!!!!!!

Hey handsome! How goes it? Good to see you.

WOW! All my 35 and up buddies are dropping in here to say hi!

amber_stone · 11-14-2008, 01:08 AM

Its always great to read posts from someone who's made such progress with their body, and I love how detailed your posts are - they read like mini articles

. I'm still to short to ever be an amazon, but keep the info coming

Mindi911 · 11-14-2008, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bull.dogz

Lookee what we have here. Ok, I'm a shorty but I'm still in for this. I believe with heels on I can just about reach your belly button.

how do you think I feel.

freebirdmac · 11-14-2008, 06:42 AM

I'm so glad you're doing this!!!! You're always a fun read

What are your workouts looking like these days? I start my winter "bulk" next week. Gotta get these skinny sticks, er legs, bigger!

Buffycat3 · 11-16-2008, 04:54 AM

Wow! What a transformation.
You are a great inspiration to all women! Tall or Short!

....and to do this all without a PT....Amazing Girl!!!

I am going to join along with you in your journal.
Best Of Luck
Have Fun

Amazon Virgin · 11-18-2008, 04:53 AM

How much does your diet vary when you are cutting? I assume that you eat clean year round, what if anything changes and how do you deal with water retention when cutting?