viridian v1.5 - Cutting down!

[hmotb555]

In for the chocolate brownies! lol Good work on the squats...just make sure to keep your form at the bottom of the squat! I'm glad things seem to be going well for your training.

[adamrochester]

in on this

great squats girl keep it up !

[viridian]

Okay, so Ive been dreading this update.. lol and yeah, put it off for a week.. and then got a third job! So now its almost two weeks later and Im gonna give cliffs of the last two weeks..


Friday April 15th, 2011
Bench - 3 sets, 125x4
BB Row - 3 sets, 145x4

Saturday April 16th, 2011
8x 15 second all out sprints, 45-50 sec recovery. Grass field, not track. 45 minute walk/jog intervals with my roomies dog afterwards

-Incredibly disappointed with myself and so embarrassed I dont really wanna admit it, but I BLEW my diet for this day. Went out with a bunch of buddies as DD and by 3 am I was starving and so tired I could barely stay awake... I started with a fresco burrito from Taco Bell, intending to work it into my macros for Sunday - finished the night with about a pint of B&J's Half Baked to myself (a couple were getting passed around the house, Im pretty positive I ate almost a whole pint) X-( Can you say hello double calories for the day?? Hadnt messed up my diet plan since December, before I started lowering my cals, SO disappointed... I was just starting to see vascularity all the way up my arms! Rrrrg

I wont be going out past 1am again until after July. I cant handle being awake that long for one thing, its just not worth it.

Sunday April 17th, 2011
Bench - Speed, 6 sets 100x3

Killer workout from the insane amount of carbs night before

Monday April 18th, 2011
Back Squat - 155x3, top work set for speed
Leg Press - 380x8

Still killin with that carb load.

Tuesday April 19th, 2011
Rack Pull, inch below knees - 295lb x1 !!!
followed by 225x15
Monster status! lol This was absolute craziness. I used straps on the single, mixed grip, and just an overhand grip with straps for the higher reps.

Wednesday April 20th, 2011
40 minutes of Spinning plus 30 minutes incline walk

Thursday April 21st, 2011
Interview at Mimi's Cafe today - Got the job, just FYI


Back Squat - 3 sets, 175x4
Leg Press - 3 sets, 410x6

30 minutes car pushing. <<Lovin this kind of cardio

Still lots of energy from last weekend - the only good thing about my goof up. Still up 3lbs, kinda feel like a few of those are solid, not just "water" or glycogen.

Friday April 22nd, 2011
Bench - 125x5, 125x4, 125x3
BB Row - 3 sets, 145x5
-Didnt sleep all that well, my training showed it. Oh well!

Vascularity hasnt come back in my arms yet, highly aggravating

Saturday April 23rd, 2011
Total off day

Sunday April 24th, 2011
Bench - 6 speed sets, 105x3
Added in more accessory shoulder work.
Caaaardio - 45 minutes, 6-8incline 3.0-3.5mph

Monday April 25th - Wednesday April 27th
Got into the gym Monday, got to my first work set... my knees were sore, my body said no. LOL DELOAD! Dropped the weight back down, did half volume leaving a few reps in the tank. Normal cardio.

Went through 40 minutes of my Spin class on Wednesday

Will update yesterday and today probably tomorrow morning

[Echo814]

Contest prep is hard and I think I read in a thread (can't remember which) Kimm4 says she doesn't do go out much or at all to keep to her diet. The last few weeks are brutal from what I hear and there a killer workout the next day

[viridian]

Im up til 1am most nights (one job is a server at a bar) so i really didnt figure a couple extra hours one night would be a big deal - LEARNED MY DAMN LESSON! lol

Im still aggravated by that. Seriously aggravated. I feel like I set myself back about two weeks.

I also forgot to mention I got hold of a BodyBugg (my aunt decided she didnt want hers after all and knew Id wanted one for awhile <3's to her!) this week and have been havin tons of fun with it. Its making me alot more aware of my activity level and keeping it more consistent.

[gobbles23]

Goodness your strong!

Averages matter more than one day anyways. If you were good for a long time, and then had a higher calorie day, then it *might* bump your overall average up by about ~50 calories. Not even enough to worry about

[Echo814]

I have been having the same issue of weight going up and "sticking" even though I didn't eat enough to gain. Right now I am trouble shooting my diet to see if something is bloating me, my fat be squishy and such lol. Maybe you added a new food in or dairy might be bloating you? Are your clothes tighter or the same?

I love my Body Media! I like knowing that I am burning more than I originally thought.

[viridian]

Goodness your strong!

Averages matter more than one day anyways. If you were good for a long time, and then had a higher calorie day, then it *might* bump your overall average up by about ~50 calories. Not even enough to worry about

Tryin, tryin, tryin! I wanna make it to a powerlifting competition next winter/spring before going on to compete in figure again next year

I keep hoping that - but I think i was also less active than Id thought for that week which would make a difference too. The first day I got the bodybugg, I made sure to be about as active as normal - no interviews, didnt work that day. Just my regular lifting and 45minutes cardio... and I only burned about 1500 cals compared to my 1300cal diet. NOT good.

With the addition of another serving job and working more shifts at the other, Im more than covered on NEAT again.

I have been having the same issue of weight going up and "sticking" even though I didn't eat enough to gain. Right now I am trouble shooting my diet to see if something is bloating me, my fat be squishy and such lol. Maybe you added a new food in or dairy might be bloating you? Are your clothes tighter or the same?

I love my Body Media! I like knowing that I am burning more than I originally thought.

No new foods, dairy doesnt bother me. A bit more wheat products than normal but I dont seem to have any gluten intolerance either.

Well... I hadnt had the issue before And its coming back down slowly so im pretty positive it was a solid fat gain.

[adamrochester]

you are one strong woman !


what are your macros at now ?

[viridian]

1300 cals, 165P 36F

I think they need to come up though... My activity has about doubled in the last week or so and, well look at the numbers...

Bodybugg cals burned -
April 27: 2550 (40min spin class)
April 28: 3200 (legs, deload - work am, work pm)
April 29: 2800 (upper body, deload)
April 30: 2600 (off day)
May 1: 3100 :-O (am walk dog, chest WO, work pm)


I dont even know where to start right now... do my cals need to come up? Im pretty positive thats fairly accurate, its been really consistent. The higher burn days Ive gone to bed feeling ravenous and considering eating my own arm when I wake up in the morning.

I really wish Id have gotten this thing a few weeks ago when I was less active, just for comparison.

----------------------

Also - Im going to go ahead and "announce" I decided I wont be competing in July, hopefully instead later in the year. Right now is just too crazy and quite frankly Im too stressed out. The costs on top of the pressure to be ready for this while Im having a ton of emotional stress as is is close to driving me bonkers. Taking classes this fall is priority, not a figure show as much as I really, really want to.

[juliacheh]

Don't worry, there will be always other shows

[viridian]

Well its a good thing I made that decsion before sh*t hit the fan - this whole week has been an absolutely horrendous disaster.

I found out last Monday my dad got laid off back home - but, I also started my second serving job that night so it wasnt that big of a stress. I woke up the next morning +15 pounds. Knees killing me, horrible headache. Legs, feet and fingers/arms so swollen it hurt to bend and touch the floor.. I put it up to having dinner and trying the various soups at the new job which id only eaten one meal from (and a year ago at that) and their extreme sodium content, while on the other hand, Im used to eating very little sodium. Did not even attempt to go to the gym, it was all I could do to get through work.

Wednesday came around, same thing. Again, made it through work, felt tired and crappy all day despite my cals being a touch higher than theyd been in months and not having trained.

Thursday - Only two pounds lighter than Tuesday, my hands were less swollen.. made Dr appointment (for Friday). THREE hour nap mid day because I literally couldnt stay awakedespite getting a full 8 hours of sleep night before. I rarely ever need a nap and even then theyre typically no more than 30min. Back and neck sore, legs hot to the touch. Made it through work with a killer headache, asleep by 10pm.. my usual time is right around 1am because of how late Im usually at work.

Friday - Down four pounds, can see my knees/ankles again... the Dr acted totally unconcerned despite seeing pics of how I looked Wednesday and me being very emphatic about how active and healthy I usually am. She pretty obviously had no idea what the cause was, jumping from one suggestion to the next starting with saying I may have gotten over Strep and the antibodies causing inflammation (no strep in the last year +), then going on to kidney failure, liver failure all the way up to congenital heart failure after she asked if I had insurance (made it seem like she would get a bonus for having me run that test )

Got all of the blood results back today except the Lyme test - Everything was pretty normal. Liver enzymes slightly elevated (~10 points above normal... considered abnormal when over 50% elevated... mine was nowhere near that), allergen slightly elevated. Glucose, kidney, etc all normal.

New Doctor (from today) has pretty much no idea what could have caused that, or what is causing my knees and shoulders to hurt. Im still really lethargic for whatever reason as well, which is less than rare for me. This guy suggested fibromyalgia, lupus, plain stress, and a general autoimmune disease.

I managed a workout Sunday which was nice... nothing amazing, it was just good to be in there at all! Wide back squats (135x5, 4 sets), single leg press, hamstring curls.

Trying for chest, some back if I can manage, tomorrow.

Im hoping for the Lyme results to come back in the next few days.

Cliffs:
-Unexplained inflammation causing 15lb increase in weight 05/03.
-Pain in knees, ankles, shoulders.
-Stiff/sore muscles in back/neck with no obvious cause.
-Doctors have no idea why.
-One training session in the last 7 days.

[Echo814]

Sounds like a lot has been going on. I couldn't really say what your body is doing other than stress taking its toll, until-something medical can back it up. Sorry you've been going through this I hope things get better soon

[julysray]

just my thoughts not an expert but have you seen a chiropractor to see if your back is out of wack i mean ive read your whole journal and damn girl you're a busy women or maybe its a pinched nerve....

[goalorientgirl]

Oh my, this sounds so similar to what I went through a few years ago! I really feel your pain... I weirdly developed a heart condition (that has since gone away), had a pinched nerve in my back (somehow) that caused muscle in my right shoulder to die (and intense, intense pain), had some seizures (only in my brain... I wasn't even aware of it... :/ ), lost 20lbs, became seriously depressed, all over a couple months -- and I had had a perfectly healthy, mildly athletic, life up until that point. They ended on non-specific "autoimmune" disease with me, but they're narrowing it down more and more even today, so they've added Celiac lately, which apparently can explain a sizable amount of my grief. My diagnosis is honestly so much better than most of the things they were scaring me with, like a degenerative neurological condition or brain tumor. :/ They gave me blood tests and scans for absolutely everything that people could think of -- Lyme disease was a big favorite until that came back negative. I'm amazed you're able to work out going through all of this - I could barely do my physiotherapy.

I really wish you luck. I honestly thought my life was going to be over a few years ago, and I'm almost completely back to normal (except a fair bit scrawnier, I need to go to bed a lot earlier than I used to, and nutrition is a lot more complicated now). Modern medicine is awfully impressive these days. With enough time, they'll be able to figure you out.

Seriously, good luck. And get more sleep! All that stress is only going to make your body weaker.

[viridian]

Well, Ive managed around three workouts since my last post, and also last night.

Joined a new gym so I can go whenever I feel like and not be stuck going at certain times.

My diet is on track again after heading back to maintenance for the month of May...

Body wise... my knees/ankles/shoulders and rarely wrists only hurt me randomly - which is SO wierd, Ive definitely never had a history of joint pain. I get tired randomly still as well, but Im gonna deal with it.

Til I figure out whats going on, Im obviously just going to have to work around this and do what I can.

[Jenslyn17]

Will follow on the sideline. Think you have a great attitude as a poster :-)

Hope you reach you cutting goals for the summer

[Vigilante_Inc]

I'm really late to this party but looking for other logs to follow and you're kinda cute so I'ma follow you.

[viridian]

Will follow on the sideline. Think you have a great attitude as a poster :-)

Hope you reach you cutting goals for the summer

Thank you Im going to reach them before the years out, dunno about summer right now though lol

I'm really late to this party but looking for other logs to follow and you're kinda cute so I'ma follow you.

WK in my thread?!
Glad I meet your 'kinda' standard lol

-------------

I felt almost totally normal yesterday (just slight tingling/numbness in my hand, off and on) Got in a decent workout too

Conventional Deadlift: 215lb x 5 (three sets)
Lat pulldown: 70x6 (3 sets)
-retarded commercial gym and their cable systems... 70?? I know its not a legit 70lbs, everywhere that labels lbs, I can get around 110lbs for those reps
SLDL: 135lbx8 (three sets)

20 minutes stepmill, kept it easy on level 6.

My deads were really hindered by lack of rounded plates... all the plates have flat edges so they dont roll. Im used to being able to pull the bar into me and exploding off the floor and it doesnt work when the bar wont roll LOL

Best workout Ive had in about a month followed by work - I'll take it.

But I need to buy a set of round bumper plates cause I'll be damned if im gonna be stuck with ghetto-ing my deadlifts like I was trying!

[Echo814]

Glad to hear you're feeling better. It sucks how ones health can take odd turns, hopefully they can figure out what it is soon

[Vigilante_Inc]

No WK. I said you're kinda cute. That's the same thing I tell old people and tell people about their kids... don't get a big head over it. I'm forever alone while I diet anyways. It's impossible to date and diet... especially when you're eating basically nothing but Jerky lmao

[juliacheh]

Sorry that you are not feeling so well.
Strong deadlifts nonetheless.

[viridian]

No WK. I said you're kinda cute. That's the same thing I tell old people and tell people about their kids... don't get a big head over it. I'm forever alone while I diet anyways. It's impossible to date and diet... especially when you're eating basically nothing but Jerky lmao

dude, total buzzkill! Get my ego up and just blow it to pieces


(notsrs)
And I hear ya on the dating and dieting thing... "So... you wont drink and you want to weigh everything you eat??" I dont think theres any further detail necessary there

Sorry that you are not feeling so well.
Strong deadlifts nonetheless.

Glad to hear you're feeling better. It sucks how ones health can take odd turns, hopefully they can figure out what it is soon

First time anything like that had ever happened to me... Im gonna power through this regardless. No point in having a pity party (which is what Ive been doing).


I had a killer workout today!

Best in a long while...

DB Bench - (47.5lb x3) 4 sets. (45lb x3) 2 sets
-Speed work
Decline Db bench - 40lbx12, 3 sets.
Preacher curl - 3 sets of 8 reps (notebook in the car, forgot the poundage on the machine...)
Incline DB press - 30lbx12 30x11 30x8
-ss- lateral raise 10lbx12 10x12 10x10
OH tricep extension - 40lbx12 40x10 40x9
-ss- laying rear delt fly - 7.5lbx12 7.5x12 7.5x10

20 minutes stepmill on level 5 half, level 6 half.

Calories right at maintenance level (according to bodybugg)

>> Taking calories down to a 500 defecit starting tomorrow... starting up again, fun stuff Hopefully everything holds out and I dont get sick... playin it day by day since no one seems to know what happened and Ive only had numbness in my hand for the last week-ish as symptoms.

[juliacheh]

DB benching is unbelievable.

[viridian]

^^ Thank you Your lifts arent exactly little weights either!

------------------------------------

Another really good day yesterday... my hand was off and on tingly and I got dizzy a few times at work, no big deal though.

Got off work, had a cup of coffee, couple slices of carrot raisin sweet bread and went for my workout.

Rack Pulls, just below knee - 265lb x3 245x5 245x4 245x4
...the racks lowest setting is too high... I put an aerobic stair and a set of risers to stand on. Definitely didnt push as hard as I could have The stair isnt solid enough to feel safe, it flexes too much and I felt like if I tried to be really intense I was going to risk pulling something.

Close grip seated Row: 120x8 120x8 (wrist straps)120x8 120x8
-ss- Standing DB press: 35x6 30x8 30x8 30x7

Straight Arm Pull down: 50x12, 3 sets. 50x10

Leaning lateral Raise: (12.5x8)x5 (10x8)x2
-ss- Single DB Row: 60x5 (55x5)x5 55x3
...Pretty sure the bold was a PR... will have to check!

Front raises: 12.5x12, 3 sets
-ss- Hammer curl: 25x8, 3 sets

30 minutes step mill, level 5

Not exactly the most efficient of workouts but I had a blast... and DOMS is either gonna hit me tomorrow or my body is doing something truly odd, Im only very lightly stiff in places, no real soreness.

---------------
Today is an off day but since its raining I'll likely go the gym to walk on a treadmill and watch some TV. Working again tonight, tomorrow Im thinking of putting Sumo DLs back in... we'll see

[adamrochester]

what julia said ^ ! you two are bloody strong !

so will you be looking at doing another show ?

[TPugs]

Late, but in on this. Read from page 1, got caught up. You seem genuine and hard-working - very admirable traits

Great lifts, amazing strength in your back!

Keep up the great work and keep posting! You'll make that comp one day

[viridian]

what julia said ^ ! you two are bloody strong !

so will you be looking at doing another show ?

Thanks, that means tons to me... my physique may not be killer at the moment with all the fun health-related drama, Im hanging onto my strength for all its worth at the moment. Its helping keep me sane.

Im not looking at another show right now. As soon as I have an idea whats going on health wise and see some form of improvement, Im planning on cutting down to 125lbs and going from there. Once I get more to that range, Im going to pick a show again. Honestly, Im itching to get going.

Late, but in on this. Read from page 1, got caught up. You seem genuine and hard-working - very admirable traits

Great lifts, amazing strength in your back!

Keep up the great work and keep posting! You'll make that comp one day

Thanks - like I said up there ^, its keeping me sane. Id like to hit a 300lb deadlift sometime in the near future... and everytime I go up a dumbell for single arm rows, I get pretty excited

And glad you read through... I took some time a few days ago to do the same and WOW, I forgot about some little feelings/details that have happened this year... I cant believe its already mid-JUNE!

[juliacheh]

Thanks, that means tons to me... my physique may not be killer at the moment with all the fun health-related drama, Im hanging onto my strength for all its worth at the moment. Its helping keep me sane.

Im not looking at another show right now. As soon as I have an idea whats going on health wise and see some form of improvement, Im planning on cutting down to 125lbs and going from there. Once I get more to that range, Im going to pick a show again. Honestly, Im itching to get going.

You'll do it. You are strong both physically and mentally

[viridian]

training updates..

.. June 06, 2011 ..

A. Back Squat..
175x1 175x2 (155x3)x3

Some retard came up to my rack WHEN I WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF MY FIRST REP on my first work set to ask me if he could take the plate clamps I wasnt using. I was more than pissed. Not only did I almost drop the bar, I was stupid enough to push through it after losing some form... could have easily messed my back. Who freaking asks questions when someone is in the middle of a rep?!

B. Good Morning
(95x10)x3
C. Hack Squat
(90x9)x3
D. Laying hamstring curl
(85x6)x2 80x6)x2
E. Leg Press calf raise
(230x12)x2

It must have been ask dumb questions to piss people off today at the gym or something cause some other dude asked if he could take one of the 10lb plates I wasnt using in the middle of a set for hack squats. Ive never in my life had anyone interrupt me in the middle of a rep or set like that. Ever.

..June 07, 2011..

A. Bench
(135x2)x4
wide grip -> (95x6)x3

B. Barbell Row
155x3 (135x4)x3
I should have been fine with 155, but my grip was roasted for some reason in my left hand. Forgot my straps at home so I dropped the weight.
C1. Lat Pulldown
(60x6)x4
C2. Incline close grip pushup
8x4
D1. Single arm Shoulder Press
(28x6)x3
D2. alternating DB curl
(25x6)x3