Countdown to Bikini: October 2014

[AnnieRhi]

Hello all! I have just committed to my first bikini competition in October 2014. Amazon class represent! The coach has been hired, and I have that initial down payment fee laughing at my struggles, my food plan, and my sore muscles; definitely can't quit now!

My fitness past has been almost non-existent. I grew up a nerd, involved in writing, science fiction, theater, and music. I was never really drawn to sports, although my mom always pushed me to join basketball because of my height. It wasn't until I graduated college that I started to get interested in fitness. I was unemployed, looking for a post-grad job, and hated not having a goal to work towards. So I started working out with Jillian Michaels. When that program was over, I joined a gym and really haven't looked back. I took some time off last fall when I was working full time and taking classes part time, but once I found bodybuilding.com I knew I wanted to compete someday.

My initial goal was figure, and I figured I'd need several years of training before I could really start thinking about it. But something hit me November 2013 and I realized I didn't know what I was waiting for anymore. I was stagnating at the gym, losing my healthy eating habits, and not where I wanted to be after two years of training. No, I can't do figure yet. But I can start with bikini and really get my a** in gear. Time to get serious, stop playing around and literally put my money where my mouth is. I've been thinking about competing for over a year, and I realized that right now (being unmarried, without kids, living alone, and only myself to support) might just be the perfect time to do it.

So I hired a prep coach. I hired a coach ten months out from my first competition. I've read too many horror stories of people getting up on stage before they're ready, and I don't want to get up on stage just to say I did it. I want to do it right. I want to give myself enough time to prepare, to get into the swing of things, and not worry about cutting things too close.

I trust my new coach quite a bit. I really can't argue with his results; the rest of his team looks amazing. He says he can get me there too, and I believe him. I've chatted a bit with his other clients, and they assure me he's not super bro-sciencey, and won't put me through hours of cardio, push expensive supplements, or dangerous, quick-result weight loss.

Having typed all that, I am a little overwhelmed with what I've gotten myself into. I know I can't back out now. But the workout plan and nutrition has got me thrown a little bit, and I'm wondering how I'm going to do this. I am sorely lacking in self-discipline, mental strength, and have always used the words "lazy" and "procrastinator" to describe myself, but I'm hoping this whole process will help me find my own strength of body and mind. Coach says he can turn me from a kitten into a tiger. I've begun to check the mirror regularly for signs of stripes.

[AnnieRhi]

My first leg day was today. I didn't finish the workout. I was also supposed to do HIIT. I didn't do that either.

It's funny how a new workout plan can make you feel like you're totally out of shape. I know I'm not, but by golly that workout made me feel like a failure. It's like, "what have you been doing for the past year, Annie? Why do you suck at this so much?" I'm trying to tell myself that starting any new workout plan can be a little rough at first, and it'll get easier in a week or two. But I don't think I pushed myself hard enough, so that kinda stings too. In my meager defense, I didn't have any caffeine this morning before my workout. I'm having NO Xplode tomorrow for chest and back day. I got my workout plan this past Monday, and have yet to do a single HIIT session prescribed. Snap.

The workouts are also taking me much longer than they're supposed to, which means I really don't want to do HIIT because I'll be "late" for work. I put late in quotes because it doesn't really matter what time I get there as long as it's before 9. I just need to suck it up and do it.

I'd also briefly like to mention how hard it is to eat so often. I imagine the point of eating so much whole, unprocessed food is so I don't feel hungry and deprived, but it's hard. My breakfast felt like too much, and my post-workout meal felt like too much. It took me 45 minutes to eat Meal #2. Forty five minutes. Prior to this I was practicing IF and loving it. Now I'm eating far more frequently and it's quite an unpleasant adjustment. I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually. Is this what bulking is like? Eating when you don't want to and having your food taste worse because you're not hungry? Although Coach didn't give me the macros of my plan, I calculated it out and it all fits fine; in fact, it's pretty close to what I have been eating, calorie-wise. Around 1800 calories a day. So why does it feel like so much extra food?!

I also don't like basmati rice. At all. Give me regular brown rice. I can't tell you why I hate it, but I do. It just tastes weird and wrong. Trading my giant bag of basmati rice for my boyfriend's giant bag of brown rice this weekend. Maybe that will make some meals more palatable.
Also, it smells like cabbage when I microwave it. What's up with that?

[AnnieRhi]

As I type this, I am eating chicken and greek yogurt. Not together, thankfully.

I am excited. It's Friday, and I have officially completed a full workout. That's chest and back, eight exercises, and then 24 minutes of HIIT on the elliptical. I'm also excited to hit all my macros and drink all my water, so I'll be able to officially mark TODAY as Day 1 because it's the first day I've done all my prep correctly. The only thing I'm missing now is supplements, which I'm going to get this weekend at Super Supplements. Nothing too major; BCCAs, Glutamine, a pre-workout, and some other stuff. I thought I wouldn't need a pre-workout, but turns out I really like sipping my coffee after my workout when I get to work. I took two sips of NO Xplode today, one before weights, and one before cardio, and it turned out really well.

Really trying to follow Coach's advice about not stressing about how much weight I'm lifting. Control, form, focus on the negative, and get the reps DONE. If I can't complete the full set, I need to drop the weight, no excuses. After my disaster of a leg day, I'm wondering if that's what I did wrong; start with too heavy of weights, and just burn myself out on the first four exercises. Leg days have TEN exercises, with trisets, supersets, the works. They're going to be tough and I'm already thinking that I might not try to do cardio on those days.

I also tried Muscle Milk Cake Batter as a shake last night for the first time. I've actually run out of it already, but this whole time I've been using it in oatmeal. I tried it with half milk and half water and it was delicious! I know I have a giant tub of Optimum Nutrition Chocolate Whey, but that stuff tastes so bad compared to Muscle Milk. I'm willing to take in less protein for flavor. ON makes me feel a little sick to my stomach. I should really find a good protein powder brownie recipe.

Speaking of recipes, I've officially discovered how to make egg whites and oats palatable! I've been experimenting all week, and ended up with oats in runny eggs, oats in scrambled eggs, and cold slimy oats. But I've finally found the recipe that works! Once I can post links I will credit it to the site I found it at. It's from Treats with a Twist, and I add blueberries to it. Yum!

The Best Way to Cook Oats and Egg Whites

Ingredients
½ cup old fashioned oats
1 cup water
½ cup liquid egg whites (or 4 egg whites)
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1-2 tsp. granulated Stevia


Instructions
In a small sauce pan, combine the oats and water. Turn the heat on medium. After 2 min, the oats will start to fluff up. Add the egg whites. Stir slowly, in a figure-8 motion and around the pot, for the next 3-4 min; until the oats look fluffy and start to pull away from the edge of the pot when you stir around. Quickly stir in the cinnamon, vanilla, and sweetener. Pour the eggy oats into your bowl, top with a sprinkle more of cinnamon, and enjoy!

[AnnieRhi]

Eek. Not the best day, following a not-so-great weekend. To sum up:

- Seriously failed at plyometrics on Saturday. You know that fear people have about box jumps, where your toes hit the edge, but then the whole box topples over and slams you in the shins? Yeah, that happened. That happened three times before I finally gave up. I have a nice little gash on my right shin now. I finished the circuit, but did not feel good about it at all.

- Got to watch my BF and roommate lounge around all weekend; it all accumulated during the football game, when I had been running around all day, cooking, gym-ing, eating on time, and feeling like this was the least relaxing weekend ever, and I walk into their apartment while they're just sitting around eating pizza and watching the game. Obviously there's nothing wrong with watching football and eating pizza. But when you've just been pushing yourself all day, and you're stressed out, and pissed off, and you see that... it just sucks.

- Didn't have enough time for cardio today because the leg workout took FOREVER, but in retrospect I should have done it anyway, because I might have prevented what else happened. See below:

- Some piece of crap STOLE my running shoes from the locker room. They were a remnant of when I worked at a shoe store in college, they were over three years old and I kept them in great shape, looking super nice, and someone stole them. Someone stole them from atop my locker when I was drying my hair.


I couldn't even take it. I just went to my car and bawled my eyes out for like, 20 minutes. Late to work. The past few days just really got to me. Now I don't have shoes for the gym tomorrow, and after spending over $60 on supplements this weekend, I can't really afford a brand new pair, and I'm so angry at the girl who took them I could scream.

Anyhoo, not a good day. Not much to report. Everything else seems to be sucking, but I am sticking with my prep. Need shoes for cardio tomorrow. Maybe TJ Maxx or Ross will come through...

[MoEcho]

Yikes! Sorry you had such a sh*ty day!!

If it makes you feel any better, I'm subbed to the log and hoping you have a much better day tomorrow

[Goalie_Girl]

Yikes, sorry to hear about the chitty day! Sounds bawl worthy for sure, here's wishing you a better tomorrow!

Let me know if you want some help in procuring a protein brownie recipe! I'm thinking of testing one out this week but I need to wait for my new whey to come in!

[AnnieRhi]

Yikes! Sorry you had such a sh*ty day!!

If it makes you feel any better, I'm subbed to the log and hoping you have a much better day tomorrow

It does make me feel better, thanks. Happy to have you onboard!

Yikes, sorry to hear about the chitty day! Sounds bawl worthy for sure, here's wishing you a better tomorrow!

Let me know if you want some help in procuring a protein brownie recipe! I'm thinking of testing one out this week but I need to wait for my new whey to come in!

Yeah, I felt really bad for the girl at the front desk who I legit started sobbing in front of. Not one of my best moments....

I would love help in protein brownie recipes! Thanks! I'm still a little confused about eating; that is, Coach has laid out all my days, what to eat, how much, and when. I'm wondering if a time will come that I can suggest/request something else? I'm hoping things will change up once I start to slim down. Still sitting at 22-ish percent bodyfat at the moment, which is probably why I'm only allowed 1800 calories and cardio 5 times a week.



Arms day today; felt much better about it than I did last week. Got in my HIIT cardio, and felt much better about that too. My work day has just started, but I'm already feeling better than I did yesterday. It helps that I properly cooked my chicken this week. Last week I undercooked it (I use a slowcooker), so everytime I needed to eat a meal last week, I would separate the chicken and nuke it for an extra minute, and that made it all tough and slightly rubbery. So I am happy my after workout chicken is yummy. Also I switched to brown rice and am loving it so much more than basmati. Yay for small victories!

Any plyometrics fans out there? I'm a total newb to plyo (it always looked super hardcore and intimidating when I watched other people do it). I did six circuits on Saturday, and my calves are still killing me. I thought plyo was generally more cardio than strength, but my sore calves do not lie. The circuits are mostly variations of jumping squats and lunges.

Here's some fun stats. I think I'll do some measurements tomorrow too, so I'll have all my "before" stuff out of the way. I can't wait until I can post pictures!

5'10" female
Starting weight: 156 lbs
Estimated Body fat: 22-23%

Resistance days: 1800 calories
195 grams of carbs
192 grams of protein
33 grams of fat

Rest days: 1640 calories
120 grams of carbs
162 grams of protein
62 grams of fat

[AnnieRhi]

It struck me today as I was surfing through other bikini competitor blogs. I am 44 weeks out. That sounds like a long time. I read a ton of blogs about girls with 9 weeks or prep, 12 weeks of prep, 20 weeks of prep, and even just 6 weeks of prep. And I know that for a lot of them, that's just not enough time. They end up not even coming close to placing, or if they do place I still look at their photos and can see that their lower half isn't lean enough, or their upper body not quite muscled enough, and if they weren't doing a small little regional show they would not be holding a trophy.

Even knowing this, and feeling (I admit it) a tad smug that I've given myself enough time to really prepare, it's also very daunting. 44 weeks doesn't just sound like a long time, it is a long time to be in prep mode. I guess I hoped that by starting this far out, I would force myself to adapt, adjust, and adopt this new lifestyle, thus being less likely to return to my old habits once it was over.

Time passes regardless of how you spend it. October 2014 will come in spite of what I choose to do with the next 44 weeks of my life. But at this point, I don't get to tell myself what those other bloggers do: "only three weeks left!" There's no reassuring comfort that this won't last forever, because I can't even imagine the end point. I can't see it on the horizon, and I feel like I'm in the middle of the sea, knowing that if I keep going I'll see land eventually, but at the same time wondering where the hell it is, because all I see is ocean.

I'm hoping that once I start seeing visible results in my body it'll be at least a little easier to stick with, and it'll silence some of the negativity I've gotten from others. It'll make me feel like all the cooking and planning and Tupperware and gym-ing and cardio-ing are actually worth something. I don't think I'm impatient to see progress, because I trust my coach knows what he's knowing and I'll get there eventually. But in spite of hiring him and following his plan, taking the supplements and upping my exercise, it just doesn't seem real yet. I wonder what week that will change?

Anyway. Musings over.

[MoEcho]

Just curious, who's your coach?

[Lammerchops]

Following along, but bummed about lack of details regarding your prep! What types of moves are in your workouts? With a log like this, we'll be able to watch you increase the amount of weight youre lifting as you get stronger, and cheer you on!

[Cara0915]

Just a question, are you looking for opinions/help or are you doing a journal for your own records?

[ChrizyKibs]

In for the ride! Good luck with prepping for the competition The only thing I'm confused about is your macros and cals, doesn't sound like much of a bulk to me?

[AnnieRhi]

Just curious, who's your coach?

I'm training with Body Management Group: http://www.bodymanagementgroup.com/
I went to my first competition this past October, and I saw BMG coached a ton of amazing looking girls; including the overall winner of bikini! I feel really lucky that they took me on; I know their team is small and they want to keep it that way!

Following along, but bummed about lack of details regarding your prep! What types of moves are in your workouts? With a log like this, we'll be able to watch you increase the amount of weight youre lifting as you get stronger, and cheer you on!

That's a good idea! Some of the moves are just body weight, but I can definitely start posting some of my stats for the bigger lifts! I warn you my numbers are far from impressive, ha.

Just a question, are you looking for opinions/help or are you doing a journal for your own records?

I'd like opinions and help, but this is the first time I've ever worked with a coach before and I don't really know how to proceed and how our relationship works, if that makes any sense. I'm not really certain of the dynamics between us yet. I mean, I always imagined the point of a coach was to just do exactly what they tell you to do; you hired them, you researched them, you trust that they know what they're doing to get you where you need to be. Honestly I'm just a little worried I'll get conflicting advice from him and the forums and not know what to do. So, I guess I'm looking for opinions and support from online, keeping in mind that any changes I make I have to tell (ask?) my coach about so he knows what's up? Did that make sense?

In for the ride! Good luck with prepping for the competition The only thing I'm confused about is your macros and cals, doesn't sound like much of a bulk to me?

Yeah, I don't think I'm bulking either! I think we're cutting down the fat to see what type of base I have, so we know what I really need to work on for October. I've never been under 25-ish% body fat since I hit puberty, and I've been lifting for almost two years but don't really know what I have underneath. No doubt my first year I probably didn't make a ton of progress because I didn't know what I was doing. So I'm imagining we cut down for two/three months, and then have enough time for a mini-bulk before we really start having to cut down again.

[AnnieRhi]

So I have five training days, and five sessions of cardio a week. As much as I love to get both done in the same gym visit before work, the leg workouts are just too long. I don't have time to do both them and cardio. If I wanted to do both on the same day, I'd be making two trips to the gym; one before work and one after. I've been doing cardio on my rest days to prevent this, but I'm wondering if that's hindering my recovery.

Any opinions on whether I shouldn't do my cardio on my rest days? Or, should I keep at least one no-activity rest day?

I'd also like to sing the praises of HIIT for a moment. I've always hated cardio with a fiery passion. It's boring. I get tired. I'm hyper aware of the fact that my legs are moving and I'm going nowhere. But HIIT has changed everything. I'm doing 30 second sprints and 90 second moderate pace, and it actually holds my attention! I love changing the intensity so frequently. It actually makes my cardio sessions not only bearable, but like, a little fun.

Today was legs and ohmygosh. This was my second attempt at this workout. Last week I did not finish it. I think my problem last week was that I'm used to high weight/low reps, and Coach has me at high reps/I-can't-possibly-do-high-weight. So this week I have dropped the weight on everything, as my sets are now twice as long as I had been doing them, and really focusing on just finishing all the reps. The most obvious drop in weight is in my leg press and my lunges. A quick preview of some of my insanity that is leg day #2:

Leg Press High: 2x15 at 90, 2x15 at 110
Smith Machine Lunges: 4x30 at 40 lbs
Walking Lunges: 2x30 with 30 lbs, 2x30 body weight.
Reverse Lunges: 4x30 body weight

Also, are Booty Kick Backs like Donkey Kicks? Or are they something else? I thought they were Standing Cable Kickbacks, but they're not...

[Cara0915]

never[/I] been under 25-ish% body fat since I hit puberty, and I've been lifting for almost two years but don't really know what I have underneath. No doubt my first year I probably didn't make a ton of progress because I didn't know what I was doing. So I'm imagining we cut down for two/three months, and then have enough time for a mini-bulk before we really start having to cut down again.

Ok so here's my thoughts.
Unless you have disposable income, having a coach this far out is pretty much a waste of $$
You're wasting valuable building time by cutting right now. At your stats now you could easily be comp ready in 12-16 weeks.
If you've never spent a decent amount of time eating at a surplus and lifting heavy you won't have much, if any muscle built up underneath to show once you cut down.
Of course the choice is up to you, the above is what is recommended.

[AnnieRhi]

Whew! What a week! Logging took a back seat to work for the past few days; I've been taking a SQL class at work, and our final projects were due this week, so I had to fit a lot of coding in. Yes, I'm a procrastinator. No, I don't think that will ever change. I'm excited to start learning more about coding though. SQL is such a ubiquitous program, knowing how to use it can only help in the future.

Anyway, here's a few more stats from today. I realized that 4 sets of 15 really does mean 4 sets of 15, and not 4 sets of 30 (15 for each leg) unless explicitly specified. So my numbers are a little better this week.

Leg Press High: 4x15 at 150
Smith Machine Lunges: 4x15 at 40 lbs
Walking Lunges: 4x30 with 20 lbs
Reverse Lunges: 4x15 body weight
Step ups: 4x15 body weight (I used the two foot step today and felt much more bada** than when I used the baby step last week)

I had a little trouble sticking to my nutrition plan this week, unfortunately. I'm wondering if I'm addicted to sugar, or just have "must eat something sweet" so ingrained in my mind that this is more difficult that I expected it to be. I remember people saying that your cravings are often indicative of something lacking in your diet. Like, when I crave peanut butter I know I need to up my fats. But with the sugar thing, I really don't know. Maybe my sweet tooth is really just that bad?

Here's a picture from the gym. With my track record, I feel like I should buy heels now so I have enough time to practice in them. I really, really suck at walking in heels. I'm so tall that I never needed them, you know? I'm also thinking of entering the 100k transformation just for funsies.

[AnnieRhi]

Happy Monday! I am unfortunately working today and tomorrow, but I took the rest of the week off, so I'm excited for my five day vacation from work. AND Christmas falls on my rest day, so lucky me!

Stats:
Leg Press High: 4x15 at 150
Stiff leg Deadlifts: 4x15 at 60 lbs (thinking I should up the weight on these?)
Smith Machine Lunges with front leg elevated: 4x15 at 40 lbs
Walking Lunges: 4x15 with 30 lbs
Glute kick-backs: 4x30 at 30 lbs

The BF is doing Shortcut to Size and bulking. Trying to stay focused, with the massive amounts of yummy high-cal food he gets to eat for the next 12 weeks. I think I finally figured out how much chicken to buy without having to go to the supermarket multiple times a week. The magic number is around 6 lbs. Almost a lb a day. I have more salmon than chicken on rest days though. I love how fatty salmon is.

I'm starting to actually enjoy my cardio sessions. There's something nice about plugging into some music, tuning in to the sports channel, and just getting some intervals done. It's the easiest part of my workouts now, so it's nice to end my workouts with it. I feel a little silly trying to go all out on the elliptical, but whatevs. We're having a team meeting this weekend, and I'll actually get to meet my coach and other teammates in person! I haven't really been in contact with anyone but Coach, but knowing some local girls who are also doing this could be really fun! I'd love to make some new fitness-minded friends. I always feel weird talking about this stuff to my normal girl friends; like I'm trying to make them feel bad for not exercising or eating healthy? So I've pretty much avoided mentioning it unless they ask. Which they usually don't.

On a completely unrelated note, I henna-ed my hair this weekend AND finished American Horror Story Season 2, so I'm a happy camper. Sunday was a much needed sit around the house with crap in my hair while binge watching AHS rest day. The henna didn't deposit as much color as I'd hoped (I used LUSH's brick henna because I was lazy and didn't feel like ordering the real stuff online), but my hair's all super shiny now. And hopefully I get to watch Season 3 this week, which I am also excited about.

[AnnieRhi]

Almost a new year.

Adventures in Cooking
Took the past six days off from my meal plan and didn't make time to go grocery shopping last night, so I'm off the plan today as well. Hoping to get to the store tonight and get my meals prepped! I mentioned (complained) that my meals were too bland, which is largely due to my complete lack of cooking skills, and happened to get inspired by Sy's journal post about spicing (literally) her macros up. So I invested in some spice mixes from World Market, and I'm going to try them out this week to see if I can't make my food at least a little more appetizing. I like brown rice, I like chicken, I even like green beans, but when they're plain? It's just such a chore to eat them. I'm hoping the spices will help.

Sweetness Purge
I'm also worried that I've gotten too comfortable in my Splenda addiction. It's only become a problem as of late, when I find myself expecting something sweet at certain times of the day, and I am unbelievably dissatisfied and unhappy if I don't get it. That's not something I want to tolerate or indulge, so I'm cutting sugar/splenda for the next two weeks to break my habit. Eating grapefruit is going to suck. So is plain greek yogurt. But I'm hoping this will help the rest of my food taste better and kind of cleanse(?) my palate for healthier foods. We'll see!

New Team
Met with my team and coach this weekend for the first time. It was really cool to finally chat with some ladies that know exactly what I'm going through, what I will go through, and probably what I'll struggle with too. They all made remarks about my first show being the best, the hardest, the best prep, etc. Still not sure what to expect, ha. But it's nice to know I'm not alone. A bunch of the ladies are moving up to figure in 2014, so I'll actually be in the minority in the bikini category. Gotta start somewhere.

Compliments from Friends
I've started getting comments about my appearance (that sounds weird, but it's cool). An old family friend asked if I had lost weight "like, a lot of weight?" and my BF says he's noticed a lot of increased definition in my legs and glutes which is awesome (even if he's just saying it to be nice). I feel like my booty has changed shape/size in the past few months. I know I've only been on this new training program for a month, but leg days are so, SO much more difficult that what I had been doing. If nothing else, this has shown me how easy it is to slack off at the gym and not even notice it (which is what I had been doing prior to starting this program).

Body Perception
I'm also going to share an odd phenomenon that I've noticed about myself and my perception. Occasionally, maybe once a month or once every two months, I'll start feeling really good about how my body looks. I'll feel more attractive, sleeker, whatever. Then I will weigh myself, and I've almost always gained weight. Sometimes I'm just the same weight. Never have I had one of those "I feel great about myself!" moments and weighed less. So this week, when I felt really good, I opted to not even touch a scale. I don't want to ruin my awesome feelings with that number that will almost always disappoint me.

Anyone thinking of doing the 100K challenge this year? I'm considering it. Nearly all my teammates are doing the Emerald Cup this year in May, and it might help my motivations levels to have something to shoot for that's kind of in the same timeline.

Anyway, onto the stats. Did better today, even if this workout took me longer than it has in the past. A few lifting highlights:

Stats
Leg Press, High - 2x15 at 140 lbs, 2x15 at 160 lbs
Smith Machine lunges - 4x15 at 30 lbs
Walking Lunges - 4x15 at 30 lbs
Goblet Squat - 4x15 at 35 lbs

Oooh, I also got a new purple iPod nano and arm band from the BF for the gym for Christmas. I can finally stop using my phone and storing it in my sports bra! Although now I have this arm band that constantly reminds me of how much extra flub I have on my upper arms.

Also (clearly), I played around with colors today.

[AnnieRhi]

Cardio day today! Not looking forward to the crowded-ness that is the gym today, but I do hope everyone there sticks with (and crushes) their fitness goals for 2014! I'm still seriously considering doing the 100k transformation challenge. I also just learned of another local show on June 21, and I'm wondering if it might be possible to do that one first? It's not a national qualifier, and doesn't seem to be that big so it might be perfect as a first show. I figure if I really put my head down and make a ton of progress over the next 12 weeks, I might be able to talk my coach into it.

Stats
Lat Raises - 2x15 at 12lbs, 2x15 at 15 lbs
Dumbbell Shoulder Press - 4x15 at 30 lbs
Rear Delt raises - 2x15 at 12lbs, 2x15 at 15 lbs

Incline Bicep Curls - 4x15 at 40 lbs
Dips - 4x15
Standing Tricep Pushdowns - 4x15 at 40 lbs

Also, the no-sugar thing has been going pretty well! Granted, it's only Day 3, but I'm actually starting to enjoy my coffee with milk in the mornings. The plain greek yogurt is still a little hard to get down. But with my new team on ********, I've been feeling super motivated lately.


Posing
Probably going to start meeting with Coach for posing practice this month. I've been watching the IFBB pros pre-judging, and it's been pretty helpful trying to develop my own... um, style? I'm so not the frilly, prancy, flirty type, so I need to find something that I feel comfortable with that's also not too different from what the other girls do.



Happy New Year!

[anonymous]

Hi - I have just subbed your thread. Even though we are totally different body types and ages, I am excited to watch your journey into competiton-land I am prepping for a Figure comp in March, so I have a lot less time than you!
Can't wait to see your results - good luck!!!!

[AnnieRhi]

Hi - I have just subbed your thread. Even though we are totally different body types and ages, I am excited to watch your journey into competiton-land I am prepping for a Figure comp in March, so I have a lot less time than you!
Can't wait to see your results - good luck!!!!

Glad to have you along! And yes, competition-land can be treacherous without a proper map.

[AnnieRhi]

Another legs day today! I've been doing full body routines for so long, I'd forgotten how much I like splits. Although my hammies were still sore from Monday; onwards and upwards!

Stats
Leg Press, High - 2x15 at 140 lbs, 2x15 at 160 lbs
Leg Extension - 4x15 at 66 lbs
Leg Curl - 4x15 at 50

Smith Machine lunges - 4x15 at 30 lbs
Donkey Kick w/ Smith Machine - 4x15 at 15 lbs

Walking Lunges - 4x30 at 30 lbs
Stiff Legged Deadlift - 2x15 at 60, 2x15 at 70

One weird thing I've noticed about the lying leg curl; I feel this muscle/tendon in my right leg, on the back of the knee. When I'm just finishing the negative, it feels like I'm stretching something there too far. I got a little worried that my left leg was doing too much work, so I switched to seated leg curls for the last set and didn't have the same problem.

Also I was silly and didn't realize the salmon I bought had bones in it. Unpleasant surprise as I'm sleepily eating it at 9 pm last night. Turns out closely examining your food before you put it in your mouth is a sure-fire way to kinda lose your appetite.

Competition
NPC still hasn't posted dates yet for the shows I'm looking at in October. But I don't think I can do the local June show. It's not definite yet, but that could be the same week I'm going on an epic trek with my father and brothers. It would be a nine day trip, and I'm pretty sure it falls on the same dates as the show I was looking at. I know I said I wanted to make sure I was ready and not jump the gun with my first show, but I'm so eager to just get the first one over with. Everyone I talk to has something to say about the first show. Your first prep is V, the first show's going to be so W, you'll be so X, you'll learn about Y, and Z will be easiest your second show. Eeek. I certainly allowed myself enough time for freaking out preemptively, no?

[AnnieRhi]

Stats
Lat Pull downs - 2x12 at 70 lbs, 2x12 at 85 lbs
Seated row - 2x12 at 50 lbs, 2x12 at 60 lbs
One armed Dumbbell Row - 2x12 at 30 lbs, 2x12 at 35 lbs

Hyperextension - 4x12 with 25 lb weight

Cable Chest Press - 4x12 at 35 lbs
Cable Flys - 4x12 at 20 lbs

Incline Bench Press - 4x10 at 45 lbs


It's getting easier to glug down all that water; straws make it so much easier. I'm also really digging the black coffee I've been drinking; I don't really miss the splenda! Legs are tired. A little sore, but mostly just tired. It made the first few minutes of cardio kind of rough.

[Cardioconvert]

Hi there

Following quietly along with your journal thus far. Interested to see how your experience unfolds. For my first show (last year), I dieted down 22 weeks and that was way more than I ever will again - too much for too long for me. Started contest prep yesterday for an April 12 show and looking forward to rocking this cycle!

Good luck and we are all cheering for you!

CC

[AnnieRhi]

Hi there

Following quietly along with your journal thus far. Interested to see how your experience unfolds. For my first show (last year), I dieted down 22 weeks and that was way more than I ever will again - too much for too long for me. Started contest prep yesterday for an April 12 show and looking forward to rocking this cycle!

Good luck and we are all cheering for you!

CC

Thanks for reading! A 22 week cut sounds diabolically hard. I lasted about 14 weeks this past summer, and was really struggling to stay on track by the end. I'm hoping that's not where my coach has me headed now, but I guess we'll see.

Stats
Leg Press, High - 4x15 at 160 lbs
Stiff Leg Deadlift - 4x15 at 70 lbs

Smith Machine lunges - 4x15 at 30 lbs

Walking Lunges - 4x15 at 40 lbs
Goblet Squat - 4x15 at 35 lbs
Cable Kick Backs - 4x30 at 30 lbs

Still worried about my stiff leg deadlift form. I feel like I'm doing them wrong, or maybe the weight isn't heavy enough. I almost feel like my forearms are getting a better workout than my hamstrings.

Food
I've been switching around some foods in my meal plan, and think I can manage protein fluff every day! Blueberry fluff on training days and banana fluff on rest days. I was worried it wouldn't turn out quite right, since I have an upright blender and not an electric whisky-thingy, but I made some last night and while it wasn't very solid at all, it was so, SO much better than just a regular protein shake and water. I bought some unflavored almond milk at 15 calories per 1/2 cup, and with my vanilla protein powder and frozen fruit, my evenings just started looking a lot better. I'll see if I can't take a pretty picture of my Blueberry Fluff tonight.

Pictures
Still feeling too self-conscious to be posting body pictures online. It's hard enough sending progress pictures to my coach once a week in booty shorts and a sports bra. Funnily enough, the more progress I make the more I see that I have such a long way to go. It's... not demotivating, just... I have a lot of fat. I'm still determined; no wavering at all. Just still self-conscious. Hoping that starts to fade in a few months.

[AnnieRhi]

Fantastic news. Just spoke with my coach last night and... wait for it... I get to add Almond Butter to my meal plan! So stupidly excited. I haven't had any nut butter in close to two months and I'm so psyched to add it back in. Hoping I can control myself with it. I'm thinking I might just eat it plain... slowly... and enjoy. Also going to finally order that Cellucor Peanut Butter Marshmallow protein powder I've been reading about for the past year. Meal plan is looking up!

Stage
I have my first posing class on the 18th; need to get some competition heels before then. Coach says to aim for 4-5 inches, no platform (God knows I don't need extra height), and that there's actually a store nearby so I can try them on before I buy them. I was just planning to order them online, but it would be nice to walk around in some before I throw down the credit card number. I will absolutely try to remember to take so pics of my huge, amazon feet in them (size 10). I will, no doubt, look like a baby gazelle learning to walk at my first class. But that seems unavoidable, as my skills in heels have always been minimal

He also asked if I had thought about competing at the Emerald Cup in late April. I said I didn't think I would be ready; that seems awfully soon, doesn't it? I'm no expert by any means (obviously as a newb competitor), but I've been feeling ridiculously under muscled lately, even though the BF said my back is looking the best it ever has. You know those days at the gym, every time you look in the mirror you can't help but think "Not big enough." Yeah. Been having those lately. Skinny arms. Tiny glutes. Hidden delts. Blargh. Must eat, eat, eat so I can grow bigger. Oooh, time for meal #2!

Stats
28 minutes of HIIT and abs

[AnnieRhi]

The almond butter is amazing, since I know everyone who reads this journal was hoping for an update about how awesome that nut butter is. Although I wish I could buy it in pre-packaged, pre-weighed amounts so I wouldn't have such temptation to sneak more... I've given in to said temptation for the past two days. It was totally worth it and I have no regrets. I just adjusted the rest of my food for that day. Also I'm going to order my Cellucor Peanut Butter Marshmallow protein powder soon, which I'm very excited about.

Shoes
So I think I'm going to pick up my shoes this weekend. I'm uneasy about buying ones with ankle straps, but I'm so incredibly awkward in heels that I worry I would look visibly uncomfortable on stage without them. Digging around old posts on the forum, it sounds like it's recommended to NOT have ankle straps, because they cut off the line of your leg and make it look shorter. Makes total sense. Same reason they say clear and nude heels make your legs look longer and leaner.

But then I started browsing Google Images of IFBB pro competitors, and a lot of them have worn ankle straps. I even found a few pics at 2011 (2010?) Olympia of the pros wearing ones with ankle straps. There are also rhinestoned, multi-strap monstrosities that look super distracting.

This seems like such a tiny, stupid thing to worry about, but... I'd really rather feel confident that I won't fall over, than worry that the clear ankle strap is a modicum of distraction from my legs.



Here are the ones I'm looking at. 4" (because I'm already quite tall) with straps. I'll try them on and walk around, and hopefully will deem the straps not too obvious.

Stats
No change from last Chest/Back day, unfortunately.
Really wanted to quit cardio after 12 minutes, but stuck it out.
My legs are exhausted from yesterday.

[AnnieRhi]

My shoes! Those actually are my feet. Horrible, half-done, glitter pedicure-ish and all. I think I've gotten two pedicures in my life, and the last one was about... ooh, 4 years ago? I digress.




Not much else to report. I tend to feel really good about my progress until I look at my progress pictures and see how much further I have to go. But that's to be expected, right? In other random news I invested in some quick-dry clear top coat, and I'm kind of mad at myself that I never tried it earlier. It's amazing; my nails are dry in like, three minutes, which is great for me since I don't like spending more than 10-15 minutes on my nails, but love having gun-metal gray fingers.


Stats
Leg Press, High - 4x15 at 180 lbs
Stiff Leg Deadlift - 4x15 at 80 lbs

Smith Machine lunges - 4x15 at 40 lbs

Walking Lunges - 4x15 at 40 lbs
Goblet Squat - 4x15 at 37.5 lbs
Cable Kick Backs - 4x30 at 30 lbs

[AnnieRhi]

Motivation still low. Weighed myself three times the past week, and I'm officially up 2 lbs since November. Also took some "before" pics, and good gracious what a cold slap back to reality those were. Trying to sift through some old pics and see the progress, but it's hard. I have such a critical eye.

"What are you doing?"
"Interacting with you...?"
My mom asked me if I was keeping a journal, and I said "Yeah, mostly lifting stats and how I'm feeling that day." She insisted I keep track of all the funny conversations I have during this year in regards to my fitness. So, just in case, I present my favorite reactions as of late:

Female Family Friend: Oh my gosh. Have you lost weight? Like, a lot of weight? Your face looks so much thinner!

Male Friend: After giving me a blank stare when I try to explain I'm prepping for a competition, I show him a picture of Nicole Nagrani at the Olympia. His response?
She doesn't even look like a real person. Why would you want to look like that?

Female Friend: Oh, no! Do you have to get the horrible tan?
Yes.
No! Don't! It's going to look so weird! I love your pale skin! Do you have to get it?
Yes.
No!

Female Friend: Oh, wow, you brought your own dinner in a tupperware? That looks so good! Smells awesome. I want some!
Really? Cuz I bet that pizza you're eating right now looks and smells and tastes way better than what I'm eating. You're eating pizza. I'm not. And that's okay. No need to try to make me feel better about that fact.


Food
Replaced some rice in my diet with yams. I love yams. Yams are my delicious orange friend that I enjoy eating. I've also begun noting how much better prep food tastes when that's all you eat. Does that make sense? Like, the whole chicken, broccoli, brown rice gig was so bland and unappetizing a month ago, but now I actually enjoy it. When I'm not eating it after say, a doughnut, it tastes way better. I know I'm supposed to get tired of prep food (and honestly the first time I saw my diet I was legitimately scared that I was going to hate it and cheat horribly), but things are going pretty well. Ask me again in 12 weeks how I feel about it.

Stats
28 minutes of HIIT

[AnnieRhi]

Food

Ok, I'm having the classic female freak-out about calories. Got a new meal plan, as I mentioned in the above post, and just calculated out the calories and macros, and ohmigosh. Training days I'm supposed to eat 2260 calories. That seems like a lot. Especially since, prior to training with my Coach, I had been trying to keep my calories under 1800 and even dipped below 1600 on bad days.

When I bulked last year, I didn't track calories at all; I just tried to eat healthier, and up my protein intake with lots more chicken, cottage cheese, and protein powder concoctions. The logical part of my brain knows I ate more than 2260 regularly last year; I gained seven pounds in seven months. And upon heading over to IIFYM.com and punching in my stats, it says my TDEE is around 2300 (given that I'm now exercising six days a week).

I just hate that aversion to more calories that rears its head when I try to eat more. It's been a constant battle trying to change my way of thinking of food and my weight. Again, logically I know that eating at my maintenance and not getting fat will help dispel this internalized, unfounded fear of eating more. But it's times like this when I'm reminded of one of the best things I've ever read on bb.com, from user Miranda (who I haven't seen around lately), about how 90% of the women on this site tout the bodybuilding lifestyle for health and self-improvement, but in reality are just terrified of getting fat. I don't want to be scared of that. I don't want to be scared of eating more food. So I'm going to eat more food anyway. And it's going to be awesome.

Hopefully I can really start progressing in the gym with all this extra fuel. Before Coach (BC), I had been keeping in the 8-ish rep range. When I started doing higher reps, 12-15, the weight had to go down, obviously. It's starting to go back up and compare with BC numbers, which is exciting. Hopefully this extra food will really help me kick some butt in the weight room, and help allay my hesitation to eat at maintenance. Starting the new meal plan next week.

Hello wallet, have you seen your chicken bill for the week?