Can you look at yourself different with pictures? Like you can step back and see what is going on? I can. I hope you do! There are some muskels in thar!
It will be fun when you do a cut . To see what is under there.
Yes I can see differently with pictures. That is why I took the time to shoot a few last night. I am struggling a little bit with the bulking and the gaining that I am doing. Honestly it is not really that much fun. I feel so much like a slug. I need to be able to visualize the muscle gains I am making. If I just did the normal monthly pose thing it wouldn't look much different except maybe I would look fatter. With these I know there is muscle gain as well.
Warm Up
incline crunch with bar across forehead
1x15 (12lb)
1x15 (15lb)
1x15 (20lb)
I never thought to do crunches like these. I know it was just a warmup, but do you think these are more challenging than holding a medicine ball or plate? I feel like I am always looking for harder crunch variations.
Your pictures look good! Quite a bit of muscles you got popping out there
I can totally imagine that "mentally" it feels weird to bulk. Don 't need to myself for the moment (plenty of fat to loose first ), but I would find it difficult too. Guys often love gaining, because they just want to become huge. We 're so programmed to become lean and skinny that it 's hard to focus on muscle building. I 'm eating on maintenance or a bit below now, and I already get comments of some people (especially my mother) that I eat so much. Even when I went on a low-fat diet some years ago (1200-1500kcal), she was amazed that I lost 1kg a week with "so much food"
Your pictures look good! Quite a bit of muscles you got popping out there
I can totally imagine that "mentally" it feels weird to bulk. Don 't need to myself for the moment (plenty of fat to loose first ), but I would find it difficult too....
Actually it is much more than just a mental badness. It really doesn't feel good physically to overeat all the time. You know how you feel after Thanksgiving dinner when you are so full? It is like that all the time. My trainer has trained me that when he asks how I feel I respond with, "Slow, Fat and Strong" Yes, you can lift like crazy but you can't move very fast and you generally feel like a slug. Not cool. On the other hand I am enjoying maintenance calories immensely. That is a sweet spot for all of us. I think I am going to ride one more day on this. I'll see my trainer tomorrow and that will set things back on track probably but for today it is my call.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marygrace
I never thought to do crunches like these. I know it was just a warmup, but do you think these are more challenging than holding a medicine ball or plate? I feel like I am always looking for harder crunch variations.
Yes, these are more challenging unless you are holding the plate behind your head (that is another variation I will do). My trainer gave me the best crunch workout ever. Use a swiss ball and the cable machine. Use the rope attachment over the shoulders. That one for sure will get ya....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brentv
You're doing 50lb flies and 10x BW dips? Nice.
Brent
Thanks Brent! Getting stronger is the UP side to all of this eating business. I have the utmost respect for all the girls and guys who are posting PRs in a deficit.
OMFG I am going to hell in a hand basket. Tonight I ran 4.5 miles because I felt like running. The old Karla is coming back and taking over the new one. Thank God I see the trainer tomorrow.
OMFG I am going to hell in a hand basket. Tonight I ran 4.5 miles because I felt like running. The old Karla is coming back and taking over the new one. Thank God I see the trainer tomorrow.
How was the running for you? Have you only been doing HIIT lately? I am kind of concerned over the notion that if I wanted to go for a run now, I wouldn't have the endurance to do it.
OMFG I am going to hell in a hand basket. Tonight I ran 4.5 miles because I felt like running. The old Karla is coming back and taking over the new one. Thank God I see the trainer tomorrow.
The run was awesome. I too have only been doing HIT lately so it was nice to do a long slow run and just zone out. I did 45 min at 5.5 or 6.5 mph and I started at 3% incline but dropped it to 0% after about 1 mile. I did not want to kill myself but enjoy a nice little run which I did.
I am pretty heavy right now and slow (I can feel the changes in my body on the run) but even so how many 44-year olds can do a 4.5 mile run at 10mph and call it easy? I am okay with what I did actually even if I did use up all my glycogen stores for awhile.
It was a nice couple of days off the diet and the program and I good mental break... I really don't want to go back to eating again right now. I just looked at my log program for the past 3 days and I averagaed 2068 kcals per day with a 42, 39, 19 ratio. My goal was to not worry about eating and to just eat when I was hungry. My hope was that perhaps I was now at a point where I could listen to my body. So there you have it. I am a die-hard under-eater still. Even after all these wonderful changes that I have made, I still cannot be trusted to feed myself correctly without all the accounting and worry. I HATE EATING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Training today went well. It was busy as we had to deal with a few issues. One was the whole eating thing and the other was an inbalance I had noticed during my shoulder/pec/tri workout. A few days ago when I was doing that workout I ended up getting a pump on only my left shoulder. I also noticed that my left shoulder was developing bigger than my right one overall. David was happy that I noticed this because it demonstrated that I am starting to be aware of my body and how it looks. Before I just could not do that.
So today we worked a lot on exercises that were single arm and he evaluated all the movements I was making and recommended changes to these. I was a bit scared after that workout on the weekend because I figured that this imbalance might be due to my elbow soreness that I keep getting but I think now it has to do with how tightly I hold my right trap all the time. In any case, it is a problem that I feel we'll be able to work through now. David gave me a lot of advise on things to watch for in my workouts over this coming weekend.
We delt with the eating thing. He was actually very awesome about it. I sort of dreaded going in there today because I did not know how he would react. He was very cool and actually didn't even act dissapointed. He gave me props for being able to make as much change as I have so far. He said most people could not have made that big of a chage in such a short while. He explained to me that the issue I have with eating is in my mind as well as in my body and that it might take a year or longer for that to go away. He also said that I am able to make the changes so well in part because I am competitive and in this competition. He believes that as we take this journey a bit more that I will come to head with what it is that makes me not eat and then we will have to deal with that. We measured my weight and bf on his machines and on Jan 17 I was 130 lbs and 22.5 bf%. Today I was 134 and 22.9. So yes I gained a tiny bit of fat but it is pretty small compared to the other gains I am making. He explained to me that women always freak out about gaining fat and that body building is a guys sport made by men and as such it is harder for women. He said that a guy can gain fat and as long as he is strong it is all good. Not so with a woman though. No, they freak out because they no longer fit in their size 3 jeans. When it was all said and done we agreed that I still wanted to bulk and gain and that in order to do that I had to keep the cals up to a minimum of 2500 kcals a day. Then he held up his pinky and made me do a pinky promise (LOL) so that we were perfectly clear on the commitment I had just made.
Let's see if I can remember the actual workout.... This will be somewhat hard as I don't know the name of a lot of the cable ones. I'll make them up and see how that works.
Straight arm press downs
3x15 each arm (2 plates)
Cable lat pull down to hips
3x15 (4 plates)
Swiss ball 1 arm row (you lie with head and shoulders on ball and feet bridged keeping abs and hips up)
3x15 (2 plates) each arm
SuperSet
db flyes 3x12(10lb)e
Arnolds 2x15 (15lb)e, 1x15 (20lb)e
Hanging leg raises (middle, side, side)
3x7 dips
1x15, 2x10
That first set of dips was AWESOME. There was definately growth in that one. And the rows from the stability ball were WAY more stable than the first time I did that exercise. We were both sort of blown away by these improvements. It is fair to say that I have come a long way. The arm superset kicked my butt so hard core. During one set, I actually worked to failure and nearly dropped the dumbell on my head but he grabbed it and we managed to pull out another rep. Then when I was finished I just stood there and my whole body shook all over. It was a very cool feeling. The other trainer in the gym commented to me that my work was starting to show nicely in my shoulders.
All in all a very productive hour of time in my life.
Kara, you know I'm right there with you on the eating and the struggle that causes in the brain. I know for me a lot of the problem was trying to eat more after being in a cutting state of mind, and that was only three months of serious cutting.
You did an amazing thing when you lost all that weight. But let's face it--the frame of mind you have to be in to do that is a 180 from the frame of mind needed to do what you are doing now.
It only makes sense that you would have some freak outs and struggles eating.
I can't wait until the day when you can think, "hey, this eating will meet my goals. I like it." Heck, I can't wait until I'm 100% there myself. LOL.
You are awesome, and I just love how you share your thought processes with us. Berry enlightening.
^^^^^what she said!
Thanks for all the honestly in your log. It is really good to be able to see how other women approach this lifting phenomenon.
I had this weird moment at the gym a few weeks again when I was surrounded by all the cardio bunnies in the locker room and noticed they all were wearing flip flops on their pedicured toes and doing their hair and makeup (one of them even had CURLERS in her hair! ) and they just all seemed dainty and girly and pretty! And I don't care about wearing protective covering on my feet in the shower (that might be gross, but I schelp my gym bag everywhere and can't be bothered to carry one non-essential) and I certainly am not curling my hair. A little makeup, and yes I'll dry my hair, but here was a depth of beauty preperation going around me that made me feel like everyone else was going to the ball except for me. Oh, that and the fact that I was happy with the size of my shoulder muscle that day. All I'm saying is that there is an element to this process that is quite anti- all the "being a woman" stuff that is out there constantly. And doing a deliberate bulk and gain is definitely on that side of things. So I think it makes a lot of sense for you to have ambivalent feelings about it sometimes.
Kara, you know I'm right there with you on the eating and the struggle that causes in the brain. I know for me a lot of the problem was trying to eat more after being in a cutting state of mind, and that was only three months of serious cutting.
You did an amazing thing when you lost all that weight. But let's face it--the frame of mind you have to be in to do that is a 180 from the frame of mind needed to do what you are doing now.
It only makes sense that you would have some freak outs and struggles eating.
I can't wait until the day when you can think, "hey, this eating will meet my goals. I like it." Heck, I can't wait until I'm 100% there myself. LOL.
You are awesome, and I just love how you share your thought processes with us. Berry enlightening.
mel
Mel sums it up perfectly with the comment on "sharing your thought processes. . ". You are very articulate and I love that you just cut through the BS and say it like you see it. I imagine your trainer is immensely proud to have you as "his" client in the gym. The commitment you have made is awesome and you should feel so good about what you have achieved so far and what you have to look forward to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirjava
^^^^^what she said!
Thanks for all the honestly in your log. It is really good to be able to see how other women approach this lifting phenomenon.
I had this weird moment at the gym a few weeks again when I was surrounded by all the cardio bunnies in the locker room and noticed they all were wearing flip flops on their pedicured toes and doing their hair and makeup (one of them even had CURLERS in her hair! ) and they just all seemed dainty and girly and pretty! And I don't care about wearing protective covering on my feet in the shower (that might be gross, but I schelp my gym bag everywhere and can't be bothered to carry one non-essential) and I certainly am not curling my hair. A little makeup, and yes I'll dry my hair, but here was a depth of beauty preperation going around me that made me feel like everyone else was going to the ball except for me. Oh, that and the fact that I was happy with the size of my shoulder muscle that day. All I'm saying is that there is an element to this process that is quite anti- all the "being a woman" stuff that is out there constantly. And doing a deliberate bulk and gain is definitely on that side of things. So I think it makes a lot of sense for you to have ambivalent feelings about it sometimes.
So good thing about the pinkie swear!
You're doing awesome work, Karla.
Had to give a "Hell Yeah!" on the whole protective foot covering thing. A little gross? Yep, but I already feel like a vagabond carrying around half my crap in that poor gym bag. The dang straps are just hanging on for dear life! Every time I heave it up, I'm saying a silent prayer that it holds on for one more journey.
I see the same beauty phenom. when I go to the gym too. There is a group of 3 women who are there most mornings I have been there who appear to call each other the night before and plan matching outfits. They will ask someone to move if they can't get on 3 treadmills next to each other(and walk 2.3mph so they don't sweat), and TALK LOUDLY. When I first started going there, I considered women like that as something to work towards (skinny fat), but now I just want to get up on the top level and pick them off one by one with medicine balls!
I love the fact that my concept and perception of beauty has changed.
Can you imagine if all the people here lived in the same town and worked out at the same gym? OMG, we'd have daily fist fights over who's up next at the squat rack! LOL
Thanks for all the support guys.... In a way I feel a bit guilty coming here and whining about eating so much when most everyone else is starving. It feels somehow so wrong. Even though I am in the challenge I feel sort of out of place with my weird ass goal. It is very counter to what we are programed to do and be.
The other day (right after a shoulder workout and I had a nice pump on) a cute little asian girl asks me what I was making. I was mixing up my cytogainer drink. I explained in clear English that it was protein for building muscles. She looked at me weird and I figured she did not understand because her English was so broken. So I laughed and said muscles like this, and flexed my arm. She giggled and said something about looking like a man. I laughed and told her it is good to be strong like a man and even stronger in America.
I guess I just am dancing to the beat of a different tune than most of the girls and it seems as though many of you are too.
I remember the first day I worked out with my trainer. I was in the locker room and this was a pretty serious gym. There were about 3 women in there that were buff and tuff. I felt intimidated and insprired both at the same time.
I guess I just am dancing to the beat of a different tune than most of the girls and it seems as though many of you are too.
Us girls who want to get bigger and stronger are definitely in the minority. Every time I tell someone about the program I'm on, I am met with, "Why?" This past week a friend whom I haven't seen in a while came to visit. At one point, I was eating a protein bar and he started laughing and asked why. When I told him I was in the process of gaining muscle, he pretty much brushed me off as crazy.
My roommates go to the gym and lift 5 and 8 lb weights. When my sister decided she wanted to lose weight, I told her to start lifting. Instead, she decided to do the elliptical. When my mom felt like she was tired of the routine some stupid trainer had given her, I suggested she try NROL4W - just look at how well I'm doing as an example. For some reason, she didn't do it. She just went back to the trainer and got another Curves-type routine. None of these people have any results to show for their efforts, except me!
When I first started going there, I considered women like that as something to work towards (skinny fat), but now I just want to get up on the top level and pick them off one by one with medicine balls!
ROTFLMHO. This is the mental picture that will carry me through my day
Quote:
Originally Posted by LoriAnne
Can you imagine if all the people here lived in the same town and worked out at the same gym? OMG, we'd have daily fist fights over who's up next at the squat rack! LOL
Nah, we'd just pelt the gym staff with medicine balls until they bought more squat racks (Or just sic Karla and Natalia on them )
Karla, just think of all that running, all those times of lifting dinky weights. All that sweat equity and got nowhere. WHY? Because we were lied to.
Kinda pisses me off ya know? I know my metabolism will beat theirs one day. And when they are fat old and infirm. I will run right past them and ask if they need a push in their wheelchair.
At this point in the game, even tho we care about beauty. Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder and nothing is more beautiful than fit.
At this point in the game, even tho we care about beauty. Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder and nothing is more beautiful than fit.
Agreed. To get to my gym, I have to walk past a bunch of clothing shops. It can be tempting to dawdle there, especially if I'm feeling lazy about starting my workout. Buying a new top is such insta-reward.
However, when tempted, I always tell myself--"you might feel hot in a new top but you'll feel WAY hotter buff and fit in your old clothes."
So I usually have the willpower to walk on by.
Ya know, why would we want to pick them off with medicine balls LOL! I mean REALLY? Is it because they were the ones with good genes that don't have to work at it and this society PICKED THEM to be the beautiful ones? Heck in the old days, I woulda been fine LOL!
Or is it the way those girls sneer at the goals WE have. And our new found strength and muscles.
Geez, do guys do this??
Give me a medicine ball. I know I have issues LOL!
I see the same beauty phenom. when I go to the gym too. There is a group of 3 women who are there most mornings I have been there who appear to call each other the night before and plan matching outfits. They will ask someone to move if they can't get on 3 treadmills next to each other(and walk 2.3mph so they don't sweat), and TALK LOUDLY. When I first started going there, I considered women like that as something to work towards (skinny fat), but now I just want to get up on the top level and pick them off one by one with medicine balls!
I love the fact that my concept and perception of beauty has changed.
That is soooo freakin' awesome!!!
Karla - you are doing AWESOME!! I'm crackin' up about the pinkie promise!!!
While the image is funny as hell and I would love to toss medicine balls at people in the gym just for the sport of it, I can't be a hater of those women because I am one of them I am afraid. I did a 4.5 mile run on the tready just the day before last with my skinny fat ass in fact. I don't really feel like I was lied to all my life RE cardio or dieting even. I started to run when I joined the military and I just always loved to do it so none of it feels like wasted effort. I still love to do it and can't wait to cut so that I will be allowed to do more of it. My eating disorder began when I was very young and it did not come from me wanting to be skinny that I can remember. I have been thinking about this and I cannot come up with a reason for it. I simply can never remeber liking to eat or even eating more than 1 or so times a day. I always just blew this off saying that I do not like to eat or that I am too busy. It's all good though... whatever this is about doesn't matter right now. I am going to beat it. Me and my team (you guys and my trainer). I got my 2500 kcals in yesterday and almost that much today. It's a struggle but I can do this for another month and a half.
I am lifting tomorrow with a friend so tonight I did a bike ride on my race bike in the house (on my trainer). 35 min HIT 2 min on and 3 off. Tomorrow I will do backs 'cause the trainer said he wanted to do legs with me next week. So we'll do deads and squats in those sessions. (yeah!) Lifting is fun too.
I remember my first interview with my trainer. He was briefing me on what to expect and what he expected from me if I hired him. He told me that there would be days when I would not feel like going to the gym but he told me that I was to get in there anyway. So far he is wrong. I pretty much am always up for going to the gym. It is a good drug.
I remember my first interview with my trainer. He was briefing me on what to expect and what he expected from me if I hired him. He told me that there would be days when I would not feel like going to the gym but he told me that I was to get in there anyway. So far he is wrong. I pretty much am always up for going to the gym. It is a good drug.
This resonates with me, as I just spent a good bit of time yesterday defending myself against some coworkers' accusations that I'm "crazy" for getting up at 4:30 every morning to row and heading to the gym daily after school. They said that they have no time in their lives, and I HATE that excuse! It's easy to go to the gym, every day, because I truly enjoy being there... and since I've learned to listen to my body, I don't feel guilt on the rare occasion that my body tells me to rest. I ended the conversation (finally) telling them that their "good-natured ribbing" was doing nothing for me, and that I refuse to defend myself anymore. I told them that they are welcome to criticize me when I prove unable to get my work done, and until then, they can zip it.
Sigh.
I'm walking 60 miles for a breast cancer cure, September 11-13, 2009! Please support my walk and help me raise funds for cancer research by donating to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day: http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/Walk/...nal&fr_id=1300
I remember my first interview with my trainer. He was briefing me on what to expect and what he expected from me if I hired him. He told me that there would be days when I would not feel like going to the gym but he told me that I was to get in there anyway. So far he is wrong. I pretty much am always up for going to the gym. It is a good drug.
That's so great to hear. I feel the same way, since I started lifting. I am always really excited to get into the gym and work on my strength!
So this log is becoming too much of a "chick" log and we have scared off all the guys so today's workout features 225lb rack lifts and the biggest boobies ever. My bet is a guy will drop in here for one of these things. Let's see where to start..... Okay, at the beginning.
My buddy and I went to the gym like we do most Saturdays and we split up to head to our respective dressing rooms in order to change out and then we meet on the floor to workout. The gym were we work out is in the East part of town where the "real" people live and it has a pool and sauna. There are almost always a group of Russian women there using the pool, hottub or sauna. All of these woman are quite large and they are very comfortable with thier bigness and just walk around unclothed. (By contrast big American girls always head to the private dressing rooms)
Well as I was walking into the female dressing room there was one of the russian ladies standing in the room without a top and I swear hers were the biggest boobs I have ever seen in my entire life. I felt my eyes get huge and I involuntarily stopped for a moment before regaining my compsure and walking past. This woman was fairly large but I swear she was carrying 90lbs of weight in those sacks. A wonder that she didn't have huge quads from front squatting every time she sat down and stood back up. I have been in many different locations and have seen a lot in this world but these things were noteworthy. That poor woman. That image has stuck in my mind all day. Yikes!
Okay the workout. I decided to do HIT first today. It just works better for me if I run before I lift. Lifting kicks my ass to were I don't want to run but running seems to warm me up for lifting.
HIT: run on tready at 3.5% incline (7.4mph) and (3.0 mph) 1 min on/1 min off (25 min)
Lifting: (Back and Lat day)
db single arm row
1x12 (30lb)
1x10 (40lb)
1x10 (45lb)
1x15 (20lb)
Lat pull down (wide grip)
1x15 (40lb)
1x10 (70lb)
1x5 (85lb)
1x20 (55lb)
rack pulls
1 at 225lb for 10 times (rest = 30 sec)
I was an animal today. I just am deciding that if I have to eat like a crazy woman than I am going to lift like one too. I knew I could do a 200lb dead and now I definately know it. I did the rack pulls with no belt or hand grips and the weight was very doable for me. I had to focus and it made me see stars the first two times but not so bad once I started to get used to the feeling.
I got my 2500 kcals in today with 41,41 and 18 macro ratio.
Good grief Karla! Never realized you are only on this journey for such a short time.
Woman, you've learnt so fast I'd have thought you've been into this game for many years already! Kudos.
Just subscribed to your log and will enjoy reading it off-line over a cup of coffee in the morning
. To see what is under there.
With these I know there is muscle gain as well.
), but I would find it difficult too. Guys often love gaining, because they just want to become huge. We 're so programmed to become lean and skinny that it 's hard to focus on muscle building. I 'm eating on maintenance or a bit below now, and I already get comments of some people (especially my mother) that I eat so much. Even when I went on a low-fat diet some years ago (1200-1500kcal), she was amazed that I lost 1kg a week with "so much food" 
Thank God I see the trainer tomorrow.
I HATE EATING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is soooo freakin' awesome!!! 
Linear Mode
