I made it to 136.6 at my highest and 126.6 was my start point. So in the past 3.6 months I gained 10 pounds. About 3.2 of that was fat from my best guess. I think I averaged around .5 lbs a week of lean muscle gain. This isn't amazing but it is a pretty cool thing considering where I started.
(truth): I've been in this game as a neophyte for a goodly while, and this is the cleanest female gain I've ever seen. When I did BFL, there was something called "8 week magic". That means when everything you've worked for starts coming together.
You seem to have that kind of magic every day.
If you can cut to within a few % of goal, well ... suffice it to say, you need to glean as much as you can, and teach, K. Like you started to do with your dad. Hell, I'd like to be a client!?!
Your dedication is not only admirable, it's now close to emulatable: your log is so precise and complete. It's not only a log, ... think of it as the notes for your up-and-coming first book.
ps. If susan powter can do it ...
__________________
Laugh a lot, and when you're older, all your wrinkles will be in the right places.
I want to thank all of you for your kind words and encouragement. This logging buisness is a really good tool for achieving goals. Wow Sally, I am blushing.... Really? I think I did pretty average and intend to do much better in the fall.
Today I did a 40-mile bike ride with my friend BrentV (also on this forum) It took us FOREVER but it was a good workout nonthelss. Out in the coastal range here in the Portland area there exists this trail (mostly asphalt) that is 20 miles long and runs through the middle of the woods. There are only a few rough and steep spots. It is an ideal thing to do for ss cardio. Last year we made this trip more than a few times and every time we completed it I was dead tired and my muscles were sore forever. Tonight I still have energy to spare and there is nothing sore on me at all except for a spot on my ankle where my shoe rubbed and of course "the little man in the canoe" from sitting on the hard seat for so long.
We stopped frequently and took pictures. At the halfway point we sat down and drank our gainers. At the end of the ride Brent just passed out on the grass. Perhaps we should not have made his first ride of the season be the 40-mile one. :My calorie intake today was about 2800 kcals which is a bit high for a girl who is cutting but I'll average this out over the course of a few days.
If you can cut to within a few % of goal, well ... suffice it to say, you need to glean as much as you can, and teach, K. Like you started to do with your dad. ...
My trainer keeps saying he wants to make me a trainer. I don't know. I sort of like my day job right now. I might consider doing it at some point but after I have spent a good number of more hours studying this.
karla, I can't help but think that the reason you were so successful with bulking is the quality of the foods you eat. you have been very precise in your fueling. bulking to you doesn't mean totally unrestricted eating of non-nutritious foods. it meant small, consistent calorie excesses daily from whole foods.
I see this with my long distance endurance athlete friends--the successful ones refuel with whole, nutritious foods (for the most part).
I think so many times, athletes who struggle with extra body fat use sports as an excuse to overeat junk foods. ie "I am running 12 miles tomorrow, let me carb load".
you don't do that. you look wonderful, and count me among those who can't wait to see the cut phase!!! you go!
Karla,
I love the pics from your ride!
You look great and have done a really nice job with this bulking thing. You can really see the muscle you added. Nice job.
__________________
Ginger
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." ~ John Bingham
karla, I can't help but think that the reason you were so successful with bulking is the quality of the foods you eat. you have been very precise in your fueling. bulking to you doesn't mean totally unrestricted eating of non-nutritious foods. it meant small, consistent calorie excesses daily from whole foods.
This is preceisely what I try to tell people who ask about bulking. Whenever there is a discussion about bulking versus cutting there are always a handful of people who advise against bulking because of fat gain. It simply doesn't have to be that you gain a bunch of fat when doing a bulk even as a female. It does require a LOT of effort though to bulk cleanly so perhaps it is better just not to do it for many people. Personally I am looking forward to a few more of these cycles just to see where my body goes. Yesterday my friend who commented before that I was getting too "muscley" saw me in my riding outfit and was blown away by how awesome the body was looking. She kept telling me that it is better than I look when I was 20. She's right. I was scrawny at 20.
I am again grateful and indebted to my trainer for this knowledge. Even during our bulk he checked up on my eating and did not allow me to become lazy with my eating.
Karla, nice job on the update pics/stats. Looking forward to seeing the next two sets of pics. It will be interesting to see them all in a row, from beginning to end, won't it?
You are walking (biking?) proof of the importance of doing a clean gain, not a "dirty" gain (like many body-builders do)... Well done!!!
I did WAY too much walking and biking during my bulk. I am certain that for my next bulk, I will not do this much. Everytime I did a nice long run or bike ride, the scale started dropping. I simply could not keep the weight moving upwards when doing that. So I think I did not do the right thing here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by missjane
Karla, nice job on the update pics/stats. Looking forward to seeing the next two sets of pics. It will be interesting to see them all in a row, from beginning to end, won't it?
They are cool to look at side by side all in a row. Sure, we can do that for the last month so everyone can see. Since I am doing very drastic down, up and then down cycles since the challege started this might be fun.
Holy smokes, I was so behind on your log! Update pics are looking great! And gorgeous bike pics!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by kfisherx
Diane and Roland are a fast oxidizers by my guess.
According to the test on that site, I'm a slow oxidizers. I only had 9 A's.
But, look at question #28: "Are your pupils? a. Smaller than the iris; b. Larger than the iris; or c. Average. The same size."
Um, if your pupils are larger than your irises, you might have another set of problems. Am I supposed to trust a site that asks that question? Or am I missing something here? Someone explain that one to me, please.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Silly Sally
There's so many factors: different personas, metabolisms, hang-ups and monkeys on people's backs. There's no one-size, blood type macro-magic panacea to what ails our waistlines.
Methinks individualism reigns in the fitness world.
That's the only thing I'm absolutely sure of.
Zactly!
Quote:
Originally Posted by kfisherx
Oh yeah speaking of that. I am very, very happy to report that the past month there is NO sign at all of that injury. When I work my hams, both sides hurt the same and I don't feel even a little twinge of pain. Total rehab time for that 8 month chronic injury as just about 8 months.
Very cool! Congrats!
Quote:
Originally Posted by kfisherx
Today I had Pizza for breakfast
Hey, you can't copy my Redneck Pizza Diet until my book is published!
Quote:
Originally Posted by kfisherx
Spring is here and this girl starts her cut tommorrow. No more fat, slow and sluggish with cardio restrictions..... GO KARLA GO!!!
Yay! I know you've been looking forward to the cut for a long time now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sveta
I know! First "a nice little 25 mile run with a coworker", now "slow and steady 10.3 mph"
I don't think I'm ever going to mention my 12 min/mile pace on this board
Today I did 25 min of HIIT (Hill sprints baby). Energy levels are still high enough that I wanted to run at 5:00PM but they are dropping. I felt pretty crappy on the sprints actually. I have calories pretty low today to make up for yesterday's higher cals. I will make sure to get in a goodly amount before seeing the trainer tomorrow.
Oh and I got me a little sun tan today. It was a perfect day to run meetings on the deck overlooking the 40-acres.
I'm thinking about telecommuting from my back porch on Wednesday.
__________________ It all starts with the mind, but the thoughts, the intention aren't enough. Action needs to come next. Dream it, believe it, plan it, execute it, celebrate it. - Wendy
Today I did 25 min of HIIT (Hill sprints baby). Energy levels are still high enough that I wanted to run at 5:00PM but they are dropping. I felt pretty crappy on the sprints actually. I have calories pretty low today to make up for yesterday's higher cals. I will make sure to get in a goodly amount before seeing the trainer tomorrow.
Oh and I got me a little sun tan today. It was a perfect day to run meetings on the deck overlooking the 40-acres.
Shhhh ... don't tell Tina!!!
__________________
Life's a Journey ... Enjoy the Ride!
Just returned from trainer workout. Today we focused on Squats and I think we made HUGE progress. I started doing bw squats and then added a 35lb fixed bb. It was during this set that I realized that the reason I shifted my weight to the left at the bottom of the squat was not due to a weak hip rather my ankle. My right ankle is filled with bolts and plates and that sort of HW from a moto-cross accident many years ago. I realized that with weight on my back when I got down near the bottom of my squat that it hurt ever so slightly to bend that ankle that hard. So my natural reaction was to get off of it by shifting all the weight to my left side. When I told the trainer what I had discovered he put plates under my heels and had me squat that way. That was it!!!! I did the cleanest squats today ever. He said that isn't cheating at all and is a perfectly fine way for me to do these. I am so happy to have discovered this. Then he had me doing some one legged squats only he put me on a bosu ball to do them in order to make the ankle muscles work harder.
Besides this finding we had a nice long talk about cutting and again he stressed to me the dangers of cutting too hard. He asked me about my caloric intake and I told him I have been averaging 2370 kcals the past 3 days. He said that probably isn't enough given the way I am kicking up the cardio. He said I have to cut slowly and protect all that muscle that I worked so hard to build. I smiled and told him I might need a bit of adult supervision over the next months on that one since that seems to be my "thing". He assured me that he knows all about what I am capable of doing and that he is there to make sure it doesn't happen. He made sure I understood that doing a 40-mile bike ride meant that I had to go higher in my calories for that day and I did not have to make that up in any other way. He said we are going to shoot for a pound a week in bf loss/weight loss combined and no more.
He also said that next time I see him we are going to do a measure.
Warm up
1 mile tready 3.5% incline and 5.0 mph
squats
1x20 (bw)
2x20 (35lb)
1 legged squats on bosu (to make the ankles work too)
3x15 (each leg)
Russian Shuffle
3 times up hallway and back with (20lb db)
I no longer hate the Russian Shuffle. I am getting good and strong at it. He commented that it looked significantly better than it did in the past. I have been praticing this one on my own. It felt much better.
Okay now I hafta go finish up a couple o' emails and then take the doggy for a little run. There is a 6 mile trail calling my name.
Just returned from trainer workout. Today we focused on Squats and I think we made HUGE progress. I started doing bw squats and then added a 35lb fixed bb. It was during this set that I realized that the reason I shifted my weight to the left at the bottom of the squat was not due to a weak hip rather my ankle. My right ankle is filled with bolts and plates and that sort of HW from a moto-cross accident many years ago. I realized that with weight on my back when I got down near the bottom of my squat that it hurt ever so slightly to bend that ankle that hard. So my natural reaction was to get off of it by shifting all the weight to my left side. When I told the trainer what I had discovered he put plates under my heels and had me squat that way. That was it!!!! I did the cleanest squats today ever. He said that isn't cheating at all and is a perfectly fine way for me to do these. I am so happy to have discovered this. Then he had me doing some one legged squats only he put me on a bosu ball to do them in order to make the ankle muscles work harder.
My trainer keeps saying he wants to make me a trainer.
All right girl. When are we getting together? Sign up Lisa and I as your first "clients."
__________________ “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
All right girl. When are we getting together? Sign up Lisa and I as your first "clients."
I totally owe you a phone call. I hope your trip to SF was great. I will be on the horn this afternoon or evening with ya and we will be working out sometime soon. I am no trainer but the more minds working out a problem the better.
Good find on the source of your twisting. And good on your trainer for understanding and finding a solution.
Hey, thanks for posting the pics from the ride. What a day that was!
Brent
My trainer busted my chops on this one. Once I identified the source of the problem it took him 10 seconds to put a plate behind the heel. Then when I could squat clean he said I should have told him sooner where the source was and it could've been fixed in 10 seconds. He is such an asshole sometimes.
That was an amazing ride and I look forward to doing it a few more times this year. Actually I am chomping at the bit to do the Spring Water trail and Sauvie's Island ride too.
Yeah, I am finally gonna hook up and meet Velo girl and Lisa. Next Tuesday I am going to do a squat and deadlift day with them.
Just got back from trainer workout. We did measurements again and compared them to our first time in Nov. I gained a whole inch in my arms, lost some inches in the middle and he says I gained 14lbs of lbm. That seems a bit high to me but is consistent with my just over .5lb gain I did on my bulk so it is possible. I know everyone is blown away when they see me now so I know that I have changed in a big way despite the scale not really changing so much.
The diet is going well for me. The first day was a bit hard. I actually felt weak and hungry. Now I am feeling at home with this eating business and not having any real issues at the lower calories. I am supposed to be eating at 2300 a day and I have dropped to 2000. I figure it is only 300 a day which doesn't even equate to 1 lb. We'll see if I crash on that or not. I figure if I get in my protein and lift heavy and don't go too crazy on the cardio I won't lose too much of the muscle I just gained.
Today we worked on shoulders and Pecs. He worked in with me. I actually like this because I learn how to spot and also I learn how he lifts. Our warmup set was done with no rests and with light weights.
Warm up 1 (do as superset 3 times no rest)
cable machine push downs 20 reps
cable curls 15 reps
Warm up 2 (do as superset 3 times no rest)
Bench overhead press 20 reps
alt shoulder flyes db 10 reps
I surprised myself with a little PR there. I was feeling really strong today despite my lowered cals. David says I should be strong for a little while still.
Cue Natalie Merchant: "Jealousy". Seriously, have fun. Can't wait to read about it!
Congrats on your measurements, Karla! You are so much fun to watch.
Well... Ms Sally, there is no reason in the world why you should not come to Portland to join us one day soon. I have a 40-acre farm and a 2200 sq foot home to share. Pick one of the spare bedrooms and have the bath. We can workout and go for walks and drink tea on the deck overlooking the valley below. At night the hot tub and stars will soothe the minds so that we can get up the next day and do it all over again. Just the cost of the plane trip is all it would cost.
I'll be interested to see how you do performance-wise on a reduced calorie intake. Congrats on the PR!
Quote:
Originally Posted by dillytl
Congrats on the PR!! Glad to hear the diet is going well so far!
Well it's been less than a week so not such a big accomplishment yet. Honestly I am quite happy to not have to force feed. That was so impossibly hard for me. This is more like "home" but it is also more like my sickness so I have to monitor it closely.
I am pretty certain that the scale is moving down already. Today I was actually a pound down from my weigh in last week. In the past it took me about 5-8 weeks to start moving the scale when I decided to do a cut. This is WAY cool in comparison.
I expect as the weeks go on that I will get weaker and weaker. I have already made peace with that. The only PR I am focusing on now is BF%.
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