It will help a lot getting your BF tested. At least when you do add some weight and log everything you can have it re-tested and see what results you get with the program you are doing.
Will you be posting your BF% and the method when you have it tested? I am really curious where someone your composition is. Me and my hubby have a different idea of what BF is a good lean healthy one for women. I think 15-18, he thinks 10-12.
Hey Bev, sure, I will post the results. One of the women online here lives in my area and she uses an exercise physiologist at the local hospital for caliper testing. She had a DEXA test as well. I believe her caliper readings were within 2% of the DEXA. So, thanks to Wendy (Fengsway) my results should be reasonably accurate (fingers crossed).
MissJane had posted an article from Lyle McDonald about how lean you need to be before bulking. He said 19-24% for women. If you are higher, then you'll gain a higher proportion of fat to muscle. If that's my case, I'll cut first.
I've had bf measurements done lots of times at my gym, but I'm a skeptic I don't know how often I should get retested though.
Ha, I just realized I don't have any bigger sized clothes for when I get bigger I definitely need to keep this a clean bulk
YIKES! Where is is getting his information!! Hell, I'd be THRILLED with 20 and look damn good, I am sure! Even 25!
He is about 10-12% my calipers mind you, not tested, and he thinks that is not very lean. He just carries it all in his stomach. The athletes have abs you can see and little BF because they train so hard and he would like us to look like that. I think its all about where you hold your weight. He doesn't realize women look that good at 15%.
Thanks everyone for your feedback and posting info for me!!!
Hey Bev, sure, I will post the results. One of the women online here lives in my area and she uses an exercise physiologist at the local hospital for caliper testing. She had a DEXA test as well. I believe her caliper readings were within 2% of the DEXA. So, thanks to Wendy (Fengsway) my results should be reasonably accurate (fingers crossed).
MissJane had posted an article from Lyle McDonald about how lean you need to be before bulking. He said 19-24% for women. If you are higher, then you'll gain a higher proportion of fat to muscle. If that's my case, I'll cut first.
I've had bf measurements done lots of times at my gym, but I'm a skeptic I don't know how often I should get retested though.
Ha, I just realized I don't have any bigger sized clothes for when I get bigger I definitely need to keep this a clean bulk
Thank you so much for the link. That helped me a lot. I sure thought I could do 15% but thats way lean. I will be ecstatic at 20%. I will definitely show him.
Hey Ceebee, just checking in. Were you affected by the hurricane? I'm thinking you said you were in Florida but I can't remember where. Just thinking of you!
Hey Ceebee, just checking in. Were you affected by the hurricane? I'm thinking you said you were in Florida but I can't remember where. Just thinking of you!
Hi Chloe, thanks for asking. The storm is about 60 miles of us at the moment. It's just humid, windier than normal and wet outside, but it's not raining. It's supposed to go out to sea and then hit land in Flagler where we live So we aren't out of the woods yet.
I am not blessed with good body fat distribution The triceps was the only measurement that surprised me. It's usually high, but this was more than usual. But I am up a few pounds from my last measurement, hmm. I think all three pounds went to my arms
The Omron handheld was pretty close. He said the leaner a person is, the closer it matches the results of caliper testing.
The measurements are in the 19-24% zone, which is supposed to be a good starting point for bulking. I've been in maintenance mode for the last 5 months, so I should be good to go.
No workout yesterday or today. Yesterday was planned, today the gym is closed and I am too lazy right now to work out at home.
Cool, you got your tests done. I will be very happy at 20%. Thanks for giving me a reference. Have you figured out your bulking plan yet. I'm curious to watch your progress!! Have a good one!
Oh yeah, did you make it ok through the storm?
I dream of the day I would ever see a BF number like yours! Shoot, I'll be happy when I go and I am not in the obese category.
Good for you and all your hard work. Very inspiring!
Thank you for your kind words! You already look great, I would have never guessed about the obese category. When I first went to the gym, I was 120 lbs and in the obese category as well. I've been there with ya!
You are right on track with your food and exercise, it won't take you long to reach your goals. Thanks for reading Ginger
Cool, you got your tests done. I will be very happy at 20%. Thanks for giving me a reference. Have you figured out your bulking plan yet. I'm curious to watch your progress!! Have a good one!
Oh yeah, did you make it ok through the storm?
Hi Bev, thanks for checking in!
The plan is still in the works. In other words, I don't know what I'm doing But maybe something along these lines:
Nutrition, cycling carbs on training and nontraining days, like in the Jen Heath article. I've never done any structuring dieting before, so this is a big deal for me.
Cardio, some low intensity walking on treadmill
Mini cycles of 4 weeks bulking, 2 weeks cutting
If anyone has any thoughts, I'd love to hear them.
Storm wise, we are still getting rain. It's been a very strange storm. The eye was over us yesterday for 12 hours, usually it's more like 2 hours. Luckily, we don't have any flooding, although not too far away, it's pretty bad. So far, the worse part has been a major case of cabin fever. The rain is supposed to start clearing today, thank God.
Thanks again for checking in. I really appreciate it. You are keeping straight on the diet coke. If it wasn't for you, I'd be right back to drinking 6 a day.
I'm surprised on the tricep measurement too. I think you look great.
Aren't you glad you got the testing done? Now you have a baseline. Do you plan on going again in a few months?
Thanks for the info on the Omron. I think I'm going to go ahead and buy it. Like I said, as long as it shows a trend, I'll be happy.
Hi Chloe, yes I am glad to have a baseline. It makes the weight gain a little less scary when you have some form of feedback. I think I'll retest once a month.
The arm fat thing has always been a thorn in my side It's been so hard to get rid of, so I've pretty much given up on it. I've never had that cute little cut where the delt meets the tricep. At least the weight training does help give it some shape. Otherwise, I'd be headed for granny arms, for sure
So are you ready to up your cals yet? I really think you are lean enough.
glad you weathered the storm okay. your workouts are looking good - what do you think of the foam rolling? i got out of the habit and really need to get back to it since it seemed to help so much.
i enjoy reading all of the training logs - there's so much variety and i learn so much. your bf numbers look great and i can't wait to see how you do on your bulk!
glad you weathered the storm okay. your workouts are looking good - what do you think of the foam rolling? i got out of the habit and really need to get back to it since it seemed to help so much.
i enjoy reading all of the training logs - there's so much variety and i learn so much. your bf numbers look great and i can't wait to see how you do on your bulk!
Hi Karen, thanks for reading and your kind words. Foam rolling is great. I used to have more minor low back pain, but foam rolling has made it much better. I am working on correcting my posture and rolling my upper/middle back seems to be helping too. It's been since March since I started working on my posture. It's taking me forever!
Still working on finding my maintenance calories. My weight is up 1.8 pounds, but my waist in down by 1/2 inch. So, I'm guessing the bump up in weight is related to extra muscle glycogen, inflammation, etc. so I increased the calories.
Still working on finding my maintenance calories. My weight is up 1.8 pounds, but my waist in down by 1/2 inch. So, I'm guessing the bump up in weight is related to extra muscle glycogen, inflammation, etc. so I increased the calories.
Woo Hoo!!! Ceebee you're doing awesome! You've lost inches in just 3 weeks. I am so excited for you.
How are you keeping your protein so high? Would you mind sharing a typical day's menu?
I'm still surprised at that tricep caliper measurement. Your arms are only 10 inches. I bet the next time you get measured, it will be down.
This bulking really seems to be agreeing with you. I can't wait to see your pics. Keep up the great work!
Woo Hoo!!! Ceebee you're doing awesome! You've lost inches in just 3 weeks. I am so excited for you.
How are you keeping your protein so high? Would you mind sharing a typical day's menu?
I'm still surprised at that tricep caliper measurement. Your arms are only 10 inches. I bet the next time you get measured, it will be down.
This bulking really seems to be agreeing with you. I can't wait to see your pics. Keep up the great work!
Hi Chloe, thanks for your comments! I'm loving this challenge and having a new fitness goal.
I'll post up food later, but there's a lot of eggs and ground turkey breast, i.e, basic and boring. It's so ingrained in me to eat this way, I don't really think about it. That said, I would die if I ate grilled chicken over and over and over
After the bodyfat testing, I got fired up again about the arms. I've never gotten them below 14mm. Right now, 24mm is a half inch pinch....tmi, sorry! They're not large, just completely smooth:
So I'm going to start doing some fasted cardio. It's controversial, but I've done it before and thought it helped. As long I keep up the calories, I don't *think* it'll screw up bulking Time will tell.
How are you keeping your protein so high? Would you mind sharing a typical day's menu?
There's one more meal (included in totals, just too big for the window) with 144g baked chicken and 28g almonds. Yesterday I lifted and had high carb, an english muffin, bagel, sweet potato, etc. I ate 2,200 cals yesterday so my appetite is down today. But the protein and fat stays pretty much the same everyday.
I eat ground turkey breast almost everyday. So I usually keep some cooked and on hand and mix with rice or spaghetti squash. Then add salsa, lime juice, cilantro, avocado OR a peanut sauce, etc for flavor.
For breakfast, have you tried cottage cheese at breakfast? You can make it into pancakes, mix it with oatmeal or yogurt. It's not the healthiest thing ever, but that Jennie-O extra lean turkey bacon has some protein. You could eat turkey bacon with a couple of whole eggs, if you don't care for egg whites. Those Al Fresco chicken sausages are good too.
Do you make any protein shakes? They are good, especially on days when you need to eat a lot. If you need some recipe links for shakes, let me know.
Thanks for all the diet info Ceebee. I'm one of the ones that eat grilled chicken over and over , I need to mix it up a little. I've never made ground turkey. I'll have to try it. Do you use brown rice? One serving is like 4 spoonsfuls-not near enough for my liking. I do eat cottage cheese everyday - I love it! I only do protein shakes PWO because I'd much rather eat whole foods but it would be a way to increase my protein. I'll have to give that some thought.
Love the pic of your arm . You may call it "smooth" but I think it looks really firm. I don't see ANY flab!
I'll be anxious to see how the fasted cardio goes. I did that when I did BFL.
Love the pic of your arm . You may call it "smooth" but I think it looks really firm. I don't see ANY flab!
Trust me, it's there. The skinfolds don't lie The indoor lighting in the pic isn't doing it justice! Plus I use the built in camera on the laptop and it's not the best quality. But it was pretty great when taking the challenge photos because I didn't have to ask my husband to help me. The whole picture taking thing is just embarrassing. That said, seeing other people's progress pics really reinforces the need to take the pics, so I suck it up and do it anyway
Workouts look good--lots of red in there . Your arm looks good to me, but I'm another that has really smooth skin and carries some extra fat there, so I get what you're trying to show.
I don't know how often I should get retested though.
I definitely need to keep this a clean bulk
So we aren't out of the woods yet.
The triceps was the only measurement that surprised me. It's usually high, but this was more than usual. But I am up a few pounds from my last measurement, hmm. I think all three pounds went to my arms
Time will tell.
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