Nine Weeks Left to Go!

My stats for the month are as follows:

January 7th -->February 3rd:

Weight: 126lbs--> 122.8lbs



BF: 17%-->15-15.5%
Hips: 35.5"-->34.5"
Waist: 25.25"-->24.75"
Thighs: 21"-->20.25"

Think that this week I will add in afternoon cardio on Monday, Wednesday, and maybe Thursday as well. During this competition prep, I'm trying to see how high I can keep my calories, and still lose body fat. I spent A LOT of time hungry during the last cut, and I'm trying to avoid that as much as possible.

My goal for February is to reach 120 lbs, although it looks like I may exceed my goal!


So I have completed my first 4 weeks of competition prep. Be sure to watch the video to hear about how the month went! I'll have weekly video and photo updates from here on out. Here are my progress photos!

 

Machine Shoulder Press

So the link below qualifies as my most effective exercise of the week. It has been quite some time since I have used this machine, and it was just introduced this week on the Labarada 12 Week Lean Plan. I am always very careful with shoulder exercises. People typically make the mistake of using too much weight on their more delicate shoulder joints, so of course I definitely kept the weight light. I definitely smoked my shoulders with this machine!

I have come to have a new appreciation for my shoulders. They have started to shape very nicely within the last 6 months or so, and I really think it looks very attractive. I mean, having nice shoulders means you are guaranteed to look great in tank tops and sleeveless shirts. Not to mention, my biceps and triceps are coming along nicely as well. :-)

Bodybuilding.com - Machine Shoulder (Military) Press - Female

End of week 12, Start of Week 11!

June 2nd                                                         June 10th

So I'm within 12 weeks now of my competition. I really do like my progress this week. I lost another pound (122.6), and .5% more body fat (16%). My abs are really starting to show through, and my legs are still leaning out too.

This week was super busy. I had to get up at 0300 on a couple days this week. I supervised a PT test and made sure to hit the gym each day that I was supposed to go. Actually my new weight lifting program has me working out everyday, but I alternate with two high intensity days and then one low intensity day. The low intensity day is always just cardio. High intensity days are weights and cardio. Judging by my pictures, I would have to say it's working out for me. At least I know I'm getting enough rest now though. Despite my early days, I really felt like all my workouts were quality.

As I've been making my own progress, I have gotten to tell people about what it takes for me to get where I am. The main question is how I manage to keep up with all the work. Really though, when anyone really wants something, they do whatever they can, don't they? Like when a guy really likes a girl, he goes out of his way to takes her to nice places to eat (my clean nutrition), he makes time to see her, even when he has no time (my gym time), and he tries to get to know as much about her as he can (my pursuit of nutrition and fitness knowledge).

Earning an excellent body is just that, you have to earn it. You have to court it. It does take time, and it does take work, but doesn't anything worth having? Despite the fitness gimmicks out there, nothing that will last happens in 10/14/30 days. Real progression is made over time. If you take a pill that causes you to lose 15 pounds very fast, your body may be stripped of valuable muscle in the process. You have not learned to treat your body with the care it deserves. It is often said that the journey is just as important as the destination, and that is especially true for any fitness journey. It never ends.
Once you really hit a goal, the only thing to do is make a new goal.

New Focus on Legs

So with my upper body and abdominals coming along as nicely as they have, I am now going to switch focus to my lower body. I haven't seen as much progress in my glutes and hamstrings as I would have liked. Although from the left picture, it is obvious that my quadriceps are progressing well. I'm not sure if I'm lacking muscle, or if I still need to lose body fat for those muscles to look more defined.


I might start working my lower body twice a week, and see if the intensity causes progress. I've read that a lot of bikini fitness models do that because so much focus is on the area where the glutes and hamstrings meet. I'm hoping to enter a competition this year, and my lower body is now my problem area. I'm going to fix it!