New to this board!

JoMega

Hi ladies!  I am new to this board, however not new to working out.  I played soccer almost my entire life, have done a bunch of races, and now I am figure competitor.  I will be competing in my 5th and 6th show in April and May of this year which helps to get in shape for the wedding day (July).  But I loooove talking about exercise and nutrition and I enjoy training people for fun (no it is not my job....i just really enjoy helping people adapt a healthy lifestyle!).  I am always up to give advice too and I can never stop learning more about healthy living, so I love that there is a board specifically designated to this!  Now time to look through previous posts

LittleKatie13

Hi, welcome!  Good luck with your goals and competitions!

raynes

Welcome!

Figure competing, eh?  That's cool.  I'd love to hear more about what your experience with that has been and what sorts of things you do to prepare for a show.

JoMega

Thank you! Thank you!

Raynes--You are going to wish you never asked I originally started to compete so I could gain muscle & have a "fit" look.  I have a very muscluar physique, but I wasn't using it to my advantage.  Although, I have never been overweight, just needed some tweaking!  Well....I decided to compete & holy crap, what a life change!  My first year competing, I was so excited seeing the results, but my eating habits had to change DRASTICALLY!!! I had never ate so healthy in my life (granted, I would get a few "off" days here and there where I could eat whatever I wanted, but still!) I said before I decided to compete that this will be a one time thing.  After months of preparation & extremely clean eating, I was positive that I loved the results, but even more positive that this was A ONE TIME THING!  The last week before the show we call it "hell week" because that is literally what it is!  You drink tons of water the first few days of the week and then slowly you start cutting the water out.  Depending on where I am weight/look wise, you cut it out sometime the day before the show, or morning of the show.  Starting mid-week, I am usually eating purely tilapia and chicken with some carbs (plain rice cake)...the food starts diminishing too!  Don't get me wrong, I still eat....plenty....but just not as much and not as much variety either.  So, my first year I lost 20lbs & had never felt more confident in a two-piece suit!  I have never been the type of girl who gets on stage or has done anything to be center of attention...I have no problem being center of attention with my family, but when it comes to people I don't know, I am extremely shy.  Well...I couldn't believe how much I LOVED being on stage.  You have to go out in the morning with your class & you do the mandatory poses & are judged.  There is a break between & then the evening show consists of your individual walk & poses.  After my first show, I became addicted!  It was so much fun!!  Hence the reason I have competed 3 additional times, now onto another two!  That was a very short explanation, even though it is long!  Let me know if you have other questions!

JoMega

I guess I forgot to add about my training.  I always forget about that part hahahaha...it is just part of my every day routine that I don't even think of it.  I currently train 6 days a week, 4 days of lifting, 1 day plyo and 5hrs of cardio.  It changes depending on my weight, cardio may get cut or it may be added.  Right now, I do drop sets for shoulders and back because that is where you are judged the most.  My legs are already muscular and pretty lean, so I just do high reps, along with the plyometrics.

RayKateWedding

welcome to the boards!!!

raynes

Neat.  I don't think I'd ever had the discipline for a cutting phase like that.  Do you have any pictures to share?

xcrewgal

Welcome!  I started eating clean  a month or so ago, and I'm mad I didn't discover it earlier!  Seems like the natural way we're supposed to eat.

Right now I'm doing a lot of cardio (6 days of running, lots of hills) and Jillian's 30 Day shred for strength training.

I'm 134 and probably 26% body fat (using online calculators).  I really want to lean down and build muscle, though I'm still a girl and have a goal "weight" of 124 pounds.

How long did it take you to lose the fat/weight?  Do you recommend lighter weights and more reps when doing strength?  I've always heard that makes leaner arms, etc.

Thanks for your post!

JoMega

[QUOTE]Welcome!  I started eating clean  a month or so ago, and I'm mad I didn't discover it earlier!  Seems like the natural way we're supposed to eat. Right now I'm doing a lot of cardio (6 days of running, lots of hills) and Jillian's 30 Day shred for strength training. I'm 134 and probably 26% body fat (using online calculators).  I really want to lean down and build muscle, though I'm still a girl and have a goal "weight" of 124 pounds. How long did it take you to lose the fat/weight?  Do you recommend lighter weights and more reps when doing strength?  I've always heard that makes leaner arms, etc. Thanks for your post!
Posted by xcrewgal[/QUOTE]


First...I agree with you completely about it feeling so natural to eat clean!  I feel like my body is dragging when I eat crap!  But I think it is hard to make that lifestyle change...so congrats on making that major change :)

As for how long it takes me to lose fat/weight...I can drop weight like its my job if I am training and eating right.  For example, as of Oct 9 I had to start losing weight to drop 12.5lbs by January (my pre-season weight loss goal)...well in less than 1 month I lost 11lbs.  I didn't cut all crap foods out either, I would still allow myself to eat yummy foods occassionally too!  However, as many people know, losing that much weight in such a short amount of time, will not allow me to maintain it...so that is where I am at now, maintaining.  You should aim to lose .5lb-2lbs per week depending on how much weight you want to lose and in how much time.  Understand that your last 10lbs to lose will be the hardest & your body starts to plateau at a certain weight (which is normally when people give up).  So when that happens, change your workouts up...you need to shock your body in order to get it moving again!  Also, I suggest doing weekly weigh-ins...same day, same time.  I do Friday mornings right when I wake up.  So then you are always weighing yourself after the same type of workout and eating routine for an entire week.  Weighing yourself daily or on random days does not provide you with an accurate weight because depending on what you eat or the workout you had you may hold in water which will put add lbs to the scale.  When I am competing for a show, it takes me 3-4 mos to lose 20-25lbs.

As for making your arms lean, I lifted heavy for my arms for 2.5 years in order to get them toned.  (I will post a picture after I write this)....never did I gain too much muscle.  Now that I have gained the amount of muscle I want in my arms, I do lighter weights with higher reps.  It really depends on where you are at and where you want to be.  Either way, you will get results :)

Hope this helps!  Let me know if you have any other questions! :)

CaylaSummer

hey there,

Loving the legs girl...Yeah I hear ya the last 10 lbs is awful...The leaner you get the harder it gets to even lose the weight. Nice to have a figure competitor on the board hopefully you can help debunk the myth surrounding this board.

raynes

Looookin' goooood.  :P

JoMega

Thanks ladies!  Gotta get my butt back to looking like that again...can't wait!!