This is It….My Obnoxious

I’ve gotten a few e-mail’s inquiring about my current bulking routine, and about how I’ve crossed over the hump from the skinny/hardgainer to someone that’s finally starting to look more like a ’strong’ person. But instead of revealing what I’m ‘doing’ per se, it might actually be better to discuss those things I’ve been doing ‘differently’ in these past weeks. I made the big life-changing decision to build a better/stronger body on June 1, 2008, which is when I started weight training and doing cardio. I’d been basically keeping fit on Keto for years and nothing more, but decided it was time for a change. I was relatively pleased with my results up until about 6 weeks ago, which was about the same time I decided to revamp a few things in order to achieve more impressive bulk and muscle. So here for your perusal is a list of things I’ve done ‘differently’ to get over the skinny hump!

Weight Training Schedule:

What’s different? Less workouts per muscle group.

I scaled back from doing my usual 2-3 full body workouts per week to now doing a split. I was probably overworking my muscles and not giving them enough time to heal as well as to hypertrophy, thus increasing size.

Current Split (subject to change the minute I’m bored with it)…

Monday–Back/Delts
Tuesday–Abs/Cardio
Wednesday–Biceps (strong focus)
Thursday–Legs/Abs/Cardio
Friday–Chest/Tris
Saturday–Abs/Cardio
Sunday–Video Games!

Training Style:

What’s different? More macho training style.

Okay, I’m a chick, so that means I’ve pretty much been working out chick-style–meaning doing everything precisely, performing each repetition slowly with a strong focus on ‘full range of motion’ and absolute stellar form–no jerky ego-inflated movements here! Hey, but you know what? I couldn’t really lift heavy utilizing this ‘ladylike’ style, and we all know that lifting heavier very often equates with greater muscle gains. So I’ve been sticking my head in on the men’s forums here, as well as keeping an eye on the really big guys at my gym–and although I would often scoff at the way some of these guys would jerk on the weights, I would also notice that they were sporting the most impressive muscles! Yeah, I thought these dudes were stacking it on ‘too heavy’ in order to impress people, but who was I to talk when I was still quite skinny and they were buff as all hell!

Then I started looking around at the few really buff women who also train at my gym, and I then compared what they were doing to the those less-muscled ladies like myself.  What I noticed was that hard-muscled chicks moved the weights like men, they jerked on them, they stacked heavy and sacrificed some form and range of motion in exchange for the bigger, choppier looking lifts. I’m not talking sloppy lifts, but definitely a lot faster and not as committed to the most pristine form. Then I’d look over again at the less-muscled ladies squeezing out higher reps with the most exceptional form, yet they didn’t seem to be making the types of solid/swift muscle gains as those rooster chicks that I was so envious of–the ones with the big biceps and puffed-out chests! So the difference in my workouts now is that I’ll sacrifice some style and form in exchange for heavier/faster and somewhat imprecise lifts. So yeah, I do the macho thing now too!

Cardio

What’s different? The ‘Cardio-Bunny’ has chilled.

I’ve scaled back my cardio from 5 moderately intense 45 minute sessions per week, down to 3 HIIT sessions. Each session now lasts about 30 minutes, which I’ll alternate between 10%-12% incline and 3.6-4.0 mph. I was a bit terrified to cut back on cardio (I thought something terrible would happen), but realize now what a tremendous impact ‘too much cardio has on decreased muscle gains.’

Supplements

What’s different? Nitric Oxide and BCAA’s.

The big difference here would be the addition of two supplements–Nitric Oxide and BCAA’s. I’ve been using CL’s Green Mag since mid July, and feel I’m getting good results from this creatine product. I’ve also since read a great deal about BCAA’s and the importance of these critical building blocks, so I went ahead and ordered CL’s Purple Wrath, which has improved my workouts considerably. Actually, I was so impressed with this product that I wrote about it on my very first blog here!

I had also read a great deal about Nitric Oxide products, mainly from reading my favorite bodybuilding magazines geared toward men. It’s funny, because not much is written about NO’s in the women’s magazines, so I was a bit skeptical about whether to try these or not. But despite my concerns, I went ahead and ordered CL’s White Flood and have been using it since late August. Along with Purple Wraath, I’d say that both of these supplements have made the critical difference in how much weight I’m able to move, the intensity of my workouts, my endurance levels as well as my pumps. My workouts are now stoked, and I feel like a she-beast after ingesting my delicious concoction of GM/WF/PW!

Current Supps…

White Flood–1 1/2 teaspoons in 12 oz. water
(utilized pre-workout on weight training days only)

Purple Wraath–3 teaspoons in 50 oz. of water (yeah, I’m a guzzler)
(utilized intra-workout on all training days with both weights and/or cardio)

Green Magnitude–1 1/2 teaspoons in 12 oz. water
(utilized pre-workout on all days except Sunday)

Diet

What’s different? Consuming an additional 800 calories per day.

My diet has always been very strict, so that part hasn’t changed much. I’ve been doing Keto for nearly 10 years now (65% fat-30% protein-5% carbs), and I consume the obligatory 6 meals per day, as well as blending up my favorite Oryx Goat whey shake after workouts. The only thing I’m doing differently is that I’ve bumped my caloric intake from roughly 2000 calories per day, up to about 2800 calories–where I’m currently at today. I’ve been reading so many threads in regard to the importance of ‘bulking’ when packing on the muscle, but never really understood why this was so important. I also didn’t comprehend why so many folks were carrying on about the importance of carbohydrates when building muscle. However, it’s this part of the equation I reject, as I oppose carbohydrates with a burning passion! I decided to substantially increase my caloric intake, but was not willing (and am still not willing), to beef-up on the carbs. And contrary to those predictions that I wouldn’t be able to pack on muscle without the aid of carbs, I have noticed considerable size, as well as strength gains. I’m also drinking a lot more water (about a gallon a day), as dictated by my creatine usage.

So there you have it, these are the only things I believe may have had an impact on my current physique status, and how I’ve crossed over from being a skinny/fat girl to a more interesting and less jiggly one. I’ve still got a long way to go (especially in the quad/hamstring areas), but I will continue to alter my routine/diet in order to achieve maximize results.

Demetria

Some folks have asked about my diet and what supplements I’m currently using–so here it is, the most boring meal plan ever! My present goal is to continue losing fat, while putting on lean muscle mass–so I’m chowing down the customary 6 meals, totaling about 2200-2800 calories per day.

Coffee…

3-4 servings of my own 100% Kona Peaberry per day (12 ounce mugs), served black or with a little ‘Coffee Mate.’

Proteins/Fats–I select about 4-5 of these ‘meals’ per day (all consumed individually as I don’t like things complicated, nor the taste of too many combined flavors)…..

1/4-1/2 cup Macadamia nuts

1/2-1 cup pistachio nuts

1/2-1 cup sunflower seeds

1/4-1/2 cup peanut butter

One 12 oz. can of chicken with 4 Tbsp. Ranch Dressing

6-8 deviled eggs with full-fat mayo

3-4 oz. cheese (any full-fat variety)

1 cup cottage cheese (once or twice a month maybe)

6-8 oz. raw Ahi (fresh tuna) with soy sauce

Broiled Steak (size varies)

1 or 2 Broiled Chicken legs (whole with skin)

One or two 4 oz. Salmon burgers fried in olive oil

2-4 eggs fried in olive oil

1/2 of an avocado

1/4 of a small coconut

Green and/or Leafy/Cruciferous Veggies–I’ll decide upon 1 or 2 of these ‘meals’ per day (in ‘addition’ to the 4-5 Protein/Fats meals listed above).  My veggie meals are quite large so they count as 4-8 servings each (based on size alone)…..

I head of Romain lettuce (heart), 4-6 Tbsp. full-fat Ranch dressing, 6 oz. canned chicken.

10-12 oz. of brussel sprouts, 1 Tbsp. butter

12 oz. broccoli, 1 Tbsp. butter, 3-4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

12 oz. asparagus, 3-4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Once or Twice a Month Cheats...(maybe one of these every now and then, or never)

Two cups of strawberries

Sugar-free Jello Pudding (entire box)

Strawberry smoothie made with strawberries and whole milk

Low-Carb Protein Bar

Supplements…(never boring!)

CL’s Purple Wraath–one scoop during workouts for endurance, strength and that ‘STOKED’ feeling.

CL’s Green Mag creatine–One half scoop taken daily (pre-workout), for strength and ‘dry’ gains.

Vyo-Tech’s Oryx Goat Whey–2 or 3 scoops taken daily

4-6 ‘Fiber Choice’ Tablets taken daily

Multi Vitamin–taken daily (brand varies).

Plus…

1500 mg. –Conjugated Linoleic Acid daily
1000 mg. –Calcium daily
500 mg.   –Magnesium daily
500 mg.   –Choline daily
500 mg.   –Inositol daily
1500 mg. –Glucosamine daily

Water–I gallon daily.  Combined total used in coffee, with Purple Wrath, with creatine, with whey or taken straight.

That’s it, I haven’t eaten anything else for years. I also hate cooking or over-thinking my food (I would have made a great cave-woman), so the less variety the better for me. Also, this plan has helped me put on lean muscle mass, while continuing to lose fat without much real effort.

Demetria

Hello fellow enthusiasts, I posted this in the supps forum (my first ever product review), but also feel the urge to ‘Blog’ this because the love is strong!

I received a sample of CL’s Purple Wraath (Purple Lemonade flavor), and decided to give it a try based on all the good things I had heard about it. So yesterday (Saturday–8/9/2008), was a good enough day to try it out because not only was I NOT in the mood to train, I was also quite physically exhausted. I literally dragged myself over to my workout station, hoping that at least I’d be able to go through the motions so that I wouldn’t feel so guilty before my scheduled rest/cheat day (Sunday–8/10/2008)

But before working out I mixed up some Purple Wraath (about 2/3 of the sample pack or 8.2 grams), and combined that with about 20 ounces of water. I started drinking up and then laced up my Puma’s hoping for a mediocre workout at best. I hit my first set of dumbbell bench presses, but was rather alarmed that not only did I push a lot easier, I was also able to do more reps than usual. Strangely, I also felt that I needed to increase the weight because I moved though the first set a little too easily. So I bumped the weight by an additional 5% and found that I was also able to take that with relative ease in addition to pushing a few more reps over my usual limit. However, the shocking part for me was that I wasn’t just going through the motions as I had expected, I actually felt an extraordinary surge of mental, as well as physical strength, I was stoked!

After my third set I was beginning to feel the pump that I would generally experience much later in my workout. This delighted me because I had never felt this strong so early on, it must have been the Purple Wraath! My muscles simply did not want to slow down, nor was there any of the usual burning or muscle fatigue that I encounter when lifting. I found that my lungs tired before my muscles did, causing me to push stronger with heavier weights throughout the remainder of my workout. My arms literally felt as if they would explode! I also noticed that I needed less rest between sets, I was anxious to pick up the weights again soon after putting them down–strange for me since I will often find myself daydreaming between sets, sometimes allowing too much time to elapse. Subsequently, my workout was shortened because I had moved more swiftly through my sets although I had lifted heavier and with more enthusiasm.

Lastly, I always measure my arms at the conclusion of my upper body workouts, somewhat as a barometer to see whether I had reached my ideal pump or not–a half an inch pump on my arm measurement meant that it was a good day, anything less meant my heart wasn’t in it. Well, my Purple Wraath pump was 3/4 of an inch–an all-time record for me! So despite my usual skepticism toward products and their various claims, CL’s Purple Wraath had come through for me. Something had happened–it was real, it was measurable and most of all it felt good! So as a result (and because I prefer my workouts hardcore), I’ve just placed my order for Purple Wraath’s full size and can hardly wait for it to arrive–and with BB.com’s track record of speedy deliveries, that should be right soon!

Demetria