12 weeks of Training/Nutrition for Team Universe Bodybuilding & Figure Nationals!
By: Jaime “BiologyBabe” Girard
Week One…GAME ON!
Introduction
Let me introduce myself. My name is Jaime - aka: ‘BiologyBabe’ - here on Bodybuilding.com and other forums. I have written many articles for Bodybuilding.com over the last few years and as I have grown and evolved as a competitor, athlete, and loyal Bodybuilding.com member and customer, I am now embarking on the most important competition of my figure/fitness amateur career.
I am competing at the Team Universe Bodybuilding & Figure Nationals in New York City this September 19, 2009! This isn’t for another bronzed goddess statue and the always coveted sponsor goody-bag that I have competed for six times in the past; this is for the big time… the IFBB pro card.
I will be tracking all of my progress via an article series, photographs and even some posing and training video clips later in the prep! I am allowing the Bodybuilding.com members to watch and track my every move for this prep period… no-holds-barred!
I will share my training, my diet, and my supplementation, along with all of those little things no one shares about competing; from mood swings, to weigh-ins and body comps, suit design and appearance to backstage drama. This is going to be one h#ll of a ride for me. Please help out by following along!
Team Universe Figure Nationals
The Team Universe awards are generous, as it is the only competition in the NPC/IFBB that offers a pro card to the top 2 finishers in each height class in figure, instead of the overall winner, or just the first place winner as in other competitions. Of course, I feel this gives me slightly better odds at that pro card!
The show is at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center in the heart of NYC - I have wanted to visit NYC my entire life, and the first time I do, will be in competition mode!
It is also slotted to be the biggest show of the year for the NPC’s new Bikini division - due to the offering of those pro cards to the top two ladies in each class for bikini. That being said, the audience will surely be of astronomical size! Even more reason to bring my absolute best package to that stage on September 19th!
Plan Of Attack
Now I am a certified personal trainer, group exercise instructor and I do all of my own training. I am constantly tweaking and adjusting my training according to what is progressing with my physique and what is lagging.
This prep, for Team U, will focus highly on stripping my legs down to lean them out and get some separation and to get that glute/ham tie popping this time. In the past my judges have always complimented the amount of muscle I carry, insisting I gain no more; my best parts are my back and delts, and then my glutes, according to these same judges.
It’s always been a struggle getting my lower body to match the super lean appearance of my upper body, which leans out almost immediately… the lower half lagging what seems like weeks behind. I plan to master this problem this time around and come in super-tight on contest day.
Training
My training in the gym will change every two weeks in order to prevent stagnation, and I will post my complete workouts in each article! My diet changes every two weeks as well, according to how I am progressing.
I am not currently under any particular nutrition or prep coach. I have been coached and prepped in the past by some of the best in the business, but due to financial constraints and other things I will be putting together my own nutrition - I am very good at it, and will be basing it off of Dr. John Berardi’s Precision Nutrition System. It’s an excellent and sound program and I will have some outside help via a dietician friend and some other competitors to use as sounding boards and for critique.
Here is my first set of Team Universe prep progress photos. Keep in mind I have no tan and am not going for beauty or poise in these! Progress pictures are probably the best motivator I have found in my own contest preps in the past… the camera doesn’t lie!
Taken Saturday, June 27, 2009
12 Weeks Out
Current Body Composition Results
Height: 5′5.75″ (largest class of competitors at every show are my height)
Weight: 141 lbs (last stage weight was 128.6 lbs, 13.5% BF)
Body Fat: 18% (this is ‘very lean’ for the normal population; for a figure athlete, it’s downright unacceptable!)
I believe it is of utmost importance to take circumference measurements, because it is much more indicative of a female’s progress, rather than our ever fluctuating scale weight.
Shoulders: 41″
Chest (over nipple measure): 36
Bicep (not flexed): 11
Waist (at navel): 29.75
Hips (at widest point): 38.5
Tuck (glute/ham tie): 22
Mid-Thigh: 23
Calves: 15
Training Schedule Week 1, 2 of 12
*High Volume Schedule **See work out descriptions below.
Sunday
OFF
Monday
AM Cardio x 45m
Romanian Deadlift 4×6
Prone Leg Curls 3×15
Concentration Curls 3×12
Cable Curls 3×12
Decline Crunches 3×15
Hanging Leg Raises 3×15
Post work out cardio
StepMill x 45m
Tuesday
Incline DB Fly 4×9
Cable Crossovers 4×9
One Arm DB Row 4×12
Wide Grip Lat Pull down 4×9
Barbell Overhead Press 4×9
Upright Row 4×9
BB Shrug 4×9
Reverse Crunch 3×15
Straight Legged Raises 3×15
Cardio x 45m Elliptical
Wednesday
*Sprint work out @ track 30 minutes
Pilates x 30m
PM Cardio x 30m
Thursday
Fasted Cardio x 45m
Barbell Walking Lunges 4×15
Lying Leg Curls 3×12
Unilateral Bent Knee Curl Machine 3×15/per side
Close Grip Press + Extension Combo 3 x 6
Preacher Curls 3×12
Incline DB Curls 3×9
Seated Calf Raises 3×12
Standing Calf Raises 3×12
Post work out cardio
StepMill x 45m
Friday
Fasted Cardio x 30m
Pec-Dec Flys 3×12
Reverse Grip Lat Pull 3×12
Barbell Bent Over Row 3×12
Seated DB Press 3×9
Arnold DB Press 3×9
Lateral DB Raise 3×7
Front DB Raises 3×9
Post work out cardio
StepMill x 45m
Saturday
*Sprint work out at track 30 minutes
*Plyo metric Circuit x 4 sets
Yoga x 30m
*Sprint Workout at Track
*Can be done on treadmill, but much more effective outdoors.
On the grassy area of the field in the center of the track: Go to one end to begin. Sprint as fast as possible (as though running for your life), to the other end of the field. Walk back normally to the starting point (this should take about 1 minute). Sprint again, as fast as you can to the opposite end, taking long strides. Repeat this sequence for the allotted amount of time. When done right, this should wear you out in 30 minutes, no problem!
*Plyometrics Circuit
Plyometrics refer to any explosive movement. The plyo moves are excellent for tightening and firming everything below the waist, not to mention being one h#lluva fat burner, which is what I am after!
Burpees x 20
Jump Squats x 20 (deep sumo/wide stance squat, jump up, land in sumo squat position)
Box Jumps (on and off a 12-24 inch step/box)
Jump Lunges x 10 per side Rest 2 minutes; then repeat for allotted number of sets.
Prep Nutrition Week 1
I am currently utilizing a carb cycle pattern, as this has worked very well for me in the past. My carb cycle consists of 3 days of lower carbs and one day of higher carbs, and then repeat. The more body fat that needs to be lost, the more low days I include in a row, before re-feeding with carbohydrates.
Here is what a low day looks like:
Water: 128 oz (1 gallon) daily
Meal 1 - 1 cup liquid egg whites, 1 whole egg, 2 tsp ground flax seed, 1 cup chopped broccoli, coffee with Stevia.
Meal 2 - 4 oz extra lean ground turkey, 1 cup chopped broccoli, 1 oz avocado
Meal 3 - 2 scoops WPI (whey protein isolate - I like VPX Zero Impact, or Isopure Zero Carb powders), 1 TBS Emerald Balance Greens Powder, 1 tsp Leucine
Meal 4 - 4 oz Ahi tuna, halibut, or tilapia, small green salad (spinach, lettuce, broccoli, cucumber) w/1 TBS balsamic vinegar, 1 oz avocado or 2 tsp olive oil
Meal 5 - 4 oz chicken breast or lean ground turkey, 1/2 cup green beans, 1 tsp olive oil or natural peanut butter
Here is what a high day looks like:
Water: 128 oz (1 gallon) daily
Meal 1 - 1 cup liquid egg whites, 1/3 cup (dry measure) steel cut oats, 10 large green or red grapes or 6 large strawberries, coffee with Stevia.
Meal 2 - 2 scoops WPI (whey protein isolate - I like VPX Zero Impact, or Isopure Zero Carb powders), 1 TBS Emerald Balance Greens Powder, 1 tsp Leucine
Meal 3 - 4 oz chicken breast or lean ground turkey, 1/2 cup mixed vegetables, 1/2 cup white rice
Meal 4 - 4 oz Ahi Tuna, halibut, or tilapia, 1/2 cup black beans low salt, 1/2 cup white rice
Meal 5 - 4 oz lean ground turkey or chicken breast, 1/2 cup mixed vegetables
The supplements I will be using during this prep (subject to change according to need.)
I will explain more in the next article why I use each supplement but for now here is the list from my recent Bodybuilding.com store order:
Pure Fish Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, R-ALA, L-Lysine, Udo’s Choice Enzymes, Natrol BioBeads, Emerald Balance Greens Powder, AST MutliPro-Vitamin, Bragg’s Amino, BCAAs, WPI, Creatine Mono, L-Leucine, Vitamin C powder.
*Workout nutrition is important, and I don’t use a pre- or post-workout shake while prepping for a show. I do use BCAAs (such as Xtend or ICE) during my workout. As long as I have eaten a meal within the last 90 minutes or so before my gym training, I will be fine with a pre-workout BCAA cocktail to sip on; and then I am sure to eat my next meal within 60 minutes of leaving the gym - since my meals are always with me (I carry a cooler in my car), it’s never a problem!
Meals are structured 2-3 hours apart no matter what I am doing or where I am. This is where the importance of Tupperware comes in! I routinely make 2 days worth of meals at once, in under an hour! This helps tremendously with timing, schedules, work and if you have kids in the house, and I have two, then having healthy prep meals already made is a life saver!
I eat within 30 minutes of waking unless I am doing fasted cardio that day; then I will have one cup of coffee, jump on the stair master in my living room and go! I then eat immediately after fasted cardio, and then three hours after on the dot. My last meal falls where it may, but I try not to lay down for at least an hour if possible to avoid gastrointestinal upset.
Well, that’s the layout of my first weeks of training for Team Universe; I will be updating my progress, photos, and plan for you every week until I step on stage on New York City! I hope you will join me and follow along on my journey to the glamorous world of the super-fit and ultra gorgeous on the Team Universe stage!
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