My story - Am I doing everything right? :)

[gYmgIrL]

Hello there! Apart from reading these forums and posting a couple of times under a different nick I'm relatively new here!

My story is I always used to be thin, and then when I hit 21 I put on 6 kilos (sorry I'm from Australia) 13lbs and that was insane for me! So after wallowing in my self pity I decided to get to a gym and once I started researching gym things on the internet i realised that figure and fitness ladies may just be the most amazing looking women on earth! :P

So I made a goal that in three years I was going to enter a figure competition! I have no intention of getting anywhere, i just want to feel good enough about myself to do it! (and meet stacks of those awesome looking ladies! )

I trained at a tiny little budgo gym in all the wrong ways with all the wrong advice, and i got small amounts of results but it was pretty much 6 months wasted and then i joined an awesome gym where some of those ladies worked out! OMG! hehe, so I've been there since January 06, and set myself some goals and started getting results right away!

But I also found out I was 26% body fat!

And i read somewhere that you should always try and stay at 16%? and you wont see abs until 14%, is that true?

Anyway, so now I'm calorie counting and i've lost 1.5 kilos (3 pounds) in 1.5 weeks of what seems to be just fat! I miss being full! I cant wait for it to be over!

So once its over? Do i still have to count calories? or eat as much as possible to put more muscle? Do i just eat and grow until i get up to like 20% body fat and then cut again?

Its all so confusing!

I took some photos ofthe start of my new body, but i dont know how to put them on here (I think i have to be a paying member) but here are my measurements if that makes it easier for you to help me!

5'5"
21 years old
49.5kgs / 109lbs
26% body fat (last time i checked when i was at 51kgs/112lbs)

Thank you very much for any advice and support you can give, and to the fitness/figure ladies thank you for being so inspirational and thank you for listning to my story! I hereby declare to be a really active member of these forums!

!!

[ItalianStallion]

Hey there, welcome to the site, Im not fitness expert, just a regular guy working out, but Im impressed that you have goals and sumtin ur tryin to achieve, so u have my support...goodluck with everything and keep us posted

[gYmgIrL]

Thank you very much! I definately will

[ItalianStallion]

check ur private messages, i sent u 1

[brucew63]

gymgirl, you dont have to be a paying member to post links to pictures here. there are no paying members.

Upload your photos to a third party hoster - most people use www.imagevenue.com - and when you get the upload link back from imagevenue - ALWAYS USE THE SECOND LINK THEY GIVE YOU. It's hard to explain, you have to see it to understand...
when you do that, you will get a thumbnail pic like this ...

and when someone clicks on the picture they are taken to your original larger version

Good luck and welcome to the site (again).

[gYmgIrL]

hehe ok, but remember I've only been doing it for a little while!

(be nice) :P hehe


OH AND GUESS WHAT!! I just did some home caliper thingies, and i added a mm to all of my measurements (just in case i was too nice :P) and I'm down to 18% body fat! And I'm almost halfway into my third week of the low calorie diet.

Its nice to know that something so absolutely painful is paying off!

I'm going to celebrate with a gelare waffle and icecream!! heheh jks!!

ok ok less stalling more pics :P

(Thanks Mr Stallion! :P I'll write back in a bit! )

[gYmgIrL]

P.S. Bruce

Haaaaaaaawwwttt lady!!

[gYmgIrL]

ok here goes







(baby biceps!! hehehe)

[Italianangel]

Originally Posted by gYmgIrL

Hello there! Apart from reading these forums and posting a couple of times under a different nick I'm relatively new here!

Welcome, happy to have you here!

My story is I always used to be thin, and then when I hit 21 I put on 6 kilos (sorry I'm from Australia) 13lbs and that was insane for me! So after wallowing in my self pity I decided to get to a gym and once I started researching gym things on the internet i realised that figure and fitness ladies may just be the most amazing looking women on earth! :P

So I made a goal that in three years I was going to enter a figure competition! I have no intention of getting anywhere, i just want to feel good enough about myself to do it! (and meet stacks of those awesome looking ladies! )
Excellent, I am sure you can do it and do well!!!

I trained at a tiny little budgo gym in all the wrong ways with all the wrong advice, and i got small amounts of results but it was pretty much 6 months wasted and then i joined an awesome gym where some of those ladies worked out! OMG! hehe, so I've been there since January 06, and set myself some goals and started getting results right away!

But I also found out I was 26% body fat!

And i read somewhere that you should always try and stay at 16%? and you wont see abs until 14%, is that true?
Actually gals hi 6-9% according to subcutaneous fat, under the skin.....12% or so will show some abs, higher if you build them up.
Anyway, so now I'm calorie counting and i've lost 1.5 kilos (3 pounds) in 1.5 weeks of what seems to be just fat! I miss being full! I cant wait for it to be over!

So once its over? Do i still have to count calories? or eat as much as possible to put more muscle? Do i just eat and grow until i get up to like 20% body fat and then cut again?
It will all depend on your goals but preference too, I do not count cals, I compete now for 10 years and have done all classes. You will get the hang of it and not need to track so much data unless you want to but I would not sit at 20% even for off season, that is a bit high, it does help to have body fat and contest bf is too low to always keep but you do not need to be that high for muscle gains.

Its all so confusing!

I took some photos ofthe start of my new body, but i dont know how to put them on here (I think i have to be a paying member) but here are my measurements if that makes it easier for you to help me!
I would love to see them, it would help, post a link if you get them posted.

5'5"
21 years old
49.5kgs / 109lbs
26% body fat (last time i checked when i was at 51kgs/112lbs)

Thank you very much for any advice and support you can give, and to the fitness/figure ladies thank you for being so inspirational and thank you for listning to my story! I hereby declare to be a really active member of these forums!

!!

I am sure you will find tons of useful info here!!
Linda

[gYmgIrL]

Welcome, happy to have you here!

thank you very much

Excellent, I am sure you can do it and do well!!!

You are the absolute lovliest!

Actually gals hi 6-9% according to subcutaneous fat, under the skin.....12% or so will show some abs, higher if you build them up.

oh right, i thought if women get below 10-12% it stuffs up their womenlyness. I guess i should just keep getting thinner til i'm happy with it?

It will all depend on your goals but preference too, I do not count cals, I compete now for 10 years and have done all classes. You will get the hang of it and not need to track so much data unless you want to but I would not sit at 20% even for off season, that is a bit high, it does help to have body fat and contest bf is too low to always keep but you do not need to be that high for muscle gains.

as long as you dont eat lots of fat you'll stay down there right? as long as you're excercising enough? and eventually I'll just know how much to eat i guess

I would love to see them, it would help, post a link if you get them posted.

i posted some! I did leave off the one of my abs though. Maybe i should post that one too at least so i can be really proud of my progress. *sigh* scary! hehehe

Thanks so much for writing back you are so awesome

[Italianangel]

You look great!

[gYmgIrL]

Thank you!!!!!! !!!!!

[brucew63]

Here are the pictures you posted, with the links to the larger pictures fixed (you didnt grab the properly coded link! it takes practice)


I completely agree with Italianangel, you do look great! Keep it up!

and regarding the PS: yes, she is Haaaaaaaawwwttt, isn't she

[Italianangel]

For Figure you will want to do a lean down for about 1-2 months prior.
Do you have a contest date, workout and diet plan up to contest day?
Linda

[gYmgIrL]

No! hehe i dont think I'll be contest worthy for at least a few years yet! (you are the lovliest!)

My diet plan at the moment consists of eating not much (600-800) cals a day until i get down to 16% body fat and then I was going to eat lots of carbs and protein so i could get bigger until my body fat got too high again and then eat really little again.

My workout plan though!

Day 1: Back and calves
Day 2: Chest and Biceps (and abs)
Day 3: Shoulders and Tris
Day 4: Legs and abs
and sometimes i have a day of just abs and cardio (a six pack was my original goal )

and while I'm on the low cal thing I'm doing 30-60 minutes 5-6 days a week of cardio

(my how i hate cardio :P)

hehehe

nah its not too bad, its lots less torture than it used to be. hehe, but those rowwy machines kill me!

but losing a little weight gave me a glimpse of abs! like the top two and the obliques!! WOO! hehe, cant wait to see what happens when more comes off! It also helps make looking in the mirror easier.

[sf450]

you look great

[gYmgIrL]

thank you very much

[eqpfunk]

Congrats you already look better than about 90% of American women your age. If you're getting into fitness and looking to add the muscle that those women have, don't hesitate to do the big 3, bench press, barbell squats and deadlifts. Those work the most muscle groups in your body and you'll see the most gains from them. Start light until you get the form down. If you have questions on form, do a search for something like "deadlift form" or ask someone at your gym.

[gYmgIrL]

wow! what an awesome compliment! thank you so very much!!!

well i do sorta similar things, i mean i do barbel squats already, and i do similar things for chest.

here i'll write it out you can tell me what you think i should change! (everything is 3-4 sets and 8-12 reps and im at the gym for 1hr-1.5hr)


Day 1: Back and calves
lat pulldowns
one arm rows
seated row/rope row superset
close pulldowns

standing calf thingy/sitting calf thingy superset

Day 2: Chest and Biceps (and abs)

incline bench smith rack of pain
dumbell press
flies/chest press superset

cable bar pull thingies
z-bar curls/hammer curls superset

Day 3: Shoulders and Tris

incline bench dumbels
lat raise drop sets the most incredibly painful thing on the planet
cable bar pull up thingies (thingies describe lots of things)

ok i have no idea what its called but you have a Z bar and you lie on your back and bring it over your head from behind your head and then you put it over your waist and push it up for 12 reps... im sure it has a name :P

super dooper set of tricep machiney pulldowns/rope tricep pully thingies/ own body weight tricep thingies.

Day 4: Legs and abs
warm up on leg extention
45 degree leg press of doom
barbell squats
that machine that you do inside leg muscle and then change it and do outside and then you face away from it and do bum.
grr theres something else but i cant remember.

Abs i do the hanging from hangy things and pull yourself ups
and then i lie on a bench and do 20 leg lifts, 40 reverse crunch thingies with a medicine ball, then elbow to oposite knee with the med. ball between your knees followed by little pulse sit up things with it still there, and then the funny riding a bike thingy and then 20 more leg lifts.

oh the pain the glorious glorious pain.


but i have to lose more fat percentage before i can eat enough to put on any more muscle i think! although they seem to both be happening, but i heard that can happen when you're a beginner. Like this morning i had tricep pump, and my arms felt really tight in my work shirt, and i thought... yeah.... thats awesome :P

hehe

any advice / tips / miracle suggestion of love I will greatly hear!

[eqpfunk]

I have to say you've definitely done your homework! That's quite a grueling workout, it'd give some guys I know a heart attack! Overall it looks quite good but I would tweek it in a few areas. Please see below...

Originally Posted by gYmgIrL

wow! what an awesome compliment! thank you so very much!!!

well i do sorta similar things, i mean i do barbel squats already, and i do similar things for chest.

here i'll write it out you can tell me what you think i should change! (everything is 3-4 sets and 8-12 reps and im at the gym for 1hr-1.5hr)


Day 1: Back and calves
lat pulldowns
one arm rows
seated row/rope row superset
close pulldowns

standing calf thingy/sitting calf thingy superset

Day 2: Chest and Biceps (and abs)

incline bench smith rack of pain
dumbell press
flies/chest press superset

cable bar pull thingies
z-bar curls/hammer curls superset

Day 3: Shoulders and Tris

incline bench dumbels

***Since you're doing incline on your chest day, i'd say substitute dumbell military press for this incline press***

lat raise drop sets the most incredibly painful thing on the planet
cable bar pull up thingies (thingies describe lots of things)

ok i have no idea what its called but you have a Z bar and you lie on your back and bring it over your head from behind your head and then you put it over your waist and push it up for 12 reps... im sure it has a name :P

*** I'm guessing these are like a tricep pushdown but you're on your back? It's kind of like a skullcrusher: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exer...+Triceps+Press
***

super dooper set of tricep machiney pulldowns/rope tricep pully thingies/ own body weight tricep thingies.

***Haha, nice. You incorporate a lot of thingies in your routine. Always a good call When you feel strong enough, try throwing in a set or 3 of Dips using your body weight***


Day 4: Legs and abs
warm up on leg extention
45 degree leg press of doom
barbell squats

***leg press and squats both work quads (as well as your bootay). You should consider throwing in some deadlifts or leg curls so your hamstrings get a workout too!***

that machine that you do inside leg muscle and then change it and do outside and then you face away from it and do bum.
grr theres something else but i cant remember.
***Yeah the abductor/adductor machine ***

Abs i do the hanging from hangy things and pull yourself ups
and then i lie on a bench and do 20 leg lifts, 40 reverse crunch thingies with a medicine ball, then elbow to oposite knee with the med. ball between your knees followed by little pulse sit up things with it still there, and then the funny riding a bike thingy and then 20 more leg lifts.

oh the pain the glorious glorious pain.


but i have to lose more fat percentage before i can eat enough to put on any more muscle i think! although they seem to both be happening, but i heard that can happen when you're a beginner. Like this morning i had tricep pump, and my arms felt really tight in my work shirt, and i thought... yeah.... thats awesome :P

hehe

any advice / tips / miracle suggestion of love I will greatly hear!

The only other change to your routine is you seem to do 2 days of upper body in a row. You should do shoulders/tri's after legs and abs day. Also don't starve yourself too much! That can severely impair your metabolism. You may want to consider a good low carb protein shake to have once or twice a day as a snack. Overall your plan looks quite solid and you should see gains for quite some time. If you have more ???'s don't hesitate to ask. Good Luck and keep us posted on your progress!