Gingernut's journey to competing 2012 - first time doing it properly!

Here we go then;
 
Lost two stone this summer
Completed the SUC
 
Only one thing left to do now and that's NABBA Northwest, Toned Figure class plus whatever open shows I can find in the meantime.
 
Here are some photos from earlier this year;
 
 
 
and by September;
 

 
and the end of the SUC
 


 
Current goals are to continue with lean bulk and maintain current weight over festive season before starting dieting for competition in the New Year.

aha, great stuff

good luck with this and will be following, you did really well in the SUC so should hold you in good stead for stepping on stage. ill be attending the nabba north west and will look forward to seeing you up on stage.

Yesterday
 
am 45 mins cardio
pm shoulders and tris
 
Today
 
powerwalk 10 mins
swim ~ 30 mins
Powerwalk ~ 10 mins although more like 5 because the pavement was too slippery for anything decent.
 
Diet ok but I've had read bread last night, and a piece of chef's fudge today - both with meals out.

Cardio (am) and legs (pm) yesterday;
 
Hack squats up to 62.5kg
Heavish DB lunges with 15kg DBs
Single leg press with 50kgs on sled
Leg ext
 
Jack knives on ball - 4 x 16
 
Standing calf raise - up to 75kgs including bar
Seated single rotary calf
Seated double rotary calf
 
Russian twists 3 x 24
 
Had a bit of a let-loose last night, had a bag of fries, 1 x chocolate bar plus bottle and half of wine. Ooops. Lie in this morning.
 
Chest & Bis pm
 
Inc DB press 12, 8,8,8  with 20kg DBs for the sets of 8 - am trying to increase weight but can only do 2 or 3 with 22.5s, so trying to get my reps up with the 20s.
Inc smith press
Flat bench on smith (someone was on free bench for quite a while!)
Flat DB flyes up to 10kg DBs for 9 on this
 
EZ barbell curls 5 x 5 with 10kg disc on each end and final set with 22.5 kg discs on bar.
Hammer curls 5 x 6 1st set 10kg DBs, 4 sets with 12.5kg DBs
Two quick sets of concentration curls 12 reps each arm x 2 without rest
 
10 mins cardio on recumb bike since was feeling a bit yeuck after my cheat, and hardly having any exertion remainder of the day!

Sorry I haven't much to post at the moment, I have some personal stuff that's taking my mind elsewhere. It also buggered up my eating yesterday - had a small english breakfast at a local cafe at 11am, then nothing at all until 4pm.
 
Haven't gone off the rails though and made sure I got a few protein shakes in before bed.
 
45 mins powerwalk today.

keep on keeping on x

Ta.
 
Am 45mins power walk, pm tris and shoulders.
 
Interesting one this because after going deep and long on my dips (full body weight yay!), I decided to have a whack at overhead/french press with 10kg discs each side of the EZ bar. Something pulled in both tris, carried on but the top rear head (is that long or short?) just went solid and made push downs agony.....carried on and stretched quite a bit, hope I've not done something daft! Seem ok now but will see in the morning.
 
Looked like this;
 
Lateral delt raises
12 reps with 1.25kg discs, 10 reps with 2.5kg dbs, 10 reps w/5kg dbs, 3 sets 8 w/7.5kg DBs
DB seated press max 15kg dbs x 7 reps
Rear delts with knee on bench (body at 45 degrees to floor) 4 sets 10-12 w/5kg DBs
Lat side raises with cable machine 3 sets 6 one plate down, 1 set 6 plus another 6 with no pin in
 
Set up parallel dip using bars and squat rack safety bars 4 sets 12,12,10,11,
EZ bar overhead/french press on inc bench bar plus 20kg, 6 reps(bit heavy!), bar plus 15kgs 3 sets 8
Single rope pushdown/ext on cable 6,6,10,12 Ouch!
 
Hanging side leg raises 20,20, 24
 
 

Awesome progress so far this year - you've carved out the basics for a great stage physique IMO - good propotions and flow.
 
Hope the prep goes well for you

Tony Barnes


Awesome progress so far this year - you've carved out the basics for a great stage physique IMO - good propotions and flow.

Hope the prep goes well for you

 
Thanks TB. I have this week been to consult with a trainer who may be able to help me prepare for the competition. She's already given me some tips with regards honing my physique for the class I am aiming for, it appears it's not a simple as lifting big and heavy for me!
 
So it's starting to almost get exciting.
 
Yesterday I trained bis in the morning, followed by martial arts in the evening. I'm playing around with how to take this new addition to my training, and not sure if it counts as cardio or not as some of it is pretty slow, but there is a reasonable element of fitness stuff thrown in too.
 
Anyway
 
am protein shake 6 mins jog to gym
Bis & Abs
 
EZ bar curl 12,8,7,7
Hammer curls 8,8,8,12
Concentration curls 12,12,12
Reverse grip preacher machine 12,12
Cable crunch 16,16,16,20
Rev crunch 3 x 16
 
6 min jog home
 
pm 10 min power walk to 1 1/2 hr Martial Arts class
 
Enjoyed a small piece of Grasmere gingerbread at my mum's - currently trying to eat some normal foods, since I am just overflowing with protein shakes and clean food.
 
I've also got my caffeine intake down to 1 or 2 cups (max) of caffeinated beverage per day.

gingernut

... it appears it's not a simple as lifting big and heavy for me!

 
It rarely is with the ladies classes - half the battle is guessing the damn criteria!!

mmmm martial arts -  hai karate!  obvs I know nothing about competitions or anything but I do love watching fluid routines and the katas you learn in kung fu or karate are really beatifull and love watching BB routines when you can tell people have done martial arts - lovely transitions between poses.
 
-   got your posing music chosen yet?? x 

Mergal


mmmm martial arts -  hai karate!  obvs I know nothing about competitions or anything but I do love watching fluid routines and the katas you learn in kung fu or karate are really beatifull and love watching BB routines when you can tell people have done martial arts - lovely transitions between poses.

-   got your posing music chosen yet?? x 

 
Oh yes, music chosen a long time ago and I do not think anyone else with be using the same either!
 
Trained at a different gym Friday which was interesting doing CG seated rows without anything to brace feet on. I simply dug heels in and concentrated on using my back and nothing else.
 
Had a good cheat Friday night, it was the first time a friend of mine has seen me eat pastry in, well he couldn't remember. I had quiche, chicken with skin on, mini sausage roll, sandwiches and a fairy cake. Cake is another thing he doesn't see me eating either. I had to leave a pie crust, tossed it to one side saying "I can't finish that it's nutritionally void".
 
Scoffed some chocolate last night and also had another real sandwich on my travels yesterday. Back onto cleanish eating today.
 
Popped in 30 minutes cardio yesterday and just been for a swim.
 
New weights have arrived for some glute exercises I'm going to be doing. Postman was struggling and I shalll be carrying them to the gym and back!
 
Oats, whey and berries down, fish and chicken defrosting on the top for later.

First go with new glute exercises yesterday, was different!
 
Swam in the morning for cardio. I'm trying to let up a bit on the old cardio as well as relax with my diet, I'm frightened I won't respond when I start dieting for competition in the New Year.
 
Today did two lifting sessions, split back and tris.
 
Back am
Tris pm
 
Had same problem with tris cramping on cable rope pushdowns, after dips then overhead french press. Not sure why, but something is doing someat and I'm not sure if it's good or not!

Swam this morning, approx 50 x 25m with 10min powerwalk there and back.
 
For some reason I am feeling hungry a lot, my weight is stable and I've actually stopped weighing myself. Whilst this is good for me, it isn't good for muscle gain and I am pretty lean. Had some full fat cottage cheese last night, instead of the low fat stuff. I've cut back on cardio by 60 mins for the week too. Was thinking some of it might be because when I'm 'cheating' I'm actually not  taking in enough proper nutrients, plus eating clean is so natural to me now, I might be overdoing it!

well I'd say its swimming thats making you hungry - cos it always makes me blimming starvin.  but then you have always swum so hmmm dunno.  probably is the cheating - cos its not "real" food you are still craving more...?
anyway, what do I know? - sure you are doing fantabulous and looking forwad to following your progress in the new year

I notice most of my 'un'planned cheats do happen on a swim day, and it also used to appear to coincide with urges to drink too.
 
I'm actually only swimming 1-2 times a week now, so not a great deal and only approximately 50 lengths - which isn't a lot to a 'swimmer'. Then again I am powerwalking there and back too.
 
Martial Arts club training last night, then legs this morning. Am spreading training out quite a bit, chopping and changing the times to fit in with other daily stuff - instead of the other way around. It's actually nice to do this, rather than have to work around the training all the time.
 
I'm not going to be able to train much over the next 2 weeks, but am going to aim at one session per day, 3 x 45 mins cardio per week. Just to keep things under control over the festive period when there are approximately 5 days (spread out though), when I won't be following my diet plan.

Got plenty of DOMS in the glute area today, funny that my specific glute/ham day hardly results in anything, but bring on quads and it's all there.
 
Also got some aches in my shoulders, neck area which feel as if I'm coming down with a virus. Off to get some Vit C and L-Glut down me.
 
45mins power walk plus a short run partway through for am cardio today. Chest and bis later.

Feeling puffy and sluggish this morning, so back on the clean eating.
 
45 mins powerwalk this morning. Gym(s) closed so no lifting until tomorrow!

Mixing up my sessions this week since the gym is only open at certain, quite limited times.
 
Yesterday Back & Bis
Prone pull-ups on smith mach 4 sets 12,12,10,10
DB rows incline bench 4 sets 12,12,7,7
CG seated cable rows 3 sets 12,12,10
Straight arm pull down/pullover using rest-pause technique 3 sets
Face pulls 3 sets
EZ bar curls 4 sets, drop set last one reducing by 1 plate and repping out each time
DB hammer curls 4 sets
Jack knives on ball 4 x 15
 
Quads & calves today
 
Leg ext 4 sets
BB Squats to parallel 4 sets max 65kg for 7 reps
Single leg press 4 sets
DB Speed squats 3 sets to failure reps
Standing calf on smith 4 sets
Single rotary calf mach 4 sets
Double calf rotary 3 sets
 
Buggered off home!
 
1 1/4 mile walk across town tonight, reasonable pace burnt off a bit of excess eating recently!