Kiera
Forum Replies Created
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As you’re asking what we specifically do, we are all different but primarily you need to find something you enjoy or at least something you can keep consistent throughout a bulk.
For me, I actually enjoy cardio! During my ‘off season’ I love to use the stair master and rowing machine. Two of the more taxing forms of cardio but it’s what I enjoy, most people like Rhea and Jade touched on, rather steps. Steps will keep a baseline for your cardio vascular heath but personally it’s the bare minimum you should be doing in my opinion.
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Rough day today, very poor sleep in the air b&b i was staying in, car alarms sounding outside all night and got the best of 4 hours sleep. I trained bench only today because i knew squats were not going to go well after such little sleep and being pretty tired, deep in prep anyway. I decided to cut my stay in Manchester short by a day and head back down south purely because i really value a good nights sleep and the bed where i was staying was like a spring ?
Bench went well though, despite my shoulder being a little sod we worked upto
115kg x 3
105 3 x 5
which is very nice given ive been off cycle over 6 weeks and im the lowest weight i’ve been.
Tomorrow i will train high rep squats and some legs and i also have visual checkin with Calum so i will update the log on how that goes 🙂
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There are a lot of factors to cover here but quite simply you have already identified multiple reasons to why you haven’t achieved your goals and they don’t seem to be to do with your genetics.
The main two factors being you’ve never bulked properly and you don’t train with enough intensity.
All of us who want to grow and put on muscle and size HAVE to get uncomfortable with our weight. Especially if you want to make significant improvements in a short space of time (ie a year). Your coach should manage your bulk in a controlled way though where the weight gain is gradual and steady so you don’t feel uncomfortable straight away.
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A good amount of muscle mass and low bf % is your best combination. I do agree that the way you train can have an impact on your physique but nothing that will dramatically change it within a short space of time.
Genetics play a huge part too, closer to a comp water loading/cutting could help but the basic answer is just get as peeled as possible.
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Accessory day for me today, i decided to train glutes & hamstrings and added some light shoulder work in too, i didn’t want to do too much as i am squatting and benching tomorrow. I had 45 mins of cardio like usual and that doesn’t look like it’s going to change for the next few weeks as my body is responding well to the current deficit but who knows it could change.
I have also got some work on my bicep and pec tomorrow to loosen things up and see if we can help it in any way while benching so i will update the log on how that goes too 🙂
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Fully agree with what the guys have said above but you do have to take genetics into consideration. For example I hold a lot of my weight on my waist, lower back and hips so for me personally I wouldn’t let the measurements of anything get in the way of a successful bulking phase. If you are sticking to the plan, eating clean and your diet is in a controlled surplus then trust in your coach (or yourself) to know when to call it a day on a bulking phase.
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Rest day for me and i spent the day out in Manchester City Centre having a look round the shops and having a coffee and catch up with some friends. It was really lovely to have some time out of routine but i still got my 45 mins of cardio to go and do this evening.
I may take an extra rest day tomorrow as Monday is going to be a big bench and squat day and Tuesday is going to be a big deadlift day so there is little i can train tomorrow other than some accessories. I may do that but take it as a rest day food day. Usually i train each body part separately but trying to get as much in as possible while training with my coach. I am also being very alert when it comes to recovery and as the weights are going up and my my weight is coming down i don’t want to push a session that isn’t necessary.
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I’d highly suggest buying some TBJP veggie mite. Don’t rely on it but definitely get it in you if you’re not getting much veg.
To be blunt, not everything we eat is going to be enjoyable! But like Kuba said it is essential for your micronutrient needs.
I don’t like each veg much either and find it spoils meals that I add it to! So I make a big bowl and eat it in one go! Not enjoyable but necessary.
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You’ve put on some awesome size to be 15kg+ up from where you started and this lean. I’d definitely say you are in a great position to head back into a growth phase here.
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Awesome session today, was a pretty short one and grip focused. Feeling a little battered after a very big deadlift session and a pretty high weight squat and bench session the day before yesterday. So was glad to just be focusing on deadlifts and minimal accessories today.
215kg 4×3 with hands which i’m dead chuffed with! No slips and grip is feeling awesome! this will be boosted by 5kg for next session and all of sudden starts to turn into a high weight day ? i think in 2 more weeks i will start to combine singles/doubles into my high weight sessions so i’m not pulling extreme weight more than once a week.
finished with 45 mins of cardio and tonight im heading to a steak house with some powerlifting friends. I will just be having 200g of steak ? but that is better than nothing and i am really excited.
weight was 74.6kg this morning so we are moving down really nicely! I will update again with photos when i have decent lighting!
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Too high estrogen Ruins nutrient partitioning, insulin sensitivity, so yes it would absolutely correlate to poor pumps.
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Definitely need to listen to your body on this one and like Clare said if you are training with true intensity as well as hitting 6x cardio sessions a week then your recovery is going to be shot! I would always recommend 2 rest days during the week and perhaps switch to a less intense form of cardio on leg days (or the days you find recovery is the worst). Replacing it with a step count or include walking ect would also help.
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Quiet day on here for me today and in regards to training, woke up early and got my cardio done for the day which was really nice as i met up with some friends who i haven’t seen for half a year, so was lovely to be able to spend the whole day with them. Today was a rest day much needed after i battered myself on squats and bench yesterday and deadlifting a lot of weight the day before.
Tomorrow i have a check in which i don’t think will look anything special as shots have to be taken inside with no natural lighting while i’m staying in an air b&b but i will update my log with them anyway!
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The guys above have covered this pretty well! IF you are not currently at the gym or doing any form of trackable cardio (other than having an active job) then like JP says, i’s likely you aren’t tracking everything correctly.
‘Eating healthy’ doesn’t sound like you have a specific meal plan in place which will result in a fluctuation in your daily calorie intake, even the best of us would be 100/200 calories out if we were to attempt to track macros without knowing them prior to eating and that would be on foods we know and understand. An example being a burger bun could be 150calories or 350 calories.
I would definitely look into prepping your meals, ensure you ARE eating 2200 a day and take visuals photos to monitor your progress visually too.
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What an awesome day, it was so so good to head over to see my coach Tom, his girlfriend Zsusi and the gym i did so much of my training out of when i was here in the UK. It has such a powerlifting vibe to it and i love it! Today we combined sessions and hit a bench and squat session, worked upto a 125kg bench which moved really nicely, followed by 110kg for 3×4. Shoulder and bicep behaved, a little pain but manageable. Squats we worked up to 200kg to really nice depth and followed that with 4 x 3 of paused squats at 170kg.
Cardio was done at the pure gym next door and was so buzzing this morning as i woke up in the 74s!! 74.9 ? I will most likely edge back up into the low 75’s before dropping again but i was so happy to see that this morning! My energy is still great, sleep is great and workouts are going well! strength is increasing in some lifts and sticking around the same weight in others which is all we can ask for during this fat loss phase accompanied by not being on cycle.
Everything going to plan 🙂