Posts by yeeha

I don't know much about it, but I do know that strict dieting is, I think, pretty essential to get into competition-grade shape (though it doesn't mean that you shouldn't or can't still go for it!).  If you haven't already, look around figureathlete.com .  It's a great site that has tons of info about nutrition, workouts and supplements and it's geared toward those interested in competition (and often written by figure competitors).  Be sure and scroll through the backlogs of articles, there are quite a few that you might find helpful.  Check under "Articles" for "Figure Athlete" and there should be some introductory information around there.  Good luck!

great work!!

your success is very inspirational.

and your back looks awesome.

i measure out everything but...

i'd say if you don't want to, guesstimate for now, but then if you hit a 'plateau' or stop losing weight, then be more accurate.  it's surprising how off one can be and, like it was said earlier, if it's a calorie-dense food, you could really be adding on a lot unintentionally.

if nothing else, measuring will accustom you to how big food portions actually are, and then one you do it for a while, you'll be able to 'eye it' with more accuracy.

It is way awesome. I totally recommend it, especially if you're looking to switch things up and need a plan to follow.

i like breakbeats...i get them on podcasts: nubreaks.com (any of the 'bruise your body breaks' sets) is my favorite one

i also second the ghetto hip hop track

I really like jumping rope and typically do different intervals.  Today it was: 1 min 30 sec jumping (jumping consistently, alternating feet, doing some footwork) and then stopping for 30 sec, repeating that for 15 minutes.  Other intervals are: 1.15 on, 45 off, 1 min on, 30 off, etc etc.  Once you get used to it, you can really add in some different moves to switch it up - doing alternating high knees is very challenging.  I also do something where I alternate jumping with my R and L foot and then both together in a number sequence so: R both, RL both both, RLR both both both etc, up to a number, say 12, then back down.

I am going to start working up to jumping for prolonged periods of time (high five to those who can do 15 minutes straight!) but right now, I'm happy doing the intervals after my weight-lifting sessions. Hope you enjoy it.  I found it to be more fun and easier on my body than running, but that's just me.

mmmm...green, white, oolong, pu'erh, black, you name it.

best plain and simple, methinks.

I'm on day two of this program.  It's as good for men as it is for women.

edit: deleted my own comment.

you might look here:

http://bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.php?Mai nMuscle=Abdominals

for some different ideas - a lot of the exercises show equipment, but there are several body only moves as well.

Crunches are different than situps - crunches only bring the body up about 30 or 40 degrees, while with situps you "sit all the way" up.  In each the body positions are approximately the same: the knees are bent and firm on the ground (but not weighted). The movement needs to come from your abs, so focus mentally on those muscles throughout the exercise.  Be sure to keep your elbows out to the sides of your head and only allow your finger tips to lightly keep your head supported - don't grab your head or put too much pressure on it, as it can hurt your neck.  You might start out with crunches, but I would highly recommend expanding to try other sorts of ab exercises right away as well - in my personal experience/opinion, i find crunches boring and not as effective as other exercises.

nicole153 or another personal trainer could perhaps explain this better than I can.  good luck :)

man, i've always wondered that myself.  i was just putting my fingers on the bottom of my rib cage (near the lungs) and flexing to see - you can feel a difference/movement so it must be some muscle.  of course, i can also find my fat because i can pinch it and flex and it definitely doesn't change :)  the mirror is deceptive!

You can do it!  Always ask any questions that you have, no matter how trivial the question may seem to you - you never know when someone else is wondering the same thing.  Even when things get tough, you'll find a lot of support here to help you persevere.  Perseverance is what will keep you on track (or get you back there if you fall off a bit).  Congrats on your decision, and good luck!

Oh man, I looooove jumping rope. I think that it's normal to be sore the first go 'round. Seems a little silly that something we used to do as kids can make a person so sore, but there you go. When I started I found this link and it went through some of the different jumps you can do to keep things interesting. It also gives some technique pointers that you can look at to see if maybe you are doing something that causes you more pain than it should. Hope you can keep it up!

As far as the compound exercise, I'm looking for this other article that shows some and has better explanations as I type this to you.  I know that the one I linked was kind of technical...one example would be where you hold dumbbells at your shoulders, squat down, and then as you push yourself up, you push your arms up at the same time, so you're doing a squat + a shoulder press at the same time.  You could do the same thing with lunges.  Basically, you're doing "two" exercises at the same time.  Of course, doing single body part movements is great too, and you can more easily focus on, say, increasing your squat strength...oh, here's the article - some of these are complicated movements, but it might give you a better idea of what to work with and, if you don't want to do what the author recommends, you can create your own movements.  I'm currently doing this routine which incorporates a lot of these combo movements as well (for what it's worth, if you haven't been training for a while, I'd work up to this routine b/c it's really tough - I couldn't personally have started it as a beginner (or re-beginner :) . 

So, let's say you just want to stick with single body parts for now (not a bad idea in the beginning, to get you comfortable with the weights and movements again).  You want to choose your weight based on what you can lift 12 times.  If you can do way more than 12, the weight you're using is too light.  If you can't do 6, too heavy.  Aim for three sets of 12, resting about 60-90 seconds in between each set.  As you get stronger, you'll find that you have to keep upping the weight (and you do want to do this).  When you increase in weight, you may only be able to do 8 or 10 - that's okay, because eventually you'll work back up to 12.  Sometimes what I do when I go up in weight is to do as much as I can with the heavier weight (say, 8 or 9) and then, when I can't do more, drop it and pick up the weight I was previously using to finish the set. 

I hope that that isn't too confusing.  I don't know if you've considered it, but there are some really good books that give you detailed instructions and illustrations of how to execute the moves properly and, in the long run, building a strong foundation, even if you're doing single movements, is going to be what's best.  Save the crazy stuff for a little while, maybe.  You might look into:

The Body Sculpting Bible for Women - this was what I started with and really liked it a lot  - or -

The New Rules of Lifting for Women - I haven't seen it, but lots of people on this site just rave about it

Feel free to PM me if you have more specific questions or need clarification. :)