Jade B's lifting journal
jadebuilding
Posts: 90 Member
Starting a journal today, even though I've been lifting steadily since Jan-Feb of this year. I bulked for about 3 months & have just recently gotten to the point where I feel like I should lean out a little bit & see how I feel about my progress. So, I'm going from 2200 calories to however much below maintenance (about 1800) I feel like I can handle each day & see where that takes me. I've been hitting somewhere in the 1400-1800 range since last Thursday, which was when I unofficially started my cut, I suppose.
I'm starting the cut at 5'4, 120 lbs, measurements 32/27/32, & I'm hoping to get my waist down to 23-24 inches while retaining as much of the bust & hips as I can. I'm dumb & didn't take any before pictures, but as of November, I weighed 108 lbs & was measured with calipers at 13% body fat. My measurements at around that time were 31/27/30.
At the moment, I'm midway through Stage 4 in NROL4W, but I have my eye on Strong Curves & if I see a copy anywhere, I'm grabbing it. I figure, since I'm cutting right now, I may as well finish the program I'm already working on & save Strong Curves for when I begin my next bulk so as to maximize the booty gains.
I'm starting the cut at 5'4, 120 lbs, measurements 32/27/32, & I'm hoping to get my waist down to 23-24 inches while retaining as much of the bust & hips as I can. I'm dumb & didn't take any before pictures, but as of November, I weighed 108 lbs & was measured with calipers at 13% body fat. My measurements at around that time were 31/27/30.
At the moment, I'm midway through Stage 4 in NROL4W, but I have my eye on Strong Curves & if I see a copy anywhere, I'm grabbing it. I figure, since I'm cutting right now, I may as well finish the program I'm already working on & save Strong Curves for when I begin my next bulk so as to maximize the booty gains.
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Replies
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My workout today:
Bulgarian split squat: 3x8 w/ 45 lb plate (PR)
Deadlift: 5x5 at 130 lbs (PR)
Underhand lateral pulldown: 3x8 at 60 lbs
Prone Cuban snatch: 3x8 w/ 10 lb dumbbells (PR)
Reverse lunge: 2x8 w/ 32.5 lb dumbbells0 -
That sounds like a good bulk (going from 108 to 120). I'm hoping I can finish my bulk at 115 lbs. Good luck with the cut! How long are you going to cut for (or is it going to be a work in progress)?0
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That sounds like a good bulk (going from 108 to 120). I'm hoping I can finish my bulk at 115 lbs. Good luck with the cut! How long are you going to cut for (or is it going to be a work in progress)?
Thanks! It was my first bulk, so I'm not too confident about the fat/muscle ratio… I took some pics yesterday & since then, I've been second guessing myself, even though my lifts consistently got heavier & heavier. I also suddenly got boobs, lol.
I'm not sure how long I'll cut just yet… I mainly want my clothes to fit a bit better again, ha! Probably not more than 3 months
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So you ate 400 calories over maintenance during you bulk? And you gained 12 pounds in 3 months? That is a good bulk! I only gained 8 lbs in 15 weeks. Next time I'll go balls to the wall and eat a million calories. Just kidding. But I'll probably increase my intake. I was also eating 400 over maintenance but probably should have increased to 600 for the last month or so. Oh well, now I know. We're starting our cut at the same time. Nice to have a buddy on the same timeline as me!
And is it wrong that I'm already looking forward to my next bulk...just so I can eat more ice cream? I mean, yeah the muscles and strength gains are nice...but eating 600 calories worth of desert every night? That's my new motivation for bulking. :laugh:0 -
So you ate 400 calories over maintenance during you bulk? And you gained 12 pounds in 3 months? That is a good bulk! I only gained 8 lbs in 15 weeks. Next time I'll go balls to the wall and eat a million calories. Just kidding. But I'll probably increase my intake. I was also eating 400 over maintenance but probably should have increased to 600 for the last month or so. Oh well, now I know. We're starting our cut at the same time. Nice to have a buddy on the same timeline as me!
And is it wrong that I'm already looking forward to my next bulk...just so I can eat more ice cream? I mean, yeah the muscles and strength gains are nice...but eating 600 calories worth of desert every night? That's my new motivation for bulking. :laugh:
Yeah, I thought I had missed the cut train!! I'm glad to not be alone. I guess overall, I'm happy with my results, number wise, but I feel like even after all of that I don't look very muscular at all. Hopefully the cut will help with showing some of what I gained, though.
Haha, yes, ice cream & chocolate are some of the best things about bulking, definitely.
I'm looking forward to my next bulk too, but mostly because I really want to start Strong Curves! I've read the parts Bret has available online, & it looks really great. All that glute work! 
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I wanna get on the cut train! I feel fat! But I know I need to stay on the bulking train a little while longer. So I'll just hang out in the corner with my cupcakes. And stalk you guys to see how your cuts go, because although I'm looking forward to cutting, I'm a bit fearful too (kinda like how I was when I started bulking, hehe).0
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I wanna get on the cut train! I feel fat! But I know I need to stay on the bulking train a little while longer. So I'll just hang out in the corner with my cupcakes. And stalk you guys to see how your cuts go, because although I'm looking forward to cutting, I'm a bit fearful too (kinda like how I was when I started bulking, hehe).
I'm scared to cut too, same as I was when I started bulking. Funny how that works. But I know once I get started it won't be hard and i'll just get used to eating less calories. Wah wah. Don't worry - when you're ready, as soon as you start cutting/maintenance and lose some of that water weight you will feel much better. I'm down 2 lbs in water weight and it's so nice not feeling super bloated for the first time in almost 4 months! Your time is coming too - just stick with it.0 -
NOT happy w/ my workout today. I'm going to rest my muscles & redo it tomorrow. When I tried to lift a 60 lb barbell up to my shoulders for a front squat, I got a really sharp pain all throughout my forearms that didn't go away & it intensified whenever I tried to lift anything after that. I had to cut everything that required lifting dumbbells out of my workout today, so I did some different exercises than I had planned, but still didn't feel like I had a good workout.
Here was what I ended up doing:
Front Squats: 3x8 50 lbs (heaviest I could lift up to my shoulders, but didn't give me a good bum burn in the least)
Plank: 3x120 seconds
Hip Raises: 3x8x40 lbs (This was my first time trying hip raises & I really liked them. Next time, I'm going to pack quite a bit more weight on)
Leg Press Machine: 3x8x140 lbs0 -
Benefit of cutting: Feeling so much less bloated!!!
My workout yesterday was better, but I still had the same forearm pain when I tried to do a push press, even with a lighter weight than I usually use, so I decided to skip the exercise again. Basically, I was trying to fill in some of the gaps that I couldn't do yesterday when I was hurting pretty badly, so it's not as complete a workout as I'd usually have.
Yesterday's Workout
Static Lunge, Rear Foot Elevated : 3x8 with 32,5 lb dumbbells
Push-Ups: 3x8
Dumbbell One-Point Row: 3x8 with 35 lb dumbbells0 -
Why are you lifting the barbell up to your shoulders for a front squat? Does your gym have a squat rack with the hooks on the outside? That way you set the empty bar already at shoulder height, add the weights and you're good to go. I set up my rack the same for front squat as I do for OHP.
ETA: Come to think of it, I guess you could set it up inside the rack this way as well.0 -
are you not cleaning it? or you trying to actually LIFT?
Cleaning 60 pounds should not be an issue really and outside wrist mobility shouldn't cause pain.
I have a damn hard time trying to LIFT my weight to my shoulders (esp for lunges) but I can clean it easily.0 -
Why are you lifting the barbell up to your shoulders for a front squat? Does your gym have a squat rack with the hooks on the outside? That way you set the empty bar already at shoulder height, add the weights and you're good to go. I set up my rack the same for front squat as I do for OHP.
ETA: Come to think of it, I guess you could set it up inside the rack this way as well.
Mainly because the squat racks at my gym are almost always full & I don't always have time to wait around for somebody to finish. We have pre-loaded barbells up to 110 lbs, so that's what I was using. I was just grabbing it off the rack & lifting it to my shoulders. I guess next time I'll use the rack & see if that helps.are you not cleaning it? or you trying to actually LIFT?
Cleaning 60 pounds should not be an issue really and outside wrist mobility shouldn't cause pain.
I have a damn hard time trying to LIFT my weight to my shoulders (esp for lunges) but I can clean it easily.
Jo, I've been lifting it to my shoulders using an underhand grip… could that be the problem? It never hurt until I tried lifting 60 lbs to my shoulders this way, since then, I haven't even been able to manage half that weight without pain.0 -
oh yeah- look up clean's- that should really help you and it won't hold up your front squats- I can get comfortably without much practice/training clean 80 or 90 up and over head for back lunges that way- after that it get's a little dicey since I don't practice clean/press any more.0
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oh yeah- look up clean's- that should really help you and it won't hold up your front squats- I can get comfortably without much practice/training clean 80 or 90 up and over head for back lunges that way- after that it get's a little dicey since I don't practice clean/press any more.
Thanks! I just watched a few vids & I think it'll really help. 0 -
yeah- i couldn't imagine trying to curl up and actually lift that weight without inertia- that's some work!!!
TO MUCH WORK!! HA- yes- too much work for my workout- that and popped biceps suck!!
Good luck- and don't be afraid to practice with the bar for a while.
I want to say the California school of lifting has some great tutorials on OLY lifting- little weird feeling for practice- but solid advice.0 -
yeah- i couldn't imagine trying to curl up and actually lift that weight without inertia- that's some work!!!
TO MUCH WORK!! HA- yes- too much work for my workout- that and popped biceps suck!!
Good luck- and don't be afraid to practice with the bar for a while.
I want to say the California school of lifting has some great tutorials on OLY lifting- little weird feeling for practice- but solid advice.
Thanks for all the info!! I'm excited to try some cleans when I do front squats again on Friday - I will be reporting back on how it goes! 0 -
Really solid workout today - I had great energy as soon as I got in the gym (possibly because I nabbed an open squat rack right away, when I thought I might have arrived at a busy time
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Deadlifts: 3x8 130 lbs
Bulgarian Split Squats: 3x8 50 lbs (PR)
Prone Cuban Snatch: 3x8 w/ 12.5 lb dumbbells (PR)
Underhand Lat Pulldown: 3x8 60 lbs (taking it easy on this one because I didn't want to aggravate my forearms again)
Prone Cobra: 1x2 minutes, 1x1.5 minutes
Reverse Lunges w/ Front Foot Elevated: 3x8 w/ 35 lb dumbbells (PR)0 -
Frustrating workout yesterday… I can only clean 40 lbs, so that's an area I need to work on quite a bit.
I also seem to be getting WORSE at the push press, because during stage 2 of nrol4w, I could easily do 3 sets at 40 lbs. Practicing the cleans also made my left forearm start hurting again… not sure what's up w/ that.
Front squat/push press: 1x8x40 lbs
Lunge, rear foot elevated: 3x8 w/ 37.5 lb dumbbells (PR) (the only satisfying part of my workout, sadly)
Dumbbell one-point row: 2x8 w/ 35 lb dumbbells (had trouble w/ balance & couldn't complete last set)
Push ups: 3x8
Plank: 3x120 seconds
Weight has been stuck at 119.2 for the last 3 days… I need a woosh…0 -
Good workout again today! Left arm has been a little irritated doing everyday things around the house, which is bothersome, but it's not too bad. Mostly just feels tight, maybe a little swollen.
Underhand Lat Pulldown: 3x8x70 lbs
Prone Cuban Snatch: 1x8 w 12.5 lb dumbbells, 2x8 w 15 lb dumbbells (PR)
Prone Cobra: 3x120 seconds (PR)
Deadlift: 5x5x135 lbs (PR)
Bulgarian Split Squat: 3x8x55 lbs (PR)
Reverse Lunge, front foot elevated: 3x8 w 37.5 lb dumbbells (PR)
Also - weight was down to 118.4 this morning! That's a start!0 -
Down to 118.2 this morning, so another move in the right direction.
My workout yesterday:
Front squat/push press: 3x8x40 lbs (no forearm pain, so I was able to finish all 3 sets!)
Dumbbell one-point row: 3x8x70 lbs
Push-ups: 3x8
Plank: 3x120 seconds
Lunges, rear foot elevated: 3x8 w/ 40 lb dumbbells (PR)0 -
Down to 117.6 lbs today, yay!
Yesterday's workout was a little rough because I was EXHAUSTED, but I got through it & did my best, etc.
Deadlifts: 3x8x135 lbs
Bulgarian Split Squats: 3x8x60 lbs (PR)
Underhand Lat Pulldowns: 3x8x70 lbs
Prone Cuban Snatch: 3x8 w/ 15 lb dumbbells
Prone Cobra: 3x120 seconds
Reverse Lunges w/ front foot elevated: 3x8 w/ 40 lb dumbbells
Also… I GRADUATED YESTERDAY!!! Got my BA in Anthropology of Globalization & minor in Linguistics :drinker:0 -
another day, another workout…
weighed in at 116.4 this morning! progress continues
yesterday's workout
barbell bent-over row: 4x4x80 lbs
one-armed dumbbell snatch: 4x4x20 lbs (even after bringing the weight down, this still really hurt my arm)
deadlifts: 4x4x145 lbs (PR)
incline bench press: 4x4x35 lbs (PR sadly)
plank: 3x120 seconds0 -
Down to 117.6 lbs today, yay!
Yesterday's workout was a little rough because I was EXHAUSTED, but I got through it & did my best, etc.
Deadlifts: 3x8x135 lbs
Bulgarian Split Squats: 3x8x60 lbs (PR)
Underhand Lat Pulldowns: 3x8x70 lbs
Prone Cuban Snatch: 3x8 w/ 15 lb dumbbells
Prone Cobra: 3x120 seconds
Reverse Lunges w/ front foot elevated: 3x8 w/ 40 lb dumbbells
Also… I GRADUATED YESTERDAY!!! Got my BA in Anthropology of Globalization & minor in Linguistics :drinker:
Just saw this! I majored in Anthropology too! So much fun! Now I work in insurance. Go figure. :laugh:0 -
Just saw this! I majored in Anthropology too! So much fun! Now I work in insurance. Go figure. :laugh:
Anthropology pride, woot woot!!! I do hope to go back to grad school & actually put my degree to work, but in all honesty, who knows?! LOL.
Weighed 116.6 today - essentially the same as yesterday.
Workout:
Romanian deadlift/bent over row: 4x4x80 lbs
Partial single leg squat: 4x4x80 lbs (PR)
Leg press: 1x4x200 lbs (PR) 1x4x220 lbs (PR) 2x4x240 lbs (PR) (!!!)
Lat pulldown: 4x4x70 lbs
YTWL: 4x4 w/ 12.5 lb dumbbells (PR)
Prone cobra: 3x120 seconds0 -
Good updates on my measurements: as of this morning, I am 32-26-32.5, which is an awesome step in the right direction.
Yesterday's workout was kind of crummy, because I went with a friend & she turned out to be very machine-centric & also prescribed to the low weights-high reps philosophy.![:\](https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/resources/emoji/confused.png ":\")
6/23 workout
One-armed Dumbbell Snatch: 1x4 w/ 22.5# dumbbell (I could have done more, but my friend wanted to move on, boo)
Bench Press: 2x10x45# (PR)
Squat: 1x10x65#, 1x10x85# (PR)
Deadlift: 4x4x150# (PR!!! Also 100# better than when I started 9 months ago!!!!)
Leg Press: 1x10x260# (PR)
Plank: 2x120 seconds0 -
weighed in at 116.4 today… progress has kind of tapered off again & I really, really don't want to have to cut my calories down more. It's already difficult to eat less than 1600 cal per day.
6/25 workout
romanian deadlift/bent over row: 4/4/80#
ytwl: 4/4 w 12.5# dumbbells
prone cobra: 3/120 seconds
lat pulldown: 4/4/70#
bench press: 1/8/55# (PR)
squat: 1/10/95# (PR), 2/10/105# (PR)0 -
I weighed 122.0 this morning. I officially have no idea what's going on with this cut.
I honestly don't think I've lost any weight - just water weight fluctuations. This is a higher weight than I was at the END of my bulk and I've been eating less than 1600 cals per day, which is enough under my TDEE to supposedly lose .5 lbs per week.
blerrrghhhhh..
my lifts have been okay - some are progressing, some have stalled out a bit.0 -
I got that when I stopped my bulk too. 157 at the top then I got down to 153 for it to shoot back up to 157 (at deficit). It's all moving downwards now albeit slooowly, so stick with it, you'll get there 0
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I'm right in the middle of the same thing. I ended my bulk at like 129, went down in the 128s for a week and then it jumped up to the 130s shortly after I started to drop calories. I'm just trying to ride it out at the moment and not panic and cut more calories.0
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Glad to hear that I'm not alone in this!!! Hopefully the scale will tip in our favor soon. 0
