HMVOL7409 Member

ndj1979 is right on the money. For your goals, 1-2% cut in BF is so little that you'll just be wasting your money bc you can do all this with diet alone or an increase in workout intensity. FYI, try not to get wrapped up in what competitors do prior to a show. It's a whole different ball game. Plus many don't use them for…

No. Supersets involve 2 exercises done back to back for one set; such as back squats then walking lunges etc. Rest, repeat. Supersets and dropsets are part of a normal lifting routine. The Bear Babell Complex is one giant round of 5 barbell moves togethor. I know it sounds similar to a superset but it's pretty much a…

I just discovered and researched them for a bit and it's definitely a great tool! Keeps your HR elevated!

There's no reason to change lifting routines unless it's a preference. I'm on my last week and up to 3100-3200 cals and next week I will taper down to around 2800 cals and add 1 or 2 sessions of 10-20 mins sprints or conditioning days such as barbell complexes. I will hold out there for about 2 weeks to see how I feel and…

Not at all. Bad is defined differently for everyone.

Scientifically? Have no clue. Increase in testosterone binding doesn't happen in every woman. Personal experience would have me say absolutely not.

OP deactivated; best of luck to her.

Has nothing to so with being female. IIFYM calculator has 3 different methods to choose from; cautious, textbook and agressive. Some choose to go the "lean gain" approach and do small surpluses.

Agreed. Year long bulks? No thanks. Being lean is not that important to me.

How much are you currently eating? Maintenance, deficit or surplus? This will determine what will happen to your body. I'm currently bulking meaning I'm eating over my maintenance to put on muscle. Cardio is a personal choice and quite frankly from recent threads a touchy subject. ???? If you do cardio, you are going to…

No sugar coating here, you can't. First you can't control where you put on fat just as you can't control where it comes off. Second if you're going to eat in a surplus to gain reputable mass, fat is part of the package. You can control how fast and how much by the amount of your surplus but even those who choose to "lean…

Beans, potatoes (red, white, sweet), cereal, veggies, dairy, rice, fruit, granola.... Whether it's enough is individual and based on your caloric needs.

As always great job lady! Can't believe that it's almost over! Feels like we just started....

Gotcha. ???? Your last part confused me bc I thought you were trying to say you wanted to lose fat DURING your bulk which is impossible. So nope you're on track! Regarding maintaining muscle mass during a cut has nothing to do with rep scheme. Some focus purely on strength so work in the 1-5 range. I always utilize both as…

My go to that I make all the time. 1/4c Oat Flour 1 scoop vanilla protein powder 1/4c Greek yogurt 1t baking soda 1 egg white 2T Almond Milk I also use this recipe for pumpkin pancakes by switching out the Greek yogurt for the same amount of pumpkin. Fluffy pancakes that taste like pancakes, not dry crap.

Honestly I'm not surprised, that's why lifting is so important. Many experience this for different reasons. However with that said you can't rely on those numbers. How did you arrive at (measure) your BF%? Unless it was professionally done I can gaurantee there is a large margin of error. How low was your calorie intake…

Welcome! I must say...you have a damn nice back/v taper!

It would benefit you better if you didn't do pull or push back to back. Alternating them will allow for better recovery and stength gains.

I see and ubderstandable. I'm not the biggest fan either but watch for imbalances in your shoulders as a weak chest will actually hinder growth in that area and can possibly lead to injury.

3 days will work fine. It's what you do in the gym that matters! Have to ask though; why is there no chest built in your routine or was that a typo?

You can definitely lift only 3 times a week; Leena did (Primal) and did extremely well. It depends on your split preference; I have a body part a day split bc I recover and grow better than a grouped split. I lift 5-6 days a week; it's how I like to train and found success with it. Some only train 3-4 and have great…

Finally, 2 weeks later after an increase to approximately 3000 cals and we have a gain! A whole pound! Did reassess some measurements so while the scale hasn't been cooperating those are increasing and of notable mention, almost 1.5 inches on my legs since Decemeber. My leg progress was starting to stress me out bc they…

I think it varies for many here. Some will wait 3-4 weeks and those who do will tend to be bulking longer. I wait around 1-2 weeks depending on my fluctuation trends. I haven't waited as long due to the fact my bulk is only 16 wks long so having an increase more frequent is pretty vital. I will be honest and say that many…

QFT. You rock Jo.

Woohoo!

Most are still bulking right now but many of us will start cutting soon. I know many of the logs that are updated have photos in them. Only took beginning of bulk pics, no recent ones until I complete my bulk. And yes, most do lose their abs when bulking correctly. I did but I could of cared less.

This. I will be happy the day I can reduce my calories from 3000. I don't know how the men do it.

Wonderful job!!!!! Was great to follow you along on this; how are you planning your cut?

???? Great gain!

Saw you made solid choices to get some calories in. Eat more chicken. 2 oz in one meal is a bite; I usually eat 5-6 oz. Peanut Butter? Nut allergy? Add in a few extra eggs and of course ice cream. :)