geekyjock76 Member

Can't believe it's been 9 years since you posted this, Leah. You're still awesome.

Bump! お誕生日おめでとうございます(Happy Birthday) to you Naomi.

Congratulations on the progress and new career/goals. Personal Training can be a rewarding career if you find the right setting.

Your hip width is primarily determined by your pelvic bone. There isn't anything you can do about that once one reaches peak bone maturity. What you can do, however, is increase muscle mass about the glutes and legs which will add shape (fullness) around the hips, making them appear wider.

If 10 to 15% is your goal, then somewhere between that would be ideal to start a bulk. Generally the leaner, the better. Ten to 16% is my bulk range (start to end).

If you've been at this for 3 consecutive months and lost weight, then you've been assuming a slight caloric deficit. You can continue with the same meal plan, just add 250-400 calories and track progress for several weeks. Just be careful when relying solely on measuring cups, though since the actual intake may vary…

I moved to Fallbrook a year ago. Was in Clairemont Mesa before but originally from Louisiana.

The northern part of San Diego.

Second video trying to keep neck tucked and scapula retracted. Had help recording frim better angle. I notice right before the plates touch the mat, my scapula starts to protract. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvD6O5bkAeE

I notice that I'm inconsistent with my neck posture and I tend to do it more when I record videos. May have to bring the tennis ball and tuck it under the chin until I break the habit. But when I do keep my neck in neutral alignment I observe the bar remains over mid foot and I feel the plates contact the same place on the…

I suffered a few herniated discs about 20 years ago and, since then, added more injuries to the list. To prevent further injuries I thought it might be beneficial for others to critique my form. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7xA4z9pUEY

That's great! Weight belts certainly help and it's something I'd eventually need since I have a few herniated discs. I've considered powerlifting but never did a meet due to an increasing list of injuries every year. Once I get a torn labrum and meniscus in my shoulder and knee fixed I'll just do it.

Congratulations for attending your first meet and pulling off three PRs. Your squat increased a good bit.

How often do you train your legs per week? You mention upping your bench by 20 lbs and lifting heavier in everything else, too: How about for leg exercises? Are the numbers still going up? It's possible that your present lifting regimen plus long distance running may be placing too much stress on you, prolonging soreness.…

I love eggnog. In fact, my favorite Talenti gelato flavor is Old World Eggnog; it sucks that it's seasonal only.

Programs like Stronglifts will tell you how many sets and reps to do as well as recommended load. Regardless of which program you pick, it doesn't take lots of volume - or hours - to achieve significant gains in muscle hypertrophy. Stronglifts is a testament to that. Hypertrophy studies are aplenty and results have been…

Try not to compare your arms, chest, back, etc to others. Some start with greater amounts of baseline muscle mass in specific areas thus have potential for greater volume gains. I, for example, started with less biceps, triceps and hamstrings, more glutes and averege all else. If you're like me, aim for symmetry for…

I set my own numbers after a trial period to establish how many calories I need to maintain weight; then I adjust according to goal. Out of curiosity, I did let MFP decide and their recommendation was about 200 calories less than the estimate from my month-long experiment(s). I go by my numbers since I don't want to assume…

I finished a bulk at the end of September. Starting weight was 164; final was 194. Unfortunately I tore an infraspinatus muscle late August and haven't been able to do much for chest and shoulders so I am sure I atrophied in those areas...Planning to have surgery early next year.

I agree with this assessment. Really depends on what your midsection looks like.

If you aren't exactly ready to count and measure, and are no longer afraid of weight gain, then by all means go by it intuitively and focus more on setting and meeting performance goals. Good luck and keep us up to date with new personal bests. ;)

I would push bulking up to 25% body fat percentage if your are comfortable with your aesthetics. That would put you in the neighborhood of 144 lbs with a projected lean mass of 108 from 96 lbs and fat mass of 24 to 36 lbs - depending of course if your genetics allows for an even partitioning, how much lean mass you have…

Yep. Need a caloric surplus in conjunction with a hypertrophy lifting program.

Yep. Certainly lean enough to bulk.

I see some fitness models in YouTube videos doing that. Really silly and dangerous. I also see others standing on the hip adduction/abduction machine instead of being seated and using the equipment the way it was designed.

If fat loss didn't slow down the less fat mass one has, we'd all die quickly during famine.

Just to inject some optimism into the topic, the few studies which measured rates of gain of muscle cross section area between women vs men demonstrated women experienced an average 0.14% gain per day vs 0.13% gain per day for men. So even though total gains are less due to baseline lean mass between sexes, there's hope ;)

You are welcome. I used to be a personal trainer and don't mind helping others. If you have further questions, shoot me a pm and I'll help you out if I can. Eating restaurant food or stuff made from other people can be iffy since you likely won't know exactly what you are consuming. I would try to make as much of your own…

At your height, being 77-86 lbs is extremely underweight. Even at 97 lbs, you're still technically underweight. Most bmi/height/small frame tables list between 105-111 lbs as the lowest.

I like your proportions and symmetry, including your legs. For bulk pics, you look mighty terrific and have a wonderful shape/physique. Honestly, you shouldn't have felt nervous about your front at all. B)