jadebuilding Member

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 ;) ) Deadlifts: 3x8 130 lbs Bulgarian Split Squats: 3x8 50 lbs (PR) Prone Cuban Snatch: 3x8 w/ 12.5 lb dumbbells (PR) Underhand Lat…

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! :)

Thanks! I just watched a few vids & I think it'll really help. :)

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.…

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…

Your arms look amazing in the post recent pics!!! Nice work!

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…

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…

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…

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 dumbbells

I think you could probably start higher on some of those lifting numbers… it's very much dependent on how comfortable you feel, but for deadlifting especially, you'd be surprised how strong you probably are! I personally also increase weights as soon as I can finish all my sets at a certain weight with good form, not on a…

the main problemo that I have w/ it is that my arms feel really overworked in comparison to my lower body. maybe i'm not doing something right, but i'd rather just have moves where i'm not worrying about losing my balance & falling over w/ big dumbbells (looking at you, one-legged squats), or maxing my overhead squats out…

Today is my last workout for Stage 3! HOORAY! But oh… Stage 5 :( :(

LMAO!! Well said!!! :flowerforyou:

:drinker: woohoo!!! That is incredibly cool! Everyone in the gym should have started dancing with you… instant gym musical. :bigsmile:

Thanks, Jo! I actually do have naturally v. broad shoulders already, & I've been working them pretty hard. :) If it weren't for that lower half! Sigh. I really love the narrow waist wide hip on other people, but it just might not work out for me… Bummer! I do know those feels. :( I hate it, because I don't even really have…

Good point - that is very true :) i've just always been super unhappy with my own body shape, so it's frustrating that amazing changes aren't happening yet, haha. That definitely gives me hope for the future, though! I know the bulk is the uncomfortable part. :\ Though, can't I widen my hips by building my glutes? I do…

Took my measurements again today - Bust: 32.5 Waist: 27.25 :( Hips: 32.25 So, I've basically gained an inch everywhere, but haven't changed my proportions at all this time. I'm happy about the gains on my bust & hips, but not so jazzed about the waist increase. If bulking is ultimately just going to turn me into a big…

Can't wait to be done with Stage 3… I think I feel the least satisfied after my workouts that I have yet during this program. :( My 3A workout is today, so I'm on the latter half, but siiiiiighhhhh.

I've looked at the straps, & it doesn't seem to be exactly what I need… the problem is that the actual end of the dumbbells start to bruise my wrists. Unfortunately, even though I've done some searching online, nobody else seems to have that problem. :| Anyway, I've now done one round of A & B, deciding to skip the core…

Woo, okay! Yeah, I've gained about 8 lbs so far, which I'm happy about, but I feel like I still have a ways to go before thinking about cutting (or maybe recomp). Not sure what my bf% is now, but I started at 13% & would like to ideally gain up to 16% bf as well as muscle.

Well, the time has come where I seem to be staying at around 118 lbs, so I'm thinking of upping my calories from 2080 to 2200. Most recent weigh-ins have been: 4/14 - 117.6 lbs 4/21 - 118.2 lbs 4/28 - 116.4 lbs 5/5 - 119.4 lbs 5/12 - 118.2 lbs What do you guys think? Should I stick it out a bit longer at my current calorie…

Me too, this is great! I'd also add: Ribs & spine aren't visible all the time I can eat chocolate & ice cream IN THE SAME DAY & not feel bad No butter knife needed for opening jar lids! Much higher energy levels in general - I used to feel tired all the time

Starting Stage 3 today! Lots of dumbbell stuff, which worries me, because using heavy dumbbells (pretty much anything heavier than 30 lbs) almost always puts bad pressure on my wrists. :(

Yes, that's totally true. I also think that the concept of "thin privilege" can hugely disadvantage people who are not overweight, but have very legitimate health issues, as well as body image issues. Not that thin privilege doesn't exist, but that it perpetuates a mindset that makes it okay to dismiss someone's concerns…

My story still feels pretty near its beginning to me, but I’ll give it a go anyway. :) As a young child in California, I was pretty active and happy. I lived with my grandparents & my eating habits were good, since I wasn’t terribly responsible for what I consumed & when. Later in elementary school, I moved north to…

Anyone can add me if they'd like! I'm 23, vegetarian, been lifting for 4/5 months now, currently working on NROL4W. :)

Thank you for the tip! I'm definitely going to try out some gloves & see if that helps. I skipped lunges today, because I'm just so tired of the wrist pain they cause. :( Turns out I way overestimated my strength on squat press - I had to go down to 30 lbs! Hopefully that number will go up very soon!

Hey ladies! I have a few questions for y'all, since I am starting Stage 2 today. 1st - I have no idea what starting weight to use for the front squat/push press. I squatted 75 lbs in Stage 1, but my shoulder press was only 40 lbs (using two 20 lbs dumbbells). Should it be a compromise between those two numbers (maybe 50…

Also wanted to add latest weight - 116.4 lbs this morning, a gain of 2.2 lbs from 114.2 lbs 3 weeks ago (the last weigh in I was able to do before my scale died).