March 5, 2012….I can’t believe it’s been more than a year since I’ve been here in India, and since I’ve been training with Jean-Jacques Barrett of Active Performance. I can’t believe how much he has helped me to change my physique. My off-season body has become my 1-week-out body, which just seems crazy to me, and my legs and arms, (and narrowing of the waist) are probably the most exciting changes for me. I only train for about an hour in the gym, and then I take a brisk walk after breakfast in the sunshine for cardio, and do a Bikram class in the evening to keep everything stretched out and in working order. I’ve been reading some interesting stuff in the more hard-core bodybuilding world about the importance of stretching out your fascia to promote maximum growth. The idea is that the muscle needs room to grow, so an overly tight, congested fascia serves as a strangle-hold on quality growth. You see, there’s a reason why a regular yoga practice goes hand-in-hand with physique training…
Anyway, I thought I’d better put these up now. Probably my two biggest fears when I diet down for a show are that I’ll lose my arms, especially the forearms, and my behind. I’ve only just seen real improvement in my arms these last 5 months, and I feel like the newest muscle will be the quickest to lose as well. So we’ll see how things go. I won’t be dieting for as long this time, and I’ll make sure I take in plenty of fats and do my carb-cycling so that I have more often re-feeds, so I think I’ll be okay. I think it’s best to take a good 18 months to really get your body-composition where you want it, don’t go over 15% bodyfat in your off-season, and then you can keep your shape closer to being stage-ready so that you don’t lose your muscle gains. Plus, wouldn’t you rather just train with heavy weights or with more intense sets and reps to stay strong but lean year round? As a woman, it’s definitely a happier place for me to be, and as a role model, I think being fit year-round is important for so many reasons. I guess I should say, you shouldn’t just be fit year-round, but you should train and eat so that your lifestyle would appeal to others. I would feel pretty comfortable serving most of my recipes to friends, or at a restaurant, and I wouldn’t train any other way!
I’ll be training forearms again in a couple of days, so I’ll take some videos of a few of my favorite exercises. I went a little crazy in the fall with my forearms, but honestly, I just stuck to the basics and hit the repeat button, altering the rep rhythms and sets. Lately I’ve been applying the FST-7 principle to my forarms and shoulders, with great results.
Your diet will change as your body composition changes, so make sure you adjust your diet and training as your body starts to really change. Keep weekly progress pictures alongside your training splits and diet plan so you can keep track of what’s really going on, and then you’ll be better able to balance your training/nutrition regimen in your off and on season. Good Luck! xo
