Summer's Almost Here...Maintenance Plan Time

My apologies for slacking off and not keeping you up-to-date on what's been going on.

One of my goals this year was to maintain my leanness and not fall back into back habits (i.e., regain all the bodyfat I worked so hard to lose). Right after my show, I took one day off from working out, but kept my diet plan going. I signed up with Jodi for another 12 weeks with the goal of getting to 14-15% bodyfat and maintaining it until I was ready for the next show. (At this point, I'm not sure if it will be Oct. 2013 or April 2014). Regardless, I need someone to hold me accountable when it comes to eating.

Well, it's June 20, and I've successfully maintained 14% bodyfat and approx. 130 pounds. Each week, Jodi adds food and takes away cardio. Here is my current diet and workout routine:

Breakfast (pre-workout): 5 egg whites + 1/3 cup oatmeal + 1/4 cup berries
Morning Snack (post-workout): 1.5 scoops protein powder
Lunch: 3oz. protein + 1/2 cup brown rice (or other whole grain) + 4 oz. veggies
Afternoon Snack: 1 scoop protein + 1 tbsp peanut butter
Dinner: 3 oz. protein + 1/2 cup brown rice + 8 oz. veggies

Evening snack: 1 scoop protein powder

The beauty of this maintenance plan is the ability to substitute a variety of foods. I'm at around 1,600 calories. Each snack or meal is 200-300 calories. So I can have a protein bar, rice cake w/ peanut butter, or other combinations that keep me in that calorie range and similar type of food (protein, carb, fat).

In terms of working out, I'm now doing 35 minutes of steady-state cardio 5x per week. I work one muscle group each day, 6 days per week. She'll continue to decrease my cardio until I'm closer to 20 minutes per day.

When it comes to supplements, I'm pretty much still taking what I always have, minus the fat burners. I take everything with breakfast. (Yes, I know I should be taking them throughout the day. I try to be stricter when I'm training for a show.) Here is the list:

- Pre-workout (Jack'd)
- Glutamine + BCAAs (Beverly Int'l)
- BCAAs (Optimum Nutrition)
- Fish Oil
- CLA
- Vitamin C
- B-12
- Hair, Skin & Nails supplement
- Multivitamin

I'm trying a new protein powder called Core Nutritionals. According to Jodi, it's high quality and great for making muscle gains. I've already gained 1.5 pounds of muscle since my show, and the chocolate Core post-workout protein is soooo yummy!!

That's all for now. Here's to eating clean and training dirty!

Supplements are Key to Muscle Gains

I'm nearly through week 2 of my competition diet. While the scale only shows a one-pound weight loss, a recent shopping trip proved I've actually dropped a dress size. Woohoo!! I'm sooo excited to see if I've actually reduced my bodyfat.

With that, I thought it would be helpful to review some of the supplements I'm taking since I think they're vital to keeping the muscle I'm trying to build. Here's what I'm currently taking:


Pre-Workout

• Jack3D -- gives you energy to lift heavier and longer (love this stuff!!)
• A-AKG -- workout pump and muscle development support
• Recreate -- fat burner (the only one I've discovered that doesn't give me the jitters or make my heart race)
• ECGC Boost by Solaray -- Green Tea & Yerba Mate -- more fat burning
• BCAAs (Branch Chain Amino Acids) -- help retain and grow muscle (helps with soreness after intense weight training)

Post-Workout

• BCAAs
• Tonalin CLA -- supports reduction of bodyfat (again no jitters or heart racing)
• Rhodiola -- helps reduce stress and improve your mood
• Fish Oil -- supports eye, heart and bone health
• Calcium Citrate -- maintain strong and healthy bones 

 
Other

• Multivitamin -- I take this with breakfast since it gives me killer nausea.
  
• Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein (2 scoops w/ 8oz. water as afternoon snack)
  
• Power Crunch Protein Bar (morning snack)
  
• Ibuprofen -- I just recently saw an orthopedist for some shoulder pain that I've had for a good two years now (don't ask). Anyway, he has me taking this anti-inflammatory to see if it helps. If it doesn't, then we move onto a cortisone shot. If that doesn't work, I may need surgery. Ugh! Fingers crossed that the ibuprofen does the trick.

So that's the laundry list. I really do think taking supplements is helping grow and retain muscle.

Stay tuned for an update after I meet my trainer on Sat. I'll let you know about my weight, bodyfat and any diet updates.