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I decided to start a journal as I thought it might be a good way to motivate myself..and others who are going through a similar experience. I want to get down to my goal of 15% bodyfat, so I can compete. As I’m a type A personality, to stay motivated I always have to be in gear and constantly aim high. If I don’t, I give up. That’s pretty much the way it’s always been for me. I’m also a realist in that if I don’t see myself accomplishing something, I move on to something else. I’m in my forties now, so I don’t have the luxury of wasting time! We can’t all be masters of everything. LOL.

My journey has been a tough one. After my second daughter was born by C section, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. If you look at my before picture on my profile page, it was taken about three years into my remission.

During the eighties, I was a big fan of Cory Everson. I managed my mother’s health spa and taught classes, but I never had the discipline in the kitchen or weight room. I see it now, but I didn’t back then.

Some time in early 2008, I became a lacto-ovo vegetarian and was looking to get back into shape. I read an article about Diane Fields. After I read about her transformation, I realized I had no excuse, so I returned to the gym and tailored a program that worked for me. The results were slow and steady, and I eventually went from 140 pounds to 119lbs. I didn’t think I was lean and defined until I snapped this progress picture. I was shocked when I first saw it because even when I was fit and working as a fitness trainer, I was never that lean and defined! Here I was in my forties, looking better than I did in my twenties. It gave me more motivation to continue forward.

Currently, my goal is to get lean. I’ve put on about seven pounds since I started my clean bulk. Currently I’m at 125 pounds. My current training routine is a three day split utilizing periodization training.

Week one - 12-15 reps - 30-45 seconds rest between sets
Week two - 10-12 reps - 1 minute rest between sets
Week three - 6-8 reps - 1 2/2 - 2 minute rest between sets
Week four - As many as I can do in 60 seconds. This is pretty tough!
I repeat the cycle three times and then break for a week.

I incorporate three days of HITT on days I train, and two days steady state. I started this about two weeks ago as I’m trying to lean up after my clean bulk.

My menu for today is similar to what’s on my profile page. I’ll update only if I have a new recipe or do somethiong notably different.

I calorie cycle as I am not really carb sensitive. My macros are at 40/30/30. I use Calorie King to track my calories. I find that if I’m not maticulous with tracking my meals, I tend to lose focus and over eat, so I’m pretty strict with myself in this way.
As I’m cutting down now, I don’t go over 1900 calories. On days I train, I alternate between 1800-1900 calories. I steady state cardio days, I consume 1700 calories. On my off days, I drop down to 1500. If I find myself in a plateau, I’ll have to drop down calories. Hopefully I won’t have to. This scheme worked well for me last time I cut down. Time will tell.

Hey Girl!!
You have an amazing transformation story!!
I think it’s fantastic that you look better at age 40 then you did in your 20’s!!!
 
Your goals seem very realistic and you certainly are on the right path!!
 
I love your workout routine and your diet plan. 
 
I am a big fan of changing rep ranges, HIIT cardio, and carb/macro cycling.
 
I look forward to following your journey.. Keep us posting with your diet and training.. I would love to follow along and see how you manipulate your training and meal plan!!
 
Good luck girl and stay focused.. YOU CAN DO THIS!! I am a type A personality to.. its all or nothing for me!!!

Thanks for the support.  I appreciate it.  My transformation even surprised me because for a time, I believed that I had to age gracefully.  LOL.      Speaking of Type As, I notice a high percentage of successful bodybuilder are like that as well.  Everytime I read a transformation story, the intensity of their personalities come through.  

Speaking of diet, I always am amazed as to how much calorie tracking has helped me.  It allows me to make last  minute changes, like when I had to move my training day from yesterday to today.  I was able to enter in some last minute changes in my eating plan.  It’s so much harder to do without a calorie tracker. 

Today is Leg day.  I’m going to do 60 seconds/as many reps as possible.   I’ll then do a hit on the stair master….6 intervals.  The stair master is the bomb!   I just started using it last week.    

Todays menu - 1850 calories
protein:  125g
Fat:  58g
Carb:  196

Meal one - Oatmeal  with whey and cottage cheese

Meal two - Apple protein cake

Meal three -  peanut butter protein pancakes with bananas

Meal four -   Spinach pizza with a broccoli and white bean salad.

Meal five -   Apple protein cake


I haven’t lost any weight this week; however I just started up with my extra cardio days.  If I don’t see any results, I’ll  drop some more calories.

I had a great workout today.  My legs were burning.  For me, higher reps with less weight seem to burn my legs out more.  I wonder why that is.  It would seem to make sense that I would feel more of a burn when I’m working with heavier weights.  

Today I focused on one leg at a time:

 
Bulgarian split squats,
Single squats with a barbell and
Lying butt lifts with a plate.

When I work on one leg, I do two set. Today I did as many reps as I could in 60 seconds. Very tough! Because they clean the cardio room at 1pm, I had to work my calves after my HITT…not something I ever want to do again! I couldn’t even use one plate on the Smith machine. How pathetic is that!

All in all, it was a good workout. A neat little device I recommend is the GymBoss. It’s really neat because you can program in two different times, so it’s perfect for HITT and Tabata. I also used it for my 60 second per set workout, so I don’t have to keep looking up at the clock. It also has a traditional stop watch. I also use it on my steady state cardio days as I follow the Galloway method.

 
Keep up the work super women!! Your meal plan looks awesome!! Well balanced and organized.  Weighing and tracking your food is key… Most people do not realize how many calories they consume in a day. I don’t really count calories anymore because I pretty much eat the same thing; I do however measure and weigh all my food so my portions are spot on!!
 
By the way I love doing HIIT on the stair master it is soooooooo intense!! 
 
 
Warm up 10 minutes on level 10
Working set 25 minutes… Level 18 for 1 minute alternate with level 11 for 1 minute
Cool down 10 minute cool… level 11
 

  
I am defiantly going to look into the gym boss!! I have been looking for a good stop watch for HIIT and tabata, this looks perfect thanks!! 
 
I am with you on the high rep single leg work.. I usually do high reps with lower body because my legs tend to bulk.   I like alternating high/lower reps with upper body to keep my muscle guessing.
 
I love single leg work to!!   I am a big fan of Bulgarian split squats, single stiff leg deadlifts, single leg squats, set ups and single leg leg ext…I really feel the burn the next day…
 
I just started working out my calves to… I think it will help my shin splits by strengthening my calves.   My shin splints are seriously ruining some of my HIIT sessions and it’s driving me crazy!!
 
Anyway… keep us posted and stay motivated…  
 

Thanks! I’m staying motivated because anything else would be moving backwards, and I hate that! LOL. I’m going to be focusing more on single leg workouts as I have problems activating my glut muscles. I’ll explain more later.

Today was back day. I did 15 reps, 3 sets each, 60 second rest:

Lat pull-downs
Rows
Gravitron
Military Press (nautilus)
Tricep dips - I can do 9 unassisted so far.

I then did a 15 minute HITT on the stair master and 25 minute steady state on the elliptical.
I have a pull-up bar at home I work with daily. I’ve been doing them with a slightly bent elbow. I’m more strict with myself now and make sure to straighten my arms. I can manage about 1 pull-up now whereas I could do about 5 with a bent elbow.

I’m really focusing hard on my lower body, particularly my gluts and hams. They seem to want to refuse to lose fat. This article was an eye opener for me. I failed both tests. Now I realize why I feel more of a burn on my single leg days. It makes perfect sense.

I would have past the test if I didn’t stop my yoga practice. I started up last week and I couldn’t believe how stiff I’ve become. Truly pathetic. LOL. I’m never stopping yoga again. Flexibility is as important as resistance training, in my opinion.

Until I gain more flexibility in my hips, I’m going to focus on single leg training until I can straighten out this problem.

On the weight front, I’ve finally dropped two pounds. I attribute this to my cutting out gluten. I thought back to how I cut down to 119 last year. It was the best shape I was ever in. I followed up with a clean bulk for about 8 months and started to cut in November. Well, it’s now June and my results have been slow. I remembered that I cut out gluten. Some time between then and now, I slowly slipped into eating wheat products about once a day. For me, it’s too much. I can get away with once per week only. Honestly, I don’t know why it took me this long to figure out something I already had last year!

I just completed 30 minutes of yoga.  I don’t follow a particular style.  I just mix up the stretches and create my own little workout.  I can’t believe how quickly the benefits are appearing.  I was able to complete the advance hip flexor exercise with the tennis ball from the article I’ve linked to in my previous entry.    The first exercise is still tough.  I’m doing the intermediate exercise where I lift only my knee off the ground.  It’s  great stretch and I incorporate that into my routine as well.

Going back to gluten and stopping my yoga practice have been two of my biggest blunders this past year!

I agree… I use to stretch and take yoga on weekly bases. 
 
Now my time is limited in the gym so I try to make the best of my time. 
 
When I use to stretch 15 minutes 5 days a week I really noticed a difference with my mobility, muscle activations, and soreness.  My body felt great and I noticed I was able to complete certain exercise with full range of motion with ease!!
 
I plan on devoting more time to stretching and foam rolling, I think it’s really important

Demi,
I have just found this log and my goodness you are amazing! great work. Those progress pics are amazing! You are an inspiration!

She truly is an inspiration!! Read up on some of your forum posts!! She knows her stuff!! I love people like that.. YOU ROCK GIRL!!!

Thanks a lot to both of you for your support.    It’s forums like this that have inspired and continue to inspire me.   I think it’s a great way to motivate each other!

For sure!! i have learned so much on fitness forums!! SHaring info is key!!

Woo hooo!  Today I did my first complete pull-up.  I’ve done them with a slightly bent elbow and have worked up to nine today. I was able to do modified chin-ups but pull-ups were impossible from a dead hang…and even with slightly bent elbows. When I saw that I couldn’t complete one full pull-up, I decided to do a modified version thinking they can only make me stronger. So…two weeks ago I started working on pull-ups a few days a week. I read an interesting forum post about adding one additional pull-up in each training session.

I started keeping track at the end of last week. The first number is the reps and the sets follow. As I increase reps, I may need to increase sets as well. Let me just say that this was brutal for me. What I tried to do was straighten my arms as much as I could without fully locking them.

6 - 2, 3, 1
7 - 3, 2, 2

Today after a yoga session and 2 mile run, I felt energized and did my pull-up. Before i even grabbed the bar, I felt a little stronger which was demonstrated by me moving up two reps. Yeah!

9 - 4, 3, 2

As the day went on, I wondered to myself, “can I do one from a dead hang?” So…I decided to try one. My pull-up bar is attached to my door frame, so for me to get to a dead hang, I first have to lift my feet off the floor to hang and then lift. So as I started my ascension, I felt my lats engage. I never felt that before from a dead hang. The momentum pushed me harder, and I slowly pulled myself up. I couldn’t believe I was doing it…while I was doing it, but there I went, up, up, up. Now I understand why such an issue is made regarding lifting from a dead hang. I felt it much more in my lats! So tomorrow, I’ll move to ten and then try another from a dead hang.

My advice to anyone trying this is to follow the above routine. If you can’t make it from a dead hang, don’t get discouraged. You’ll get stronger lifting yourself up with slightly bent elbows. I personally find this more effective than using the gravitron at the gym. I was going nowhere with that machine. Using the pull-up bar forced me to work hard. I’m motivated now more than ever to continue.

Form is important. I use the same form as in pull downs…shoulders back and down, neck muscles relaxed, straight wrists. I grip the bar, almost as though slightly turning it towards me. Then…up I go.

It feels good when all the hard work pays off. I’m a writer, and I was reading through another writer’s blog today. He was offering some suggestions as to how to succeed in writing. He suggested finding another obsession to occupy the mind. I laughed to myself because I have three…bodybuilding, barbershop singing and writing. The point he was making was that by fully focusing on something other than writing, it would open my mind to new ideas. It’s so true as I’ve discovered this myself…especially during cardio. I’ve come up with plot ideas and solved story conflicts while running or bobbing up and down on the stair master. That’s why I can’t watch television or read while working out. All I need is my body, mind…and of course my Ipod. Music really enhances the whole experience.

Great job with the pull-up! Not many can do that and I am sure it is a fantastic feeling as you have been working on it for awhile!

You are an inspiration!

wow you girls really know what you are talking about! :)  I just started working out in the gym just to stay in shape and look good for some big job interveiws, and I think I am getting addicted to the gym workouts!  lol I know that sounds crazy but how many times a week do you think I should actualy lift weights?

Your journey is truly a wonderful one Demi. What are some of your favorite tunes for working out? 

I find that for the same workout I have to have 3 or 4 different playlists to play. As each day I want something slightly different. Some days its fast paced dance music, other days still fast paced but jazz, etc… 

  
Hey Girl… 

It all depends on your goals, intensity level and diet.   

You could lift 3 times a week doing whole body compound exercises or 4-5 times a week split doing body parts.   

You have to take into rest and recovery into consideration.   

What is your schedule, goals, and diet like??  
 

hey sexy lexy before its to late get into crossfit!  Crossfit is the best way to achive any fitness goal, look it up online I think you would really like it!  sorry I guess I am just a die hard and I am always trying to get people involved in it. 

Thanks for stopping by. I always appreciate support:

Jekim, the IPOD has really added a lot to working out. I have so many playlists: HITT, Steady Cardio, LIfting and then I have other playlists like eithies alternative that brings me back to my ole goth roots. How I miss those clubs! Anyway, for lifting, I like space, noise and trance type stuff. Sometimes I’ll just use a mixed playlist of goth, ethnic music, rock, pop and trance. It’s all pretty much dependent on my mood.

Sexylexy, good for you! Fitness is a healthy addiction, so long as you listen to your body when it asks you to take a break. Good luck!

I managed to get in a good workout today, even though I had an all day barbershop rehearsal yesterday. It went from 8:30 a.m. until 10 last night with a few breaks in between. I had to shuffle my workout schedule, so I could make time for it, so I had no break at all during the week. By the time I got home last night, I was exhausted. So…the fact that I even set foot in a gym was a major accomplishment. Granted, I had to take TWO naps today to recover, and then go for another rehearsal tonight.

On Saturday I started a new program taken from “Power to the People! Russian Strength Training Secrets for Every American” by Pavel Tsatsouline. Let me just say it’s brutal. What sold me was the focus on the nervous system during lifts. Here in the west, it usually not the main focus of a workout regime. In the book, he only focuses on two excercises; the chest press and dead lift. Bodybuilders can still benefit from his technique as it really helps build up strength. I just incorporated it into my routine and it worked pretty well.

There’s so much info in this book. I highly recommend it. The only thing that gets a little old is Pavel’s overuse of the word, “commrade.” LOL. The basic focus is on creating muscle tension BEFORE you even begin your lift. He also suggests slow reps (ex. 3 positive, 5 negative) and no more than 5 reps per set. The breathing style is also pretty intense as it entails holding the breath. Pavel rightly suggests a trip to the doctor before attempting his workouts. The breathing reminds me of pranayama style exercises…which I’m already familiar with. If interested, there are countless articles all over the web that discuss this type workout. I think T Nation may have an interview with Pavel on their site. Anyway, I’m sticking to this program as it was very intense and I feel energized when finished.

Today’s workout:

I had to drop the weight on each exercise to execute the reps in proper form. I just focused on these 4 exercises:

Lat pull downs
Bent over rows
BB Military Press
Tricep Dips.

With only those four exercises, the workout lasted 45 minutes! With this program, I don’t work to failure. I picked a weight that was very challenging for 5 reps. After the first set, I lessened the weight and rested for 3-5 minutes. I then lifted another 5. After another 3-5 minutes, I lessened the weight again and lifted five more. This time, I stuck to a shorter rest period of about 1 minute. I then kept doing 5 reps until I couldn’t remain in proper form.

I’ll update more about my experience with this program.

Goth! I never would have guessed. Your eighties pics don’t look goth! That is awesome.

sounds like a tough workout!

 
Lizzy.. were do you train and do cross fit? how many days a week to do train and when did you start?

Jekim,
I just wore a lot of black when I went to my hangouts.  LOL.  I never had the patience to throw together the ensembles.  Back then, there was no Hot Topic.  You had to hit little shops and second hand stores in the village to find the clothes.  I was never into shopping.  I’m still not! LOL.

Lizzy: Cross fit is awesome. Very tough workout. I may throw in some more cross training when I start to plateau.

I’m still using Pavel Tsatsouline’s routine. It’s very intense, and I’m sweating by the first exercise. It’s helped me with pull-ups as I’m up to eighteen now. Not all of them are dead hangs, but I’m not concerned. When I get to 20, I’ll start focusing on making them all dead hangs and then squeeze them into fewer sets. This methods seems to work well…considering I couldn’t even do one a few weeks ago….even with a slightly bent elbow!

I’ve read about how it’s proper form to lift using the elbow, and I tried it that way…once. Suffice it to say, I disagree. I have had tennis elbow, and if my form is the slightest off, it lets me know it’s still there…it did. LOL. I use Pavel’s tight grip on the bar and have had no elbow pain whatsoever, so there is something to be said about this philosophy. With a tight grip, and flexed abs, I’ve gained so much power.

Regarding weight, I’m not dropping. I’m still between 123-124. It was frustrating to me because I felt leaner. I decided to check my body fat and was surpised to get a reading of 13%. I know body fat scales aren’t considered accurate, but mine has been consistent, and I gauge my progress with it. I normally fall between the 19-20% range. I thought something was wrong and asked my husband to check his weight. Sure enough, he was getting his usual reading. I stepped on again, and it showed 13% again. I tried it the next day and got the same reading. I decided to track the other readings on the scale such as water and bone density. I want to see how they fluctuate with my body fat numbers.

This new result interestingly coincides with my new training routine. I’m not saying I believe the numbers…I still have pockets of fat to lose…but my husband’s readings are correct, so I at least know I’m progressing.

Some pointers I’ve heard to help get more accurate readings on a body fat scale is to weigh in the morning…about one hour after hydrating and washing the soles of your feet before stepping on the scale. Turns out you get a higher reading when your dehydrated! Also, your feet must be clean so as to not add resistance to the electrical impulse that the scale emits. So, I’ll try this out next week during my weigh in.

I can see, in the mirror, I’m leaner all around even though I’m not losing pounds. However, I still have a small pooch, and I’m hanging on to some cellulite on my gluts. I know they’re going to be the last parts of my body to lean up. When they say the last few store of fat are the hardest to lose…they’re not kidding. I’ve seen other gals compete with a small pooch…with lots of flexing! Personally, I won’t even consider a contest until I’ve hit my potential…and I’m pretty tough on myself. I’m probably going to have to maintain low body fat all year to maintain flat abs. I read a few other blogs at bodybuilding.com of gals in my similar situation. I’ve always had a pooch, even when I was a fitness trainer. I’m not going to accept that anymore. I won’t give up until I can see my six pack. Pull-ups are supposed to be great for abs, so that’s another thing…in addition to my ego…that keeps me training hard with them. LOL! Glad I have a stubborn personality.

Amazing that you can now do 18 pull-ups! I don’t think many women in the world can do 18 pull-ups! Way to go.



As for the scale reading your body fat. You will probably always run into the problem of it giving you different readings. They work via impediance, and work on the assumption that bodyfat insulates an electrical conductance more than lean body mass (muscle). 



But as you mention they are very sensitive to hydration and even how good of a conductor your feet are that day (think dead skin, or dirt). 



Do you have access to body fat calipers? While they might initially give you different results, as long as the person doing the measurements on you is consistent one week to the next you should get a more accurate (and reliable) reading from week to week.



Again 18 pull-ups, Wow!

 

I agree! 18 pull ups! That is unreal… I don’t think i know any female that can do 18 pull ups… good for you!!

I don’t check my body fat; i don’t really trust any of the trainers in my gym.

 I just go by how my clothes fit and the mirror… Body fat is just a number which doesn’t mean anything… You might hold more fat in some places then other… I guess it’s a good gage however i rather go by how i look and feel…  

 

18 pullups is phenomenal!! You sound extremely dedicated to your goals and driven to push past barriers. 

…ugghhhsss the pooch!  I had to go to hell and back to get the lower protion of my abdominal region to flatten out and even now there’s a crease almost which can appear as a pooch.  Just keep pushing though and I’m sure you’ll acheive what you desire with perseveranc.  Best wishes to you, I’ll be tagging along! :)

I heard that the “pooch” can be due to hormone imbalances…

 

Charles Poliquin believes that where you store most of your fat can be linked to particular imbalances in the body… Have you ever looked into this??

There are supplements you can take to balance your bodies deficiencies..

 

Jekim: Thanks for the comments. Although I can do 18, they’re not all at dead hang…and not in one set.   Just to clarify… I spread them out in three sets.   I want to build up to one set eventually.    Every other session, I do one complete dead hang, rest for 60 seconds and do it again for a total of nine sets. I’m going to go up one each week.

Laura: THanks! 18 pull-ups is nothing. Check out this gal who also happened to break the world’s record for pull-ups…in her forties! Amazing!

Regarding my BF, one of my girls changed the setting for male. Explains everything. LOL.

Jena: Thanks..and good for you! Any tips would be most appreciated! However, I am noticing my ab muscles since starting my push-up/pull-up training. It really is great for the core!
I’ve heard of the hormone thing, but hormones pretty much affect everything in our bodies. I’m going to continue on as I’m noticing some improvement. I’ll explain in my next post what I’m doing for my abs.

Thanks ladies. I appreciate your support. I’m loving this forum.
Demi

After my quartet rehearsal, on Sunday, I came home hungry. The gals really love to nosh and indulged in some bagels. I, of course, refused. However, I forgot to bring along my protein cake and by the time I had gotten home, I was famished. After having my protein cake, I pitifully went through half a carton of Ben an Jerries ice cream, some cookies, a piece of bread and a half bowl of goldfish crackers!

I haven’t slipped this badly in months, and I”m paying for it all this week with a drastic reduction in calories. It would’ve been better if enjoyed the bagel rather than go home and pig out. Naughty naughty me! LOL.

If I didn’t have the passion for training, I probably would’ve given up, but weight training is now part of my life. Because of that, I know better than to feel guilty after one slip up! Lesson learned, never leave home without my food!

Regarding my training, this is my current workout routine.

Weight training - 3 day/week split, 5 rep maximum

Pull ups/push-up - 5 days a week.

Cardio - 5 days a week.

Pranayama workout - 6-7 days a week

I’m hitting my core harder than ever. In my case, I suspect my transversus abdominus muscles are week. When I perform vacuums, my belly is flat as a board, so that tells me I need to strengthen those muscles.

Currently I’m up to 60 push ups in three sets and 20 pull-ups in 3 sets. With the pull-ups, I’m going to maintain these reps and concentrate on making them all dead hangs. How I’m doing that is alternating nine sets of one rep at a dead hand. I’ll then increase to two…and so on.

I hit my core hard with with the push-ups and pull-ups. With each rep, I maintain a neutral spine position and tense abdominals and gluts. This gives me added strength for each rep. I had my husband try it this way with push-ups and his reps dropped down. LOL. It’s much more intense.

I’m also doing pranayama breathing exercises which are more extreme vacuum exercises. These are quite difficult, and I break into a sweat each rep. I try to do these daily as they also help with my singing. I’m constantly amazed as to how much air my lungs can take in in one breath. My weakness is on the exhales as sometimes I push out too much pressure. They’re quite challenging. When I first started them, I actually got dizzy.

On my steady state days, I incorporate light pranayama breathing. It really helps bring up the heart rate. I also maintain a neutral spine position to further work my transversus abdominal muscles.

Well that’s all for now. Happy training!