Spring Shape-up Challenge Results, Photos and VOTING!

[robert]

K-oz, I am VERY impressed with your results! As I know I've said many times

 

I think you did an awesome job!

 

There is still PLENTY of time for voting. It has only been 2 days and it will run for 14 since some people only stop by once a week or so.

 

Everyone is going to get cool stuff 1st or 5th in the challenge voting.

 

All the best to everyone!!!

 

I'm sure you all motivated the heck out of the Summer Challenge folks who are training right now. They all see how well you did and they see what kinds of prizes are up for grabs and I know it motivates them.......and I know because they post it or e-mail me and tell me they are now MORE motivated.

 

So you should all feel very proud to be inspiring so many others!

[K-oz]

Thanks Rob,

 

I need to keep it up for the summer challange

Hmm should rather be an incentive, that's true! These awesome results, just impressed me so much

[Kathryn]

K-oz: I'm especially impressed with your 'lower belly pooch' results. I know that's a hard area to lose fat from for many of us women (me included), so kudos to you!

[SeaSiren]

K-oz: I'm especially impressed with your 'lower belly pooch' results. I know that's a hard area to lose fat from for many of us women (me included), so kudos to you!

I agree!

[Crystal]

Wow, I'm amazed by everyone, kudos to all .

 

Now I know Robert has all kinds of competitions on his website so for those who don't "win" this one, I think you all should definatly enter others (they can do that, right Robert? If they don't win???).

 

Congrats to all .

[robert]

There are always lots of contests. I love motivating people, recognizing other vegan athletes, and giving stuff away!

 

Back when I started, I was the only vegan athlete I knew. Then I heard about Robbie Hazeley, then over the years, obviously everyone else.

 

So yeah, back in the day I used to just promote myself and then I created contests to "discover" others. As it turns out, I met Topher that way as well as others, and now those people are off to good things....magazines, sponsorship, featured on websites, posters, etc.

 

These contests are a great way to get "discovered", support what we're trying to do and win some cool stuff.

 

There will be more, I've just been re-thinking the way I do contests on here.

 

Keep checking in for other ways to improve your health and fitness, get recognized for it and win stuff too

[hmm1219]

I have yet to post much (although I've put some recipes that were key to my success in not losing my mind while dieting--LOL!), but I love all of the sweet support you all have for each other. I'll put a pic on here one of these days! I'll post the journal I kept for those training to lose significant bodyfat (which was obviously my initial goal), and for those wishing to do figure comps (my new hobby!). That final few weeks is tricky! Now that I have a couple of shows under my belt, I'm busy getting geared up to train hard for Nationals in the Fall. Yikes. This week the ole bod gets a relative rest, however, and next week (try not to cry) I'm going to Jamaica for a weeklong vaycay with my wonderfully supportive husband who cheered me on this whole time. Thanks bunches, you're all terrific, and I'm proud to be posted here with all who finished.

~Heather (call me that, not sure about being called "hmm"--lol!!!)

 

PS For those of you who are trainers, group ex. instructors, tennis pros, or massage therapists, you and a guest can stay at an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean for "free" (you pay a fee + plane tix) if you work for the week. For ex, teach 2 classes/day or work 3 hours in the gym or 3 hours in the spa. That's what we're doing this week. www.fitnessprotravel.com

[SeaSiren]

bump for those who haven't voted.

 

Robert, when does voting stop?

[Richard]

am I winning?

[nobbi]

am I winning?

 

Who else???

[Richard]

oh yeah baby! woo

[robert]

Voting is officially closed. I thought it would automatically stop after 14 days because that is how I set it, but I think it is still allowing voting.

 

So, as of August 9th, voting is closed.

 

We have very clear 1st through 5th winners. Everyone did a great job!

 

Final Results:

 

K-oz

11%

11% [ 3 ]

gentduke

0%

0% [ 0 ]

hmm1219

62%

62% [ 17 ]

Bigbwii

22%

22% [ 6 ]

jjaj2022

3%

3% [ 1 ]

Total Votes : 27

[hmm1219]

Kudos to all of you: great job!

 

Hmm1219: please share your diet and exercise routine! Great results, girl.

 

 

Still interested in what I did? I just logged on to see what the heck was going on still--if anything--regarding the contest. It's been over 2 months, so. . . Nonetheless, I can tell you what I did for the 12 weeks shown in the pics here for voting, and for the next 4 after that for my shows. I've hired some help to take me to the next level for 2 more shows 9/30 and 10/7. (Yikes)

[hmm1219]

Things like having the same pose, lighting etc in the before and after photos should make it easier to judge progress I think, and make it a fairer competition.

 

I think that's an excellent suggestion. I know the second contest is already up and running, but perhaps on the one following? It definitely helps in seeing the great progress everyone made.

 

You have already heard this suggested but I also think dated time lines are a good idea such as a newspaper in the first shots. Then there leaves no doubt.

 

I wanted to reiterate how great everyone did; I know some of you had training journals and some checked in from time to time. It was great to see the progress you made along the way and how you trained.

 

Ummm. . . If anyone needs proof, my husband took pics of me every 2 weeks of the 12, until these "professional" (read: my friend Carl with a big piece of paper in my office aerobics room) shots were taken for something else I entered. My point: With the emotional, mental, AND physical readiness to adhere to a goal, results can come in a relatively short period of time.

 

I should post some July show pics, and some from the shows coming up 9/30 and 10/7, but the judges might not get the newspaper thing. . . Unless I glue sequins all over it maybe. . . Bwahahahahahaha! Sorry--contest diet making me loopy. . .

[Ravi]

actually, I would love to hear about your diet/nutrition program.

 

Any specific foods you ate to gain lean mass?

 

any changes made in your training or nutrition to get more cut vs. gaining strength?

 

Ravi

[hmm1219]

If you split my pre-con training into 16 weeks (4/1-7/22/06), it was roughly as follows:

First 8 weeks:

-3 days weight training (ie. MWF), split: chest/back; legs/butt; arms/shoulders; legs/butt; chest/back. . . and so on . . .

-Cardio every day--either 20 min intervals or 45-60 min steady state, alternated daily

 

8 weeks pre-con:

-Same weight training, BUT:

I alternated heavy and light (ie. if I worked heavy/low rep one week on an area, the next time was high rep), and. . .

- I kept one gym leg workout/week, and added a nasty stadium stairs/sprints workout 1x/week

 

4 weeks pre-con:

-No more gym leg weights, just stadium/sprint workout 2x/week

-Cardio now up to 2x/day at least 4 days/week, min. 1x/day

 

2 weeks pre-con:

-Still crazy cardio

-3 giant set weight workouts/week, 80-85% effort

 

Right now for these upcoming shows, I'm actually doing a lot more plyos, sprints, etc., less cardio (but it's nasty--40-45 min intense intervals); 1 stadium/sprint workout/week; and my weights are heavy: I split the month into 4 weeks. Each week the workouts are the same exercise-wise, but my set/rep scheme changes tapering from like 3x15 reps to 5x4 reps, with tempo transitioning to more and more explosive on the concentric portion of the lift. I have some power/olympic lifts in there. This month I'm doing some combo lifts too like squats with reverse lunge (think: squat, stay there, rev. lunge with right leg, switch to left leg, THEN come up--that's one rep), and other torture. If you want more specs on it, let me know. It's complicated. I have some crazy 8 min. burns in there amongst the heavy stuff too. It's crunch time, so I'll be cranking the cardio up and transitioning to giant sets in a few weeks to get bikini ready (eek).

 

Food. Hmmm. . . Okay, I had to cut BIG time, so I followed a carb-cycling article I found on Bodybuilding.com (many of my teammates have also had good success with it), just search "Twin Peak" (author), and you'll get it. Very helpful. My low days were about 13-1400 kcals; med, 15-1600 kcals; high, 1800 kcals (protein was 1g/lb. bodyweight, fat was 30-40g, carbs were the differing factor grams-wise, which made for the kcal diff--and I just cycled through: hi, low, med, low, hi, low. . . Most people would do hi, med, lo, hi, med, lo. . . but I had a lot of flubber to lose. Pre-contest I use Mori Nu Lite Extra Firm tofu. I bake it b/c I hate the texture (versus tub tofu in water), but it's the lowest fat and carb brand out there, so it's easy for me to wedge into a heavily carb and fat controlled diet. To avoid overuse of soy at this time--but still get my protein g's to maintain mass while cutting--I am very dependent on soy-free powders: Nutribiotic Rice Protein; Naturade Soy-free; Nutiva Organic Hemp Protein. The first contests (July) I did crazy supplementing too (out of fear) with creatine, Muscle Armor (EAS) and amino acid caps. The help I hired a month ago for training and nutrition took me off of that. We'll see how it goes. May add creatine back in off-season while I try to add mass.

 

Right now, my (newly hired) trainer has me on a modified version of the carb cycling, wherein my kcals are pretty stable at 1500'ish right now. 1g minimum/lb. bodyweight of protein, starchy carbs vary daily, fats vary by a few g's, but stay upper 20's/low 30's. I'm still new at this one. Like before, right now I'm on as little processed anything as possible. Leaning out is a big challenge being so dependent on powders for protein. If I weren't vegan, she'd have me off of them by a couple of weeks pre-con. I'm her first vegan, so we're both playing it by ear.

 

Greater than 8 weeks pre-show, I'll also use gluten containing protein sources, such as Morningstar Farms Steak and Chicken strips, and Veat "Chicken" Bites, seitan, etc.. And, of course, the tofu that I prefer, which is the kind in the water tub that's extra firm. Variety is the key. Pre-con no one has much variety, but vegan's have even less. That said, I'm a conconction master (protein pudding is an essential! recipe in recipe section of this forum).

 

This is really long, so I'm going to cut it short. Ask me some more specifics, and I'll be thrilled to share more info! I probably ought to create a training journal some time, but it's a challenge even keeping the check-in logs for my trainer with my current sked. It's a long weekend, so I'm playing around tonight!

[Ravi]

wow, that is quite a program! and you are doing a ton of cardio...how has the stadium sprint sessions helped with your leg size and/or definition? Much better than just running/intervals?

 

 

From a diet perspective, do you take any other fat supplements, like Flax oil?

 

 

 

Ravi

[hmm1219]

wow, that is quite a program! and you are doing a ton of cardio...how has the stadium sprint sessions helped with your leg size and/or definition? Much better than just running/intervals?

 

 

From a diet perspective, do you take any other fat supplements, like Flax oil?

 

 

 

Ravi

a

 

Actually my cardio is "only" programmed at 4 days/week (40-45 min. intervals, typically), with a "functional" workout in there (which my stadiums count as). I'm a "hard loser" fat-wise, so it's all about the diet and cardio. That said, on my own I was doing cardio 2x/day (as reflected above in the program I described, which I did for the veganbb.com contest), so this trainer has backed me way off. I was traumatized at first and thought I'd be a blimp in a week's time, but I've seen results, so I'm okay now.

 

To answer your q's:

 

1. The stadium work is dah-bomb for leaning out everything, not just legs. In my case, it's tightened and defined them more (= smaller for me since I tend toward lots of mass there). I consider the stadium work intervals, which I ALWAYS advocate over steady state cardio for max results. And I prefer the stadium work (stairs + sprints) over just sprints for decreasing injury/overuse potential, but that's someone with an ITB problem talking. If you'd like examples of some workouts--both stadium AND fun cardios, let me know. My trainer knows how to make a nasty 30-45 min FLY!

 

A word on distance running: There's nothing like it. I almost think the mental/emotional/psych bennie is greater than the physical. For bodybuilding/fitness/figure competitors, I KNOW that's the case as it will kill your muscle. Also, the body is all about efficiency, and distance/endurance work promotes that. Look at the finish line of a marathon: the first round of finishers are lean (and, well, scrawny) and have never been more than 5 lbs. overweight in their lives. By the end of the race, you start to wonder whether it was a marathon b/c the "heavies" start crossing the line. Why are they still overweight/fat? After all, they trained for a 26.2 mile jaunt too, right? B/c their bods became so efficient at conservation while they plodded along for hours. For max fat loss with muscle preservation, and minimal adaptation, you need to continuously shock your bod with intervals of varying lengths, and cardio of different modes. My advice: Never repeat the same exact machine/mode of cardio with the same exact interval workout in the same exact week. (clarification: you could do treadmill 2x, just don't do the same workout out it; or you could do the same workout/intervals, but once on TM, once on elliptical, for ex.)

 

2. Here's what I take for oils: Vegan DHA by DEVA,since we don't get this important brain food from fish (http://www.devanutrition.com/vegan_DHA.html); Omega Vegetarian 3.6.9 Blend by Country Life (http://www.country-life.com/moreinfo.cfm?Category=9&Product_ID=370); Sesa-Thin by Avant Labs (http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/al/sesa.html). I've been doing a lot of reading about oils, and sesamin oil (you guessed it, from sesame seeds, but more concentrated and efficient than you can get from just eating the seeds) in particular for fat loss. Very impressive. I usually mix my oils in with my chocolate protein pudding (see recipe in that section of the forum).

 

More q's? Just ask! ~Heather

[Ravi]

You have a good point about the interval training. I was an Ironman Triathelete in a previous life (haven't raced in a few years).....and can attest to the fact that intervals really pack a good punch! I can also attest to the fact that it is possible to get out of shape (relatively speaking) if you ONLY do long distance low intensity cardio.

 

I haven't done any stadium work....but will have to try it out this weekend for a change..great idea!

 

On the fats, I take Udo's Oil, which I am happy with. Have you heard of it? What do you think about it?

 

 

For me, I have this issue where I am very light (5' 9" and 150-155 lbs) and have a goal of gaining size (want to gain 20 pounds of muscle over the long term) but also have about 10 pounds of fat that I have never been able to lose (have carried it ever since I was a chubby kid...even while ironman training!). In fact, when I was racing ironman 3 years ago, I weighed about 135 pounds and was crazy-lean...but still carried those extra 10 pounds (around my waist!). It was absolutely ridiculous!

 

 

I went raw (50-80% for two months) and still saw very little improvement in that area (though going Raw showed me many other improvements).

 

 

After educating myself more and reading this forum, I've decided to try the one thing I have NEVER tried. That is to really increase the calories (go from 2200-2500 avg to 3200-3500 avg) while keeping the quality very high (low glycemic, lots of raw stuff, high protein).

 

 

My "hope" is that this will help my body activate this final 10 pounds, while also helping me gain size. If it doesn't, well I hope to at least gain some size and then I'll go on a "cutting" phase and see if that works

 

thoughts?

 

ahh...I feel like a mad scientist! but learning every day.....

 

 

 

 

Ravi

[hmm1219]

My thoughts:

 

1. Thumbs up on the calorie intake increase. Hey, it'll be fun if nothing else. Have some for me!

2. Seriously evaluate your water intake. I had a (male) client with the same problem, only it was just 5 lbs. I told him to make one change for me: Increase his water intake. It worked. I hate him.

3. Udo's oil rocks!

4. My next "cutting" phase will be to have my gut CUT off! Seriously, if I don't have a 6-pack at 15% BF (I'm late teens now), I'm headed for lipo. Plus, that low BF is not easily maintained with a normal lifestyle anyhow. All vanity aside, sometimes you just are what you are genetically, and you hold pockets of yuck no matter what you do. I know many skinny-fat folks, and they almost make me gladder to be fat-fat! One girl at my gym (a triathlete. hmmm...) is 15% BF. I hover around 20 right now--and I kicked and scratched for it. That said, I'd go up against her naked ANY day. She's WAY looser, flabbier, mushy than I am. In fact, she can't believe I'm several % higher than she is either. We just look different, carry things differently, etc. I have way more muscle too, so--if I were you--I'd eat and train to pack on the lean and see what happens. Maybe those 10 lbs. will look different.

[kuramus]

is there another shape-up challenge coming anytime soon? it could really give me the motivation i need to start training...

[Ravi]

I am finishing my first week on the high calorie diet, keeping 3000-3200 daily on average (140-160 grams protein and lots of raw stuff and Vega supplements).

 

I do feel great and my body feels denser/stronger. After being on a much lower-calie and mostly raw diet for 2 months....my body sems to be soaking all the nutrients up! We'll see how it nets out after a few weeks.

 

I hear you on the body/type/genetic thing. My bodyfat is around 15% right now (fluctuates between 10-15%). When I was doing ironman as a vegan, I had a 4% bodyfat consistently (measured through bioimpedance and calipers)....and still had this gut I couldnt get rid of! it was absolutely ridiculous but I know that it is just a matter of getting the *right* balance of nutriiton and exercise to get rid of it.

[hmm1219]

First of all, I hate you b/c I'm REALLY in the crunch time dieting right now --and my trainer just gave me the heads up that it's going to tighten up some more. Yikes. So your calorie intake is a major source of envy for me at the moment as I'm 1300-1450kcals/day. I'll say this, I'm one creative mo'fo in the kitchen right now.

 

Please let me know how you do. I'm really eager to have a DEXA scan done to see what my ratios truly are--including bone mass, and muscle mass variances side to side, etc. Expensive, typically, but my husband is going to see if his school has any studies going on right now requiring DEXA subjects. He got in on that once. Cool!

[Ravi]

I got one of those scans done last month as part of my company's physical screening benefit...definitely cool!

 

I learned that my left arm and right leg definitely have more lean mass than the other side. Also learned that my legs have a higher fat% than other parts of my body....which is not what I would have expected.

 

bone density was normal to above average....which surprised the doctors given my diet.

 

 

Ravi

[hmm1219]

\bone density was normal to above average....which surprised the doctors given my diet.

 

 

Ravi

 

They shouldn't be surprised. If you're a whole food vegan--and not overdoing the processed foods, sodas, etc.--plus you exercise in a weight-bearing fashion, it SHOULD be expected that your bone density is high. Mine is. These are the "wise" docs who still prescribe low-fat diets for diabetics and heart disease patients. . .. . .among other absurdities that make you question whether or not they ever READ anything!

 

More whole food, balanced, vegan eaters should get scanned. We'd change perceptions for sure!