off season support thread!

**tammyp** · 12-04-2009, 08:15 AM

melissa had a great idea for this.....!!!!

**2hot4u** · 12-04-2009, 08:41 AM

Well, are you going to get us started? I am in the same boat you are but haven't even been able to workout yet!! 2 more weeks and watch out!!

**Suzanne** · 12-04-2009, 01:01 PM

Here's the approach I have taken
when i first lost weight i was tiny size 1-3 and was able to carry bf at 18% and look great wear cute clothes etc
As i gained muscle even at 14% i could no longer look like i did before the muscle

so i had to decide either look teeny tiny year round or be a bodybuilder and i chose i want to be a bodybuilder and that means i am not gonna fit i those tiny clothes in the off season but once i made that conscious decision that i AM a bodybuilder accepting off season isn't a prob

and i don't get far from stage wt 20lbs and that counts the ton of water i hold i dropped 10lbs of water the last 2 weeks for this show but even at that i look bulky and "fat" cuz only 5'1"

**athleticvanessa** · 12-14-2012, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by Suzanne

Here's the approach I have taken
when i first lost weight i was tiny size 1-3 and was able to carry bf at 18% and look great wear cute clothes etc
As i gained muscle even at 14% i could no longer look like i did before the muscle

so i had to decide either look teeny tiny year round or be a bodybuilder and i chose i want to be a bodybuilder and that means i am not gonna fit i those tiny clothes in the off season but once i made that conscious decision that i AM a bodybuilder accepting off season isn't a prob

and i don't get far from stage wt 20lbs and that counts the ton of water i hold i dropped 10lbs of water the last 2 weeks for this show but even at that i look bulky and "fat" cuz only 5'1"

OMG! Suzanne!!! YOu took the words right out of my brain!!!! This year I put on about 8lbs of muscle and accounting for the year prior and working on widening my back and bulking up my shoulders, while it may look nice in season....the offseason makes for my figure to be more top heavy looking! My legs tend to stay pretty toned, although I hold my fluffiness in my upper thighs and butt the most. But yeah....went up to a size 5/6 this off season and the thighs of the pants are tight, but the waist is loose and falls!!! UGH!!!
Also, I was in the hospital after a bad car accident and with all the stress and anxiety was put on beta-blockers that are intended to regular heart rate and slow your body all the way the phuk down and I gained about 10 pounds in the hospital!!!!! So up until about a couple weeks ago I was walking around at 153lbs, and now that im not on bed rest anymore I'm ablw to exercise and got my weight down to about 145 so far, and trying to get down to 130! I feel more comfortable at=round that weight although people tell me I look "great" at the current weight, I just don't feel so great though! I'm also 5'1" so it really shows when I lose or gain a few pounds here and there. Emotionally, I think I'm the worst in my off season because I find it hard to cop with my fluffy look and it's hard for me to embrace the larger frame. I almost thought of giving bodybuilding a break and competing in half marathons or something, simply because it makes you lose a tone of muscle and you get all tiny....but I wouldn't want to walk around flabby either...I dont know...I wish there wasn't such a mental mind phuk that came along with the sport....

**sba220** · 12-04-2009, 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by tammyp

melissa had a great idea for this.....!!!!

She was bound to get one...

**tammyp** · 12-04-2009, 05:14 PM

im feeling better now that im really getting some good workouts in. im just avoiding the scale and really focusing on growing. but tomorrow ill probably feel fat again.

**SallyAnne** · 12-04-2009, 05:24 PM

I'm officially in off season and am finding that mini goals to keep my weight down are going to really help me. I'll be at the new AZ pro show and working at the Arnold, so am using those as incentives to keep the more svelt, off season me alive and kicking.

**GirlyMuscle** · 12-04-2009, 05:42 PM

Good idea for a thread!

For the first time I can really call it an off season having competed in November. I've been around the bbing scene for about 7 yrs and I know a lot of competitors. One of my biggest fears was the rebound. I've known too many people who packed on 30-50 pounds post comp. I don't want to be one of them. I figure that since I'm aware of it, I can head it off before it happens. I hope.

That being said, after the show I tried to get right back on plan but I just couldn't. I lived with my family (mom, step dad, son) and there was always something in the house that I'd want to eat and without a strong reason not to, I'd give in. I'd say I'd make it until about 3pm before I caved. I went from 135 on contest day to 164 in two weeks. Boy did I feel it! I tried going to the gym but after 6 months of hard dieting, there was just nothing left in me. So I decided to take a break and give my body a chance to rest.

I guess some of that weight was post contest water because yesterday I weighed 153 and I hadn't tried to drop anything. Yesterday started my off season plan.

So before I even stepped onstage Sledge and I devised and off season plan. Diet is Dave's off season plan but we're gradually adding the carbs back in. First with meal 1, pre and post workout. Night time meals are low/no carbs. We're going to do the MAX-OT training. I will do the 16 min HIIT cardio but I will also be biking a lot. I'm in Perth Australia for the winter and Perth has bike paths all over the city. I can get anywhere without driving which is a good thing since they drive on the opposite side of the road here. Sledge bought me a brand new bike and I'm gonna use the heck out of it. He even picked his new rental house based on how far it would be from the beach and the gym so I can bike or walk. I don't think cardio will be a problem. LOL

I competed at 135 but it should have been closer to 125. So I figured I could let myself get up to 150 in the off season. Sledge says 155. He likes when my arse is bigger. The perv.

Being a former fattie who learned to lose weight by counting calories and weighing myself every day, I've had a hard time adjusting to bbing. The scale numbers play such a headgame with me. Sledge tells me constantly that he's gonna smash my scale. So in order to avoid the headgames we set the weight limit I want to stay under and I'll weigh once a week but without looking at the number. He will log it. Same with food. He plans it and so far he's cooked it. Made up two weeks worth of meals for me so i don't have to think about it. He's a great cook!

So much like Suzanne, I had to make the decision...do I want to be a lean woman or do I want to be a bodybuilder? I feel that I AM a bodybuilder so I have to live like one and that's gonna mean some weight gain in the off season, no abs and two wardrobes.

**Suzanne** · 12-04-2009, 05:46 PM

I try to not get over 12-14%bf

you are more anabolic when leaner so those who put on shitload of fat thinking that good for building muscle are in fact hindering their muscle development

**sweetjane57** · 12-06-2009, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by GirlyMuscle

I feel that I AM a bodybuilder so I have to live like one and that's gonna mean some weight gain in the off season, no abs and two wardrobes.

CHEERS to THIS

**little d** · 12-06-2009, 09:30 PM

Well, I am definitely in the off season! My weight shows it. I feel like a blob!
I started working out this week for the first time since Sept. Taking it slow going back in. Started doing cardio and lifting... maybe I will drop some of these pounds! Oh... yeah I also have 2 wardrobes!

**KBigz81** · 12-06-2009, 09:45 PM

My husband was complaining about the whole 2 wardrobe problem. I'm going through a bulking phase right now and had to buy bigger jeans last week. I feel like I'm getting too thick but I've been told I'm doing fine.
What is the average amount of weight you are supposed to gain in a month on a bulk phase?

**SallyAnne** · 12-06-2009, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by KBigz81

My husband was complaining about the whole 2 wardrobe problem. I'm going through a bulking phase right now and had to buy bigger jeans last week. I feel like I'm getting too thick but I've been told I'm doing fine.
What is the average amount of weight you are supposed to gain in a month on a bulk phase?

I[m staying off the scale right now and am gauging it all by the fit of my clothes, the look of my abs, and the number of veins I have in my arms. The scale will just freak my out right now, I think. I'm still wearing clothes the fit me 4 weeks or less out from contest, so am feeling good.

**GirlyMuscle** · 12-06-2009, 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by KBigz81

My husband was complaining about the whole 2 wardrobe problem. I'm going through a bulking phase right now and had to buy bigger jeans last week. I feel like I'm getting too thick but I've been told I'm doing fine.
What is the average amount of weight you are supposed to gain in a month on a bulk phase?

I don't think there is an average amount. Too many variables. Depends on the training, calories, if you're using aas.

Me personally, I'd like to not get more than 25 pounds over contest weight. I'm already there. LOL

**sassy69** · 12-04-2009, 08:14 PM

A New Year's trip to Cabo is my motivation to keep things in order, and I still consider it part of "recovery" from 8 months of contest prep. The REAL off-season starts on Jan 4! My goals for next year are as a lean a bulk as I can get away w/ while building more booty & back thickness!