February 12, 2012
Weight: 111.2
Age: 29
Body Fat % (recalculated): 12%
Lean Body Mass: 97.86 lbs
Girth Measurements:
Shoulder: 97cm
Chest: 82.6cm
Upper Arm: 23.6cm
Waist: 67.8cm
Hip: 82.5cm
Thigh: 43cm
Calf: 29.5cm
July 12th, 2012
Weight: 115.6
Age: 30
Body Fat % (recalculated): 8.9%
Lean Body Mass: 105.3 lbs
Girth Measurements:
Shoulder: 98cm
Chest: 83cm
Upper Arm: 24.5m
Waist: 73m
Hip: 87cm
Thigh: 44cm
Calf: 30.5cm
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It has been 5 months since I last had my body composition measured. We revisited it on July 12th and I was very happy with the numbers! I knew that changes were happening - based on how I looked in the mirror, clothes, and the way I felt...but sometimes it is nice to see some numbers.
Some comments on them:
1) I lost 3% of my body fat - but gained just over 6lbs of muscle! AWESOME!
2) I gained 1 inch around my biceps...YES!!!! (I LOVE jacked arms!)
3) The numbers show an increase around my waist and hips - which could be contributed to some bloating...or my jacked up abs/glutes! LOL (my trainer didn't seem to think that was the case) Time of day, hydration level, and what is in your gut can affect these numbers as well.
4) We also did some skin-fold caliper measurements...Here are some of those comparables:
- Feb. 12 Abdominal: 9mm July 12 Abdominal: 5mm
- Feb. 12 Chest: 5.3mm July 12 Chest: 2.5mm
- Feb. 12 Suprailliac: 4mm July 12 Suprailliac: 2mm
- Feb. 12 Thigh: 10.5mm July 12 Thigh: 6mm
5) Given the means by which we measured the skin-folds and the calipers - there is room for even more accuracy if we used more precise calipers...so the 8.9% may seem low but in fact it is probably higher. Many women cannot maintain a very low body fat percentage as it starts to effect things like their menstrual cycle. I have not had any changes in that department so I am not concerned with how low that number appears to be.
6) Posture drastically improves with strength training...notice my arms hanging just a little straighter?
7) You can definitely see where I used to store my "fat" - right around the middle. This has everything to do with what I was eating. Lots of sugary foods and carbs. Cutting down on sugar and eating more raw foods and protein has significantly helped with that. I still hold some around there which is why my abs don't look like the washboard they are underneath it all...but I'm not overly concerned about this as my diet could have been a little cleaner too.
So in 5 months of strength training 4 days per week and eating (most of the time) very well - there has been some very positive changes that I am very happy with.
But where to next?
Gain 5 lbs of muscle!!!!!
I hope to get stronger and more agile! I need to improve my mobility and flexibility. And with the continuation of my diet - I hope to see that gain in lean muscle mass!
Wow Rebecca, you're looking amazing! Congrats on your success thus far. Just wondering what your meal plans are like and training exercises? Can you post a typical day?
ReplyDeleteThanks Kristina!
DeleteMy meal plans right now typically follow a paleo way of eating. Eggs with veggies and meat for breakfast, salad and meat for lunch, greek yogurt (not paleo) and fruit afternoon snack, meat and veggies for supper, and usually some nuts, nut butter/celery etc for bed time snack. Im not always 100% - because I sample way more fruit than I probably should and take nibbles of my kids snacks when I probably shouldnt...but Im working on it.
My workouts are 4 days per week right now. All strength training, no (or very little) cardio. Currently of the 4 days I workout - I have 2 workouts I repeat. They include 8 sets of various full body exercises including squats, deadlifts, lunges, calf raises, 1 ab exercise, and lat/shoulder/arm work. I do not use any machines - all free weights. I only take about 45sec - 1 min of rest in between. I also stretch and foam roll every workout and another 2 nights per week at home. Every 4-6 weeks I get a new plan together and refresh everything for the next phase.