By: Michelle Rice
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All of this started last summer, when my boyfriend, Bill, and I decided that we were going to get in shape. I bet you have never heard that before! He suggested that we take a before picture, so that we could really see what we looked like, Well, needless to say, I was floored by what we saw. I couldn't even recognize the person I had become.
To be honest, I hadn't really been trying to do anything; still I had never thought that I had actually gotten fat! However, photos do not lie, and there I was, in all of my rotund glory! Once I saw that, I decided to do something about it.
My Goals
First on my list, was a goal. It just didn't feel right to just tell myself I was going to lose weight. I mean, how much? What did I really want to look like? And more importantly, how was I going to do it. My boyfriend seemed to know what he was going to do, but I wasn't comfortable with him being responsible for my success either, because if something went wrong, I wanted it to be my responsibility. To this end, I started looking around online for information on getting in shape.
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I subscribed to Oxygen and read every issue front to back. I also commandeered all of Bill's bodybuilding magazines, as soon as he was done reading them of course! Bill had suggested that I pick a date and do a figure show, so I wanted to look into that as well.
After a few weeks of digging, I discovered IFBB fitness and figure pro Shannon Meteraud and her husband, Tres Bennett. They were in Charleston, SC, about 4 hours from us, but we decided that it would be worth the drive to get some professional input. I wanted to get a professional opinion on how much trouble I was in!
First let me tell you, not only do Tres and Shannon know what they are doing, they are fantastic people. They immediately put me at ease with my fat problem, and convinced me that body fat was not a big deal, anyone without a medical condition, could get rid of it, and not to worry. Secondly, they helped me pick out a show to do that year.
It just so happened that they were promoting a new figure, fitness and bodybuilding show in Greenville, SC that Fall (Nov.6), and thought that I could get ready in time. I had 14 weeks to do this, so we outlined a diet and cardio plan for me to follow. Bill handled my weight training, which was actually the easy part to me.
How I Did It
When we got home from Charleston, I immediately went out and shopped for my new lifestyle. I know my kids wondered what happened to me, when I threw away my M&M's, because I really loved those things! I started with 5 meals a day, and eventually worked up to 6. I had arranged with Tres and Shannon to email pictures every 2 weeks to them so they could gauge my progress, and then Bill and I would pack up the kids and go every 3-4 weeks, so I could work on posing and get a more in touch evaluation.
In between these visits, I called a about once a week to either ask a question or to vent about how much I hated cardio! At one point, I worked up to 2 hours a day, 1 in the morning and one at night. That was a lot of fun; I likened it to getting my teeth pulled with no Novocain!
About 4 weeks in, I hit a kind of mental wall. I couldn't see the results that I thought I should, and was really kind of down. That was when I received my first formal kick in the butt from everyonee around me, reminding me that I was committed to getting on that stage in November, and unless I wanted to walk out there looking like the Michelin Man, I needed to suck it up! Good thing I don't own any handguns, because that is not what you want to hear in the middle of your first, ever, low carb diet. However, I stuck it out and started seeing some results that I hadn't noticed before.
After my 6 week photos were taken, I redoubled my efforts in the gym, and really found myself pushing harder, with even more determination than before. My energy level was so much higher than ever before, and I felt so good about myself that I could write an entire book on this experience. Suffice to say, I am hooked on this lifestyle!
As November 6th approached, I found myself a little nervous. I had always had "Stage Fright" my entire life, and standing on a stage in a bikini before hundreds of strangers was a little intimidating. However, I was determined that I was going to finish this challenge, so there was no option to turn back. Everyone around me just kept telling me how great I looked and that helped so much! People in the gym were actually asking me for advice! Wow! If they had only seen those before pictures!
My Results
Anyway, the big day finally arrived. My contest prep was finished, and I could honestly say I never cheated on my diet. I had finished all of my training and the big moment arrived. I actually was called out to the stage first for my class, I was so nervous! But I went through all of the motions and felt so at ease once I was out there, I loved the feeling of putting all of that hard work out there for people to see and be motivated by! What an exhilarating feeling!
So, without further ado, here are a few of my final pictures. I received 2nd place in my class and got great feedback from the judges. Needless to say, I am already training for the 2005 competitive season!
Competition Pictures:
Michelle's 8 Week Out Diet.
A Day
Ultramet (lite) with 3 rice cakes
6 egg whites, 2 yolks, 1/4 cup oatmeal
6 ozs chicken, greens and 4 ozs sweet potato
2 scoops whey
2 scoops whey
6 ozs flank steak with greens
B Day
2 scoops whey with 1tbsp Natural PB
3 whole eggs
8 ozs salmon with greens
1.5 scoops whey with 1 tbsp Natural PB
1.5 scoops whey with 1 tbsp Natural PB
8 ozs flank with greens
Note: One of the greens must be asparagus
SCHEDULE AS FOLLOWS:
MON- A
TUE- A
WED- B
THUR- B
FRI- B
SAT- A
SUN- A
Supplements:
3 fat burners per day and 3 dandelion root per day plus a multivitamin/mineral everyday!!!
Sample Workout Weekly Schedule
My Workout Plan
Day 1: Legs
Warm up on bike (about 10 mins)
Squats
2 warm up sets, 4 working sets
Pick a weight that you can get about 8 times, then stay there for all 4 sets - the goal is to get to 15 reps on all 4 sets then start adding weight to the bar.
Smith Machine Lunges
4 sets of 10 reps to begin with, then moving the reps up until you can do at least 15 reps before adding weight
Walking Lunges with weight
4 sets of twenty for each leg with as much weight as you can hold at this point
Leg Extensions
4 sets, 15-20 reps for these sets
Seated Nautilus Leg Curls
4 sets of 8-10 reps here, load the machine and go heavy
Lying Leg Curls
4 sets of 8-12 reps here, again, pushing at least the last 2 sets to failure, either by weight or slowing the pace
Seated Calf Raise
4 sets 20 reps each set
Day 2: - Chest /Shoulders /Abs
Day 3: - Back
Wide Grip Pull-Ups
Use assist machine until you can do them on your own, start each back workout with 1 giant set of 25 reps until you can do your bodyweight, then add weight with a belt
T-bar or Bent-Over Rows
4 sets of 8-10 reps here, keeping super strict form
Low Cable Rows
4 sets of 12-15 reps
One-Arm Dumb Bell Rows
This is an exercise for heavy weight
4 sets 8-10 reps
Good Mornings on the roman chair
4 sets of 20 , no weight, go deep and slow
Standing calf or Leg Press Calf Raises
4 sets of 20 reps each
Day 4 - Arms / Abs
Super sets of leg raises on the bench and crunches, your choice of crunch.
4 sets of 20 each (10 leg raise/10 crunches) try to move up to 20/20 here
Dips On Machine until you can handle bodyweight, looking for one set of 25 reps here. When you can do body weight, start adding weight with belt
Nose Breakers
3 sets - 12-15 reps
Cable Pushdowns
3 sets - 12-15 reps
Kickbacks
3 sets - 12-15 reps
Straight bar bicep curl
4 sets of 12-15 reps
Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls
3 sets of 12-15 reps
Hammer Curls
4 sets - 8-10 reps, go heavy here, very dense muscle mass
Cardio
45 mins, twice a day, once in the morning and then again in the evening, 6 days a week
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