Despite this being my second contest and being a TT 'card-carrying member' for just over half a year, I have not shared the real reason that I was drawn to TT in the first place. Of course, fat loss was one of my objectives but until I got into TT I didn't really understand how it could help me with that.
No; TT hooked me for two other reasons.
The first TT workout that I found and tried was a bodyweight workout for females. I have delivered two children by C-section; those children are now 2 and 5 yrs old. From these C-sections I carry a scar and of course obviously there is scar tissue under the skin. Well, that first TT workout called for a plank. It was probably only a 20 or 30 second plank. I'd never even heard of a plank before so of course I'd never done one.
I did that plank and I was hooked. Each time I did a plank for those first several weeks, I felt such a painful feeling internally at the site of and nearby the incision scar. But it was a good kind of pain; a healing kind of pain.
So I did planks daily. Until I did that first plank, I did not know the extent of the scar tissue and muscle damage resulting from those two C- sections. I decided that if I continued with the overall bodyweight workouts that TT was prescribing, I would be doing something good for my body. And I'd be healing something that until that moment I didn't even know needed healing.
The second reason I stuck with TT had to do with a call I heard between Holly Rigsby and Craig Ballantyne. The topic for the call was right on target for me ' it was about getting that body back after pregnancy, particularly for women that had experienced one or more C-section deliveries. It talked about how despite the surgical damage sustained from a C-section, that it was more-than-possible to get back an abdominal region that didn't speak loudly of pregnancy and C-section.
That prompted me to make the real leap to TT; to join the TT family and make this a way-of-life.
When I set forth on this particular contest journey, I set some simple goals. I'm not very good at figuring out what is attainable in a 12-week time frame, but I figured I could make progress on each of my goals and probably achieve or come close to achieving the desired weight loss goal.
The goals were as follows: continued loss of belly fat around the midriff/abdomen (particularly the 'baby belly'); increased upper body strength and general upper body appearance; slimming down of the legs (thighs); continued overall healthy eating and use of Eat-Stop-Eat; and a loss of an additional 7 lbs.
To make sure that I could document progress on the baby belly in particular, I took my before photos in a bathing suit that sits lower on my abdomen (as compared to the last contest) so there was no way to hide the protruding belly. Not a pretty sight, but a sight that needed to be seen.
For the first two-thirds of the contest, I used TT Buff Dudes Hot Chicks followed by TT Synergy; both of these TT programs combine weight-training, bodyweight moves and interval training.
In week 9 of the contest I injured my back (not from TT) and while it ended up being a minor strain, it took me out of training for a week. To play it safe, I eased back into my workouts with a beginner bodyweight program for women (TT Female Bodysculpting). I had so much fun with these workouts that I decided to wrap up the last two weeks of the contest with a bodyweight only workout. Phase 1 of the 6-month Bodyweight Manual is how I rounded out the last two weeks.
Progress, progress, and more progress!
One of the most interesting things that I learned about myself this contest had nothing to do with any of the goals I had set for myself. Rather, I learned something about my abilities. In the Bodyweight Manual Phase 1 workout, there are several unique intervals/cardio workouts. The first time I did the Phase 1 workout, I discovered that I had to run for 2 minutes at an '8' and then drop my intensity to a '3' for 2 minutes. Okay, so Craig is always talking about 'long, slow boring cardio' and my whole life the only cardio I've ever done regularly (unless playing soccer or running track) has mbeen to speed walk. So while I have watched joggers move by at a pace that seemed quite slow for a run, for me, cardio was always about walking super fast. And I like it; I don't find it boring. In fact, I still do it as my off-day exercise. However, I could relate to the idea of 'long, slow and boring' based on the joggers I had seen. But what I also knew about myself was that as much as I thought those joggers were moving slowly, I couldn't run that distance or for that length of time at any speed. I was sprinter. The 1 minute intervals already pushed me to the limit on running; running for two minutes was going to be quite a challenge.
However, despite my self-knowledge, I also knew that I needed to try this. How crazy would it be if I just ignored this new style interval' Maybe it wouldn't be crazy, but it would be really, really lame. So I did it. I ran for 2 minutes. And I didn't run like the joggers I see ' I ran pretty fast. And I thought, 'Wow! I can do this'!'. Then two workouts later in Phase 1 of the BW Manual I discovered that I had to do cardio for 15 minutes at a pace that I could sustain for that time, but it had to be fairly intense. Ok, folks; speed walking just wasn't going to cut it for this requirement. So I ran. For 15 minutes. I am not sure that a real runner would even consider what I did jogging, but I did it; without stopping; and without looking at a watch, either. I was so very pleased with myself. And without TT pushing me to try new things and helping me build up my endurance, I would never have even tried to run for anything more than a sprint and I still would have *known* that I could not do it, anyway. But now I know that I can.
Based upon the goals I set for myself, the result of this contest that I am most proud of is the appearance of my legs. I have always wanted to see muscle definition on my legs from the side ' it is a look that I've always liked but in my recollection have never had ' and now I have it! With the new muscle definition also came the loss of most, if not all, of the 'lumpy' texture from the sides of my upper thighs. I don't remember when I first noticed this lumpiness on my thighs but let's just say that it had been there for quite awhile but now I don't see it anymore!
In terms of my upper body, I have added muscle to my shoulders, chest and arms. My back is still a work-in-progress but I am hoping that with all the chin-ups, pull-ups (with assistance, yes) and push-ups that I am doing these days that this too will show continued muscle development.
I've lost 6 of the 7 lbs that I set out for my goal; I know it's not really about the weight but about the fat loss so I was actually not sure whether I'd really be able to lose those pounds or not. I used ESE once or twice a week for ten of the twelve weeks of the contest. Halloween candy and a week- long visit to a family-member's home over Thanksgiving where candy wasfreely available almost derailed my 'healthy eating' goal completely. But, thankfully I hung on.
As for the C-section scar, internal scar tissue and pregnancy belly remnants, I've lost additional fat in the lower abdomen with a visible reduction in the belly. I can do a lengthy plank (beyond a minute) and without experiencing any pain. Although, if I haven't don't any planks for awhile, I do feel some pain when I start them up again but it now feels just like a little twinge that goes away quickly. Thus, although the healing continues, it has progressed tremendously!
Summary of my stats and programs used for the 12 weeks:
Weeks 1-4: TT Buff Dudes Hot Chicks
Weeks 5-8: TT Synergy
Week 9: no TT: lower back strain (not due to TT) ' babied my back in the
hopes that it would heal quickly; it did
Week 10: TT Female Body Sculpting (beginner program)
Weeks 11-12: TT 6-month Bodyweight Manual, Phase 1
weight 142 lbs / 136 lbs (loss 6lbs)
shoulders 40' / 42.25' (gain 2.25')
chest above bust 33.75' / 34.5' (gain 1')
chest below bust 30.5' / 30.75' (gain 0.25")
waist 28.5' / 28' (loss 0.5")
belly button 30' / 29' (loss 1")
below belly button ('baby belly') 33.5' / 31.25'' (loss 2.25")
hips (widest part) 38' / 37' (loss 1")
thigh (widest part) 22.25' / 21.25" (loss 1")
