Fitness Journey Update: Building Season

It’s been a minute since I’ve updated you all on my fitness journey. If you’re new here, about a month into the pandemic I made some major lifestyle changes including exercising in the morning 4-5 days per week and tracking the food I eat. In that time, I’ve learned to love and appreciate moving my body. It is a wonderful way to manage stress and provide a natural high. I’ve also learned how to use nutrition as a lever to increase strength and/or change my body composition.

So what are my goals right now?

It’s building season baby! Right now I am working on all-over muscle growth. If you’re in any weightlifting communities, you’ll find many people like to use this time of year to ‘bulk’ (aka, eat in a calorie surplus to build muscle). I spent most of spring, all of summer and into fall eating at maintenance, and in mid-to late October decided to hop aboard the building train.

The picture above isn’t entirely accurate. Though I took it yesterday, I am flexing, which makes muscle more visible and fat less visible, but when not flexing, my stomach is quite soft and my arms are not cut. I am currently up about 4-5 pounds.

The decision to actively try and gain weight is not one I made lightly. Feeling your jeans get tight, and ultimately too small, can be really uncomfortable, both physically and mentally. But my ultimate goal is to build muscle and strength, and a booty. So I am trying to be long-term minded. I slowly added about 300+ calories to my diet, and I prioritize hitting my protein goals of the day. Some days, I hit that really easily. Other days, I go to bed feeling stuffed. And sometimes, I ‘bank’ calories for the weekend, when we might be eating out or attending a social event.

The plan is to keep building through the end of March. Everything I’ve seen says you should build for at least six months to make it count. I will be at five months and change, and I’m excited to see where that will get me. In April, I’ll cut back my macros for about a month and then taper back up to maintenance. Hopefully, I will have revealed some exciting muscle growth!

What I’m doing for training/exercise:

Right now, I’m on a 4 days-per-week lifting program. It was actually written by my very smart friend Paige! (You can see some examples of our training in the photo above.) Our schedule is like this – M:Legs (including pause squats, back extensions and single leg thrusts), T: Chest/Shoulders/Triceps, W: rest, Th: Legs (including RDL’s, KAS Bridges and modified step ups), F: Back/Biceps/Shoulders. And we repeat every week for four-five weeks. I like this format because it’s really easy to track progress when you repeat the same moves every week. This also gives me a chance to work on my form for a particular exercise. When it comes to getting the most out of your lifts, and protecting yourself from injury, form is everything. The Wednesday rest day is new in the last few months, and I really like it. It gives my muscles a chance to recover, and I really think it’s making me feel stronger in my workouts. A well-fed and rested body is one that is prime for building muscle.

Q&A:

Last week I opened up a question box on Instagram and here is what you guys asked:

Have you done bodyweight workouts that you’d recommend?

Yes! I spent the first year of my pandemic workouts following Madeline Moves. I tried out the free exercises on her feed and eventually started paying monthly to use her app. If I ever stopped weight training I would probably use one of her programs again.

What precautions do you take to avoid injuries/strains when lifting heavy?

This is a fantastic question. One thing I’ve learned on this lifting journey: my body is not as young as it used to be. All it takes is one bad tweak and I can end up with an injury that sidelines me for weeks or longer. The biggest way I combat this is by being a student of form. A good program will have example videos. I have spent the better part of twelve months trying to refine my squat form. It takes time, but it’s worth it, and I think it’s really fun. I follow several trainers and coaches on Instagram who share lots of tips in their feeds. My favorites are Lifting Lindsey, Jazz Fitness, and Mark Carroll. I also track my weights meticulously, which helps me know how much to use for warm up and where my ballparks are for increasing, that way nothing feels too out of left-field for my body, and there is less chance of strain.

How long has it taken you to begin to increase your weights for a particular move?

It depends on the muscle group and the type of equipment I’m using. In this current block I started off lighter in my weight choices so I have room to build, so I’ve been increasing about every week on most of the moves, but this is not always the case. Certain small muscle movements have taken months for an increase. And sometimes an increase can be measured by more reps at the same weight, if you’re not ready to add weight yet.

How do you stay motivated?

I don’t. Motivation definitely slips away. I keep doing it because it’s a habit. But I do have a few ‘guardrails’ that keep me on task. My workout buddy (who lives in a different state) texts me each morning, and asks me how my workout was. Knowing that text is coming has definitely kept me motivated on some days. I workout with a partner. My husband always gets up and lifts with me. That is a huge motivator. We’ve created that early morning space as something we look forward to. We have our workout routines and we always listen to an interesting podcast. Those things help me stay motivated too. And lastly, it’s so peaceful and quiet, because the kids aren’t up yet, and that is a big motivator for me to get out of bed early.

My Workout Equipment

We bought this squat rack last January and I love it. We use it pretty much every day we lift, including squats, bench press and more. (Note: this is an old picture and I no longer use or recommend using a bar pad for squats.)

We have an Olympic sized barbell and plates from Dick’s that I like quite a bit. We are thinking about getting a second set because we’re always trying to use them at the same time.

A few years ago Mr. Seasons got the Bowflex adjustable dumbbells and I would only recommend them if you’re short on space. They are a bit bulky for certain moves (walking lunges) and can be nearly impossible to use for other moves (skull crushers). If you have the space, I think a range of dumbbells is best. We have a hodgepodge collection, but I would love to get something like this, but in a heavier weight range. We also use bands (we have two sets, this is our newest one). Be sure to check your bands regularly for wear and tear. We recently had to throw out our 50 pound band because it had a crack in it. Unsecured or compromised bands can cause serious injury.

Thanks for following my journey! Let me know if you have any questions. :)

For more on what I wear while working out/lifting you can read this post.

If you’re curious to read more about macros and food, read this post.