lumirue
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Year of Bulk Progress - Month 8/8 - From Maintenance to Cutting
🕑 Added 2024-09-04 20:34:16 +0000 UTCThis month was more a maintenance month than a bulking month, and I’ve thrown away the idea of bulking for a full year after contemplating it through this month.
I was pushing myself really hard to lift heavy, and for a while that was working. However, I think I struggled to see all the issues in my form and I started feeling pain in my knees. I began to get frustrated with how much time I was spending in the gym while having to drop my weights back and try to fix issues in my form I couldn’t diagnose let alone address alone.
After some struggle and deliberation I decided to get a trainer. I know to keep lifting heavy I need some help and feedback. My trainer is a 48 year old single mother of two that is remarkably strong and sweet. She’s taught yoga for 20 years and she’s certified in personal training.
The first thing I wanted from her was an answer on whether or not I should cut. Her answer was that if I wanted to cut, I could start today. I left my consultation unsatisfied with that answer, but deciding to just do it. I felt so uncomfortable in my body at the time so much of the time that I decided fuck it- I just needed a change. So I’m giving myself over to her training regiment and cutting back to see what progress I made. (Ready to see what muscle we’ve built? I am!)
I also wanted access to my body scan to see how much muscle I’ve gained since the two years ago that I joined the gym. 5 pounds. That also felt dissatisfying. Beginners can gain up to 10 pounds in their first year from what I’ve read, but then I realize I might not have been at a beginner level, I had lifted and done progressive overload before these two years, just not as consistently, You progress drops off steadily and you have to fight for more muscle gains as the years of training go by. I’m also approaching 30, and at a certain point it’ll become slower gaining muscle from an age perspective. So I lay my dissatisfaction to rest. I’m learning to be not just patient with myself and my body, but grateful.
I’ve made progress, even through this time of massive deloading and stalling that I thought I “lost everything” (oh, the drama).
I worried that I signed up for training with someone I wouldn’t mesh well with. She doesn’t bother with bulking and cutting and my understanding is that helps you get muscle on your body. She’s followed a different path, though, and she is strong, active, and healthy. So, despite my promises to myself to stay on one path and one program for a year, I’m giving myself over to her guidance. Both days I’ve trained with her, she’s left me sore in just the right amounts. Now, I’m wondering what new goals to set considering my change in pace. I want to bring forth my ignored goal to get the splits this year. My rope work as of late is inspiring the desire to work on my flexibility, and running also drives me forward. For the nine month, I'm looking at cutting, running, and stretching while following the strength guidance of my current trainer.
Longterm goals draft:
Getting a routine from her to get my splits
Fixing my squat form, getting back to 180lbs, and squatting a friend (VERY IMPORTANT)
Benching 100lbs, then benching one plate
I want to keep getting stronger, faster, more balanced. It’s such a high to lift heavy weights, sprint down a hill, and maintain a difficult pose I didn’t think I could. May I not forget that core to that is taking care and also being gentle with this goofy organic mass of mine.
Comments
Lumi Rue
Thank you thank youuu♡ We'll see what happens as I cut back👀
Lumi Rue
Thank you!💜 Curious how things will be as I cut back. Fighting to keep the gains and ngl, it's scary changing routine though it💀
Duke A. Déserix
The gains are absolutely showing. Also, your flex game is matching it. 👍
babysteps
Picture 6 really shows the growth on the arms and looks great. Congrats on the work ethic and consistency. Love to see the gains
Lumi Rue
That makes sense! I think it's hard not having the goal of "lift a big weight on my barbell squat" right now, but having the flexibility goals for rope and the pure joy of running helps :) Hope you find something that motivates you♡
b33rbashjawnson
Great work! I know it can get discouraging but keep your head up! And sounds like the new trainer will be great. My problem with lifting these days is I never lifted as a primary thing. It was an auxiliary to playing the extremely violent sports I played. I no longer play them so it's hard to find motivation to stay in shape and its so hard to balance work and fun with torturing myself in the gym
General Contact Unit Problem Child
holly shit really?!!!? I assumed you must have meant something else because I assumed that idea was too scifi to be real, really cool
Lumi Rue
Yes, there are scans at some gyms that can give you a ballpark on things like muscle mass percentages, etc.
General Contact Unit Problem Child
"I also wanted access to my body scan to see how much muscle I’ve gained since the two years ago that I joined the gym. 5 pounds. That also felt dissatisfying" What do you mean by a body scan? like can you go for something like an MRI or a CT scan to figure out how much muscle mass you have?
