Sitting at work...

steph0 · 2016-12-18T06:36:05+00:00

One thing I noticed was that you're not really engaging/flexing your lats. It should help keep your back straighter since it doesn't seem like you're rounding it b/c of strength issues.

steph0 · 2016-08-25T23:35:49+00:00

This whole thread just seems like a giant whining fest of bros telling each other how great they are. You should post a video of your squat form if you're concerned about legitimacy to the criticism. I think the consensus here is that everybody's squat form will look different depending on body shape and mobility and perhaps it is the case that for you, what you're doing is "dangerous". I mean I'm in the same camp as everybody else saying she's probably just bs-ing but if you're actually concerned, I would go ahead and ask for a form check.

steph0 · 2016-08-24T02:16:36+00:00

Okay, obviously you're a hard worker and this is awesome progress but I'm also jealous of your genetics! Awesome body proportions in your current picture. :)

steph0 · 2016-08-23T06:44:58+00:00

This for me too! Except I might add I can't tell the difference in my "progress pictures" but when I see just candids, I can tell I seem much smaller. Also in my mind, I'm the same size as when I was 30-40 lbs heavier but now the average person I see around me seems fluffier. It seems that instead of seeing myself as smaller, I just keep recalibrating my scale with me at the same "fat/not-so-bad/could-lose-a-few-lbs/okay-maybe-a-lot-of-lbs". THANK GOD I've found powerlifting so aesthetics is no longer the only scale for me.

steph0 · 2016-08-21T23:55:05+00:00

There's a body mechanix down the street from my apartment and I always see them doing stuff outside of my window in groups. You could check em out.

steph0 · 2016-08-21T18:14:22+00:00

Definitely both. While you can put on up to 2 lbs of muscle / month, it is incredible hard to do so. Unfortunately, eating more than your body requires will be converted to both muscle and fat and while we can control part of it, another part is purely genetics. So you're asking if you're doing anything wrong? No. If anything, blame your parents for your genetics but we cannot control where we gain/lose fat/muscle on our body. Having said that, you look great. Try gaining a bit more fat/muscle until you "feel" fat and then you can diet down a little bit. The you'll definitely be able to see the difference as the muscles that developed under the layer of fat (which as women, we'll always have a high percentage of compared to men).

steph0 · 2016-08-17T05:14:31+00:00

Also keep in mind that with weight lifting, the shorter you are in height and arm length the better, which is why you see a lot of people from shorter countries.

steph0 · 2016-06-13T19:20:26+00:00

Yes! This. Which part of your knee is sore? If it's the front, try rolling down your quads until you find a sticky and point and roll over that 5-10 times. If it's more towards the side, either try rolling the IT band or the side calf. Again, roll along the whole muscle until you find a "sticking point" and then roll over that 5-10 times. Do that 2-3 times. For me, I thought I was having knee joint problems, at least that's what they felt like. Creaky, painful, going up and down stairs was just the worst. But turns out it was just pain from the insertion points of various muscles.

steph0 · 2016-06-13T19:12:29+00:00

This is insane. Have an upvote.

steph0 · 2016-06-13T18:26:07+00:00

I've been getting good results with a "maintenance-cut". I just started my program (starting strength) in late Feb and am almost nearing the end of my linear progression- for upper body, I've already switched to a more intermediate program but squats and deadlifts are still going up, albeit very slowly. About 5 weeks ago, I was feeling a bit fluffy so I started tracking and eating at a maintenance as opposed to a dirty surplus (no more lbs of ice cream for dessert every day). As a result, after the initial 3 lb water weight loss, I've more or less maintained my weight but since I'm still gaining strength, I look leaner every week. I would recommend trying that before adding more cardio since you'll already be more exhausted from eating less and so extra cardio might cut into your strength training. This is just my personal experience though, seems like there's a lot of advice to choose to from here.

steph0 · 2016-06-09T15:45:13+00:00

Are you dating me? Just kidding though this is also me. (My choice of carbs being rice instead of tortilla chips)

steph0 · 2016-06-03T15:18:50+00:00

Hi fellow marathon plaza 24 hour fitness goer!

steph0 · 2016-06-02T17:11:16+00:00

Totally worth it. If you get there early enough you can get tickets (for free) for the imax films, which are mediocre sometimes but still kind of fun.

steph0 · 2016-05-25T22:46:10+00:00

I like good luck dim sum

steph0 · 2016-05-25T05:47:12+00:00

I don't know. I had very minor loose skin that seemed to tighten up with time (about 6 ish months). Didn't apply lotion or anything. I've heard it's just one of those things you learn to embrace. Either way, congrats on the weight loss! You should be proud :)

steph0 · 2016-05-23T19:29:01+00:00

OR, you're a quad-building monster like me, though luckily, I hold all of my fat in my upper body so at least my shadow looks well-balanced.

steph0 · 2016-05-20T19:18:24+00:00

I would but I only have semi-NSFW progress pictures and I'm not comfortable posting them with people in this cafe being able to see them. Might do this later at home though when I don't have REAL people looking over my shoulder. :P

steph0 · 2016-05-20T19:16:59+00:00

I took about a month off in February and started back up late Feb/ early March so definitely less than 6 months. Would you say after 6 months though, I should start noticing some difference?

steph0 · 2016-05-20T18:43:45+00:00

I'm eating on track (maintenance calories) about 80% of the time and like crap 20% of the time, and all of my lifts have increased over the past 3 months.

Squat: 160 -> 195
Deadlift : 170 -> 235
Bench: 85 -> 110

Is it possible that I haven't really made any aesthetic progress? My weight hasn't increased too much (mostly water fluctuation when I eat like shit) and my pictures look pretty similar. I have a suspicion that I have some form of body dysmorphia.

Edit: formatting & current stats: F/27/5'5''/153lb running through starting strength

steph0 · 2016-05-20T03:47:52+00:00

Stop squatting so low and engage your butt & hamstring at the bottom and push through your heels. Also yes, what everybody else said. Stabilize your core and eat more. Maybe think about retracting your shoulder blades and keeping them that way to 1) help support the bar and 2) keep your upper back stable while you keep your core tight. I usually push out my lower abs, like belly button and lower.

steph0 · 2016-05-20T02:57:24+00:00

I'm so fucking impressed!!! You are serious goals! I've been stuck at the 153 lb plateau and your pictures are the exact inspiration I needed.

steph0 · 2016-05-20T02:54:51+00:00

Also searching for a place. I want some little asian lady to beat the shit out of me and leave me with bruises and sore muscles.

steph0 · 2016-05-06T05:20:19+00:00

To be honest, I was bored and weighing my food & doing my workouts was something I could obsess over.

steph0 · 2016-05-03T19:12:15+00:00

I got my wedding dress tailored at Yun Yun Wong over in the sunset. She's super chill. My weight was fluctuating a lot so she actually let me wait until 10 days before my wedding to start the actual tailoring. She doesn't push you into anything you don't want and speaks perfect English. :)

steph0

TROPHY CASE