Barbelle Body Competition
Many of you who follow my social media will already know that in January I entered into an informal barbell competition. Perhaps I flatter myself when I think that people out there must often be so confused wondering 'what the hell is she up to now?' So here it is, I'll tell you.
The Barbelle Body Plan was written by bikini-pro Kit Redfern and she needed us to road test it before it officially becomes available. 30 women who exercise regularly signed up to the 3 month programme and reported progress back throughout.
Reaching my mid-thirties I decided it was time to up my game. I needed to take things next level to keep my body in shape. Yoga and Pilates have served me really well, and continue to but I felt I needed something else to really push things on so the invitation to partake in this plan arrived at exactly the right moment.
When I took a look at the plan I knew I was well out of my depth. As you're all aware, I am a yoga and Pilates teacher, I dance too so fit yea, with a strong body, but lifting heavy weights was way out of my range. I'm also hyper-mobile so I was really concerned about lifting safely. I employed an amazing PT called Jenny Baynton who guided me around the weights and helped keep my sensitive and very mobile lower back protected. I have practiced yoga / body weight training for 10 years, Pilates for 3. I was a runner when I was younger and dipped in and out of varied but regular cardio including dance.
It was so scary at first going into the 'man caves' to the weights bench alone. I felt quite intimidated but I would never let fear stop me. I persevered.
I started the second week of Jan. I put on about 5 pounds over Christmas so I started the programme at 10 stone, waist was 30 and I had 28% body fat. After about two weeks I could see muscle beginning to build. After a month I was noticeably stronger. I wasn't losing weight, in fact I put it on according to the scale but clothes were looser. Nevertheless I addressed my diet. There's absolutely no way you can eat a low calorie diet and not eat the right foods when going through such an intense resistance training programme. I learned to put a lot more protein in my diet and used slow energy release foods that supported my body through the training. I used 'My Fitness Pal' to track food which was extremely important and I used an app called 'Trainerize' to track my training. There were times when I was exhausted! My job is physical anyway so on DOMs days there was no rest. I teach yoga and Pilates 6 days a week. It was tough! Especially because I had to keep up my yoga and Pilates training alongside everything else. Both of those disciplines were really supportive of the Barbelle Body Plan in the end though, and I would never be without either of them. As my body got stronger I started to notice I had more energy with which to deal with the general stresses of life and my confidence improved. I began to notice that classes I regularly attended were no longer challenging.
The nutrition was the most difficult part. I went down to 1600 calories a day towards the last month of the plan. It was a huge learning curve because in the past I never counted calories or did my macros, I just eat non-processed high quality foods. Bit of an eye opener really! I became a lot more aware of what I was putting in and what I was getting out of the foods I was eating. Every few days I would eat slightly more to keep my body from going into famine mode. I wasn't overly disciplined, I had pizza once every couple weeks and still enjoyed a glass or three of Prosecco, but I was more careful in general. I have pretty much revolutionised the way I eat and I'd like to think I have found a good balance but I'm always learning how to improve.
Embarking on strength training has really improved my life in so many ways. My body is stronger than it has ever been, my energy levels higher too, my body looks better than it has done in about 10 years and I feel really inspired to continue with it. It takes a lot of effort for women to put on bulk. Don't worry about it, seriously! I'd highly recommend a resistance training programme with guidance. I would highly recommend this programme if you're already strong and fit and want to go next level. If you are a beginner I'd say commit to about 6 months of mat or reformer Pilates to build structure first and once strong enough to go on this plan I'd advise yoga alongside to help elongate and release the body from the stress of ripping muscle. It'll also mean you develop an elongated aesthetic as oppose a compacted look which is often the case for weight-lifters.
The beautiful thing about this programme is that it's really taught me how to manage my body and make changes slowly and so the learning has changed my habitual patterns. As a yogi I'd often reduce food intake over a short period of time when I needed to slim down and it worked, but results were never long lasting and my weight fluctuated a lot. I'm a naturally curvy girl so these results are hard won and I'm really proud of what I have achieved. I have to say it's been a revelation and I'm really excited about where it's going next!
End stats:Weight 9 stone 7Waist 27Body fat percentage 25
Come to me for yoga and Pilates. Especially if you're a lifter or athlete.
Go to Kit Redfern for the Barbelle Body Plan.
Jenny Baynton for PT, physio and osteopathy.
Big thanks to Coco Tomas for inviting me on the plan.
^ Before I went to Greece to teach I was really lean! The food was unreal. Abs are so non-committal.
