The Muscle Couple recently received an update from Amanda.  Pretty amazing actually. We’ll let you read it in it’s entirety.  Our comments (few) are in Blue.

From: Amanda Berridge <fullthrottlept@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:29:51 -0800
To: The Muscle Couple<musclecouple@gmail.com>
Subject: Update

The closer I get to the competition the more excited I get and the more real it becomes. I’m now only a little more than five months away from my first show in April. I will be doing the Gateway Classic in Lake City, Florida and then the Tampa Bay Classic in June. This year the Gateway was on April 25th so it will probably be around the same time next year. Lake City is about an hour north of where I live in Gainesville. The NPC schedule for next year should come out in January, so as soon as I find the dates out along with a third competition I will let you guys know.

I now have a coach, Claire Johnson, who will be working with me and helping me prepare for my contest. She is a figure competitor that trains at my parents’ gym. We currently meet every other week so she can keep tabs on my body fat, weight and progress. Our goal right now is to keep me around where I am and not let myself get too off-track during the holidays. In January we will be meeting more frequently, upping the intensity of my training (diet especially) and discussing contest prep in more detail.

I’ve relaxed a little on the diet and I’m hanging around 126 pounds right now and 18% body fat. I’m planning on staying in this area through the end of the year.  I’ll have to be between 10-12% body fat for the show.

• CONTEST PREP

This is the area that’s been added to my training. Now that the contest is close enough to realistically start planning for there are more things that I have to start worrying about. I’ve started tanning a couple of times a week so that my muscles are more visible. Last week, Claire and I worked on my quarter turns and ‘relaxed’ pose for the first time, so I’ve added practicing those to my daily routine. Holding and practicing these poses is much more difficult than I imagined.

Luckily, my gym has a posing room with the lights and all that I use after my workout. I will send you guys some pictures over soon. I will also be ordering my contest shoes this month so I can start practicing in them. I will have to make it look like a breeze walking in 5” platform heels and I’m not the most graceful so I need to start this ASAP! I’ve already been doing chores around the house in my highest heels.

I’ve also started looking for my suit. I’ve found several that I’m interested in and think might go with a scarlet or deep red color. I’ll have to order my suit a few months out because they are all custom made.

• DIET

My diet is pretty close to what it was before with a few minor changes. Here’s what a typical day looks like:

Meal 1: 3 egg whites, 1 egg, ½ C oatmeal with ½ tsp. cinnamon, ½ grapefruit

Meal 2: small red potato, 5 oz. protein (fish, lean red meat or chicken), 2 C vegetable (usually baby spinach, green beans or broccoli)

Meal 3(with workout): 2 scoops whey protein

Meal 4: 2 C vegetables, 5 oz. protein

Meal 5: 2 scoops whey protein

I’ve added a carb in there with the red potato, before my only major carb source was the oatmeal and I was running low on energy. I now have more energy to make it through the day and for my workouts. When I have cravings like before I try to turn to a tastier protein bar (“Oh Yeah’s” are delicious) or some sugar-free jello. Occasionally, I’ll allow myself a “cheat” meal (one meal instead of a whole day), but avoid fried foods, dairy and sugar/fat loaded desserts. When I do these I also try to hit up healthier restaurants, for example there’s a great local restaurant that makes everything from scratch and offers healthier alternatives. These places let me kill my cravings, but still allow me to eat pretty well.   

TMC: <Learn to order and eat “Steak and Egg Whites” whenever eating out for breakfast>

I know soon enough (January) I will begin to lower my carb intake, eliminate cheat meals and start ‘cutting’ for my first show, so as I said, right now I’m a little more relaxed. I don’t want to burn out.  I’ll be dieting harder a little earlier than a veteran figure competitor to see how my body reacts and where I look so it’s no surprise when I step on stage.

• CURRENT WORKOUT

I really liked your rest-pause workout. I am using all of the exercises from it but split it up over five days and with a few added exercises. Here’s what it looks like (the bolded lines are the additions):

Monday :
Incline Hammer Press (x2)
Seated Flat Machine Press (x2)
Machine Pec Dec (x2)
Hanging Leg Raise (x2)
Decline Oblique Crunch (x2)
Leg Crawl on Hands (x3) (Crawl on Hands, Dragging Legs and Using No Lower Body, Kills my Obliques)
Decline Med Ball Twist (x3)

Tuesday:
Machine Arm Curl (x2)
DB Hammer Concentration Curls (x2)
Seated Tri Extension Machine (x3)
1 Arm Cable Reverse Tri Push-down (x3)
Dips (3×15)
Bi Spider Curls (3×12)
Ab Rope Pull Down (3×15-20)

Wednesday:
Machine Assisted Chin Up (x2)
Underhand Pull downs (x2)
Hammer Machine Row (x2)
Machine Pullover (x2)
Prone Leg Curls (x2)
Back Extensions (x3)
Leg Crawl (x3)
Decline Med Ball Twist (x3)

Thursday:
Machine Shoulder Press (x2)
DB Lat Raise (x2)
Front Plate Raise (x2)
Seated Rear Delts (3×12)
Seated Calf Raise (3×12)
Donkey Calf Rases (3×12)

Friday:
Shrug Machine (x2)
Leg Extensions (3×12)
Leg Press (x2)
Hanging Twisting Knee Ups (x3)
Oblique Crunch on Back Extension (3×15)

TMC:<This is very smart.  You added additional days without really adding to your training volume-With Anh about to go “dark” for 10 weeks to have the baby, I think I will incorporate this approach into my “solo training” in December-January and part of February-Thank You!>

I’ve really learned how to kick up the intensity and am sore after every workout! I go into the gym focused with my music, ready to go and push myself to failure for the rest-pause sets. I’m close to tears after some sets, especially leg press, but it’s amazing, I did not know I could push myself and my body like this. I’ve gotten a lot stronger in the past few weeks and feel like the hard work’s going to pay off.

I’m doing 20-30 minutes of cardio a day on the elliptical or Stairmaster. Saturdays I hit my back and shoulders again and I take Sundays off save light cardio.  I do the additional work on my back and shoulders because I’m trying to make them a little bigger, I was told by a state judge that works out at my gym that they needed some work and Claire agrees.

• MENTAL FOCUS

This is the area that I’ve made the most headway I believe. I can’t describe how excited, committed, enthusiastic, passionate, determined I have become in my commitment to this lifestyle. I want this and want to turn some heads in April. I’d like to make competing a long-term thing and have BIG goals.

I watch videos online daily of past figure shows and it’s so unbelievingly motivating. I see all these women in great shape and know to look like that I have a lot of work ahead of me. I think about how I’m going to get there and how I’m going to set myself apart. I know it sounds silly but I also clip out pictures of pro figure women from magazines for motivation. These serve as good pictures of my goals.

I’ve realized that my goals are much more important than other things in my life. I guess you could say I don’t live like a “normal” 20 year-old and some of my friends think I’m nuts, but it doesn’t bother me. I’m challenging myself and looking forward to all that’s to come. I like the quote “suffer the pain of discipline, or suffer the pain of regret.” I plan on having no regrets, because I’m going to put my all into this and see where I can go

TMC:<What can we say Amanda?  You are an amazing young woman to be so dedicated and focused at such a young age.  You are well on your way and light years ahead in your planning and mindset from 6 months ago.  We are here to help you should you need us.  Keep focused and stay strong in all your endeavors.  Success is right around the corner.

MIHWCS