The Muscle Couple just received an update from Amanda.    All of her hard work and efforts are really coming together now.  She is only 12 weeks from her first show!

Here is her update in her own words:

I’m 12 weeks out and have started my show preparations. I’m so excited! My show’s near enough that it’s a lot easier to stay focused and motivated. The show is 83 days away! (April 24^th) I’ve included some videos, pictures and a rundown of my daily routine for you guys. I will keep you posted more frequently because my body will really start to change in the following weeks. It will be a challenge and I have a long way to go but am looking forward to the journey.

My Stats from last week:

129 pounds

19% Body Fat (Actual Probably Lower because we Posed before Measuring it)

(We also take my waist, thigh, calf, umbilicus, chest and bicep measurements weekly. I don’t have all of them from last week but I do remember my waist is back down to 26”.)

Diet:

The only real change has been eliminating some of my fats. I took my egg yolk out and stay away from red meat most of the time. I also took out my red potatoes. The potatoes did not sit well in my stomach. I’m more sensitive to food than I’ve ever been and can feel what each food does to my body. So, unless I run out of energy, the potatoes are out of the picture for now. Also, I’ve gone back to no “cheating.” (I had plenty of fun over the holiday season.) I’m at a point now where I really can’t afford any mistakes and I can honestly wait less than three months for anything. I’ve been pretty solid so far, but if I do get the case of cravings, I might have a scoop of peanut butter or a protein bar in the next few weeks. (Peanut butter is my weakness.)

Here’s what a my normal day looks like:

Meal 1:

1 Cup Prepared Oatmeal (Mix in ½ Scoop Whey for Flavor)½ Cup Egg whites (All Whites are a Blessing, and you can drink them Raw)

Meal 2:

5 oz. Fish (No Salmon) Usually Tuna or Halibut

2 Cups Vegetables

Meal 3:

2 Scoops Whey Protein

Meal 4:

5 oz. Chicken

2 Cups Vegetables

Meal 5:

2 Scoops Whey

Supplements:

I started taking the VPX Meltdown again this week to kick start my “cutting.” I really liked it the first time. I take it 6 days a week. It also gives me energy with my low carb diet.

I take daily vitamins. I don’t want to get sick and have to take any time off. I take a women’s multi, 1000 mg of Vitamin C and 1000 I.U. Vitamin E a day.

Workout:

Here’s the fun part. My workouts are my favorite part of my day. It sounds silly but they’re nice because they give me daily motivation and help me stay focused. When I’m in the gym there are no distractions and I think about my goals. I’ve started hitting the gym 2x a day. In the morning I do 45 minutes of cardio and then I do my lifts in the evening and another 25 minutes of cardio.

Here’s my lift split. Claire added more volume for now to get my training kick started. I’m also working my shoulders 2x a week because my back and arms make them look small.

Monday: Lower Body

Smith Machine Squat 4×12

Smith Machine Squat (Heels Elevated) 4×12

Lunge (Front Foot Elevated) 4×10

Lunge (Rear Foot Elevated) 4×10

Low Cable, Outer/Inner Thigh 3×18

Prone Leg Curls 5×15

Leg Extensions 5×15

Hanging Leg Raises 3×12

Oblique Decline Twist 3×12

Tuesday: Chest

DB Flat Press 5×10

DB Incline Press 5×10

DB Incline Fly 4×12

Cable (Hi) 3×14

Cable (Low) 3×14

Dips 3×15

Wednesday: Back

Stiff-Legged Dead-Lifts 3×10

Lawnmower 4×14

Wide Grip Seated Row 3×14

Hammer Narrow Grip Row 3×10

Narrow (Underhand Grip) Lat Pull down 3×14

Lying Leg Lifts for Abs 3×12

Oblique Lifts 3×12

Thursday: Shoulders

DB Press 5×12

Hammer Strength Military Press 3×12

Plate Press 3×10

DB Front Raise 3×10

DB Side Raise 3×10

Cable Front Raise 3×12

Cable Side Raise 3×12

DB Rear Delt Raise 3×12

High Cable Rope Pull 3×12

Friday: Arms

DB Bicep Curl 4×12

Preacher Curl 3×12

Cable Curl (Rope) 3×12

Lying Cable Curl 3×12

Tricep Kickbacks 3×12

Skull Crushers 3×12

Plate Overhead Presses

Bosu Oblique Crunches 3×12

Kneeling Ab Pull 3×12

Saturday: Whole Body

Only 30 Minutes of Cardio

2 Exercises from Ea. Day

2 Ab Exercises from Week

Sunday: Shoulders

No Cardio

I’ve gained a ton of strength in my upper body (minus shoulders). I was so excited to DB Press 55 pound dumbbells, use 40 on skull crushers and preacher curl 50 pounds.

Posing:

Starting this week, I’m meeting with Claire weekly to practice my posing. I will be performing the four quarter turns, a “relaxed” pose and my individual routine on stage.

This week I’ve been trying to put together my individual routine. I will do this when I get introduced individually on stage. I will perform three poses, a side pose, a front pose and a rear pose. For my individual routine, I can do whatever I’d like. I’ll be trying to do poses that look best on me and show off my best assets.

Posing is a lot more difficult than I imagined. I sweat like crazy. We met to pose for the second time this weekend and worked for about 45 minutes on my posing and my entire body is sore as heck, especially my calves and back. You stand there (in 5” heels) and try to flex every muscle in your body.

Posing will make or break me on stage. I could have my body ready, but lose out if I slack on my posing.

Here are some photos from my initial posing sessions.

Rest:

Rest has become very important for me. As you can see I do A LOT (plus school and work). So, when I get time to relax, on the weekends especially, I do as little as possible. I’ll lounge on the couch a lot and work on homework.

I also try to get as much sleep as possible at night. I usually get about 8 hours, but try to get no less than 7.

TMC Commentary:

We are really proud of Amanda.  Her physique is light years ahead of where it was when she started her journey almost 10 months ago.  She is clearly making great strides in every element of her preparation.    There really is not much we can offer as she appears dialed in almost every phase.

It’s OK to “Cheat” with Peanut Butter every once in a while.  Just try to eat a tablespoon and be done with it.  When you’re really hungry and on reduced carbs a great strategy to avoid cravings and hunger pangs is to drink a bunch of water with Fiber Capsules or Metamucil powder.  The fiber is needed anyways to keep your system regular on the reduced carb intake.

Please keep the updates coming Amanda.  Maybe send us one every two weeks.  Just a couple of paragraphs will do.  And you know pictures are the best.

As always, don’t hesitate to reach out and call or email with any last minute contest prep questions.  We wish you the best of luck.  We can’t wait to see you step up on stage.

MIHWCS