My Road to the Stage!!! (10 Weeks to Go)

By Jessica Gilmartin

I’m almost 10 weeks out from my show in October and I feel like a sculptor slowly chiseling away the fat. The process of getting to the stage isn’t brand new to me; however, this time my approach is very different and much more intentional. I am feeling high energy, but I’m extremely nervous, I feel as if I’ve been training for a lifetime to be able to step back onstage, and I need my body to respond correctly. I’ve been prepping with my coaches, Mike Miller and Stacey England of Pro Body Fitness, for eight weeks and I am down 13 pounds since we started, which averages 1.6 pounds a week. That said, my goal isn’t so much about what I weigh but how I look. My body fat was 22 percent, with 154.5 pounds of lean mass, or muscle, when we started; so the goal is to lose the fat slowly and steadily in order to preserve the hard-earned muscle.

Here’s my current routine, as created by my coaches at Pro Body Fitness.

Day 1: Quads, Glutes, Calves

Superset

Leg extensions, 5 x 15

Squat jumps forward and back, 5 x 15

Hack Squats, 5 x 15

Smith-machine stationary lunges 4 x 10 per side

Smith-machine squats, 4 x 10

Goblet squats, 5 x 10

TRX squats, 5 x 20

Seated calf machine, 4 x 15

Sled pushes*, down and back until failure

*You can also use a big, soft box jump and push it.

Cardio: 20 minutes on a treadmill at an incline level of 7 or above and a speed level of 3.5 or above, increasing the incline every 3 minutes.

 

Day 2: Shoulders, Triceps, Core

Pike-pushup dive bombers, 3 x 10

Hammer Strength seated shoulder presses, 4 x 15,12,10,8

V-ups, 1 x 20

Arnold presses, 5 x 10

V-ups, 1 x 20

Lateral raises, 3 x 12

Side planks with hip dip, 1 x 15 per side

Tri-set

Box step-ups with front-delt raises, 3 x 12

Box jumps, 3 x 15

Side planks with hip dip, 1 x 15 per side

Standing or kneeling Smith-machine shoulder presses, 3 x 10

Rope high pulls, 5 x 12

Hanging straight-leg leg raises, 1 x 25

Rope triceps pressdowns, 4 x 10

Hanging straight-leg leg raises, 1 x 25

Skull crushers, 3 x 12

Triceps dips, 3 x 15

Cardio: 20 to 30 minutes on a StepMill at a moderate speed.

 

Day 3: Hams, Plyometrics, Calves

Superset

Sumo dumbbell squats, 4 x 20,15,12,10

Straight-leg deadlifts with a plate under each heel, 4 x 10

Box jumps, 3 x 15

Lying leg curls, 5 x 15

Hip thrusts, 5 x 20

Hex-bar squats, 3 x 12

SlamBall squats*, 5 x 20

Box-jump step-ups with a glute kickout, 3 x 15 per side

Standing calf raises, 4 x 20,15,12,10

*To perform SlamBall squats, stand in a squat position with the SlamBall on the ground, and squat until your glutes touch the ball. You must touch the ball for it to count as one rep—a slight touch, not a sit.

Cardio: 20 minutes on a treadmill at an incline level of 7 or above and a speed level of 3.5 or above, increasing the incline every 5 minutes.

 

Day 4: Back, Biceps, Core

Wide-grip assisted pull-ups, 5 x 10

Decline-bench crunches, 1 x 30

Close-grip lat pulldowns, 5 x 12

Decline-bench crunches, 1 x 30

Alternating dumbbell rows, 4 x 12 per side

Alternating oblique twists, 1 x 30 per side

TRX rows, 4 x 12

Alternating star toe-touches, 3 x 20 per side

Hyper-extensions with a plate row at the top, 3 x 12

Alternating high-plank knee to elbows, 3 x 10 per side

Standing barbell curls 4 x 10

Alternating star toe-touches, 3 x 20 per side

Cable rope curls, 3 x 10

Alternating biceps curls, 3 x 20

Cardio: 10 HIIT intervals on stairs—1 minute on as fast as possible, 1 minute off.

Day 5: Chest, Legs, Glutes

Flat-bench barbell presses 4 x 15

Incline-bench flyes, 4 x 15

Pec deck, 4 x 15

Plié squats, 4 x 15

Plié squat jump, 4 x 15

Alternating curtsey lunges, 4 x 20

Bulgarian split squats, 4 x 10 per side

Smith-machine lying leg presses, 4 x 20

Smith-machine kneeling hip thrusts, 4 x 20

Cable glute kickbacks, 4 x 10 per side

Cable side kickouts, 4 x 10 per side

Cardio: 20 minutes on a treadmill—sprint 2 minutes, walk at level 4 speed and 2 percent incline for 45 seconds, jog for 60 seconds, and repeat the intervals for 20 minutes.

 

Meal Plan

I plan my meals by moderating my macronutrients, meaning proteins, carbs, and fats. As I am in contest prep, I keep my micronutrients (vitamins), fiber and volume of food high. For me this yields better results; however, if I am craving a piece of dark chocolate and can fit it in my macros, I do it. Still, I usually I go for the Quaker chocolate rice cakes rather than a candy bar.

Currently, I am carb cycling. I have a serious love-hate relationship with this technique because while I love seeing the results, but I hate low-carb days, when I start feeling I’m going into poverty carbs. Here’s the cycle:

Sunday: High-carb day: Protein, 185 grams; carbs, 185 grams; fats, 55 grams

Monday: Low-carb day: Protein, 190 grams; carbs, 145 grams; fats, 55 grams

Tuesday: Low-carb day: Protein, 190 grams; carbs, 145 grams; fats, 55 grams

Wednesday: High-carb day: Protein, 185 grams; carbs, 185 grams; fats, 55 grams

Thursday: Refeed day: Protein, 180 grams; carbs, 315 grams; fats: 50 grams

I keep my fiber above 40 grams daily and keep my sugars below 50 grams. I also eat the majority of my carbohydrates around my training sessions.

 

Supplementation

Taking supplements is a crucial part of my recovery and continued success. Here’s my current list:

A.M.: 2 BeautyFlex (bone and joint support), 1 BeautyComplex (multivitamin), 1 BeautySlender (omegas and CLA), and 2 BeautyEssentials (collagen formula)

Preworkout: BeautyStrong

During and postworkout: BeautyRecover (BCAAs) and BeautySlim (L-carnitine)

After meals: 2 BeautyEnzymes and 1 probiotic

P.M. BeautyGreens and 1 scoop Beautyfiber, 2 BeautySlender, 1 BeautyBurn

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