Proud Of Myself

Ick. I really hate studying my body because typically I will find something wrong with it. Every time.

But my trainer always reminds me to look at myself in the mirror: look at all the bonuses and the flaws that combine together to make this girl that is me. And by taking progress pictures, I can evaluate throughout the months where I need to improve on certain areas but namely to be PROUD of my accomplishments thus far into my journey.

Why, yes, I did get into this dreaded bikini that I own and yes, I did take pictures of my muscles and I did feel proud. No, I will not post them here but honestly, looking at them, I feel so incredibly happy with my body. I felt amazing and strong and muscular. My legs were popping out, my abs looked ripped, my arms looked full. I didn't look like the skeleton that I normally see myself as.

I admit, while some people see themselves 'fatter' in the mirror due to body dysmorphia, I see myself as 'thinner' because at one point I was so thin. I just always see that girl that I USED to be, and I am just finally starting to embrace the strong, muscular girl that I am NOW.

Yes, I do have quite a bit farther to go, but I am damn proud of the progress I have already achieved. I'm not even trying to boast, but for a 16-year-old, I look pretty fit and muscular and I am really proud to be able to say that. I take what I do seriously. I lift and eat right because I WANT to. It makes me feel GOOD. It's my passion. It's who I am.

I am by NO MEANS training for a figure competition now. But man, when that time where I am 18 and eligible to compete rolls around, you better bet that I will be more than ready to get up on that stage. Right now, I am just getting a "head start" but in all seriousness, I am lifting the way I am now because it's the number one thing I enjoy doing. It's as simple as that.

I appreciate all the support I have gotten. It means so much to me. If you want to see some more of my progress pictures, check out my Instagram. My username is brittanyterry.

And, just for fun, here's a picture of me messing around on a BOSU ball. ;) Have a great weekend everyone!

I'm Baaaack!

I’m alive. I swear.

This was after a nap. And my hair is pretty messy...judge me. ;)

Sorry for the rather long break from blogging that I took. With Thanksgiving and the plethora of school work I have been assigned, I have honestly had no time nor motivation to sit down and write a post. But I’m back…for now.

My Thanksgiving was fantastic: I consumed so much food I didn’t care at all. What really irritates me is when bloggers or even people I know in general talk about eating so much “crap” on Thanksgiving but

that’s okay because it’s all about balance!

-_-

No. I’d rather not have to read over and over again that someone’s only justification for eating ‘crap’ was about balancing life. Sorry, but do you want to know why I ate so much crap on Thanksgiving? Because I was hungry, I wanted to, and all that food was too delicious to even think about resisting. So I didn’t. And this is what I looked like:

No shame, friends. No shame.

I also went to a party and ate even more crap, so get at me. I didn’t blow up the next day and I happened to have the best salmon cakes in the history of ever. (If McKenna is reading this, she understands, although she is a vegatar.) I’m still dreaming about them. The

withdrawals are getting stronger and stronger each day. I don't mean to 'offend' anyone, but I am just giving my honest opinion. Feel free to disagree with me, but if I see the word balance one more time...well, I don't know what is going to happen. Maybe this? 

(Source)

Don’t worry, I’m still eating healthy but I really do like eating copious amounts of sugar sometimes. Sorry I’m not sorry.

On the fitness front, I’m losing my motivation friends. I don’t get the same feeling ignited in my heart going to the gym anymore. Yes, the gym is still my second home. But I am starting to dread my workouts when I used to look forward to them. I feel like I have lost some of my strength. So, what’s my solution?

I am taking a deload week. I am going for an entire week (oh my good golly gosh!) without lifting a single weight. 

Yes, I said it. I personally feel like I need this to not only give my mind a break, but to give my body a much needed break. Perhaps I have been pushing too hard and that’s why I don’t feel as strong. I feel that if I give my body a whole week to recover, I’ll show up at the gym a week later with a rejuvenated body and mind—and my motivation will be back as well.

This is hard for me, I am not going to lie. I love lifting. It is honestly my passion. And giving it up for a week is like the Cookie Monster giving up cookies for a week. It just doesn’t work. However, I know I NEED this and therefore I am relying on my willpower to stop and smell the roses. I’m lucky I have such good willpower or I’d probably cave and lift heavy weights after a day.

I’ll update you all throughout the week (hopefully, if I don’t have too much work). I’m planning on using this week to relax, spend time with my friends and family, eat good food, perhaps take a crack at some mind-resting yoga and Pilates, focus on upper and lower body plyos, go on long walks, and drink copious amounts of hot coffee and tea. Sound like a plan?

Oh, and here's some more cool pictures from these past few weeks. Just for fun! ;)

My brother and I throughout the years. I love you bro. <3

I was the demon child, no big deal.

Some of the two most inspirational ladies in my life. I seriously don't know where the hell I would be without them.

I like showing off my veins...get at me.

My buddy Mike at the gym. This guy has helped me with so much and I owe a lot of the progress I have made to him. Thanks Mike! <3 (Even though he CAN'T SMILE.)

After some intense plyos. I love those socks, by the way. Becoming a quadzilla!

Questions: Have you ever taken a deload week? How was your Thanksgiving?

More Progress (With Pics!)

Sorry for the lack of posting on my behalf. I've been slammed with work and things to do this past week and I cannot WAIT for Thanksgiving to roll around. I swear, physics will be the death of me.

Moving on... I feel like I frequently post progress posts but I feel the need now to update you all on what I've been up to in the gym.

I've been lifting quite heavy for a long period of time. My body is really starting to reap the soreness and for the next two weeks or so, I'm doing a lot of low weight, high reps stuff. It is so boring. I understand the necessity of it, but my niche is definitely with the heavy weights. Yesterday, I did a chest workout and the lowest amount of reps I did was 15. Do you know how boring it is to count to 15 reps? It's quite boring.

However, I know this is exactly what my body needs: a rest from lifting heavy. It's important to follow periodization, which means for a few weeks you focus on the heavy weights, and then shift to lifting light weeks for a few weeks and then repeat. This allows your body to get some rest from lifting really heavy all the time while also maintaining muscle mass and giving the body a chance to actually grow. Believe it or not, but when you annihilate your body everyday in the gym with heavy weights, you won't grow. You're just destroying your body and not giving it a chance to rest and recover. The recovery is where the muscle grows.

Anyways, here's a few pictures of my progress. This has to be one of the proudest moments in my life, seeing this progress. It may seem trivial to someone else who doesn't understand my passion for lifting weights, but to me it just means the world. Thank you for all your support!

Six pack coming in. One day, I will have Andreia Brazier's. ;)

Gun show!

Legs babayyy. Were dem quadz at?!

Veins on veins on veins.

I want a big back baby!

Working on the booty. White girl swaggg.

And just to give you all something to compare these pictures to, this was me last year some time...

Skinny skinny skinnnnny! 

But I do not regret ever being too skinny. It was who I was. I'm so proud of all my achievements in and out of the gym. This is my life. I love lifting, and one day my career will revolve around it, that I know for sure. I have a lot of goals ahead of me, and I can't wait to tackle them head on.

Have a great day guys, and smash those weights. :)

I Went To A CrossFit Box!

A lot of people seem to have conflicting opinions on the subject of CrossFit. Obviously, the ones who are hardcore advocates will recommend it to every single person that they talk to, and the traditional bodybuilders will probably turn a cold shoulder to the idea of this CrossFit "stuff."

Annie Thorisdottir, women's winner of the CrossFit games, A.K.A. "Thor's daughter." (Source)

I'm very open-minded. The world of fitness does not have one simple defintion. There's a number of ways you can be fit, and one certain way isn't above the rest. Although I really do enjoy the body part splits when I lift, I've been getting bored with my typical "routine." 

This would consist of me choosing a specific body part for each day of the week. While I absolutely love this split, I've been getting a little bored with it. I wanted something to spice up my training, and give me motivation to get my butt in the gym door. When I heard that a CrossFit box opened up literally right next to my gym, I was all for it. In fact, a trainer at the gym I go to is also one of the coaches at the CrossFit box. Let me just say, this guy is a beast. Often times, I will see him doing pull-ups with 45 pound plates attached to his waist from a belt. When he squats, he stacks on the 45's. They don't intimidate him one bit! And he's very smart.

That's one of the assumptions with CrossFit: that the coaches are not smart and will lead their trainees to injury. This is overgeneralization. While it's true that any Joe Schmo can go get CrossFit certified and start training soon afterwards, many CrossFit coaches take the time and effort to ensure that they know what they are talking about, and that they wouldn't throw anyone an Olympic bar if they've never even touched one before.

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Although I obviously have been lifting for awhile, I always need to remember that I have to start out small, and build upon my strength. Yesterday, I took a CrossFit elements class. It was really fun and INTENSE. Woo! I learned the basics, but since I already have a good understanding of the primary lifts, I was able to do a modified WOD to see where my fitness level was. I did "Fran's Little Sister" which was 15-12-9 reps of thrusters and ring dips. WHAT A RUSH!

Source

I truly did enjoy it. I think a CrossFit fire has been lit under my butt. However, with that being said, I am NOT giving up lifting in the bodybuilding sense. I am simply adding CrossFit as a supplement to my training maybe one or two days per week. I think it'll be fun and it will get my motivation back where it needs to be. I loved the intensity. In 6 minutes, I got a brutal workout that I am sore from today. And I did it all with perfect form! The coach I had was a tough guy: when I was starting to rapidly fatigue, he yelled and screamed at me to finish it. That is my kind of encouragement. Some people don't like when people do this as a means to encourage them to finish, but I love it. It makes me go that extra mile to prove that person that I AM capable. And afterwards, he was all smiles and gave me a thousand hi-5's. I don't get that kind of camaraderie at my gym. Although I have tons of friends and buddies at my gym, I am usually encouraging myself. This was something different and I truly enjoyed it.

So, yes, CrossFit will be added to the list of things to accomplish. Maybe one of these days I'll actually be able to overhead squat. ;)

Questions: Have you ever been to a CrossFit box? What's your honest opinion about CrossFit? How do you like to be encouraged?

5 Reasons Why Women Should Lift Weights

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I saw this on Pinterest, read it, and then proceeded to freak out joyfully about how true this is. 

First up, women are afraid of themselves and the amount of work put into lifting heavy. They don't want to look "bulky" or "too muscular", not realizing that muscle is beautiful, your body operates so much better when you have it, and that anyone who takes a chunk of time out of their life to obtain this muscle kicking their own booty in the gym deserves a lot of respect. Women for so long have been obsessed with this stick-thin presence. You can't go anywhere in public without seeing some Victoria's Secret ad with a tiny model with no figure plastered somewhere. When women watch TV, they get programs from Dr. Oz and other sources telling them to eat "low-fat 100-calorie Oreos" and eating a diet of 1,200 calories. Oh, and then doing 2 hours of cardio per day. This will get you that stick-thin figure! But is it worth it?! NO. If only I had my own television program. Y'all would hear my rants about lifting heavy and eating REAL FOOD in the amount you NEED TO FUNCTION. See? I've already got my own gears running. Ladies, muscle is beautiful. Strong is beautiful. Embrace it.

As for the second part of this quote... the men. I'm sorry if you are a male reading this, but some of you men are so critical to women in the weight room. Where is the sign that says "No women allowed"? Yeah, I can't find it either. A lot of the antipathy men feel towards women who lift is directed towards their ego. God forbid that a women can lift heavier than a male. I get it, males have that need to be the dominant species. But that doesn't mean that men have to call women with muscle and strength "gross and manly". Puh-lease. How about you appreciate the woman's hard work? Do you realize that for a woman to be able to lift heavier than a man takes a lot of time and effort in the weight room? Men are naturally stronger than women. This is an accomplishment. Men go around wanting to be the heavy lifters in the weight room. Gosh, by this point I can't even count the amount of dudes (notably younger guys) that are so concerned about the amount of weight that others are lifting that they hurl heavy weights over their head and can't even move them an inch. The point is, women have a place in the weight room just like everyone else. Worry about YOURSELF when you lift and focus on improving your own strength. And no, men, women who are strong and muscular aren't the antithesis of being a lady.

With that all being said (phew!), here are six legitimate reasons why women should lift heavy (and no, pink-coated 5 lb. dumbbells don't count):

1. It boosts metabolism.

Yes, I feel like I have to start out with this point because women are more concerned how lifting heavy will affect their bodies (A.K.A. "Will I get bulky?!") First of all, doing endless hours of cardio will get you a 'skinny-fat' body. This means you have a 'skinny' frame but you have more fat than muscle. Cardio doesn't build muscle, I hate to burst that bubble. By lifting weights, you really tax your body. You use so much energy and damage your muscle tissue, which means that your body after a good weightlifting session is begging for some quality nutrition afterwards. Your body will be burning calories all day, even when you're sitting doing nothing. The minute you got off that elliptical, your calorie burn ends right then and there. The minute you put down the dumbbell, you body is a furnace burning calories left and right. Pretty cool, right?

2. It shapes your body.

I kid you not, I legitimately heard a woman say "I really want a curvy butt, so I'm going to focus on increasing the crossramp on the elliptical." Well that's dandy and all, but nothing will build a booty like your squats, lunges, deadlifts, and step-ups. You will not build any 'curves' from lazing around on a cardio machine. You will not have the flat abs you desire from spending an hour and a half on the treadmill and then proceeding to do 100 sit-ups. You will not have beautiful V-shape to your upper body if you don't pick up a weight. I could go on and on and on. Basically, the weights give you a beautiful body.

 It's the difference between THIS:

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And THIS:

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You choose.

3. It makes you strong.

What is so bad about being strong, I ask? If you have kids, it's that much easier to tote around heavy diaper bags and rambunctious babies. If you travel a lot, it's that much easier to lug around your heavy suitcases. How epic would it be if say you had to help someone lift an incredibly heavy object and you easily could hoist it up? I don't know about you, but I'd feel like a BEAST. Embrace strength and feel proud of it. Would you rather be weak and wasting away? 

4. It improves your confidence.

Before I lifted weights, I was the mousiest, quietest girl you could ever imagine. I kept to myself a majority of the time and didn't speak up. Ever since hitting the iron, I have a voice. I make my voice heard. When someone pushes me down, I don't just take it, I fight back. I feel better about my body. I look in the mirror and I point out all the hard-earned muscle that has come along. I look at my eyes and appreciate their unique almond shape. I look at my smile and see how it radiates confidence. I am not trying to sound cocky, but confident; there is a major difference. Weights have been a godsend to me. Confidence attracts people and makes you feel satisfied in your own skin.

5. Bye bye stress.
Sure, doing endless cardio can relieve stress but have you ever released stress by lifting weights? It's a whole different experience. It's better. Hurling super heavy weight after being angry or frustrated? You feel like the Hulk, trust me on that one. Not only are you doing your body a favor, you are doing your mind a favor. My best workouts come when I am super stressed or angry; it's not hard to see why. If you've had a long day, got in a fight with a loved one, have too much work, WHATEVER your problem is, I guarantee you lifting will solve that problem.

So there are obviously a lot more than five reasons. A lot more, friends. But these are some pretty good points, right?! LADIES (and men too!), don't be afraid to lift HEAVY. Get to it. Go to the gym and hit the iron!!!

Questions: If you are a lady, what is holding you or has held you back from lifting heavy?