Sassy... Shadow!

[Evil_Frisky]

Sassy you and I had a discussion about Figure.. the long lean look and my *ahem* quite puffy quads.. LOL! So I'm not opposed to trying to lean these babies out a bit more to stay in the game.

I've dropped the squats and the SLDL's .. completely. I've found that my overall leg development sky rockets when I do these... I've played with heavy weights low reps.. light weights high reps and get the same results.. they have continued to grow.

My plan now... (and stop me please if this is all wrong).. Is to only hit legs hard once every two weeks. I'm gonna stick to extensions, curls, step ups and lunges on week one and then week two just two exercises and then 20-30 mins on the bike. I find the bike hits them HARD and i'm hoping this will help lean them out.

Everything else is growing in proportion but my trunks.. LOL.

Any suggestions? Is this even feasible?

 

[The Shadow]

hmmm....I think that sounds fine....as a matter of fact..I think I suggested that you drop all leg work and simply use HIIT and HILL work to keep them in shape,

 

[Evil_Frisky]

hmmm....I think that sounds fine....as a matter of fact..I think I suggested that you drop all leg work and simply use HIIT and HILL work to keep them in shape,

Yes we did talk about this and believe it or not I kept mass with the sprints. I've bassackwards legs.. I know. I've not tried the HILL.. not sure what that is.

The only time I've ever found I've actually loss size in my legs is distance running.. but I loss muscle EVERYWHERE and thats where my last cutting ended in disaster and the 'soft' look.

I'm still gonna do the sprints on the tail end of the this dieting. Right now i'm just doing low intensity steady state 45mins.

 

[The Shadow]

HILLS just means stairs etc.


I think you will be fine dropping all weight bearing exercises......


if you start to lose a bit....add s sprint sessiion each week

 

[Sassy69]

And continue to monitor yourself not by looking at your quad development but at the overall symmetry between your shoulder line, waist line & legs. You want a tight "V" on your upper body, but more w/ the V being drawn by the caps on your delts than by lats. From the waist down, you pretty much want no big quad sweep but rather a tight line.

Here's the girl who won this little local show in Figure. She's got a gymnastics background and w/ some size she could easily blow away BB, but that's an approaching ideal look for a figure shape if you have some beef on your legs.

http://www.dotphoto.com/GuestViewImage.asp?AID=2294939&IID=73217222&INUM=110&ICT=251&IPP=30

In this pic, you can see the difference in leg development between the two girls who won trophies. The blonde girl is definitely a more petite build while the other girl has hella developed muscles. But I think in a higher level show, the stronger build will always win. But if you have muscle, then that's where you want to be with it in figure.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

hmmm....I think that sounds fine....as a matter of fact..I think I suggested that you drop all leg work and simply use HIIT and HILL work to keep them in shape,

I have the same legs as you so Frisky. I keep mass there no matter what.

But I agree with Shadow here. I would totally drop leg work - at least weighted leg work. For awhile, I only did plyometrics and HIIT for legs. It worked very nice. I really like walking lunges (no weights), backward lunges (no weights), one-legged squats (no weights, basically a lunge with back leg raised), and step ups.

Maybe sprinting HIIT isn't the best choice if it isn't giving you the results. Why not trying the Stepmill, hills (like Shadow said) or outside bleachers stairs.

 

[Evil_Frisky]

thanks...

I'm gonna drop all leg work.. stick with the stairs and no weight lunges and step ups. Gonna keep and eye on symmetry.

Sassy.. I can't open that picture.

 

[Sassy69]

thanks...

I'm gonna drop all leg work.. stick with the stairs and no weight lunges and step ups. Gonna keep and eye on symmetry.

Sassy.. I can't open that picture.

Look about half way down the page: http://www.georgia-bodybuilding.com/

NPC Atlantic USA Bodybuilding & Figure Results 3-19-2005

The girl in the turquoise suit next to the guy on the right side of the photo. She won overall figure.

 

[Firecracker]

I'm in the same boat. My legs are starting to look like beasts!

I wanna keep symmetry, but I LOVE working my legs!! Don't know if I can give it up!

 

[Evil_Frisky]

Look about half way down the page: http://www.georgia-bodybuilding.com/

NPC Atlantic USA Bodybuilding & Figure Results 3-19-2005

The girl in the turquoise suit next to the guy on the right side of the photo. She won overall figure.

She blew them away!

 

[Sassy69]

I'm in the same boat. My legs are starting to look like beasts!

I wanna keep symmetry, but I LOVE working my legs!! Don't know if I can give it up!

You train for what your goal is. I've seen some girls with fantastic quads get completely ignored in figure shows because their symmetry is completely f*'d. Just depends on what your goals are.

 

[The Shadow]

Sassy has hit a great point.


If you are entering a show....of ANY type..lack of symmetry will kill you.

How has/had the greatest quads of all time?

Platz and/or Paul Demayo...neither ever won a pro show.

 

[Evil_Frisky]

Sassy has hit a great point.


If you are entering a show....of ANY type..lack of symmetry will kill you.

How has/had the greatest quads of all time?

Platz and/or Paul Demayo...neither ever won a pro show.

So true!

I'm willing to do what it takes to lean these babies out. I do however think my upper body is finally catching up with them in terms of symmetry. the mirror will HAVE to be my friend for the next 9 weeks.. LOL

 

[Firecracker]

Sassy has hit a great point.


If you are entering a show....of ANY type..lack of symmetry will kill you.

How has/had the greatest quads of all time?

Platz and/or Paul Demayo...neither ever won a pro show.

How do you figure out if you truly are symmetrical for a girl? I've seen tools for men with measurements, but how do you know if you are symmetrical other than eye-balling it?

Sorry if that's a dumb question, I just don't know the answer.

 

[The Shadow]

How do you figure out if you truly are symmetrical for a girl? I've seen tools for men with measurements, but how do you know if you are symmetrical other than eye-balling it?

Sorry if that's a dumb question, I just don't know the answer.

think of an X


shoulders should be in line with sweep of quads.....

 

[Evil_Frisky]

think of an X


shoulders should be in line with sweep of quads.....

Hmmmmm

guess i'll have to pose for you guys for someone to tell me how my symmetry is.

 

[Firecracker]

Hmmmmm

guess i'll have to pose for you guys for someone to tell me how my symmetry is.

Yeah! I posted my pics!! I'm non plat, so I can't really see your gallery! It really helps to post up! Frisky, check your IA posting.

 

[The Shadow]

Frisky...if you stop direct weight training for legs..you will be great

also - there is something to be said for equal development form the fornt to the back as well...again - you will be good

 

[Firecracker]

think of an X


shoulders should be in line with sweep of quads.....

Shadow, do I look symmetrical? I can't tell myself, because of course I feel like a big round ball!

BTW, thank you for the sticky, that was sweet of you! I can't K you though, won't let me!

 

[Evil_Frisky]

Yeah! I posted my pics!! I'm non plat, so I can't really see your gallery! It really helps to post up! Frisky, check your IA posting.

fire.. gonna upload some pics to my picture trail acct and link them for you

 

[The Shadow]

Shadow, do I look symmetrical? I can't tell myself, because of course I feel like a big round ball!

BTW, thank you for the sticky, that was sweet of you! I can't K you though, won't let me!

In all honestly....you look a *bit* bottom heavy.....not much though


focus on lateral delt width

 

[Sassy69]

I'm not aware of any "measurements" -- its like when you are preppign for a show. There's a point where the caliper measurements become irrelevant and its all about how you "look". With figure - first make sure you KNOW how to POSE because that is what the symmetry is based on. The 4 simple quarter turns. Nothing else. Is the line "pleasing"? I find lots of girls at the lower levels tend to have smaller shoulders. That blows the symmetry - you want that wide capped delt look. The capped delts come w/ dieting, but the wider shape isn't always the easiest thing to develop. Small butt - this has been my challenge because my waist whittles does to uber tiny, but I have wide hips and ass. With training & diet I'm startign to develop my glutes and may one day actually have a "small butt", but you can see on my relaxed pose pix that it blows the "V" and the "X" symmetry from the back. You don't want quads sticking out. You don't want overly developed hamstrings. Calves need to have shape. Also another bodypart that is very hard to develop if you aren't born with it.

I suggest to continue looking at the pro Figure girls and compare to amateur pix to see what features work & don't work - i.e. which amateur girls lost for what reasons. One approach I've been given is to identify a pro girl who has a similar body shape to you and work toward that. And remember that a lot of the real defined shape of competitiors doesnt' really show up until closer to show time when you are leaner, so you can't be hard on yourself at 6+ weeks out. You need to stay focused on your goals and take the long view in manipulating your body's look & symmetry.

 

[Firecracker]

In all honestly....you look a *bit* bottom heavy.....not much though


focus on lateral delt width

Ugh! Thank you for the honesty. I guess that's why they always called me the "linebacker" when I was a kid!

When the bf drops from the legs do you think I'll look more symmetrical? I'll start more lat work today, thank you!

 

[Evil_Frisky]

Frisky...if you stop direct weight training for legs..you will be great

also - there is something to be said for equal development form the fornt to the back as well...again - you will be good

Thanks!

gonna do that

 

[The Shadow]

Ugh! Thank you for the honesty. I guess that's why they always called me the "linebacker" when I was a kid!

When the bf drops from the legs do you think I'll look more symmetrical? I'll start more lat work today, thank you!

Sure.....dropping bf will always help....


I mean do mean later delt development...nor necessarily LAT development.


Figure:

1 - LONG *looking* lean legs

2 - tight hams

3 - tight ass

4 - defined calves

 

[Firecracker]

Sure.....dropping bf will always help....


I mean do mean later delt development...nor necessarily LAT development.


Figure:

1 - LONG *looking* lean legs

2 - tight hams

3 - tight ass

4 - defined calves

Thanks Shadow, I hope I can do it! I've always hated these big ole' ham hock legs of mine. Ugh! Got em' from pops!

 

[Sassy69]

LOL - I find figure girls to have annoyingly underdeveloped lats, however that is the goal. The capped delts, not a broad back.

 

[Firecracker]

LOL - I find figure girls to have annoyingly underdeveloped lats, however that is the goal. The capped delts, not a broad back.

In your opinion, Sassy & Shadow, for Lat Delt width and Capped Delt, which exercises should I focus on?

 

[The Shadow]

In your opinion, Sassy & Shadow, for Lat Delt width and Capped Delt, which exercises should I focus on?

DB side laterals
Cable side laterals
wide grip upright rows
basic DB press

 

[Miss24k]

Fire, you're doing a Fame show right?

 

[Firecracker]

Fire, you're doing a Fame show right?

Yes

 

[Firecracker]

DB side laterals
Cable side laterals
wide grip upright rows
basic DB press

Cool! Thanks, new routine for Thursdays!!! SOOOO excited!!!!

 

[Miss24k]

oh ok I thought so. Just so you know, you can play with the way your legs look abit, because of the way you stand, you don't have to stand straight on with Fame. You can stand with a slight twist at the waist, well basicly like the last pics I posted, it takes away alittle size on the quads.

 

[Sassy69]

Another little thing I picked up from working w/ my trainer - for figure when they do the quarter turns, particularly facing the back (butt to judges), you some times see the girls sort of bending forward a little - gets rid of the line where your buns hang over.

If you browse the figure pix even in this little show I went to in GA, you can see the different ways the girls stand to show off or hide certain features.

http://georgiabodybuilding.com - go about 1/2 way down to below the winner pic for the "NPC Atlantic USA Bodybuilding & Figure Results 3-19-05" - just below that pic is a link to "Photos Online from Atlantic USA New Updated". Click there & look thru the figure girls. Note some strange angles they are standing at. The photographer may have caught them from a different angle than the judges see, thus revealing the bending over which looks funny from that vantage, but removes things like the butt line facing the judges.

And I"m not even talking about the correct way to stand beign straight or w/ a twist. At that show, the judges required everyone to stand straight and 1/2 the girls were lost because they only knew how to stand w/ the twist pose.

 

[Ulter]

I went to the seminar that the NPC held for the judges of figure. After listening to them for an hour talk about symetry and what the judges should be looking for (they even brought in pro figure winners to look at) I was sure I understood it. Then I went to 4 competitions and every one of them was judged differently from head to toe. I think it's best to keep in mind that the judges are still, after 3 years, learning what look should win a figure competition. I really think, as Shadow pointed out, that legs are not as important to the judges as they are to the competitors in most cases. They are much more likely to overlook flaws in legs than they are abs, upper body and butt or stage presence.

 

[Sassy69]

Gotta agree w/ Ulter - its different every time, partially because it is still extremely subjective as to what is "feminine but muscular". Consistently tho, I've seen girls w/ very well developed, larger legs get passed over every time for the longer, leaner look. The "big" look gets too much into BB. But the abs need to be there, the shoulders, and of course, "the look".

 

[Firecracker]

Thanks all! Gonna digest all the info, my head was spinning last night wondering what to do.

I guess I was on the rollercoaster....again!



Have a happy Tuesday!

 

[Evil_Frisky]

Thanks all! Gonna digest all the info, my head was spinning last night wondering what to do.

I guess I was on the rollercoaster....again!



Have a happy Tuesday!

I've been there darlin..

Go now.. get the suit.. get the shoes.. and just make it a date.

I'll rollercoaster up and down from here til my show date but I've commited to sticking it out til then.