Since September, I’ve been on a mission to gain ten pounds. As you can see from the picture progressions, I started out with CrossFit pretty underweight – and with some seriously sissy squat, press and DL numbers. I had a rockin’ six pack, but that was mostly because I was 5’ 10” and 123# - not because my core was truly strong. You can go ahead and say it – in that ring picture (from May 2008), I was SKINNY.Not to mention, my DL was stuck at 165#, and my squat was non-existent, and I could do one pull-up, maybe two. So I started eating more, but not enough more, because in my old profile pic (taken in August) I was still hovering around 125#. I might have appeared more muscular, but my strength hadn’t increased much… and what good is that?
The next pic was taken just a month later (during our Fight Gone Bad park workout). Still sporting the six pack, but I was sucking wind on the thrusters, and couldn’t push-press the 55# bar more than five times in a row. I barely broke 200 on that workout, which I decided then and there was completely Not Cool.So I started eating. More. Lots more. More protein, but mostly more fat, because that had the most caloric bang for the buck. My Trainer told me to just keep eating until I started getting soft. So I covered my Lara bars in coconut oil, started cooking in butter AND olive oil and stopped weighing, measuring or counting. I just ATE. At the same time, I cut back on the chippers and long met-cons, and focused more on lifting heavy. Slowly, I started putting on weight. And despite my more than occasional deviation from a strength-focused program, damn if my numbers didn’t start climbing too.
In late October, I pulled a 205# DL. In November, I back squatted my body weight for the first time. In December, I hit 13 consecutive pull-ups. By New Year's, I had put 10# on my shoulder press. Of course, I had a few months of sub-par workouts due to the mono, but I can’t even imagine how my former scrawny self would have handled that episode. Thank god I had some extra weight on me, and had some significant strength gains already under my belt. Those extra pounds (on me AND the bar) have made my return to the gym so much easier.
But my abs are gone. Not GONE gone, because my core is stronger than it’s ever been, but I’m definitely nowhere near as six-packy. I’ve put on those 10# (I’m up to 134#), and it shows. My pull-ups ALL feel “weighted” now, some of my suit jackets are in danger of being Incredible Hulked and my six pack is down to maybe a two pack, in the right light on a good day . And that is more than okay with me. Sure, sometimes I miss them – it’s nice to be able to whip off your shirt and flaunt a washboard. But I don’t miss them anywhere near enough to trade all the strength gains I’ve made - or how fantastic I feel in the gym these days. Because while the abs are pretty, I’d much rather have a set of gorgeous 3x5 deadlifts at my previous 1RM under this CrossFit t-shirt.
Buy-in
- 3 x 12 KB swings, 20K
- Squat warm-up with 45#, 75#, 95#
- 3x5 HBBS @ 115#
- +/- 0# from last week
On another note, today was Day Four "on" - yesterday I missed my rest day to do two hours of KB demonstration at the Lakes Region Fitness open house. Showing off (one leg RRs, double KB windmills, heavy TGUs) for two hours straight apparently DOES count as a workout, because today I was feeling it. Tomorrow I rest.
Cash out:
- 3x12 KB swings, 20K (video'd to help out a long-distance trainee who asked for a critique on his KB swing form)
- Can I Kick It?, Tribe Called Quest
- Big Pimpin/Papercut, Jay-Z and Linkin Park
- La Di Da Di, Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh
19 comments:
Oh, the things we worry about....It's a good day when this is an issue, right?
Your discipline is something I envy.
Websters defines Discipline as "training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character"
Yeah, you have that.
Keep up the great blog and BTW your abs still look phenomenal in the new pic.
My six pack is gone too. It's more like a two-ish pack now. I'm going to try to put on another 20lbs or so and then reintroduce more metcons to lean out a bit and hopefully keep the extra mass.
Congrats on the numbers gains. We're both winning our battle.
P.S. - The new profile pic is hawt fo sho! :)
I guess I should include a compliment as well... because the new profile pic is great! Very professionally done photo too.
Most women I know would give their left tit to look like you did in your ring picture. You looked thin, but not unhealthy. But the extra weight suits you.
It's nice to hear a woman talking about gaining weight as an accomplishment!
Jenn - I actually no longer like the way I looked in that picture. Look at my arms - they're like twigs. I'm winded just looking at myself. At my height, there was just NOT enough weight on me.
I used to think there was no such thing as "too skinny". Today, that could not be further from the truth. CrossFit has helped me get over my body issues(which have always included a pretty skewed self-image). That is the thing I am MOST grateful for. It's nice to look in the mirror and see the strong and healthy things your body is doing FOR you - not just the tiny flaws in how your body looks TO you.
It's why I'm always yelling at girls to get out of the mirror. It can quickly turn a healthy discipline into an unhealthy obsession - and once you get sucked into the mirror, it's not always easy to get back out.
You look great...congrats on the gains!
You look fantastic and now you won't get hassled to "eat a a sandwich, for chrissakes!" I have to admit, I envy the metabolism of the hard gainer but I understand that it's not all roses. You worked your ass off for those gains. Strong work!
Well done Melissa, I like the new picture A LOT better. I think that aesthetically a slightly higher BF% is more attractive than the ultra-ripped 2% look. It's probably natural as well, our caveman ancestors were acutely aware (as are crossfitters) that your performance maximum takes place a few shades north of the leanness that you'd like to see on yourself. I should be a monster then haha....I'm sort of coming around to being a fat-kid now though (as long as its a fire-breathing fat-kid). I too took a long time to get over my own personal body image.
PS....this is the best quote of the month:
"Most women I know would give their left tit to look like you did in your ring picture. "
Whoever Jenn is, someone buy her a beer for that if I don't get to it first haha.
included within my 10 most recent search terms:
"crossfit melissa byers (Google)"
"Physical training and fucking (Google)"
yea that new pic is a keeper... smokin babe!
caption:
"Melissa Smash!!!"
Hey Melissa,
I'm glad to hear you started eating! I remember talking about how that was holding you back at the time. And if you ever need to lean out for whatever reason you know you're just a met-con block of training away from totally shredded.
I'd give my left tit to look like your new pic! You look great, strong and healthy.
theres going to be a lot of lop-sided females walking around....
Nice post!!! Looks like Im going in the opposite since beginning to really dial in my diet. Try to Total today and hit 350 squat, 200 press, and then shit the bed on the Deadlift. on Jan 1, I pulled 400 no problem, tonight while warming up, I couldn't get 360 and screwed my back up, so I had a nice DNF. So apparently I jinxed myself when I called my wife out on your DL post earlier. I have learned my lesson!!!
Wawa wewa. Nice pic!
Not to focus too much on physical appearance, but since you brought it up...You look so much happier and healthier now! I never much liked the old pic honestly.
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