Best Shape of your Life
by Julie Lohre

So you have decided that it is time to get serious. You have been working out on and off for, well, years but this time you want it to be different. Maybe you have decided to compete for the first time or really want to get those six-pack abs. In any case, you want to be in the best shape of your life. Let me tell you what it takes to look better now than you did at 18.

Exercise, Training and Developing a Workout Program

Take a good long look in the mirror… Before developing a training schedule it is important to know your body. What are your best features? Where do you want to improve? Take a photo if you need to and see what you look like. You may never have really, critically looked at your body and identified areas that are great or those that need more focus. It is often necessary to have a professional trainer that can provide you with direction, motivation and support. Many of the women that I personal train want to work on their stomachs, glutes and thighs – after all this is where we tend to hold our fat! See where you are now and go from there to develop a personalized workout program. If you would like help, please check out my website – www.julielohre.com for details on my personal training and my ‘Best Shape of your Life’ program.
Here is the training program that I followed as I prepared for the 2004 NPC National Fitness & Bodybuilding Championships where I earned my pro card. As you can see from my schedule legs, back and abs are what I chose to focus on by training them with higher frequency. The amount of weight I used varied based on my energy level, but I always strive to lift more and harder than I did the last time I was in the gym.
This program was developed by paying very close attention to what I saw in competition photos and feedback I received from judges.

Monday - Delts, Arms & Abs
Tri Set – 4 Sets of 6 for each exercise with no rest between
DB Lateral Raises
DB Front Raises
DB Overhead Press
25 Crunches between each Tri set
Superset - Cable Curls 3/8
Tricep Pushdowns 3/8
20 Hanging Leg Raises between each Super Set
Superset - Bench Tricep Dips 4/12
Elevated Pushups with hands close together 4/12
15 Ball Pike Ups between each set
Legs Heavy
Smith Squats 4/8
Weighted Walking Lunges 4/8
Straight Leg Dead lift 4/8
Superset:
Leg Extension 3/12
Lying Leg Curl 3/12
Elevated Glute Raises 4/30

Thursday PM - Chest, Back & Abs
Smith Bench Press 5/6-12
Pull-ups 4/8
25 Ball Crunches between each set
Ball Crunches
Superset:
Cable Cross Over 4/8
Seated Row 4/8
20 Leg Raises between each set
Pec Dec Flye 3/8
Reverse Pec Dec 3/8

Tuesday PM - Legs Light
Weighted Walking Lunges 4/16
Straight Leg Deadlift 4/16
Superset:
Leg Extension 3/12
Lying Leg Curl 3/12
Elevated Glute Raises 4/30
Stairmaster – 15 min of Intervals

Sunday - Back & Abs
Superset:
Lat Pulldowns 4/10
Crunches 4/25
Superset:
T-Bar Row 4/10
Leg Raises 4/16
Superset:
Bent over DB Rows 4/8
Backup Obliques 4/8/8

Diet
No amount of training is going to matter if you are eating the latest deep fried, super sized combo meal at any one of hundreds of fast food joints. Here is the diet that I have followed to make myself an IFBB Fitness Pro.

7:00 AM 3-4 Egg beater omelete with fat free cheese and veggies
½ c. Oatmeal topped with Splenda syrup
12:00 PM 6 oz chicken
One very large salad with low cal dressing
2:00 PM Protein Shake: 2 scoops Ultimate Muscle Protein Cookies and Creme
5:00 PM 6 oz fish, tuna or chicken
Side salad with low cal dressing
1 cup of mixed vegetables
8:00 PM 2 scoop Ultra Size cake with Fat Free Cool Whip or a protein shake

How to make the diet work for you.
I have found that creativity and experimentation are the keys to keeping on track with a fitness/bodybuilding diet. Look at the grocery store for new products that will spice up a plain chicken breast or provide fiber with very little calories. For me, low calorie syrup, fat free Cool Whip, no calorie salad dressing, no calorie spray butter and diet soft drinks are all tools of the trade that make it possible. Keep your options open and know when it would be better to splurge on an extra 50 calories tortilla rather than 500 calories in ice cream.

Supplements:
Quality & Results - These are the most important characteristics for me in a supplement. I choose Beverly International Supplements. With Beverly, I know that I am buying the highest quality supplements that will help me meet my goals. My personal consultant at Beverly, Mark Ritter, designed a supplement schedule that was able to kick my muscle definition and fat loss into high gear. The following is the pre-contest supplement regiment that has given me the edge over my competition.

Ms Power Pak – With Meal 1
7 Keto Musclean – 3 30 minutes prior to Meals 1 and 3
Lean Out – 2 30 minutes prior to each meal
Muscularity – 4 with each meal
Ultra 40 - 4 with each meal
GH Factor – 6 30 minutes prior to Meals 1 & 6 Before bed

Training:
I firmly believe that no training program will get you into phenomenal shape without out a good diet and great supplements. People tend to put a great deal of emphasis on lifting or cardio, but neglect their diet. You have to have it all together to get into really great shape.

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