Bikini Body Diet and Training to Help You Get Better, Faster

In this article I hope I can help you a little in the same way that Julie helped me. I’m going to concentrate on just what I did – diet, supplements, training, cardio and presentation tips that helped me improve so much in such a short period of time.

Diet & Supplements

Most important is diet. That’s what Julie had me focus on from day 1, and I attribute at least 80% of my improvement to my new diet and supplement routine. I saw results almost immediately when I started Julie’s recommended diet and supplement plan listed below.

Meal 1:
4 egg whites
1 whole egg scrambled with 3oz lean protein
½ cup oatmeal

Meal 2:
2 scoop Beverly International UMP shake

Meal 3:
5 oz. lean protein
½ cup brown rice
2 cups vegetables

Meal 4:
1-2 scoops of UMP (sometimes with ¼ cup almonds for healthy fats)

Meal 5:
5 oz. lean protein

2 cups vegetables

Meal 6:
UMP pudding (made with UMP and sugar free pudding mix or sugar free cool whip and berries)

This diet made my body efficient at burning fat and gave me a lot more energy to power through my work and workouts. I did have one problem at the start though. I work long hours at the hospital and being a critical care nurse doesn’t allow much time for food breaks. Julie suggested I try UMP. I was a little hesitant. I had tried many, many different protein shakes and powders and could never find one that I could tolerate. They either tasted awful, were too chalky, or the nutritional contents were not within my nutritional constraints. But, after trying UMP vanilla my problem was solved. Now I can quickly get an UMP shake in between meals at work. Made life on the go a bit easier, and my diet more effective and tastier too!!! Oh, by the way… I quickly ordered the cookies and crème and chocolate flavors for more variety.

I always designate one day to prepare my food meals for the week. At first it seemed like a lot of work but as I developed a routine it became easy. The big advantages are (1) there is no guess work, (2) the meals are already prepared in advance, I just have to grab and go, and (3) there is little room for slip ups.

Supplements

I take 3 EFA Gold every morning with meal #1 and a multi vitamin like Fit Tabs to cover all the bases; I think it helped keep my hair and nails looking good, too.

I take Lean Out before each meal: Helps with fat metabolism and regulates my cravings for sweets!!

2 scoops of UMP for meals 2 and 4 (did I mention it’s the BEST protein powder out there!)

Before training I take Glutamine Select, to help with my endurance and reduce soreness after workouts.

Training

Monday: Chest, Biceps, Abs

Chest (elevated pushups, flat bench press, flyes, incline bench press, cable cross over);

Biceps (reverse grip pull-ups, curls, hammer curls). You can choose 3 of the chest exercises and superset them with each of the three bicep exercises (for example do one set of elevated pushups and immediately follow with one set of reverse grip pull-ups). I do 4 sets of 12 reps on each exercise.

Abs (weighted floor crunch, oblique crunch) go for the burn!

Tuesday: Legs

Two circuits 30 reps each exercise (15 on each leg for single leg exercises)

Circuit one: Plié squats, jumping switch lunges, DB side squats (side to side), deadlift

Circuit two: Walking lunges, shoulder width squats, floor glute pulses, single leg split squat

Note: Many of these exercises are illustrated at www.JulieLohre.com, click on the Exercise Library tab at top.

Wednesday: Shoulders and Triceps

Shoulders (full range lateral raises, reverse pec dec, front raises, shoulder press, Arnold press, shrugs)

Triceps (triceps dips, triceps kickbacks, close hand pushups, overhead triceps extension)

4 sets of 12 reps each

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Plyometrics supersets:

20,18,16,14 reps with push-ups 20,18,16,14

Bench rebounds 20,20,20,20 with pulsing floor glute raises 20,20,20,20

Lunge with front kick 10,10,10,10 with frog squat jumps 10,10,10,10

Repeat all of the above three times!

Ab circuit: 15 reps per exercise ball pike ups, hand to ball passes, leg raises/leg lifts

Cardio

My favorite types of cardio are plyometrics and the Stairmaster machine!!! I typically do four thirty minute cardio sessions a week along with one high intensity session, i.e. a soccer game or spin class. A good playlist is my best tip for helping you through your cardio sessions. Without music, cardio can be quite dull and daunting.

Presentation

Presentation is a HUGE part of competing. Don’t take it lightly. I start my suit selection 2-3 months before a show. I look for a suit which complements my structure as well as my hair, eye, and skin coloring. I schedule my spray tan appointment and make-up at least a month out.

Posing was one of my biggest challenges. Whether on stage or just practicing in front of a few people, I would get so nervous that I’d start shaking uncontrollably. Working with Julie and continually practicing in front of friends/family/and fellow gym goers, I finally started feeling more comfortable. I found that listening to music before going on stage also helps me relax. Now that I’ve let those worries go, I am able to enjoy the moment and give my best presentation. When you prepare yourself completely physically and mentally, being on stage and hearing everyone cheer can be almost addicting. Remember, all the hard work is done, now is YOUR time to shine! It’s totally worth all the blood, sweat and tears!!