Picture this: you’ve been diligently following your prep plan, pushing yourself through workouts and adhering to a strict diet regimen. Initially, everything seems to be progressing smoothly—your body is responding, and you’re inching closer to your desired stage-ready physique. But then, suddenly, progress screeches to a halt. Visual changes become elusive, the number on the scale refuses to budge, fatigue begins to mount.
Experiencing major stalls in fat loss and progress poses a significant challenge for females striving to achieve peak conditioning for the stage. These plateaus not only hinder physical transformation but also have psychological effects. Athletes can feel defeated or helpless with stalled progress, leading to potential adherence and compliance issues.
Restoring to Extremes
Depending on the individual’s coping mechanisms, they may resort to desperate or extreme measures behind the scenes, such as increasing cardio, deviating from prescribed meal plans, or adjusting PEDs. These issues lead to “running the gauntlet,” in the final stretch of prep. Unfortunately, this leaves little time for rest and recovery, which is crucial for achieving the optimal stage-ready physique.
J3U Stalled Fat Loss Case Study
A 31 y/o Wellness athlete, ICU nurse working straight night shifts, also married to a shift worker, and Mom to 2 year old toddler. 10 weeks into prep with a different coach, at 14 weeks out, faced setbacks. She was incredibly frustrated as she had been dialed with compliance. There was zero deviation from nutrition, cardio and training, yet visuals stagnated, weight increased, and fatigue was compounding. There had been little to no communication with her previous coach, and she was seeking a coaching relationship that was more of a collaboration. She put high value on understanding the process.
A thorough assessment showed several issues demanding attention.
What were the findings?
- Inconsistent Approach: Discrepancies in cardio, step count, and daily metrics tracking.
- Nutritional Deficiencies: Lack of a structured prep strategy, insufficient protein intake, and absence of high-volume foods to alleviate hunger.
- Excessive Training Volume: Overexertion hindering progress.
- Poor PED Protocol: High dose NPP causing weight fluctuations and undermining visual improvements.
Actions to Fix the Stall:
- Intervention: Immediate suspension of the ineffective PED protocol and collaboration with a Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) clinic for comprehensive bloodwork.
- Informed Action: Blood tests revealed downregulation of thyroid hormones, progesterone, and estrogen. Prescription adjustments were made, and a more suitable PED protocol of low dose Primobolan was implemented.
- Customized Approach: Tailored training and cardio schedules around the client’s shift work to prioritize recovery.
- Nutritional Optimization: Revision of meal plans to support lower calorie intake with higher food volume, eliminating liquid meals in favor of whole foods, and strategic meal timing to accommodate long night shifts.
- Training Refinement: Reduction of training volume while aligning workouts with division requirements and enhancing recovery.
- Monitoring: Implementation of detailed daily biofeedback tracking and increased check-in frequency to twice a week for closer monitoring of progress and adjustments.
Addressing fat loss challenges in female athletes during contest prep requires a nuanced understanding of their unique physiology. Coaching women in this context demands a high level of skill and expertise. By understanding the complexities of female physiology and implementing targeted solutions, I was able to guide this athlete to achieve conditioning required for her division.
With implementation of the above variables, it improved her baseline hormone environment, prioritized consistency and communication, which set up the rest of contest prep to be incredibly successful. She went on to win her class and the overall at her show and move forward into a productive improvement season.
Tired of Tired of struggling with female fat loss stalls or progress at all?
Get your complimentary exploratory call HERE with our J3U team and work with Jamie or another J3U coach.
Jamie Granville, J3U Coach
