From Bookworm to Bikini: The Grand Finale

By Caroline Gick Since we’ve been away, Caroline Gick has competed in her figure contest, capping off her three month preparation process. To let you know how it turned out, here are her last two posts, presented in two parts: Peak Week I’ve entered “Peak Week”—the final days leading up to my … [Read more...]

From Bookworm to Bikini: Week Eleven

By Caroline Gick It’s amazing to think I’m just two weeks away from getting on stage. The past two and a half months have gone by quickly, and I’m feeling confident that I’ll be ready by May 11th, the day of my show. … [Read more...]

From Bookworm to Bikini: Week Ten

By Caroline Gick What’s your favorite body part? My shoulders are definitely mine. I like them now, and I like them even better compared to what they used to be. Every time I see my shoulders in the mirror, I have a clear reminder of what hard, focused work can do for me. This makes me proud of … [Read more...]

From Bookworm to Bikini: Week Nine

By Caroline Gick Last week was all about training. This week, I want to talk about my diet. I’m at the four-week mark—in terms of time remaining until my show—and my challenge over these next thirty days will be to lean out in certain areas while not getting too hard and vascular in others. To … [Read more...]

From Bookworm to Bikini: Week Eight

By Caroline Gick CAUTION: FITNESS BUZZWORD AHEAD. Balance. We see and hear this word everywhere. Most times, people use it to talk about obtaining and maintaining it in their lives. They want a healthy combination of work, family, training, and everything else that goes into a productive week. I’d … [Read more...]

From Bookworm to Bikini: Week Seven

By Caroline Gick Last week was all about shit. I felt like shit, I looked like shit, and I didn’t want to do shit—unless we’re talking about beating the shit out of anyone who tried to motivate me with any positive, “can do” type of shit. I couldn’t even muster the energy to do that, though, so I … [Read more...]

From Bookworm to Bikini: Week Six

By Caroline Gick I now have seven weeks until the Contra Costa Bodybuilding Championships, and it’s time to think about all those “other” things I need to do in preparation for competition: Things like membership applications, entry forms, tanning appointments, hair, makeup, and choosing my posing … [Read more...]

From Bookworm to Bikini: Week Five

By Caroline Gick I have two months before my competition, so if I wanted to, I could still structure my carb nites the same way on my contest prep diet for another few weeks. For a variety of reasons, however, I think I’ll be more successful if I start taking a stricter approach to my refeeds … [Read more...]

From Bookworm to Bikini: Week Four

By Caroline Gick Last week I presented a general overview of the type of Shockwave Protocol training I do, showing you what my weekly training split looks like. This week, I want to get into some specifics when it comes to my actual training days. I’ve always felt as though workout diaries and … [Read more...]

From Bookworm to Bikini: Week Three

By Caroline Gick I use the Shockwave protocol because it lets me maintain and add muscle at the same time as I’m stripping off body fat. It’s the perfect plan for getting ready for competition. In fact, I’ve adopted Shockwave for my regular training, and not just for contest prep. What has … [Read more...]