My motivation

Got my sweat on this morning - ran 45 minutes. Rest day for weights. 13 straight days of exercise!

My neck is really sore today, I need a rub.

I feel sort of drained. Hope I'm not getting sick. It's probably just my neck making my whole being feel crappy. I'll get over it.

Anyway, the point of my post is motivation. Do everything and anything in your power to motivate yourself. Here is what I look at while I'm running:



This is on the wall directly in front of my treadmill. These are big motivators for me.

And this is my workout calendar. I write everything on this thing. Type of exercise, reps, sets, load, amount of time, low/high carb day, anything that I was having trouble with or doing great with:



And this is my workout room. Nothing fancy, horrible 90's colors, but I'm happy to have it. It's my best friend. It invites me, it challenges me, it supports me, it kicks my butt. I love this room!




I think I need some artwork on the walls, it's a little bare!

lift, don't lift??

My husband instructed me NOT to lift weights this morning.

Actually, he said, "You aren't going to lift weights today, are you?"

ME: ".......uhhhh"

HIM: "You aren't going to.....are you?"

ME: ".......uhhhh"

HIM: [stares at me]

I didn't know what to say. My wrist is definitely not 100% but it feels better and there is no swelling. Today is just legs day so I'm not going to be straining it, just using it as a little "helper".

I would not be good in a serious injury situation. I just don't think I could handle the waiting. I know that is probably really stupid.

But on the upside, he DID give me permission to run. Oh joy.

Holy hiatus!

I've really been slacking with the posting! The last 4 workouts, actually! My, my...I need to be punished for this. Something along the lines of being sprayed with mud and forced to stand in soaking wet shoes for hours. Oh wait, I did that yesterday!

HAHA...

OK, OK, so it wasn't forced upon me, but it did happen. Our community just happens to be fighting a flood right now so I was helping with the sandbagging efforts yesterday. Of course that didn't stand in the way of my posting, I just thought I would throw that out there.

I still need to post my last four workouts.

I will also mention that I did NOT do my weight training sessions scheduled for Monday or Tuesday. I won't tell you why I didn't since it will just sound like excuses, and it would be true that my reasons ARE excuses. I feel a tad guilty about it because I have done extremely well being consistent with it up until this point. And I sort of don't feel guilty....because I've been consistent up until this point. Make sense?

Excuses: so I was intending on working out Monday evening since my day was busier than usual, but it just so happened that I was exhausted by evening and it didn't get done. I was going to workout yesterday, before sushi with my sister, but then my sister called and cancelled (again), so I was a little bummed and just didn't feel like it. Plus, I knew I was sandbagging later in the day and wanted to save my energy.

Now, today I'm a tad sore (but not terrible). And as I tell my mom, I'm no stranger to being sore (because I lift weights), so it won't affect me really. The worst is my wrist, which I have wrapped up right now. I had gotten my hand bent way back a few too many times yesterday. It hurts to twist and there is a funny popping noise. I'm hoping it's nothing serious. But I'll baby it for a day just to be sure.

Let's get on with it...

Lower body #1 - Monday March 8th
bb squat 3 x 12 @ 60lbs
stiff dead 3 x 12 @ 60lbs
leg ext. 3 x 12 @ 60lbs
standing calf 3 x 12 @ 60lbs
lying ball raise 3 x 12
ball crunch 3 x 10

Upper body #1- Tuesday March 9th
bench press 3 x 12 @ 50lbs
bent over row 3 x 12 @ 44lbs - 22lbs each arm
db shoulder press 3 x 10 @ 30lbs
skull crushers 3 x 10 @ 20lbs
bb bicep curl 3 x 10 @ 30lbs

Lower body #2 - Thursday March 11th
deadlift 3 x 12 @ 80lbs
ham curl 3 x 10 @ 42.5lbs
lunges 3 x 10 @ 60lbs - each leg
seated calf 3 x 12 @ 60lbs - each leg
db shrugs 3 x 12 @ 40lbs
decline crunch 3 x 12

Upper body #2 - Friday March 12th
dips 3 x 10
bb pullovers 3 x 12 @ 20lbs (and here is where I first messed up my left wrist)
lat raise 3 x 10 @ 24lbs
tricep ext. 3 x 10 @ 20lbs
conentration curls 3 x 12 @ 15lbs - each arm

And so that was last week. I was scheduled to take Saturday and Sunday off, which was a nice break (and perfect timing), then I had to screw up my rhythm this week. Oh well, stuff happens. Moving on...

I'm going to try and get back into it today. NO, I'm not going to TRY, I WILL!

New idea

But first, the exercise log...

Lower Body #1
BB Squat 3 x 10 @ 60lbs
Stiff-legged Deadlift 3 x 10 @ 60lbs
Leg Extensions 3 x 10 @ 60lbs
Standing Calf Raise 3 x 10 @ 60lbs
Lying Ball Raise 3 X 12
Ball Crunch 3 x 10

So I happened to stumble across this website www.leangains.com

The content is about Intermittent Fasting for Strength Training and Fat Loss.

I was fascinated to say the least. At first I sort of cringed when I read the word "fasting", because I'm not one to enjoy missing meals. But as I delved further into the blog, I realized that it doesn't seem a whole lot like fasting when a majority of it is done while you sleep!

This idea (referred to as IF - intermittent fasting), spoke to me because I have been like a hamster in a wheel, spinning and spinning without getting anywhere!

Einstein said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result." --My husband reminded me of this quote, and I saw it again that night as I read the leangains blog, I HAD to find out more!

Surprisingly, what he says in this blog (backed up by scientific research and testing, of course) is that eating frequently has no more of a beneficial effect on your metabolism than eating 3 bigger meals a day. WHAT? You mean ALL this time I have been timing my meals to eat every 2-3 hours, and it hasn't done a thing to stoke my "metabolic fire"??

The basics of IF are: you fast for 16 hours, then feed for 8 hours (for women though, the "sweet spot", as he says, is fasting for 14 hours rather than 16). My example would be to break the fast at 10am and my feeding window would be from 10am to 8pm, in which I would eat 3 bigger meals. I tried it yesterday, I didn't eat breakfast until 10am, I ate lunch at around 1:30pm after my weight training session, then ate dinner at 5pm and was done for the night by 6pm. Now, technically I could have eaten until 8pm but I was so satisfied that I didn't want to!

It wasn't surprising to find out that getting to eat 3 good sized meals, instead of 5-6 mini meals that always left me wanting more, made me feel incredibly satisfied. All while staying within the perfect calorie range! No kidding, after my second meal, I still had 1 whopping 1000 calories left to consume!! HELLO pasta dinner!

I really think that this is worth giving a try. For me, anyway. My problem these days is that I'm pretty lean, yet I had those stubborn areas where fat loves to hang on, no matter how hard I try to get rid of it. And I'm human, so no matter how good I do at eating pretty "clean", I manage to slip now and then. So, I am at a point where I've been eating not enough calories to build lean muscle and not few enough to lose fat. Hamster in a wheel.

It was time to try something new and this fell into my lap. So I am giving it a go. One day down and I'm really excited that it seems to work very well for me. Eating big meals keeps me from being hungry and snacking in between, therefore, resulting in fewer unnecessary calories. And being I will be eating most of my calories after my workout, my muscles (hopefully) won't suffer. I am going to find out if the elusive "lose fat while gaining lean muscle" holy grail of fitness, is attainable ;)

Please, if you get a chance, check out the website www.leangains.com. There is so much more to IF that I cannot mention. He gives all the details, how it works and how to implement it. Worth the read!

workout for Friday & Saturday

Friday 3/5/10

Deadlift: 10 @ 80lbs X 3
Leg Curl: 12 @ 40lbs, 8 @ 42.5 X 2
Lunges: 8 @ 60lbs X 3 (each leg)
Seated Calf Raise: 12 @ 60lbs, 12 @ 90lbs X 2
DB Shrugs: 10 @ 40lbs X 3
Decline Crunch: 10, 12, 10
Hyperextensions (supermans) 10 X 3

Saturday 3/6/10

Dips: 8, 10, 8
BB Pullovers: 10 @ 20lbs X 3
Lat. Raise: 9, 8, 8 @ 24lbs
Tricep Extensions: 11, 8, 8 @ 17lbs
Concentration Curls: 10 @ 15lbs X 2, 12 @ 12lbs (each arm)

Pretty boring, nothing new to report.

Today is my hubby's birthday. Last night, we went out to a fabulous Italian restaurant where I threw caution to the wind and ate lobster ravioli, bread dipped in oil and wine. OH LORD, I was in heaven. Today, I'll have a small piece of cake and then it's back to the grind.

Arms Day

Remember, all of these exercises are performed in 3 sets of 8-12 reps. If I can get higher than 12 reps, I need to increase the weight. If I can't make 8, I decrease the weight. I think I found a pretty good range for me right away. It helps to keep a log of the exercises that I do, reps, poundage, etc. That way, when I need a point of reference, I can just look back to previous days and find what I need!

Bench Press: 50lbs x 10, 10, 10
Bent Over row: 40lbs x 13, 45lbs x 10, 10 (see, I needed to increase there because I was able to get 13 reps)
DB Shoulder Press: 30lbs x 11, 8, 7
Skull Crushers: 20lbs x 8, 7, 5 (my arms were just shaking at this point)
Barbell Curl: 30lbs x 8, 8, 5

And afterward, my biceps felt just HUGE and tight from all the blood. It's such a crazy awesome feeling. Seriously, they felt like twice their normal size. Like, if I flexed they would just pop open! LOL

*And once again, I should note I got this routine from the bodybuilding.com website.

OUCH!

My last workout on Thursday pretty much kicked my butt. It left me very sore and a little immobile. I had planned on doing arms the next day, didn't happen. I was still just sore and kind of miffed about it. It didn't bother me so much because I was scheduled for a 2 day rest anyway, and that's what I took.

But I was back at it again this morning. I did legs again and arms too. I didn't like it. I mean, I like the new routine OK but I don't like doing arms and legs the same day, it's just too much. I didn't' time myself but I'm guessing it probably took me an hour. I was just wiped by the end. My last arm exercises probably suffered because of it. Doing 3 sets of each exercise is SO time consuming and draining. I really prefer my old way of one heavy set to failure and your done!

BUT, the whole point of this was that I needed a change due to the plateau. The question I am faced with now is, am I going to continue going every other day with arms and legs or am I going to figure something else out.

The bad thing (for me) about doing the every other day is that I really like my rest days in between workouts. It really works well into my life. So if I can just get over that, if I can live with only 1 rest day a week, then it will work. I don't know, I tend to over analyze everything.

So, I pretty much did the same legs workout as last time, with the 3 sets of 10, dropping the weight each time, but I added arms too.

side lat raise 12lbs, 10lbs, 8lbs
chest press 50lbs, 40lbs, 30lbs
bicep curls 17lbs, 15lbs, 12lbs (each arm)
row 50lbs, 40lbs, 30lbs
dips

I am wondering, is this enough to add muscle mass? I know that I have read adding sets and using lighter weight does NOT add muscle. If that is the case...HELP! I need advice. I wish I had someone to ask these questions!

Well, wonder how I will feel tomorrow?

OH NO PLATEAU

Well, I knew it was inevitable, I have officially hit a plateau. What that means (if you don't already know) is that I am not really progressing anymore in my strength gains and in some cases I find myself even going backwards. To give an example, I seemed to have been stuck on 35lb bicep curls for a long time but FINALLY powered thru on a really good day, got all ten reps and moved on up to 40lbs....where I am perpetually stuck. Usually getting 3-5 reps, or more if I use the rest-pause method (which is how I was able to get past 35lbs). Anyway, I used the rest-pause to get up to seven reps but without doing that, I could only get 4. Then the next workout, I could only get 3. Are you kidding me? I'm actually going backwards here??? SO NOT FAIR!!

But you know what? I'm not going to get frustrated. I am NOT going to get all pouty and whiny about it and sit on the floor in my workout clothes and just cry. (not anymore) I'm going to use the fact that I've plateaued in a positive way. Here's how:

Our bodies are efficient machines. They adapt to stress very quickly. Once you have adapted to a workout, you stop making progress with it as your body becomes used to the same old moves. A plateau is just an alarm, so to speak, a mechanism your body has to let you know "hey, I'm bored here! Let's move on to something else, change it up a bit!". So I'm going to look at hitting a plateau as a good thing, at least my body is telling me it's time to change. It's giving me the opportunity to break the monotony and implement something new, to prevent bordem, and to take my gains to new heights.

So that's what I'm going to do, starting with my next workout. I can change it up many ways: I can either change exercise moves, I can change number of reps and/or sets, I can incorporate super sets or drops sets....it's all about getting creative. And having fun!

And here is my workout from last night:

Squats - 100lbs (wasn't feeling very strong, could barely get started but once in a groove I was able to get 8, although I'm pretty sure I didn't go as low as I should have.
Leg curl - 40lbs
Stiff-Legged Deadlift - 75lbs
BB Incline Press 50lbs
BB Row 50lbs
BB Shoulder Press 45lbs
BB Bicep Curl 40lbs
Skull Crushers
Abs - crunches, hip lifts, bicycle

I met a goal!

Here is my last workout (Sunday Feb. 21, 2010)

First of all let me say that I have met a personal goal - deadlifting 100lbs 10 times! I will have to set a new goal for myself (and probably buy another set of weight plates soon)!

Squats - 95lbs
Lunges - should have done 70lbs but only did 1 set at 30lbs
Romanian Deadlifts - 100lbs
BB Bench Press - 60lbs
BB Row - 60lbs
BB Shoulder Press - 45lbs
BB Bicep Curl - 40lbs
BB Lying Tricep Extension - 30lbs

What if I didn't lift weights??

I was thinking about this last night before drifting off to sleep. It's a logical question to be asking myself. A lot of the time I find myself wondering WHY I do this, why is lifting become SO important to me? Why is it so important to me to eat healthy food. What is the REAL honest to God answer? And could I be happy if I didn't do it?

What if I were to give it up and not be fanatical fitness? I could eat cake whenever I wanted, drink more wine, eat more pizza. But I don't think it would make me happy. I've tried it. I feel immensely guilty when I indulge too much, when I act like I don't give a crap.

Because I do care. I care about taking care of my body. I care about setting a good example for my kids. I care about enjoying myself as I age instead of dealing with health issues (that can be avoided).

I love cake, and french fries, and greasy cheeseburgers and pizza. But is it worth eating it ALL the time without regard to my health? Is the 15 minutes of pleasure I get from eating these things worth it, if the rest of the day I feel guilty and sluggish and horrible? The answer is NO! I can still enjoy wonderful tasting food, healthy food doesn't have to mean tasteless! And I can have a cheat meal now and then. We all could benefit from moderation.

The truth is, it has become so ingrained into my life, it's become habit to eat healthfully and to exercise my body. Not only do I know that it is good for me, but I ENJOY it! I enjoy seeing my strength increase, I enjoy watching my body change, I enjoy knowing that the food I put into my mouth will decrease my chances of getting certain disease and illness.

I am healthy and proud!

I try to spread the passion and excitement I feel for taking care of myself and my family. Most of the time, I probably just annoy people with it. But if I can inspire just one person, make a difference to someone, it's worth it. Yeah, I've heard the phrase "Eat right, exercise, die anyway" but that's just the wrong attitude to have, in my opinion. That's the lazy pessimist view. You only get one body, one chance at life. It's a gift. We should all do the best with what we've been given. Plus, we have a responsibility to our children, to make sure they know what's going to make their body (and by extension, their lives) thrive.

I'm no better than the next person. If you choose to live your life without the joy of exercise, that's your journey, your choice. But if you feel like your life is missing something, if you aren't completely happy, if you want to feel great, look great, and boost your mood naturally (and by extension, make everyone around you happy too)....pick up a dumbbell! Give it a try! It might just be the best thing you ever did!

Sometimes I don't feel strong...

In the last post, I felt strong. I banged out 10 squats EASILY with 90lbs resting on my shoulder blades. I am close to my goal, very close! At the next workout, I barely (and by barely I mean, my legs almost didn't straighten me up to standing) made 8 reps with only 5 more pounds (95lbs). What up wit dat?

Was I just not feeling it that day? Did I not eat enough to power me thru the workout? Did I not sleep enough? I am constantly trying to troubleshoot EVERYTHING. Well, whatever. Here's the rest of my workout that was on Thursday the 18th of February:

Squats 95lbs 8 reps
Leg Curl 40 lbs 8 reps - this is pretty easy but I am really moving the weight slow and concentrating on absolute PERFECT form so that I'm ONLY using my hamstrings to lift this weight.
Stiff-Legged Deadlift 75lbs 8 reps - could have done 10 but don't want to push the stiffs too fast
BB Incline Press 50lbs - needed to be 7, got 8
BB Row 60lbs - needed to beat 8, got 9...but DANG, gettin hard
BB Shoulder Press 45lbs - went up from 40lbs last week, got 4...yikes
BB Bicep Curl 40lbs - needed to beat 7, could only get 4....????? Depressing when that happens
BB Lying Tricep Extension 30lbs - needed to beat 6, got 7. Now this in my opinion, is one odd exercise. You lay on the floor holding the barbell straight up. Then, you slowly bend at the elbows while keeping the rest of your arm straight up, bringing the bar to your forehead. Then push back up again. It is a fun exercise, I like it. But it feels so odd and unnatural. Plus I have this stupid elbow injury, a fracture many years ago that leaves me favoring it still today. I hate injuries.
Calf Raises - Oops! I forgot these puppies.
Abs - boring old crunches with a 25lb weight plate, hip lifts and bicycle.

On a side note, I have noticed the muscle in my arms getting bigger! Not by leaps and bounds, but by tiny woman standards. It's an improvement, one that I am immensely proud of, even though my husband is less than impressed. I don't let that bother me though, just as long as he keeps spotting me until I get a squat rack ;)

Seriously though, the muscle growth in my arms is super exciting to me because do you know what that means??? It means that if the muscles in my arms are getting visibly bigger, it must mean that the same thing is happening to my legs!! And THAT, my friends, is the WHOLE REASON for my incredibly powerful addiction to weight lifting!!

And, on a side side note, talking about my husband being less than impressed with this whole thing involving me weight lifting; besides the fact that he is constantly afraid that I will put a crack in the foundation of our basement (if I should ever drop 100lbs while failing to bring my squat back up)...thaaaaat's right, he's more afraid of that than me hurting MYSELF, I don't think he's into muscular woman. (pretty sure that was a big run on sentence but I care not)

And the funny thing about that is he is one of the biggest reasons I am doing this. Aside from my fascination with being as fit as possible and building up my leg muscles to make the appearance of less jiggle and flab, I want HIM to be impressed by the way I look. I want him to be proud to have me as a wife. I want him to be happy too. And I know he already is. He constantly tells me. He wouldn't care if I gave up weightlifting and used lifting chocolate to my mouth as a workout (with him) most nights a week.

I showed him a picture of a woman (a friend of mine on BB.com) who battled with anorexia most of her life but started weightlifting and is now one of the best bodies (I think) on the whole site. She is tiny yet muscular and beautiful. I showed him this because he thinks woman can't build muscle. I've tried to explain that sure, they can't build muscle like a man but it IS possible to add muscle mass. So, I showed him her pictures and all he said was "That's a bit too muscular for my taste". But she is one of my motivators because if she can look the way she does (and believe me, it's amazing), if she can go from skin and bones to muscle, I can build muscle too. Getting back to my hubs, I know, I know, he likes the soft feminine contours of the female body. I don't plan on losing that, just firming up. And the only way (THE ONLY WAY) I will ever do that is to build muscle. Period.

But then again, I might find it so empowering, so exhilarating, I won't want to stop there! It is SUCH a powerful trip to see and feel yourself improving. I feel powerful, I feel successful, I feel extraordinary. And THAT is what I want to be....

EXTRA ordinary. Because anyone can be ordinary.

Getting close to a goal!

I haven't posted my last two workouts so here they are:

SUNDAY:
squats 85lbs
leg curl 37.5lbs
stiff-legged deadlifts 70lbs
bb incline press 50lbs
bb row 60lbs
bb shoulder press 40lbs
bb bicep curl 40lbs
bb lying tricep ext. 25lbs
calf raises
abs - crunches 25lbs, hip lifts, bicycle

TUESDAY:
squats 90lbs (10 pounds away from my goal of 10 reps @ 100lbs! Happened a lot sooner than I anticipated)
lunges 65lbs
romanian deadlifts 100lbs (got to my goal weight of 100lbs, now to get all 10 reps - made 6 so far)
bb bench press 55lbs
bb shoulder press 40lbs (these are so dang hard for me - my right shoulder gives me problems...but I managed to get all 10. I did 7, rested about 10 seconds, then did 2 more, rested about 10 seconds and then did the last one - barely!) Wonder if I should stay at 40lbs until I can crank out all 10 at once????
bb bicep curl 40lbs (had to beat my last rep count of 6, but I could only get 5 out at once, then had to rest like on shoulders, before I could get the last two - barely!) Wondering what's up...plateau?? Not eating enough calories to make my muscles grow?? The hubs thinks it's not possible for my muscles to grow since I'm a woman. I say, of course it's possible! Just not to the same extent that a man can!
bb lying tricep ext. 30lbs
donkey calf raises (hanna)
ab side bends 30lbs

I'm getting more and more nervous as I am increasing in weight. I feel like I am at a point where, my gains are going to be VERY slow. That's OK with me, even if it's just ONE rep more at each workout. But when I can't get that one more rep without a rest, it gets me to wonder, what should I do?? Especially when it comes to my arms. I need to research a little more about that I guess.

Saturday 2/6/10

WORKOUT B

Squats 75lbs - got all 10 here, will move up to 80lbs
Lunges 60lbs - got 5 each leg
Romanian Deadlifts 95lbs - got 8 YESSSSSS!!!!
BB Bench Press 50lbs - got 10, moving up to 55lbs
BB Row 50lbs - got 10, moving up to 55lbs
BB Shoulder Press 40lbs - beat my last rep count by 2!!
BB Bicep Curl 35lbs - beat my last rep count by 3!!
Lying Tricep Extensions 20lbs - despite shaking like crazy, I beat my last rep count by 3!!
BB Calf Raises 60lbs - got an easy twenty, moving up to 70lbs
Abs - side bends at 25lbs - got an easy 10 each side

I really kicked butt tonight. I get so worried sometimes at how hard a workout is and wonder if it's possible that I will be able to get even one more rep next time. But I surpassed just one extra rep on every exercise. I ended up pounding out 2-3 MORE on each one! I think it was because I was really into a mental zone, concentrating hard and telling my body before each lift that it WILL lift this weight to such and such a rep and BAM!

I have been practicing "mind exercises" as well and it's really paying off!

I haven't been listing my food log at all these days. Probably due to the fact that since I'm not "dieting" or trying to cut back on any one particular thing, eating right just comes a lot easier. I have been trying to stick to the same foods every day though, just to make it easier. The only thing I need to improve on is getting my veggies in. I'm basically eating carbs and protein but omitting the veggies. That needs improvement. I found a formula that really keeps me energized and satisfied all day long so I'll keep on it until I get sick of it. Here it is:

Breakfast: Egg white, turkey sausage, cheese, english muffin sandwich (Jimmy Dean LIGHT - 260 calories)

Snack: plain oatmeal with cinnamon and stevia to taste and ground flax seed and wheat germ added for health

Lunch: 2 slices 100% whole wheat natural bread, with natural peanut butter and jelly

Snack: FiberOne cereal, skim milk

Dinner: This is what changes every day. Obviously I can't feed the family the same thing day after day! But it's always healthy, fajitas, low fat chili with lots of legumes, salmon, chicken, etc. I find some of the best recipes from the following books:

The Abs Diet
Eat Up, Slim Down
YOU on a Diet
Flip the Switch

And because of the way I've kept myself full of fiber and protein during the day, I am only hungry enough at night for one small serving of dinner! Big servings and seconds were always my weakness before. But now, I even can keep spaghetti to a 1 cup serving! And then if it's a non-workout day I'll have a slow digesting protein before bed (like cottage cheese) and if it's a workout day, (I do weights in the evening so Andreas can be my spotter with squats) I have a protein shake or a protein bar.

I haven't even felt the URGE to cheat the past couple weeks. It's weird! Even if the whole family is porking down chocolate and donuts, I don't bat an eye! I have an 80% cocao chocolate bar in the cupboard if I need something with my after dinner coffee (and it's full of antioxidants so bonus bonus!)

Thursday 2/4/10

Workout A - (modified a bit)

Squats 75lbs
(skipped extensions today - I read yesterday that this is an exercise that can cause injury? And since I'm so paranoid of injuring myself, especially my knees, I decided that I could build my quads just fine with squats)
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts - decided to give these a whirl. I usually do Romanian Deadlifts, where the knees are bent, simply because I have tight hams. But, I did a good warm up set with light weight and them attempted them. I used 60lbs for my "actual" set and it was doable. I do really need to work on stretching EVERY day so that I'm not so tight. Anyway, the reason for the change was that I read (again with the reading LOL) stiff deads build the hamstrings better. Plus, I'm getting up to some pretty heavy weight on Romanians and I was starting to get worried (again with the worrying LOL) about sacrificing form. Slow and steady wins the race!
BB Bench Press 50lbs (seriously, I canNOT believe I'm benching 50 pounds! Remember...I'm fairly little)
No chest flyes either, sticking with bread and butter moves.
BB Row 50lbs
BB Shoulder Press 40lbs - this is where I'm a wuss, could only do 4
BB Bicep Curl - didn't move the weight up to 40 even though I got 10 reps out of 35lbs last time. See, the thing is, to get all ten reps, I had to go fast and furious, arching my back to get those last few reps up. And in those cases, where form was sacrificed, it doesn't count. I read that it is easy to over train biceps so you should build up the weight slowly and gradually, or you will see very limited gains in size and strength. The frustrating thing is that it seems as though I've been hovering around 30-35lbs FOREVER! Seriously, before I got a weight bench I was using 15 pound dumbbells for my curls. Granted, I was easily getting all 10 reps, it seems like pushing it higher isn't producing gains in strength. Maybe my biceps have plateaued. In that case, I better come up with a plan for those little buggers!!
Lying Tricep Extensions 20lbs - this is different from my original workout also. I read that these are great for building triceps (which are the biggest muscle in the arm). It reminds me of skull crushers except with the bar instead of dumbbells. Same principal of keeping elbows up straight and bringing the weight to the forehead. These are TOUGH! Could only get 5 (with shaking arms). I attempted a 6th but had to drop the weight behind my head.
Donkey calf raises - with Eden on my back, she's a bit light though. Maybe I'll try with Hanna next time. She almost weighs as much as me now, I'm only 15 pounds heavier! And she's 12! Told you I was little! Hence, the weight lifting. Hoping it will help. I want to gain muscle though, NOT FAT!
Abs - crunch 25lb plate, lower ab leg lift, bicycle

And that is the "new" workout. I'm sticking to what should be the "bread and butter" of a workout. Compound movements (and yes, I know I have some isolation in there too).

Tuesday & Wednesday

Rest days from weights. But I did do some interval training (HIIT) - which is 20 minutes on the treadmill, alternating between high and low intensity. And, in addition to the HIIT, I did a butt blaster (Wednesday). It's a series of 4 moves which are supposed to build a nice round butt ;) just twice a week. Not sure the point at which you are supposed to notice a difference tho...3 months maybe?? Anyway, I did 3 sets of each exercise and 8 reps of each.

I just felt the need to get some cardio in. It really felt wonderful, to tell you the truth. I couldn't help but smile the whole time I was doing it. I LOVE the way exercising can just lift your mood from good to GREAT!

So far I have successfully completed 2 solid weeks of training. I haven't noticed any gains in muscle size necessarily, but that will come eventually. I just hope I'm eating enough! I always worry that I'm not eating enough to fuel my muscles but when I do eat more (clean food, mind you) I'm worried I'm eating too much and will gain fat!!! It's such a double edged sword, this eating thing!

Monday 2/1/10

Workout B

Lunges 60lbs
Extensions 95lbs
Deadlifts 90lbs
Leg Curl 55lbs
BB Incline Press 45lbs
BB Row 45lbs
DB Pullover 2-12lb dbs
BB Shoulder Press 35lbs
BB Bicep Curl 35lbs
Skull Crushers 2-12lb dbs
Abs-Side Bends 20lbs

OK, two full workout weeks done already! Wow, that went fast! Now I get to look forward to 2 days of rest before I hit it hard again on Thursday.

Saturday 1/130/10

Workout A

Squats 70lbs
Extensions 90lbs
Deadlifts 90lbs
BB Bench Press 45lbs
Inclince DB Flyes 2-15lb dbs
Alt. DB Rows 20lbs
BB Shoulder Press 35lbs
BB Bicep Curl 35lbs
Tricep Kickbacks 10lb db
BB Calf Raise 50lbs
Ab Crunch 25lb plate, leg lifts, bicycle

I am supposes to be alternating between dumbbells and the barbell on some exercises but I have been just sticking to the barbell in those cases. It's hard to substitute the dumbbells when the heaviest I have are 15 pounds and then I end up using the small bars with the weight plates. That becomes to bulky for me, especially on moves where I need to be keeping the weight close to my body (i.e. rows, kickbacks, etc.). It's also very time consuming the way it is having to add or remove weight from the bar between each exercise. My goal is to keep moving as quickly as possible (little rest between moves) to keep my heart rate up.

But other than that, workouts are going well! I am so happy with my progress. Here is a progress picture of my back/shoulders/arms. One day I will be brave enough to show my leg progress as well!

Thursday

Tuesday and Wednesday were rest days. I work out 3 days per week, with one rest day in between and 2 after the 3rd workout. Just FYI.

Thursday 1/28/10

WORKOUT B

Lunges 45lbs too easy
Extensions 85lbs
Deadlift 90lbs
Leg Curl 55lbs
BB Incline Press 40lbs
BB Row 40lbs
DB Pullover 2-10lb dbs
BB Shoulder Press 35lbs
BB Bicep Curl 35lbs
Skull Crushers 2-10lb dbs
Abs - DB Side Bend 15lb db

It's so exciting to progress at every workout! Whenever I know I have a hard lift ahead of me, I take a couple of nice deep cleansing breaths and go for it. I know it's going to be hard but I also know that I can do it. I can do it because I'm getting stronger every day.

The 90lb deadlifts are a challenge. The biggest challenge, though, is mental. I am constantly worried that I am not doing them with proper form. I think, "Is my back straight enough? Am I really using my hamstrings to lift this weight or am I putting too much strain on my back?" I need to quit that! I guess if I weren't lifting it right, my back would hurt the next day, and my back never hurts! (knock on wood!) Another thing that I think about is "Are my hamstrings sore enough from lifting that weight?". I mean, sure, I get sore, but not as sore as I think I should be. Oh the mind is a funny thing! And I am always the most sore 2 days after a lift.

My arms are pretty small, so my progression seems small but I WILL be patient. I will persevere.

By the way, I am reading a book called "Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude" and it's a GREAT book for me. I had noticed that I was starting to become a bit negative about things, complaining too much. I wanted to turn that around before it got to be too bad and my husband couldn't' stand to be around me anymore! I was cutting myself down too much. Now, I am telling myself every day how beautiful I am, inside and out. I am consciously making a great effort to ALWAYS see the positive side of things. I am making an effort to be the most pleasant person I can be. Because no one likes to be around a crabby negative person!

Monday, Day 16

16 days into my calorie zig-zagging and cardio party...

Breakfast: scrambled eggs (1 whole, 3 whites)

Snack: none

Lunch: Turkey, bacon, cheese flat bread melt (calories 300?), Fiber One cereal, 1% milk (I was a hungry girl because I had a tiny breakfast and no snack...I know better than to do this)

Snack: Fiber One cereal, 1% milk, 1 oz. 60% dark chocolate

Dinner: brown rice and sirloin stir fry (yep, I had carbs. But I didn't stop there...) 2 slices whole grain bread w/apricot preserves and farmers cheese

WORKOUT: none

As you can see, I'm having a hard time getting off the carbs again. This is a common occurrence for me when I have a slip up. BUT, tomorrow is another day. I can say with confidence that I'm back to exercising (and I can say this because I always blog about the previous day...so it's actually Tuesday as I write about Monday....and I've sculpted my body for the day. More on that tomorrow)

Not much time left for carb cycling and cardio fanatic-ness. I can manage to get about 3 more cycles in.

Day 12, Thursday

HIGH DAY

Breakfast: 1/2 protein shake w/oatmeal & strawberries

AM Snack: 4 egg white omelet w/scallions & Havarti cheese

WORKOUT: 45 minute yoga session

Lunch: 12 shrimp w/cocktail sauce

PM Snack: Fiber One cereal

Dinner: 1 beef enchilada, glass red wine

WORKOUT: 30 minute walk at incline

OVERALL: It was a high day but I didn't want to go overboard since I technically treated yesterday as a high day. But since it was already in our menu plans to have enchiladas I just ate it. The carb obviously was the tortilla but it was a multi-grain tortilla with Omega-3 and 3 grams of fiber. And it was home made, not processed.

As far as exercise goes, I felt kind of like I was hit by a bus and not sure why. My back muscles were sore, my legs muscles were sore and it hurt to move! I thought I might be getting sick because it couldn't have been from working out. I haven't changed a thing in my workout routine for the past almost 2 weeks, I couldn't be sore from that, could I? Well, I never did get sick so I guess I must have just worked really hard. Still odd to all of a sudden get sore like that. Anyway, I thought I better take it a little easy today without taking a rest day so I did yoga (which felt great to stretch my sore muscles) and then after dinner I was feeling more energized than normal so I got a hill walk in too. Worked up a nice sweat during both sessions.

Also, my right shoulder has been "grinding" a bit lately when I do front lat. raises and windmills and such. I'm SO AFRAID of injury, that would be devastating. So I have omitted the shoulders exercising for the most part. I think I'll give it some rest for a good couple days. Maybe I need to take some joint lubing supplements.

We are off to Minneapolis for the weekend. That will be a challenge for me. I have to keep up with my exercising (at least the hotel has a fitness room) and diet. It's always hard for me to stick to a strict plan when we eat out. Of course the hotel has an awesome breakfast sitting out every morning (donuts and sausage are among the choices), but they have healthy options so I will still be able to eat sensibly. Still, it's a BIG challenge! But I'm committed and I know I can do it. I'll try to keep up with my posts but I might not get to it every day. I'll still post what I ate each day, even if I do it all Monday when we get back.