WooHoo! Got a great pump on today!

I did arms today. For some reason, I dread doing arms lately. I think it's because I never seem to improve in strength, which leaves me stuck at the same weight for EONS. But I think I've figured out why.

I think I have been lifting for endurance, rather than strength. Before, I was lifting a weight until I reached 12 reps, then I went up in weight (usually seeming very heavy to me) and I would never progress in reps so I would "revamp" my workout routine and go back down to lighter weights so I had room to work up to that heavy range again. Only to give my workout another overhaul when I reached the dreaded heavy weight again.

No wonder I never progressed! I got scared too. I am always afraid of lifting a weight that's too heavy and straining or injuring myself.

Now, I am upping the weight. No fear! Some of it is heavier than I've ever dared to lift. Even though it might only be 6 reps. But I'm not taking that weight all the way up to 12 reps. When I get to 10 reps, I up the weight and take my reps down to 6. I am still desperately trying to get at least one more rep with each sessions so I can make use of that double progression theory. So far, it's working for me.

I am a little embarrassed to share the "heavy" weight I am using but right now, I am doing flys (or is it flyes - I've seen it spelled both ways) with 20lb dumbbells. It feels like my arms will detach and fall to the floor when I'm on my bench and I lift those suckers out to the side! But no fear, right?

Same with my shoulder presses and bicep curls, etc. I'm not waiting (and waiting and waiting) to get the 12 reps. I don't need that endurance. I want hypertrophy! I want definition that comes with BUILDING muscle!

I don't gain muscle easily. I try, honestly I do, to EAT. And eat right. Eating right is not the problem for me. Eating enough, is. At least, that is my theory since my muscles never grow. I've gone through just about EVERY combination of sets, reps, days of the week, resting, you name it...to put on a little muscle but I'm guess the ingredient I am missing is amount of food. Don't get me wrong, I do not eat like a bird. I can eat. A lot. I just don't think I time it properly.

Sure, I eat my big protein and healthy carb right after I lift so it goes right into those hungry muscles, but it hasn't been enough. I've upped my protein intake to where I should be able to grow. But it's HARD getting all that protein in some days, because, you know, some days a girl just wants to eat shredded wheat. Not shredded wheat AND a can of tuna! I'm a carb lover. Like most people I guess. Although I try to cut them way down two weeks out of the month.

Still, I'm like most women who really fear eating more to build muscle because we don't want to gain fat too. Right now, since bikini season is close at hand (although you'd never guess lookin' out my window), I don't want to focus on building muscle. I want to shave off the fat. But after summer, I'll be in build mode. Which means I will eat more calories than I typically do and keep lifting heavier. Then, come spring again, I will work strictly on losing the fat that may have accumulated with the muscle. Because that isn't super uncommon.

Right now I am upping my cardio. I love love LOVE intervals. Did I mention love? It is so nice to get on the treadmill, hit it hardcore for 30 minutes and get the hell off! If I knew I had to spend an hour on the treadmill day after day, I'd never do it. *snore* Repetitive. Boring. And it does nothing for fat loss. Ever wonder why those people that use strictly cardio for fat loss don't ever seem to lose fat? Adaptation. I should know. I trained for a half marathon after my 3rd child was born and I was running daily, but still skinny fat. Did nothing for my thighs, let me tell you.

That's when I started lifting weights. I picked up a dumbbell and never looked back!

This past month, in my first two weeks of hitting intervals, along with my strength training workouts and clean eating, I was sliding into jeans that were tight before with ease. Some were downright baggy! And that is after 2 weeks! Hells yeah! Love!