Phase 3 - kicking my ASS!!

Wow.

I had back/arms/abs/sprints today.

I was so wiped by the end of the weight training portion that I had to leave sprints until tonight. There was NO way I could have done 30 minutes of sprinting. Weight training alone took about an hour and a half. Because we got to the gym at 8:30 and left the floor at 10:15. So maybe 15 minutes in the locker room but everything else was working out.

Today - lots of supersets and working/active sets again. I surprised myself with some of the weight at a higher rep range. For instance, 40lbs for 15 reps wide grip pulldowns supersetted with 40lbs for 15 reps underhand cable pulldown. (supersetting, of course, meaning that there is no rest between these two exercises) I was able to complete all three sets at that weight and rep range. Which surprised me. I am getting stronger. I felt the burn, and pushed through it.

The working/active sets are things like doing a weighted exercise, such as bent over BB row immediately followed by mountain climbers (instead of resting) and then back to the row, and so on. Doing it this way really keeps your heart rate up, which is why I feel so wiped by the end of the workout. I am hoping that after the first week I can get more acclimated to this style of working out and will be able to finish up my sprints in the morning as well. Maybe I need to bring a protein bar or something to eat in between so that I can get a sense of renewed energy. I might try that tomorrow.

I see that there are low carb days coming up next week, although I've gotten a jump start on that already. Maybe she banishes all carbs, I haven't looked ahead at the menu. But I've been limiting mine to 2 a day. One at breakfast and one post workout. Not sure I should bring it down any farther than that.

I feel like I'm starting to get a cough again (wtf???) so I am taking zinc and vitamin c to ward it off. Hopefully that works. I would be SO pissed if I got sick again. I am so rarely sick, and to get two colds in the same year is literally unheard of for me. I was happy to find some children's zinc and vitamin c gummies because my little Emma always seems to get sick so easily. She needs that boost in her immune system.

It's a good thing that December is almost here because my supps are all getting low. I'm completely out of glucosamine and everything else is dwindling. I can go to GNC and use my gold card for a discount the first week of each month, which is quite nice. And there are a lot of 2 for one deals on protein powder. This is when my mom and I can split the cost and get a great deal.

Speaking of my mom, I am SO proud of her. She has been going to the gym with me EVERY day. Even when she doesn't really want to, she goes. The engine light is on in my van, and instead of getting it fixed (I'm too cheap...and a break down right before Christmas is not ideal $$$$), my mom is driving me everywhere, including the gym ;) So unless she really wants to disappoint me, she can't skip out. She has also hired a trainer for 3 mornings a week. She is still sore and her back bothers her to the point that she can hardly walk, but I am certain that if she just keeps toughing it out, she'll reap the benefits soon enough. Hopefully by summer, we will be different women!! If you would have told me that by Christmas this year, I would be going to a gym everyday WITH my mom, I would never have believed it. I love it.

My arms were SO pumped today. They were totally engorged with blood and felt so tight, like they could burst! And I was watching them pump in the mirror as I was doing bicep curls and they....looked....huge! It is so fun to see that. They certainly aren't huge in reality, but my arms have thinned out so much that all that is there IS muscle and that makes them appear big mid pump. If I'm not flexing in some way, I don't know that you'd be able to tell I had any muscle in my arms. Now, if I could just get my lower half to thin out so I could see the muscle....

It's there. I notice it when I'm squatting. Because when I'm standing in front of the mirror, I can see the muscle through my workout pants as I squat down. I know it's there. Definition in the quads. Lifting the butt and building the hammies, that is my ultimate goal. My mom still gives me the "heredity" speech. She tells me that I am just built to store fat there, same as her and her relatives. But I refuse to believe that. Every woman is built to store fat there, it's to protect unborn children. And yet, there are women who are lean in that area. I will never use the heredity excuse. I am a pear. Some people are apples. I wouldn't want to be either, but it is what it is. Pears and apples alike have to work the same to rid fat from trouble spots. But it CAN happen. Here's how I plan on making it happen for me: hard work, determination, and an undying will to succeed.

Never quit. Never give up. Make it happen. Live your dream.