Friday Shoulders, tris & LUNGES

So, Ive decided that my recent penchant for lunging has helped my caboose. I have NEVER EVER like the way my hindparts look. I once saw a picture of me from behind-one word comes to mind-PAN ASS. Awful genetics, really. So, I decided after reading lots of fitnessy related stuff that lunges of all sorts could give me a little lift...and I think Im seeing it! I even got a compliment on it! So, three days a week I am lunging in differnet planes of motion, with differnt weights, etc.. Weds was heavy legs day (didnt glog it...) but it was my standard heavy squat, leg press, Stiff legged deadlifts, quad extensions, hamstring curl machine.....and static Smith machine lunges. Thursday was a wash out...stupid snow. I did make it to the gym & almost got thru my back workout when I had to get home. Hubby had conference calls and the kids could make those not so good!

So...Ill log todays workout & eats (not bad...just not enough)...My weight dropped. Any other time I would be super psyched that I lost 5 pounds without trying but in contest prep I am afraid that could mean some muscle is sliding off too...argh!

7AM-1 whole egg + 3/4 c egg whites, 1/2 cup oatmeal 15 almonds

Shoulders:

OH DB press: 25 x 10 x 5

1/4 lateral raises w/25's: 20 x 4

Lateral raises (full): 10 x 10 x 4

Ascending get down get up OH DB press w/10 lbs: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 (Basically you hold the weights straight arm over head and do the # of reps then go down to your knees and get back up while keeping your arms up and locked out...then resume the press to 2, then 3, and so on)

Front raises:10x10x4 (in between did lunges with a twist with a 16lb med ball 20 between each set)

Face pulls: 45x10x4 (along with tricep skullcrushers 20lbs in between each fp set x 12 x 4)

Cable crunches (100lbs x 20 x 4) with bench dips 10 x 4

Close grip chest press 30 x 12 x 4 (along with exercise ball hamstring curls 20 x 4)

All of this took about 70 minutes. Yep. With resting between 30-45 second between each set, potty break (2) and drinking water (got thru 64 oz water at the gym-yay!)

Lunch Meal 2 11:45AM: (Friendlys...the kids being out of school for snow days is KILLING my workouts!)

1/2 turkey club & salad with fat free Italian dressing.

Meal 3 2:00PM: 1 cup egg whites & 1/4 cup shredded mozerella cheese & 1 T almond butter...

Meal 4 5:00PM:1/2 PB&J (low sugar jelly ...but still processed and crappy low carb bread)

Meal 5 6:30PM: 3/4 cup egg whites & 2 cups steamed asparagus.

I am full and have no desire to have a protein shake at bedtime but...I will...cause I will wake up tomorrow regretting that decision.

So...we are going to be traveling to Florida tomorrow! YAY! So...no blogging for at least a week while me & my family escape the cold, crumminess of this snowy weather and get our south florida groove on:)

Hope everyone is doing great with whatever goals they have focused on. Ya know, you are always stronger than you think, I promise!

Taken for granted

So...Id like to dedicate this post to my sister from another mother, M. Yes...it is a little bit of a mea culpa but mostly a lesson in making sure you acknowledge those amazing people who walk into your life and are instantly like family. We met at the gym and I knew what a special person M was by her perpetual smile and sunny disposition-always. After getting to know her better I realized we are very very alike and I have decided she is like my sister from another mother.

SHe is an amazing athlete-ran 26.2...caled me afterwards and said, "I feel great" It was Halloween & she went trick or treating with her kids that night! I wouldnt have been able to walk for a week afterwards...but not M. She is that rare gem of a person who is always open & kind, non judgemental and seriously...like instant family. And, at times, we take the fact that our families are always there for us for granted. I dont ever want my friends-incredibly special ones like M-ever feeling that way. Its her smiling face and conversations that make 5:15am a bearable time to workout. Its her committment to being a great athlete that I so respect and its her love of friends and family that I so admire. Just sayin...:)

Im back...but will be going again...to FLORIDA!!! WAHOO!

This is a quickie entry...unpacking then REPACKING FOR FLORIDA!!!!!

So, I dont think I mentioned this but we (my hub & kids & me) are headed to Florida for a week. We are driving which sounds insane BUT I like having the freedom of having a vehicle on vacation AND I love to drive. All good! We just returned from my familys neck of the woods on sunday. Fun, busy and as always...a little hectic. But, it was a really successful trip! YAY!

So...my workouts have been good and I have increased my weight on just about every chest exercise as well as increase in reps (from 12-15 x 4 sets) on my decline (bench) push ups. Monday was chest & triceps and I am still feeling it...today was shoulders, abs & butt. I am feeling my shoulders BIG time. I did 45 mins treadmill uphill walking intervals early morning but was so lucky to have two friends there that early (5:15) to talk with the whole time. Then, my supercool friend "I" let me boss her around on the basketball court with 14 pound medicine ball & a BOSU. She is s super strong girl and let me give her a beating for about 30 mins! She rocked it!

So my food...all ok except I didnt appropriately plan and had 1/2 bag of peanut M&M's yesterday...the other half Ben happily grabbed from my sweaty palms. Oh...and over the weekend I did have a piece of birthday cake (small slice ) and about 4 beers-Yeungling-YUMMY! I was visiting with my family & friends at a cool bar in Norfolk, Virginia (about 3 hours from where I live...and where my family is now) and HAD to do it. So good...and it even gave me a little buzz! but. i wasnt driving so YAY me....i never drink...

maggie who is 3 would like to put band aids on my arms & head. apparenly, ive been injured so...until tomorrow...and I PROMISE I will be more specific!!!

Fridays planned workout

Me & the kids are going down to my family's this weekend & bringing along my friend who, in the fall, will be going to college there to work on his Masters. He will most likely end up living with my mom until he can find a pad of his own. I love my family but we all have our quirks like everyone else. Food is a demon that lurks in the emotional bandaids of my family. Every time I go home it is a struggle to stay away from the processed stuff. My sister (who we will be staying with) is trying really hard to keep it clean. And, knowing we are coming I think she is going to be superhelpful. And, having my friend there who knows I am in training for competitions will be helpful too. Hoping I wont let my guard down......

My planned workout is back & cardio. well will see how it goes!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

THURSDAY 1/20/11

Today I didnt have anything scheduled. Since my husband has been traveling I cannot do early am cardio workouts. Kinda stinks because I run out of gas if I do cardio & weights in the same session. And...I dont have three hours at once to devote to the workout. So...I decided I would try to keep my heart rate up, do some HIIT then a cardio circuit with weights...I usually dont do this.

My food was ok but I am thinking I didnt eat enough...

Eats & Beats:

Meal 1 6AM: 3/4 cup egg whites + 3 oz ground turkey, 1/2 cup oatmeal with splenda & cinnamon

Meal 2 9AM: 4 oz chicken breast & 1/2 Maggies mini bagel with RF cream cheese that looked too tempting not to eat. Uh duh

WORKOUT:

20 mins HIIT on stairclimber between 10-15! I alternated minutes of lateral going up, alternating steps, calf raises, hamstring curls, etc...you catch my drift...oh...and I tried to sprint up them a little-I could only do the stair sprint for like 30 secs MAX!

Then stiff legged deadlifts for my tush-

90 x 8 x 5, 110 x 6 x 3

Then...100 walking lunges with a twist with a 14 lb med ball!! coupled with a variety of moderate weight exercises like pull ups (assisted), overhead presses, tricep dips, lying weighted leg raises, cable leg extensions. Then, I needed to get in a good abs triset so I did...

I got this from Muscle & Fitness Hers, friends!

20 Cable crunches

20 lying oblique twists (bikes)

20 hip thrusters

repeat sequence 3 times...then abs are a bit fried....

Whole workout took about an hour. But, I think I kept up my heart rate and it was good:)

Shit...I did have a cheat-three bites of Maggies (my daughters) cheeseburger from McD's. Damn!

Meal 3 12 noon: LARGE salad with 5 oz chicken breast. 1/2 cup oatmeal

Meal 4 3PM: 3 oz ground turkey, 7 triscuits & raw asparaguse dipped in Walden farms dressing....

But...I effed up and didnt eat properly because I had a client & didnt get home til 8PM. So...what did I do? Ate about a 2 inch slice of cold, crappy pizza hut pizza that Maggie or Ben didnt eat. Gross. Now the salt makes me all puffy & Im PISSED that I was a dummy and ate it!

Oh well..better day tomorrow!

LEGS LEGS LEGS!

I have to say I love leg day. I ALWAYS feel it the next day and its good! My food was super and I consumed most fo the calories I was supposed to in th appropriate breakdown! Heres the eats & beats...

Meal 1 6AM: 3/4 egg whites with 3 oz ground turkey, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup blueberries.

Meal 2 9AM: WPP shake

LEGS:

SQUATS (including the bar which is 45): 115x 10x 2, 135 x 10 x 2, 155 x 6 x 2

Hi Leg press: 90 x 20 x 2, 140 x 10 x 2

Smith lunges: 10 x 12 x 2, 15 x 10 x 2, 25 x 10 x 1 (ouch ouch ouch)

Machines: Hamstring curls 70 x 10 x 4, 80 x 8 x 2

Leg extensions: 70 x 10 x 4, 75 x 12 x 1, 80 x 10 x 2

Calf raises:70 x 10 x 3, 90 x 10 x 1

DONE!

I did have a mini cheat but it was immediately afterwards...1/2 a bagel! YUMMY!

Then,

Meal 3 12:30:about 3 oz Turkey breast on a bagel (ate 1/2 the bagel only) then 1/2 cup oatmeal with 1/2 cup blueberries, 2 cups steamed asparagus, 3 oz chicken breast

Meal 4 3PM: Coffee with SF hot cocoa mixed in (its nt calorie nor completely free os all sugars but I just wanted coffee with something fancy!), 4 oz chicken breast, 1 cup blanched (and crunchy-yum) asparagus

Meal 5 5:30PM: 1 cup egg whites, 3 oz ground turkey, 1 cup asparagus & 2 oz RF ched cheese omlette with 4 oz sweet potato that I roasted in a pan-YUMMY! I love breakfast foods!!

Bad thing...I didnt eat after this. I felt full...

Woah! 3 days & no blog? WTH??? :)

So...I know I cannot remember exactly every food I ate...but I do know that Tues Weds & Thurs went of with eating...actually...I underate. Bad thing when maintaining muscle mass! But, my hub was traveling for work and sometimes that means eating every 3 hours doesnt happen. Oh well!

My food breakdown goes a little like this every day...I mix it up a little but its still basic...

around 200g protein

130-150 carbs

30 fats

and a gallon of water AT LEAST!!

Started taking liquid L carnitine from Max Muscle and it definitely helps me thru my workouts. So, my supplements are shaping up like this:

L glutamine 1 scoop 3 x a day

Liquid L carnitine once 30 mins before Am workout once midafternoon (if I get a chance to workout again)

Multivitamin with probiotics, spirulina & all that stuff

Calcium

Fish Oil

I dont want to go too crazy taking stuff. Since I have no thyroid I kinda feel like my body metabolizes things a little differently. Maybe Im just full of shit and dont want to spend the money. That said...I defiitely will be keeping L carn in stock. I can feel it helping me!

So my workouts...BTW...the gym was a ghost town...icy roads prevented people from coming in so I had every piece of equipment available to me until about 11 when people started strolling in!!! WAHOOOOOO!!!!!

Tuesday was ....

SHOULDERS again...I love it! (and biceps & a little butt...well... hahaha)

OH DB press:25 x 10 x 1, 20 x 10 x 3 (nt sure why i couldnt keep it up at 25 but I fept failing so I just dropped)

OH press coupled with rear lunges:1,2,3,4,5 and so on up to 10...I used 10 lbs. This hurts. really it Hurts. While lunging the weights stay up, arms extended, elbows locked out. Ouch ouch ouch. I do not take credit for this...thanks to Joe.

1/4 lateral raises with 25 x 20 x 4..ouch ouch ouch...coupled with 12 walking lunges with a twist with a 14 lb med ball.

Face pulls 40 x 10 x 4 coupled with cable leg extensions 20 each

Seated OH press with 15 x 20 x 3 coupled with step ups x 20

I am sitting int he dark while everyone is still sleeping and cannot remember my abs but I know I did something...I think a bunch of planks or something...

No cardio because I kept it moving the whole time!