This blog serves a plethora of purposes. It allows me to freely express my thoughts, feelings, trials and tribulations. Simply put, the ultimate goal of this blog is to make some sort of sense out of my ever confusing life.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Exhausted
I am going to try and sneak in a nap today while Pat rests, hope that recharges my batteries a bit.
I'll post my gym results later, or tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
New PR in bench press!
Barbell bench press
45X8
85X3
75X4 (did not rest enough between reps & it showed)
75X5
75X3(should have dropped it down to 65lbs here)
65X8
Overhead dumbbell triceps
30X8
30X8
30X8
30lbs was too easy - I could definitely jack up the weight to 35lbs next time for 6-7 reps.
Standing bicep curls with barbell
40lbX6
40lbX6
40lbX5 (failed on the 5th rep)
Overall, a really good workout. I don't feel sore yet, but it sometimes takes a good 48 hrs for the soreness to kick in. I have been jacking up the protein intake too, and I know that makes a world of difference in recovery. The scale says I lost 2 pounds since Monday, but I really just think its water weight from the carb loading that I do on the weekends. I probably eat more carbohydrates and calories between Saturday and Sunday than I do Monday through Friday COMBINED. I know exactly what it is, too, it's alcohol. Alcohol decreases my judgement so I end up doing the whole late-night binge which inevitably carries over into the next day. I have trouble fasting on days where I have a hangover, or days where I've had any alcohol the night before. To be totally honest, alcohol is what is standing in the way of my goal.... Why does it have to be soooooo good?! Pumpkin beers with sugar and cinnamon on the rim, octoberfest.....it is just way too good to pass up.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Holy Soreness!
To be honest, my focus and energy level started out crappy but once I did a few warm up sets of deadlifts, I felt much more energized.
Deadlifts:
45X8
95X8
175X5
175X5
165X6
135X7
One hand dumb bell rows:
25X8
27.5X8
30X8
I underestimate my own strength way too much. If I am able to get 8 reps with 30 lbs on the 3rd set, I am going way too light. I need to start at 30lbs next time, hell maybe even 35 lbs next time.
I finished off with “farmer walks.”
I held a 45lb dumb bell in each hand and walked across the gym twice. My forearms were exhausted at this point, I barely made it back the second time.
My back is friggen’ destroyed today, but I feel SO accomplished. According to the scale, I didn’t lose “weight” this week, but I gained strength. I would rather take gains in strength than loss in “weight” any day of the week.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Ouch
Chris saw that I was upset with my back squat performance and suggested I try front squats. I have only done front squats once before and it wasn't even a real session, it was more screwing around. Wow, it was uber uncomfortable for the shoulders, wrists, elbows, forearms. I said to myself, "Man, this sucks. But, I DID NOT come to the gym for nothing. I am going to stick this out." I felt like it was an overall SHITTY session at the gym, but I tried to make the best of it.
Here goes:
Front Squats
45lbx 8
95lbX6 (struggled on the 6th rep. My collarbone was killing me here. Form was definitely off.)
95lbX5 (ouch.)
Okay, so back and front squats were a big bust for me. I figured then I should hop on the leg press and really annihilate my legs.
Leg Press
210X7
210X8
220X8
230X8
250X5
250X5
Still pathetic, I did much more weight last Sunday. I was so frustrated at my shoulder and so hung up on the fact that I couldn't do squats, I let it get the best of me. I need to learn to just accept that some days will be better than others.
I finished off with free weight bicep curls:
17.5lbs X 10
17.5lbs X 8
17.5 X 7
I failed significantly sooner with my left arm than I did with my right. Next time I am going to curl a 40lb bar instead of doing free weights. I hope that increases the strength in my left arm!
Since I didn't post Tuesday, October 11th's workout, here it is.
Flat bench press
45X8
75X5
75X5
65X8
65X8
Dumbbell shoulder press
20X8
25X5
25X5
25X4 (failed on 4th rep, was so exhausted from bench)
Overhead dumb bell triceps
25X8
25X8
25X8
Isolateral incline press machine
58lbs X 4
48lbx X6
48lbs X5 (so fatigued at this point.)
I am going to nurse my shoulder this weekend and hope that it doesn't screw me up for Sundays training session. I plan on doing some walking today and tomorrow for 45 minutes. I hate walking on the treadmill.
So.boring.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Pushing the reset button
I am starting up this blog as a sort of a reset button for my life. I have been over indulging way too much since before the wedding and it is SO time to get myself back on track. You can only use the whole “I just got married, so I can eat whatever the f&*^ I want” excuse so many times before it gets really, really old. I am still eating carrot cake from my wedding back in September. It isn’t even fresh anymore; it has been sitting in my freezer FOR OVER A MONTH. It is totally freezer burnt, and I am still eating it - that is how out-of-fricken' control I have been lately.
I was feeling sorry for myself for a while, but really where is that going to get me? Is it going to get me lean and muscular? Hell no. Is it going to help me focus on my goals? I don't think so.
It is time to stop being a baby, and MAN up! Yes, I said it, man the f&%$ up. I know I am a woman, but women need to man up sometimes, too. It’s time to put the freezer burnt cake in the garbage where it belongs, and get my sh*t together.
Sunday, October 9, 2011.
Dead lifts:
45lbX8
95lbX8
135lbX8
155lbX6
165lbX5
135lbX8
As you can see, I started off very light because I haven’t done them in a while and I was scared that I might pull a muscle. Next time, I am going to go right into 165…maybe even up it to 175. I need to push myself harder otherwise I am never going to see improvement.
Following DL's, I did leg press:
210lbs.X8
230lbs.X7
250lbs.X6
270lbs.X5
Next time I will jump right into 270lbs. It was tough, but if I got 5 reps at 270lbs that just shows me that 250lbs was too light.
Can’t wait to destroy my chest, shoulders and triceps tonight. I am going to implement Martin Berkhan’s RPM (reverse pyramid training.) Since I've put on extra weight my bench press has actually gone up. I was able to bench 75lbs last week for 4 reps, where before I was benching 65lbs for 6-7 reps. Go me.