Weekend Warrior

Well, I took my own advice and hired a trainer. First appointment is today, which I've met with him before just to take body fat so at least our sit-down time will be minimal... I really need a "make me puke" workout. For my sanity! Okay, maybe I won't go crazy because I haven't had an exceedingly hard workout in a while... but I might go crazy because my willpower is dwindling and I need it back! Its true: I'm a workout junkie and need my fix.

Had a really laxed weekend so I fit in a few home workouts to get me by until I could find my keys and make it to the gym this morning!

On friday I did BodyRock's Survivor Workout:
Interval: 50 sec sprint, 10 sec rest
Backward Lunge Kick Up (L leg)
Backward Lunge Kick Up (R leg)
1 Arm Pres Up (alt arms)
2 kick ups & Breakdance Pushup
Pike Jump& Squat Jump
--------------------------
5 mins of 1 leg squat & jump tuck (alt legs)
--------------------------
Repeat part 1, took me a total of 16 mins.

Saturday's workout:
45 mins of P90x Plyo video & Ab Ripper

Sunday I repeated BodyRock's Marine Corps workout:
(20 sec sprint, 10 sec rest)
Sandbag sqt (R shoulder)
Plank jump pushup
Sandbag sqt (L shoulder)
Plank jump pushup
-Repeat-
----------------------------
10 pendulums
roll over
Walking pushup
10 Elbow plank jumps
-Reverse Back-
Repeat 5x
----------------------------
Sandbag Mini Sqt (R Shoulder)
Supergirl Pushups
Sandbag Mini Sqt (L Shoulder)
Supergirl Pushups
(Repeat all 1x)

Since I am a person who thinks it is important to be truthful about where I'm at, not just for honesty sake but also because you can more accurately watch your body (yes, I need to justify it in my mind because I want it to be better...), my body fat was at 23.5% and my body weight at 125.0 lbs. I gained some fat, yes, but I also gained a 0.5 lb of muscle in the last weeks.

Starting today, I'm moving onto a 4 day split with also moving into a 5 day a week pyramid to hopefully explode my strength. Also moving into some different conditioning with working with my new trainer. The month of March is basically going to be Athletic Training to drop some body fat and refocus on my strength and endurance.

Here's to a new month and being an athlete! :)

Snow Day!

I had to shovel a path for the pups to get to the heated dog house through this

Yesterday I learned a hard lesson called "Being A Country Wife."

While the city got about 6-12" of snow Wednesday night, our home in the country got 14". Initially I thought my little Honda could take it and I figured I had to try so I could at least say I tried. That only got me as far as freezing my thumbs off and losing my keys in the snow. Meanwhile, puppy pooped in the house. Twice.

I definitely had to learn some things... Like chopping wood and building fires by myself. And I had to! Because if I want to be warm... Its what you have to do! :) Also got done a lot of random projects that I'd been wanting to tackle... Like our spare bedroom that was still full of boxes!

Yesterday was a home workout as I was SNOWED IN!
I've missed a couple days at the gym so this was my at-home workout yesterday (High carb day)... Not pushing to my max but at least I did it... I have a hard time workout out at home.
Ran the dogs in the snow for 15 mins
Stndng Bi Curl: 10@ 15x10
Skull Crusher: 10@ 15x10
Drag Curl: 4@ 10x10
Db row kickback: 4@ 10x10
Concentration Curl: 3@ 10x15
Bench Dip: 3@ 10x20
Db Overhead Squat: 2@ 60x8
Front Squat: 5@ 40x6
Db Dead Lift: 5@ 40x6
Db Snatch: 5@ 20x4 (have never done these before, the weight was kind of an experiment)
Also, HIIT Training, did BodyRock's Marine Corps Challenge:
(20 sec sprint, 10 sec rest)
Sandbag sqt (R shoulder)
Plank jump pushup
Sandbag sqt (L shoulder)
Plank jump pushup
-Repeat-
----------------------------
10 pendulums
roll over
Walking pushup
10 Elbow plank jumps
-Reverse Back-
----------------------------
Sandbag Mini Sqt (R Shoulder)
Supergirl Pushups
Sandbag Mini Sqt (L Shoulder)
Supergirl Pushups
(Repeat all 1x)
Took me about 26 mins... Rock and Roll!

On the Brink of Going Nowhere

I felt in a rut, in my heart. And in my muscles. I used to relish in my athleticism and clean diet... Lately? I feel depressive about this and may consider a trainer to get me past this wall.

As part of my normal routine, I weighed myself on Tuesday... 126 lbs! Huge gain!

And then...

"DUH!" ... I'm back on creatine. Suddenly the weight gain and noticeable bloating made sense.

I've made a few changes to my routine. I'm leaving my workout journal at home these days, on my bedside table. I'm being forced throughout my day to now focus on what I have going on instead of trying to write it all down. For whatever reason, having the workout journal on me all the time was stressing me out. I think it was the feeling of a constant need to write in it?  Who knows. But! Pressure off.

Also back on normal creatine levels, plan to continue for the next 4 weeks. Man! I love that strong feeling in my workouts that creatine provides!

And I'm a runnin fool this week. One of my goals was to be able to run for 3 miles by my bday... And today I ran for about 2 miles, total of 20 minutes. I know I'm not fast (yet), but I am improving! And improvement is a path towards greatness! Reminds me, time for new training shoes!

Tuesday's wo:
10 mins running at 5.5 (that's about a 10 min pace)
And apparently I really worked it out on my chest because I am SORE!
Yesterday, I started my second full week of pyramids. Although my progress is slow, it is progress.. down to 60 lbs assisted.

Literally just two minutes ago I was explaining to a friend on why trainers are awesome. Most people use the excuse that a trainer is just too expensive but in this case the excuse was that a trainer will help you get past your own personal peak. The reality is that we all need a trainer (whether this be a gym trainer or just a friend who is exceptionally motivating!) for any phase of our fitness. We need someone to call us out on our bullshit. We all need someone to push us past our own breaking point. I will admit in the last week or two I've found myself just lacking. Pure and simple... Lacking. Lacking in motivation, drive, and GUMPTION! That being said, its time to hire a trainer. I'm making this much harder than it needs to be. Trainer time. That's like Hammer Time but with a Trainer. (PS- Put that on your workout playlist... you'll end up dancing)

No Longer A BodyRock Virgin

I've seen it, I've explored the site but never actually done a workout from Zuzana. OMG! Isn't she (her body, she's a little annoying to listen to) A-Mazing?!


Dear God, please keep my mind strong enough so I can work hard enough for a body like Zuzana's. Amen.

Tuesday was a Shoulders & Chest Day but I didn't make it to the gym. Pup still isn't sleeping much.

So, Wednesday became a shoulders, chest, abs, & arms day (at home):
45 mins AM elliptical (maxxed my time today to make up a bit of missed cardio yesterday)
PM Lift:
Decline Pushups: 0x10, 0x10, 0x10
Dumbell Push Press: 40x8, 40x8, 40x10
Dumbell Shoulder Press: 20x10, 20x10, 20x10
Dumbell Bench Press: 40x8, 40x8, 40x8
Standing Dumbell Side Raise: 10x12, 15x6, 15x6
Standing Dumbell Rear: 10x12, 15x10, 15x10
Incline Dumbell Flys: 10x10, 15x10, 15x10
Dumbell Shrugs: 40x10, 40x10

Drag Curl: 30x10, 30x10, 30x10, 30x10
Dumbell Row Kickback: 10x10, 15x10, 10x10, 15x10
Concentration Curl: 10x20, 15x15, 15x15
Bench Dip: 10x20, 10x20, 10x20
Dumbell Curl: 10x20, 15x15, 15x15

Along with my pyramid! Reverse grip pullups (36), Standard Pushups (72), and Leg Raise Crunch (108).
And, for my HIIT today I decided on the GAGA For Poker Face Workout from Bodyrock.tv.
It was 10 seconds sprint, 50 seconds rest for 20 rounds:
Surfer: 5, 6, 5, 5
Round kick & knee crunch on each leg: R- 7, 7, 6, 6   L- 7, 6, 6, 6
1-2-3 Push ups: 5, 5, 5, 5
Ninja Jump & Sandbag pickup: 3, 2, 2, 1
Repeat 3x.

Eats:
9: 1 c oatmeal, 2 egg whites + 1 egg, 1 c raspberries & coffee w/2 tbsp
12: 3 oz chicken, 1 c carrots & green tea
2: 3 oz chicken & 1/2 c rice w/green tea
5: 2 scps pp & rice cake
630: 3 oz pork chop & 1 c carrots
800: casein crepe w/1 tbsp pb

Totals: 1502 Calories, 153g Protein, 105g Carb, 50g Fat along with 88oz water. :)

The Names of My Vices

For future reference, I have names for my moods and/or eating moods. I've wanted to call them by their names but ya'll would've just been plain confused. ;)

"Survival Female" - The part of me that craves bread and other carbohydrates in order to survive. I will be in a place where I need to gorge on breads... This is something I fight desperately, it is a never-ending battle, and I realize this must be a caveman part of me that should have died once man no longer needed to hunt for food. My body still feels the need to "store."

"Emotional Mess" - Of course, Emotional Mess' craving is chocolate. And sweets. Happens while TOM is around and my "uterus is trying to secede from the Union" or when I'm really stressed. I either cry a LOT or eat chocolate. Or both.
"Stress Monster" - No explanation necessary. See diagram for how I deal with this one.

TOM is on his way currently, and Emotional Mess has already reared her ugly head. I had a bad eating weekend and successfully gained 1 lb. Awesome (I hope my sarcasm comes across appropriately).
However, in light of how bad I did, I had a wonderful weekend aside from an emotional breakdown caused by TOM coming and a lack of control of OCD (Yes, I battle this and I breakdown when I can't control it). Anyway, Handsome was wonderful and treated me to dinner last night. Making me dinner, that is. He made a baked Orange Roughy (fish) along with bacon green beans (OMG!). And just as well, he made me a drink, dessert and took care of all the dishes (!!!!!). Afterward, I gave him a huge hug and told him how awesome that was, and how spoiled he is! I do that almost every night for him! What a lucky guy. ;)

Today was a great workout day! How awesome is it that we are able to keep our bodies healthy, and therefore our minds and spirits as well?!
And no joke, to me there is little better than some AM cardio and a hard PM lift.
30 mins AM elliptical
PM Lift:
DB bent-over row: 35x10, 35x10, 40x8, 40x6
Back Raise: 0x10, 0x10, 5x10, 10x10
Cable standing Close Row: 140x10, 140x10, 150x10, 150x10
Swiss-ball oblique back extension: 0x10, 10x10, 10x10 (Low back was plum wore out by 3rd set, nixed the 4th & 5th Sets. I know my limit)
T-bar bent-over Row: 40x10, 50x10, 50x10, 50x10, 50x10
DB Leg lift: 0x15, 5x10, 5x5
V-Up: 0x30
And pyramid: @ 60 lbs, 36 Close Grip pullups, 72 pushups, and 106 bosu crunches
Along with a 40 lb barbell complex, 4 sets, 8 reps: Jump squat, Push Press, Hang Clean to Front Squat and Barbell Row.

Needless to say, I am WIPED!

Eats were clean!
400: coffee w/2 tbsp cream pre-workout
700: 1 c oatmeal, 2 egg whites + 1 egg & coffee w/2 tbsp cream
1000: 1 c broccoli, 3 oz turkey, 1/2 c rice & green tea
100: 1 c carrots, 3 oz chicken, 1/2 c rice & green tea
500: post workout creatine, 1 scp pp, rice cake, & 1 c raspberries
630: 6 oz shrimp & 1 c whole wheat linguine (healthy shrimp scampi recipe)
800: Casein crepe w/1 tbsp natty pb

Total: 1560 calories, 163.5g protein, 123.4g carb, 26g fat along with 120 oz water.

Word!

Yer End of the Week Roundup

I began the week exhausted. Exhausted and feeling fat. FAT!

Not cool. I did P90x on Monday (Chest & Back) but just couldn't find that motivation to do it on any other day. After some conversing with Handsome, it really is just a better choice for both of us that I go to the gym and he workout at home. I do wish we could workout together, but I'm just going to have to save that for the weekend with our running together. I guess running together will seem that much sweeter when I finally get to :)

I found my motivation again on Thursday when I pretty much woke up at 4. I really enjoyed being able to watch Glee while I got ready for the day and drink my coffee. :)

Thursday ended up with 1485 Calories, 152g Protein, 117g Carbs, 43g Fat along with 128 oz water and a fat upper body workout:
Arnold Press: 22.5x8, 25x6, 25x4, 27.5x2
Angled Prone Reverse Curl: 15x8, 15x6, 17.5x6, 20x4
Zottman Curl: 15x8, 15x8, 17.5x6, 17.5x6
Incline Reverse Crunch: 5x10, 0x10, 5x10, 0x10
Cable Standing Close Row: 140x12, 150x8, 150x6, 150x4
Cable Straight Arm Pull-Down: 80x8, 90x6, 90x4, 90x2
AND! I'm trying something new in order to gain some strength and reach my goal of being able to do 5 unassisted pullups by March 22nd... Taken straight from the military...
A 6 step Pyramid w/1 pullup, 2 pushups and 3 sit-ups
For those of you who don't know what a pyramid is, this is how it works:

So, you multiply each pullup, pushup & situp for each step (or set) you are on with absolutely no rest between steps.
Ex. 1 pullup, 2 pushups, 3 situps. Then, 2 pullups, 4 pushups, and 6 situps. Then, 3 pullups, 6 pushups, and 9 situps. And so on. :)
6 is the peak, and then you decrease back down the other side of the pyramid. Great way to increase strength.
-Ended up with 36 pullups, 72 pushups, and 108 situps-
It has been tested in the military that if done every day for a week in addition to your normal workout that you can double your strength in two weeks! This will become a staple for me until I reach the goal! Needless to say, I am SORE!!!!!
Also threw in 20 mins HIIT on elliptical.

Today was hard hard hard!
Barbell Hack Squat: 40x8, 40x6, 50x4, 50x2
Good Morning: 50x12, 50x8, 60x6, 60x4
Side Lunge: 50x12, 60x8, 70x6, 80x4
Bulgarian Split Squat: 80x8, 80x6, 90x4, 90x2
Barbell Overhead Squat: 40x12, 50x10, 50x8, 60x6
Bosu Side Bridge: 0x10, 0x12, 0x14, 0x16 each side
Also, got in 3 weight complexes. 40 lbs- 3 sets of : Jump squat, push press, hang clean to front squat, and barbell bent-over row.

I Gots Tha Shakes

Just wondering if anyone else ever gets this way, and it usually happens when I've had plenty of carbs, plenty of water, and am on a leg day. I get super shakey. It feels kinda like I'm coming down off of some major adrenaline rush. And no, I don't drink very much caffeine. I drink 1 coffee everyday and its decaf. The only real caffeine I drink comes from green tea.

I'd really like to feel like I have some good power on my leg days but I'm just not there... :|


If only shaking the fat off were that easy lol!

Kinda like I'm on one of these old thingys! Any suggestions?

Thrives on Progress

Shopping with a girlfriend on Friday, we both noticed that we both would immediately migrate towards workout clothes as many of you, I'm sure, have noticed it becomes a habit when you practically live in the gym. Much needed girl time, it was incredible to spend time with another woman who understands the lifestyle and lifting. Shopping felt incredible as I haven't in quite a while, and it was all workout clothes... And one jacket. Handsome keeps reminding me of a promise he made to me months ago, that when I hit my goal then he'd buy me $100 of new clothes and after he did again during the course of this weekend, it reminded me that I tend to never buy real clothes because I can't justify buying them if I'm not at my ideal body weight/body fat.

I keep getting questions from people on whether or not I backed out of the April competition because of him or because he was pushing me to. No. If anything, he helped me see beyond myself and what stress I am capable or incapable of handling at one time.

And who doesn't love progress? I do! And I thrive on that feeling of accomplishment and it is a stress reliever. In my quest to continue finding a way to feel accomplished in my fitness, I'd love some suggestions on little challenges I can give myself! Any and all suggestions are welcome!

Definitely going to try the 155 burpee challenge. And I'm stoked to work on some calisthenic type stuff at home. I'm doing P90x this week at home because the pup needs monitoring even though we did install a heat lamp into the dog house this weekend.

Zekey is doing really good, not quite sleeping through the night yet. But he definitely loves his big sister!

"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." -Charles Dickens, he must have had a puppy.

Having a pup really is like having a child, but probably a little easier (I wouldn't know..). But I think the most important thing is to always put yourself first. You can't take care of others until you take care of yourself. And I'm excited that I have the time and less responsibility to get myself there, first. And a competition, later on.

As I'd love to blog my little self-challenges, feel free to share a challenge you'd like to see me take on, my favorite yogis, figure girls, and fellow lift-a-holics! :)

Always in Contest Prep

After making the decision not to compete in the Empire Classic, I was reading Erin Stern's blog regarding what her reply is when people ask her when her prep for the Arnold Classic begins, which is "Always."

At first, I was feeling very down about my decision. I want to compete, I love having a strong goal to shoot for, and I love how my body runs off of adrenaline during prep. But now, just simply isn't the time. I feel like a flake and disappointed. This might be the greatest disappointment I've felt in myself. But I suppose there would be no use for the disappointment if I continued to train. I do have athletic goals, like increasing strength and endurance... I know my weakness is calisthenics... Training to run with the Flying Irish this year (the 3rd largest running club in the world is in my home town!), and a 30 day yoga challenge.

So, I plan to train. And I plan on running and doing some yoga. :) A competition is in my future, just not the immediate future. There are two other competitions this year that are in the area: one in July (a pro qualifier, however) in Seattle and another here in Spokane in September. Either are more feasible but I have not decided. Handsome is trying to get me to do P90x with him, but the reality is that I enjoy the gym. And I plan to keep going but only working it around my family and self priorities.

I love my family and I love that they are all concerned. No one is making me do the competition and therefore, no one is making me quit. And in all actuality, I'm not quitting. Just putting on hold for now.

I may not be techinically in contest prep, but I am prepping for a contest. :) Amongst other things...

I'm a new mommy!

Say hello to Ezekiel Hammer. :)


We finally have a friend for our other Great Dane, Molly.

Hard to believe that one day Zeke will be quite a bit larger than Molly!

So, that's whats up this Friday. :)

Tuesday and breaking....

So, I've had a very personal issue happen. Which may lead to a couple of things. I foresee me putting the competition on hold and competing later in the year; I have not broken my diet at this point and have not made any decisions. However, I do feel that my relationships and my spirit would suffer should I continue prep at this point in time. But again, I have not made any decisions.
(Lower body/Higher carb)
Supersets:
-Machine Hip Abductor: (I don't typically work the hips on purpose but I figured it might not hurt to do once a month or so) 50x12, 65x12, 75x12, 85x12
Walking lunge twist: 25x10, 25x14, 25x16, 25x16
-Bulgarian Split squat: 70x12, 70x12, 70x12
Prisoner squat: 3@ 20
Machine Hip Adductor: 80x12, 90x12, 100x10
-Calf Raise: 4@ 200x20
Lunge Jump: 10, 12, 14, 16

Dear Cafeteria, I hate you.

Food jealousy.

Everything smells amazing. Yes, I am at that point in my diet where everything smells and sounds great. The bummer is, I work for a rather large hospital in Spokane that has a very gormet cafeteria. Everything is heart healthy (as we have a HUGE heart center on the campus), some things are vegan, and all the chefs were classically trained.

So, everything smells amazing... Like I said. I can smell the crisp potatoes and the tartness of the chicken parmesean. When I'm even on the cafeteria level of the hospital, the intense smells I get are like a heat wave. Anyone remember that Popeye where they're stuck in the desert and Wimpy keeps seeing hamburgers everywhere?! Yeah, its a lot like that. 

"Feed me!"



And I'm ravenously hungry a lot of the time. I'm lifting a ton so naturally my body is saying "Feed me, you freaking jerk!"

I feel like this guy to my left. I could probably eat that whole thing right now if I wanted.

Today's workout: (Upper Boday)
Supersets: (Today specifically, I'm moving even lower on the reps, focusing more on the specific muscles that need more development before competition)
-Assisted Dip: 70x12, 60x10, 60x10, 50x5
Assisted Pull-up (wide grip for Lat focus): 70x12, 70x8, 70x6, 70x5
-Barbell Row: 80x8, 80x6, 80x6
Pushup: 3x10
-Standing Bicep Curl: 30x12, 35x6, 35x5, 40x2
Dumbell Shoulder Press: 20x8, 20x6, 20x6, 22.5x4
-Prone Hammer Curl: 12.5x12, 12.5x10, 12.5x17, 15x5
Dumbell Row Kickback: 10x12, 12.5x8, 12.5x6, 15x6 (experiment in weight, haven't done these in a while... Wow! I've made progress!)
-Seated Bent Over Row: 20x12 (also an experiment), 25x8, 25x7, 25x6
Decline Twisting Ab Crunch: 4@ 14x10
-Machine Rear Delt Raise: 35x12, 45x6, 45x6, 45x6 (believe it or not, I've actually NEVER used this machine!)
Lat Pulldown: 80x12, 80x8, 90x3, 90x2
*side note: Does anyone else notice that certain body parts train slower than others? I've noticed HUGE improvements in my traps & biceps but my strength improvements in my lats and triceps are often slow going. Can anyone relate?

Also, got in 3 sets of my Jump squat/push press/hang clean/front squat/barbell row complex. :)

So, now that I think about it, if nothing else and a zombie outbreak happens... At least during my

I'm not so hungry anymore... ;)

competition diet I can be put at ease knowing that at least I can outrun a zombie...? :) Rule #1: Cardio. And I do my lat pull ups to make sure that if a zombie chases me off the side of a building, I can pull myself back up! ;)
Eats:
800: 1 c oatmeal, 2 egg whites, 1 c strawberries, coffee w/2 tbsp cream
1100: 3 oz tuna, 2 c lettuce, 1/2 tbsp olive oil mayo, 1 hard boiled egg
200: 3 oz chicken, 1 c rice
500: 1 scp whey, rice cake
600: 5 oz salmon, 1 c cabbage
800: casein protein crepe w/1 tbsp pb
Total: 1537 calories, 169g protein, 113g carbs, 44g fat. With 144 oz water.

Dear Cafeteria,
Bring it on. ;)
xoxo Lacey



PS- WEIGHT: 119.2 lbs. Took off two pounds last week. Right on target.