Training Logs! 2.19-2.25.2016

Alright, I’m going to make these log updates a weekly event. Mainly because at the moment I don’t have time to write a post everyday of the week. So at some point each week I will do a write up of 3-4 workouts. Or you’ll get days like today. I lifted 2.19, 2.21, 2.22, 2.24, and 2.25… So that’s five posts for you today. Feelin lucky?

National Eating Disorder Awareness Week

In honor of National Eating Disorder awareness week, here is the honest to God truth about me, my past, and why I am who I am today. And I would like to thank an anonymous teammate for being strong enough to post about her own experience, otherwise I’m not sure I would have done this.

Training Logs 2.16 and 2.17.2016

2.16.2016

First bench day of the week! And it was an awesome one. I went in expecting my intensity of the week for a 5×5, and after four sets of five with 125 my spotter decided it was too easy, so for my fifth set we upped it to 130 and I got all five reps with that as well! Just goes to show that your body is capable of more than your mind thinks it is. After that I close gripped 115 for a pretty easy 3×5, I’m thinking this might get upped to 120 in the coming weeks. From there it was the normal dumbbell fun, I could feel my chest muscles spasm and contract as they got more and more fatigued though, which was pretty cool. After that I did my tricep giant set, still at the heavier weight and holding steady there. Small progress is still progress. From there I actually did my I’s-Y’s-and T’s shoulder raises, three sets alternating which position I start at and therefore which position I hit fatigue in to drive it home each time. After that I did my abs and headed home.

2.17.2016

Skwatz! Today was a 5×5 with 215, followed by some sumo stance squats with 135, then 2 out of 3 sets of box squats with 185. We called it early due to some pain in my abductors that was making my hips tight and causing pain to my low back. After that any complex movements that put weight on my backs/shoulders were ruled out. So I did some leg curls and leg extensions, both double leg so as not to stress the joints too much. Then I did abs and headed home to get my mom before heading down to pay Justin a quick visit (I needed him to ART my hips) and then to my grandfather’s for my mom to pick up some thank you cards. I’m feeling way better now that they’ve been released and have been having a wonderful afternoon of sitting on the couch watching TV and movies with my mom and catching up on blogs and meal prep.

Stay pretty. Lift heavy. Brain off, body on.

Valentine’s Day Recap

This Valentine’s Day was a little different for me. For starter’s, I’m not seriously dating anyone so I didn’t have a set “valentine” or any super romantic plans. It was also my first day off in a solid 7 days, and I had my Grandfather’s viewing that night. Regardless of all that however, it turned out to be a pretty spectacular day.

I started the day by driving down to my friend’s (Justin) gym to get my bodyfat reanalyzed. Turns out in the first two weeks of my “cut” I lost 1.5% of body fat, about 2lbs I think…, and gained the same amount in muscle. So although I hadn’t seen any changes on the scale, I had made major changes in my body composition. After that, he and I did breakfast together with a pit stop at WaWa for coffee and water jugs. I also gave him his “present” of two pairs of jeans (with tags still on them) that I found in the back of a drawer. No idea how I got men’s jeans in my closet, but I did. And now they’re getting put to good use. And because he is such an amazing guy, he gave me a rose- because no girl should go without a rose on Valentine’s Day. I know, I’ve got the best friends ever. We then went our separate ways for actual “Valentine” activities.

For me, this meant driving up to the Warhouse Gym in Reading, PA to do the Deadlift and Chill competition with a great guy. The competition was bodyweight x 1.5 for as many reps as possible in 1 minute. I lifted 195 and got 22 reps, he lifted 270 and got a whopping 32 reps. Yeah, he schooled me. Unfortunately for us, we were the first couple to lift, so although we set the bar high and stayed in first for a bit, we slowly got bumped down until we were out of the top three. We did end the day in 4th though, I believe, with a total score of 54. Pretty impressive since I think the first place score was only 57 or 59. We were close, and we had a ton of fun, which is what actually counts. Was it a first date? Good question, but if it was I’d give it a 10/10. Especially since after I finished up my actual working weight deadlifts we went to Moe’s with one of his friends to get a late/post-lift lunch. It was a ton of fun all afternoon, between the lifting and the eating and the getting to know new people. I definitely want to do more stuff like it going forward.

So there it is. That’s my “single” girl Valentine’s Day. A lot of girls, or really people in general, use this day to be bitter. But lots of people don’t have or can’t be with their valentine’s for that particular day. We all have people we love in our lives though. And I covered all my bases. A best friend in the morning, a potential date in the afternoon, and my entire family in the evening. There was more love in my single valentine’s day than in my couple-y ones. That’s my opinion.

Stay pretty. Lift heavy. Love openly.

Training Logs 2.09-2.14

Hi everyone. I’m doing a week of training logs in one night this week. I know I keep saying how I’ve got all these great post ideas lined up, and then never have time for them. So just a brief interjection of personal life before I get the ball rolling. On Superbowl Sunday my one coworker’s wife went into labor. Because of this, we all stepped up our hours at work and he took the week off. For me, this meant I worked everyday Monday through Saturday at least one job. On Thursday, I worked all three in one day. Actually, the only days that I worked just one job were Wednesday and Friday, both of which were training days. And I’m not saying this to complain or get pitied. I’m just trying to explain that there are other things in my life besides my laptop, and sometimes they have to come first.

2.7.2016

Started my week with Sunday night deads again. But these ones were a little different. I spent the majority of my weekend relaxing at a mountain/lake house with friends. Reading, napping, relaxing, and eating were the main activities. And for a day, it was just what I needed. And then Sunday the reality of a very hectic workweek set in and despite my best efforts I couldn’t just enjoy the end of the relaxation and I got a little stressed in anticipation of it all. But one thing is for sure, somehow I will manage to get everything done for the week that needs to get done. Because it’s just who I am. Now, on to the workout, as short as it was.

2.5.2016

Finally, a day dedicated entirely to aesthetics and accessories. Although, I did realize that if you hit incline bench one morning, and then do a shoulder workout the next, you will be sore and weak. Front delt problems. 

  
I started with OH press for a 5×5… I think I used 75lbs. Then I did bicep curls supersetted with some RDL’s to get a pump in both biceps. Yes, I think I’m clever. From there I moved to warming up for a minute AMRAP set of deads. I’m doing the warhouse gym deadlift and chill next weekend, so it’s 1.5x body weight for a minute. Yesterday I got 195 for 15 in 50 seconds without my belt or knee sleeves. I’m hoping for 20 the day of. After that I toned it down a little. Bent over rows for 4×8 with 80lbs and some lateral raises. For once, there were no abs. Mostly because I had stomach issues all night and didn’t want to risk it. 

Stay pretty. Lift heavy. Enjoy your workouts. 

Training Logs 2.3 and 2.4.2016

I almost like the double training log posting I did the other day… Who knows, maybe I’ll change up the format rather than bombard you guys with the daily posting of training logs. We all know it isn’t the most interesting, although it is the most relatable and integral part of this blog. So here they are, training logs from the past two days. And I may post another one today if I make it in to the gym for an accessory shoulder/upper back workout.

New Training Cycle 1.31.16 and 2.1.16

Alright, I’m combing these two posts because I’m tired and it’s late and I’m kinda lazy.

1/31/16

DEADLIFT DAY AT THE WARHOUSE GYM.

 

Hulk match game on point

 
I think I need to make this a tradition. Because everytime I go to this gym to lift I have a great time with great people and all my lifts feel good. Working sets were 215 for a 5×5 followed by accessory sumo stance pulls with 135 for a 3×5. Sumo stance for me is just working on balancing the weight and having fun. I never go heavy with it, and I only do it once or twice a year. After that I did my typical lat pulldowns, seated rows, leg curls, and leg extensions. And then, I got invited to do some bicep curls. So I did them. Yes, that’s right. I trained biceps twice this year already. Once during deload week, and once last night. And last night, they got it on video. There’s proof! After that fun playtime in the weight room, I had some ART done on my hips to help release them since they’d finally unbound from the meet. Then we heated up meal 4 in the microwave and headed out.

2/1/16

Bench time.

  
It’s funny how I find it strange to do two workouts in one day, one at 7am and one at 7pm, but find nothing strange about working out till 730 one night and being in the gym at 730 the next morning. They’re both still 12hrs apart. Anywho. Working sets this morning were 110lbs for a 5×5 followed by the same weight for a 3×5 off a 3-board, then again for a 3×5 close gripped. All the bench. All the volume. From there, it was my normal dumbbell fun, floor press, and tricep supersets. I let my shoulder raises and bi’s be for today because they were starting to get sore from last night’s deadlift workout and I don’t wanna push myself too hard with such short turn around time. After that it was some seven minute abs, a brief nap with the pup, and home to eat and prep food for the work day.

Stay pretty. Lift heavy. Do work.

Recovery Week

Alright ladies and gents. I’m finally back at it. Last I posted (I think…) Was the meet weekend recap and my missed workout due to a sinus infection. So here we go.

I didn’t lift until Wednesday, partly because I worked 40+ hours last week and partly because I felt terrible from being sick. But Wednesday morning I went in, did my squats (a 5×5 at 175), some hack squats, and some leg presses, then started to cramp horribly because I was dehydrated from being sick. So I curled up with our boy Theo for a little and called it a day. I still had work to go to.

  
The next time I went to the gym was Friday and I was feeling much more myself. I did chest and tri’s in the morning with my normal work loads. Working sets were a 5×5 at 100, followed by a 3×5 close gripped 100. Then some dumbbell work, floor presses, and my tricep supersets. My nighttime Friday workout, yes I pulled a 2-a-day–I went with a friend at night, was shoulders/upper back. So I did my OH press, kept it light with 75lbs and an AMRAP of 15 at 55, my lat pull downs and my seated rows, also relatively light I think I did 85lbs.

Between the two workouts on Friday I drove to Justin’s gym to stand on this super cool In Body machine and get weighed and my bodyfat measured. So, I was 131.4lbs when I stood on this machine at noon on Friday. I hadn’t eaten all morning and I had tried to keep my liquids to a minimum. My body fat percentage was 25%. This is kind of embarrassing, as a competitive athlete a lot of people expected me to be lower. I, however, was not at all shocked. I figured I was somewhere in the 25-28 range and was happy to be on the lower end. I’m not a bodybuilder, never have been, and I’ve never lost or sustained lost weight in a healthy manner. So after we had all the data Justin started crunching numbers to figure out what my macros would look like for the start of this cut. Then we looked at what I’d averaged in the past week as a reference point of where my metabolism was at. So let’s start with this, I’ve never lost or sustained lost weight in a healthy manner. Because of this, I have a terrible habit of undereating. As can be assumed, I was entering into this with a depressed metabolism, so we’re starting this off with a kick start to metabolism by eating conservative maintenance calories for my current weight. Another important caveat is that we are both aware I am going to gain a little weight in this process. Justin assures me it’ll be no problem, I am still worried though, as I always am where weight is concerned. So currently on non-training days I’m eating 150p/41f/130c for a total of 1490cal, training days (high-intensity aka leg) 150p/50f/175c for a total of 1750cal, and on lighter training days (bench) 150p/45f/150c for a total of 1600cal. I like eating like this because hitting that 175c is exceptionally difficult for me, so knowing that on days I’m less intense I can be less intense with the eating too is so much easier and it makes sense to me. It also means that when I do get low carb I know it won’t be for too long and it makes it easier for me.

  
So my life right now involves an unbelievable amount of tupperware, and more eating than I’m used to. But here it is, the official announcement, I’m dropping to the 57kg (125.4lb) weight class and competing again on March 19th at a local USAPL meet to requalify myself for nationals 2016 at a lighter weight class. Here goes nothing folks. Who knows, I may drop down to 57kg and decide to buy myself a sparkly suit and dorito tan and continue the whole cut to try out bodybuilding. Probably not, because I know I’d only do it as a hobby and to try it out and not to actually be competitive. But you never know. It might be fun to have pictures of me shredded and tan…

Stay pretty. Lift heavy. Let prep begin.