• Warmup jog with a 30 second sprint around the turf
• Agility ladder movements followed by a 5 yard sprint- 5 sets each (Down the middle; two feet in each hole forward, right, left, Starting on the outside; two feet in each hole right and left.)
• 1 minute of hand walk-out inch worms, paired with a pushup
• Back squats paired with squat jumps- 5 sets each: 5 squat reps / squat jumps til fail. Starting with the bar, for the squats we add 10′s each set besides the last we added 5′s.
• Body bar (18 pounds) side lunges down and back along the turf, 3 sets.
• Plate pushes for time. 45 seconds of pushing a 45 pound plate as far as you can, 3 sets.
• Abs: Crunching frogs paired with sit-ups.
• Treadmill sprints: Inclined at 15, 3 reps/3 sets 5 seconds on 10 off. First set- speeds 7,8,9. Second set- speeds 10,11,12. Third set- speeds 12,12,12

Agility ladders are more then a warmup drill, they are also very beneficial for athletes. These benefits include improving stamina, balance, and footwork.

Squatting is my favorite exercises, and is also one the best lower body workouts anyone can do for it works the hips, butt, and thighs all at the same time. Squats can be performed with or without extra weight, so if you don’t have a barbell and weights available body weight squats will do. This exercise is great for anyone looking to strengthen or tone up there calves, quads, and hamstrings. Another great benefit of squats, especially for women are for their glutes! Squatting is a great way to lift and shape your butt! Many people don’t realize that squatting also works the abdominal and back muscles. These muscles are used to keep yourself balanced resulting in a stronger core and lower back.

Side lunges target the same muscles as the squats, but just a different movement; glutes, hips, quads, and hamstrings. Again this exercise can be done with your own body weight, or add weight using body bars, barbells, or dumbbells.

Plate pushes are preformed for cardio and muscle endurance. For those who don’t know what plate pushes are; using a weighted plate flat side down, put your hands behind the plate as if on all fours and run/push the plate. Easier said then actually done. Plate pushes target your core, hamstrings, and quads.

Inclined HIIT are one of the most effective cardio workouts that can be done for fitness and help aid in weight loss. Inclined running is beneficial to strengthening your lower body muscles because you are constantly propelling yourself uphill using your calf muscles, quads, hamstrings, and glutes.  This workout helps with weight loss over regular sprints because your burning more calories with the hill’s resistance.

Don’t forget to get your leg day in this week!

-Kelsey

Above are your basics. Pretty simple, right? Right.

Some detail about the items above:

1.1   Vegetables should be the base of your mid-day and evening meals. Fruits are fantastic for breakfast or dessert. Don’t get rid of your protein or grains, just cut back to a more reasonable amount, say 3 ounces of meat or ½ cup of beans and ½ cup of rice or oatmeal.

1.2   Focus on minimizing your portions. A trick I learned from Mireille Guiliano is to think of the amount of food I normally take and to half that. Continue to half your portion sizes until you find the minimum amount that can sustain you. This way you can have a little bit of everything without feeling like a glutton or a failure.

2.1   Aim for expending enough energy during your cardio session that you’re sweating a bit and you can definitely feel your lungs working and your heart beating. Alternatively, look up your targeted heart rate and try to use equipment that monitors heart rate.

2.2   Aerobic exercise keeps your body fit and gets your blood flowing. Use the treadmill if you like to run, or the elliptical if you hate to run, the stair-stepper if you’re a high achiever and the Spin Bike for a vigorous activity that’s surprisingly gentle on your joints. Try not to be one of those cardio-goers that just sit and spin while absentmindedly twiddling away on your phone. Are you actually working your body if your mind is elsewhere?

2.3   In general, move more often. Walk places more, get away from your desk more, get up and put stuff away when you’re at home.

3.1   A little goes a long way with strength training. Body weight exercises (Zuzkalight.com) are fantastic because they tone relatively quickly while making you wish for death for short periods of time. Otherwise, I find doing pyramid sets particularly fun for straight weight lifting. You can either do a full pyramid, starting at 12 reps and working your way to 4 reps and then back up to 12, or a half pyramid. I normally do a half pyramid because doing a full takes a while.

A half hour session of straight weight training three times a week or a 20 minute ZWow is probably sufficient.

Stay Consistent!

The trick to losing weight is to be consistent and patient. You may want to lose the weight right away, but think of all the times you’ve done that in the past. It didn’t work out too well, did it? Take it slow and steady, consistently working each day and every day. Focus on keeping your equilibrium, or the balance of your body, in check. After a while (likely two to six months) you’ll be on your way to the body you’ve been wanting.

**DISCLAIMER** Working out is not really a French staple. This is certainly more American. (Also, I’m not a trainer, these are personal observations and recommendations.)

Not all exercise is beneficial for a person who is out of shape, and certainly a person who is carrying extra weight must be even more careful. The joints of the body endure a great deal of strain, and impact exercise is rarely a good choice when the pressure is increased.

No pain, no gain? I think not.

Further complicating the situation is the need for both cardiovascular and strength-building exercise.

Cardio increases the aerobic capacity of your body, and burns a lot of calories in a short burst of time while you are actively exercising.

Strength training builds your muscular strength, and burns even more calories than cardio, as your improved muscles burn more calories around the clock, even while you are sleeping.

Most people need to participate in both forms of exercise. My chiropractor got me started with swimming and Pilates. He convinced me they were an unbeatable combination. Swimming covers your cardio (with some strength-building) and Pilates covers your strength-building (with a little cardio). Swimming is non-impact; Pilates is low-to-nonimpact. 

Protect your joints now, and as your fitness level improves, you can safely branch out into higher-impact exercises. Just promise me, once you get to that point, you will be sure to cross-train instead of risk overuse injuries with the same moves all the time!

 Portion control – Especially in America we have a tendency to eat portions of a ridiculous nature. My trick for this is a simple one. Years ago I threw out all my plates and bowls and replaced them with saucers and cups. My rule is I can fill the saucer and cup the same as I would a normal sized plate or bowl but I am not allowed back for seconds. Then if I am still hungry after an hour of finishing I can do the same, but it counts as a second meal!

Eat at least six meals a day! Most people tell me that is almost impossible when they hear me say it but remember portion control. By having smaller portions it means smaller meals and becoming hungry sooner. Count snacks as a meal and get in the habit of snacking with something substantial, not just empty calories. This will help train your metabolism to speed up and give you energy and help promote fat burning and muscle growth.

At least 5 meals should have 20 – 40 grams of protein.

Eliminate refined sugars and sweets from your diet (salad dressings and condiments included) as well as 90% of dairy products and definitely no dairy after the second meal.

Reduce caffeine intake and increase water intake.

Eliminate alcohol all together.

Eat whole fruits and cut out fruit juice. Also be sure to not eat fruit after 3pm.

Heavy carbs like pastas and breads should also be eaten before 3pm and not after. These are tricks to help you become more lean.

Never go more than 3 hours between meals. Pack food, prepare food early or in bulk so it’s easily available throughout the day and / or week.

Shopping lists should include items that are not refined, have a lot of fiber, two or three ingredients at the most and are whole foods. Watch for sugar, heavy oils, refined grains and empty calories.

The other item of nutrition I wanted to talk about is protein powder. I am a fan of meal replacements and protein shakes and I definitely use them while training hard but I see nothing but confusion on people’s faces when they go to buy one. Protein mixes can be expensive and differ very much in quality from brand to brand. The big thing to look for are sugars (don’t want them,) how much protein per serving (around 20 grams is good,) and look for brands which boast a full amino acid profile. Especially if you are vegetarian like me that will make a huge difference in the performance of the drink mix.

That should be a good starter list to ensure we are getting great nutrition during our training period. Feel free to post question and comments if you want further info! Can you feel how close we are to getting started experiencing our new athletic bodies? Hope so, I’m excited!

As always…thanks for reading!

道功夫精神少林

Too Much, Too Fast

This can encompass many scenarios.  The most obvious is someone who has not exercised regularly, if ever, begins a high-intensity or long-duration workout with the idea that she’ll be able to shed pounds faster.  This will lead to immediate physical discomfort, psychological discouragement in short order and, at worst, injury.  Similarly, deciding to go from working out less than once a week to working out 5 or 6 days a week is unrealistic and will lead to abandonment of exercise altogether.  Sometimes biting off more than you can chew isn’t about the intensity, duration or frequency of the exercise regimen but the investment in it.  Many believe that if they shell out a lot of money for a gym membership, home exercise equipment or DVD series they will be incentivized to stick with it because of what it cost them.  But, once the money is gone from the bank account, it’s gone.  There’s no longer a financial incentive attached to working out.

Novice exercisers are negatively effected by their perceived failures more than they are positively effected by their perceived triumphs.  Miss a workout and you will view it as a failure and the negative internal dialogue begins – I can’t do this, it’s too hard, I’m not good at this, I’m too busy.  Better to begin with a goal that is attainable until a routine can be established: one exercise bout per week.  Celebrate those workout days and give yourself a pat on the back, every single one of them is a triumph.  Maybe there will be times when you can fit in a second day in a week, treat that as extra credit.  If a week comes along when you miss your goal – big project at work, illness, vacation – it won’t derail you.  You can tell yourself that you’re cashing in your extra credit and plan to get right back on track the next week.  You have an entire lifetime to work up to five or six workout days a week.  You wouldn’t want your teenager setting off on a cross-country road trip the day after he got his driver’s license, why would you expect yourself to be able to handle a veteran exerciser’s weekly regimen right off the bat?

Going It Alone

This mistake is a bigger one for women than men.  Numerous studies on exercise adherence show that those who exercise with a partner or as part of a group are much more likely to achieve exercise adherence than those who don’t.  These same studies indicate that the correlation between exercising alone and failure to adhere is stronger for women.  Of course, this is a generalization and there are many men and women who enjoy, actually prefer, to workout alone.  I am one of them.  But if you have repeatedly tried to adopt a regular fitness regimen on your own and have been unable to sustain it, you are not likely one of them.  You probably need the motivation and accountability of an exercise buddy.  The socialization that takes place during exercise with a partner also creates positive reinforcement – you enjoy the experience with your partner which gives you overall positive feelings associated with the workout itself.  This makes you more likely to repeatedly return to workout and less likely to skip a workout.  My one caveat is to be choosey about your partner.  This is a huge commitment.  In order to achieve success, you want the partner to be someone who is dependable, is as committed as you are to the process and with whom you get along.

Self-Sabotage

Like anything else you aim to be successful at, effort is not only required during the activity but also leading up to the activity.  To not put some forethought and planning into building your fitness routine is to sabotage yourself.  Regardless of where you workout – at a gym, fitness studio or along the sidewalks in your neighborhood – you should schedule your workouts just as you would any other important appointment on your calendar.  The time you set aside for a workout is your time and is one of the most important investments in your health that you make.  Schedule it on your calendar every week and plan your day around keeping that appointment.  That means being prepared: have your workout clothes in your car, pre-arrange childcare and make sure everyone in your household is aware of your workout schedule, that you consider it a priority and, therefore, so should they.

Unexpected events that require our attention arise almost on a daily basis, especially when children are in the picture.  But putting fitness and health at the top of your list means attaching high priority status to your workouts.  If the event wouldn’t cause you to reschedule a doctor’s appointment or medical test, parent-teacher conference, lunch with a friend or business meeting, then it shouldn’t be a reason to skip your workout.  Even illness isn’t always a good excuse to sit it out.  If you don’t have a fever, diarrhea, vomiting or respiratory distress then a walk outdoors at a moderate pace, low-intensity strength workout or gentle yoga may actually help with symptoms of a mild cold.

There will be times when an emergency causes you to legitimately cancel a workout.  Be prepared for that too.  First, accept that it will happen and guard against guilty feelings or beating yourself up over it.  Second, plan for cancellations.  Have back-up slots scheduled on your calendar to fit in a workout reschedule or to use as your extra credit workout.  For tips on how to do this effectively see my May Small Steps post here.

In the end, the best approach to establishing a successful fitness regimen while avoiding pitfalls can be summarized this way: be realistic and take it in small, incremental steps and make fitness a priority by creating a supportive network and planning ahead.  This is more about having the right state of mind than it is about having willpower or hyper-motivation.  The willpower and motivation will not always be there and those are precisely the days that keeping your eyes on the fitness prize will be what gets you to and through your workout.

Author’s Note: Always consult your physician before beginning any new exercise program.

1) Proper Form
This is stressed over and over again and to be honest, it is surprising how much of them ignore this advice. Proper form is crucial and is repeated to all beginning trainers. This can be said with any exercise as using proper form is the key to get the most out of any exercise. Horrible form in deadlifts has serious consequences and more risk of injury. The key here is to master the movement by researching, watching videos and practicing with weight that is manageable. Do not be this guy in attempts to pack on weight that is out of your league.

2) Hydrate

Wrist straps allow lifting heavier without having the grip strength required otherwise. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Drink lots of water! Body is made up of 60% water so it is essential to replace that when your excreting a lot of sweat. Not only does water help for weight management purposes, but according to All About Water.org, “Water leads to increased energy levels. The most common cause of daytime fatigue is actually mild dehydration.” This can also impact your strength levels in the gym and lead to more weight you can put on the bar. They recommend 8 cups of water per day, but if you are a serious trainer, it is best to take in around up to a gallon of water. You lose a lot of sweat from exercise especially from deadlifts!

3) Use straps

Straps wrap around your wrist and provide more help in holding on to the bar. These are useful if you have a weak grip or your forearms give out sooner. Straps come in a variety of lengths and material. It is best to go with a trusted brand such as Valeo, Schick & Harbinger. These are good companies that have quality products! Some come with wrist support which is an added benefit! Using straps will allow you to get a few extra reps when your forearms had enough. Maximizing strength gains involves getting more reps when possible and straps help accomplish that.

4) Lifting Belt

Weight training belts are another essential piece of equipment when training. Using a lifting belt insures your core is tight and protected when performing movements such as squat and deadlifts. They help stabilize them and also helps to keep lower back from sustaining injury. Belts come in varieties as well. There are powerlifting belts which are much thicker and used for power movements such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses and clean presses. When going really heavy on these movements, they are very much a necessity. Other belts are your general training belts that can be found in most sporting good stores. Once again, good brands consist of Harbinger, Schick & Valeo. You want to choose a belt that fits you properly and not one that is too loose or too tight. Find your happy medium when making your selection.

5) Focus On Training Your Weak Muscles

These weak muscles happened to be your glutes, hamstrings and of course your lower back. Core region such as your abdominals and obliques also play a big factor as well. So by targeting and building these muscles, you are able to lift more weight without having to worry about injuring your weaker muscles. Targeting the glutes and hamstrings with laser like focus will also help in maximizing deadlifts. The best exercise I use to build that target area is the glute-ham raise exercise. Very effective and perfect for strengthening the area. Most gyms do not have this machine, but you can still perform the exercise using either a barbell or a lat pulldown machine. Here is a video demonstrated by Erin Stern!

There you have it! 5 tips that should be able to help you put more weight on the bar and lessen injury. We will be implementing more workout routines and exercises that will help you build up strength in the muscle group areas where it matters most!

• This is what they told me I should tell you to do.

Dynamic

• EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute) Flat Bench- 8 sets of 3 @ 50-60% 1RM
  • This weight should feel fairly light. Focus on slowly lowering the bar to your chest and subsequently exploding with full force/velocity on the way back up.
  • Bump the weight up 5 lbs from last week’s dynamic weight.

Volume (Rest periods should be 60-90 seconds b/t supersets)

• [Superset 1] 3 sets, 8-12 reps
  • Flat Bench Press
  • Strict Pull-ups (use assistance if needed to hit all reps)
    
• [Superset 2] 3 sets, 12-15 reps
  • Incline Dumbbell Chest Fly
    
  • Bent Over Two Arm Long Bar Row
• [Superset 3] 3 sets, 8-12 reps
  • Standing Olympic Barbell Curl
  • Dumbbell Tricep Extension (Behind Head)
• [Superset 4] 3 sets, 12-15 reps
  • Single arm dumbbell concentration curls
  • Tricep rope pushdown

Same workout as last week– bump all the weights up 5-10 lbs. Remember, for this hypertrophy workout, do not go to absolute failure, keep form perfect, stress the muscles, and feel that sick pump.

Motivation

• If you, like me, are hitting up EDC in one of the coming weekends, here’s the essential swole bro packing list, related to us by the Bro shepherd, Dom Mazetti himself:

The instructions for using the 3-Day a Week program are identical to using the 4-Day a Week workbook (that I shared in the post – The Excel Workout Workbook), except for one additional step.

This program still has 4 “core” lifts, bench, squat, clean, and push press.  Each week, over a 4-week cycle, you will do three core lifts, and omit one for the week.  It looks like this:

• Week 1         Bench, Push, Clean
• Week 2         Push, Clean, Squat
• Week 3         Clean, Squat, Bench
• Week 4         Squat, Bench, Push

Each workout card still has 3 different “cycles” (3×8, 5×5, and 3×3) printed on it, with all the weights based on their estimated one rep max.  On the “quote” page of the workbook there are two things you can change.  One is the quote or reminders that get put on each workout sheet for that week, and the other is a “pull down” menu to select which week workout you want to use.  When you select a week, it will automatically populate their workout cards for the new weeks lifts and weights.

The one additional step is selecting which week on the 4 week cycle you are on and want to print.  This brief video tutorial will show you how to manage the 4 week cycle on your Excel template:

3 Day a Week Program

►

Just a reminder – there are three different Excel workbooks available to you –  just click on each link to download:

• Mac 4 Day a Week Template
• Windows 4 Day a Week Template
• Mac 3 Day a Week Template

The Mac version will run on Windows without any problems.  The only difference in the Windows version, is that it has a “button” to click on when an athlete “breaks” that automatically adds 10 lbs to their estimated 1RM.

If you have any questions, just comment or email – I WILL answer!

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

While in Leiden, I will be running on Tuesday and Thursday and following my strength training on Wednesday and Friday.  I may even treat myself to some extra time on the elliptical trainer too!

This morning, I was in the gym for 45 minutes following my strength training routine.  For each exercise, I was only two sets.  I was extremely hot when I woke up this morning even though I felt okay.  Not sure why I was feeling to warm but maybe it had to do with being in the sun for a few hours yesterday.  For about five minutes near the start of my routine, I just laid on the cool floor of the gym to help cool down.  I was grateful when my routine was done and I was able to step into a cool shower.

On the way home after work I said to my husband that we had nothing to do after work and that I really didn’t know how to handle this.  Well, as it turned out that wasn’t completely true.  I had two loads of laundry plus packing to get done.  Also, a colleague in our Polish office (and his wife) are expecting their first child.  Months ago he asked that I knit something for his baby.  I was flattered and agreed.  The babies due date was yesterday and only today have I started a baby sweater.  Just when I thought there was nothing, there is always something.

Wednesday last week was, blessedly, a music-only rehearsal, so I got my much needed rest night. Thursday I ran, and Friday I got home and ended up taking an unscheduled 2-hour nap, which was desperately needed at that point. After the nap, I managed to do most of my upper body weight regimen, even though I haven’t been able to do it in forever. I’m keeping the brace on so that I don’t inadvertently re-injure the most delicate part of it, but other than that it went really well.

Saturday was my Day O’ Masochism. I got up early to hit up a yard sale with a friend, then went to belly dance class (the fitness one, where we do crazy reps of everything and you leave feeling all the muscles you normally forget exist.) After that, I was sore and tired, but I pushed myself to go out and run anyway. I was thoroughly used up after that, but I sort felt like a big fucking badass, so the payoff was worth it. After that, my friend came over to catch me up on tribal belly dance for a performance we’re doing end of next week. Thankfully that was the milder kind without the intensity, but I was still droopy through the whole thing. Rounded out the night at a party at a friends house.

Sunday was DBF’s graduation, so I just had to walk down to the theater. We went out to a hibatchi grill for lunch, which was freaking spectacular. I had a little bit of green tea ice cream, which was a treat though it tasted really really sweet to me. I don’t really regret it, but reflecting on it now I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would enjoy other things, so I think that might have been my parting wave to proper desert. Every once in a while I’ll let myself have a taste of something that I used to enjoy, but every single time it’s been way too sweet for me to actually enjoy. It might just take me a while to get that through my thick head, lol.

I might have to experiment with ice cream recipes, see about leaving out most of the sugar, or finally do the frozen banana and cocoa powder thing. Maybe I could do something with coconut milk even.

After the graduation and all assorted festivities were done, it was too late for me to go to rehearsal, so I went to my friends belly dance class to practice more for next week. It’s scary, because there’s no planned out ahead of time choreography, it’s all group impov, so it’s all a matter of learning the cues and keeping up with the leader. I figure even if it’s not perfect, it should be fun, and we’re dancing to Led Zeppelin! So excited.

On Saturday, I also made a huge batch of curry squash soup, so that’s at home waiting for me for dinner tonight! I think it’s pretty deadly, too, lol.

I am really proud of myself though! Today for the first time, I was able to do all 24 push-ups (modified of course. one step at a time LOL). I haven’t been able to do that since I started the program. Heck, I haven’t been able to do 24 push-ups in years, even modified ones were beyond my grasp. That all changed today! BeFit in 90 is helping me build muscle and be stronger already after only 8 days!!! Woohoo! I can’t wait to see how fit I am after the 90 days! I’m excited to see all the changes my body makes by the end of this fitness program!

So….Friday night I decided to spend some quality time with the sister and so I took her to get her eyebrows threaded (ouch! she said it felt like her face was being torn off haha so im guessing it hurt!), then we went shoppin’, then out to dinner, then picked up some froyo on the way home, then watched the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy, and then went to bed full and content

Saturday morning started with a bang and it was nonstop prom prep all day long! Luckily I was able to make myself a nice breakfast of rolled oats, sun butter, and warm berries…SO GOOD!

Then, while the sister was showering I hit the gym and got in a solid run!

I have been running outdoors on the weekends lately, but I wanted to make sure i got in 6.2 miles as prep for my 10K next weekend and so I hit the gym so that I would be able to keep track of my mileage more easily.

When I got home I did some stretching/strength work for about 45 minutes and then showered so that I could make a quick lunch before my sister’s make-up appointment.

Lunch was a nice cool smoothie bowl topped with some granola and shredded coconut….

Then, we hit the mall…but makeup appointment ended up taking longer than planned and so we had to rush home to make it in time for her hair appointment. Luckily my cousin is a hair stylist and so she was able to come to our house and do hair prep which was super nice!!

While waiting for the final prep to take place I snacked on some chips/salsa/hummus/& grapes.

So my sister ended up being about 30 minutes behind schedule, so things were kinda crazy trying to get her to the place where her group was meeting for dinner on time, but we finally made it and she looked sooooooo gorgeous!

Here is a pic of the 3 sisters right before she met up with the rest of her prom group!

It is crazy how fast she is growing up! I sware it seems like just yesterday that she was born and I know I am going to miss her like crazy next year when she goes away to school!

Also, my little brother had a big 7th grade dance at his school the same night, so we had to rush back home to make sure my mom and dad got him to his dance and sheesh by like 7 o’clock I felt like the day had literally flown by!

After my parents left I made myself a quick dinner of sweet potatoes, a chicken/apple sausage, brussel sprouts, & kale that was just the thing I needed to perk up my energy because I had plans to go out with friends later that night!

I ended up staying out until close to 2 am…so when I woke up Sunday and realized it was almost 10 o’clock I was quite happy because typically I am never able to sleep in!!

Yesterday was a pretty relaxing day…got coffee with my sis, went to the grocery store with my mom, then saw my mom’s students perform Seussical The Musical at her school…and finally napped, and then had a big salmon dinner with the fam! Post dinner I went on a nice walk with my sister around the neighborhood and then did some light stretching yoga before hitting the hay!

It was a nice weekend even though it was a little crazy and so I will most likely be a little tired today! Hopefully the afternoon doesn’t drag on too much though!

Ok and finally, my breakfast this morning was super yummy! I made raspberry/lemon overnight oats….following this recipe

1/3 c. rolled oats, 1/3 c. vanilla coconut milk, 1/3 c. plain greek yogurt, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. lemon zest, 1 tbsp. raspeberry preserves, 1 tsp. chia seeds…mix everything together, refrigerate overnight, add more milk in the morning to loosen up and top with fruit of your choice!

Alrighty everyone, I will talk to you all later! Enjoy your Mondays and lets hope they go by quickly!

Last week, I ate a few servings of tomatoes (been hitting those delectable grape tomatoes but then made an ‘Italian’ sauce) and this week I made a VERY small pot of quick chili (beef, onions, garlic* and tomatoes with 3 tons of cumin and a few other spices).

I’m telling myself this is a weaning-off process since I’m only eating about 2-3 T a day atop a bed of mixed greens…but it’s still tomatoes (and garlic).

My soft tissues and joints have been talking to me and I was blaming reintroducing strength training but I have to be honest: eating nightshades and garlic sure as hell ain’t helping. Wah! I mean really. I don’t get to cheat-eat on Krispy Kremes, you mean I can’t have some fecking garlic and tomatoes?

No.

Damn.

So, if I’m going to play, I have to stop the madness.

*I’m autoimmune-reactive to garlic but I love it so much, I can only leave it for months at a time and then foray into eating it again. Who eats 16 cloves of garlic as a snack? SOMEBODY WHO LOVES IT.

I’m rereading The Paleo Solution** in an attempt to reinvigorate common sense. BTW eggs are often indicated in autoimmune. I can go a long time without eating them but when I eat them again, nothing bad happens. I do not think they’re a problem. In fact, I tend to feel ‘clear’ when I’ve chosen one or two eggs a day over something goofy like hemp protein with fruit and chia seeds.

** I’m not hyper-Paleo-girl. I’m multiple autoimmune girl and came to Paleo after practicing gluten-free, nightshade and citrus (and garlic) free as prescribed by my GP after rigorous testing. While I make lots of poor choices (16 cloves garlic, 4 mojitos or 3 glasses of Chardonnay or 3 vodka/tonics… just saying), I’ve underwent shedloads of medical tests since childhood and that was the 70s. I’m coming at this from a science/medical foundation.

how does this relate to lifting weights? Well, it’s a matter of training for functional strength or training for hypertrophy or building muscle size. This seems to be the biggest confusion on understanding how to train.

What I like about StrongLifts 5×5 is it concentrates on strength using compound movements. What is a compound movement? It is an exercise that hits more than one muscle at a time. Take the squat for example. It pretty much works all of your legs! Not only that, it works some lower back and your core. Hell, you could even say it works your arms a bit because you have to stabilize the barbell on your back and keep it stabilized during the whole movement (Mehdi, creator of the StrongLifts 5×5 program points this out). It’s also going to hit all those little stabilizer muscles that can often times get neglected from isolation movements. These muscles are VERY important for functionality.

Because the body works together as a whole component, it makes more sense to me to train the body as one whole component. Training for strength first versus training for hypertrophy first also makes sense to me. In growing older and wiser I now understand this. Up until now I have trained with split routines targeting single muscle groups as well as full body routines (doing like 12 different exercise, ugh!). I have had moderate success in the muscle department doing this. I lost a shit ton of weight but never really grew much muscle. I’m not sure I was going for big muscles as much as I was trying to lose weight. Either way, knowing what I know now is exciting new information to me.

I overheard a trainer in the gym say something to the effect, “you have to grow a big trunk to grow a big tree.” Although I have never been one to ignore working legs, I know a lot of guys who do. And, again, this makes sense to me! You always hear people say that you have to have a strong foundation. Well, it’s true. A weak foundation isn’t going to do much for the house built on top of it. Now, apply that to the body. See what I mean? Anyway, I think everyone gets the point here. So where does hypertrophy training come into play? From what I have read, it comes after building that strong body as it will allow you to move more weight around causing more muscle growth. I also see it as more of a tweaking process for making certain muscles pop. There is probably a way to do both but I’m not there yet nor do I want to be there yet. I’m trying to get strong! This is my goal first.

So on to my first week doing Mehdi’s StrongLifts 5×5 routine. I have completed all of my reps and have added weight to each workout. I’m feeling great working this way. It is boosting my confidence and has given me a new mental outlook on my training goals. I’m excited about the next 11 weeks as this is, in the beginning, a 12 week program. If you haven’t read up on Mehdi’s StrongLifts 5×5 program, go to my “My Workouts” page and follow the links to his site! Let me know what you think.

Cheers!

Wally

Update:

Check out this thread I found on the bodybuilding.com forum about building strength as a foundation. I like posts 11 by tom10, 12 by vpofallstar1161 and 13 by whitneymmm. Click here to read the thread!

1. In case you missed it, the 5,000+ runners who were unable to finish the Boston Marathon this year have been invited back in 2014 to finish what they started.
2. If you’re still hoping to qualify for 2014 and like reading bad news about your chances, the Boston Globe’s got you covered…
3. After training through my Bar exam prep last summer, I can attest to the impact of stress on your running. (Although, running served as a serious stress RELIEF in the first few months, the final weeks leading up to the exam seriously sabotaged some training runs.)
4. Here are some great tips on strength work you can do to boost your performance in various race scenarios (downhills, uphills, and quick turns). It’s meant for trail runners, but works for those of us who prefer a more … urban… environment.
5. Philly will have a new Boston-qualifying marathon this year – Chasing the Unicorn – in late Aug, providing people a chance at last-minute qualifying times.
6. Have any of you out there tried the Hansons Marathon Method? The idea of topping out at a 16mi long run sounds great until it’s followed by “oh, but you run 6 days a week and are pretty much always exhausted.” Interested to hear peoples’ thoughts or if they’ve done similar strategies.
7. Bad news for muscle crampers: it may not be as easy to fix as adding salt tabs to your nutrition plan.
8. As we ramp back up into racing season, take a look at this list to make sure you’re not making any of these popular training mistakes.
9. I’ve almost DNF’d because of my uterus. Here are some common questions/concerns, and ways to minimize the impact of your lady bits on race day.

Fast forward to now and my new love for Highland Games. My Oz man is usually in attendance and even got put to work shagging weights this weekend in Springfield.

Which was fun for him until he got pretty hot and tired. Heh.

After we parked our chairs in the morning, the Sciscoe family waltzed in. I first met Anita (the Ma) at the Shammies in March. She immediately started giving me Sheaf lessons and was full of fun energy all day long. I saw her youngest, Noah, walking around that day going back and forth alternating watching her throw and then going over to the Men’s group where Glenn (the Pa) and Andy (big brother) were competing together. Now THAT’s family time!

This past weekend in Springfield, Anita talked A.D. Merl Lawless into hosting a Junior’s division so Noah could go ahead and compete. Another junior competitor signed up and the two of them spent the day with us ladies. They were amazing. Hard working and having fun, with Noah giving his Ma a run for her money on the Sheaf. The two of them were the last two standing and I asked him, “How bad to you want to beat your Ma.” His reply, ‘Very bad!’ Heh. Good boy.

It was very special to watch Anita’s interaction with Noah. She was teacher; coach; cheerleader; mom; competitor; and fun through it all. Both she and Noah placed first in their groups and Glenn and Andy placed in their groups setting the stage for what better be this year’s Christmas card…

I’ve seen a lot of pics of youngsters trying to mimic proud folks with various lifting equipment. But the Sciscoe’s? Their kids mimic them right into the trig. That’s awesome. I like it. Spending time with them all day was a treat. Thanks Sciscoe’s!

Women’s natural role is to be a pillar of the family.

Grace Kelly

Training Log

]]> http://pushmylimits.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/workouts-in-review-for-may-13-19-2013/ Mon, 20 May 2013 15:43:58 +0000 vardotrichic http://pushmylimits.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/workouts-in-review-for-may-13-19-2013/ I decided to try something different to represent my workouts this week.  Last week I went picture style…this week…well take a look for yourself!!

Monday swim at 5 am

Monday Bike Ride at 5 pm

Tuesday Strength Training at 4:30 am

Tuesday’s 5:30 pm Run…This was a HOT, WINDY Run!!

Wednesday’s 5 am 2200 yard Swim

Wednesday’s Bike Ride at 3:30 pm…This was a PR at 17.4 mph for an average over the nearly 38 miles I rode

Thursday morning at 4 am I ran with an amazing friend. We had a great run with great conversations!!

Thursday morning after the run I did some strength training for my arms and legs. I then did the core workout after work at 3:30 pm.

Saturday morning run at 5:00 am with AMAZING friends!! Life doesn’t get much better than this!!

Core Strengthening after Running Saturday morning

Sunday’s Brick was mentally and physically challenging, but a GREAT workout that I conquered!!

This was a VERY successful week for me…I’m very happy with my performance on all of my workouts this week!!

Complete the Following:

50 Pike Push Ups

1 Minute Plank

50 Push Ups

1 Minute Plank

50 Pull Ups

1 Minute Plank

100 Squats

_____________________________________________

Pike Push Ups:

Push Ups:

Pull Ups:

Plank:

Squat:

I have not blogged in a couple of days because I have been so busy getting mentally and physically prepared for my first competition this summer. I never would have believed that I would be so excited and motivated for just the opportunity of competing in such a high level. It doesn’t matter whether I win or lose, I am just thrilled that I am changing my lifestyle and that I am transforming my body in ways I never thought possible.

Here is a great article I found that gives you 10 GREAT REASONS why you should exercise daily.

Marcela Matallana