ArmdandFabulous’s BodyBlog

Health Controversy: Is the New Stevia Sweetener Fab or Frightening?

all exercises 3 sets 6-8 reps

bench press  #30 lbs

decline bench #30 lbs

db flyes #25lb

shoulder presses w/#30, 25lb db’s

lateral raises #15 lb db’s

front raises #20 lb db’s

assisted dips -46 lbs

skullcrushers #50lb

tricep pulldowns

..I’m feelin the pain already!

leg presses 15-20 reps #90×2, #110×2, #140×4

lunges 3×15 #70

romanian deads 3×10 #60

leg curls 3×15 #40

I took Easter Sunday off from working out….and in my time off I realized that I have been waaaay underestimating my calories, which is why I thought I was stuck on a plateau…I was doing cardio 2x a day some days and getting nowhere (weightloss wise) since Feb…it really does help to write down everything you eat! I know I’ve heard it a million times but I was resistant to doing it because I figured it was "clean" so it seemed much lower than what it actually was…when you add in a teaspoon of peanut butter here, a few walnuts there…you can really blow up the number of calories you are eating…I was eating a salad pretty frequently with strawberries, walnuts, and chicken in it…thinking, wow, soo healthy, and so good….well, the salad dressing had 150 cals in it, the walnuts were 200 cals (for 1 serving, which is 1/4 cup!), and we won’t even discuss fat content!…the salad had at least 500 calories in it, and I wasn’t even counting the calories, and I was eating it 2x a day some days!…wow what an eye opener!…I was really stressing out because I thought my calories were as low as I wanted them in order to keep muscle, and I couldn’t see doing MORE cardio…so I thought I was gonna be stuck forever…and ever…and ever…and ever…and…you get the point…but I’m glad I took the time to analyze the diet…I plan to see some progress here really soon now!…not to self: work SMARTER, not HARDER!

AM 

all exercises 6-8 reps 3 sets each

bench press #65lb

incline bench press #65lb, #55

flat dumbell press  #30lb db’s

skullcrushers #45lb

assisted dips

overhead rope pull #35

cable bicep exercise  #40, #35

dumbell curls #20

barbell 21’s #25lb

PM

cardio: 20 min eliptical, 10 min side step machine, 15 min stairmaster

leg press #90  3×20…W/one leg #50  3×20

stiff legged deadlift #45 3×20

walking lunges with 25lb plates…8×20 steps each way

AM

did 3 sets each; 6-8 reps  

shoulder press #25’s 

one arm row #40, #45×2

pullups (assisted)

seated row #90, #100×2

iso lat machine #110, #100×2

lat pulldowns #90, #100, #110

bent over row #50

upright row #45

side lat raises #15, #12×2

cable crossovers #40, #35×2

PM..cardio

4 mile run–broken up into 1 mile increments immediately before/after other machines, 30 min stairmaster, 20 min short stairmaster (don’t know it’s name!)

..I let Friday be a cheat day, and I ate a hamburger, and a CINNABON..mmmm…so I did a little extra cardio to buuuuurrn it off

…here I go, changing my "new routine" already…I figured that the high reps–12-15 that the exercises  called for were more for conditioning and giving me muscle endurance, rather than building more muscle, which is what I want….whoa I really felt like I TORE up my chest and tri’s today…it was quite challenging, I lifted as heavy as I could to not be able to get more than 6 reps or so out with each set…at one point I thought I was gonna drop a 45 lb bb on my head while doing skull crushers…I was able to get to muscle failure after each set too, which I am not always consistent in doing…so I felt pretty good about today’s workout and the change in strategy..

…in addition to the weight lifting I am still doing a lot of cardio…I am trying to drop more lbs (about 18 to go)while maintaining and building muscle…a tough job for someone who doesn’t know really what they are doing yet…I wonder if I am doing too much cardio at times…but then if I cut back on the cardio I would need to also cut back on calories, which won’t help me build muscle…I currently do cardio 5-6 x a week, and 3 days a week I do it 2x a day…I have been doing it for a while so my endurance is up there, I can do a lot of cardio…but my body is "used to it" so it isn’t nearly as effective as it was before…so my question is, now that I am basically on another plateau, should I do even MORE cardio, longer sessions, or what…I do mix up what machines I use, and I do HIIT during the week…I think my body is extra efficient at storing fat due to the "yo-yo dieting" in the past I have done: I have gained and lost 10-20 lbs many times…got any ideas for me??…and oh yeah, I haven’t used fat burners at all…I’m a little afraid they would take my appetite away too much and I wouldn’t be hungry enough to eat enough of what I need to eat?…so I’m a little confused/stalled at this point in my transformation..

today’s workout  AM

bench press 65lb..hey I don’t normally do these, so I know it’s low..lol..the bar does weigh 45 lb right?

incline chest press #55lb

lying db press #30 db’s

assisted dips

skullcrushers  #45 bb

overhead tricep ext w rope #35lb

PM 

bb curls #45lb

preacher curls #45lb

incline db curls #20lb

cardio…4 mi run, 30 mins stairmaster

…I wasn’t sure if I was gonna give them a rest since my knees have been hurting, but I decided to just go for it and had a good workout yesterday…I did leg presses, squats, leg extensions, lying leg curls, and deadlifts…I used the smith machine for the deadlifts this time and I liked the extra stability it gave me, I could go heavier than I normally do…I didn’t pay too much attention to how much I was lifting and exact number of sets, just kept going until exhaustion…I worked up quite a sweat too, as much as I do when I do cardio!! …so I figured it was alright to skip it for the day…and my knees feel fine today…YAY!

..But today my legs aren’t even that sore…maybe tomorrow they will be…I guess this means go heavier next time…

..as far as eating goes, I am having issues with lowering calories…I know that is what I need to do, and I am eating clean…but the extra little bit of peanut butter here and there, and the snacking on cereal at night (at least it’s Kashi Go Lean)are killing my all day long efforts!!..I did really well all day yesterday..until around 10pm when the pb was calling my name…and I gave in and ate a little…  know it’s the 100-300 extra little calories that are happening daily that are sabotaging me!…but being aware of this isn’t keeping me from seeming to have NO willpower at stopping it! grrrrrrrrr…

…they didn’t until a couple weeks ago, and I always pay attention to foot placement, making sure form is right, but maybe I’m doing something wrong…if I don’t do squats can I still develop decent quads with lunges, leg presses, etc??…I have read that in order to really get them shaped up you MUST do squats…aaaahhhh!!!…I have never had knee problems in my life!….any suggestions??

AM

overhead bb press 3×10, #40

upright row 3×10, #45

lat raise 3×12, #12, #10, #8

assisted pullups 3×10

bent over row 3×10, #50

seated row 3×10 70, 80×2

mid back row 3×10 #50, #60×2

narrow grip pulldown 3×10 #70, #90×2

cardio: 15 stairmaster….did some shoulder presses….then 30 more mins stairmaster

 …the stairmaster kicked my a** today…I got sooooo sweaty, it was great..!

With this workout, I am going faster, with much less rest time between sets…for that reason, I am noticing the muscle gets fatigued quickly and I can’t go nearly as heavy as I normally would…I am trying to keep conditioning the muscle while I burn more fat…

PM: 4 mile run, 25 min stairmaster

2nd time doing this routine in my new workout schedule… 

AM 1 mile run… 

bb curl 3×12, #35

preacher curl 3×12 #35

incline db curls 3×12 #15

assited dips 3×12

overhead tri extension 3×12, #30, #25×2…this one really got my tri’s exhausted, just like last week!

skull crushers 3×12 #35

bench press 3×12

cable chest 3×12 #35, #25×2

flat bench db press 3×12 #20’s

…I really like this new routine, giving my arms their own day is really working…about midway thru the workout I looked in the mirror and my triceps were bulging out, more than I have ever seen before…I was too excited when I saw that …I wanted to point them out to other people working out, I was that excited…but I thought I better not…don’t want anyone to get jealous..heh heh…or scared of the crazy tricep lady…lol

…I have also been trying to up my protein intake the last couple of days, I was only getting around 100-110 gms per day, but everywhere I read about this, I see that 1 gm per body lb is the recommendation…so I am going up to 150 gms a day…

…on an unrelated topic, there was a girl working out in the weights area not using weights..she was tall and thin, and was using the benches to do scissor kicks and a lot of ab work and kicking of her legs all over…I wondered why she wasn’t over in the mat-area instead….guess you need a mirror to watch your scissor form carefully or something…lol…anyhow, looking at her made me proud of where I am and think how glad I am that I like the look of muscle…at the same time, she was probably thinking “OH…my…god, Becky, Look at her triceps…they’re just…so…BIG…I can’t believe…they’re just so, BULKY….GRoss!!….LOOK!” …lol

PM  5 mile run