BeckieA’s BodyBlog

I’m helping a friend of mine get in shape for his new job so I’ve decided to spend less time in the gym lifting weights and more time developing some speed and agility. Since I’m not competing this year I think my body will thank me for the change and variety. I bough one of those speed ladders and laid it out on the back lawn the other day and ran through some short drills. Boy you may think these look easy but they aren’t-my hammys were burning like crazy after 10 cycles! next session I will try out some lateral drills and see how that feels

 Unfortunately I’ve been struck down with a bad virus so no training at least this week-got to look after the body if I want it to last the distance right!!

Finally enrolled to get my first aid and CPR cert redone then the next thing on my list is to sit my ACSM exam and get some liability insurance-I have a PLAN!!!

Happy training everyone!!

I have been training but I’ve been so incredibly busy with life in general I haven’t had time to update my blog

Training is going well-I’m doing 3-4 days a week of weights and a fair bit of walking and am continuing to stay leaner than last year despite it being winter here.

I’ve had a few problems with tight hip flexors but thanks to a doctoral physical therapy student in the US,I have made good progress in loosening them up. I guess alot of us hate stretching but once you’ve had injuries and are getting a bit older,then you have to be more diligent about treating your body he way it was designed to function.

I’ve just signed up to redo my first aid/CPR cert next month and I’m hoping to sit my ACSM exam later in the year-its just being so busy at the moment its really hard to fit in all the study!

My eating has continued to stay pretty clean and I guess that contributes to me staying leaner.My midsection is massively tighter than last year and I can see my serratus and intercostals without too many problems..

I just need to find a way to add a bit more muscle on this current diet and keep my gut condition stable because I don’t ever want to have the problems I had earlier in the year,ever again!!!

Well folks I’m finally back at the gym after a substantial break due to illness. I’ve had to change my diet quite radically and am no longer allowed any artificial sweeteners,caffeine,MSG or red meat because these are triggers for my gut condition. Even though this is a bit of a bummer,it has given me the opportunity to try out some new foods-quinoa and rice spaghetti,couscous just to name a couple. And of course I have gone back to my favorite bread-spelt-it is expensive but I don’t each that much of it so a whole loaf lasts me 3 weeks!

As far as training goes,I’m doing full body workouts for at least the next 6 weeks to get my body used to lifting weights again. I had a bit of dOMS the first week I went back but now it seems to have dissipated as my body has adjusted quite quickly-good thing that muscle memory!

Sorry for not updating sooner but my training status hasn’t really changed. The specialist told me I wasn’t allowed to train until I had put back on some of the weight I had lost but unfortunately for me that takes a while so I won’t be back in the gym until at least the end of april.

On the positive side I am feeling healthier with my new diet-its amazing what cutting out chocolate and artifical sweeteners can do!

my apologies to everyone who is following my blog! I have not been very well and have been referred to a gastroenterologist for further treatment. This is a real blow to my competition aspirations for this year so I have decided to give it away and focus on getting my health back. It is no fun not being able to train or eat properly then get sick and have to lie in bed for 2 days to recover. Needless to say I have lost precious muscle and alot of confidence but I’m sure it will come back in due course.

I only hope the specialist can find something wrong so I can get back on track!

I know its been a long gap between posts but I’ve been away down in the south Island for a couple of weeks and on top of that I’ve had a tummy bug that has come back not once or twice,but THREE times. It has made it extraordinarily difficult to train because I barely had the strength to move let alone train.

I saw the doctor today and he assured me that it will go away-its viral and theres no drug that will fix that so I just have to eat small amounts frequently so I don’t over work my bowels-nice huh

In the meantime I’ve ordered some new Orange Xtend to try and the Dymatize ISO-100 whey isolate because its one of the few hydrolyzed isolates on the market. I like the ON Cookies and cream but I hate having to take digestive enzymes with it so the protein can digest properly..I am lactose intolerant but its the protein powder my body hates so I have to go with the one that doesn’t taste so great but digests better….hmmmm

Well for the past 5 days I’ve been laid up with a tummy bug so no training nor much eating happening here However I AM starting to feel better today!

My workouts prior to being sick:

 Legs:

Plie Stance DB deads 5 x 8

Powerbag Squats 4 x 12

ATG Squats with Swiss ball 4 x 12-my butt hurt for 4 days after these

Leg Extensions 4 x 10

Swiss Ball Leg curls 4 x 12

Back

DB Row 5 x 8 each side

High pulley pulldowns to chest(close grip) 45 x 12

Low Pulley Row 4 x 8

Back Extensions 4 x 10

Shoulders

Hammer grip DB press(really worked the front delts well) 4 x 8

Pronated grip lat raises 4 x 10-these were HARD and I was SORE the next day

Reg lat raises 2 x 12

Front raises 3 x 10

Thats all folks-I’m off on vacation for 12 days -will hit the gym where I’m staying but no write ups for a wee while yet!

Got my essential supplies though-protein powder,Xtend and EFA’s!

my shoulders felt great and it was certainly one of the best shoulder workouts I have ever done…

 BUT

Today I was struck down by a migraine-not nice! they are totally unpredictable,nothing seems to be a trigger except stress,not even chocolate…no food would stay down but I’m reasting up now so hopefully I will be right in a couple of days to train.

Does anyone else get them? I’d be interested in hearing how you deal with them!

Thanks

Today I did mega volume on shoulders and boy am I tired!!! You should have seen the pump I got,wow,like nothing I’ve seen for a loooong time

Superset of Standing Smith Mil Press(6 x 7) and standing Lat raises (6 x

incline 3/4 raises 4 x 8

Reverse Pec dec flyes 4 x 12

then just for good measure 6 x 12 of tricep pressdowns!

I’m trialling out the periodised volume style of training,increased sets each week up to 6 sets then the next cycle is 6 reps 5 reps 4 reps 2 reps over 4 weeks. I definitely feel like I’m getting stronger with this type of training but I know at some point I’m going to have to level off to give my body a break because I am prone to ‘over-reaching’ or ‘over-training’ as its called.

I’m also finding the one serve of Xtend is no longer enough to satisfy my body during training,so from now on I will double the dose and see what happens. It really is an awesome supplement and I urge everyone to give it a go!

And the best thing about this training is this-

I am going up in weight but my measurements are dropping! Who said gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time is impossible? Not for me it isn’t!!

Well I got so busy I forgot to post my leg workout the other day so here it is now:

Friday 4 Jan

Hammer Unilateral leg press 5 x 8 each leg (I noticed I have a crunchy left knee,must be from all those old kneecap dislocations from years ago so I’ve gone back to the liquid glucosamine which is awesome!)

Leg Extensions 5 x 8 (both legs together,right knee felt a bit strange so I changed my foot angle to pointed out and it came right)

Wide Stance DB deadlifts 5 x 8 these are one of my fave exercises as they really fry the inner hammies and goodness knows mine need that lol)

Swiss Ball Leg curls 4 x 12

I may not seem like I’m doing alot of volume right now but I’m getting results and thats what counts right!! The whole leg is looking tighter and I have lost a half inch from my hips YAY!!!

Today(Sunday) Back

Free BB T bar row(using rope handle) 5 x 8-I love the free T-bars,they really hit the core,mid traps and rear delts well,one of my favorite exercises

Close grip pulldowns(sitting on floor of cable machine) 5 x 8 these really hit the rear delts nicely too and of course gives the serratus a good stretch

DB row 4 x 6 then 1 x 6 with heavier weight

straight arm lat pressdown-4 x 10-I love how these BURN the tricep/lat insertions out,that must be why my triceps are looking tighter.

I don’t generally do alot of tricep training now because my triceps dwarf my biceps in size and I really just need to lean them out when I cut later in the year. They still get some workout just not the heavy CGBP like I used to do!