Making_A_Change’s BodyBlog

I had a great leg day this morning! I have upped my oats to 1/3c. from 1/4c. and I needed every little bit. I did 5 sets of: leg pressess/calf presses (90, 160, 220[hard!])+ good mornings (upped the weight, used a 50# bb). Then I did low squats with raised heels (only 20# added to the bar for the last set)+v sits with a 10#db (found my this emphasized my hip flexors, too). At the end, I did around 6 sets of leg extensions, drop sets and increased the reps. I made sure to bring the weight all of the way down, bringing my legs to a 90 degree angle then pushed up and squeezed. I started at 150# and decreased the weights by 10-20 pounds. By the time I got to 35# my legs were shaking.

I definitely have to do more manipulation with the diet. My clothes are falling off of me. Luckily, tomorrow is pay day and I will be rewarding myself with a couple pairs of pants.  I am taking a 1/2 dose of Vasocharge 30 minutes before my workout and creatine in my protein shake afterwards and I think that it is helping. I feel a bit leaner, too.

A 4 Year Old Moment

My husband was driving with our 4 1/2 -year old daughter and they were having one of their ‘life conversations’. He said that he told her something that he thought was was very profound, to which our daughter replied, "Barack Obama would approve that message."

I did chest and triceps this morning. I used 30# dbs for my bench presses and 25# for my flye/presses. I used the 30 pounds bb for tricep extensions and did high reps and  20# for kickbacks. I did tricep batextensions and calf raises. I got about 4 sets of 10-12 reps for the first tri-set and 3 sets for the second superset. I only had about an hour and wished I had more time. By the time I did go home, though, my triceps were really swollen and tight! My glutes and adductors are sore which is a good sign. I think it might have been the sprinting upstairs. Today is the day that I take my daughter to the other gym with the jumper. I’ll usually do abs or cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I think I may do some HIIT on the elliptical and some abs–about 5 or 6 sets.

My weight is still holding steady at around 133.8. I’ve been increasing my calories a little bit so that I can continue to improve my numbers. I am still cycling, too. The next two days are low for me–around 80-100 grams–give or take. It is not a complete science as alot of it is by how I feel. I have not been logging my meals as I should, but I have been trying to do a better job at keeping track of these workouts. That half of the battle.

This morning was back and biceps and most of my weights are up. I did preacher curls with 40# dumbbells, single-armed db rows with 40#dbs, seated lat pulls at 100# for 10 reps, and bent-over rows using 60# bb. I did 3-5 sets of each superset and kept my reps at around 8-10. My first two supersets were 5 reps and my third superset was three reps. My upper body is really getting striated. I have been working my legs 2-3 times per week, as planned. It feels like there are some improvements. They aren’t quite visible, yet, but I am positive that they will be improved by May.

As far as diet, it still clean. I have just been playing around with sauces, like I did before contest prep. I love curry—red, yellow, and green. And I also pumped up my chocolate pudding by using ½ the amount of milk (and using water for the other half of what the recipe called for) and a scoop of Muscle Milk. It made the pudding really creamy. Then I put a little dollop of whipped cream and some walnuts (good fat!). It’s really tasty! I read and heard from other competitors that the weeks following a competition are a prime muscle-building time, so I am trying to take advantage of this period.

I also did sprints up the stairs next to the apartment for 10 passes.

My legs and glutes were not sore so, I hit them, again. I am back to taking 1/2 the suggested dose of Scivations Vasocharge 30 minutes before my workout and drinking the Extend during. I really felt energetic and was able to get in 4-5 sets of the following super sets:

machine squat + good mornings

one-legged squats (to the ground–> bicep curl–> shoulder press), hamstring curls

bb squats to shoulder press+ lying hamstring curls

Then, I finished it off with 20 minutes of the stairmill (glutes out)

Tomorrow, maybe back and biceps, with some abs as ‘rest’.

I felt like doing biceps, again–and so I did! And I accidently curled 35# dumbells and I did shoulder presses with 30’s–two personal bests. I don’t know if I should attritube this to the creatine or the fact that I have a tangible goal. Either way, it means that I am no longer stuck. I did: bent over flyes with 10’s (for good form) and 15’s for the weight, lateral raises (25#), one-armed cleans (?) (30, 35#). I did those four excercises for 5 sets 8-10 reps. I also did bicep curls and ‘curled the rack’ as my trainer would say (35# all the way down to 5’s). I had veins runing up and down my arms–thick ones. It was pretty exciting. I ended it it 15 minutes of cardio holding 5 pounds plates–4 mph at an 11% incline. This was tough, as my butt was burning. But I was happy to know that it was working.

I keep my trophy in the kitchen , since that is wehre I spend alot of my time. Interestingly, her butt is facing the front. My husband asked–did you turn her around so you will be reminded to keep working on your glutes? Yes, indeed it is.

I hadn’t planned on doing legs. But after my rest day yesterday, my legs and hamstrings were feeling pretty good, so I figured why not. I got in 5 sets of the following tri-set: leg press (90, 160, 230#), calf press  (90, 160, 230#), bicep curls (25#, couldn’t find the 30’s). Then, I did these one legged, standing squats (don’t know what they are called, but they burned), roll outs for abs (on the ball), and good mornings. I did 4 sets of those. I only had an hour, and I would have liked to do more. This evening I took Little Bit to her gym so that she could jump in the jumper. I did an hour of abs: I did 5 sets 15-20 reps of: v-sits (15# db), scissor v-sits, and the sitting oblique one (again, don’t know the name, but I feel it). I also did woodchoppers (increased the weight) and ball crunches with leg together for 5 sets. I should be sore tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s workout: triceps, shoulders (heavy), and calves and 20 minutes on the stairmill.

I know that rest/recovery days are important, but when you are feeling strong and have your eyes on the prize it’s hard to take a step back and stop. I feel a bit antsy and unfocused. There are so many thing that I work out in my head while working out.

My back and chest are really sore. Tomorrow will probably be biceps, calves and quads because the hamstrings are STILL sore.
And I have decided that if I am going to dream, I might as well dream big. I would like an Overall win and the sword that comes with it. I mean why not. It gives me something to work towards, right? And that is how all of this got started–with a hope, a dream and lots of protein.

This morning’s workout looked something like this:

incline  chest flyes (25#)–>I got 8-10 reps

incline chest press (25#)

one-armed shoulder presses (25#)

bb front/reverse shoulder press (30#)

tricep kickback (20#)–>did drop sets all the way down to 5#

bb skullcrushers (30#)

I did 5 sets of each tri-set and tried to keep the reps at around 10-12. My weights increased on everything. I also did v-sets with 5 pounds weights. I found out tonight that I can do them with a 10 pound weight. Tomorrow is a rest day. I will try, I really will, to stay out of the gym. It is also a good time to do a low carb day since my activity level with be low. It will be nice to get the extra hour of sleep.

This morning I focused on my back. From what I remember I did:

I did 5 sets, 12-15 reps for the first 3 sets, around 8-10 on the last 2 sets.
Lat pull downs (horseshoe attachment): 100#-good stretch!
Seat rows (80#, 90#)

db row (30#)

upright rows (45# plate)

Reverse lat pull downs (70#, 80#)

bb bent over row (50#)

cable row (top hole)- (50, 60, 70, 80#) did drop sets of 15-20**

Cardio: 15 minutes on treadmill, 4 mph, 7% incline, 2 1/2 pound plates. Started to sweat need to do this for 30+ minutes!

I am really trying to go as heavy as I can on my own. Tomorrow is chest, triceps, and shoulders and I am looking forward to it. I think I look forward to the pre-workout oats as much as the workouts. I get out of bed and say-yeeeeessss, I get to eat oatmeal. 

The hamstrings are still sore–not pulled sore–just I worked them right, sore.

This morning I focused on legs and glutes. I did the following:

bb squats (n/a, 20, 50#)-I have lowered the weights on this one. I am trying to go lower to the ground and explode on the way up. Additionally, I tried to squeeze my glutes on the way up. I supersetted with Good Mornings (I think that is what they are called.) A bb goes across your shoulders and you bend at the waist. I started with a 20# to get the movement right. Then I used 30#. I am going to go light/high reps on this one becuase I don’t want to hurt my back and it’s new to me. But I really felt it in my glutes and adductors, so it’s a keeper! I did about 7 sets. Some guy tried to tell me I was going to hurt my back. I got this.The guy next to me at the hack squat said-Well, do you have a twin sister? You look fantastic. I also did leg extensions (90#, 105#) for about 6 sets. It burned. Then I squeezed out some hamstring curls and cable kickbacks. My ‘upper abs’ are really sore, still. My hope is that my glutes will be super sore tomorrow. I plan to work legs, again, around Thursday or Friday with a focus on hamstrings and hip flexors.I have been on message boards and revisiting my magazines for glute and ‘tie-in’ articles. It’s pretty fascinating. I am wondering how much my glutes can change in a 5 month period–I am going to find out.
Tomorrow, I get to work on my back and shoulders. THAT is going to be fun

1
I had my pre and post-workout oats and blueberries. And I am following my workout with my 1/2 dose of creatine.

Morning weigh-in 133.0.