THOUGHTS OF A FITNESS FREAK

There are some damn good bloggers on here! Not to mention my new Gaspari testers, who are so funny and so motivated.  I have a great group!! 

I did go to the gym tonight, but I brought my daughter.  She messed up my MOJO.  I have to tune everyone out and get my focus. She talks too much, won’t workout much on her own, and started  complaining about her ear.  I swear she is 5 and not 17 sometimes.  I did some chest and tris and then she took some pics of me, which didn’t come out so great, but I have a couple.  I did some goofing off, I fully admit it.  Tomorrow I am going to do lats again and shoulders.  I’m not worried about chest too much at this point.

Who asked me about my serratus move on cables?  I uploaded a video for you. Just remember to “crunch” to the side as you pull down.

My bulking diet is going pretty well.  It is taking time to get adjusted to all the protein though. I think I am carrying a keg most of the day.  I know it is necessary to get the muscle that I want for next season.  if I decide to do bodybuilding, it won’t be until November anyway.  Thats a year away.  What concerns me most about going that lean is losing my butt. I’m not a curvy woman, my butt is all I had.  It is coming back though!  I could stay this way if I wanted to and just be a lean person, but that has become kind of boring.  I lost some strength and really love lifting, so I am happy to get out of that.  i will maintain most of my leaness like my last bulking cycle though.  Oh, and this may be too much info for the men here, but I have been asked by many women if I lose my “cycle” being this lean.  I was a little more than 7% if my calipers were correct…AND the answer is no. I wish!!! I have 4 kids, my fertility is fine though I do not want more kids. 4 is enough thank you very much.  Another question is the use of illegal diuretics, another NO.  If you are using them, its because you didn’t diet soon enough or you are using steroids, which make you retain water, so you use them to counteract (so I read on the internet).  I want to be fit and healthy, not fit and rotting on the inside…….whats the point?

I wish everyone a safe weekend.  I will be around of course.  Nothing exciting going on this weekend.

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I know from experience that no matter what I post about my diet or exercises, someone is going to tell me I am doing it wrong no matter what.  Let me just say there are so many articles telling you "do this and do that".  It’s the same with stuff like coffee.  One day it will give you a heart attack, the next day, it’s good for preventing cancer.  All (wo) men are NOT created equal in dieting and exercise.  We all have different metabolisms and although they can be spiked, some will do so much easier than others.  Someone could put 2 people on the same "diet" and both may get different results.  I read a womans post about the diet where you eat cheese and pepperoni……it sounded weird to me.  How are you supposed to lose weight?  She actually GAINED 5 lbs on the diet.  I am sure it was the low carbs or something that makes it work for some people.  The Atkins diet closely resembles a "bodybuilders" diet.  Low carbs down to no carbs, BUT these people think they can eat bacon and other high fat foods and that it will be ok.  Not according to the American Heart Association!   You need to discover your own healthy balance.  I read the "eat clean diet" by Tosca Reno.  There are lots of great tips in it and I was happy to find I was already doing 99% of it on my own even before opening the book!  You need foods that are going to be burnt efficiently, without leaving much waste behind to turn into fat.  Not too many starches (carbs and such), enough fiber and enough protein.  Slower burning carbs like whole grains.  It is easy to give up bread for whole grain breads.  thats not saying you can’t have a night out and eat some breadsticks you know!  Damn, I ate fishsticks last night leftovers from the kids……..I am an eating machine.  This is not so hard, this eating clean because after some time, the foods you used to love, become alien to you. The processed food will taste salty and "thick" and the pasta in the alfredo noodles will feel mushy and gummy. I kid you not.   I still eat cheese, but I buy the shredded kind pre packaged.  Only about 160 calories to throw in your food for some occasional treat like making a chef salad from a boring salad or tuna salad. 

Also, I have people telling me I am lifting too heavy for a woman.  WTF does that mean?  So, 110 on my kneeling cable crunches is easy for me, so what?  The little woman can handle it ya know.  Why is it a man can tell a woman how to lift weights, yet she is the one carrying the 50 lb 7 year old to bed and hoisting him up onto the top bunk by herself when he is a crashed dead weight?  You see women picking up a 3 lb dumbbell and using it when you know she can hoist a gallon of milk at 8 lbs quite easily!  Just don’t underestimate yourself ladies!  You will still be a lady even if you lift heavy. I have yet to discover my 1st chest hair!!

Going to do legs back and bis tonight.  Hopefully my daughter can come with me.

Ill be back………

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I kept getting booted off my server last night, so I didn’t blog. I skipped the gym because I totally killed my core and my hams were STILL sore from Sunday and I need to do legs midweek, so I will go tonight instead.  I have to figure out a way to do back and bi’s and legs all on the same night. It will be a lighter legs, but still, it’ll take awhile.

Oh, I don’t know if you can see my new video yet or not.   BB.com sent it to be.  It’s a little boring because its calves and forearms, but it is missing one of my favorite exercises, behind the back barbell wrist curls.  These totally smoke your forearms.  Some people want to know why I do forearms…….because it is a bodypart silly.  What’s the point of having nice bi’s if your have scrawny little forearms? I know I could do it on bi’s day, but it also provides for an “easy” workout day.

I have a tough time explaining my workouts, so if you don’t get something, I can do a video clip for you.  I was asked about that serratus move, so I will bring my camera this weekend and take some video. Visuals are so much easier than reading.

A couple of my Gaspari Lean and fit stack testers have their products, so I have to catch up with them later.  I do get questions about the SizeOn causing GI problems.  Creatine sometimes does, either you stick it out or 1/2 dose it for awhile.  Starting anything new is often difficult when it comes to sensitive stomachs.  Stick with it!  You will adjust, I promise.  I have a sensitive stomach myself.

I want to come back later and chat about fact and fiction in weight training.  For everything that is said about training, someone will refute it.  This diet, that diet, blah blah blah.  It’s the same as your coffee being bad for you one day and good for you the next. We are all individuals and once you sort through the BS, you will find a program that works for you.

Later gators!

Tonight I chose to do the ole abs.  I didn’t go totally nuts on them because it’s been awhile and I want to be able to walk tomorrow.

side bends on cables 100 lbs 3 sets of 12

hanging leg raises with a 10 lb db 3 sets of 12 and then I burnt them out with no weight and then did a 15 lb db for about 10 reps and then burned them out again.

kneeling cable crunches 100 lbs/20 reps, 120lbs 2 sets of 15 and 150 lbs (whole stack) 10 reps.  I went back later and did a few more sets of 100 lbs.  I started doing them side to side, alternating down the middle.

bench crunches, knees to chest with a 10 lb db 3 sets of 15

Incline situps with a 25 lb plate. 3 sets of 10

Lats and serratus area came next

Lat press down with the short bar I did several sets and kept adding weight.  I got up to 110 lbs from my previous of 70.  I guess I never tried to push it as much and it was pretty easy.

1 arm pull downs.  This one is on cables with the hancdle.  Stand like you are going to do a jumping jack, grab on cable, other hand on hip, feet apart and pull your rlbow in to your hip, while “crunching: in your serratus area. This is the side of your chest, under your arm.  I got 110 lbs per arm tonight.  Yes, I was making some noise…….hahaaa

lat pullover machine 65 lbs, mass reps..not to much weight cus this machine tends topull on my arms.  the rest of my lat work will be included on back night.

I di a little cables on the seated machine.  The new one we have is great, except for the fact that when you stack alot of weight, its hard to get it started.  Youhave to really push will the balls of your feet to get into the back and forth movement.  I only did 125 for 4 sets because I worry about my old ankle injury from April.  Do that again and I will have to stop calves altogether like last time. That sucked.

Today I ate quite a bit.  I had a shake, a protein bar, 3 eggs and spinach, a boiled agg, a chicken breast, more chicken at dinner with more spinach, salad with another boiled egg..and then another protein shake just now.  I may grab another shake before bed.  Trying to get in 230 grams of protein is NOT easy for someone who is 5′3″, damn, thats alot of food!   

This is the set on photos on my fridge.  3 of me and one of Ms Monica Brant-Peckham.  I had another of her on my dresser mirror and another of her on my desk at work. Keep your eye on the prize! So, I may never look quite like that , but it is a goal. I also post tons of pics in my before and after progress.  Some days you look at yourself and think, "nothing is changing" and God, I am disgusting".  Another thing is small gym clothes.  I purposely bared my belly because there are mirrors on every wall in my gym.  Arnold did the same thing with his calves because he said if he had to look at them, he would work them harder as he felt they were his weakest bodypart.  Also, take a bad comment from someone and use it to fuel you. "weak shoulders" comment means you are going to now kill your shoulders and later post an "in your face" photo with your new ones.  Take a photo today and compare it with a similar photo 6 weeks from now.  Many times I was down in the dumps and felt like I was spinning my wheeels and wanted to just quit….it happens to everyone.  Most times, your family doesn’t support you.  They will tell you they like you the way you are of course……….and they do, but it is YOU that has to like YOU.  I had a woman write to me who showed her hubby a "fitness model with muscles" in a magazine of whom she thought looked fabulous and wanted to be like that…her hubby said, "ewww" and just crushed her on the spot. So now, she has squashed what she wants because of someone else and will probably be all covered up next summer at the beach and miserable.  I had one of those men before.okay, more than one.  One guy wouldn’t "allow" me to wear a swimsuit at a waterpark and another though my going to the gym was actually like me going to a singles bar……..yeah right…..a singles bar. If you can get me to pop out an MP3 earbud in the gym that is…….hahaaaaa.

I know, I got off the subject a little, what’s new?  Just take a look arounf bodyspace and on the transformations of the month.  Lots of people have achieved their dream bodies.  Most of us ladies will never look like Victoria Secret models or playboy bunnies (I dont want to anyway)……..we will never be 5′10" will perfect , perky D boobs and an ass that fitsin those micro panties.  Most men are never going to look like Vin Diesel or Dan Decker…….BUT we can be enhanced versions of ourselves.  Chances are your best bodypart that you get compliments on is the ‘easiest’ to get.

In a nutshell, keep going, no matter what your friends say, what your family says..do what pleases you. You have tons of support here in our little community of Bodyspace.  We all have bad days of course, but hopefully the good days outweigh them!

This is Sept 07

and the photo below is Nov 2006.

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I am slowly going to bring my numbers back up to par.You know I have discussed “going lean” and weakness, so now it is time to reverse the process somewhet and pack on some mass. I missed my SizeOn so much and today I was on fire like a piece of hair over a lit match.  I have changed the number of reps I do to about 8-10.  I am no longer doing anything I can get 12 on.  if I find 12 is coming, I am smacking on another 10-20 lbs. 

Incline leg press 180 plus sled (how much does the sled weight?)

V hack 180

Modified leg press on the smith 90lbs per leg

leg extensions 90 lbs

laying leg curls (seated machine is freakin broken) 80 lbs.

Cable kickbacks 80 lbs per leg of course.

Squats on smith (free rack was being hogged by men as usual) 90lbs.  I can’t do more cus it kills the back of my neck.  The free squats sit on your traps and delts and don’t hurt)

Romanian deadlifts 60lb barbell.  (I usually do these on the rack, but like I said…..rack hogs) I can get much more if it isnt something I have to carry across the room to re-rack!!!

Glute isolator/butt blaster 70lbs per leg.

Abductor /adductor which is which?  I can do the whole stack outwaRD AND ABOUT 150 INWARDS ON THAT MACHINE.

As usual, 1 set to warm up today.  at least 8 reps, 3 sets each.  I went back to each machine/exercise a minimum of 2x.

I am super sore today even though I had though my workout yesterday of chest and tris was lame. I like it, I am twisted…heheeee

I ran into my brothers friend Charlie. My brother had told him to do my abs workout from my video.  I never met the guy, so he comes up to me today and says, “Fern?” and I say “yes”…..he says “you are an animal” and then tells me who he was.  he said he could barely walk for a week.  heheeeeeee, isn’t that funny?  You see, no one ever trained me, so all I know is the way I have learned to workout on my own. It works for me, so I didn’t imagine it being difficult for anyone else. I can’t be the only crazy supersetting freakazoid out there.  You can often find me singing while I workout maybe a little hand jamming in between sets, eyes closed and all I see is bigger legs when I do legs, bigger shoulders when busting my shoulders.  I do get lost in the moment.  Do I look funny?  perhaps I do……but it has gotten me this far , hasn’t it?  Some people just ‘go to the gym’ like it’s a chore.  I look forward to it, to push myself and good lord, the endorphins are like crack.  Maybe it’s because I am celebate, but it’s just as good as sex when you get out that last painful rep……..weird huh?  I suppose the look on our faces are quite similar as to right before……you know what I am talking about……………the “O”.and the “AHHHHHH………..”

I’m not a perv or anything, just being honest.

I had just started getting into my workout.  Once the superpump kicks in, you are so focused, when the desk girl tells me my daughter is sick at work and I have to go pick her up. I had just dropped her off 20 minutes earlier.  You have never seen a minivan go as fast as mine did today.  I dropped her off and went back for more.  I think my workout was a bit weak by my standards because I did chest and tris the day after back and bis and I am sore.  I was happy to be sore because it means a good workout, but I couldnt get my numbers where I wanted them.  I did okay by normals standards, but not by my own.  My bench was weak because my bis were tired, so I didn’t push it.  Though I have to say my tris were banging.  You have to love the pump!  You flex the tris in the mirror and your arms are swelled up and look about an inch bigger than normal!    Anywhoooooooo…..I did pec flies 70lbs, chest on cables (single arm) 70lbs per arm.  Triceps press 60 lbs, db skull crushers 15lb dbs, chest press 85lbs (machine) I didnt flat bench because the ‘flat bench was missing and the bench left at the smith, didnt lay flat, so maybe thats why I didn’t get good numbers?  I did db pullover with a 25lb weight laying back on the bench sideways, feet on the floor, upper back only on the bench..  I don’t know what they are called.  Do you?  I did bench dips tri kickbacks, tris on cables and with the rope.  See, I could have done better, but was so pressed for time because the gym closes at 4pm.  I just did as much as I could I suppose.

Also, I have people asking about creatine and other products bothering their stomachs.  Please, stick with it!  Anything new to your system takes time.  If you still have problems after a week of usage, cut back a little, use some food before taking it, but don’t give up.  I really believe in the products I use and I know they can help you like they did me.  Simple problems like products clumping can be eliminated by using ice cubes in them for shaking or using a cup with a screen like insert rather than the kind with wedge-like cutouts.  I have gone through many products, shaker cups, fat burners, protein powders, exercises over the past year and 1/2.  I have ways to make your clean eating taste better, ways to make your abs workout more effective without killing your back , etc because I have been my own guinea pig time and time again.  I like helping people.  I honestly feel great and I want to share my good feelings…………thats all! 

A great workout, but I never feel like I am doing enough.  After and hour or an hour and 1/2, I still have so much energy.  I feel like a wuss for stopping. My #’s were good today, pretty much back up to where they were seeing I am eating alot more food and have some carbs in me. I started with db curls and moved into db rows for lats (supersetting back and forth) Then I head over to cable to do lat press downs with a bar and alternate with curls on cables.  I did lat pulldowns, a good 80 lbs.  I also like doing single arms on cables, pulling towards my hip with my elbow.  I did seated rows as well and smith machine rows.  I do about 80 lbs for 3 sets of 8.  I try to keep track of my #’s but honestly, its hard because I will start with 10 lb db’s for curls and do about 8 sets back and forth and work my way up to 20’s.  I refer to this as pyramiding.  I don’t know if thats the right term or I just made it up.  Next week, I will do drop sets and start with heavier weights (after a warmup set, so maybe “start” is the wrong word)

I know to build, I have to really push the envelope. I just need a week to get back into the swing of things.  Tomorrow I will be doing chest.  I am hoping to top my 135 bench, but it will take a few weeks.  You know how it is with no spotter.

Oh, I ran into one of my judges.  He didnt elaborate on my placing, but did suggest I do bodybuilding .  It’s my same old gripe.  Too muscular for local figure, not muscular enough for nationals. I want to do masters nationals and I am qualified and will probably get my ass kicked, but hey, I will be a national level figure competitor!  Not many women get to go pro, so national is pretty damn good!  Thats the bright side of the coin, right?

  Please feel free to share some tips here (comments) on what you do for the bodyparts I have worked today.  I am hoping that everyone can learn something new to try from others, including myself.

Quick post to introduce you to my new Gaspari Girls.  They will be testing our new Lean and Fit stack!  Logging at BB.com, Gaspari Nutrition,Oxygen and of course in  their own bodyspace profiles.  I’m very proud to say none of my ladies will be turning into men by using supplements, including creatine. We will be working hard to reduce bodyfat and bring out some lean muscle mass.  The stack will consist of Intrapro protein powder, Superpump250 and Cytolean.  I will give them typical going lean diet tips (eating clean), but none have a personal trainer on hand.  Just hard work on their own!  Here are their profiles

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/DanicaX/

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/Darese/

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/FitnessPeanut/

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/lorabeann/

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  I know not all of you had the chance to spend it with your families and there are many people in Iraq who are eating it in the desert……I am thinking of all of you and of my son who is 3,000 miles from me at Camp Pendleton.  It breaks my heart.

Today I didnt really cheat, except I know those mashed potatoes had real butter, the stuffing had sausage and the green beans were creamed, but DANG….turkey is all protein.  My sister made fun ogf me because I had the clean version of thanksgiving.  they do not understand how “off the mark” what I did eat was for me.  I no longer use extra salt on my food and I am not accustomed to butter and grease, so they do not appeal to me any longer.  I needed a nap after dinner and proceeded to drool on my sisters sofa pillow while the cowboys kicked ass.

I also played Wii!  Have you tried this game? As far as graphics, its oldschool, but you have to actually stand there and swing your arms.  I played tennis, I bowled (my 7 year old whupped me bigtime and kept telling me I was getting “owned” everytime he got a strike) Humbling to get beaten by a second grader!  We played baseball and boxed.  Try boxing for 3 minutes straight……holy smokes, my arms will probably be sore tomorrow.  I have to get me one of these game systems.  Instead of sitting on your butt, you actually have to jump around and sweat a little.  What could be better for kids these days?  Okay, going outside, but not always possible……..

My family is great, though a little nuts.  We have a great time together and like I said before, I feel for those who have no one right now.  I have been a mom all of my adult life (since 19), so I don’t know what it is like to truly be alone like that.  I cherish my peace and quiet  when I get it.  I had intended to get to the gym this morning, but my mom had to have a TURNIP. What an ugly freaky vegetable.  I was on a turnip hunt. Even the word is weird……TURNIP.   found one…..yep.

I didnt eat dessert.  There were pies galore too.  I was just thinking the sugar was going to give me a headache.  Drop by and say hello.  I am going to be working online for awhile.