a balancing act

Where I’m at now.. just trying to get through the next couple of week’s before school’s out for a nice little 3 month break. Trying to keep up with my training, but I’m taking the fortnight off from thinking too much about food.

This is what I’ve been doing:

Day 1: Shoulders/Cardio (Step class)

Day 2: Arms/Spinning, Dance/step class

Day 3: Legs, High impact aerobics (or no cardio depending on how my legs feel)
Day 4: Rest or light spinning

Day 5: Chest/Back

Day 6: Spinning

Day 7: Rest …Stretch..

As I said, having a diet break, more carbs so I can think straight and just trying to maintain endurance and energy levels, and the gym helps in some way to manage the evil stressor  that is school.

Also I just started using the workout tracker! It’s actually not that time consuming and looks quite handy. Now if only we can log our cardio workouts as well.. then I won’t feel so lazy :p

This is my new journey through winter, feel free to check it out and follow my progress!!

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=3331631

Well the past week has been busy, frustrating, painful, stressful, overwhelming even.. blah! But putting all that behind me, hopefully I can move forward again. I will be running in a marathon in about 2 months time, so I will be training a bit for that, yes lots of cardio. I have so many things going through my head still, it is hard to concentrate on what is important, even less so on myself. Time to give myself some pampering I think. heh, anyway, today’s workout was some major supersetting.. I only used about half the my usual weight, because it was damned tough. But I got a great workout! Here are some of the exercises I did..

5 sets: 20 widegrip pulldowns + 20 narrowgrip pulldowns + 20 cable rows (rest was maybe 5-10seconds in between, and ~45 seconds after all three)

3 sets: 20 machine rows: (grip1,2,3) ==> 60 in one set

4 sets x 20 bbcurls, then 20 db curls.

 Yes very high reps, but I hadn’t done something like this for ages, and it was a good change. I focused a lot on form and mm connection …and got some mad pumps!

AM: Shoulders/tris

PM: Legs, Cardio

Shoulders/tris:

Everything in supersets, little rest in between, here’s what I can remember doing..  (weights in kg)

• db shoulder press: 10×7.5s, 10×7.5s, 6×10s, 6×10s, 10×7.5s
• cg bb press: 15×17.5, 15×17.5, 6×20, 10×20, 15×17.5
• upright rows: 15×12.5 (4 sets)
• db extensions 15×10s (4 sets)
• mp: 3 sets til fail
• db lat raises 3 sets
• dips: 4 sets: 6,4,4,5
• ab raises 3 sets x 10

Legs: (weights are in kg)

• sumo deads - worked up to 3 sets of 3×60
• sumo squat - worked up to 3 sets of 3,4,3×50
• db lunges - 2 sets: 10/10 x 17.5s each hand
• narrow leg press - 2 setsx10 x~100 or so

• then 45min spin class pwo

My hamstrings have not been feeling great, I think I may have done something to them the other day by not warming up properly, I cannot do stiff leggeds right now without feeling pain. Today I felt a slight twinge during deads, and definitely in leg press, which I kept very light. I don’t think the extra spin class which I got “dragged into” afterwards helped very much at all.. hahah active recovery? or just plain extra torture.. hmm.. I’ll find out the damage tomorrow I guess..

I don’t really count calories anymore, but I’ll post my diet, flash hot or not.

1) Oats, whey, banana

2) Chicken, rice

3) Oats, whey, efas

4) Chicken, noodles

5) Oats, whey, banana, efas

I have a lot of study to do, a lot of reading, and a fat essay to write. Yet I procrastinate.

Well I’ve just finished up a testing log which may be viewed here: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=2739571 and am ready to start blogging here again.

Just to give a basic outline of what I do, I can tell you it fluctuates greatly with my mood at the time. Good or not? I don’t know, but I’m finally coming to grips with maintaining a healthy lifting lifestyle, whilst at the same time, being somewhat "normal" whatever that is.

Because of my erratic lifestyle, things pop up unexpectedly all the time, so my training must adapt to my life. Not the other way around. I have tried it the other way, and it has left me feeling somewhat miserable.  So what does this mean in practical terms, basically, I train whenever I can, when I want and at the times I want. Sometimes, like today for example, I was in the gym for ~3 hours - shoulders during the day, legs, and cardio at night. But I might go for 2 or 3 days of nothing, or maybe cardio - it just depends.

Is this optimal? Admittedly, probably not, and I am not the one who does not make sacrifices, but if I can get my training in, whilst keeping my sanity, I would rather that balance and peace of mind, even if results may come a little slower. Anyway, it is not all haphazard. I have some minimum training requirements to meet each week. If I miss a couple of days of workouts, I will just make it up so that by the end of the week, I will have had at least:

Lifting - 4 workouts/week:
Legs

Shoulders

Back/bis

Chest/Tris

For my own ease I will be putting all weights in Kilograms - so I don’t have to multiply everything by 2.2. Yes it will probably make my lifts look even more pansy to everyone in comparison, but hey, it doesn’t concern me one bit if I can see improvements

Cardio - 4 workouts/week - includes step classes, spin, body combat, post-workout on the machines, maybe some GPP work at home if I am short on time.

As for my eating - this is probably what would make or break my progress, but I am working on it. I have been focused on eating very clean, and perhaps not enough for my  daily needs, which has ended up in some binge tendencies which I think I am starting to get under control. Basic premise - eat every 3 waking hours. If I am up studying until 3 am, I will stick to that. If I sleep in and only get in 3 meals, then so be it as well. Just trying to regulate my portions to be basically equal for each meal, containing some sort of complex carb, protein, and some fat. Not having a lot of time to cook, some typical meals are oats/whey, chicken or kangaroo with rice and veggies, tuna/bean salad… relatively simple. I am trying not to avoid any particular food group (getting out of carbophobia) and my mood and general disposition has stabilised.

Anyway, all that is just an accumulation or a reflection on the past few months or so.. and, as always, it is a work in process.. sometimes a few steps back need to be taken, but that is okay. It has been quite difficult for me to put on muscle.. I am naturally quite skinnyfat, but that isn’t going to stop me.. I know I have gained a good bit of muscle since I have started and I am happy with my progress thus far.  Slowly and steadily, I will win the race.

Today was chest/abs early in the morning before work..being time poor really helps keep intensity up instead of having hours to bludge around, so that is a plus, but as usual, it was a relatively short workout:

• Incline bench 4sets, 6×66
  
• DB flat bench 3 sets 10,8,6×28s
• Chest Dips 3 sets x4
• superset hanging raises 3sets x10

And then the fun part.. Pushups and abs circuity routine..

• Pushups 3×10; weighted crunches 3×20@22; fitball leg raises2×10, fitball reverse crunches 2×20; clap pushups (only on knees) x10..janda situps 2×10.. I think that was all.

Last night I did a fun step class with a mate, and might go to another crazy one today.. but I have the worst stomach pains ever, I think I’ll just have to suck it up and go anyway.

Today was cardio day, so went to a spinning class. I would have to say out of all the classes available, this has got to be one of the most intense.  I’ve only been going sporadically, but since I’ve cut down my leg workouts to just once a week, I should have more time to recover and be able to do some more cardio. Lately I’ve been doing a lot of training on my own - and quite frankly, cardio is getting to be a chore, so hopefully by switching things up I’m going to be able to keep the sessions in without compromising anything.

Got to the gym a little earlier, so threw in some back exercises..

• Bb rows 2×10@44, 2×10@50, 2×8@55
• Lat pulldowns 12@70, 10@75, 8@82
• Then headed for the 45min spin class

Energy levels are great and I’m feeling invigorated.

Haven’t really been journalling lately, so thought I’d post an update here, and let you guys know what I’ve kinda been doing lately.
In today’s workout I felt particularly strong, probably because of a high carb day yesterday!

Went something like this, ~1min-ish rest in between, except for single leg exercises (no rest):

• Squats 4 sets 88×6

• Leg Press 3 sets 297×6, 297×6, 297×3 (got pinned at the bottom!!)

• D/b Reverse lunges 3 sets 28* x 10 each side

I wanted to do some stiff legged deadlifts, but our only squat rack was taken.. so went to the rarely used cable machines for some butt blasting! I felt like such a girl!! But got a good burn nevertheless.

• Standing hamstring curls 3 sets 4platesx10, 2×5plx10 each leg

Superset

• Cable glute kickbacks 3 sets 2platesx12, 2×3plx12
  

I’m grumbling by now because 10mins later and the squat rack is still taken!! But never fear, grabbed a box and headed to the lat machine, for some assisted GHRs…fun fun of course, they are still really tough.

• GHR practice 3×8

Cooled down for about 5minutes on the elliptical and that was it! Workout raised a crazy crazy sweat, and I notice particularly everytime I work hamstrings, sweating is very prominent. Bizarre!

Today was a lower carb day, worked out in the AM, and had a little bit of a sleep in as well, it is a holiday after all!

• Pre-workout: Oats, WPI/WPC blend, banana
• Post-workout: Oats, WPI, banana
• Meal 3: Tuna, roast pumpkin, mushrooms, chinese cabbage
• Meal 4: Tofu, brocolli, tomato
• Meal 5:  Cod fish, pumpkin, celery, tsp olive oil

I am full! Tomorrow will be cardio and a lower carb day.

The past week or so I’ve been on very low carbs… most of them were incidental - either from veggies or berries or dairy..also took most of the week off.. life has been a little hectic.. drained of energy, and lack of food, I didn’t get a great workout yesterday… all I had beforehand was a tiny protein bar about 2 hours before. But got some decent sleep in, and the weekend has arrived!

Today was cardio - went skipping in the morning, intervals of 20×100skips on the speed rope, resting just enough in between to catch my breath. It was great. Not a fasted workout though, anything involving intervals I refuse to do fasted, and cardio in general  I’m trying to make sure I get at least something in beforehand.

This arvo I was procrastinating and didn’t want to write my essay… so I decided it was burpees time, 20sets x 5 full burpees, again just enough rest in between to catch my breath.. ranged from a few seconds in the beginning, to maybe 30-45sec towards the end when I started to really get fatigued……and I managed to cut myself on the grass today in the process, no not me cutting grass, it decided to cut me.. grrrr, I didn’t even know this was possible!

But, I’m beginning to feel leaner, so that’s a step in the right direction!

So after a few days off I’ve been having a dig and decided its about time to embark upon a full body program, which will be a nice change from the four day split I have just been through and should tax the body a little more. It will be hst influenced, so first two weeks of high reps, then two weeks moderate reps, two + two weeks of low reps.

I haven’t done a full body workout for a long time, but I remember them being extremely demanding! As such, I’ll be training 3 days a week, throwing in cardio work - one each of steady state, HIIT and some GPP work on the off days. Short and sweet program, hopefully I won’t get bored doing much of the same thing three times a week.

Here are some of the exercises I may be using..

squats/legpress/sldl/lunges

incline bench/dips

chins/pullups/pulldowns/bb rows

military press/lat raises

db/bb curls/tricep extensions/pushdowns

calves/abs… some shrugs if I can fit them in.

Not really sure how long the workouts will take, I shall see tomorrow and adjust from there. I’m looking forward to the high reps, to get a good stretch, focus on form, negatives and bodyweight stuff like chins and dips.. and of course prepare the body for the future heavier stuff, well that’s the rationale behind it anyway. Sometimes I hate change, but this I’m looking forward to! Til then, boooya!