The Best Shape of My Life!

I am SO EXCITED! For a while, I wasn’t thinking I’d reach my goal of 12% bf by 1 June. When I measured myself and compared the sum to the charts, I couldn’t believe what I saw. Nah, surely I couldn’t be that number. So I measured again, and again, and again. I have BRUISES on my body from all the pinchings!

The measurements consistently showed around a 10% bodyfat! And if it’s consistent, it must be correct. Of course, a skinfold test is within 3% of error, but ranging from 10-13% (I know that I’m not on the 3% the other way) is still really good.

And so now I create a new goal.

We all have them. Those workouts that just seem to go beyond anything we’ve ever done. Maybe we lift more weight than we thought we could or that we ever have before. Maybe it’s just the feeling of the workout. Or maybe, it’s the energy of the workout that just gets us pumped. Yesterday’s workout for me was all of those things, and more.

The workout itself was actually pretty basic. Nothing fancy, that’s how I like them. I started with some cardio/agility drills to warm up. Jogging on a track, sprints, crossovers, pushups, high-knees, glute kicks, etc. Then I hit the weights.

Leg press. 15 X 180 (light), 12 X 230 (medium)
Incline Chest Machine. 20 X 120 (light), 15 X 170 (medium)
1-Arm Standing Cable Row. 15 X 40 (light), 15 X 60 (medium)
Barbell Deadlift. 20 X 95 (light), 12 X 135 (medium)

Plyometric Lunges. 4 sets, 30 seconds each.
Choppers w/ Medicine Ball. 4 sets, 30 seconds each.
Chinups X 2 sets. Pushups X 2 sets.

Though I could have lifted more weight on all the exercises, using a light to medium weight I think was more beneficial last night. It allowed me to focus on form, and it allowed me to work muscular endurance. This morning, I’m feeling great (only a little sore), and I’m still pumped.

I LOVE IT!

Well, a month has passed since I was diagnosed with asthma. The shock has left me, and I’m actually used to taking my medication every night. It might be a good thing, because I’ve gotten into taking my multi-vitamin again. The medicine is expensive, and it’s time for a refill, so that part really bites. But I’m going to call the doctor and find out if I can either take a generic medicine, or see if I can not have to take this stuff all the time. Maybe just during allergy season, since my asthma is allergy-induced?

Anyway, the allergies and breathing is under control, and I haven’t had to use my inhaler in over two weeks I think. I can still tell that I have trouble breathing out, and I cough sometimes still, but it’s very few and far between. No gagging, struggling to breath, going to throw up a lung kind of cough. Now let’s see if I can keep that controlled. That would be very nice.

So I’m happy. I have been able to get back into my workouts, and enjoy life. School is almost out, and I’m looking forward to a lot of home/yard projects for the summer. Life is great, and God has blessed in so many ways. Asthma or not, I still rejoice!

Have a wonderful day, and a super Mother’s Day weekend!

I love working outside. Especially now that the weather is warming up for summer, I’m trying to get some projects done around the house and yard. One of those projects was to raise our vegetable garden to level it out. It sits on a hill (which was actually steeper than I thought once I started digging), and to keep all the soil from eroding, we needed to build up a barrier. So yesterday I decided to fix it.

So I dug a trench all the way around the garden and started laying timber ties. After 5 layers of ties all the way around the garden, I think I accomplished what I originally set out to do. I don’t have a picture of it yet, but I might take one soon and post it. I’m quite proud of my ability to build a garden, though I’ll admit it’s nowhere near being "professional quality."

Now, you might be wondering why I’m even talking about building a garden on a bodybuilding blog. Well, working outside doing physical labor is one of the best means to workout that there is! I got a great cardio workout, as well as strength and power. As an all day project, it was also a test of endurance. No, the ties weren’t extremely heavy, and no, it’s not that hard to hammer in a steak. But doing it over and over and over and over and over and over and over again…it gets harder and harder to keep up the same rhythm, pace, and strength. Plus, being out in the sun doesn’t help, though it is motivating. (Sun burns are not motivating, though).

Anyway, I loved my natural workout, and I feel good about what I built. So now it’s on to another project, and back to the gym tomorrow.

BodyPump.

I’ve been doing Bodypump now for about 5 months, and teaching it for almost 3 of those, and I’m continually amazed at what a challenging workout it is each and every time. I pushed myself with increased weight of most of the exercises in yesterday’s class, and I felt it. When I left the gym around 9 pm (class was at 4:30), I was extremely exhausted. The only other "workout" I did that night was some partial exercises with a client. I was in bed and out by 11 pm, and that was because I had to eat and get ready for the next day still. Drag!

So today, it’s cardio/agility and just relaxing.