cjbrooks7’s BodyBlog

What happened in Vegas certainly didn’t stay there… It came back in my belly! Seriously though, we partied hard and I don’t feel bad about it. I had been hardcore dieting for 3 weeks before this, and saw good results (6 non-fluctuating lbs!). Even after this weekend of drinking, gambling, and sinning, I didn’t actually gain anything. Just a little beer-belly-bloat. Small price to pay for so much fun.

Mr Olympia was amazing. We were lucky enough to score free tickets to both shows, so between free supps at the expo, and free tix to the show… it was a good trip! I will definitely make it a point to do it again next year, and hell- maybe even try out in the Flex bikini competition. I have enough time to get ready if I start now. Why not?

On a different note, I must say I am very impressed with most of the promotional reps that worked the booths at the expo. The girls were very nice, and so were the guys. You would think that would come as no suprise, since they are representing a company and everything, but I have seen some bad reps in my day. There was, however, one large company that shall remain nameless, that pissed me off. The girls working there were downright RUDE and it truly made me not want to ever buy the company’s product. They were only nice to the males, and were pretty much bitches to all the girls. You know what? Chicks spend money, too. If I were that company, I wouldn’t be very happy about that, but who am I? Oh, that’s right. Nobody.

Oh well. I shall just smile at the fact that those girls were simply skinny models- no muscle tone, no shape, just skinny. Maybe they were in a bad mood because they had to keep throwing up after they eat. That’s understandable, I suppose.

Literally. I was doing squats on Monday, and I strained my hamstring. This is the 2nd muscle I strained this week (pec on tuesday), and several other muscles have been cramping. Obviously, I’m doing something incorrectly. I’m not sure exactly what, but I have a few ideas: Not enough potassium, not drinking enough water, maybe need to take 2 multi-vitamins a day, stretch more after workouts, and/or not running during my warmup. I have a lot to learn.

Anyway, I worked around the injury, and was able to finish my workout. Unfortunately, I can’t do anything that involves bending my leg while at the same time bringing it toward my body, such as steps, squats, lunges, leg press…  :(  At least I can still do leg extensions and calves. Whatever.

I’m not giving up, though. I lost 4 lbs over the past week, just from diet and exercise. Though it may have been water or whatever, it still motivates me. I will be doing my back/tri exercises later today. I’m sure you can’t wait to hear about it.

I love writing these blogs. I don’t even think anyone reads them, but oh well. I enjoy reading what I wrote to myself. And I happen to agree totally with what I have to say.

Today is chest day. I would post a before picture, but that might be a little inappropriate. Seeing as how it is only day 2 of my program, I am not comfortable getting into a teenie-weenie bikini… and my sports bra uni-boob is probably not going to make the cut, either.

A little farther down the timeline you all may be graced with my half-naked appearance. Just not right now. Anyhoo, here is my workout for today. Biceps and chest. I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to move tomorrow. But hey, I’m willing to wear sexy stilettos in Vegas while walking the 15 miles from the MGM to Caesars Palace, so I may as well endure this pain so I can wear the dress to match. Yeah, blisters and short tight cleavage dresses. Every girl here knows exactly what I’m talking about. It’s ultimately what we work out for

Incline Press 12×8, 10, 12, 15lbs

Cable Crossovers 12×30, 40, 50, 50lbs

Barbell Curls 12x 20, 25, 30, 35lbs

Chest Press Machine 30×12, 40×10,45×8, 50×6

Concentration Curls- I half-assed these because it hurt my wrists so badly. Self-diagnosed carpal tunnel. I saved myself a $30 co-pay on that one. 10×5, 8, 10lbs

Hammer Curls 10×8, 10, 12lbs

Pushups- By this time I was tired, so I did 2 sets of 10 on my knees. My military days seem so long ago…

Flat Dumbbell Flyes 20×5lbs, 10×8lbs

Cardio 5 min warmup, 5 min cool-down, and 20 mins of run/walk interval in between

Sorry if I’m not too clear on writing this. I still haven’t gotten down the rythm you all use when listing your reps/weight/sets stuff.

I am one of those people. You know, the ones that start a routine but never really finish. Yeah, that’s me. I am just trying to admit that I have a problem. Hello, my name is Candice, and I am a cupcake-aholic that can’t stay on a fitness program for more than a week.

That is, until today. 

Lets go back one week. I was eating (again) and thinking about how I should get back into the gym (again) when suddenly it hit me. I am overweight. Not just a few pounds- I am 20 lbs overweight! This, in my world, is inexcuseable. I was blessed with a good figure and the ability to retain muscle for long periods of time without working out. And, until this year, I was able to eat whatever I wanted and still look good. Anyway, during the realization that I am indeed bordering on "plump", I decided something has got to give. Turns out, that something is me. So cliche. Makes me want to vomit.

So that brings us back to today. I woke up, chugged a delicioso chocolate protein shake and hit the gym. So far, so good. A scoop of SuperPump250 and a bottle of water later, it was time to actually start my workout. I tried going to the gym and not doing anything. It doesn’t work. You actually have to move. Who knew?

After an intense 5 minute warm up on the stair-stepper, I made my way to the big guns. Here is what I did. Bear in mind it is my first day and I intend on making it more than a week. Baby steps.

Leg Press- 145×15, 235×10, 270×10

Leg Extensions- 40×10, 50×10, 60×10

Back Hyperextensions- 3 sets- body weight x 15, 20, 25 

Sitting Calf Machine- 50×20, 60×20, 70×20

Crunches- Traditional, cross-crunches, flutter kicks (hello basic training!), and several other variations on the average boring crunch. Probably a total of 150 reps involved. Next time I will try counting.

Finished up with another bout on the stair-stepper and ended with the treadmill. Cardio + Cool-down= 20 minutes

And so there you have it. I’m determined to make it work this time. I hope by doing as so many other of you do by posting your workouts, I will stay motivated. Because seriously, who wants to fail in front of all these other people that succeed? Thanks for the votes of confidence, and you will be seeing more of me in the near future. Lucky you!

So there I was. Wondering what the hell a pump is. There was really only one thing I could picture, and I didn’t think it was appropriate for the gym.

My boyfriend tried to explain it. He said it was this great feeling that you get in your muscles… blah blah blah. I didn’t get it… until one day it hit me. Literally. Like someone had pissed fire into my muscle. Why someone would like that feeling, I couldn’t imagine. I sat down on the bench and looked up to see my boyfriend with a big grin on his face. "See?"  I wanted to kick him. I didn’t.

Since that moment, I have felt it many, many times. Turns out, it’s not so bad. Kind of an aquired taste I suppose, like coffee. Or beer. Now that I know what it is, I look forward to it. I understand and actually enjoy it. I can now give my boyfriend a knowing grin in return.

I feel like after waiting outside for a very long time, I have finally been let into an exclusive club. Now I’m just working my way back to the VIP section…