cjk302’s BodyBlog

My routine for January had been consistent up until this past week.  I was lifting heavy on Mon, Wed, and Friday plus either Tuesday or Sunday with a heavy circuit training day and the other days of cardio.  I’ve lost 4-5lbs over the last 5 or so weeks without getting really anal about my calorie consumption or macronutrient ratio.  I am still sticking to the basic template of a meal plan from my previous blog (this past week’s special dish was curry chicken and it didn’t go so well so i didn’t post it.  it wasn’t bad, just wasn’t all that good).  I hope to have lost another 6-7 pounds by the start of march when i start to get anal about my diet.

I’ve been having back problems for the last year and they have been flaring back up over the last week.  So I did not do my back workout this past Friday (i just did cardio).  I am supposed to do some sprinting today and start back with my sprinting coach this week but right now my back isn’t to fond of me walking/standing for a long time so I don’t think I want to push it.  That plus its really friggin cold outside!!!! lol, i don’t entertain cold.  Regardless, I will burn some calories in some way today.

 BTW, Dexter Jackson was in town yesterday for a autograph session and he brought his boy Marcus Haley with him.  Can I just say that Dexter is goofy as possible! lol, they were really cool.  Marcus was 10 days out from the Ironman Pro and he looks GREAT!  He ate a huge bowl of chicken, shrimp, and rice halfway through the signing and looked so hurt when it was all gone lol… Dexter looks great too and had his meals with him but he confessed he had some chips in the car for the ride home.  He gave me a couple suggestions for my workouts that I’m going to try to incorporate this week if my back cooporates…

My arms and chest are still mad at me from my monday workout so I gave them the complete day off today. 

 Legs=Death!

warmup with 2 minutes on the versaclimber

Step ups (5 risers)- 10 each leg @ 30DB, 35DB, 90BB giant set with

Lunge Jumps - 20 giant set with

Hanging leg raises - 10

Leg Press - 8 @ 275, 365, 410 giant set with

Squat Jumps - 20 giant set with

Sit ups - 15

Triple threat - 12 each giant set with

Overhead Squats - 12@40BB, 10@50BB, 10@50BB giant set with

back extensions - 12, 12w/6lb MB, 12w/6lb MB

Leg curls (burnout) - 35 @ 80lbs, 20 @ 100lbs

Finished with 30minutes on the treadmill

I already hurt and this workout was pitiful from a weight perspective!  I’m going to try to stick with these same workouts from this week for the month of January so I can go up in weights.

I’m still quite depressed by the number on the scale but I have to keep reminding myself that I ate like a pig for the last half of October, all of November, and the first half of December.  So thats 2 months of garbage i have to get rid of before I see improvements.  So I’m hoping that I will be much happier (i.e. 10lbs happier) at the end of February.  Then I will be 16 weeks from nationals and in full contest prep mode.  I think that will be more then enough time considering I usually only prep 4-8 weeks…

Today was a meat head workout:

Incline DB press: 4 sets of 8 @ 40 superset with

Unilateral Tricep Cable pulldowns: 4 sets of 12 each arm with 40lbs

Bent over Barbell (BB) rows: 4 sets of 8 @ 65-70-80-90 giant set with

Push up Renegades: 4 sets of 8 each arm (total 16 pushups each set) @ 15lb DBs giant set with

Ab exercise (tuck ups): 4 sets of 15

Side lunges: 4 sets of 8 each leg @30lb DBs giant set with

Sledgehammer slams: 4 sets of 10 each arm @ 12lb giant set with

Ab exercise (bicycle): 4 sets of 10 each side

DB flyes (burnout set): 40 @ 12lb DBs super set with

Decline sit ups with med ball toss: 15 @ 12lb MB

DB flyes (burnout set #2): 20 @ 20lb DBs super set with

Decline sit ups with med ball toss: 15 @ 16lb MB

I had a workout partner today so it helped.  I plan on doing a little running this evening.  I have more lifting (maybe i’ll go circuit) and routine tomorrow and legs on Wednesday.  Probably won’t be able to lift my arms tomorrow but its all good lol

I’m fairly new to this eating clean thing so I need some input on my recipes.  Whats good about them and whats bad?  Check out my previous blogs and let me know please so I can improve them.

Week 1’s meal of the week was stew chicken.  It was SOOOO good.  I had to practice self restraint to make sure I stuck to the serving sizes. 

Week 2’s meal of the week is Low Fat mac and cheese, callaloo, and baked chicken breast:

Mac and cheese recipe-

half box of Barilla plus multigrain elbow pasta (17g of protein per serving

1 cup soymilk

2 cups reduced fat shredded cheese (1 cup colby jack, 1 cup cheddar)

4 egg whites

season salt and black pepper to taste

Boil pasta. Drain.  Mix ingredients.  Bake until cheese has melted.

Callaloo- a jamaican plant much like spinach.  I haven’t been able to find it fresh yet so I bought it in a can

1 can callaloo

1/2 onion chopped

garlic powder to taste

Empty contents into saucepan, add onions and garlic powder.  Simmer 10 min.

My daily meal plan looks something like this:

Meal 1: 1 scrambled egg (sometimes with onions, bell peppers, and/or tomatos) and 1/4 cup oatmeal

Meal 2: fruit and peanut butter or chicken

Meal 3: Meal of the week

Meal 4: Healthy Choice 220cal meal (they’re 3 for $5 at Publix) or flatbread sandwich with 90cal wraps, chicken, lettuce, and tomato

Meal 5: Meal of the week

Meal 6: home made salad or bag of kettle corn (100cal)

Meals 2 and 3 are interchangeable depending on when I work out.  I like to have my meal of the week right after I workout.

So I decided to practice some self restraint in the new year by eating clean without going straight to fish and brocoli all day everyday (I mean I know it works so why not do it everyday right? wrong.)  I want to make sure I’m healthy this year as I diet because I think that may have contributed to my injury prone 2008 season.  So this year I am trying one new dish per week up until 8 weeks out from nationals when I will assess my physique and decide what crazy regimen I will need to make it down the home stretch and bring my best shape ever onstage in Chicago!!!

Week 1: Stew Chicken

2lbs of chopped chicken breast

1 bag frozen baby peas/corn/carrots

2 cans reduced sodium chicken broth

2 cans cream of potato soup

1 chopped onion

Sautee (is that how you spell that?) onions and brown chicken then add chicken broth and veggies.  After 15 minutes andd cream of potato and let simmer for another 10 minutes.

I ate 3/4 cup stew with 1/4 cup brown rice.  It lasted 5 days with me eating it twice a day (the second time during the day I ate it without the rice).

Yummy!!!

Ok so I can’t count lol… If you have been reading my blogs you would notice that my last one said 22 weeks from nationals, oops

but anyway, here I am.  Somewhat frustrated at how far I have to go over these next 20+ weeks but nevertheless I’m determined.  My back has been bothering me since Wednesday and I helped my soror move on Thursday so that didn’t help.  I’ve only done cardio since Wednesday in an attempt to let my back rest but I am going to lift this afternoon.  I ran this morning for 30 minutes.  I know thats what gets results for me but its so hard to get my butt out there and do these long runs.  I hope that my schedule will allow me to get back into my sprint training with my coach from last summer because my school schedule messed me up in the fall.  Classes start on Monday so we will see how it goes.

Been eating clean since last weekend with the exception of New Year’s night when I had a chicken gyro and 3 hot wings.  No alcohol until I win my pro card tho!  No excuses