crlgrl’s BodyBlog

I tried the new work out tracker this morning with out much success. I lost my data twice and then accidentially saved it with only one exercise downloaded. Oh well, I give up for right now. I’ll try again later when I am more awake. Yesterday was quads,glutes and hams. Leg extensions 4 sets 50#-20 reps, 50#-20 reps, 60#-15 reps, 70#-12 reps. Each set of extensions was followed imediately by 20 front squats with 35# BB. Next 2 exercises was leg press (feet high and wide) and sumo squats for 4 sets. Leg press 315#-15-20 reps followed by sumo squats with 35# DB; I just love doing these in front of people! Last set of exercises was lunges with the lead foot up on a box and good mornings for 4 sets. Lunges with 2 20# DB’s 12-15 reps. Good mornings 65# about 20 reps each. I have to use pretty light weight for the good mornings or my form will start to suffer. I think I am the only person in my gym that ever does a good morning, or front squats or hamstring curls with a DB. My legs are sore this morning, even my quads, which ver rarely happens. I also did 45 minutes on the spinning bike last night, maybe that’s what got the quads. I don’t know but I like it!!

This morning the coolest thing ever….hot air balloons landed all around my house. They are having a Fall Festival in my town today and this morning was the hot air balloon lift off. I don’t know if the cool air or being in a valley made it difficult to get going but I went out into my front yard and there were about 4 balloons on the ground and 2 hovering right over my house. It was too cool!! Tonight is the big Halloween party so I’ve got to get my pirate costume finished up…pictures up soon!!!

Sunday-Yoga  Monday-Legs,calves and abs  Tuesday-spinning bike  Wednesday-Bleachers/running  Thursday-shoulders and chest  Friday-arms and abs

Today was arm day. I’m mostly just trying to maintain on arms. I started out with DB concentration curls 2 sets with 15# at 15 reps, the next 2 sets I used a 20# DB until I couldn’t do anymore (8 reps on my left arm and 6 on the right) and then I dropped back down to the 15# to finish out the set. After each set I would do triceps with a 30# DB doing seated 2 hand overhead press for 15 reps. Then I went to preacher curls and dips. I dip 4 sets of dips with a 10# plate on my legs and 4 sets of preacher curls at 25, 35, and 40 #’s. Finished up with hammer curls with 15# DB’s and kickbacks with 15#’s. Then I tried some jumping squats for the heck of it, those suckers are hard!!! You squat down low and slow and then explode, jumping as high as you can landing and going back into another squat! Try ‘em sometime for a great leg work out!!!

I am so sore all over!!! My legs and calves are sore from yesterdays workout and I think the deadlifts reactivated the soreness in my upper back from Saturdays work out. So I think it’s best to just lay off the weights today. I think I’ll ride my spinning bike at home at a moderate pace just to get some cardio.

I think I’ve finally settled on a Halloween costume. I thought about being Richard Simmons or Brittney Spears or a fairy but I’m going to a mostly outdoors Halloween party so I don’t want to freeze all night. I think I’m going to be a pirate, maybe. That way I can wear more clothes. Plus I might be able to work in my striped socks somehow!!!!!

A guy stopped me at the gym today to ask me how to avoid getting MRSA. Working in the ER, I see about 10 people a day with MRSA and know a little about stopping the spread of MRSA but am in no way an expert. He was worried because he heard that 2 of the High School football players (actually the number is closer to 9) have MRSA and several of them are regulars at our gym. Some of the basic things to do are handwashing and bathing…I know, what a novel idea. And at the gym wiping down equipment with some kind of disinfectant spray. I know everyone elses gym probably has patrons that actually clean equipment after they sweat all over it, but my does not.

Legs today was squats 5 sets 85-115#. Deadlifts 4 sets with 65-105#. Hamstring curls 70#. Leg extensions 70#. I also did some calves and lower ab work in between sets.

Just a thought…..I thought the BEACH BEAUTY joke was humorous, not hilarious, but funny. I just wonder though if these guys got permission from the REAL beauty’s face that they chose to publicly display on the internet as a bisexual woman?? I mean the face is a real person with a real life:job, family, possibly spouse and children, reputation. If she gave them permission…that’s great. If they did not, however, that is not so great and I think maybe they should think about taking her image down!!! Just a thought?!

Finally, I’ve found a way to do pull ups without a spotter! Actually, I didn’t come up with the idea, my friend Christy did. She came up with the idea of using the back of a chair to lay my feet on and use to finish the movement. It worked out great and really got my back work out started yesterday. I could still only do about 3-4 at a time but I did about 20 or so. Next I went to iso-lateral high row, cable press downs (I really wish I knew the name for this exercise), DB one arm rows and bent over BB rows. I’m very sore this morning, especially my outer pecs??? I hope that is normal for pull ups and doesn’t mean my form was off.

I’m so glad to be able to blog about my life and to feel the freedom to recount stories honestly without hurting anyone’s feelings. Today I went in to the gym for leg day and had gone in to the aerobics room because there is no one back there to watch me do my bridges and sumo squats. There were 2 new girls I noticed when I walked in on (of course) the treadmills. These girls were obviously new to the gym and were over weight by 50#’s or so each. I noticed they just kind of wandered around from machine to machine and I guess finally asked a guy vaccuming there what to do for abs. This guy, honestly, was breaking a sweat vaccuming and was wearing a tank top; which I believe he thought qualified him as a "bodybuilder". He was showing these girls exercises with the ab ball just holding over his head and bending over to his knees with then holding it out straight and twisting from side to side, he told them the latter exercise would make there ribs look more "meaty instead of skinny". Then he told them to do pull ups to get a V shape, which is true ,but these girls probably had trouble pulling up there pants, much less doing a real pull up. Hell, I can only do 1 or 2. Then he went on to tell them how gross women with alot of muscle are and they don’t want to look like a man. I never just walk up to someone at the gym and start giving advice but I sure was hoping they would ask me for some help after bone head left. It makes me angry to see someone with no real qualification and apparently no idea of how to train an individual. And maybe they want to have muscle, thinking women with muscle aren’t feminine is YOUR personal opinion and shouldn’t be shoved onto any one else!!!! I never look at myself in the mirror and wonder "I wonder if that fat out or shape guy at the gym likes the way I look." Really he had a pretty good paunch going on and was wiping his brow breaking a sweat …..vaccuming! OK, I’m done now. I hope the girls don’t get discouraged and stick with it….in spite of bone head!!!

I usually take a week off every 3-4 months just to let my body rest and recooperate from all the work outs I put it through. So friday was my first day back in the gym after the lay off. I started out with the leg press which I only use about 1x a month or so. I did a total of 6 sets: 2 with my feet at the top of the sled with a very wide stance, 2 with them in the middle and 2 with my feet at the very bottom and close together. Then I moved on to my favorite move for legs, straight leg deadlifts for a total of 4 sets. Then it was on to walking lunges with 25# DB’s for 4 sets about 30 steps each and finished it up with leg extensions. My butt was sore this morning but it didn’t stop me from riding 3 mountain biking trails this afternoon.

I’m still having alot of difficulty eating but it has caused me to notice that the slower pace actually makes me eat less. I guess those science guys know what they are talking about when they say it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to tell your stomach that you are full.

GO HOGS GO!!!!!!!!

I rarely am able to feel a back workout the next day but today my lats are sore!!!! I guess it just proves the point that your mind is the strongest muscle in the gym. I really focused on all my exercises yesterday, not real change in weight or exercises so it has to be the focus! Today is rest day, no weights, no cardio, just rest!!

Seated hammer strength machine for the lats, 35#, 45# and 55# x2 for a total of 4 sets. I closed my eyes, to block out distractions and really focused on squeezing my lats and keeping perfect form. Next I did about 10 reverse pull ups. I moved on to lat pulldowns with very wide grip,70, 80, 90 and 90#’s. I then did seated cable row with the sort D-handle bar 60, 70, 80 an 90#’s for 4 sets; I only got like 5 with 90#’s. Next I did kneeling lat pull downs on cable machine and the D handles, 60, 60, 70 and 70#’s. I finished up with one-handed cable rows, like DB rows but with cables instead 40#’s for 4 sets. I think I could have gone heavier but not with good form so I stayed with 40#’s.

My diet has been pretty messed up this week just due to the braces, but next week I think I’kk be able to get back on track and eat like I should.