scouter99 transformed

So we are now into week two of our Tabata training and I thought I would post a little review of the program so far.  This program absolutely kicks butt like nothing else.  After week one both Chad and I feel as though we look a little different.  I feel leaner, he feels as though he can see his muscle development a lot more, especially in his arms and shoulders.  

I was so sore all over by the end of the first week, and exhusted.  On Saturday we started week two and I can already tell I am recovering faster.  This takes an awful lot of mental toughness, so if you don’t feel you can gut out the really tough stuff when your body wants to quit this might not be the workout for you.  Many times I wanted to quit or drop weight so bad but I would absolutely not let myself… and that’s the only way this is really gonna work, folks.  The two days I really loathe (in a good way) are arms and chest.  Triceps are a KILLER workout and once again, felt as though I was gonna lose my dinner while I worked them.  Tonight is our 2nd chest workout on the program so we’ll see if we hate it as much as last week.

Not only do I expect to lean out from this workout (I am also doing 3 cardio workouts a week on top of this) but I truly think I am going to make huge gains in strength.  When we are done with this (4 weeks total) we are going to take a week and do a bunch of one reps to see where we are able to increase… that will be a good indicator of how well this workout compliments our goals to build muscle and strength.  Unless something major happens to change my opinion, we think that this is going to be an EXCELLENT program to put in our routine once every 4 months or so…. for about 4 weeks.  It changes things up dramatically and really shocks our bodies.

A good indicator of how well this is working… Chad is the type of guy who wants to always lift as heavy as he possibly can.  He is not into high rep endurance workouts and even when all indictions say he should switch things up he never can bring himself to do it.  Even he is thinking that this is going to benefit him and is willing to go with it for the entire 4 weeks.  I thought for sure he would quit shortly after starting in favor of his beloved heavy assed weights…. so for those of you who feel the same way I strongly encourage you to give this a shot.  You just might be surprised at what this will do for you!

So I’ve had two people ask me after seeing that photo of my shoulder and bicep from the rear if I am taking steriods!  Oh man- how I have WISHED someone would accuse me of that!!  I mean- what a compliment!  For a natural body builder who works as hard as I do- having someone think I have too much muscle to be natural is a totally cool thing!!

Now- if someone said that to me because they thought I looked more like a guy then a girl- well that would be a very very bad thing.

So while no- steriods are not an option and never will be for me, thanks for asking!!!

Here is the workout in detail.  We started with Day 5 because of how our workout schedule fell which was Triceps, Biceps and Forearms.  That was absolutely the most killer arm workout I’ve ever experienced.  I truly thought I was going to puke working Triceps- try saying that has ever happened to YOU!!  And Chad still has DOMS in his arms from Saturday and he hasn’t felt those in his arms in over a year!  He gets them everywhere else but just can’t get them in his arms, until NOW!   Last night we did day 1 which was Chest and Abs.  Holy Christ.  Both Chad and I were absolutely CURSING chest day.  That was so intense…. makes me super scared for leg day- which is TONIGHT!!!  And we are going to do 4 weeks of this?? OMG- get the stretcher out now.  Truly- my arms have never ever shook as bad as they did last night doing the incline bench press.  I started with a 65lb bar but had to drop to just the bar for the last 6 sets and could barely complete them!!  I can bench press 145 so that is a significant drop in weight!!   That’s how intense this is!  So without further ado- here it is!  Who is brave enough to try this?

TABATA: Alternate 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest nonstop for 8 sets.  Do as many reps of an exercise as you can for 20 seconds.  Rest for 10 seconds then repeat.  Do this for 8 cycles of 20 on, 10 off.  Make sure to use enough weight so that you can go for the whole 20 seconds and can begin again after only 10 seconds of rest.  If you can’t then you have used too much weight.  If you can complete all 8 sets without feeling like you are going to die on the last few, then you have used to little weight.  The perfect weight will have you failing on the last 2-3 sets.

Workout 1: Chest, Abs
Push ups
Incline Bench Press
Flat Bench Dumbbell Press
Cable Crossover
Reverse Crunch
Crunch

Workout 2: Legs, Calves
Squat
Leg Press
Leg Extension
Leg Curl
Standing Calf Raise
Seated Calf Raise

Workout 3: Shoulders, Traps
Smith Machine Overhead Press
Smith Machine Upright Row
Lateral Raise
Reverse Pec-Deck Flye
Barbell Shrug
Dumbbell Shrug

Workout 4: Back, Abs
Bent Over Row
Lat Pulldown
Seated Row
Straight Arm Pulldown
Alternating Oblique Crunch
Cable Crunch

Workout 5: Triceps, Biceps, Forearms
Lying Triceps Extension
Pressdown
Overhead Cable Extension
Barbell Curl
Incline Dumbbell Curl
Hammer Curl
Wrist Curl
Reverse Wrist Curl

**rest 2-3 minutes in between exercises, unless you are working with a partner then you will rest about 4-5 minutes in between

Chad and I decided we needed to change things up a bit… we’ve been doing a 5 day split, lifting as heavy as possible for as long as we could each workout for months and months.  At first we thought we would start doing a 3 day split and lighten up a little.  Then, he read about Tabata Training in Muscle and Fitness and our new routine was born.

We just started it, tonight is our second workout using this and all I have to say is MUTHA FUC*A this is going to hurt!!!!  

If you are looking for something to make you want to throw up and hurt for days- you must give this a try!!  They bill this as a workout that will not only help you increase your strength and size but ALSO act as a cardio workout and drop fat.  Perfect for the few months before summer if you ask me!!

So here is the premise.  You do 3-4 different exercises per body part.  You do as many reps as you can for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, and repeat this cycle 8 times per exercise.  It is so much tougher than you could ever imagine.  I never thought I would throw up working my triceps, but I TOTALLY almost did on Saturday working them.  This would be a tough workout to do by yourself…. just a warning.  

I can post the entire workout from start to finish in another blog if anyone is interested (don’t have it here with me at work, but need to type it out anyway so I have a one sheet synopsis I can take to the gym instead of the whole damn article).

Seriously though, I cannot recommend this enough, and since I am a GIRL and so many of you are GUYS- don’t take my word for it.  Chad felt the same exact way!  And he is one of the most hard core lifters I know.  He is super strong and can lift like a crazy man (and often does lift like a crazy man with a death wish).  I thought he would have trouble with this because he had to drop his weight so much (they say you lift about 50% of what you normally lift).  Not at all!  This is so intense you don’t even have time to think about that, it is all you can do mentally to get through the 8 sets!

If you have the April 2009 issue of M&F you can check this out yourself… but if anyone comments that they want me to post it I totally will!

Oh- and here is a forum on this as well:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/archive/index.php?t-114193641.html

I wrote this many many months ago…. and thought I would share it here again because inspiration isn’t always so easy to find…..

Cold steel on a silent morning
Tired muscles still cold with sleep
Slipping the gloves on calloused hands
This early hour, a sacred time I keep

In the pre-dawn of morning I’m all alone
The dedicated and driven machine
The face in the mirror that stares back at me
Fueled by impassioned desire and caffeine

The bulge of my muscles the smell of my sweat
The squeak and the clank of the metal
The pleasure, the pain, both one and the same
Less than 100% effort I’ll never settle

The minutes and hours fly by in a blur
No one can touch me now
Pushing my body to new realms of pain
Still wanting more- to it I’ll never bow

Drive and determination- an unfailing will
To be the best I can be
Today I beat the iron machine
The winner of this round- is me.

Disclaimer: this is gonna get mushy and isn’t about bodybuilding in the way I usually write….. so be warned!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how fragile and short life is.  My Mom died last July 17.  Her birthday would have been this coming Sunday- she’d be 68 years old.  I miss her every single day.  I also think about how easily I could lose someone I love every single day since I lost her.  Since she died I have become very focused on making the most of my life and surrounding myself with only the best people.  People who are actually living life.  People who make a commitment to be better today then they were yesterday.  People who show love and have positive energy (most of the time!!).  People who give more than they take.  And I make damn sure I am one of those people, too.  Along with that I’ve been thinking about how people give and show support and the different levels of support that are out there.

Then, last weekend my fiancée Chad and I had a conversation where the phrase “biggest fan” came up.  I think that phrase can be used rather loosely, so I started thinking about what that means to me even more.  I guess it would help if I defined “biggest fan”.  See, celebrities will often have people who claim to be their “biggest fans”.  I’m sure some of the highest profile people here on bb.com have some “biggest fans” who check out their profiles everyday, write comments to them regularly, etc.  That is not at all what I am talking about here.  

No- the “biggest fans” I am talking about are people who support you with love and encouragement because they totally want to.  There is no “have to” or “should” about it- they are on your team just because you are you.  They show up to support you, encourage you when you need it and push you when you need that.  When you are up- they are there.  When you are down- they are there.  When you are self-sabotaging, self-hating, feeling-sorry-for-yourself-because-you-suck- they are there.  When you look like someone put you together using second hand spare parts- they are there, and when you look like a million bucks (and maybe even better then they do!)- they are there.  

In addition to that there is a give and take to the relationship.  Someone can only qualify to be your biggest fan if they get something back from you- a two way street type of relationship.  It is easy to admire someone from afar, but much harder to be a consistent fan of someone who sometimes gets crabby and sometimes has bad breath or who may not always say or do the right things.  Sure some people have lots of ‘friends’ and ‘fans’ on this site, but I just don’t think someone can qualify as your biggest fan in the way I define it unless they really know the true you, inside and out, good, bad and ugly.  

Why do I ask this?  Because ever since our conversation I have really been thinking about how much he has changed my life by being my biggest fan!  I never realized how important it was to have someone like this in my life, until I found him.

So today I want you to think about who your true biggest fans are, and thank them.  We could all use a little extra wind in our sails…. And the people who provide that wind should know how much that means to you every single day.

As for me, I want to say thank you to MY biggest fan!  I want to publicly acknowledge how far I’ve come because of the extra push your wind has exerted on my sails!!  I love you more than everything, baby.  Even more today than yesterday, and I hope that I can learn to be as good a “biggest fan” as you are!

I took a few photos tonight in the gym after my arm workout and could not BELIEVE they were my arms!!  I wish my phone took better pictures because they are super blurry, but I posted them anyway because I was so shocked that they were my arms!  I mean- those are my arms!

I guess that’s what happens when you lift heavy assed weights!

Ok- time to get serious for summer.  I am back to tracking my food on gyminee.com (defected over here from fitday.com because I think their food database is SOOOOO much better).  If I don’t track my food I just do not lose weight.  I am too sneaky with the snacks (if you didn’t see me eat it then I didn’t eat it!).  Seriously- I have no one to blame but myself for my lack of progress on the scale…. I know what do to and just don’t do it.  A few days ago Chad and I bought a 1/2 gallon of the most YUMMY light ice cream ever invented.  I never ever buy this stuff for the reason I am about to divulge.  I cannot control myself around two things.  Ice cream and chocolate.  This just so happened to be something like Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownie or some crazy thing.  Sure it was light (like 120 calories and 5 grams of fat for 1/2 cup)- but light doesn’t count when you demolish the thing in 3 days (and it was mostly me doing the demolishing- I’m sure he saw the container in the garbage last night and thought WTF???).  Enough of that.  It was good though!

So anyway- I’m going to track my food everyday.  Let’s kick this baby into gear!  I’ve got tank tops and shorts to pull out of storage.

I’m also going to change up my workouts.  Up until now for the last few months I’ve been working every body part except arms on their own day.  Legs twice a week (although many weeks that day just became another rest day).  I wasn’t doing any cardio because I was trying to bulk.  

I am adding cardio back into the mix 4 days a week and starting a 3 day split.  The question is, how do I want to split my parts?  Push Pull?  All push one day and all pull another?  Anyone have any suggestions?  I’ve done it every which way you can imagine!  Chest/back, Biceps/Triceps, Legs/Shoulders or Chest/Triceps, Back/Biceps, Legs (throwing shoulders in there somewhere).  

My goal right now is to keep the muscle I have while dropping at least 3% bodyfat.  I’d like to see the spare tire around my waist disappear before summer- that’s really my goal.  And right now my arms are looking HUGE so I would really love to drop some fat and see how cut I can make them look.  

Anyway- I’ll noodle on this a little bit as I have a few days…. figure I’d like to start this new split within the next few weeks.  If you have any suggestions please share them!

I don’t have much to report or say except that I achieved a new personal best on the bench press!!  I put up 145lbs one time!  I had the most killer chest workout, too!  I just felt like an animal the whole time and really pushed it!!  

That’s it…. just wanted to brag a little

My friend Bryan Gee asked me the other day how my contest prep is going.  Hmmmmm- how is it going?  I’m not sure how to answer that.  I am so far out from it that I feel as though I am losing focus somewhat.  Not with the training- oh heavens no!!  Never with the training.  I love to train- love to lift, and actually, love certain types of cardio.  So that’s not a problem.

Eating- well- me and food, we have a long and very dysfunctional relationship.  It has become less dysfunctional and more functional over the last year or so- but I still battle with it on a daily basis.  I love to eat.  I love to cook.  And by cooking I mean COOKING!!  Lots of ingredients, fun stuff.  Sure I cook pretty healthy- but I still go overboard a little too much.  This is really going to have to change in order to compete.

My other brick wall is thinking about going a whole summer in contest prep eating mode.  No gin and tonics on the patio, no beers at the bbq (and no bbq at the bbq!), no fun summer gathering food.  No festivals (like rib fest, state fair food, etc).  I’m not sure I want to do that, quite honestly.  Maybe a spring competition is better for me.  I would rather eat for contest prep over the holidays then do it over the summer.  Seriously!  Summers in Minnesota are SO short- it seems such a shame not to be able to enjoy it fully!  So I am really struggling with that.

And quite honestly- I wonder a lot if I can be ready muscularly by October.  I have been looking at photos of competitors and then looking at myself.  All I can think is that my muscle isn’t mature enough.  Sure I am built- and have more muscle than any woman I know in real life (except Ms. Minnesota, but she is the only bodybuilder I know IRL).  But- it is pretty new muscle  I’ve only been building like this for about a year now… I can see a lot of places where I can use some more time.  

Also- financially I am in a bit of a straits right now.  I’m really honestly not sure I can afford to compete at this time.  Three kids and no support from daddy makes things kind of tough.  Plus- I don’t believe my job is all that secure so spending money on competition when emergency savings is where it needs to be weighs on my mind (add to it that I am going to have to move come fall, early winter, and that adds to the pain).  I’ve built up a pretty good emergency fund-which is where the money to compete would have to come from.  I can’t in any way spin it that competition is an emergency- can you?

So, I don’t know.  I am really full of doubts about all this right now, and have lots of excuses as I’ve demonstrated in this post (man I hate excuses!!).  I’m continuing to lift like a maniac and have added cardio back into my life after a bit of a bulk period.  I am not going to throw it all to the wind just yet but am really considering my timing and whether it is just a little off.  

I’ll keep you updated!  Competing is DEFINITELY in my future!!  That will not change.  It’s just when that is the question.