Crystal’s Rants

The gym I work out at was getting ready to host a 9 week fitness competition, not the typical kind of most of the people on this site, but a competition none the less.  Fact is, I was getting really excited, as it worked well with my timeline for completing my own goals and I felt as though I could train side by side for the competition.

Unfortunately, today I found out that most of the things in the competition really have nothing to do with my goals to which I would like to achieve so I had to decline from competing.  I was really looking forward to it, but could not see changing my training to work toward the fitness goals in the competition instead.

Right now I am weight training 6 days a week with a split workout of 3 days.  I want to be stronger and refine my muscle tone.  The competition however would focus more on endurance than strength with events including treadmill run (which I have never been good at) and speed weights based on how many reps you can do in a short time.  In addition, box jumps and things like that to which I currently don’t train to do and several other things.

I do cardio, don’t get me wrong, I feel it is a must, but I typically do eliptical or stepmill when I do and mix in the bike for good measure.  But non-assisted pull ups, no matter what I do to train are very difficult for me and while I like the challenge, I think my personal goals should come first.

It might sound like moaning and groaning, but I want to transform and that has been very important to me in this process, I finally have a system that is working, why would I want to change that for a competition.

Guess it is just a little disappointing to get ready and excited about something then realize it isn’t something you need to do if you want to stay on track to meeting your own goals.  Guess I will have to keep transforming and work toward a fitness competition more of my own goals maybe even a competition like most of the people on here participate. Who knows???

Today I hit the gym for the first time this week after not feeling well.  It was great.  While it was a short day biceps and triceps, it was a welcome return.  I did notice since my last bicep and tricep workout Friday I could feel my muscles burning a lot more.

Since I began biceps and triceps I can now lift 5 more pounds, which I know isn’t a lot, but it is huge for me, because that nasty little back arm fat is disappearing.  Still a ways to go, but workouts like today make me feel great after so well worth the return from sickness!

Ok so at the gym there are little groups of different kinds of people there looking to achieve different goals.  All swear by their methods.  But the thing is it is all a little grey.  Already I know which group I stand in, so I want unbiased opinions just to see if maybe I am in the wrong place.

Group 1 - Loyal Cardio Heads

They come to the gym only to do cardio, some for 20 minutes some for 2 hours, they don’t touch a weight and are perfectly happy.

 Group 2 -  Weight Junkies

Only workout with weights, be it the typical routine or the more the better approach, they are stuck on the free weights using machines minimally but getting all results with weights alone.

Group 3 - Fast-Twitch Resistance Skillsters

They live, eat and breath resistance bands, half balls and doing things that look like leap frogs all over the gym.  Of all the groups they take up the most space because they have to have room to move and do crazy squats and half gym sprints.

Group 4- Best of All Worlds

This group uses all the gym has to offer and looks to condition their bodies while doing cardio and even dabbling into half balls and yoga balls.

I personally see myself as a Group 4 person.  I use cardio equipment daily and split my workouts over 3 days with weights.  I do however like the results of using the half ball for abs.  While I can clearly see my way to be the best, maybe I am wrong.  What can be the benefit of each of these and how could it better suit a person?

Who out there is a die hard resistance band, fast-twitch and ball person?  Can you explain how that would help a person like me?  Just wondering because personally of all the groups at the gym I have thought them to be the most obnoxious simply because they take up the most space overall and preach their results to be the only results worth having.  Furthermore, why is it people who have done only resistance for several years seem to not have the ideal body they are "paying" to have? 

It isn’t that I am personally attacking, moreso that I am trying to figure out why people choose this method and to see if I am missing out on something I should be adding.

Please feel free to leave opinions!

All week I have been at my office alone with the task of getting the paper out by tonight.  Not such a hard task typically, until today about noon I discovered there was no way it would all fit together, I needed more room.  Adding pages isn’t an easy task but it had to be done.  It isn’t that the physical act of making a new page is complicated, but making sure you have the layout and the ads in place in addition to the task of text in order can get busy and drawn out.

Anyway, long story short, it happened at the expense of my workout time at the gym today.  I left out at just after 7, which I was shocked I got out of the office that early.  Still didn’t have a chance to go to the gym so now I am out of sync with my routine.  The idea would be to get my workout in at the house but my great routine I had been in is messed up.  Guess tomorrow I will have to hit it twice as hard to make up for the lost time.  Until then I guess cardio at the house and maybe some exercise ball. 

I am exhausted!

This morning I got up early!  Let me explain I am the WORST morning person ever but I crawled out of bed and went to the gym before I usually would even hear the alarm.

Given it was with the assistance of my dog jumping in my face to tell me it was time, but still….

Not all bad though, did 2 miles before 8 a.m. and by the time I left the gym I felt great and alive.  I was doing 2 a days a little after 8 in the morning, but if I can feel this good, I might have to become a little more of a morning person..hehe.. yeah right!

 On a different note, I have done one full week of what I was calling CRUNCHTIME workouts, lifting every afternoon and really bursting out hard workouts in order to lose the last little bit to meet my overall fitness goal of losing 100 pounds in  a year.

The first couple of days I was sooo sore, but now I am starting to get the hang of the motions and exercise, not saying I won’t be sore again, but I can see little tiny results already when I am lifting and from all the cardio my legs are starting to come together a little more like I would like them to.

December 1st is my target so shooting for the stars until then hoping to pull off those last few pounds!

Today I began CRUNCHTIME!  The race to meeting my last and final goal of dropping those left over pounds so I can reward myself. 

Now my shoulders are feeling the burn like no other.  We began with what was the chest and shoulder workout with some work at the bench with bench press, incline press and decline press.  I worked out with a group and while I did really well with the first two rotations (despite being a light weight) I made it through 4 sets on each.  The decline was not my thing though, I pushed through one set but bonked my head on the bar and that was pretty much it…hehe.. I guess that is just how it goes you can’t take the clumsy out of the girl.

We moved on to reverse butterflies and some things with the free weights, which i haven’t a clue even what to call but whatever they were i think somewhere in the mix my shoulders completely fell off…hehe.  By workouts end I was numb and when I went to my truck to get in and turn on the tunes my arms were heavy beyond heavy. 

Now hours later I think I probably had one of the most effective workouts I have ever in my entire life had.  Slim Sexy Shoulders here I come!

Tomorrow Back and Abs, I can only imagine how I will feel when my core is burning but whatever it takes to get those curves I want and drop that residual weight!

I made a decision that once I reached my ideal weight I was going to do something for myself.  I am close to that goal but not quite there but my results, like most do have slowed with those last few pounds, so tomorrow I am beginning CRUNCHTIME!!

I will begin working out with a more strict weight lifting routine with my husband.  While I really hate working out with him because obviously he is big and buff, he sees my progress and wants to help me meet those fitness goals.  I want to be a fitwoman!

Crunchtime will be hard but my goal is to by December reach my goals and be able to finally treat myself with my "prize" so to speak.  So until then I will save my money and put it back so I can go out rockstar style for my personal Christmas gift.

According to him we will be really targeting adding more lean muscle with three seperate workouts including chest and shoulders, back and abs and legs, biceps and triceps.  While I have been doing a light weight version of this and having decent results when partnering with cardio, this looks to be that little push to set me over the edge and really sculpt away the problem areas.

 Wish me luck!!