thgirlnxtdr

My current workout routine

thgirlnxtdr — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:10:09 +0000

Please keep in mind that I workout at home and do not have all the equipment that would normally be available at a gym so I make the best out of what I have. I have no leg press or hack squat machines and am always on the prowl for something used, in good condition AND at a good price. I’ve done very well with my collection so far.

Monday

AM - Cardio for 45 mins + abs (P90X Ab Ripper X dvd)
PM - Back / Chest


Incline DB press / Sissy PU
15-12-10-8-6        / To failure 5x
Low Cable Row / Flat DB press
15-12-10-8-6     / 15-12-10-8-6

Deadlift / Incline DB Fly
3×10     / 3×10
One Arm Rows / Flat Fly
3×10                 /   3×10
DB Pullover / Front Pec Dec / Lat Pulldown
3×10         / 3×10            /   3×10
- Alternate between sets for each back and chest exercise (i.e. perform one set of Incline DB
   presses then one set of Sissy PUs).
- Repeat until all sets for each exercise is completed then proceed to the next two exercises.

Tuesday
AM - HIIT cardio for 20-25 mins + Stretch or Yoga (from P90X series)
PM - Biceps/Triceps

Straight Bar Curl / Straight Bar Push Down
12-10-8-8-6        /         12-10-8-8-6

Incline DB Curl / DB Overhead Press
12-10-8-8-6     /        12-10-8-8-6
Kickbacks / Rope Pulldown
3×15          /   3×50-100
Rack Hammer Curls


- Alternate between sets for each biceps and triceps exercise (i.e. perform one set of straight bar
curls then one set of straight bar pushdown).
- Repeat until all sets for each exercise is completed then proceed to the next two exercises.
Wednesday
AM – HIIT Cardio for 20-25 mins + abs (P90X Ab Ripper X dvd)
PM - Stretch or Yoga (from P90X series)

Thursday
AM - Cardio for 45 mins
PM - Quads/Hammies
(3-5 sets x 10 reps each exercise, rest 1 minute between the 2 exercises)
Squats        /   Stiff Leg Deadlift (rest one minute between the 2 exercises)
Leg Extension / Lying Leg Curl (rest one minute between the 2 exercises)
DB Lunges   / Good Mornings (rest one minute between the 2 exercises)
Leg kickbacks / Standing Calf Raise (rest one minute between the 2 exercises)
Calves on the stairs – 10 reps each stair for 12 stairs (toes straight, in & out alternating)
Friday
AM - HIIT cardio for 20-25 mins + Stretch or Yoga (from the P90X series)
PM – Shoulders/ Delts
Rear Press    / Front Press                   �
�
15-12-10-8-6 / 15-12-10-8-6
Side Lat Raise / Front Raise
3 x 10 reps      / 3 x 10 reps
Bent Over Raise / Upright Row
3 x 12                 /     3 x 12
Sissy Pullups…….12 -11-10, etc. down to 1
Saturday
AM – Cardio for 45 mins + abs ( Tamilee Webb’s Abs of Steel video)
Sunday
AM - Cardio for 45 mins
Another ab routine I use……
Flat Bench Rev Hanging Crunches – 20 (DeborahAnn style)
Ball Crunches                25
Leg Lifts                   �
�    15
Cable Crunches             20
V-Ins (ankle weights)      25

Oblique cruches             20
Hyperextensions            20
Do all of these as a giant set for 3-5 sets
Take about a 45 sec-1 min rest between sets

Current ab routine

thgirlnxtdr — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:28:50 +0000

ABS – Done on Tuesday and Thursday after cardio (or whenever).

On Saturday I do an ab video that I have (lots of floor work, no weights involved at all)

Flat Bench Rev Hanging Crunches – 20 reps (DeborahAnn, Stevep78, ElijahMaine style)
Ball Crunches                25
Leg Lifts                   �
�   15         With ankle weights

Cable Crunches             20
V-Ins                   �
�       25         With ankle weights

Oblique cruches            20
Hyperextensions           20  �
�       With 30# DB

Do all of these as a giant set for 3-5 sets

Take a 1 min rest between sets & make sure to stretch

My abdominal surgery

thgirlnxtdr — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:10:47 +0000

On November 7, 2008 I underwent abdominal surgery for a tennis ball size hole in my abdominal fascia. I will give you the Reader’s Digest version.

My symptoms were minor…nothing excruciating or unbearable. So why fix it if it doesn’t really hurt that much? Because each time I felt a twinge, a pinch, a cramp or an internal itch (oddly enough!!) it was the abdominal fascia tearing and over time it just kept getting bigger and bigger. Allowing this to continue just didn’t seem (to me) to be a good idea. As a side note, my research and my doctor tell me that the tear was as a result of my two pregnancies with very large babies. Thankfully, I got NO external stretch marks but I guess I got them all inside me. I’ve always had very tight and toned abs…maybe I was too tight? Who knows.

The symptoms were not constant nor were they consistent. But when they DID exhibit themselves, it would be during the same activities - eg: twisting, turning, dancing, some ab exercises, reaching above my head to the top shelf of a cabinet, that sort of thing.

The surgery itself went very well but I had EXTREME post op problems as a result of too much anesthesia and/or an adverse reaction to it. I’m fine now, still not 100% in the gym (some exercises like incline crunches still hurt too much to do) but I’m doing really well.

My ab fascia was pulled SO TIGHT in order to make the repair that I walked bent over, completely parallel to the ground for 2 weeks as a result. It’s STILL tight but easing with time. Thank GOODNESS!!!

I went back to working out after only 4 weeks post op…I couldn’t wait to get back to the gym. But the pain was waaaay too much for me - I couldn’t even do non-strenous cardio. So I waited another 4 weeks (for a total of 2 months post op) and it was the right thing do as I no longer had the excruciating pain (very discouraging) that I did at 2 weeks post op. I just needed more time to heal.

My incision is like that of a C-section and the doctor promises me it will fade over time (I can’t wait for THAT to happen!). Today I am almost 3 months post op and still have an area on my abdomen about 4″x 5″ that is still numb. This, too, my doctor tells me will go away within 6-12 months.

If you have any legitamate questions, just ask.

See you in the gym!

Leg routine results

thgirlnxtdr — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:29:08 +0000

Apparently my leg routine is working better than I thought it was!

I was in the parking lot of the grocery store today crossing from the lot to the store to get a shopping cart. Two trucks stopped to let me cross then slowly did the drive-by, rubber-necking thing as I made my way to the other side. Real nice and a compliment in and of itself

As the one truck finished it’s “drive-by stare” the driver of the OTHER truck hollered to me, “Nice legs!!!”

WooooHoooo!! I was beaming! Smiling from ear to ear! It’s not unusual for me to get compliments or attention BUT!!!!!! I can’t recall anyone ever specifically HOLLERING to COMPLIMENT MY LEGS!!

Isn’t that so cool?!?!?!? I HAD to tell you all

In your dreams

thgirlnxtdr — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:16:07 +0000

I am pretty "connected" to myself; very aware of how I am feeling and why I am feeling a certain way (good or bad although, I am almost always feeling good ). Someone once said to me, "You know yourself so well." I

The reason doesn’t really matter why, however, I think one of the reasons is because I pay attention and truly "absorb" what is being said. I really listen to myself and to others whether it be words, body language, what have you.

Anyhow, I have been very annoyed with myself lately for not making the progress I want. I have had some difficulty with my diet lately - nothing too terrible (long story) and although my workouts and cardio are consistant, my head is just not there. Regardless, I think about my diet, fitness and working out constantly. The desire to improve is ALWAYS there - even in my dreams!!!

I was just telling a friend here that I don’t remember any of my dreams from last night but a line from the movie "Miss Congeniality" came to mind….."SEE the change, FEEL the change, BE the change. You ARE the change."

I have been thinking SO MUCH lately about how VERY MUCH I want to be better that it even enters my sleep! lol.

Glute/Quad/Hammie progress

thgirlnxtdr — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:23:39 +0000

Just a real quick blog about a thought/question I had.

My legs and glutes are very stubborn and seeminly resistant to develop. I train them 2x/wk but am unable to do squats b/c of a shoulder/delt/neck problem. Instead, I do LOTS of leg extensions, walking lunges, ball squats with weights and lying leg curls (but with an attachment - kind of awkward, clumsy and difficult to do).

Anyhow, I have noticed some improvement in my quads, hammies and glutes lately and was wondering if all the cardio I do (35 mins 7 or 8x/wk on an incline) could be helping in the progress of those muscles.

I’m sure it IS helping but it seems that lately they have improved moreso than usual. Wish I knew what I was doing that seems to be working….I would do it MORE!!!!! lol

Your input, please

thgirlnxtdr — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:11:23 +0000

I’m wondering if anyone has any first-hand experience with Montel Williams’ newest book "Living Well". Has anyone implemented or tried his diet/food plan? It seems like such a great idea.

I’d love your input and would like to hear about your experience with and your opinion concerning it (although, the book may be too new to have had any noticeable, long-term benefit).

Thanks!

Protein Keeps Hunger at Bay

thgirlnxtdr — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 19:23:56 +0000

I found this article on Yahoo! News and thought it might be of interest. The link is http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080118/hl_nm/diets_dc should you care to visit the site yourself.
Chicago (Reuters) - Diets high in protein may be the best way to keep hunger in check, U.S. researchers said on Thursday in a study that offers insight into how diets work.

They found that protein does the best job at keeping a hunger hormone in check, while carbohydrates and fats may well deserve their current nasty reputation.

The study, which will appear in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, looked at the effectiveness of different nutrients at suppressing ghrelin, a hormone secreted by the stomach that stimulates appetite.

“Suppression of ghrelin is one of the ways that you lose your appetite as you begin to eat and become sated,” said Dr. David Cummings of the University of Washington in Seattle, who worked on the study.

The researchers gave 16 people three different beverages, each with varying levels of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. They took blood samples before the first beverage, then every 20 minutes for six hours afterward, measuring ghrelin levels in each sample.

"The interesting findings were that fats suppress ghrelin quite poorly," Cummings said in a telephone interview. They fared the poorest overall.

"Proteins were the best suppressor of ghrelin in terms of the combination of the depth and duration of suppression," he said. "That is truly satisfying because high proteins are essentially common to almost all of the popular diets."

They also found that eating carbohydrates resulted in a strong ghrelin suppression at first, but ghrelin levels rebounded with a vengeance, rising to an even higher level.

Basically, the carbohydrates eventually made people even hungrier than before they had eaten.

Cummings said the findings may aid in future research on the effectiveness of different diets.

And the study likely means that nightly bowl of ice cream is out. "That is a bad idea no matter what," he said.

thgirlnxtdr on AOL

thgirlnxtdr — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 23:31:49 +0000

thgirlnxtdr on AOL IM and thgirlnxtdr@aol.com is NOT me!!!

A ‘friend’ from BB.com asked me why I had blocked them on AOL IM. I told them that I have Yahoo IM (I’m hardly ever on) but no AOL IM.

So I went to AOL IM and AOL.com to create an account for myself and my screen name (thgirlnxtdr - a name that I made up) has been taken by someone else!! I don’t know who it is or why but it’s NOT ME!!!!! I don’t know if someone has been passing themselves off as being me and if so, I don’t know what’s being said or discussed but, once again, it’s NOT ME!!!!!

So, if you’re trying or wanting to get in touch with me for whatever reason, PM me here or click on "Send Email" on my profile front page.

Thanks

Flight Attendent anyone?

thgirlnxtdr — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:03:05 +0000

I’m thinking of applying for a job as a flight attendent and am wondering if any of you that currently ARE attendents or have BEEN attendents have any advice for me or have a comment to make. Anything I should know, be aware of, what to stay away from, likes, dislikes…..that sort of thing.

Thanks!