Karla, what a great trip all in all! Working out with your dad, practicing training, beautiful horses and babies!! Then to return home and have a great workout and lots of kudos!! Just wonderful all the way around.
Thanks guys. Life really is good right now even though I am getting really big (AKA fat) with this bulking. I am learning to push that phobia away and allow this process that time and space it needs. My next bulk will be so much more fun.
My pecs are still killing me. I feel like I got run over by a truck. I text messaged the trainer yesterday to complain that my pecs were sore and he texted back two simple words... "Candy Ass" Have I told you guys how much I hate him sometimes.
Today I did an amazing hamstring workout. I know it was amazing because I can feel the burn in the hammies already. Generally the hams (slow twitch muscles) don't feel sore for 1-2 days. I also know it was good because I did a few PRs today as well. I am feeling mega strong with all this food in my body.
Warm up:
inchworm with push ups 1x10
alt toe touches 2x30
Karla
Should the red be on the 185???? since that is +30lb on the 155??
__________________ It all starts with the mind, but the thoughts, the intention aren't enough. Action needs to come next. Dream it, believe it, plan it, execute it, celebrate it. - Wendy
I love your passion and zest you have for creating a better body. Thank you for sharing your piece of paradise, I imagine your runs are spirit lifting. Great workouts and enjoy that DOMS, you earned it!!
Paula the 5 should be red not the whole thing. I have never done 5 sets of 5 with any significant weight before. That was the "money" part of the exercise for me.
Today I have guests coming. The person who built my new guitar is in town and will be spending the evening. So plan a rest and play guitar day. Probably a good thing. My pecs are feeling better but my calves and hammies are dying.
What a fun day off yesterday. I went to a local handmade instrument show and many of the people I saw at that show I had not seen for several months. All of them commented that I had lost weight.... I heard "there is only half of you" and "OMG you look wonderful" and on and on it went. What is amazing about this is that last year this time I weighed nearly the same as I do now. Perhaps 10 lbs difference but no more. I am 15% or more bf difference though. It was a very pleasent day and could not have happened at a better time for me. I am starting to feel a bit fat but also I am embracing this feeling and my body. Yes, my gut is starting to pudge a bit but my pecs and back and legs and all the rest of me is getting super duper strong as well as muscled. I have never had this body shape and size before and I find it fascinating as well as beautiful. It isn't where I ultimately want to be but it is where I am now.
Tonight I worked out at home (it's about time) and focused on the back.
warm up
jump rope = 300 times (I wasn't even tired)
db prone cuban snatch
1x15 (5) e
1x10 (10) e
1x8 (15) e
bent over bb row
1x20 (50)
1x15 (95)
1x15 (110)
pull ups
1x2 (bw)
3x10 (assisted)
ab super set
swiss ball crunch 3x15 (+25)
bicycle each leg 3x15 (bw)
Pull over
1x20 (20)
1x10 (40)
1x10 (50)
db 2 point row (bent over)
3x20 (30)
I felt like a monster again. I got a pump on in my back tonight for the first time. It felt huge and awesome.
I went to a local handmade instrument show and many of the people I saw at that show I had not seen for several months. All of them commented that I had lost weight.... I heard "there is only half of you" and "OMG you look wonderful" and on and on it went. What is amazing about this is that last year this time I weighed nearly the same as I do now. Perhaps 10 lbs difference but no more. I am 15% or more bf difference though.
Your work is paying off in so many ways - what a wonderful day!!!
It's all about the feed ladies. If you want to be strong ya gotta feed your body. I am totally getting the reason why guys love to bulk. I do not enjoy overeating so much but it is fun to look at the barbell or dumbells and get focused and mean and just whip out some major reps and sets. Then there is the pump that follows.... Ahhhhhhh..... It is a cool feeling too. And all I have to pay for this is a little gut pudge....
It's all about the feed ladies. If you want to be strong ya gotta feed your body. I am totally getting the reason why guys love to bulk. I do not enjoy overeating so much but it is fun to look at the barbell or dumbells and get focused and mean and just whip out some major reps and sets. Then there is the pump that follows.... Ahhhhhhh..... It is a cool feeling too. And all I have to pay for this is a little gut pudge....
Seems so unfair... I have the gut pudge without the fun part
Seems so unfair... I have the gut pudge without the fun part
If you cleaned up your diet and ate cleanly to bulk you too could have both. Remember that I never cheat on good eating. My body rewards me for this over the long haul as would yours. Any of you ladies who want to go through this as a phase in your training could do it too. I am not unique or special or talented at this. It really is mostly about the diet just like every says.
As a bonus to this bulking phase I am led to believe that the cut will go rather nicely as my metabolism is so revved up. We'll see about that though.....
If you cleaned up your diet and ate cleanly to bulk you too could have both. Remember that I never cheat on good eating. My body rewards me for this over the long haul as would yours. Any of you ladies who want to go through this as a phase in your training could do it too. I am not unique or special or talented at this. It really is mostly about the diet just like every says.
As a bonus to this bulking phase I am led to believe that the cut will go rather nicely as my metabolism is so revved up. We'll see about that though.....
I do admire your determination... most of my friends think I'm nuts for the way I work-out and eat, but I know it's not as strictly as you do. I think my biggest fear (and I don't think I'm alone) is that if I bulk, I won't be able to cut and I'll be stronger but also fatter. I'm already relatively strong but carry too much fat -- maybe one day I'll be brave enough to try bulking, but it's not gonna be today
I totally hear you on your fear and I also share it. That is the biggest reason I have made only the small gains that I have in fact. I am terrified that I will get fatter and then have a harder time cutting. But I am learning by actually going through this that by gaining muscle mass I am also revving the metabolism even more and so this should tranlsate to an eaier cut.
In going this route I have accomplished several things I could not have done on just a cut mode. The biggest thing is that I am now accutely aware of how hard it is to really get fat when eating cleanly and paying attention. (intentional bulking as opposed to unintentional bulking) It is really hard work. In doing this I have been able to face head on my fears of weight gain and of eating and now they are no longer fears to me. I am learning to make them my friends. I also am learning to lift and get confidence in lifting heavy that I would never have if on a deficit.
So time will tell if I can cut and make a change that I was hoping for when I started this challenge. But even if it doesn't go so well in the cut I am still grateful for stepping up to this bulk phase.
Uh oh.... I crashed in my training session with the trainer today. I can't say what happened. I am eating well, sleeping okay and drinking at least 1 gal a day.
We started out with 1 legged bench squats. They were somewhat challenging to me but not too much. Then we moved to squats. I started with 90lb and it did not feel great. Sort of wobbly actually. I then went to 110lb and it was still wobbly but I was able to get 15 out. Then I did 135lb and it was all I could do to make 10 of them. It was really not fun. My belt was hard to get on and it felt tight too. David said I was whining too much. I wanted to be mad at him but he was right. I just felt off my game. He said my form sucked so we worked with lighter weight fixed bb and form.
I did 3 sets of 15 with the 42 lb fixed bb and watched my stance and my form. These burned my quads pretty good after the other stuff but more than that was that I felt dizzy while doing them. My head felt funny and I felt weak. I felt like I was going to go over a few times. I sat down in between my sets and drank a lot of water. Another trainer came by and said I looked bad. That made me feel worse. Finally I did the last set and my trainer said that was enough. He was going to let me quit but then said we should try to do some seated leg extensions. I managed one set of these and my legs felt the burn so bad and it wouldn't go away. He told me to do another set and I couldn't. My quads were still burning. I wasn't willing to push through it.
I looked at him and told him that I needed more time to rest and he declared the session over at that time. He said that if I was a client that was normally hard to motivate that we would be having a different conversation. Instead I am suppose to go to bed early tonight and tomorrow too. He actually suggested I take a day off from work as well.
So no real good reason why this might have happened. I really don't feel poorly otherwise. Just weak today. I am eating like a horse and getting 6-8 hours every night. He thinks I should do a 12 nap if I can. Perhaps I will try that tonight.
So no real good reason why this might have happened. I really don't feel poorly otherwise. Just weak today. I am eating like a horse and getting 6-8 hours every night. He thinks I should do a 12 nap if I can. Perhaps I will try that tonight.
I'd say aim for that high end of the 6-8 as a minimum. I'm probably the worst person when it comes to sleep, but I've noticed that if I get the 8+ (and it's rarely 9) I feel much better in the mornings.
I have a sick horse I must tend to tonight but will do nothing else except hottub and get to bed.
Good luck with the sleep Karla. It happens sometimes, the crash... don't let it get to you, but listen to your body and figure out why this might have happened.
I'm a chronic 6-hour sleeper. I hate it, and wish I could figure out where to carve a few more hours out of the day.
I'm walking 60 miles for a breast cancer cure, September 11-13, 2009! Please support my walk and help me raise funds for cancer research by donating to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day: http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/Walk/...nal&fr_id=1300
Karla: You work hard and you play hard, and you can't be on all the time. Your trip home should probably have been a rest week, but you were in the gym every day with your dad. Good for you - you needed the bonding time, and he needed your help. Now, though, take a break for a few days and let your body recover. You'll be the stronger for it. Brent
Sorry you had a crash, but you're human, and sometimes our bodies just need a day off. (I need a day off from work, quite frankly, but I hate to "waste" sick or vaca time for a mental health day!)...
How's the sick horse? Hope it was nothing serious...
Don't worry too much about the workout. You will come back even stronger. Its probably just your body demanding some rest to get ready for the next big increases in work load.