Your workouts are looking really great. Your strength seems to be incrasing steadily.
On the food note, everyone falls off track every now and then, its the ability to get back in it that makes the difference
Agreed!
Sometimes falling off the bandwagon makes you appreciate the ride even more once you get back on track!
Looking good, Kara! I haven't done "B" yet, in Stage 3 so I have no suggestions on the replacement for the shoulder pain.
Keep up the good work, you are rocking this!
So, is DC where your man is?
__________________
Ginger
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." ~ John Bingham
Congrats on passing the polygraph - I can only imagine how nerve-racking one of those is!!
Thanks! Ugh polys are awful... they make you feel like a terribly person even if you're not. I'm just gald it's over.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirjava
Kara, you're working out sooooooooo hard. Congratulations on all your strength gains.....you're doing awesome!
Congrats on passing the polygraph!
Thanks girl! I'm sure trying! hehe
Quote:
Originally Posted by bundy
Your workouts are looking really great. Your strength seems to be incrasing steadily.
On the food note, everyone falls off track every now and then, its the ability to get back in it that makes the difference
Yeah well that ability is lacking at the moment, lol. I'm workin on it though...
Quote:
Originally Posted by marygrace
Great workout, and I agree with this statement. The exercise feels kind of unbalanced because my upper body is so much weaker than my lower.
Thanks! Yeah... somedays my grip is ok and somedays it's just plain awful... so hopefully next time I do this it'll be a good grip day :-)
Quote:
Originally Posted by LoriAnne
Agreed!
Sometimes falling off the bandwagon makes you appreciate the ride even more once you get back on track!
hehe, I sure hope so! Tracking is definitely not my idea of a good time....
Quote:
Originally Posted by GinnyLou
Looking good, Kara! I haven't done "B" yet, in Stage 3 so I have no suggestions on the replacement for the shoulder pain.
Keep up the good work, you are rocking this!
So, is DC where your man is?
Well, sometimes it tweaks out on me, which is weird since I've never had a shoulder injury. Oh well, maybe next time it'll just magically be fine with everything, lol.
And unfortunately no... Bri is not in the DC area.... looks like we'll be keepin up the long distance thing for a while...
Ugh.. Tuesdays are NOT my friend... I'm out of the house today from 9am to 9pm with work and class... I can't wait to be done wth school!!!!!
Well, sometimes it tweaks out on me, which is weird since I've never had a shoulder injury. Oh well, maybe next time it'll just magically be fine with everything, lol.
And unfortunately no... Bri is not in the DC area.... looks like we'll be keepin up the long distance thing for a while...
Ugh.. Tuesdays are NOT my friend... I'm out of the house today from 9am to 9pm with work and class... I can't wait to be done wth school!!!!!
Ah, crap. Sorry. I remember you talking about your "dream job" when you first started posting, so I at least hope this is for that or something similar!
I hope your day goes by quickly!
__________________
Ginger
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." ~ John Bingham
Ah, crap. Sorry. I remember you talking about your "dream job" when you first started posting, so I at least hope this is for that or something similar!
I hope your day goes by quickly!
Well its not quite my dream job, but it's a big foot in the door, so I'll take it! I'm just glad to be getting out of school. I mean, I'll definitely finish my masters, but I just need a break for a little while.
Well, Workout A of stage 3 is a freakin Killer!!!!! I was jello walking out of there today!
A) 1-arm DB Snatch:
1x6 with 20lb DB
2x6 with 25lb DB
B1) DB 1-legged RDL
3x6 with 25s (i'll try to go up next time)
B2) BB Bentover Row
1x6 @ 60lbs
1x6 @ 65lbs (I'm pretty sure that's a PR... might have to double check..)
1x6 @ 60lbs (grip was giving me major issues today)
C1) DB overhead squat
3x6 with 10 and 20lb DBs
I despise this exercise! It's awkward and clumsy and I don't feel it much... which I'm sure means I need toup the weight, but I don't know how I feel about heavier DBs over my head.
C2) DB incline chest press
1x6 with 20s
2x6 with 25s
D1) Plank
3x90seconds (Ugh these were such a struggle!)
D2) Reverse Woodchops
2x6(e) @25lbs
1x6(e) @30lbs
Bodyweight Matrix!
-24 squats
-12(e) lunges
-12(e) jump lunges
-24 jump squats
Time 1: 3:42
Time 2: 3:40
Both are PRs since I couldn't even get through this dang thing last time!
Notes:
-DB Snatch: Realized I was supposed to be doing this with both arms, not just my right... oops! I was pretty hesitant about using my left arm because I feel like it's sooo much more uncoordinated and I just "knew" I would end up clocking myself in teh head... but I didn't! And I was able to go up to a 25lb DB. I might actually be able to do 30, but the DB is just so big and clunky and I have a hard time just holding it! Also, when I was done and had moved on and was doing the BB rows, this big muscley man asked my what exercise it was that I was doing over in teh other section (the snatches). I explained it to him and he seemed to think it was pretty cool. He's a nice guy, I've seen him before. But if I hadn't talked to him I think I would have been afraid of him based on his massive size alone! hehe
-DB RDL: I like this exercise! and it definitely got me some weird looks, lol. I think I can go up to 30s next time, but my grip was awful today! My right wrist started kind of freaking out on me... I don't know what the problem is....or how to fix it
-BB row: This went well... except for my grip giving out on me again... stupid wrist!
-DB squat: I will say it again... I hate this exercise. It just feels so darn awkward! Ugh!
-DB incline press: I was quite impressed with myself for doing the 25s! I used to do flat bench DB presses a while back with the bf and I think (if I remember coreectly) that I only got up to 20s, so this was pretty darn cool in my opinion!
-Planks were rough today! It was all I could do to hold out for the last few seconds on these.
-Reverse woodchops: Also not my favorite exercise. I'm very uneven I feel like. When I'm twisting towards my left side I do fine, but twisting to my right side I feel it in my left hamstring of all places...Who knows... I just don't feel "right" when I do it that way but I'm not sure how to fix it.
-Matrix: Holy Hannah! (To quote a very good friend of mine... I have no idea why she says that, but I think it's cute) This thing is sooo hard! My jump lunges are sooo funny to watch... I almost laughed at myself in the mirror. I look like this weird wobbly two legged deer or something. Had to take short breaks between every 5 lump lunges or so... ugh I'm glad I only have to do this two more times.
Food: has been going pretty well.. at least getting a little better. I started tracking again which I just find to be such a pain in the ass. I'll post this week's numbers at the end of the week for comments and guidance, hehe.
Great workout! I am having some similar issues with my grip and trying to figure out what to do. I know many are against the straps, but I think I need them for certain exercises.
__________________
Ginger
"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." ~ John Bingham
Well, Kara, looks like your moving up in weight with many exercises. Awesome! I agree that this A (stage 3) workout is pure evil. And it progressively gets more evil with each exercise. But even though we might not like all this sweat and pain, we do love the result! Keep on chuggin'
Thanks everyone!
I'm just poppin in here today to say that my legs are SO SORE from that dang matrix! Going up and down stairs both yesterday and today has been such a challenge... ugh!
Anyway, hope everyone has a good day :-)
-Matrix: Holy Hannah! (To quote a very good friend of mine... I have no idea why she says that, but I think it's cute) This thing is sooo hard! My jump lunges are sooo funny to watch... I almost laughed at myself in the mirror. I look like this weird wobbly two legged deer or something. Had to take short breaks between every 5 lump lunges or so... ugh I'm glad I only have to do this two more times.
Are you sure? Have you looked at all the stages?
...
Just kidding.
Great job. And about wobbly deer...you know what...at least you're jumping!
Keep it up!
Hey Svet,yeah I know it comes back to haunt me in later stages.... but I get to forget about it for a little while at least!
So I have decided I am not a fan of the B workout in this stage. I don't know what it is about it that I don't like... but I just don't like it. Workout A is a killer, but I like it more. Anyway, I got over whaever funk I was in last time I did this workout so the numbers are pretty good, and my HIIT felt AWESOME today... first time ever that's happened!
Here's the numbers:
A: BB RDL w/ row
1x6 @ 65lbs
2x6 @ 70lbs
B1: Partial 1-leg squat
1x6 with 8s
1x6 with 10s
1x6 with 12s
B2: WG lat pulldown
1x6 with 70lbs
2x6 with 80lbs
C1: Back extension
I was at my mom's gym today and or the life of me could not find the back extension apparatus.... I know it's posible to do these with a ballbut I couldn't figure it out so I just skipped it.
C2: YTWL
I do NOT like this exercise! I think I need to find a replacement because my shoulders do not agree with this one
3x6 with 5s
D1: Ball Crunches
3x6 with 12lb DB long arm
D2: Jackknives
1x6 pike version
2x6 pike version with bent legs (if that makes any sense....) Basically a tuck with my butt up in the air, lol
D3: Side crunch on ball
2x6(e) with 10lb plate
1x6(e) side crunches on floor
Great workout! Awesome that you "felt like the wind." 8.5 is pretty windlike, I'd say! I'm glad to read your HITT because it'll pump me up for mine later today, which I am studiously avoiding doing but I really need to get my arse in gear and just do it already.
Thanks girls!
Oh man, I love family holidays... but oh the havoc it wrecks on the nutritional aspect of things! I ate good food.... but I ate a hell of a lot of it! Fresh home-made guacamole, eggs galore, egg salad, ham, sweet potatos, asparagus, and this increibly sinful coffeecake that we make with pillsbury bisquits and boatloads of cinnamon and sugar! (OK that ones really not good for you at all... but the others I can almost rationalize.... just not in the GIANT proportions I ate them in today)
If I had to guess I'd put my cals at like 5000 today.... sooo not good!
But tomorrow is another day... and my mom is awesome and bought me the cookbook I wanted for easter in my easter basket! (Yes, I am 22 years old and still go hunting for my easter basket every year! It will never get old!) It's the Eating for Life cookbook... does anyone have it? Like it? Hate it? Comments? I skimmed though it at B+N a week or so ago and thought almost everything in there loooked awesome! So I'm looking forward to making some of the stuff in there.
On a side note..... I'm not looking for a pity-party here, but I just have to vent a little about my progress. I know my strength has been increasing nicely and that my measurements at month 2 were good... but I can't help but feel like my body looks absolutely no different. I feel like the pics that I take don't actually show what I really look like. I feel like I could take pics one day and the next day they could be completely different. I swear my waist measurement varies by about 5inches throughout the day even! I know it sounds irrational... but I see everyone else on here buying new pants and seeing huge changes in bodyfat and weight and all that... and I just feel very stagnant with how i actually look. My clothes fit the same they always have, and my weight is exactly the same. Am I being completely stupid and just need to shut up? (Brian, don't answer that) Or is my diet worse than I think it is and I really need to reign it in? I feel like I'm good about it 90% of the time... but that 10% seems to negate all the good...
*Sigh*
Sorry, I'm done with my pity-party.... In all seriousness I'm not bad off... I'm just aggravated. In any case, I hope everyone had a great holiday and that if anyone else was like me and went completely haywire with their eating today that we all get back on track tomorrow. :-)
On a side note..... I'm not looking for a pity-party here, but I just have to vent a little about my progress. I know my strength has been increasing nicely and that my measurements at month 2 were good... but I can't help but feel like my body looks absolutely no different. I feel like the pics that I take don't actually show what I really look like. I feel like I could take pics one day and the next day they could be completely different. I swear my waist measurement varies by about 5inches throughout the day even! I know it sounds irrational... but I see everyone else on here buying new pants and seeing huge changes in bodyfat and weight and all that... and I just feel very stagnant with how i actually look. My clothes fit the same they always have, and my weight is exactly the same. Am I being completely stupid and just need to shut up? (Brian, don't answer that) Or is my diet worse than I think it is and I really need to reign it in? I feel like I'm good about it 90% of the time... but that 10% seems to negate all the good...
*Sigh*
I am totally with you on this. I hate my monthly progress pics because I don't think they show any progress. But, I do see progress in strength and even in the mirror--increased definition, etc. I don't measure more than once a month, but I know my weight can vary about 5 pounds during the day and that's damn annoying. Anyway, just wanted to say you're not the only one feeling this way. (It was a pig out day for me, too, with all the Easter chocolate in the house, but everything else was healthy . . . like that really makes a difference, right ?)
Also, I am very impressed with your progress in your workouts! Way to go (and picture a cheering smiley here)!
If I had to guess I'd put my cals at like 5000 today.... sooo not good!
been there..done that..got a T-shirt
Quote:
But tomorrow is another day...
and dats da truth!
[/quote]I know my strength has been increasing nicely and that my measurements at month 2 were good... but I can't help but feel like my body looks absolutely no different. [/quote]
first of all, changes are seen better 'from afar'...by someone else. So you could not be viewing yourself objectively.
Kara, I can commiserate about the Easter eat-a-thon. I did that too! The best remedy for that feeling of ugh is lots of water and movement.
I'm sorry to hear you're not feeling totally jazzed about your progress. I think your pics look fantastic. The thing is, in a body transformation, there will always be mini plateaus along the way, followed by a period of some kind of change. You're quite small already, so you might not necessarily have the same kind of obvious change at the beginning. But I have no doubt those muscles are getting harder and stronger, and that change WILL show in time.
I'm not sure what where your diet's at, but if you're feeling held back by it you could take a couple of weeks to really focus in and see if that promotes any changes you like. It might not be worth it to you, but if you continue to be frustrated, it could be an option.
The nice thing is that there is always a positive course of action that can change our results.
I am totally with you on this. I hate my monthly progress pics because I don't think they show any progress. But, I do see progress in strength and even in the mirror--increased definition, etc. I don't measure more than once a month, but I know my weight can vary about 5 pounds during the day and that's damn annoying. Anyway, just wanted to say you're not the only one feeling this way. (It was a pig out day for me, too, with all the Easter chocolate in the house, but everything else was healthy . . . like that really makes a difference, right ?)
Also, I am very impressed with your progress in your workouts! Way to go (and picture a cheering smiley here)!
Thanks Karen! Yeah I forgot to mention the peanut M+Ms I had too.... but they were the dark chocolate kind so they MUST be healthy right? haha. My weight varies by 5 pounds throughout the day too.. so frustrating! But I average right around 135 consistently so I guess that's good?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Natalia
first of all, changes are seen better 'from afar'...by someone else. So you could not be viewing yourself objectively.
That's true... my bf showed my month 2 pics to his mom and sister and they both saw changes and said I "lokoed great" but (and this sounds bad, lol) when I have clothes on you can't tell anything has changed. But I'm workin on it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirjava
Kara, I can commiserate about the Easter eat-a-thon. I did that too! The best remedy for that feeling of ugh is lots of water and movement.
I'm sorry to hear you're not feeling totally jazzed about your progress. I think your pics look fantastic. The thing is, in a body transformation, there will always be mini plateaus along the way, followed by a period of some kind of change. You're quite small already, so you might not necessarily have the same kind of obvious change at the beginning. But I have no doubt those muscles are getting harder and stronger, and that change WILL show in time.
I'm not sure what where your diet's at, but if you're feeling held back by it you could take a couple of weeks to really focus in and see if that promotes any changes you like. It might not be worth it to you, but if you continue to be frustrated, it could be an option.
The nice thing is that there is always a positive course of action that can change our results.
Always so motivational you are . (Ok that was total Yoda-speak) I realize I won't see drastic changes since I'm starting from a semi-decent beginning, but it's frustrating none-the-less. I just have to keep telling myself to not get worked up about it. In all reality, I've only been at this for about 2.5 months... no-one completely recomps their body in that short amount of time... I just have this unrealistic expection of looking like a fitness model in an obnoxiously short time-frame, hahaha. I am trying to really focus on my diet but things are a little crazy the next week and half. I'm on a trimester schedule in grad school and I have finals this week... as well as trying to work enough hours and still get to the gym, lol. So I'm going to try to be really good this week and then actually focus in next week (I hope)
Thanks girls for helpin to bring me out of my mini-funk
Always so motivational you are . (Ok that was total Yoda-speak) I realize I won't see drastic changes since I'm starting from a semi-decent beginning, but it's frustrating none-the-less. I just have to keep telling myself to not get worked up about it. In all reality, I've only been at this for about 2.5 months... no-one completely recomps their body in that short amount of time... I just have this unrealistic expection of looking like a fitness model in an obnoxiously short time-frame, hahaha. I am trying to really focus on my diet but things are a little crazy the next week and half. I'm on a trimester schedule in grad school and I have finals this week... as well as trying to work enough hours and still get to the gym, lol. So I'm going to try to be really good this week and then actually focus in next week (I hope)
Thanks girls for helpin to bring me out of my mini-funk
LOL! (to the Yoda-speak).
It's sooooooo understandable to want quick results from working out so hard. Of course! Who wouldn't? Those fitness magazines that always promise "A Flat Belly in Four Weeks!" always make me want to scream. They should NOT be allowed to publish that crap!
A week of good eating and getting to the gym when you can will make you feel so much better. That is my goal for this week, too.
This workout is crazy! (I say that everytime, but it bears repeating!)
A: 1-arm DB snatch
2x6(e) with 25lb DB
1x6(e) with 30lb DB
B1: DB 1-leg RDL
2x6(e) with 25s
1x6(e) with 30s
B2: BB Bent-row (Oh crap... I just realized I did the RDL-row combo from workout B instead of just the plain row... OOPS!)
1x6 with 60lb barbel
1x6 with 60lb BB (Mixed grip)
1c6 with 70lb BB (Mixed Grip)
C1: DB overhead squat:
3x6 with 12.5/25
C2: DB incline bench press:
3x6 with 25s
D1: Planks
3x90sec (These seem to almost be getting worse...)
D2: Rev Woodchop:
1x6(e) @ 35lbs (accident... didn't realize the 5lb increment was on there too... I wondered why it felt heavier)
1x6(e) @25lbs
1x6)e) @30lbs
Matrix from Hell:
Time 1: 3:17
Time 2: 3:35
Notes:
-30lb DBs are freakin heavy!!! My hands and forearms were so beat by the end just from holdin these darn things! I did OK with the DB snatchs... pretty impressed that I was able to use the 30DB for them... but I struggled a tad at the end to get it up there.
-DB RDLs: These feel good... though my hamstrings felt very tight today so I felt it like woah! I could probably go a little heavier except my grip was already giving out big time so I don't know how to go higher
-BB Bent row: Well, just realized I did the wrong exercise... I added the RDL to it instead of just doing it straight. My right wrist gives me so many issues with this exercise I decided to try a mixed grip and it helped tremendously! I was glad I was able to up the weight to 70lbs. However, I was pretty spent after that set and when I tried to put the preset 60lb barbell back on it's spot at chest-height level in heh rack I couldn't really clean it up properly and i almost fell over! haha... must have been an interesting sight! But after that my lower back started twitching... not bad but I could feel it a bit when I did other exercises... hope I didn't hurt myself!
-DB squat: These felt better today... I focused on putting my overhead arm back farther and that made it feel a bit less awkward. I still don't like this exercise, but it worked out a bit better, and I was able to go heavier in weight a little bit.
-DB incline press: I was happy to be able to do all 3 sets with the 25s. I don't think I can go to 30's yet so I'll probably be stuck at 25s for a while, but it felt good!
-Planks: I can still do them, but I feel like I wobble/shake more than I used to... I hope my form isn't getting worse
-I'mnot a huge fan of these woodchop things... and I was shocked to fin out I could do the 35lbs, but it was rough so I went down in weight.
-Matrix from hell.. I HATE this thing! My time for the first "set" was better than last time by about 20 seconds! But that was too good tobe true because by teh 2nd "set" I was so pooped I increased by about 15 seconds... oh well. Thank goodness I only one more day of this thing for a while!
my bf showed my month 2 pics to his mom and sister and they both saw changes and said I "lokoed great" but (and this sounds bad, lol) when I have clothes on you can't tell anything has changed. But I'm workin on it.
Like I *always* say, its not the clothes that make you (its the sexy nekkid woman underneath that really matters ) Haha but honestly, she's lying... she looks AMAZING regardless.
Oh I don't know... In the same post you talk about a 5000 kcal day (and it could even be more 'cause you did not count the m&ms) and then complain about your progress.
Okay so I am only slightly kidding here. I keep saying this 'cause I firmly believe it. If you don't know exactly what your food intake is week by week then you will never know what the deal is with your progress. You can only guess and in this game it takes a month or more to see or not see results so who the hell wants to do that? Thinking that you are doing 90% good is probably an indicator that you are not quite doing that well (at least that has been the case with all the people I know who think they are at 90%). My recommendation is to rein it in. Don't change anything right away but get a handle on how much you really eat (log it) and burn in exercise. You can figure out your RMR pretty accurately with my spreadsheet in about a month. From there it is easy to figure out what steps to take next for good results.
Hey KFisher :-) Well, 5000cals might have been a bit of an exxageration... but it was still high. Except for the M+Ms and two pieces of home-made coffee cake though, the food part was pretty healthy, it was just the quantity I had problems with. I got off track with logging for a while, but I'm getting back into it. And like someone said somewhere else, one day won't kill everything I've done so far. And the 90% estimate, also probably inaccurate. I do eat healthy, I just got off of tracking for a while. But it was very similar to what I'd been eating when I was tracking.. so I was probably doing better than I gave myself credit for... I was just in a very "ugh" mood, lol. I'm tracking again and the past few days have been lower cals than intended... but I guess that will even out what happened with the eats on Easter, so it's all good I suppose.
Kara, I have the same thing going on! I feel like I'm eating too much, then I plug my numbers in and see that I actually fall a little low, so I up my food and then feel guilty. It's that balance that eludes me--I'm either at 1300 or 1900! LOL!! I don't like either option and for the last week, that perfect 1500-1600 has seemed unreachable.
You are doing so awesome, just keep up your hard work and focus. I think you rock and you should be so proud of yourself!
I definitely don't like this workout compared to the A one... A is sooo much more fun! I work hard with these exercises and do the highest weight I can handle (or so I think) and yet I don't feel truely incredibly worked until the HIIT at the end. Oh well... I don't have to like everything I suppose
A: BB RDL/row
3x6 @70lbs, mixed grip
B1: 1-leg partial squat
1x6(e) with 10s
2x6(e) with 7.5s
B2: WG Lat Pulldown:
2x6 @ 75lbs
1x6 @ 80lbs
C1: Back extention
1x6 with 15lbs
1x6 with 20lbs
1x6 with 25lb plate (obviously I didn't challenge myself nearly hard enough last time I did these!!)
C2: YTWL
1x6e with 5s
Ys and 3Ts with 7.5s, then went back to 5s for the 2nd set
1x6e with 5s (I HATE this exercise!!!)
D1: Ball crunch
2x6 with 15lb DB long arm
1x6 with 12.5lb DB long arm
Notes:
-I could probably have gone up a little bit in weight on the BB RDL/rows... but the preset bars only go up by 10lb increments and someone was using the squat rack and oly bar
-Did the 1-leg squats from a bench this time. These are frustrating. I went down in weight a bit to try to get lower. I want to try the pistol version so badly! I know I'm flexible enough for it... I just need to get strong enough to do it! Grr
-I love the back extention!
-I HATE the YTWL!
-Ab work was uneventful
When a good couple of days tracked as far as food goes I'll post it in here for critique... Thanks all!
8.5 is pretty windlike, I'd say! I'm glad to read your HITT because it'll pump me up for mine later today, which I am studiously avoiding doing but I really need to get my arse in gear and just do it already.
Linear Mode
