And the beat goes on...

[UConnJulie]

Our tree is a Frasier Fir and about 8 feet tall, and we paid $40 ... we could never do artificial either ... I just love the smell of a real tree ... and Matt saves the lower branches that we cut off and puts them on the fire every now and then ... mmmmm ... the smell and crackle!!

[mom2w]

Long time...

December was rough. DD got bacterial pnuemonia so we spent some time in the hospital. Got her back to school for a day or two and DS started spiking fevers and coughing so he got to spend some time at home with me. I think there were only a few days in Dec that I was home alone.

We got a new laptop for Christmas and I couldn't find my password for in here.

Time passes....

We're still working out hard. Both dh & I are doing the AD. As usual, he's doing better and had to show me his abs this morning. :-) But, I pulled 185# in dls the other night so I don't feel too shabby.

I'll try to check in later today and run around to see how everyone is doing (great, I'm sure!)

Gotta get the kids to school...

[Lost Dog]

I like this screen name... It's cute.

Hi.

[mom2w]

Ok, home for a few so a quick check in and more...

I realized I needed to get back here a few weeks ago after a run in with an ambitious PT at the gym. Dh was there was just stood back and laughed at the interchange.

Setting: Me, with bar on back, getting ready to do some good mornings.

PT: "Excuse me but I wanted to talk to you about your squat form."
Me: "Yeah, that would be bad squat form, but this is a good morning."
PT: "ooooohhhh! I *LOVE* good mornings and do them all the time"
(this conversation took place with me standing there with the loaded bar on my back so I re-racked and took a little rest before restarting my set)

Finished my set and saw friendly PT there again!
PT: "Did you know you're doing those wrong? I noticed you're keeping your back neutral and using your legs. This is really a back exercise."
Me: "Really? I use it for hams & glutes usually."
PT: "No, it's for the back. I work with lots of athletes and hate to see injuries. Would you like to set up a few sessions with me? I could help you with your workout."
Me: "Actually, my husband REALLY knows what he's doing (I pointed at his laughing-ness behind me) and he designs my programs."

So, she looks at him and says "You really need to show her how to do those correctly" and walks away.

Immediately I'm feeling stupid so I ask dh what I was doing wrong. Mr. Smarty looks at me and says "of course, you're using your legs. Take them out of the lift and pull with your lower back!" Then he told me I should have offered her my bar/rack and told her to show me a proper GM. Good lord! Just leave me alone already!

We took the kids skiing this weekend. It was the first time for DD and 2nd for DS. It was my first time in over 10yrs and I'm just not a thrill seeking skier to start with. (I'm content slowly turning down the bunny hill and just enjoying being outside.) My big revelation was just how much stronger my legs have become. Prior to this, I could turn to the right but when I tried to go left, I'd usually end up going straight down the hill b/c I didn't have enough to pull myself past center. Well, I can turn!!! :-) Yippee.

[L'ilJ]

Good to see you back! Sorry about your rough December. That trainer sounds like an idiot.

[mom2w]

Thanks for the pop ins Jill & Roland.

Last night was my/our depletion workout for the week. I never know what we're going to be doing; I just follow dh around in the gym and do what he says. It's both good and bad. He works me hard and I'm making gains, but I never know if the workout is done or not. Of course, in the past I've often found myself holding something back to make it through the next lift so this way I'm giving more. I like having a spotter too. There are so many lifts where my max on my own was 20# less (starting out) than what I could do with someone standing there to keep me from dropping weights on my face.

So last night...
(we do supersets with each one of us doing the opposite thing at the same time; on the depletion workout it's truly to failure)
SS#1 1 arm db rows and lunges
5min on tm @5.0
SS#2 1 arm db bench and 1 arm db dls
5 min @5.0
SS#3 ab pulldowns and db oh presses

We do 3-4 sets of each combo. With SS#1, a full set is 1 arm/ 1 leg/ 1 arm/1 leg so it can take some time to get through it.

We were doing 4 splits/ week for almost 2 months. Now that dh is doing the AD and we've adding the depletion workout in there, we workout 3x/week. The other two days are full body using the same core moves (dl, squat, decline bench, etc) that we were using in the splits but we don't add in any aux movements. We do some calves and abs work at the end.

This week I've added in 2 HIIT and 2 SS cardio sessions/week (which I need to do my final one soon!) Next week I'll start taking Fyre (thermogenic like HotRox). I finally have put the brakes on gaining weight but can't get past a certain point on the downslide. I'm going to clean up my carb ups considerably and see if I can't push past this. Just 10lbs. That's all I really want. 10lbs!!! :-)

[tkinsley]

Well shit, Brenda, I didn't know you changed your name! D'OH!

[kfisherx]

Hey Brenda welcome back. However did you find your log after all that time away? It must have been buried. Nice deads by the way? 185 kicks butt!! (literally) The PT does sound like an idiot.

[mom2w]

Wow! It looks like I'll be buried on a daily basis. There sure are a lot of new names around these parts.

Tina: Yep, changed my name to, uh, my name! We switched laptops (new) and I couldn't find my old stuff so this is just easier.

kfisherx: Thanks on the deads. I feel super strong when I'm pulling those out.

Saturday's Workout:
Box squats: 5x95# (makes me mad, but dh lowered the bench we're using by about 5" and my ability to squat that low sucks; on the good front, he lowered it to a point that is actually parallel based on that article on t-nation last week; at the old height, I was up to 145#!)
Chin ups: 3xbw (I'd been using the assist machine so it was good to switch to just hanging from a bar)
RDL: 10x155# (back up to what I did before I hurt my elbow last month)
Decline bench: 5x95# (these are just hard for me; I made it to 95# and have struggled to maintain/increase from here but we're working on it)
Superset of decline crunches on a bench and this super cool ab machine we found at this location -- an ab machine that really isolates abs, similar to cable crunches)

I don't list the number of sets because we only record our best set but do try to get 3-4 sets in.

In the evening I took the kids to open gym at DD's gymnastics gym. There weren't many kids there so I did some pull ups and static hangs on the rings. I'm still sore!!!

[UConnJulie]

Hey!! Welcome back!! Sorry about DD ... hope she's all better now. Two of my clients had pneumonia in December and it was awful for them ... one is still recovering!!!

Any interest in having your "new" name merged with your old (i.e. the accounts ... so all your posts are under your new name)? I can ask JP about it ... just let me know ...

[mom2w]

Hey Julie! I hadn't thought about merging. I don't know if it's a big deal or not, but thanks. How are you doing and how goes the "healing" cycle for AF?

Last night's workout was brutal. Neither dh nor I had gas in the tank for some reason.

Deadlifts: 185#x8
Split Squats: 95#x10
Dips: -8# (assist)x 8
DB Rows: 50#x3; 45#x9 (I did 50#x8 last time so this was sad)
Rotary Calf: 200#x15

I just found out that my club is offering Boot Camp free for staff this month. I'm debating. It's 5 days a week (3 resistance & 2 cardio/"core") for 1hr per class. The 6am class is taught by this really big lifter/competitor that I'd love to train with. The 7pm class is taught by someone I've never heard of but would better fit my schedule except for Friday nights. It starts next week so I need to boogie on my plans.

Change up in the diet this week. I was going to stay doing the AD cycle and add a fatburner. Over the weekend we decided to try doing a new induction instead. The weight is dropping slower than most weeks, but I feel really good and satisfied. Still, I've lost almost 3lbs since my carb up over the weekend and I feel it more than usual. We'll see.

Off to work today and it's snowing. And, I had an email this morning that someone was there with lice earlier this week. It's been cleaned, but still I already feel itchy. My hair is up in a very unattractive ponytail and I don't plan on being very cuddly with the kids today.

[UConnJulie]

Brenda,
Email me at uconnjulie@comcast.net ... JP merged your accounts and I have your new (temp) password!!
Julie

[mom2w]

JP & Julie: Thank you! I feel so much better w/o my split personality! LOL

I'm still trying to get info on Boot Camp. It's 12 weeks long. I should try to find Danny K and see what his opinion is.

[UConnJulie]

Cool!!

[mom2w]

I stopped by the PT desk last night to get info on boot camp. Nada. The trainer told me that I needed to be fit (ok) and that it would probably be a lot of bosu balls and resistance bands. She then gave me the email of the trainer running it so I've emailed him this morning. It would be a great opportunity and I have a friend interested too, but I don't know if I want to get up at 5am for 12 weeks to bounce on a bosu. YK?

Depletion workout last night. Once done, I realized I'm not carbing up this weekend so it was just a killer workout.

Supersets done to exhaustion x4

A: bentover BB rows w/ pushups
B: hack squats w/deadliffts
C: pull ups w/dips
D: good mornings w/front squats

Then evil trainer (aka my husband) told me to get on the treadmill and do 20min at 7.5% incline. I thought 3.5mph would be fine and then ET leans over and says "move that up a few" so I did 3.8mph. It's not much different but it makes a difference.

Dh picked up Tudor Bumpa's book at the library this weekend (it includes the Anabolic Diet too) and we've been looking over his suggestion for fat loss. I may do that if boot camp doesn't pan our or until boot camp starts (PT desk can't say for sure when that would be either; I have a feeling they might not get enough people to do it)

Off to help at "jump rope for heart" at school this morning. After finishing Gary Taubes' book last week I've kind of lost faith in the AHA. It really confirmed a lot of things I thought and experiences I've had wrt carbs, but it was good to see it spelled out and fully explained.

I'm off!

[Lost Dog]

I still haven't read that book. Do you recommend reading it?

[mom2w]

Taubes or Tudor?

Tudor -- is just another book on strength training. It's not bad; it's not good; it just is.

Taubes -- AWESOME book. Until the end, he doesn't really pass judgement. Most of the book is just a compilation of studies through time. It starts out in the 1800's actually. Lots of stuff on Ancel Keyes. He was at the University of Minnesota so I feel a connection but I've always thought he was a little off. It just seems like a lot of people wanted fat to be the culprit when even their own tests showed it was processed carbs.

Dh kept grabbing it for his post-dinner sessions on the throne and would come out with some revelation. He even commented that it's the first "diet" book he's ever seen me bring home that wasn't malarky. (I was like #250 on the library's reserve list so it took me some time to get my hands on it)

I think there is a lot of accepted dogma in the low carb world (starting with "it's carbs, not fat") that is discussed in a manner than doesn't get so scientific that you tune out. There was very little that didn't keep me engaged and it's not a short read.

Plus towards the end he finally talks about Robert Atkins and how he stumbled onto his diet. It almost makes him a martyr for the cause, if you will.

I think you'd like it.

I heard Gary Taubes on the radio last week (while I was reading the book) and he was very knowledgable and engaging.

[Lost Dog]

Yeah. The Taubes book. I'll check it out.