Tenacious DM and the Log of Destiny

[LWilson212]

Sorry your lunch sucked. I hate that! That is one thing I noticed about TNT. You can always find something to eat which is great, but its not always the best thing on the menu.
Hopefully the weight room next door turns out good!

[DirtyMartini]

It was pathetic!! I still got my workout in, but the weight room was so bad. At least they had weights, I guess. Kind of. They had a few dumbbells (heaviest was 20lbs, lame) and a weight-station thingy.

Good news is that I had the room all to myself. Bad news was that I couldn't do my incline bench press and had to go down in weight (from 25 to 20 pound dumbbells) for a lot of my exercises.

I made up for my crappy lunch yesterday by having a good lunch today. not sure how TNT-worthy it was, but we went to an Italian restaurant... not much choice there! I had a spinach salad with prosciutto and goat cheese, and roasted eggplant rolls, stuffed with goat cheese and topped with mozzarella. I think I got my fat content for the day. :p

We had Chilis for dinner; I had a caesar salad and half a bowl of chili (no beans). I think that was ok... probably not the greatest, but better than the other options. After we all got our meals, I thought that I should have had fajitas and just forgone the tortillas. Oh well!

[DirtyMartini]

Damn it. NOOOOOOOO! I had my workout all typed out and then my browser suddenly closed on me.

So here we go again.

One-armed dumbbell snatch
I did 25lbs in workout A2, but due to gym limitations tonight had to reduce to 20.
6 @20
6 @20
6 @20

Dumbbell single-leg Romanian deadlift
Same thing - stayed at 20lbs due to the gym.
6 @20e
6 @20e
6 @20e

Barbell bent-over row
Didn't have a barbell at the workout room, so I did seated rows instead.
6 @70
6 @70
6 @70

Dumbbell single-arm overhead squat
6 @ 10/20
6 @ 10/20
6 @ 10/20

Dumbbell incline bench press
No bench in the workout room, so I did seated chest presses instead. Not the same, but what can you do.
6 @50
6 @50
6 @50

Plank
I will make it to 90 seconds next time. I was so close tonight...
85 sec
75 sec
80sec

Reverse wood chop
6 @20
6 @20
6 @30

Body-weight Matrix
1st set: 3 mins, 22 sec
2nd set: 4 mins, 30 sec

I finished my 2nd BWM set!! I did it!!

[MuscleMom23]

And a pretty workout it is, you should be proud of yourself LOL!

BTW you were making me hungry up there.

[DirtyMartini]

So, I thought about what NROL4W has done for me so far...

I've learned that I can get my body to do things I didn't think I could do, with a little time and a lot of work.

I've also learned that a size 8 isn't as small as I thought it was. But it sure as hell comes with a lot more self-esteem and pride than I expected.

I've learned that I enjoy lifting weights more than any other type of sport or exercise.

I've learned to look at food as fuel with varying levels of quality, taking me nearer to or farther from my goals, rather than inherently "good" or "bad".

I've learned that I love feeling strong.

And, I've learned that the more muscle I build, the sexier I look in a dress and heels.

[Bytsi]

I've learned that I can get my body to do things I didn't think I could do, with a little time and a lot of work.

I've also learned that a size 8 isn't as small as I thought it was. But it sure as hell comes with a lot more self-esteem and pride than I expected.

I've learned that I enjoy lifting weights more than any other type of sport or exercise.

I've learned to look at food as fuel with varying levels of quality, taking me nearer to or farther from my goals, rather than inherently "good" or "bad".

I've learned that I love feeling strong.

And, I've learned that the more muscle I build, the sexier I look in a dress and heels.

Awesome lessons DM! Especially that you love feeling strong - isn't it a great feeling!?!?

[DirtyMartini]

Oh yeah, and one more thing - I've learned that lifting weights is the secret to perky breasts

[Brentv]

Originally Posted by DirtyMartini

I've learned to look at food as fuel with varying levels of quality, taking me nearer to or farther from my goals, rather than inherently "good" or "bad".

This is a big change. Nice learnings.

Originally Posted by DirtyMartini

...I've learned that lifting weights is the secret to perky breasts

I'll have to be careful about that one.

Brent

[DirtyMartini]

Hey, you might enjoy it. Never know.

I'm getting bored with stage 3 workout B. Did it today instead of yesterday because I was *SO* tired yesterday (long story short, got delayed in chicago's midway airport and didn't get home until 2am on friday instead of 11pm).

I like all the exercises... I think I'm just ready to do some new ones. And, I like other exercises better... So far, I think my favorites are...

squat
bulgarian split squat
underhand grip lat pulldown
shoulder press
dumbbell snatch

[DirtyMartini]

Stage 3, workout B3

Barbell Romanian Deadlift/Bent-Over Row
3 x 6@75

Partial single-leg squat
3 x 6@7.5e

Wide-grip lat pulldown
I tried doing 70, but I just can't get that bar down to my sternum (or much past my chin) so I stay at 60. I need to get an add-on plate because I feel like 60 is too low but the jumps in the weight stack are 10lbs.
3 x 6@60

Reverse back extension
Replacement for back extension, using swiss ball on top of a weight bench and lifting my legs
3 x 6@bw

YTWL
6 @7.5e
My form was terrible toward the middle of this first set, so I went back down to 5 in each hand to make sure I was getting the full ROM.
6 @5e
6 @5e

Swiss ball crunch
I think my abs have pretty much recovered, so I'm able to do my 10lb plate again. Maybe 15 on my last workout.
3 x 6 w/10lb plate overhead

Hip flexion
3 x 6 incline reverse crunch

Lateral flexion
3 x 6 swiss-ball side crunch with 5lb plate overhead

Prone Cobra
3 x 90 seconds

Extra: Bench Press
2 x 3@85
I'm hoping to increase by 10 pounds each week... in 6 weeks I'll be pressing my body weight, I hope. That might be too aggressive but I won't win this competition otherwise!

[DirtyMartini]

Phase 3 - A4... last A!

One-armed dumbbell snatch
I didn't improve in weight as much as I'd hoped; my shoulder was pretty sore for workouts A2 & A3 and only this weekend stopped being sore. At least it stopped
3 x 6 @25

Dumbbell single-leg Romanian deadlift
3 x 6 @30e

Barbell bent-over row
6 @65
6 @65
6 @75

Dumbbell single-arm overhead squat
3 x 6 @12.5/25

Dumbbell incline bench press
3 x 6 @25e

Plank
90 sec WOO HOO!!
80 sec
90 sec

Reverse wood chop
3 x 6 @30

Body-weight Matrix
I still feel when I do this.
1st set: 3min 5sec
2nd set: didn't finish, my legs gave out halfway through my lunges (pffffffff)

[DirtyMartini]

I started TNT Plan C yesterday. 8 weeks into it and I've definitely noticed changes. The first few weeks were rough while we figured out our caloric intake, but from there it's been good. I ganed almost 2 pounds last week while I was out of town <_< I figure it can't be permanent; 2 pounds in one week is a hell of a lot. So I'm not too worried about it.

Today I ate:

Breakfast: 1/2 flax muffin, fried egg, 2.5 strips bacon
Lunch: Tossed salad with 1 can of tuna and Parmesan Peppercorn dressing
Snack: 1oz almonds
Dinner: Chipotle Brisket
Drinks: 3 cups coffee (plus cream), 2 cups tea, 2 liters crystal light, 2 coke zero, 1 diet rite...

We got the brisket recipe out of this book: Amazon.com: 200 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes: Healthy Dinners That Are Ready When You Are!: Dana Carpender: Books

We've made several recipes out of it and have really enjoyed every one so far. We made a fantastic pulled pork recipe a month or so ago. Highly recommend this book if you're interested in low-carb cooking & like using a crock-pot. Haven't been disappointed yet.

My best friend recently got us a subscription to Gourmet magazine and I'm really surprised at how many recipes in it are low-carb without being indicated as such. We're going to make some baby back ribs this week that are brined overnight, then cooked with thai spices (chili, cilantro, lime, peppercorns, scallions, uhhh... other stuff...). I'm excited. And i bought some elephant kale because I've never had it. Should be fun!

[LWilson212]

That book sounds awesome! I am ordering it. I love my crockpot but I haven't used it since starting TNT.
I love Gourmet - I've been getting it for a long time. My only complaint is that a lot of the recipes have stuff you can't find in the regular grocery store - at least in Pittsburgh where people's tastes are simple.

[stingo]

Originally Posted by LWilson212

That book sounds awesome! I am ordering it. I love my crockpot but I haven't used it since starting TNT.
I love Gourmet - I've been getting it for a long time. My only complaint is that a lot of the recipes have stuff you can't find in the regular grocery store - at least in Pittsburgh where people's tastes are simple.

Out of all the cooking tools I have, I think I've used my crockpot the most. The most basic of recipes can be used (with minimal effort) to produce superb results.

And that's a major reason I don't subscribe to any cooking magazines - they will often have 1) an ingredient or ingredients that you've never seen before and that no other recipe uses, so no store in your area has ever carried it, or 2) are so labor intensive/technically difficult that a good recipe could be had more easily elsewhere.

[DirtyMartini]

Yeah, we need to use it more. Especially since it's so economical too - you get so much food and can buy the cheap cuts of meat.

I did my last stage 3 workout yesterday but didn't log it... I did pretty well, set some PRs on a few things. Ate pretty well yesterday, too.

Today I've eaten
2 strips bacon + 2 eggs
1oz almonds
slow-cooker chipotle brisket leftovers
celery
string cheese

dinner tonight is caprese salad with the TNT sausage/feta/spinach bake. It smells so freakin good (it's in the oven right now).

Today at work someone mentioned my meals (again) in regard to how a handful of people "always have healthy lunches" and the guy asked me if I was on a diet. I said that I was on an eating program, of sorts, to go with my workout program but that it wasn't like a DIET diet. So we talked about it a little bit and a the woman who sits in the cube next to me overheard me and butted in and proclaimed "I DON'T BELIEVE IN ANY DIET THAT CUTS OUT ANY FOOD PYRAMID FOOD GROUP." I said it doesn't cut out carbs, it just limits them to get your body to use fat for energy and she cut me off and started ranting about Atkins and how people just eat bacon and say their on a diet.

You know, I stay out of her conversations when I think she's talking about something stupid. I wish she'd grant me the same.

[Bytsi]

You know, I stay out of her conversations when I think she's talking about something stupid. I wish she'd grant me the same.

Ah, but you have learned such an important lesson: It's always better to keep your mouth shut and have people wonder if you're a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt! (I know I'm misquoting, but you get the idea, right? LOL).