MY JOURNEY FROM MOM…….to WOW!

Today turned out to be a GREAT workout day. I was planning on doing a quick lifting workut after my daughter’s swim lesson (at our gym) but it was cancelled due to rain/thunder so she went straight into childcare with her sister and I completed a full NROLW workout – with HIIT at the end!

I did my last Stage 4B workout and am ready to move onto Stage 5 on Friday! I didn’t have a pen to write down my weights so I’m going by memory, but….here’s what I did:

3 sets of 8 for each move:

Wide-grip DL from Box: 95lb., 85 lb (went down b/c my form was off), 85 lb.

Bulgarian split-squat: 25, 25, 25 (I finally got my form down on this one! I found the perfect bench to get my back leg/foot comfy AND stable!)

Rev. lunge from box with forward reach: 24, 24, 24

Prone Cuban Snatch: 20, 20, 20

ABS: I used the Ab Coaster (50 reps.) I hate doing floorwork at the gym so used the machines instead. I’ll do some other ab. exercises tonight while I watch TV.

15 mins HIIT. 4 min w/up, then I did 6 sets of 30 second sprints with 1 minute of rest at 3.6 mph. (all done at 1% incline.) Here are the speeds of my sprints:

9mph
9.5 mph
9.6mph
9.8 mph
10 mph
10 mph

The first few sprints were tough…but once my body got used to the movement, it was still tough but I felt I might be able to push myself a little bit more…..

I finally got to meet the fitness instructor at my gym to start doing some weight training together. Most of the moves were new to her (we just did what I was doing ) but she was really intrigued by the exercises and felt like it was a really great workout. I didn’t write down my weights or anything as we basically just worked on form etc. She picked up on things really quickly so we had a lot of fun – even squeezed in some HIIT afterwards! Man, we went HARD. We both agree that we push harder when we’re alongside someone else who is pushing themselves hard.   I was  impressed with her drive and stamina – sure hope it rubs off on me!

So…the plan is to do our lifting together every Wed. and Friday. She is flexible and willing to do whatever exercises I’ve got planned (she may just tweak the weights and reps…) As the 1/2 marathon gets closer – we plan to add some long runs to our routine, as well. I’m just thrilled to finally have someone to work out with! YAY!!!!

I plan to behave myself the rest of the week and stay on track.  I’m pretty sure I’ll finish the week offf with at least 90% PN compliance – which still keeps me in the running for my “no cheat challenge”.  🙂

Since I’m lifting tomorrow (finally meeting my potential new workout buddy!), I decided to do HIIT at home today. I warmed up for about 3 minutes and then did 7 rounds of speed intervals on the treadmill. Here is what it looked like:

45 seconds sprint at 1% incline at 9 mph
1 minute 30 seconds of recovery at 3.6 mph.
repeat 7X.
Get off treadmill and collapse…

Duration: 25 minutes
Avg. HR: 146
Max HR: 186
Calories: 370

Because I was stuck at home today( little one is teething and I suspect the gym childcare wouldn’t appreciate her fussiness or runny nose) , here is what I did on the TRX.

TRX Metabolic workout B ( I did 4 sets of these. One set slowly to learn the moves….then three sets of AMRAP for 30 seconds each with 40 seconds of rest/ transition. 3 minutes of rest between sets.)

 Swimmer’s Start (leaning forward with straps tucked under arms – balance on one leg with other leg behind with weight barely on floor – then pump front knee and lift/bounce back leg like you’re kicking underwater. Does that description make sense…?)

Deep Chest press. Single arm row (I really need to watch the DVD- one of the straps came loose and I fell on my butt!)

 Suspended lunge (with hands touching down). This looks just like a sprinter’s start at the block. You have all the weight on the front leg and the back one is suspended in TRX and knee just touches the floor when you lunge.

Suspended pendulum: Feet suspended in TRX with your elbows on the floor (or hands if you’re strong -which I’m not.) Swing your feet side to side like a pendulum while keeping your body upright and stable on your elbows or hands. VERY CHALLENGING!

Duration: 43 minutes (this included the long trial run)

Avg. HR: 118 (probably during 3 minute rest…)

Max. HR: 171 Calories: 412 So…today was not a total loss.

Even though my lifting got derailed – I still got a great workout in!

Just as I was in the throes of a killer sugar craving, I happened to pull out the measuring tape and measured my waist. I’ve lost 1.5 inches since March!

I’m so thrilled to see that the hard work and dedication is paying off. Who needs chocolate when you can enjoy the sweet taste of…..dare I say it? SUCCESS!!!!!

I was still kind of sore today but decided that the girls and I needed an outing so we went to the gym and I pushed through my workout.   I didn’t feel like wearing my HRM today so I have no stats to report – just the workout, itself:

Warmup on elliptical: 5 mins.

Wide-grip Deadlift from box: 3 sets of 6 @ 95 lbs.  ( I had hoped to increase this today but I just wasn’t “feelin’ it”.)

Bulgarian Split squat: 3 sets of 8 @ 25 lbs. ( I could have increased the weight but I wanted to focus on form and on sinking down really deep.)

Underhand wide-grip lat. pulldown: 3 sets of 6 @ 90 lbs. (this is an increase of 10 lbs!)

Reverse lunge from box with forward reach: 3 sets of 8 @ 24 lbs.

Prone DB Cuban Snatch: 3 sets of 8 @ 20 lbs.  (I went down on weight a bit to focus on form and it felt a lot better.  )

Treadmill: 15 mins of intervals.  Sprint for 1 min. @ 8.5-9.0, Recover for 2 mins @ 3.8mph.  I prefer to do my treadmill intervals at home.  I find I push myself harder when I don’t have to worry about my boobs flopping too much in front of others etc. 

On a related note, as I was finishing up my workout there was an older gentleman using the free weights that I’d never seen before.  I hate to say it – but he was really stinky!  It was really hard to finish my cuban snatches b/c I was holding my breath the majority of the time. Ugh. 

So far, my eating has been pretty good.  I would post my food log but it doesn’t cut and paste from livestrong and I’m too lazy to re-type everything.   I’m trying not to step on the scale….but it’s really hard.  I was trying to avoid it on my own, but I think I need an intervention!  Time to get hubby to tuck it away somewhere until I’m done my no-cheat challenge……

I really need to update my “program” section of this blog.  It’s kind of outdated.  I’m not really calorie cycling anymore….and I’ve added some new tools to my bag of workout tricks (TRX etc.)  When it comes to caloric intake, I’m still struggling to find the magic number for consistent weightloss.  It feels like I’m on a quest for the Holy Grail!  I don’t know why my body isn’t responding as consistently as it used to (before kids.)  Maybe it’s because I’m exercising so much more now – AND lifting a lot of weights.  I know for a fact that I’m creating a lot of muscle.  The downside is the progress on the scale is slow……  The upside is that WHEN the weight comes off – I’ve got a nice, muscular physique to reveal!  I guess the name of the game, right now, is patience, patience, patience.  Not my strong suit, but sometimes life throws you lessons that you really need to learn.

I”m SO sore today from my first TRX workout yesterday.  Seriously, I’m sore in places I didn’t even know could be sore!   What this means to me is that the TRX reached some muscles that my free-weight training hasn’t been able to target – which is a GOOD THING!!!    I really feel like this will be a great addition to my workout arsenal.  

As a result of my muscle fatigue, I ended up taking and unplanned rest day from my NROLW workout.  I’ll have to do it tomorrrow, instead.  

I

If you don’t already know what a TRX suspension trainer is, here is link to help you out:

http://www.fitnessanywhere.com/?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=trx&utm_campaign=TRXBrandTRXDynamic

I wish I could post the video of what this workout looks like (but you have to be a member of the Precision Nutrition website.)  This TRX workout left me sweating, panting and struggling to complete it.  Basically it’s a kind of HIIT circuit that involves the following exercises:
Each exercise is done for 30 seconds (if it’s a single leg or arm manoever, it’s done for 30 seconds on each leg/arm) with 40 seconds transition time (setting up the TRX etc.) between.    It’s done 3 times with 3 minute breaks between.
 
Single leg squat
Atomic pushup (a pushup and then a pike, with legs suspended in trx.)
Low row (hanging backwards and using trx to pull yourself up at an angle….)
Balance lunge (using TRX for balance while you lunge one leg back)
Side plank:  like a regular plank but with feet elevated/suspended in TRX.  HARD!
 
The first set had lots of stops and starts but once I got going – I really could feel the burn and my heart starting to pound! 
Here are my stats:
Duration: 28: 33
Avg. HR: 131
Max HR: 170
Calories: 339
 
My PWO snack is a cashew coconut Jaybar – YUM!  Now it’s time to rest a bit and then get ready to take the girls to the pool for a swim playdate!

Again, I had a little stop and chat at the gym today – this time with one of the Trekking instructors. I knew she was planning on running the SA Rock N Roll 1/2 marathon in November and asked her if she wanted to train together – she jumped at the offer! We are meeting next week to do some weight training together and then, as the race gets closer, will try to coordinate some longer runs. She needs help with her weight training and seems really interestd in NROLW so it may be a good “fit”. Honestly, it would be so nice to be able to find somone with similar priorities and an interest in fitness and living well.

Today, I did Stage 4, Workout A3 of NROLW. I don’t know why – but I just didn’t feel like it was a great workout. I had trouble with my Front Squat Push Press and just couldn’t find my stride after that. Here is what I did:

(2 sets of 8 of each exercise)

Front Squt Push Press: 40 lbs. ( I used the ez curl bar and had trouble with it. Not sure which is better for me: Oly or ez….I seem to have issues with both. Aargh!)

Step up: 70 lbs. ( I had issues with balance today that made everything seem harder……not sure why…..)

DB 1 pt. Row: 50 lbs. (I nearly fell over several times today. I was NOT feeling strong! Pretty sure I looked ridiculous, too! HAHA)

Static lunge: 50 lbs.

Push-up. Military style (I finally can do these with relative ease! Yay for progress!)

Plank – yeah….I skipped these and will do them at home.

Cable Horizontal woodchop: 25lbs., 35 lbs.

Duration: 52 mins.
Calories: 622

My TRX arrived yesterday so I think I”ll play with it while the girls are napping today. I’m excited!

Just a little shout-out to my dear friend, Heather, for offering to participate in a two-week, no-cheat challenge with me!   I’ve been suspecting that my weekend “treats” have been derailing my progress so we are going to eliminate any cheat meals (meaning I’ll shoot for 90+% PN compliance) for two weeks.  So far….I’ve had no trouble with my no-cheat challenge. I’m feeling especially confident after avoiding the temptation last night. I’m really hoping this will help me break through the plateau and get me under the 160 lb. mark!  The end of the challenge will be on May 25th, so I’ll be sure to post my results at that time.

Today was my lifting day.  It took a bit longer than usual because I ended up chatting with some fellow gym-goers.  So…my HRM results are probably a bit high. 

Here is what I did today:

Wide-Grip DL from Box: 3 sets of 8 reps at:  75lb, 85, 95lbs.  (+ 20, that’s how much I increased/improved from last time.)

Bulgarian Split-squat: 2 sets of 8 @ 25lbs (reduced weight to focus on form…)

Underhand Lat Pulldown: 2 sets of 8 @ 80 lbs. 

Reverse Lunge from Box with forward reach: 2 sets of 8 @ 24lbs.

Prone Cuban snatch: 2 sets of 8 @ 20 lbs (these KILL me…but in a good way! )

Ab circuit will be completed at home a little later

duration:  58 mins (due to being chatty! )

Avg. HR: 135

Max. HR: 173

Calories: 740 (way high due to stopping to talk…)

It was, overall, a great workout and I was able to sign my 3 year old up for swim lessons in a few weeks.  She really needs them.  The bonus is I can put the baby in the childcare and go and watch her! 

I had my first Jaybar yesterday (jay robb protein bar) and it was super delish!  I think it will be a great PW snack while I’m driving home from the gym on my lifting days. 

Tomorrow, I hope to do a HIIT circuit at home and then take Sunday off as a rest day.  Hey, it’s Mother’s Day and I deserve it!  On Monday, my TRX arrives and I can’t hardly wait to try it out.