"God wants to use your weaknesses, not just your strengths. If all people see are your strengths, they get discouraged and think, "Well, good for her, but I'll never be able to do that." But when they see God using you in spite of your weaknesses, it encourages them to think, "Maybe God can use me!"...At some point in your life you must decide whether you want to impress people or influence people...See yourself as a trophy of grace." - The Purpose Driven Life (Rick Warren)
TRAINING
HIIT - Run:
a. 4 min jogging
b. 8 x 20 sec sprint/10 sec easy
c. 4 min jogging
Full-Body (30 sec recovery between alternate sets):
Alternate Set A -
1. Step Ups (onto bench) 6 x 12 per leg
2. Side-to-side Plyometric Bench Jumop 6 x 24
Alternate Set B -
3. Push-Ups (feet on bench, hands on DB) 6 x 10
4. Supinated BB Bent Over Rows 6 x 10
Alternate Set C -
5. Seated DB Shoulder Press 6 x 12
6. DB Lateral Raises 6 x 12
Alternate Set D -
7. Dips 6 x 10
8. Incline DB Bicep Curls 6 x 12
Alternate Set E -
9. Rope Crunches 6 x 12
10. Bicycle 6 x 24
Post-Weights Cardio - Rollers:
20 min in 39x18 @ 102-106 rpm
Stretch 20 min.
COMMENTS
Sleep - Time and Quality: ~6 hours. Deep. Unbroken. For the first time in ages. Deep.
Mood/Aggression: I have been through a full spectrum re mood today. Calm and collected now, though, mind in a good place.
Energy: Used a scoop of Mesomorph today (instead of Assault). I definitely notice the difference using Geranium when I haven't for ages. Energy was great; no faltering today in the gym. Have not crashed yet, either (not likely to, either).
Mental Focus and Clarity: My head is back to racing at a million miles an hour! My mind is as clear and focused as it can get.
Stress: HIGH.
Endurance: Great!
Strength: This week's sessions, like the last couple of weeks, are not going to be about strength (so won't comment here this week).
Pump: EVERYWHERE!
Vascularity: More noticeable on the gold.
Quality of Training: HIIT was GREAT. Aside from the pain in my right side under right breast that has been there for the last week during this, I was back to form with my sprints, explosive and fast, feeling really good . . . Resistance session was good as well. My legs were suffering when I started - mostly from not having properly recovered from Saturday - and I had to sit down hard between alternate sets of Legs, my heart pounding, but it was worth it. There was no want-to-just-be-done-as-soon-as-possible today as there was last week, and I didn't look like the dead walking. Loved the way definition was looking in the mirror - even better than the weekend. Practiced posing between alternate sets too . . . Rollers was "recovery" afterwards . . .
Recovery: I woke up this morning in PAIN - like I did yesterday, still not recovered completely from Saturday (goes to show how intense it was and how demanding holding even a lighter weight for an extended period of time, and posing, can take a lot out of one). My legs and lower to mid back is what's killing me right now, but I'm used to it.
Body Composition and Look: Even though I may not be as "lean" as I was for my competition last October, I definitely LOOK it, and certainly look a LOT better than I did then. I am pleased with that - building that extra muscle mass in my deltoids and arms has been hard work for sure, but very rewarding. Here's to just getting leaner and leaner, overcoming obstacles life throws in my way, conquering my personal demons to achieve my goals!
Other Notes: I don't always put everything out there re my personal struggles and issues, but there is a lot about me that I have had to overcome, and the road has not been easy by any means. I am a Trophy of Grace, a living testament that God can make ANYthing possible, that no matter what weaknesses you have, whether they be physical, mental or something else, He can use them for good and shine His glory through you and use you to do great things, more than you could ever have dreamed of! As you submit to Him, life becomes something else altogether, a journey that just gets better and better, as you learn more about yourself and what you are capable of doing (like for the first time in my life, being able to see something of beauty, instead of the me that I see in my mind, catching a glimpse of the Rosie that perhaps others perceive - reflected in the image below, another "preview" from Saturday).
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Image courtesy of Tony Mitchell at OAMG
