MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Everything in life changes you in some way, even the smallest things. If you do not accept these changes, you do not accept yourself. For through these changes brings new and greater things to you, making you wiser as time progresses. To avoid these changes is a loss. You only live your life once. Do not waste a minute of it avoiding things. Let them come to you and learn from them. There is always tomorrow." - Adam R. Gwizdala
For the complete Motivational, review Change | WPM Women.
TRAINING
First week back training since the start of December. It didn't happen as I planned, especially since it was also my first week back at work in a very active training job. That said, I did what I could, my body getting adequate recovery, and I definitely got to see what I can do and what is going to take a little patience re recovery and building up on.
Training completed this week:
Monday
Day OFF
I did not get to sleep until after 0300, and was barely awake when my reset alarm went off at 0600, so no training was done before work. Because of that, I intended to do my first resistance session after work, but spending all day training members shot out my knees, my shoulder in pain, and I couldn't wait to just sit down, get off my feet, and let my body rest.
Tuesday
Session 1
HIIT Run:
a. 4 min jogging
b. 8 x 20 sec sprint/10 sec easy
c. 12 min jogging
Session 2
Shoulders (30 seconds recovery between alternate sets):
Alternate Set A -
1. BB Military Press 2 x 6-8
2. DB Hammer Raises 2 x 8
Alternate Set B -
3. DB Lateral Raises 2 x 10
4. Single-Arm Lateral Raises 2 x 10 per side
Alternate Set C -
5. Seated Bent Over DB Rear Raises 2 x 8
6. Reverse Flyes 2 x 10
Still did not go to sleep until after ~0300, but forced myself to get up when the 0630 alarm went off (yes, I know, later than I want, but I set it when I finally "went to bed", making allowances for going to sleep so late...Running was definitely an issue. After two minutes, my right knee started catching and seizing up. Stubborn as I am, instead of turning around, I kept going. My running was very awkward, my sprints not too much faster than my jogging, since I could not run properly at all, favouring my right side, my right leg almost straight for the duration of the session. My left knee started catching and seizing up at ~16 minutes, and I pretty much limped my way back to the hotel...BB Military Press was painful, especially on the second set - which is why I stopped there, and decided to do only two sets per exercise. Pain through right shoulder and bicep was manageable, but still enough that I was cradling my right arm between sets of every exercise. I should have given myself longer recovery time, ~1 minute, instead of only 30 seconds between alternate sets, but I stubbornly wanted to push myself, since I was using ~30 seconds re recovery before I was injured - that, and I wanted to make my sessions shorter, since I was doing them after a very physical and painful (being on my feet for 8-10 hours on concrete caused many issues, and I returned to using my walking stick after Monday) day at work. Lateral Raises were a little difficult, considering my range of motion before pain sets in is still only raising my right arm ~30 degrees, and I was so very close to tears forcing myself to go to shoulder-height with the weights. All my weights were low - strength loss because of limited function in my right shoulder very apparent. Very unhappy with how it went, and very sore afterwards, but I got in there and DID it!...
Wednesday
Arms (30 sec recovery between alternate sets):
Alternate Set A -
1. Dips 3 x 6
2. DB Zottoman Curls 3 x 15
Alternate Set B -
3. V-Bar Tricep Push-Downs 3 x 6-10
4. Alternate DB Hammer Bicep Curls 3 x 15 per side
Alternate Set C -
5. Push-Ups (feet on floor, hands on floor right under chest) 3 x 6
6. Cable V-Bar Bicep Curls 3 x 10-12
Post-Weights Cardio:
Recline Bike 20 min @ 106-109 rpm
Another morning of not going to sleep until only a couple of hours before I had to get up for work, so training had to wait until AFTER work...I already knew before I started that Dips (and anything that required shoulder extension with elbow flexion) was going to be a battle - if I could even do them. The pain in my right shoulder was excruciating by the end of the third rep of every set, but I gritted my teeth and just kept pushing for more, determined to do it, despite the fact that my left side was doing the brunt of the work for the second half of each set (a little like my right side was doing the work when I started back after fracturing my left wrist both times). The Push-Ups were the same, and I barely managed three reps each time, forcing more out, almost collapsing on my face on the last couple of reps each set, favouring my right side with my left. Very noticeable was the fact that either my right shoulder/bicep is still quite swollen, or I have lost muscle mass there, since as I was doing the Push-Ups, where I could see definition in my left shoulder/bicep, there was NONE in my right side...I was a little wary about using the Recline Bike afterwards, but I wanted to make sure that I got in my 20 minutes of cardio. PAIN right from the start in both of my knees - sharp and cutting, like someone was stabbing my knees over and over. However, I had set my mind, and, putting "Back for More" by Five Finger Death Punch on repeat, I focused on the words, blinked back the tears stinging my eyes from the pain, and kept going until I had finished...
Thursday
HIIT Recline Bike:
a. 4 min @ 108 rpm
b. 8 x 20 sec effort/10 sec easy
c. 4 min @ 108 rpm
Took even longer to get to sleep this morning, passing out just after 0430...My knees felt better in the morning, and since the only thing I could think of that was different on Wednesday, was that I had forced myself to do 20 minutes on the Recline Bike post-weights (I was still getting around using my walking stick, using JOINT FORCE on my knees (and right shoulder) first thing and pre-bed. Since I wanted to do THREE HIIT sessions this week, I did a short one - during a brief break of not training members, instead of waiting until after work and risking hardly being able to walk and not doing training. Knees were the same on starting, but seemed to "loosen" up after the first effort. I was glad to finish though, since my knees were starting to hurt again with the slower cadence...
Friday
Day OFF
Four hours of sleep, waking with 30 minutes before I had to leave for work. Ended up being a longer than usual work day, leaving late, with no time to do even a short resistance session.
Saturday
HIIT Run:
a. 4 min jogging
b. 8 x 20 sec sprint/10 sec easy
c. 8 min jogging
Abs/Hamstrings/Back/Chest (30 seconds recovery between alternate sets A and B; no recovery between alternate sets C):
Alternate Set A -
1. Rope Crunches 3 x 25
2. Stiff-Legged BB Deadlifts 3 x 10
Alternate Set B -
3. Supinated Lat Pull-Down 3 x 10
4. Push-Ups (feet on floor, hands on DB) 3 x 10
Alternate Set C -
5. Swissball Wall Crunches (feet on wall, knees at 90 degree flexion) 3 x 25
6. Plank 3 x 1 minute
Passed out before midnight (the first all week) on Friday night. However, waking on almost every hour until 0800, because of pain in my right shoulder. Because of having little time to do much all week because of my working hours, I decided to get some of the things that needed doing done before having to get ready for work, my training planned on being completed AFTER work withOUT excuse...After having Friday off training (my knees and right shoulder were pretty painful throughout that day), despite how my knees felt during my HIIT Run on Tuesday, I decided to give it another go, hoping that it wouldn't be a repeat session. Unfortunately, I was limping right from the start, and once I had finished my sprints (which were, again, not very fast, but as fast as I could go), I headed back...I wasn't sure how the Rope Crunches would go, since by the time I got to this session later in the week, I was having to physically push my right arm up if I wanted it to go any higher than ~30 degrees, it was starting to get that stiff again, but I managed them. Little strength lost on any of the exercises in this session, except for Push-Ups (which was to be expected)...
Sunday
Day OFF
Knees very painful, spending the majority of the day in bed, off my feet as much as possible, because I am only going to give my body ONE week of "mercy" re training!
First week back training since the start of December. It didn't happen as I planned, especially since it was also my first week back at work in a very active training job. That said, I did what I could, my body getting adequate recovery, and I definitely got to see what I can do and what is going to take a little patience re recovery and building up on.
Training completed this week:
Monday
Day OFF
I did not get to sleep until after 0300, and was barely awake when my reset alarm went off at 0600, so no training was done before work. Because of that, I intended to do my first resistance session after work, but spending all day training members shot out my knees, my shoulder in pain, and I couldn't wait to just sit down, get off my feet, and let my body rest.
Tuesday
Session 1
HIIT Run:
a. 4 min jogging
b. 8 x 20 sec sprint/10 sec easy
c. 12 min jogging
Session 2
Shoulders (30 seconds recovery between alternate sets):
Alternate Set A -
1. BB Military Press 2 x 6-8
2. DB Hammer Raises 2 x 8
Alternate Set B -
3. DB Lateral Raises 2 x 10
4. Single-Arm Lateral Raises 2 x 10 per side
Alternate Set C -
5. Seated Bent Over DB Rear Raises 2 x 8
6. Reverse Flyes 2 x 10
Still did not go to sleep until after ~0300, but forced myself to get up when the 0630 alarm went off (yes, I know, later than I want, but I set it when I finally "went to bed", making allowances for going to sleep so late...Running was definitely an issue. After two minutes, my right knee started catching and seizing up. Stubborn as I am, instead of turning around, I kept going. My running was very awkward, my sprints not too much faster than my jogging, since I could not run properly at all, favouring my right side, my right leg almost straight for the duration of the session. My left knee started catching and seizing up at ~16 minutes, and I pretty much limped my way back to the hotel...BB Military Press was painful, especially on the second set - which is why I stopped there, and decided to do only two sets per exercise. Pain through right shoulder and bicep was manageable, but still enough that I was cradling my right arm between sets of every exercise. I should have given myself longer recovery time, ~1 minute, instead of only 30 seconds between alternate sets, but I stubbornly wanted to push myself, since I was using ~30 seconds re recovery before I was injured - that, and I wanted to make my sessions shorter, since I was doing them after a very physical and painful (being on my feet for 8-10 hours on concrete caused many issues, and I returned to using my walking stick after Monday) day at work. Lateral Raises were a little difficult, considering my range of motion before pain sets in is still only raising my right arm ~30 degrees, and I was so very close to tears forcing myself to go to shoulder-height with the weights. All my weights were low - strength loss because of limited function in my right shoulder very apparent. Very unhappy with how it went, and very sore afterwards, but I got in there and DID it!...
Wednesday
Arms (30 sec recovery between alternate sets):
Alternate Set A -
1. Dips 3 x 6
2. DB Zottoman Curls 3 x 15
Alternate Set B -
3. V-Bar Tricep Push-Downs 3 x 6-10
4. Alternate DB Hammer Bicep Curls 3 x 15 per side
Alternate Set C -
5. Push-Ups (feet on floor, hands on floor right under chest) 3 x 6
6. Cable V-Bar Bicep Curls 3 x 10-12
Post-Weights Cardio:
Recline Bike 20 min @ 106-109 rpm
Another morning of not going to sleep until only a couple of hours before I had to get up for work, so training had to wait until AFTER work...I already knew before I started that Dips (and anything that required shoulder extension with elbow flexion) was going to be a battle - if I could even do them. The pain in my right shoulder was excruciating by the end of the third rep of every set, but I gritted my teeth and just kept pushing for more, determined to do it, despite the fact that my left side was doing the brunt of the work for the second half of each set (a little like my right side was doing the work when I started back after fracturing my left wrist both times). The Push-Ups were the same, and I barely managed three reps each time, forcing more out, almost collapsing on my face on the last couple of reps each set, favouring my right side with my left. Very noticeable was the fact that either my right shoulder/bicep is still quite swollen, or I have lost muscle mass there, since as I was doing the Push-Ups, where I could see definition in my left shoulder/bicep, there was NONE in my right side...I was a little wary about using the Recline Bike afterwards, but I wanted to make sure that I got in my 20 minutes of cardio. PAIN right from the start in both of my knees - sharp and cutting, like someone was stabbing my knees over and over. However, I had set my mind, and, putting "Back for More" by Five Finger Death Punch on repeat, I focused on the words, blinked back the tears stinging my eyes from the pain, and kept going until I had finished...
Thursday
HIIT Recline Bike:
a. 4 min @ 108 rpm
b. 8 x 20 sec effort/10 sec easy
c. 4 min @ 108 rpm
Took even longer to get to sleep this morning, passing out just after 0430...My knees felt better in the morning, and since the only thing I could think of that was different on Wednesday, was that I had forced myself to do 20 minutes on the Recline Bike post-weights (I was still getting around using my walking stick, using JOINT FORCE on my knees (and right shoulder) first thing and pre-bed. Since I wanted to do THREE HIIT sessions this week, I did a short one - during a brief break of not training members, instead of waiting until after work and risking hardly being able to walk and not doing training. Knees were the same on starting, but seemed to "loosen" up after the first effort. I was glad to finish though, since my knees were starting to hurt again with the slower cadence...
Friday
Day OFF
Four hours of sleep, waking with 30 minutes before I had to leave for work. Ended up being a longer than usual work day, leaving late, with no time to do even a short resistance session.
Saturday
HIIT Run:
a. 4 min jogging
b. 8 x 20 sec sprint/10 sec easy
c. 8 min jogging
Abs/Hamstrings/Back/Chest (30 seconds recovery between alternate sets A and B; no recovery between alternate sets C):
Alternate Set A -
1. Rope Crunches 3 x 25
2. Stiff-Legged BB Deadlifts 3 x 10
Alternate Set B -
3. Supinated Lat Pull-Down 3 x 10
4. Push-Ups (feet on floor, hands on DB) 3 x 10
Alternate Set C -
5. Swissball Wall Crunches (feet on wall, knees at 90 degree flexion) 3 x 25
6. Plank 3 x 1 minute
Passed out before midnight (the first all week) on Friday night. However, waking on almost every hour until 0800, because of pain in my right shoulder. Because of having little time to do much all week because of my working hours, I decided to get some of the things that needed doing done before having to get ready for work, my training planned on being completed AFTER work withOUT excuse...After having Friday off training (my knees and right shoulder were pretty painful throughout that day), despite how my knees felt during my HIIT Run on Tuesday, I decided to give it another go, hoping that it wouldn't be a repeat session. Unfortunately, I was limping right from the start, and once I had finished my sprints (which were, again, not very fast, but as fast as I could go), I headed back...I wasn't sure how the Rope Crunches would go, since by the time I got to this session later in the week, I was having to physically push my right arm up if I wanted it to go any higher than ~30 degrees, it was starting to get that stiff again, but I managed them. Little strength lost on any of the exercises in this session, except for Push-Ups (which was to be expected)...
Sunday
Day OFF
Knees very painful, spending the majority of the day in bed, off my feet as much as possible, because I am only going to give my body ONE week of "mercy" re training!
OTHER NOTES
Body CompositionBody Composition increased ever so slightly to 9.3% bodyfat - NOT happy, but accepting it and determining that henceforth it will only DECREASE; I NEED to be under 8.3% bodyfat ASAP to even start to feel remotely comfortable in my own body.
Supplements
Ran out of Erase on Wednesday, so there is no more until it arrives. Actually ended up starting Battlefuel on Tuesday, instead of waiting until next week.
WPM Women
The FIRST ever issue of WPM Women is now out! I am excited and honoured to be a part of this beginning and only look forward to being able to bring you more amazing issues!
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| WPM Women, Winter 2012 |
Now that I've had a week to "acclimatize" myself re training and work, there are NO excuses for NEXT week to be anything LESS than what I WANT to do! Let's make it a GREAT week, Everyone!
