MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE OF THE DAY
"What I know today… anything can happen, dreams come true, and miracles occur daily. Belief is power beyond measure. Second Chance, make yours count!" - Ben Booker
For the complete Motivational, review Second Chance | WPM Women.
TRAINING
Skip x 600 revolutions
Arms/Abs (30 sec recovery between trisets):
TriSet A -
1. Close-Grip BB Bicep Curls 4 x 8
2. Dips 4 x 8
3. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet B -
4. Incline Alternate DB Bicep Curls 4 x 10 per side
5. V-Bar Tricep Push-Down 4 x 6
6. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet C -
7. DB Zottoman Curls 4 x 8
8. Standing DB French Press 4 x 8, 8, 6, 6
9. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet D -
10. Weighted DB Crunch (on bench, knees at 90 degrees) 4 x 15
11. Pikes (on bench) 4 x 15
12. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
Post-Weights Cardio:
Recline Bike 20 min @ 110-112 rpm
Stretch 10 min
Skip x 1,000 revolutions
Stretch 10 min
Got exhausted mid-evening last night and passed out for ~2 hours. Meant once I woke up I was AWAKE, so another night/morning of staying up. Ended up passing out just after ~0130 for a couple of hours though, before I had to get up for training (yay - back to regular training times!). Headed off to the gym...Started out skipping, less volume than with this session last week, because for some reason the rope caught three times during the first 100 revolutions, pissing me off as I snarled at myself...Then into the weights. I actually realized half-way to the gym that I had forgotten to restrap my left wrist (took it off last night, because it was starting to get tight - I need it tight to help dull the pain) and prepared myself for PAIN. Close-Grip BB Bicep Curls were definitely painful on my left wrist, and the last two reps of every set were VERY slow (which only ADDED to the agony), and my expression was one of utter pissed-off aggression as I battled through - although there was a glint of satisfaction seeing the definition and vascularity in my arms. Dips were done slowly and low, feeling the ache during them, but not as bad. Skipping was done rapidly, an angry expression on my face, determined NOT to have the rope catch again (and it didn't). Knees were ok during skipping too, which was a plus - I would NOT have been the best person to deal with if they HAD been playing up. Onto Incline Alternate DB Hammer Bicep Curls - used the same weight as last week, but managed an additional two reps each set, albeit closing my eyes and concentrating only on the movement on the last two sets for the last few reps, gritting my teeth to stop from screaming. V-Bar Tricep Push-Downs - not as many reps as last week, which was fine, since I increased the weight by 10 pounds. More "mean" skipping to end each TriSet B. Stayed with the same weight as I used last week re the DB Zottoman Curls and found myself struggling, the pain in my left wrist searing through it, and I almost wanted to DROP the weight after six reps each set. DB French Press caused a pain through my right anterior delt/biceps tendon, so a little less on the reps here today, which was ok. Swearing under my breath, skipping was done, sweat dripping off me. Weighted Crunches were fine. Felt my left hip "pop" on every rep re Pikes - except, surprisingly, on the last set, where it didn't even happen at all (welcome, but odd)! Finished off with my 100 revolutions of skipping...Hot and sweaty, I moved to the Recline Bike for post-weights cardio, surprised but ok with my legs being able to spin. Neither pain in either knee or in chest throughout it, nor any difficulty breathing...Not quite finished yet. Since I didn't do at least 1,500 revolutions re skipping PRE-weights I decided to "make-up" for it, so after 10 minutes of stretching out my legs, I completed 1,000 more revolutions. From about the 800-revolution mark, my knees were BOTH starting to hurt, biting pain on the anteriomedial aspect of my knees, and every revolution was jarring, my teeth gritted, moving more like a boxer than simply skipping, to try and "ease" it somewhat, because I sure as hell was NOT going to stop until I'd done my 1,000 revolutions!...Needed more stretching out afterwards...Back to the hotel and straight into the sauna for half an hour, my feet up, just sitting there to try and ignore the pain. From the sauna to the pool - which was COLD - for more punishment, like yesterday forcing myself to stay under the water for ~2 minutes, my inability to hold my breath that long so very apparent, gasping and sputtering when I allowed myself to surface. Then into the spa for a while to gently "massage" my legs, although no relief was given to my knees...Knees have been in pain all day, even just lying or sitting with them outstretched in front of me, which has not been fun. Since this IS my "deload" week, I decided to let my knees "recover" and NOT do the HIIT Run I had PLANNED on doing tonight, hoping that they will be fine for this tomorrow (they'd better be, because it's going to get done pre-weights, whether they are or not!)...
Skip x 600 revolutions
Arms/Abs (30 sec recovery between trisets):
TriSet A -
1. Close-Grip BB Bicep Curls 4 x 8
2. Dips 4 x 8
3. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet B -
4. Incline Alternate DB Bicep Curls 4 x 10 per side
5. V-Bar Tricep Push-Down 4 x 6
6. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet C -
7. DB Zottoman Curls 4 x 8
8. Standing DB French Press 4 x 8, 8, 6, 6
9. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet D -
10. Weighted DB Crunch (on bench, knees at 90 degrees) 4 x 15
11. Pikes (on bench) 4 x 15
12. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
Post-Weights Cardio:
Recline Bike 20 min @ 110-112 rpm
Stretch 10 min
Skip x 1,000 revolutions
Stretch 10 min
Got exhausted mid-evening last night and passed out for ~2 hours. Meant once I woke up I was AWAKE, so another night/morning of staying up. Ended up passing out just after ~0130 for a couple of hours though, before I had to get up for training (yay - back to regular training times!). Headed off to the gym...Started out skipping, less volume than with this session last week, because for some reason the rope caught three times during the first 100 revolutions, pissing me off as I snarled at myself...Then into the weights. I actually realized half-way to the gym that I had forgotten to restrap my left wrist (took it off last night, because it was starting to get tight - I need it tight to help dull the pain) and prepared myself for PAIN. Close-Grip BB Bicep Curls were definitely painful on my left wrist, and the last two reps of every set were VERY slow (which only ADDED to the agony), and my expression was one of utter pissed-off aggression as I battled through - although there was a glint of satisfaction seeing the definition and vascularity in my arms. Dips were done slowly and low, feeling the ache during them, but not as bad. Skipping was done rapidly, an angry expression on my face, determined NOT to have the rope catch again (and it didn't). Knees were ok during skipping too, which was a plus - I would NOT have been the best person to deal with if they HAD been playing up. Onto Incline Alternate DB Hammer Bicep Curls - used the same weight as last week, but managed an additional two reps each set, albeit closing my eyes and concentrating only on the movement on the last two sets for the last few reps, gritting my teeth to stop from screaming. V-Bar Tricep Push-Downs - not as many reps as last week, which was fine, since I increased the weight by 10 pounds. More "mean" skipping to end each TriSet B. Stayed with the same weight as I used last week re the DB Zottoman Curls and found myself struggling, the pain in my left wrist searing through it, and I almost wanted to DROP the weight after six reps each set. DB French Press caused a pain through my right anterior delt/biceps tendon, so a little less on the reps here today, which was ok. Swearing under my breath, skipping was done, sweat dripping off me. Weighted Crunches were fine. Felt my left hip "pop" on every rep re Pikes - except, surprisingly, on the last set, where it didn't even happen at all (welcome, but odd)! Finished off with my 100 revolutions of skipping...Hot and sweaty, I moved to the Recline Bike for post-weights cardio, surprised but ok with my legs being able to spin. Neither pain in either knee or in chest throughout it, nor any difficulty breathing...Not quite finished yet. Since I didn't do at least 1,500 revolutions re skipping PRE-weights I decided to "make-up" for it, so after 10 minutes of stretching out my legs, I completed 1,000 more revolutions. From about the 800-revolution mark, my knees were BOTH starting to hurt, biting pain on the anteriomedial aspect of my knees, and every revolution was jarring, my teeth gritted, moving more like a boxer than simply skipping, to try and "ease" it somewhat, because I sure as hell was NOT going to stop until I'd done my 1,000 revolutions!...Needed more stretching out afterwards...Back to the hotel and straight into the sauna for half an hour, my feet up, just sitting there to try and ignore the pain. From the sauna to the pool - which was COLD - for more punishment, like yesterday forcing myself to stay under the water for ~2 minutes, my inability to hold my breath that long so very apparent, gasping and sputtering when I allowed myself to surface. Then into the spa for a while to gently "massage" my legs, although no relief was given to my knees...Knees have been in pain all day, even just lying or sitting with them outstretched in front of me, which has not been fun. Since this IS my "deload" week, I decided to let my knees "recover" and NOT do the HIIT Run I had PLANNED on doing tonight, hoping that they will be fine for this tomorrow (they'd better be, because it's going to get done pre-weights, whether they are or not!)...
OTHER NOTES
I realized something today in the gym, during my third set of skipping
re TriSet A: I LOVED IT! Even though I was in pain, aggressive and
looking as mean as hell, swearing at myself in frustration, sweat
glistening on my face and dripping down my back, hurting - I LOVED THE
FEELING! Oh how much I have MISSED being in the gym, away from the
weights and intensity the last two days, and the thought hit me that
even though it hurt like hell, and no matter how aggressive or pissed
off I might get doing it, I was truly HAPPY doing it! That training IS
one of the very FEW things in life that DOES make me HAPPY! Thank God
for small miracles!As I was drinking my green tea earlier this morning, for some random reason I started flicking through some of the first logs I ever kept on Anabolic Minds, thinking as I did how funny it was how things have changed, how so MUCH has changed. Never in a million years would I have ever imagined when I first agreed to try and log several products for Applied Nutriceuticals that I would be where I am NOW, doing what I am NOW. If you'd shown me what I am NOW to me back then I would have looked at you like you'd LOST your mind, and yet now I can't imagine being anything ELSE! I see glimpses of what I was then, and whilst I still am very much the same, I am also a very DIFFERENT person, changed by the years and circumstances that I could never have foreseen...I started thinking about the people I've met here, some of whom have become very dear to me, almost like family and whom I couldn't imagine life withOUT. I started thinking about the incredible support from those here, something that has been a FIRST in my life (along with many other things). I have lived, loved, and laughed with those here and will CONTINUE to do so, wherever my journey takes me. So, thank you, Anabolic Minds, for all you've given me so far - here's to many more memorable times that I will look back on fondly...
