January 20, 2013

2013 | Day 20: NOT YET FINISHED


MOTIVATIONAL OF THE DAY

NOT YET FINISHED

Sometimes you can feel like everything is wrong, even if it is not. You can feel such a terrible ache and loneliness in your soul, even if you do not know why and know you are not alone. You can experience such a sense of loss, even if your life has not suffered tragedy. Sometimes what helps you sleep are the tears that fall, even if you don’t know why they are falling, or why they are so boundless in your soul. 

Sometimes what helps you get through the day is knowing that it will all work out, even if you don’t know why you are thinking such thoughts, because your life seems to be moving in the right direction. Sometimes what helps you smile is the smile of another and the touch of their soul against your own, even if you do not understand how they could have come to be so significant to you.

Sometimes you can feel like it could all end and it wouldn’t matter, even as you know deep down that such a mindset is unacceptable and holds no real truth. Sometimes we feel like this and there is not yet rhyme or reason, even as we might come to see it in retrospect, or come clean with ourselves and allow our soul to let go of what we have been holding onto or trying to control, or simply just to let it be and see what happens.

God knows your heart, what is going on with you, and He cares, but He lets it happen to see if we can see for ourselves, and just to give that gentle whisper of encouragement that we are strong enough to keep on going, that He is walking there alongside us, that our journey is far from over, because He is not yet done with us, using us in this world to make a difference and shine a light of hope for others, bringing Him glory, and in the midst of it, finding our true heart and self.

© 2013 Rosie Chee


TRAINING

Back on track this last week. Changed my training schedule up to allow for what has been going on, since it was not working trying to do what I was before...AND my body has changed yet AGAIN, making what used to work for me NOT after the last couple of months...As it has seemed to happen almost every year - finding something new to get it going again and continue making progress...

New training split looks like this:
Monday - HIIT + Shoulders/Hamstrings (40-50 min)
Tuesday - Day OFF
Wednesday - HIIT + Arms/Abs (40-50 min)
Thursday - Cardio 20 min
Friday - HIIT + Shoulders/Arms/Abs (30-40 min)
Saturday - Cardio 20 min + Full-Body (50-60 min)
Sunday - Cardio 20 min

So a shorter and longer resistance session, with a couple of the "usual". My body has responded to this pretty well so far, so going to stay at this until at least the end of February.

Also, just experimenting re post-weights cardio, adding in 20 minutes on the treadmill, albeit not running (since this kills my knees and lower legs - no more running on the treadmill for me!), but WALKING on an incline of 10-15 at a pace of 3-3.5 miles per hour. It may not seem like much, but my legs definitely feel it the next day, more than from an HIIT run. I have done this since Wednesday, experimenting re incline and pace, on and off in each session, and I will likely continue to keep manipulating this every time I do it. Going to give it a try for a month and see what happens.

This week re training:

Monday

HIIT Run:
a. 4 min jogging
b. 24 x 20 sec sprint/10 sec easy
c. 4 min jogging

Shoulders/Hamstrings (30 sec recovery between supersets):
SuperSet A -
1. Behind-the-neck BB MIlitary Press 5 x 10, 9, 8, 7, 6
2. Skip 5 x 100 revolutions
SuperSet B -
3. BB Military Press5 x 10, 9, 8, 7, 6
4. Skip 5 x 100 revolutions
SuperSet C -
5. DB Lateral Raises 5 x 12
6. Skip 5 x 100 revolutions
SuperSet D -
7. DB Stiff-Legged Deadlifts (DB to touch ground) 5 x 10
8. Skip 5 x 100 revolutions

Stretch 20 min

Tuesday

Day OFF

Wednesday

HIIT Run:
a. 4 min jogging
b. 24 x 20 sec sprint/10 sec easy
c. 4 min jogging

Arms/Abs (30 sec recovery between trisets):
TriSet A -
1. Close-Grip BB Bicep Curls 4 x 6
2. Dips 4 x 6
3. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet B -
4. Alternate Incline DB Bicep Curls 4 x 20
5. V-Bar Tricep Push-Downs 4 x 6
6. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet C -
7. Single-Arm Cable Bicep Curls 4 x 10 per side
8. Push-Ups (hands on single medicine ball under chest, feet on floor) 4 x 6
9. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions

Post-Weights Cardio - Treadmill:
a. 3 x 2 min @ Incline 10 at 3 miles/hour - 2 min @ Incline 10 at 3.5 miles/hour
b. 2 x 2 min @ Incline 15 at 3 miles/hour - 2 min @ Incline 10 at 3 miles/hour

Stretch 20 min

Thursday

Run 3 miles

Stretch 25 min

Friday

HIIT Run:
a. 4 min jogging
b. 24 x 20 sec sprint/10 sec easy
c. 4 min jogging

Shoulders/Arms/Abs (30 sec recovery between quadsets):
QuadSet A -
1. Behind-the-neck BB Military Press 3 x 6
2. BB Military Press 3 x 6
3. Alternate Single-Arm Plate Lateral Raises 3 x 20
4. Skip 3 x 100 revolutions
QuadSet B -
5. Close-Grip BB Bicep Curls 3 x 6
6. Dips 3 x 6
7. Alternate DB Hammer Bicep Curls 3 x 20
8. Skip 3 x 100 revolutions
QuadSet C -
9. Weighted DB Crunches (on bench, knees at 90 degrees) 3 x 10
10. Reverse Curls (on bench) 3 x 10
11. Pikes (on bench) 3 x 10
12. Skip 3 x 100 revolutions

Post-Weights Cardio - Treadmill:
a. 10 min @ Incline 10 at 3 miles/hour
b. 10 min @ Incline 15 at 3 miles/hour

Stretch 20 min

Saturday

Run 3 miles

Stretch 20 min

Weights (30 sec recovery between supersets and trisets):
SuperSet A -
1. Hanging Gorilla Knee-Ups 4 x 10, 8, 6, 4
2. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
SuperSet B -
3. Hanging Straight-Leg Raises (toes to touch bar) 4 x 8
4. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
SuperSet C -
5. Straight-Leg Raises (on Dips' bars - hips to 90 degrees) 4 x 8
6. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
SuperSet D -
7. Swissball Jackknives 4 x 10
8. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet A -
9. Push-Ups (hands on kettlebells, feet on floor) 3 x 8
10. Mountainclimbers 3 x 20
11. Skip 3 x 100 revolutions
TriSet B -
12. Single-Arm DB Row 3 x 8 per side
13. Side-to-side BOSHU Ball Touches 3 x 30
14. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet C -
15. TRX XY 3 x 8
16. Plate Lateral Raises straight to Plate Hammer Raises 3 x 8
17. Skip 3 x 100 revolutions
TriSet D -
18.Alternate DB Hammer Bicep Curls 3 x 16
19. Dips 3 x 6
20. Skip 3 x 100 revolutions

Post-Weights Cardio - Treadmill:
20 min @ Incline 10 at 3 miles/hr

Sunday

Run 3 miles

Stretch 20 min

OTHER NOTES

Sleep: Have been having trouble going TO sleep, not falling asleep until between 0000-0130 usually, but then sleeping DEEPLY for a few hours. Days after resistance training have slept a little more and had more difficulty getting up.

Mood: Have been on and off, but making a real effort to keep a smile in my heart. Has been a little easier during the latter part of the week, especially as I allow myself to be human and make mistakes, and adapt more than I ever have.

Energy: I have been ok until the evening, going to be early, because I have felt too exhausted to do much else.

Stress: High.

Concentration: Had to work really hard at this the first half of the week, but then it was "mind over matter", and as my body started responding re training, have had more since.

Body Composition: 9.5% bodyfat (at 117.6 pounds) - down 0.7% bodyfat from last week (where I actually got up to 10.2% - close to the highest I have been in ~2 years!). Pleased that being back on track re training (and eating window re nutrition) has made all the difference.

Quality of Training: Has been different - not really used to the day on/day off re resistance training, but my body seems to be needing the longer recovery time, so it is getting it. As always, adapting as I listen to my body - my body can no longer be treated like a machine and the better I listen to it, the better my results will be.

Joints: My left shoulder has been giving me quite a few issues, hurting more OUT of training than IN, but doing ok. Right shoulder has been painful, especially with the Behind-the-neck BB Military Presses back in my training programme, but nothing UNmanageable. Left wrist has been playing up more of late as well. Hips, particularly left, have been stiff and at times painful to move. Knees are bearing.

Nutrition: Back on my 16-hour fast/8-hour eating window, which, along with training on track again, has made all the difference. ONE day a week I am allowing myself to extend my eating window to 12 or 16 hours, and that I consider a "cheat" (since it is outside of what works best). Struggling still to get in my galleon of water a day, but doing better at it.

Supplements: Have a few of my "staples" back, but primarily using Erase, MuscleGel Shots, RecoverPRO, Shred Matrix, and Vitamin C.

Overall Sense of Feeling: I am still learning. I am working on maintaining positivity, on casting out the feelings and emotions that suddenly arise that have no sense of belonging in where I am now. My life is truly blessed and I am focusing on those blessings and not letting myself forget what gives me joy. I have struggled, and still struggle, but I am done trying to figure out some things and are just letting them go, even if it has to be on a daily basis. I am back to being on track to being ME again.