2013 | Day 27: WHAT'S BEST FOR ME

MOTIVATIONAL OF THE DAY

WHAT'S BEST FOR ME

Sometimes you have to take a step back and look at your life from an OUTSIDE perspective. You have to scrutinize every detail as if you were an OBJECTIVE observer. You have to analyze it as if you were an AUDITOR taking note of what should be kept and what areas need cutting back on or eliminating altogether.

Sometimes you have to start thinking about YOURSELF instead of everyone else.  You have to consider your own WELLBEING before you can truly be concerned with another’s happiness. You have to make sure YOU are in a place to be able to offer what it is you want to give.

You’ve considered everyone else and their ideals and dreams. Now it’s time to start considering your OWN. What is it that YOU want to do? What do you TRULY desire to be? Where is it that you see yourself in 10 years, 20 years, more? What path do you envision your life TAKING?

It’s time to stop thinking about what’s best for everyone else and learn to think about what’s best for YOU. Your soul ALREADY knows it. It’s time to start LISTENING. It’s time to start ACTING on your own dreams. It’s time to stop letting others dictate what path your life will follow. It’s time to start doing what’s BEST FOR YOU.

© 2013 Rosie Chee

TRAINING

Training a little different from original plan, but by no means any less intense.

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, 10, 8, 8, 6
2. Skip 5 x 100 revolutions
SuperSet B -
3. BB Military Press5 x 8
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 8
8. Skip 5 x 100 revolutions

Post-Weights Cardio - Treadmill:
a. 15 min @ Incline 10 at 3 miles/hour
b. 5 min @ Incline 10 at 3.5 miles/hour

Stretch 20 min

Tuesday

Day OFF

Wednesday

Session 1

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

Stretch 20 min

Session 2

Treadmill:
20 min @ Incline 10 at 3 miles/hour

Thursday


Arms/Abs (30 sec recovery between supersets and trisets):
SuperSet A -
1. Hanging Gorilla Knee-Ups 4 x 6, 5, 4, 3
2. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet A -
3. Close-Grip BB Biceps Curls 4 x 8
4. Dips 4 x 6
5. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet B -
6. Alternate Incline DB Bicep Curls 4 x 20
7. V-Bar Tricep Push-Downs 4 x 6
8. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
SuperSet B -
9. Swissball Crunches (270 to 180 degrees) 4 x 15
10. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions

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


Stretch 20 min

Friday

Session 1

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

Session 2

Legs (courtesy of Matt Schroedle):
QuadSet -
1. BB Back Squats 3 x 20 (last set jumping BB squats)
2. Swissball Back Extensions 3 x 15
3. Smith Machine Calf Raises 3 x 20
4. Alternate Side-to-side EZ-Bar Lunges 3 x 20
SuperSet -
5. Cable Leg Extensions 3 x 10 per leg
6. Seated Hamstring Curls 3 x 12

Stretch 20 min

Saturday

Full-Body (courtesy of Brent Potter):
1. Wide-Grip Pull-Ups 3 x 6, 5, 3
2. EZ-Bar Clean and Presses 3 x 6
SuperSet A -
3. Single-Arm Kettlebell Swings 3 x 15
4. Alternate Static DB Bicep Curls 3 x 5/4
5. Dips (one foot on swissball, hands on bench) 3 x 10
SuperSet B -
6. Seated Rope Rows 3 x 15
7. DB Squat to Hammer Raises 3 x 8
8. Single-Leg Push-Ups (hands on incline, feet on bench) 3 x 15, 15, 10
9. Alternate Static Incline Press 3 x 8/8/4
10. In-Out-Unders 2 x 8 per side

Stretch 20 min

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

Sunday

Run 3 miles

Stretch 20 min

OTHER NOTES

Sleep: Only been getting between 2-3 hours sleep 90% of nights.

Mood: Was better starting the week out, but on and off, sometimes without reason at all.

Energy: Ok.

Stress: Very high.

Concentration: Been pretty good this week.

Body Composition: 9.4% bodyfat - down only 0.1% bodyfat from last week. Need to work on getting training back up to Maintenance (and nutrition better).

Quality of Training: Not been easy that's for sure. More work re legs than I personally prefer (and that my body responds well to). Ok though. Got to start doing a lot more RUNNING - come the end of February it's going to be time to start training in preparation for the Spartan in July!

Joints: Shoulders on and off, alternating between them re pain. Left wrist causing the most pain. A little in hips. Knees fine.

Nutrition: Back to Lean Gains 16-hour fast/8-hour feeding window and definitely feels better. Drinking more water as well, although still struggling to get in my full [UK] galleon - from next week.

Supplements: Basics only.

Overall Sense of Feeling: I will NOT be beat down! You can say what you want about me, but I know who I am and what I do, and those that TRULY know me know too, as does He, and that's what matters!

Day 36: The Mechanic

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"How do we inspire ourselves to greatness when nothing else will do? How do we inspire others around us?" - Nelson Mandela, Invictus


MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY

All That Remains - Aggressive Opposition




TRAINING

HIIT Cardio - Rollers:
a. 4 min in 39x18 @ 112 rpm
b. 8 x 20 sec effort/10 sec easy in 39x18
c. 4 min in 39x18 @ 96 rpm

Cardio 21 min.

Stretch 20 min.


COMMENTS

Sleep - Time and Quality: ~8 hours. Passed out during an episode Fringe.

Mood/Aggression: Motivated.

Mental Focus and Clarity: It's funny the mental curveballs life throws at you, the stuff you learn about the past, that, if you had known this then, would have changed your life in more ways that you can imagine . . . But, I'm going to try and give my mind the day off today after those revelations . . .

Endurance: Fine.

Vascularity: Swift to come out - and stay.

Quality of Training: Good.

Recovery: After training, I did some more shoveling - not that anything needed it, but because I wanted to make paths through the snow, LOL - and my back is paying for it now.

Other Notes: The Life Audit is over - striding forward with a purpose!


FIT TIP OF THE DAY

Know and accept your weaknesses. Once you know your weaknesses, you can prepare yourself to fight against them, take measures to ensure your defeat of them when they present themselves. After all, the battle for your success is against yourself more than anything else.

Day 34: RESOLVE

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." - Calvin Coolidge


MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY

Hatebreed - Hollow Ground




TRAINING

HIIT Cardio:
a. 4 min jogging
b. 9 x 20 sec sprint/40 sec rest
c. 4 min jogging

Stretch 20 min.


COMMENTS

Sleep - Time and Quality: ~5 hours. I also passed out early evening yesterday for ~30 minutes.

Mood/Aggression: Looking ahead.

Energy: I have energy, but my back has pain - it is inflamed and I'm being smart about training today and letting it recover.

Mental Focus and Clarity: A couple more things left to do today . . . And then it's time to try and relax (I say "try", because there is no guarantee that my mind will turn off) - I'm going to do this every night before going to bed, whether I watch a movie, read, or just chill out listening to music; something to try and get my stress levels down some and better manage my constant need to be "doing" . . .

Joints: My back has been killing me since the shoveling yesterday, and right now it is quite inflamed (although not all from the shoveling I am sure). I have had problems on and off since my back injury in 2004, and I will continue having them for the rest of my life (like I will with my wrist), so I have to learn how to manage them - rethinking the squats and deadlifts in my training programme, since these both aggravate it badly.

Endurance: Good.

Vascularity: Strong.

Quality of Training: HIIT was a little harder today. Feeling the impact inferior to my knees, trying to ignore the pain in my back. As I was stretching I realized that my mind had already lost focus and that to continue on would be doing more damage than good, so am using this as my training day without weights (replacing the V-Burn Challenge Circuit).

Recovery: Just my back (not from training).

Appetite: My nutrition is one factor that is being scrutinized excessively during my Life Audit. Just because I have always gotten "away" with it means nothing anymore, and I have the resolve to ensure that my HEALTH takes #1 precedence re diet.

Body Composition and Look: Despite the abundant amount of basmati rice I have been consuming (several times daily - so much that we got a 10kg bag of it, and that's not going to last long at all!), my body mass is slowly dropping as I lose any water weight that my body might be holding onto. Have also noticed top of my midsection, obliques, and hips tightening up - Erase and Shred Matrix make ALL the difference!

Other Notes: Second day of my Life Audit. Everything is going well so far, and it's actually a RELIEF to be cutting some of the ties I have been holding onto!

FIT TIP OF THE DAY

Learn how to fish and don't just be fed. It's not enough to simply blindly do as your trainer (if you have one) tells you. Ask questions. Want to know WHY the trainer has you doing what they have you doing. Understand how it is specific to you, will help you achieve your goals, and fulfill your needs. Get INVOLVED mentally as well as physically!

Day 33: Life Audit in Progress...

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Sometimes you need to face adversity in order to become successful. In fact, adversity can be the very spark that fuels your drive into a new direction - a GPS system that guides you to success." - David Young


MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY

Saliva - Rest in Pieces




TRAINING

Cardio - Rollers:
20 min in 39x17 @ 110 rpm

Stretch 10 min.

Arms (1 min recovery between supersets/trisets):
Superset A -
1. Close-Grip Pull-Ups 4 x 16, 12, 12, 10
2. EZ-Bar Biceps Curls 4 x 12
Superset B -
3. Dips 4 x 6
4. DB French Press (standing) 4 x 6
Triset -
5. Cable Bicep Curls 2 x 12
6. Alternate Hammer Curls 2 x 12 per side
7. Straight-Bar Tricep Push-Downs 2 x 12
Superset C (no recovery between supersets) -
8. Rope Crunches 2 x 15
9. Side Plank 2 x 1 min

Stretch 12 min.


COMMENTS

Sleep - Time and Quality: ~5 hours.

Mood/Aggression: My head is in a good place - today is the start of an intense few days.

Energy: Definitely had energy - going to get back out in the snow later for more shoveling.

Mental Focus and Clarity: I couldn't be more focused. I've decided to do a Life Audit, a spring cleaning of my life, starting from the inside out, clearing up the clutter and getting rid of anything that does not have value or a purpose in my life, is not in line with my career objective and/or goals, and that may have a negative influence on my mental, psychological, or physical health and well-being!

Stress: High.

Endurance: Awesome.

Strength: Consistent progress.

Pump: Always strong on Arms' day.

Vascularity: As well as the veins coming out through chest and deltoids, there are blue lines (like on my legs) running down the side of my torso.

Quality of Training: Rollers was good . . . Resistance training was intense. Added some abwork in at the end . . . Didn't need to do post-weights cardio - the snow-shoveling for 45 minutes after my last stretching session was enough to double as post-weights cardio . . .

Recovery: Feeling my body moaning when I woke up, but it feels fine now.

Other Notes: The snow and blizzards have been bad everywhere in the US, so it seems. After training I went out and did some shoveling. Only did about half of it, because most of the snow drifts were up to my waist, and it was slow work. Did enough so that people can walk up to and around the house, though, and it's like walking along a narrow path surrounded by white walls, LOL.


FIT TIP OF THE DAY

A Life Audit can help you gain perspective on your life, on what is important to you and what is not, what is essential and you can do without and what. If your health and fitness is important to you - and it should be - then it will become clear what you have to do to improve and get where you desire.