2012 | Day 195: Upping the Intensity

MOTIVATIONAL OF THE DAY

Can't Ignore You

Accept who you ARE. Embrace what you are BECOMING. ALWAYS strive to reach the stars. Do your BEST in everything.

When you do what you love, you do it with determined passion and enthusiasm, and it SHOWS. You GLOW, and when your light glows, you draw others to you.

You CAN be good at something you have no passion for, but that will also show in time - if it does not to begin with - so be sure to put your effort where it will bring not just joy to others, but to YOU.

Hone your skills to PERFECTION. Become an EXPERT. When you do what you love with a passion and you EXCEL at it, people can’t HELP but notice. When others notice, the world can start to OPEN up for you, new POSSIBILITIES you might never have imagined before spread before you. And when that happens, you can affect MORE people, make more DIFFERENCE and create more CHANGE, bless MORE, a true gift indeed.

Quote for Reflection:

TRAINING

HIIT Treadmill:
a. 2 min @ 4.41 min/km
b. 12 x 20 sec effort/10 sec rest @ 3.72 min/km
c. 2 min @ 4.41 min/km

Shoulders/Hamstrings (30 sec recovery between trisets):
TriSet A -
1. Behind-the-neck BB Military Press 4 x 8
2. Reverse Flyes 4 x 12
3. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet B -
4. BB Military Press 4 x 8
5. DB Arnold Press 4 x 12
6. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet C -
7. DB Lateral Raises 4 x 8
8. Alternate Single-Arm Plate Lateral Raises 4 x 12 per side
9. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet D -
10. Stiff-Legged DB Deadlift (on bench, reach DB down ~6 inches) 4 x 8
11. Stiff-Legged BB Deadlift (BB to touch floor) 4 x 12
12. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions

Post-Weights Cardio:
Recline Bike 20 min @ 101-104 rpm

Stretch 20 min

OTHER NOTES

Sleep: Passed out yesterday afternoon for several hours and went to bed early hours of morning, to sleep for ~8 hours.

Energy: My body is so fatigued - I have not slept like this since I used G8 (and that was because of the supplement - this is not because of any supplement!) - and everything is feeling it. I have to be careful not to sit or lie down and close my eyes, or I could fall asleep!

Joints: My body is falling apart!

Quality of Training: HIIT on the treadmill again - watching my lower legs and knees, and everything was ok...Changed up my resistance session today, because my shoulders ARE in so MUCH pain, doing trisets instead of supersets re the "same area" of the deltoid being targeted, making it more INTENSE for the time lifted, but also not as "drawn out", if that makes sense. There was no mistaking that I was in pain - there were literally tears in my eyes at one point, and I was so light-headed that between trisets I had to hold onto the squat rack to keep balance. Shoulders SCREAMING afterwards, but I'd rather they scream than give out. Middle back was in a lot of pain during the Stiff-Legged BB Deadlifts, and had to "twist it back into place" after each set. Favouring left hip during skipping as well. Left wrist strapped up from the start because of the pain it was in..Finished off with the recline bike at a sedate pace...No pm cardio - going to get enough of that running around work tonight...

Muscle & Strength: Steve has just published Breaking the Myth: Increasing Testosterone In Females = Muscle Accretion, Strength Gains, And Fat Loss - read it here.

2012 | Day 129: I've been to hell and back because of you...yet I don't regret it...

MOTIVATIONAL OF THE DAY

To This Moment...

I cannot regret anything that has passed. Because it has led me here. To now. THIS moment.

It has made me STRONGER than I ever thought possible. Revealed to me truths that I might never have otherwise learned, allowing me to ACCEPT that life is rarely all it seems, that beneath the surface there is a storm just waiting to be unleashed. Made me embrace the dark side within me, instead of running from it using it as a STRENGTH, not a weapon against myself.

I know what I am capable of. I know without a doubt what I want. I know what I AM.

Without all that has passed, I might not have.

Everything happens for a REASON, whether we like it or see it at the time or not. Everything happens to make us BETTER, to mould us into the person we are MEANT to be. Everything is as it SHOULD be, even if we do not desire it to be in any given moment. In THIS moment.

And everything can CHANGE. Just like that. In an instant, a split second, the blink of an eye, the roll of a wave. Everything can change and I must be PREPARED for it. I must be READY.

I know I am. READY. NOW.

Are YOU? Are YOU ready for what happens next? Are you ready to face the rollercoaster of life, brace yourself through the corners, scream as it falls into the depths, laugh with a smile into the wind at the top of each peak? Are you READY?

Quote for Reflection: “Your journey has molded you for the greater good. It was exactly what it needed to be. Don't think you've lost time, it took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And NOW is RIGHT ON TIME.” - Asha Tyson

TRAINING

Skip x 300 revolutions

Arms/Abs (30 sec recovery between trisets):
TriSet A -
1. Close-Grip BB Bicep Curls 4 x 5
2. Dips 4 x 6
3. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet B -
4. Incline DB Bicep Curls 4 x 8
5. Straight-Bar Tricep Push-Downs 4 x 6
6. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet C -
7. DB Zottoman Curls 4 x 10
8. DB Hammer Curls 4 x 6
9. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet D -
10. Weighted DB Crunches (on bench, knees at 90 degree angle) 4 x 15
11. Pikes (on bench) 4 x 15
12. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions

Post-Weights Cardio:
Recline Bike 20 min @ 105-108 rpm

Stretch 31 min

OTHER NOTES

Sleep: Bed at 0305, waking twice, getting up and heading straight to the gym.

Quality of Training: It's not often I pretty much roll out of bed and "into training", but I did today. Took me about half an hour to "wake up" and get into it, my skipping suffering, only getting frustrated. BOTH knees hurt on the medial aspect after yesterday - not sure what from, but it affected my skipping and I had to skip as if I was shadow-boxing to prevent them becoming too painful. Strength was down and really feeling it hurt, left wrist giving me issues throughout. Pushed on through though, because that's just what I [have to] do.

2012 | Day 96: You need the pain now just to feel anything...

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!)...

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...

2012 | Day 90: ...making me all I was meant to be...

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE OF THE DAY

"'For I know the plans I have for you', says the Lord, 'plans to give you hope and a future'." - Jeremiah 29:10

For the complete Motivational, review Trust In HIS Timing | WPM Women.

TRAINING

Session 1

HIIT Run:
a. 4 min jogging
b. 12 x 20 sec sprint/10 sec easy
c. 10 min jogging

Full-Body (30 sec recovery between trisets/skipping):
TriSet A -
1. Rope Crunches 3 x 15
2. Reverse Curls (on floor) 3 x 10
3. Ab Rollout 3 x 15
Skip x 300 revolutions
TriSet B -
4. DB Bicep Curls 3 x 21s
5. DB Hammer Curls 3 x 10
6. Alternate DB Hammer Bicep Curls 3 x 15 per side
Skip x 300 revolutions
TriSet C -
7. Rear Flyes 3 x 10
8. Plate Lateral Raises 3 x 15
9. Plate Hammer Raises 3 x 10
Skip x 300 revolutions
TriSet D -
10. Neutral Grip Seated Row (each hand with individual handle) 3 x 10
11. Side-to-side DB Push-Ups (feet on floor, hands on DB) 3 x 10
12. Stiff-Legged BB Deadlifts (on bench, reaching down 6 inches with the BB) 3 x 10
Skip x 300 revolutions

Post-Weights Cardio:
Recline Bike 20 min @ 102-104 rpm

Stretch 20 min

Session 2

Recline Bike 20 min @ 112 rpm

Slept for barely an hour this morning, just ending up getting up at my usual time...Headed out for HIIT - right knee slowed me a little, but not by a lot. Pain was more in my left shoulder/biceps tendon and under my ribs during (which was odd)...SO ready for the gym and hammering my body, energy high despite my 7-mile run last night and literally no sleep. Feeling my abs burn during TriSet A - also both shoulders on the Ab Rollout. Left wrist had the same deep, aching pain around my scaphoid during TriSet B as last week, and took it a little slower, my expressions alternating between smiles (when I was thinking of you) and grimaces (when the pain overtook the memory). to punish myself more, did a few more reps to add to the pain on Alternate DB Hammer Bicep Curls. Vascularity was awesome, as it always is now when I'm training - definitely think it has something to do with how warm I am and how I train and I have got to have this for photoshoots (working on it). Interestingly enough, during my skipping between trisets, my RIGHT delt looked more capped, with more definition to that side than my left; yet during TriSet C re Plate Lateral Raises and Hammer Raises, my LEFT side had more definition. Rear Flyes were a definite effort, clicking my neck back "into" place after every set. Back to the Neutral Grip Seated Cable Rows (each arm with its own handle) - increased the weight from what I used yesterday. Again, on the last set of Side-to-side DB Push-Ups, on the eighth rep of the second set there was a loud crack and pop in my right shoulder, followed by pain, which I had to pause briefly after, but completed the set. Right knee was NOT appreciating the skipping...A little slower on the Recline Bike today, because of my right knee, but it was done..."Limped" home, trying my best not to put too much pressure on my right leg...LEFT shoulder/biceps tendon has been giving me more pain than the right today, but both have been a constant biting sting that sometimes makes me want to SCREAM, especially during any shoulder flexion, which is causing me to be careful with my movement of them...Started feeling the lack of sleep a little ~1300, and passed out for about an hour, waking and not able to get any more...Didn't mind going downstairs to the Fitness Room for the Recline Bike. Both knees ached on it, but I forced them to spin at 112 rpm (so much easier to do a higher pace on this one than the one at the gym - the seat angle is the difference), half-way between laughing and crying for the better part of it. Afterwards though, walked VERY gingerly back to my suite, my legs NOT appreciating the stairs, wanting to have my walking stick to help me (sigh). Hopefully they'll be a little better tomorrow...

2012 | Day 88: Look for the BLESSINGS!

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Blessings come in many forms, but we are all blessed." - Harry "LHGFX" Grigsby III

For the complete Motivational, review Look for the Blessings | WPM Women.

TRAINING

HIIT Run:
a. 4 min jogging
b. 12 x 20 sec sprint/10 sec easy
c. 10 min jogging

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 8 per side
5. V-Bar Tricep Push-Down 4 x 8
6. Skip 4 x 100 revolutions
TriSet C -
7. DB Zottoman Curls 4 x 8
8. Standing DB French Press 4 x 8
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 @ 112 rpm

Stretch 29 min

Was a little tired last night, even though I didn't train yesterday, and drifted in and out of consciousness for about an hour from ~2115. Took G8 at 2223 and went to bed, passing out not long after, sleeping right through my first alarm and waking an hour later than "usual" (which is ok). Same as usual - woke feeling like someone was trying to drill through my skull, ears blocked as well (which is an interesting effect I have noticed every time I use G8 - not sure what would be causing it, though)...Headed off for HIIT. Right knee still very tender, but something I could ignore for a little. Besides, that pain was overshadowed by the sharp pain in my left anterior delt/biceps tendon, so much so that I almost stopped and doubled over at one point. But, kept going, as I do, taking all my preworkout stuff on returning to the hotel...Did better than last week on Close-Grip BB Bicep Curls, pushing through to make for each set at eight reps today, despite the pain in my RIGHT biceps tendon - vision actually blurred during second set, which was interesting and not cool. Dips were done deep and slow, feeling myself shake from the third set on, pushing it to make it through at eight reps on all sets, but barely for the last. Still loving the definition during skipping. Increased the weight by five pounds on Incline Hammer Bicep Curls, and did them alternating sides just to change it up a little - feeling it definitely on the last few reps of the last three sets, but DID it! Strength also up re V-Bar Tricep Push-Downs. Got a little frustrated with the skipping on this triset - going faster as aggression took over. Did DB Zottoman Curls for the complete set at the weight I started with last week, feeling the burn painful and ignoring it - as I was pretty much doing for all the pain during this session. Same weight as last week for two more reps each set re Standing DB French Press. For something a little different, tossed in Weighted DB Crunches instead of Rope Crunches, moving to Pikes (which have quickly become one of my favourite abs' exercises, despite the fact that my left hip - AND left KNEE as well today - pop and click on EVERY rep)...Since the Recline Bike was being used when I finished my weights and I didn't feel like waiting or using the CrossTrainer, I just walked back to the hotel and used the one in the Fitness Room there instead. Kept the pace reasonable, even though right knee was in pain...Looked at my knee afterwards, and it's swollen, looking like it did towards the end of December, which is not cool - I am going to have to watch it...Wednesday is supposed to have an evening 7-mile run - however, with my knee and wanting to be ok for tomorrow, I decided against it. Plus, I did Tuesday's training today, so it's ok to have only a single training session - that said, I WILL do a 7-mile run TOMORROW night, no excuses...

OTHER NOTES

Something I forgot to mention on Monday was that my arms (albeit still "small" by any standard) have definitely GAINED muscle mass, and despite my body composition being higher, I can actually see the separation between the short and long heads of my biceps, along with the brachialis, when flexed. Also interesting to note is that BOTH my biceps sit "higher" up my arm than they did, clear where the distal tendon starts. So, starting to "appreciate" what happened at the end of last year, seeing the blessing in it. Despite losing all the muscle mass (again) that I did because of it, I have managed to build it all back UP AND THEN SOME! This IS my 12th week back training since my injury-time-out though, so it is to be a little expected. The real difference has been noticed over the last couple of weeks though - since adding skipping to "make" a superset or triset in my sessions, so there's something to that (AND eating a lot more, LOL). Anyways, I'm glad to be back on track. NO more time outs for this woman (but I WILL be careful and watch myself, because it was this period back training after my wrist last year that the pain in my shoulders and biceps' tendons started making more noise than usual - and we all know what happened there, and I do NOT want my left side "put out", nor my right damaged more)!!!

Anyways, all that aside, it's been a good day today. Been very tired, but productive, a specific project I am highly EXCITED for and promises to be EPIC set in place around/"for" my birthday "weekend"

Day 346: Behind the Curtain

Training

HIIT Cardio:
a. 4 min easy
b. 12 x 40 sec effort/20 sec easy
c. 4 min easy

Gym - Shoulders (30 sec recovery between supersets/trisets):
Superset A -
1. Behind-the-neck BB Military Press 4 x 8, 7, 6, 5
2. Lateral Raises 4 x 15, 12, 10, 8
Superset B -
3. Seated BB Military Press 4 x 6, 5, 4, 3
4. Hammer Raises 4 x 12, 10, 8, 6
Triset -
5. Clean and Press 4 x 10
6. Single-Arm Lateral Raises 4 x 10 per arm
7. Seated Rear Raises 4 x 10

Post-Weights Cardio 20 min.

Stretch 20 min.

Comments

Sleep - Time and Quality: Need to change my sleeping schedule.

Stress: Unbelievable!

Endurance: Great.

Strength: Added 5 pounds to my main lifts from last week.

Quality of Training: HIIT was good - but really need to start running on the indoor track again . . . Resistance training hurt, but dug my heels in and gritted my teeth and kept going . . .

Body Composition and Look: Still sitting at 10% bodyfat.