The Day Off....

Today is the day off in the schedule. We did a 2 heavys and 3 mediums last night so we are talking the night off. Tomorrow we return to the gym and hit is up pretty hard.

I have been doing some intense reading on different supplements, exercises for spot targeting and various competitive plans. I am still of the opinion that Kat Meyers and Michelle Berger have the right plans, correct theories and best results. I will need to tailor my workouts a bit to hit areas that I need an extra ummpf in such as the chest and the abs, but in basic philosophies I agree with both of these wonderful women/athletes.

I enjoy Kat's style, philosophy and strategy of working on the body as a whole (mind, body and spirit) and I enjoy Michelle's philosophy of lift heavy and lift hard. Both women are advocates for the proper nutrition, hard work and focus. So with these two excellent examples I am primed and pumped. The greatest thing about it all is the affect it has on my personal outlook as well as my relationship with my husband. He is very proud of me and also very surprised at how well I am doing, the progress I am making and my overall "take" to weight lifting. It is great to have a spouse who not only supports what you want to do and the changes you want to make to your body, but also is right there beside every step of the way. Our time at the gym is "our time", this is a very precious thing that is solely ours and there has been a great bonding going on through this process. It is a wonderful thing all the way around, both for us as individuals and as a couple.

monday's workout

Tonight at the gym was the first night of he new workout plan that hubby has me doing. I am basically doing the same workout as he is with a very minor additions and a couple deletions. I do leg curls and twists; he does not. I do not do the pull downs and he does. He does more regular squats and I do Sumo squats and the Sled Squats. So this was the workout today....

10 Min. Cardio Warm-up at 4.0 mph
Sumo Squats 1 set
Sled Squats 2 sets
Leg Curls 3 sets
Low Back Extensions 2 sets
Chest Press 3 sets
Back Row 3 sets
Bicep Curls (Preacher) 2 sets
Tricep Extensions 2 sets
Waist Twists 2 sets

I am up to 122 lbs. So I have added some muscle which is good and it is showing in my back, chest, hips, arms, shoulders and legs...the abs are still blech. But in time all will be well. Eats are good and I am drinking tons of water, taking my supplements and eating my protein. YAY!

Kat Meyers....My New Plan

<---The beautiful Kat Meyers.

In my opinion Kat Meyers revolutionized female bodybuilding. She takes away any pre-conceived notion that when females bodybuild they loose their feminity, the sensual sex appeal and try to become men. While being muscular and able to pump up she always carries her feminity and sensual aura with her. She is my inspiration for bodybuilding and fitness as a woman. While my goals are a tad bit different, because of my body type, Kat Meyers just plain ROCKS and one could only hope to achieve her look in their wildest dreams.

Meanwhile, The new workout plan has been made and will begin tomorrow. I am going to try very hard to increase my caloric intake and would be thrilled to get it above 1600 calories a day. My goals for the week are to workout hard, eat clean, take my vitamins and supplements, eat more protein and drink more water, rest more, spend quality time with husband and daughter and to progress in my fitness plan. I am up to 121 lbs. which is an accomplishment in itself...now to keep going and add more mass. YAY!

The new workout schedule has been broken down into three categories....heavy, medium and light. Heavy is 5 sets @ 80% of max 1 rep wt., Medium is 5 sets @ 65% of max 1 rep wt., and light is 5 sets @ 40% of max 1 rep wt. Realistically I am hoping to make my heavy 3 sets if I can get more sets GREAT!

MON: Lift Heavy on Chest & Upper Back; Lift Medium on Bis, Tris, Upper Legs & Low Back

TUES: Lift Medium on Shoulders and Mid-Section, Heavy on Abs

WED: Lift Medium on Calves; Light on Bis and Tris

THURS: Cardio Day; include stretching or katas, pilates or yoga

FRI: Lift Medium on Chest, Lower Back, Bis and Tris; Light on Legs, Low Back, Shoulders, Calves, Forearms/Wrists.

The next test....

Last night's test in the Gym was the shoulders, calves and legs. DH has determined all of my one rep maximums and has determined my muscle fiber type. He has determined that I am a fast gainer in back, shoulders and tris and bis. A very fast gainer in the legs and calves. An Average gainer in the chest. Which amazingly was what I already knew about my body but did not have the "titles" for. So with the exception of my chest, I will be doing the exact same workout as my husband.

This is totally cool with me because we can literally work out together except when I am doing the chest. I will have to make some modifications for my chest because that is indeed my lagging area as is the back of my legs. They are fast gainers but not in line with the rest of my legs which are very fast gainers.

Tonight is an off night and we will hit the gym tomorrow morning for a quick easy workout and then take the weekend off.

Latest update

It was a great night at the gym. Hubby was with me and putting me through the paces on my tris, bis, back and chest. He has began doing an evaluation for me to determine my Max. 1 Rep. weight so I can set up my weights for zig-zag sets. I was not really in the mood to workout but he motivated me into it.

I did not fair to well with the chest presses but did well with my tris and bis. My back workout totally rocked. I was going to do 3 sets of back extensions with 60 lbs. Hubby decided I was capable of doing more and was in the mood to push me so, 90 lbs was selected and I pumped out one set. Then I switched grips to a wider grip and a did a set at 70 lbs. Not bad for someone just starting and weighing only 119 lbs. I guess I did good. This morning I am slightly sore but not overly so.

So it looks like tonight's body part determination will most likely be abs, wrists and possibly legs. Although we will see how many recovery days that will give me for my legs. I always hit them hard and heavy and need about 3 days recovery. I am lucky I have such a good hubby to workout with, to spot, to watch and to help.

Life is good and it feels much better too.

Abs Yesterday...Legs Today

Yesterday in the gym was abs...ouch. After doing my cardio, I hit the crunch area, roman knee ups and back extensions. I did not feel too bad today but we hit the gym late tonight and I did the legs. Legs went well...squats, sled squats, leg presses, leg curls and I hit the back extension also. So having done cardio first, I hobble through the pouring rain to the van on the way out...running was not an option. LOL.

Tomorrow is the Biceps and Triceps....so more on that later.

Day 2 in the gym

Day 2 in the Gym was good. I did 15 mins of good cardio, his the chest press, the Pec-Dec and reverse pec-dec and the row. So all in all a good workout for he chest and upper back. It feels good to be finally back in the gym. Husband and I have been hitting it and enjoying it each day. So, onward and forward with progress.

New Gym

Well husband and I went by Gold's Gym and signed up for 24 months. We went together tonight for a quick run through. I worked cardio on the eliptical ski and did biceps curls, tricep presses, calf presses and wrist curls. Husband skipped the cardio and ran 5 sets cold. I am certainly going to have work on the wrists; the residuals from the stroke are very apparent as is the carpal tunnel trying to get me. My left wrist and right wrist have different weaknesses for sure and the left one is going to need some work. When the burn comes, it hits on the top of the wrist and in the elbow. The right one on the other hand burns where it is supposed to but is the one with some residual nerve damage and I have to watch for it losing all sensation and feeling; it is the one that has caused many a bowl and casserole dish to hit the tile floor. But all in all it went good. I was pleased to see that my legs are still strong and as always the arms are the weak area. Strange to be able to break concrete with your hand but not be able to to do good bicep curls. But there you have it....good ole unique individuality.

A Lazy Holiday

Today was a bit of a lazy day, I kept my eats good and did some web surfing. Since I have found the physiques for inspiration, I decided to look at the various competition suits for further inspiration. It was amazing to me looking at the various different styles, cuts, fabrics and colors; at just how important the right suit is as well as the color.

Looking through them, you could easily distinquish which would work on a shorter frame or taller, short torso or long and how to determine the best cut. These suits are individually works of art. So I did manage to pick a few that I really liked but did not narrow it down to a particular one.

But I am posting a couple of my favs.

Weight is holding at 108 lbs...which is okay for now. I expect to start hitting the gym HARD real soon.

A Change of Plan coming.....

Well it seems that neither my husband nor a dear friend, who is also an ISSA trainer, feel my initial workout plan is right for me and they are afraid I will hurt myself. So my workout plan is being re-written and I am awaiting it's arrival via afghan email. It is nice to have two very knowledgeable and capable men looking out for me. It should be interesting seeing this new workout as the two men have very different training styles and methods, at least in the approach. In reality as much I dislike following orders, so to speak, I think it is a good thing to have two men that are not the push over types for guidance. While I hate to admit it, a bit of a heavy handed guidance in this instance is probably what I need and I won't be able to just roll over these two and do as I wish. But at least my safety and best interests are the main concerns and that is worth submitting a little to "following orders". Although killing my carbs may cause some resistence in me, I do believe in compromise. So now, I wait for the new plan to look over...I cannot wait to see it in comparison to husband's and mine. Life is good and the prospects for a healthier lifetime are great.

My Inspirational Goal

Allison Hunter
I have been looking at fitness competitors and models in search of my "inspiration physique goal" and I chose Allison Hunter, as she is in the over 40 category and is awesome. She matches my own body style of long legs/short torso.

Eating is going well, I am getting my calorie intake up which for me is a challenge. I am up 1 lb to 109 lbs. Husband and I are currently working through exactly what type of equipment we want at home vs. what we will use at the gym. We still have not gotten by Gold's yet to check on their membership policies for transferring to another part of the country. But we will get by there soon.

All in all, husband and I are both doing well with our eats and planning. I am fairly happy with my weight at present but still want to stay on the higher carb intake while Husband is focusing on the higher protein intake. So meal time can be interesting but it is getting much easier to just flow with it when I am cooking meals.

Life is good!

My Thursday

Thursday was an interesting day to say the least. Courtesy of a wonderful dinner at the Hot Box Imbiss, where I had a wonderful dinner of Jagersnitzel, I was able to achieve nearly 1400 calories for the day. Even with me bringing home half of the Jagersniztnel, I got in the calories I wanted.

The scales this morning were still kind too which was a plus...I am still holding at 108 lbs. I do hope to get into the gym soon and start adding some muscle weight which is the next goal for me.

A great morning

A great morning on the scale...I am down to 108 lbs. I am so psyched about it. While I cannot "see" a difference, I do feel differences in my energy levels, hunger pangs and ability to sleep soundly.

Hubby and I have some running around to do today and one of them is going by Gold's Gym to check out their membership policies with regard to having to move in a few months. I am also trying to find the closest gym to the area we are wanting to move to when we are out of the Army. The planning stages are great and everything is coming together for both of us in our meal plans as well as our workout plans.

Life is good.

A so-so day....

Today was a so-so day and my eats got really messed up. I had some blood pressure troubles because of a medication snafu and ended up having to lie down for awhile. Needless to say I did not eat when I was supposed to but I did manage to get in 1058 calories, just not when I should have. But tomorrow is another day and it will be better! I shall whip myself back into it tomorrow.

My Beginning Workout Plan

Legs:
Sled Squats reps 12
Lunges dumbbell reps 12
Squats dumbbell reps 12
Lying Leg Curls - Machine reps 5

Arms:
Lying French Press Barbell reps 5
Kickbacks - dumbbells reps 5
Shoulder Press - Machine reps 12
Lateral Raises dumbbells reps 12
Wrist Curls dumbbells reps 40
Bicep Curls - machine reps 5
Bicep Curls dumbbells reps 5

Chest:
Chest press - machine reps 12
Dumbbell Fly reps 12
Sitting Dumbbell Press reps 12

Back:
Reverse Fly - dumbbells reps 12
Seated Cable Row reps 12
Back Extensions - bar weight reps 12

ABS:
Twist Crunch reps 40
Reverse Crunch reps 40

• Small Muscle Groups - 5 reps / 3 sets / 75% of 1 rep max
• Large Muscle Groups - 12 reps / 3 sets / 60% of 1 rep max
• Calves and Forearms - 40 reps / 3 sets / 30% of 1 rep max

If I tolerate it well or the weight is not enough after the first full week then I will increase each weight by 10% to: 85%, 70% and 40% of 1 rep max.

Workout Split:

Monday: Chest and Triceps
Tuesday: Upper Back and Biceps
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: Shoulders, Low Back and Wrist Curls
Friday: Legs and Abs
Saturday: OFF
Sunday: OFF

On my days off I will work with my pilates, walking, yoga and martial arts katas.

My Calorie intake is increasing to 1500 per day and 1200 - 1300 on OFF days.

• 45%C/ 35% P/ 20% F

While this is a basic beginner program...I have not been away from workouts so long that I need to go barney level but I am going to do a split routine and allow a week for healing between muscle groups for the first week or so.....and test the waters of my recovering time and weight tolerance and so forth.

Whew....Finally....done.

The Beginning

The beginning of my journey is taking place in January of 2006...A new year, a new beginning, numerous life changes and a desire to make a personal comeback.

After many long discussions with my husband, research, planning and much more, I have taken the initial steps towards assessing my new goals and planning to reach them.

Goals: To lose fat, to increase stamina, to increase endurance, to increase muscle mass, to eat right and nutritiously and to regain what life's little circumstances have taken away.

Plan: A complete revamping of dietary conditions, exercise program and bodybuilding.

Motivation: To lead a healthy, fit and active life with my wonderful husband who is also my best friend, lover, partner in all things and my heart & soul. I want to grow old with him and make that process last as long as possible.

So as I keep this journal of my daily happenings, food intake, weight gains and losses, progress and changes; I am encouraged by the support system that I have been fortunate enough to have built to help me succeed on this journey to MY Comeback!

• Height: 5' 2.5"
• Weight: 112 lbs
• BF%: 25.87
• Lean Mass: 83 lbs
• Fat: 29 lbs
• Body Mass Index (BMI): 20 1/6

Measurements:

• Chest 36.5
• Waist 29
• Hips 37
• Wrist 6
• Forearm 9

Ultimate Goals:

• Weight 120 lbs
• BF% Min - 10% Max - 12%

Compete by my husband's side in a couple's fitness competition - - - Win or Lose is irrelevant as long as he is my partner, we are happy with where we are and we reach our goals together!