Friday

First I apologize that the title of this post is so lame and obvious. I honestly couldn't think of anything else.

I'm going to take a new approach to this blog with the intent to motivate myself and maybe (hopefully) inspire someone along the way.

I get a lot of questions about what I eat and what I do in the gym to get fit. It's much more complex than a 20 minute conversation. So I'm going to use this blog to tell you all my secrets (if you want to call them that!). And I'm learning new things everyday, which I'll share here too.

Something to keep in mind: Since I'm training for a competition I've planned my training in phases. I'm currently in a building/bulking phase so you'll see a lot of heavy weights and low reps in my workouts and more carbohydrates and protein in my diet. (and don't be frightened by the term "bulking". I assure you I'm NOT going to look like a man. But I AM attempting to pack on muscle.) So let's get started!

Friday, August 17, 2012 (almost end of week 1 Bulking Phase)

Nutrition:
1. Breakfast, 7:30 AM - whole grain bagel with one wedge of low-fat laughing cow cream cheese; protein shake; multi-vitamin, vitamin E oil, cranberry supplement
2. AM snack, 10:30 AM - one medium fuji apple
3. Lunch, 1:30 PM - 2 healthified pb & j sandwiches (sprouted whole grain Ezekiel bread, Adam's all-natural peanut butter, sugar-free jelly)
4. PM snack, 3:00 PM (pre-workout) - 15 raw almonds; fat-burner
5. Dinner, 6:30 PM (post-workout) - protein shake (1 scoop mocha-flavored protein powder, 1 cup sugar-free almond milk, 4 ice cubes, 4 tablespoons fat-free cottage cheese, 1 medium banana, handful baby spinach leaves)
(Here's what's wrong with my nutrition today: only one vegetable serving! I'm currently out of veggies and need to go grocery shopping!)

Work-out:
AM: none
PM: 4:00 - 6:00, gluteus maximus/hamstrings (butt/back of thighs) Yes, I dedicated 2 hours to only 2 muscle groups.
Glutes:
1. Dumbbell (hereafter referred written DB) donkey kick; 15 lbs; 4 sets/15 reps (hereafter written 4/15)
2. Prone flutter kick; bodyweight (hereafter written BW); 4/20 breaths
3. Barbell (BB) Deadlift; 60 lbs; 4/15
4. Lunge slider machine; 70 lbs; 4/15
Hams:
1. Stability ball ham curl; BW; 4/12
2. Prone ham curl machine; 55 lbs; 4/12
3. BB "good-morning"; 30 lbs; 4/15 (this is one I've learned fairly recently. carefully hold the barbell across your shoulders, behind your head. be sure that the BB is resting on your shoulder muscles [trapezius], NOT your neck! place your feet toes forward, hip-width apart. bent forward at the hips, keeping your legs stiff but with a forgiving slight bend in the knee, do not lock knees. bend until torso is parallel with floor, like a bow, keeping back straight. to return to starting position, squeeze the glutes and hams, push through the heels of your feet, and straighten back up. Good Morning! hold your glute squeeze for a few seconds at the top of the move. inhale on the bow, exhale on the lift. most important: DO NOT lock out your knees. maintain a slight bend throughout the movement.)
4. BB rear lunge; 30 lbs; 4/15
Cooldown/cardio:
1. Recumbent stationary bike; level 4; 15 minutes

And there you have it. Remember, if you want to follow this exact plan, make sure to lift the weight your body is ready for. Start low and work up to it. An injury will only delay your progress and get you down, so please proceed with caution!

Thanks for stopping by.
:)