Archive for May 31, 2010

Moving

Moving sucks. I’ve done it too many times in the past year, and I’m about to do it again.

Wednesday and Thursday this week will be spent lugging my belongings to my new house! Since my roommate just moved, I’m moving in with another friend. It’s in another part of town, but I’ll be down the street from my sister’s house so I’m really excited!

Tomorrow marks 60 days until my competition. Not gonna lie, I’m starting to panic a little bit. 2 pounds per week is totally doable though, and that is my goal.

I’ve got my hotel, suit and tanning all set. Still need to figure out who I’m splitting my hotel with (any takers?!), who’s doing my hair, and paying for entry fees(anyone want to sponsor me?! [email protected])

I just got Windows Live Writer so I had to try it out, hence this post.

Today’s workout was tough, but good.

5 min. warm up jog

3 rounds of:

Lat Pulldowns-20 reps

Cable Rows-20 reps

Bent Over Rows-15 reps

2 min. run on treadmill

3 rounds of:

burpee—>pull ups – 15, 10, 10 reps

EZ Bar Curls-15 reps

Cable Hammer Curls-15 reps

Kettlebell swings-30 reps

Followed by 35 min. HIIT:

10 minutes 6.0—>8.0mph with 1.0incline

10 minutes 3.5—>6.0mph with 8.0 incline

15 minutes 3.5mph with 8.0-15.0 incline(increased every minute, then held steady at 15.0 until I finished)

I was a sweaty mess and I’m already sore from this workout. I love conditioning workouts!

Tomorrow is cardio x 2, Glutes/Hams, picking up some boxes for moving, packing/cleaning, writing meal plans for clients and doing some writing. Summer school starts Tuesday and then it’s moving time!

Catch ya later!

Effective Leg Workouts

This post has two purposes: To give you my opinion on form and range of motion, and to explain to you how mother-flippin-ridunkulously sore my legs are today. The fact that week after week I can still get my legs this sore just proves I really know how to push myself on leg day.

My Workout

 I typically don’t go super heavy on leg day. That’s one thing I got over. I am happy with the size of my leg muscles, and right now I am just trying to lean out and tighten up. I used to be obsessed with strength and how heavy I could lift, but realized that unless Im trying to become a power lifter or build more muscle, it really doesn’t matter, as long as my muscles are being challenged and that I change it up often, it works for me. That sentence was definitely too long, but it’s my blog and I’ll do what I want!!

Box Squats superset with Leg Extensions (2 warm ups, 4 sets)

Hack Squats superset with High Box Jumps (4 sets)

Bulgarian Squats superset with Sled Pushes (3 sets)

Squat Press superset with Jumping Split Squats (3 sets)

My legs were shaking by the time I got to the Hack Squats and continued to do so until I finished the workout.

 

Form and Range of Motion

The key to this workout being so effective has a lot to do with range of motion. I can’t tell you how many times a day I bite my tongue at the ridiculous form that people have with their exercises. Lower the weight, and DO THE EXERCISE.

What I see:

 -Walking Lunges with 20-25 lb dumbbells- people barely getting their knee down. Your knee should be almost touching the ground with EACH REP. No bouncing, no knee-past-your-toe, and make sure you GET DOWN THERE. If this means you have to drop the dumbbells, then so be it. You will be a better athlete and have better developed muscles to show for it.

-Half Squats- these are my favorite. Girls load the barbell with a bunch of plates. They squat and come up, except they didn’t even get close to parallel. Their knees are past their toes and some people even turn their head. NEVER TURN YOUR HEAD WHEN PERFORMING A SQUAT.(Unless you are trying to injure your spine and neck, in that case feel free.) Another tip, stick your butt out! Your back should be straight, chest out, and contrary to what some people think, you can even squat down past your knees. Some say this will cause injury, but there is another equal sized group that calls bluff. Either way, all I’m asking for is at LEAST parallel. NO MORE HALF SQUATS.

-Smith squats are great. They have their place, but a real squat with a free barbell is much more effective. It’s the same principal as using dumbbells over machines. The balance factor means you have to contract more muscle fibers. Don’t get me wrong, smith squats are a great exercise, but they shouldn’t be in place of a regular full squat.

There are so many different types of squats and they all have their place. Full Squats, Front Squats, Hack Squats, Hex bar squats, dumbbell squats, box squats and the list goes on. My advice is to get the regular squat down before you start venturing out. Box squats are great because they teach you to a: squat all the way down and b: to stick your butt out. Make sure your box is low enough that you can acheive at least parallel, if not further down.

Okay, so that turned into more of a rant with a little advice mixed in, but I truly stand by correct form and full range of motion. When you see people with those beautiful long lean muscles, you can bet they are doing their exercises with full range of motion(unless they are just genetically gifted.)

Do me a favor, drop the weights and work on your form. I’m not by any means saying I’m perfect, because I’m not. I work my best to get full range of motion and correct form, but it doesn’t mean I am 100% perfect at it. I use the mirrors to judge and also ask others to make sure my form is good and that i’m getting full range of motion. You will be amazed at how different your workouts will feel if you incorporate those two principles.

 

The Rad-Cake

This is a healthy, fiberlicious protein pancake recipe I just made and it was so damn good, I had to share it. I call it the Rad Cake because it was so good-both taste – wise and nutritionally- that it just needed a better name than a pancake.

The Rad-Cake

Ingredients:

2 TBSP Psyllium Husk

1/4 cup Wheat Bran

1 T Chia Seeds

1 T Whole Flax Seeds

1/2 Scoop Xyience Xy-Pro Chocolate Protein Powder

4 medium egg whites

cinnamon/stevia to taste

1/2 tsp no sodium baking powder

Mix all ingredients and cook it like a pancake.

Nutrition Facts:

Makes 1 Serving

Calories: 267

Fat: 6 g

Carbohydrates: 26 g

Dietary Fiber: 21 g

Protein: 28 g

Do you see that?? 5 g of net carbs. This is a TON of fiber, so if you’re not used to fiber, you can do smaller amounts of the wheat bran/psyllium husk/flax seeds.

Yum-berrries.

Shop 4 A Cause + Wheat Bran Recipe

Goooooood morning Vietnam!! (I was channeling my inner Michael Scott, channeling his inner Robin Williams :))

Hope everyone’s week is going well. We’re halfway through, and Memorial Day Weekend is in sight. My weekend will be spent working, what a surprise 😀 Good thing I like my jobs.

Make sure to stop by Angela’s blog, Oh She Glows and bid on one of the items for Shop 4 A Cause. 100% of the proceeds go to cancer research, and I have donated a month of nutritional and fitness coaching. Bid on anything you like, there are a TON of things to bid on!!! All items start at $20!!

Last night, I decided to try something. Wheat bran is full of fiber and really good for the digestive system. It tastes like…well kinda like sawdust 🙂 I decided to make it into a “flat bread” and see what happened. The verdict? GOOD.

Wheat Bran Flat Bread

Ingredients:

Wheat Bran – As much as you want. I used about 1/4 cup

Water – Enough to wet the wheat bran, but not have any leftover water.

Spices- whatever you want! I used garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper and some other seasoning(can’t remember what it was)

Mix everything up, and spread it on either parchment paper(if microwaving) or on aluminum foil(if baking.) Make the layer as thin or as thick as you want, and cook until it is hard.

Then eat it. Fiberlicious !

This recipe is similar to the EZ Whey Flax Cracker. Check out her book yo!

Workout

Today’s workout was Chest and Abs. Not very exciting, but it was good nonetheless. I got both cardio sessions in and I’m feeling great. I will be off work soon and then working later at my other job. Cleaning and packing in between(I move on June 3rd to a new house :)).

Thanks for the feedback on my prep update! Let me know if you have any questions about anything. I’m always happy to answer 🙂

NPC USA’s

Yo!

A few things:

-If anyone is competing at the NPC USA’s in Vegas and needs a roomie, I found a hotel (LV Hilton) right next to the host hotel, and it’s pretty cheap if I can find a few roomies. I have one I think, but looking to add 1 or 2 more! E-mail me if you’re interested: [email protected]

-Just wanted to update a little bit more in detail. I started my diet about 17 weeks out. I had a lot to lose and needed the extra time. I’m now sitting at 9.5 weeks out and I feel like I’m right where I need to be. I’m losing inches every week and my clothes are getting loose.(My “fat ” jeans are falling off. Good thing 🙂 haha)

-Training is going well. It always does because I love it 🙂 Got a great glute/ham workout today from a friend/trainer who decided to put me through a little workout this morning.

-Cardio is at two-a days now, but it’s nothing crazy. I was used to doing close to 2 hours a day, so this isn’t bad at all. 

Overall this has been a really great prep. I have about 5 weeks until my photo shoot, and I need to stay right on track to make sure I’m ready for that. I’m not worried about it, though.

-Stressing me out: Booking hotels, driving arrangements, suit, tanning, hair, POSING, sponsorships, etc. Those are the things I’m really worried about because I need to do them, but it’s expensive and time consuming. I’m working on getting my hotel and driving arrangements down this week. Posing will start at 8 weeks out (next Friday) and then I just need to get my tanning and hair squared away. I am fine with doing my own makeup, but I have a long ass mane and I need a professional to tame that beast 🙂

Anyways, just wanted to give a little more of an in depth look into the prep. I am really excited and time is flying. I have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks and before I know it, it will be peak week. Hope I’m ready!!!! 🙂

I’m BACK

Hey!! I’m back from California! I had such a great time.

My ex-roommate (:-() and I left early Wednesday morning. She moved to LA and I was just coming along for the ride. We had a good, funny couple of days and then I was off to San Francisco to meet up with a friend and hang out there!

It was my first time in San Fran and I am so glad I went. I booked the flight because it was cheap and I’ve always wanted to go, so why not?!

We got in Friday night and headed to the house we were staying at. It was a 3 story flat and they lived on the 2nd story. It was such a cool place! The interior was gutted and upgraded, but the house still held it’s history.

My favorite thing about San Francisco is that it has SO MUCH history. I am realizing more and more how much history Phoenix doesn’t have. It is such a new place in comparison to a lot of the California cities.

Saturday we hung at the house and they had a party and cooked oysters, then Saturday night we went on a Booze Cruise in the bay. Sunday, my aunt picked me up and she took me to see the Haight, Castro Street, The Mission, Crissy Field and a few other places in the city. Such a great trip! Too short, though. I definitely need at least a week to take in everything the city has to offer! Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure 😉

Golden Gate Bridge from Crissy Field

The Boat we took through the bay

Me in Crissy Field. Jesse in the background flirting with some chick haha

The view from the house I was staying at! The water to one side, and the entire city view from another window. Amazing!

View of the city from the water. So gorgeous!! Pictures don’t do it justice at all.

 

Prep Update:

Although it was tough, I held strong on my vacation and ate my meals. I had to pass up a lot of tasty food, but I still had a blast!! Everyone was very understanding of my crazy food habits, too. I was also able to get a couple passes to a nearby gym for the weekend, so I just would do that early before everyone else woke up. No excuses!! I’m a little over 9.5 weeks out! Single digits baby!!! So excited. Working on getting my hotel and driving arrangements done, and getting my suit altered and finalized.

Hope everyone has a great Monday!!!

Open, Shut

Yello!

Hope everyone’s having a good Monday. Today has been and will continue to be a very long day.

It started this morning at 3am when my alarm clock went off, reminding me that I had to be at work in exactly one hour. Lovely.

I got to the gym, opened it up and then it was cardio time!(My boss lets me work out when I open in the morning. Sweet deal if you ask me!)

I did 50 minutes on the Stepmill at level 10. It.kicked.my.ass. I was burnin’!!! “T! T!”(Along Came Polly anyone???)

After I ate my breakfast (egg whites and oats) it was time for Chest and Abs.

Let me just say, there’s not many workouts that are less exciting than Chest and Abs. Sorry, just something about working my pecs doesn’t get me stoked 😀

Afterwards I met with my coach and weight dropped a little, some inches dropped and things are smooth sailing. I feel really good and am only 10.5 WEEKS OUT!!!! Crazy soon. I’m getting nervous about all the details now. Posing, nails, hair, makeup, hotels, tanning etc.

I also have a photo shoot scheduled for the end of June, so it’s one more thing to be excited about! Same GREAT photographer as last time. He rocks 🙂

Anyways, I’m now at work AGAIN closing the gym haha. I am covering for someone. Gotta love opening the gym at 4am and closing it at 9pm. I told you I live in the gym….

Recovery Workout

Hola! As I may or may not have mentioned yesterday(I’m too lazy to check) today was supposed to be a rest day. It’s been a really long time since I had a FULL rest day, and apparently today wasn’t the day for it.

I woke up pretty early and really wanted to go out to the track for sprints. When I got there, although my mind wanted to do them, my body did NOT. So I did a nice, light recovery workout. I know pushing my body when it just isn’t having it will only end in injury.

Recovery Workout

-3 x 100 yd. Strides( Strides are not a sprint, more than a jog)

I also did some karaoke on each side, high knees, butt kickers, high knee jumps and back peddling.

It was a nice way to stretch out my muscles, get my heart rate going a little bit, but also not do anything too strenuous.

I try to listen to my body when it tells me to do or not do something. If you get your mind and body in sync, you’ll be golden.

What was your workout today? Was today a rest day for you?

Work Hard Play Hard

Wowza I’m exhausted today!!

Yesterday was a looooong day. It started with a Back Workout at the gym:

Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns

Close Grip Seated Row

T-Rope

One Arm Row

I kept it simple, since this was my second back workout of the week. Monday’s back workout was mediocre at best, so I wanted to hit it again. I feel redeemed 🙂

I ran a few errands and got my TRUCK WASHED(this happens 2-3 times per year, so it’s kind of a big event ;-)) and then headed to Pinnacle Peak to RUN the mountain. This was my first time ever running it, but a trainer at my gym was going and invited me. It was actually much easier than I thought, but still a great cardio workout. There was some downhill running, which I don’t really condone since it can be really hard on your knees, but I made sure to use my feet as shock absorbers as much as possible. My knees feel fine, so I think I did okay. I worked and closed the gym last night and pretty much passed out as soon as I got home.

Boot camp

Today’s boot camp was tough. We warmed up with 3 sets of: 5 bleachers, squats on the way down, “plyometrics”(I use that term loosely because although some of the things we do are plyos, some of them aren’t i.e. pushups, dips, etc. ) in between and then a run through(you run up and down each set of stairs and then around the bleachers.) We did this 3 times and THEN hit the track for the rest of the boot camp. Tough stuff, but I feel awesome now.

Worky work

I’m not at work at the supplement store all day. I’m working 9-5 today, 12-6 tomorrow at the gym, then opening the gym at 4am on Monday. I can’t wait to take a nap Monday afternoon. Wednesday I’m heading out with my roommate to LA(she’s moving!! :-() and then flying from there to San Francisco for the weekend. Working hard so I can play hard 🙂

Have a great weekend!

Riking

My phone went off at 5 o clock this morning and woke me up. When I’m up, I’m up and I headed to the kitch for some breakfast. I was STARVING so I got right to it. Egg whites, spinach, red cabbage and hot sauce + rolled oats, cinnamon and stevia. Separately, obviously, but totally delicious. I eat this pretty much every morning and never get sick of it.

Today was supposed to be a cardio only day, but my back workout on Monday was really lame and I feel like lifting today, so back it is. Afterwards, I’m going riking. Running and hiking. I’m usually not a fan of running a hiking trail because of sprained ankles, broken legs, broken faces, etc. but this is a very easy flat “hike” so it will be more like a trail run. I’m game!

After that I’m headed to work for a few hours and then coming home to sleep. I know, I know, my life is so exciting.

I don’t have much else going on. I posted a new article on the FitGems Nation blog. You can check it out here.

Other than that, I’ll leave you with this….

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