Archive for Workout

Why I Write My Workouts Down {Monday Motivation}

Happy Monday people!!

I love Mondays! They are even better when I get my ass outta bed and get a workout in first thing in the morning. It is always soooo hard to get out of bed to do it (I hit snooze at least 6 times every Monday), but when I’m finished with the workout, I feel ready to take on the day.

This morning, I got up and headed to the track for a little something different. Last night, I wrote down what my workout would be (as I always do), so that I could just get up, throw on workout clothes and shoes, and just start doing.

Here’s what I did:

20 minute workoutMy goal was to do about 20 minutes of work, and I was in and out of there in 25 minutes (including my warm-up).

Brain Dump

I think I was on my 3rd or 4th bleacher when I started thinking about how f*&*ing hard this workout was and how much my legs were dying. This propelled me to start thinking about what i would do if I had just decided to “wing” my workout. I probably would have settled at 5 bleachers (because it was plenty) and gone home.

Since I had written out my workout beforehand, I knew that I had slated myself to do 10 bleachers, so I wasn’t going to quit until those 10 were done. (barring any injuries or my body being LITERALLY done).

It reminded me of the importance of having a plan. If you walk in without a plan, you’ll do as much as you can, work until it gets hard, and then probably go home.  Without a plan, it’s easier to talk yourself into just finishing when you feel like it. If you finish when you feel like it, it’s usually before you’ve really hit that hard sticking point. It’s that point when you want to quit and be done. Some days, that’s okay and I do believe in listening to your body, but if you’re trying to really make changes and achieve goals, quitting when you feel like it just won’t cut it. You need to push past the sticking point to really see progress. (at least that’s my opinion, others will have their own I’m sure).

If you go in with a plan, you’re more likely to stick to that plan. You’ll do those last few reps you thought you couldn’t do, and finish the final sets you didn’t think you could do, much like I did today at the track.

IMG_7079I hobbled away from the track today with my legs visibly shaking, but I completed the workout that I set for myself. It feels really good to want to quit, but to then push through and finish strong. I knew today would be a good day because of it.

Your Turn

I challenge you to start planning your workouts. Even if that means writing it in your car before you walk into the gym (which I do allllll the time), just set a goal for yourself, and complete that goal.

As always, check with a doctor before starting any new workout program and listen to your body. Learn the difference between pushing through a sticking point and pushing TOO hard. There is a difference and the more you workout, the more you’ll start to learn when to quit and when to push through.

Post-Track Workout Face

Post-Track Workout Face

Q’s:

1. Do you plan your workouts or just wing it?

2. Do you feel like you push through your “sticking point” or do you usually quit at that point?

Crossfit, Food, and Random LOL’s

Happy Wednesday people!

I had a late-ish night last night, so coffee was definitely necessary immediately upon waking up this morning!

Some of you may know that I’m also a sound engineer and used to work full time as a recording engineer in a studio here in LA. While I don’t do it full time anymore (obviously), I still do the occasional session. Last night I got to work with a pretty well known rock band (rhymes with shmimeshmown), so it was definitely worth losing a few hours of sleep. 🙂

My Day

I made this yummy breakfast to start my morning yesterday and it was so, so satisfying and delicious, so I thought I’d share! (If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve already seen it.)

Open-faced egg white, turkey, and Ezekiel bread sandwich. Get in my belly!!!I highly recommend this bad boy.

  • Ezekiel Bread
  • 1 slice Mozzarella Cheese
  • 2 slices turkey breast
  • 6 egg whites
  • season to taste (i just used pepper)

After breakfast and getting some work done, I went to Crossfit again (I went last week for the first time in a while), and we did a really fun WOD!

So fun, in fact, that I completely ripped up my hands…..and still continued on to finish the WOD. #dedication or #stupidity?

Here’s what we did:

Strength
Back Squats: 8-8-8-8 (so 4 sets of 8 reps at about 75% of our 1 rep max)

WOD

  • Push Press: 7-6-5-4-3-2-1
  • Toes 2 Bar: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 (i did knees to elbow)

then

  • Box Jumps: 7-6-5-4-3-2-1
  • Pull Ups: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7

I was totally fine until the pull ups. And then this happened….

IMG_6878I guess it was bound to happen at some point! Now I just need to figure out how to get these bad boys to heal ASAP so I can continue with my regularly scheduled lifting. 🙂

I plan on taking today off from working out since my body is pretty sore. I have a busy day today with work and then back in the studio tonight, so it works out well.

Random things that made me laugh out loud this week:

IMG_6879IMG_6880Seriously, get me that Coach purse NOW. Can’t even tell it’s a fake…

Q’s:

1. What’s your favorite band? Mine is and has been 36 Crazyfists for about 10 years now

2. Have you ever ripped your hands open while working out? (any tips????)

 

Weekend Recap + Progress Pics

lean shoulders

It’s March!! My favorite month of the year! Not only because my birthday is this month, but also because it means that spring is coming! We’ve had quite the rough winter here in Santa Monica. 😉

Weekend Recap

I had a great long weekend with my family last week. I was sad to go, but I’ll be back soon! Being able to work remotely definitely has it’s perks. I’m elavilnews to have a job that allows me to travel and still work.

I didn’t take many photos during my trip, but here are a few highlights:

kombucha

Kombucha on tap at LGO

arizona sunset

A perfect AZ sunset.

nephew

Progress

I’m sure some of you are wondering how my 12 week plan is going, so here’s a little update:

I’m still loving this and it will likely just be what I do from here on out. The flexibility of counting macros is great, and allows me to stay on plan pretty much anywhere. I traveled last week, which is usually a dieting nightmare, but since my plan doesn’t call for specific foods, and rather a macronutrient count, I was still able to stay on track for the most part. I did have some extras here and there, but I planned on that and it isn’t something that is going to stall my progress (at least I hope not).

It isn’t easy every day, and some days it’s tough, but compared to anything I’ve ever done in the past, it’s extremely easy. I’m getting more and more used to it each day and finding it to be easier when I’m able to plan my days ahead of time. Just need to get better about actually doing that. 😉

Here are some photos that I took over the weekend. I’m really happy with the changes I’m seeing in my body!

lean shoulders

My shoulders are definitely leaner than when I started this!

leaning outStill have a ways to go, but I’m seeing more lines. 🙂

Workouts this Week

Monday: 20 min. Conditioning (KB Cleans, KB Snatches, Barbell Complexes, Burpee Box Jumps) + Chest/Abs

Tuesday: Crossfit

Wednesday: Legs

Thursday: 20 min. HIIT + Shoulders

Friday: Back

Saturday: Rest Day

Sunday: Full Body

As always, my workouts are subject to change, but this is my tentative plan for the week.

Q’s:

1. What is your dream job?

2. Which workout are you most looking forward to this week?

HIIT On! and a Thought for Today…

Hey from AZ!

I flew in super early yesterday morning and it all just feels like a whirlwind. My first stop was here:

Obvious first stop upon arriving to AZ. COFFEE TIME!!!They make their almond milk fresh here and it is SO SO good. I get my usual stop-acne-meds (americano with steamed almond milk), and it never disappoints. Just wish they had this in Cali!!

I spent most of the day yesterday working, got to see some family and friends, did a leg workout, and then slept like a baby last night. You know when your entire day feels like two days combined? Yeah, it was like that.

IMG_6825

This morning I headed back to the gym to get a quick HIIT session in before I started working for the day.

In case you want to try it, here it is:

HIIT ON Workout

It was pretty brutal for me today, but I could also tell I was extra tired. This brings me to my thought for the day.

Something to Think About:

There are some days that I get in the gym and I’m just ON. The workout is fun, I feel strong, good, and everything just seems to fall into place. Then there are days where I just flat out feel like dog shit. I don’t want to move, everything feels heavier, and it just sucks. I used to beat myself up about it and feel like I was weak or just not trained enough, but luckily these days I’ve found a way past that.

Instead of feeling bad about myself for it, I now just accept what the day will be. Just like this morning, when I feel weak, tired, or just off, I do the best that I can for that day and know that everyday won’t always be like that. I don’t feel bummed out for not being able to do what I did the week before or even a few days before, I just remember that there are days like this and I have to push myself to TODAY’S limits. Reminding myself of that has helped me immensely with the brain game factor of training (which is a biggggggg part of training).

Question for the day:

1. When you have off days, what do you do about it?

Workout Plan for the Week

Good morning peeps!

It’s Monday and I’m definitely excited about this week. I’ve been a little down lately and Mondays help my mind reset a bit. I know that the best way to get out of a funk is to get organized, make a plan, and GSD (get shit done), so that’s exactly what I’m doing!

Monday HIIT

I got up this morning and hit the stairmill for 20 minutes of intervals to kick-start my Monday. Getting super sweaty to start my week is probably one of my favorite things to do. I hate it while I’m doing it, but as soon as I’m done I feel AWESOME and ready to tackle the week.

Workouts for the Week

Monday: 20 min. intervals + Boxing Class (haven’t done one in a while..it’s gonna hurt!!)

Tuesday: Back + Crossfit (more on this below)

Wednesday: Legs!! (I’ll be in AZ and doing leg day at my home gym is the best thing ever!)

Thursday: Chest & Shoulders + 20 min. intervals

Friday: Conditioning Day (ropes, medicine balls, plyos)

Saturday: Rest Day

Sunday: Hike

Going to be quite the fitness week, but that’s what happens when you make workout dates with a lot of people haha. I mentioned I’d be going to Crossfit on Tuesday. If you know me, you know I’ll never be a die hard, every day Crossfitter (not for me), but I do like to go to Crossfit every now and then. I love the competitive edge and intensity. I made a date with some friends to go try a class (they’ve never done it before), and I think we are going to make it a weekly thing. Woohoo!

This week I’ll also be heading out to AZ for a few days for a work-cation. I’ll be working during the day, and spending time with my family and friends in the evenings. I do love having a job where I can work virtually at times. I’m excited to see my fambam!

Who's working out today I'm working on my back today. Pull ups and rows for days!! (Although the weight pictured was used as a prop...I'm going heavy today people!!!!)

Q’s

1. What’s your favorite activity for a “workout date” with a friend?

2. Crossfit. Yay or nay?

 

Baby Shower Fun + Nutrition & Workout Update

Hey Friends!

How’s your Monday going so far? Mine is going well…just working away!

I got up this morning and did sprints on the treadmill. I was seriously dragging this morning and was texting my girl Maggie to send me motivational quotes to help me through. She had some real words of wisdom haha!

magtext

In the end, the thought of coffee got me through. It’s funny how 20 minutes can seem so daunting at the same time. Whatever, I did it!!

coffeep

Weekend:

This weekend, Charlie and I attended a baby shower for my old boss. It was quite the extravagant party, and it was really good to see my old co-workers. I miss them and the family!!

Baby shower fun!

We posted this picture up on Facebook and immediately realized that everyone thought WE were pregnant. Just to be clear, this is our only child…

Asked him to come lay down WITH me. He decided to lay ON me instead.The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful. We did a chest/plyo workout on Sunday, but other than that it was naps for me and work for Charlie.

Nutrition Update:

So far, I’m loving working with Sohee as far as my nutrition goes. It’s nice to be eating on a fat loss plan without being constrained to chicken, vegetables, and brown rice. I love those things and eat them almost daily, but I also eat candy and chicken sausage and Kombucha on the daily. It all fits in the plan, and that is awesome. 😀 I’m feeling good!

Workout Plan for the Week:

Monday: 20 min. HIIT (done) +  Shoulders

Tuesday: Legs

Wednesday: Back & Abs

Thursday: HIIT + Chest

Friday: Legs

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Full Body

That’s the plan, but as always, I’ll change things up if I need to. It all depends on my soreness and energy levels. I always try to make the best decision for that day, so it’s hard to say for sure.

Hope everyone is having a great start to the week! I’ll be back tomorrow!

Good & Bad

Wow, this week has flown by! I feel like I say that a lot. It’s been a mixture of good and bad.

Good

I finally sucked it up and started squatting with low bar. This means the barbell sits lower on your shoulders than a normal squat. It feels SUPER awkward, but it distributes the weight throughout your body better and usually makes it easier to squat heavier. Getting past the awkward feeling is by far the hardest part, but once you do, the results are awesome. I squatted 160 lbs for 3 reps the other day, whereas when I did normal squats last week, my 1 rep max was 165. I am really excited to see what my 1 rep max is with a low bar squat.

Here’s the difference between normal bar and low bar:

back-pain-high-bar-vs-low-bar-squatsPhoto Credit

Bad

I haven’t gotten much sleep this week and consequently have been a little grumpy. It’s amazing what a lack of sleep can do to you. I’m doing a photo shoot on Saturday (see below), but plan on fully taking advantage of my first free day in WEEKS. Not that I’m complaining, as it has been a fun past few weeks/weekends, but I literally haven’t had a day to myself in over 3 weeks. I need it.

Good

I’m working with a fellow FitFluential Ambassador this weekend and will be demoing a bunch of exercises for a new iPhone app that is coming out! It looks really cool, so I will definitely spread the word when it’s out! You’ll see my familiar face/body in the entire exercise glossary! 😀

Only a few days left to get my FREE 10 Day Sexy SlimdownDownload here:  http://FitLizzio.com/sexyslimdown Whether you're looking to get back on track or just need a little boost/challenge to help you break through a plateau, this is for you! This FREE eBook includes: 10 Days of Workouts10 Day Meal Plan Full Grocery ListFull Exercise Demo LibraryBad

I don’t recommend walking 19 miles in a matter of 2.5 days. It’s not a huge deal, but I hurt something in my foot last weekend and it’s just been an annoyance. I’m still able to walk, run, jump, etc. but it’s just a naggy little thing that is bothering me. I’m hoping a little R&R this weekend will heal me.

Good

I love my best friend. I know this is cheesy, but this little guy makes me so happy! I love watching him goof around, play with other dogs, and just be a light in the room. I’m lucky to have this mutt!

Oscar is my hero.

In other news, I’ve been really digging my workouts as of late. I’ve been mostly focusing on getting stronger and throwing a little HIIT in between. Here’s what my workouts looked like this week:

Sunday: HIIT – 20 minutes

Monday: Legs (colored pairs indicate supersets)

  • Hip Thrusts: 185 x 12 (3 sets)
  • Banded Hip Abduction: black band x 30 (3 sets)
  • Leg Extensions: 70×15, 90×12, 90×12
  • Supinated Hamstring Curls: 50×15 (3 sets)
  • Box Jumps: 24 in. x 10 (2 sets)
  • DB Step Ups: 22.5 x 10 (2 sets)
  • Burpees: 10 reps (3 sets)

Tuesday: Shoulders + HIIT – 20 minutes

Wednesday: Full Body (Heavy Squats, Heavy Hip Thrusts, Back Extensions, Banded Lateral Walks, Incline Press, Chin Ups, Hanging Leg Raises)

Thursday: 15 min. Cardio to warm up, then a high rep, light weight full body workout including Leg Extensions, Supinated Hamstring Curls, DB Squat to Press, Rear Delt Raises, and Underhand Barbell Rows

Friday: REST

Saturday: Exercise Demos 🙂

Question of the Day:

1. What is 1 good thing and 1 bad thing that happened this week?

Shattered

No, I’m not talking about the Rolling Stones song…

I’m talking about my iPhone. Yesterday morning, I was running across the street with Oscar and it flew out of my pocket.

Luckily, I was able to upgrade and just $400 later (ugh…), I’m back up and running with a new iPhone 6! Woohoo!

apple-iphone 6 - 16gb-space gray-450x350(I totally wanted to take a picture of my ACTUAL new phone but it’s impossible. :-()

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that the weekend was craziness! I attended my 5th NAMM show. NAMM is a ginormous convention that basically every music, gear, and instrument company attends, in addition to a bunch of musicians, engineers, and the like. It’s a super fun time, but you basically spend 3 days on your feet.

This year I tracked it on my phone and between walking around the convention for 3 days, and the countless trips to and from our hotel (which was 1 mile away), I walked 19 MILES this weekend. That is INSANE!!! I couldn’t believe it. My calves are still screaming at me.

It was a great weekend, but I really missed this little guy!

He woke up like this.I call this Gremlin Mode.

Workout

Yesterday, I did a tough leg workout. I’ve been doing full body routines lately, but decided to change it up a little.

Hip Thrusts  185x12 for 3 sets.

I did:

  • Barbell Hip Thrusts: 3 sets of 12 reps
  • Seated Band Hip Abductions: 3 sets of 30 reps
  • Prone Hamstring Curls: 3 sets of 15 reps
  • Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 12 reps
  • Box Jumps (24 inch box): 2 sets of 10 reps
  • DB Step Ups: 2 sets of 10 reps
  • Burpees. ( I’ve started incorporating 3 sets of 10 burpees with 30 second rests in between at the end of some of my workouts. It’s a good way to “burn out” a bit and end the workout sweating. )

That’s all I’ve got for today. Nothing too exciting, but then again my life isn’t all that exciting.

(Although I did get a haircut and new color that I’m obsessed with!! Don’t mind the giant pimple on my chin.)

Love my new haircut and color. Thanks to Nicole at  !!!!!

Question of the Day

Have you ever tracked your steps at a convention? How many steps did you take?

Monday Morning Boost (WORKOUT!)

Hey guys!

I had a full, crazy, weekend that included walking a total of 19 miles. I’ll give you a full update tomorrow, but thought I’d start the week off with a Monday Morning Boost!

Try this workout today. It should only take you 15-20 minutes and will definitely get you sweating bullets!

Enjoy!

(As always, check with a doctor before starting any new exercise program. Listen to your body and don’t push yourself past what you’re capable of.)

monday boost

 

Fitness Weekend! {VIDEOS & PHOTOS}

Happy Monday!!

I started my morning off with some HIIT today! Starting off my week with fitness definitely helps me get focused. Especially since I was out of town this weekend and totally discombobulated from real life. 🙂

I’m going to get right to this weekend’s shenanigans. It was an amazing weekend with friends and fitness!

Last Thursday night, my friends and I drove out to AZ! One of my friends was running the Rock n Roll Marathon, and since my family is from AZ, we decided to go support her! Instead of writing all about it, I figured I’d like pictures and videos tell the story!

I spent some time with my family..

mattytongue

My dad and my nephew, Matty

Hanging with my little big bro!!!

Me and my littlebig bro, Ben at La Grande Orange

sillymeandben

DRANK GOOD COFFEE….

Best. Coffee. Ever.

Best. Coffee. Ever.

Kombucha ON TAP at La Grande Orange…(GAME CHANGER)

My favorite flavor: TRILOGY

My favorite flavor: TRILOGY

Shenanigans with friends…

with .
・・・
!    !! #26.2 !  powered by plants !! Finished my 3rd marathon with a PR of 4:00:45. -- if I did not have to stop to poo - it would have been 3:55:00 ! Cut 17 minutes off my time from the last race in 2011:) I'm pretty stoked about that!  Get your ass up and do something!! If I can run 26.2 miles then you can at least run 1 or 2!! ! Fitness is a lifestyle..join the movement!! Thanks to  and  for driving my ass to the race from Cali..and supporting me at the finish line!!

Torri set a new marathon PR…and Francesca and I walked a mile to meet her at the finish line..so that counts for something, right?!

Worked out at my favorite gym, Maximum Fitness with the master, Karl

Feeling the pain in 3,2,1...

Feeling the pain in 3,2,1…

Set some new PR’s at Bret’s (i’m pretty sure there is special PR Fairy dust in Bret’s garage….I always hit PR’s when I’m there!)

OH, and I can’t forget the #bootybump! Who needs a chest bump when you can booty bump?!

I had so much fun this weekend, but back to work it is!

Hope everyone had a great weekend themselves!

Question of the Day

1. Have you ever run a marathon or 1/2 marathon?

I did the AZ Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon a few years ago, and have thought about doing another, but right now I’m focused on my lifting.

 

 

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