Archive for Stairmill

60 Days

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The big count down has begun!! I am 60 days away from stepping on the national stage 😀

I am about completely excited and completely nervous at the same time!! When I imagine show day, I get butterflys. It’s going to be so much fun. Still have some details to hammer out, but everything will all work out.

Today, I slept in later than usual(7:30AM haha) and took my time getting ready for the gym. I had absolutely nothing on my agenda today other than to clean/pack for my moving day. (Windows Live Writer, I <3 you and your linking simplicity.)

Glutes were on the agenda for today! Keep a look out for my article  regarding some unconventional, yet extremely effective glute exercises. I will publish a link to it when it’s done and up.

Glute Workout

I just did normal sets today. No supersets, no drop sets. Just focused on my form and mind to muscle connection.

-Quadruped Hip Extensions

-Single Leg Hip Thrusts

-Reverse Hyper

-Hip Abduction

-Smith Sumo Squats(normal reps, pulses, and holds)

I also spent a good 60 minutes on the stairmill and another 20 on the recumbant bike(mostly so I could finish a chapter in the book I’m reading.)

I found this book behind the front desk at work and decided to read it one day while doing cardio(I always read when I’m doing incline walking or stairmill. It makes the time FLY by, and it doesn’t affect how hard I push myself because I set it at whatever level I normally would.)

I have to say, this book surprised me! I still have about 50 pages left, but from the first few chapters, I got hooked and it totally has been stringing me along the entire time like an ex-boyfriend. I highly recommend reading this if you get the chance. Kelly have you read this???

Time for more cleaning/packing. Have I mentioned that I love moving??? :-/

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Posted in Books, contest prep, Dean Koontz, Glutes, Reading, Stairmill, Workout

Open, Shut

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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….

Posted in Abs, Chest, contest prep, Stairmill, Workout

11.5 Weeks Out

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Jello!

Time is flying! I think I say that everyday, but it’s da troof 😉

I’m at work and just finished cardio. I do 30 minutes on leg days because, let’s face it, leg days rock my world. A.K.A Take all of my energy and leave me wanting to nap all day.

My plan for today’s workout is Quad Focus and Plyometrics:

Full Squats, Hack Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats, Single Leg Leg Press, Leg Extensions, Box Jumps, Switch Jumps, Up and Overs, and the SLED.

As daunting as they are, I LOVE leg workouts. No joke, I get nervous before leg workouts. I think it is because for one, I know it’s going to be really really hard. If I don’t go balls to the walls on leg day, I am disappointed afterwards, so I always make sure I put in all my effort no matter how worn out I’m feeling. I think that I get nervous when box jumps are on the list because I’m afraid I’m going to miss and fall flat on my face, but that’s besides the point. The box is about 2.5 feet tall and if I don’t pay attention, I know I’m gonna eat it big time.

Today is also a LAKE DAY 🙂 I’m a very spoiled girl and have not one, but TWO friends with wakeboard boats. My tan lines are definitely making a come-back……



Other than that, life is good. I’m done with school until June(summer school) and just enjoying my prep and working hard.

Posted in box jumps, contest prep, full squats, Green Beans, Lake, Legs, Plyometrics, quads, sled, Stairmill, switch jumps, Uncategorized, Workout

Supplement Talk Part 1

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Hey guys! Happy Star Wars Day!! Haha, i heard that on the radio today. I’ve never actually seen Star Wars, but I’m celebrating anyways. Join me? 😉

I get a lot of questions from friends, fellow gym members, and readers about supplements. Most of the questions involve the NEED to take certain supplements. Without them, you couldn’t possibly get the results that you want, right? Well, no. Not at all, actually.

Supplements are just that: supplements. Let’s break it down:

sup·ple·ment (spl-mnt)

n. 1. Something added to complete a thing, make up for a deficiency, or extend or strengthen the whole.
A supplement is something used in ADDITION to the most important pieces of your program. It is the icing on the cake, not the batter.
 
There are literally THOUSANDS MILLIONS of different supplements. Natural supplements, artificial supplements, plant and fruit extracts, vitamins, minerals, food derivatives, YOU NAME IT. I guarantee that for any thing you can think of, someone has made a “necessary” supplement to help, treat, cure, fix, screw up blah blah blah you get the point.
The amount of supplements on the market are enough to make you dizzy. I should know, I could open up a store with the amount of supplements in my kitchen, b ut that’s beside the point. The true point is that first of all, we don’t know the safety of most of these supplements. Very few studies are done on supplements and the FDA does not regulate them, so you can pretty much put anything in a bottle and say what you want about it. There are quality supplements and there are definitely things that can help you acheive your goals, but they are NOT NECESSARY.
What is necessary?
A clean diet(diet meaning the way you eat, not a “diet”), an active lifestyle(activity level is different for every single individual based on goals, age, desires, health etc. ) and a healthy mind. That one is probably the most important piece. The rest of it follows when your mind is in a good place.
The next time someone tells you that you HAVE to take a certain supplement in order to acheive your next goal, come back to this post. Like I said, supplements CAN help and sometimes it is the boost that pushes you forward a little bit, but without a solid foundation, those supplements aren’t going to do a thing. Set your foundation, then you can start peaking into the supplement world, but until then. EAT  CLEAN AND WORK HARD 🙂
Posted in Abs, Chest, Running, Stairmill, Star Wars, Supplements, Uncategorized, Workout