Allison's Journal

Today's workout:

+ warm-ups (2 circuits): 10 x prisoner squats, 6 x pushups, 6 x prisoner lunge each leg

A1: RDL w/ 25lb dbs x 12
A2: lunges w/ 25 lb dbs x 8 each leg
x 3 sets

B1: rows x 12 @ 90 lb (with the Y cable pulling at a downward-ish angle)
B2: stability ball jackknife x 10
x 3 sets

C1: inclined press x 12 w/ 25 lb dbs
C2: standing shoulder press w/ 15lb db x 10 each arm
x 3 sets

HIIT: 5 min warmup, 8 intervals (45sec / 90sec rest), 5 min cool down on stationary bike


I think the C superset was too much arms at once. I think I need to mix it up, arm + leg. And I couldn't get inverted rows in there...the boys' room was PACKED. Smith machine as well as all the bars that could be used were taken. Will get in on Monday, I hope.

the boys' room was PACKED. Smith machine as well

lots of sore shoulders in that gym i'm sure, or knees

So I was on vacation most of last week. I had my regular workout/spin class Monday, Pilates Tuesday, then left. Wed. was off; Thurs, I did a small routine with a resistance band and did 3 HIIT intervals up some stairs outside on a hillside; Fri - Sun, I didn't exercise per se, but we did 1 hour of work outside each day, so I did raking and moving leaves and spreading mulch and all that stuff, so I did get in something.

Today, back to the regular routine...though I have to leave tomorrow afternoon again for a day for an interview out of state. But the hotel I'm staying at said I'd have free use of the YMCA next door. They usually are overcrowded and not so great, but I should be able to get something in.

My weight's down a bit, despite eating a ton (so many carbs...I feel like a loaf of bread!) last week. It was all pretty healthy food, but it was a lot of pasta, rice, and bread. Usually with me, my weight will stay steady during the vacation and then spike up a few pounds the week after, so I'll be looking out for that.

I guess I haven't been good about posting. Had some vacation, then some other stuff, then more stuff...life's hectic right now. But that can be a good thing, I guess.

I got some tips from a trainer and have been changing up the workouts. I haven't made it to spin classes in a while due to scheduling conflicts, so I haven't had much cardio at all. I've put on a few lbs...I'm guessing 1 is muscle and 2 are from eating out over vacation/being away from home.

And my shoulders have all of a sudden popped up out of nowhere. They're seriously crazy. I was surprised in the mirror.

Here's one workout:

A1: db snatch, 15lb, 5x each arm
A2: assisted pull-up, 130lb [I weigh 190-ish], 5x
repeat without rest 12x

B1: bulgarian split squat, no weight, 5x each leg
B2: squat holding bar in front x 5
repeat without rest 12x

C1: low cable row 90lb x 5
C2: squat w/ shoulder press 15lb dbs 5x
repeat without rest 12x

20 decline situps w/ 6lb medicine ball
20 side-touches(? oblique twist) w/ 6lb medicine ball
x 2


This is mixing stuff up with regular higher weights / lower reps routines.

Don't worry about the scale too much. A woman weight shifts so much from day to day, week to week. Just get back into a routine and check the scale in a month. I think we need pictures of you amazing shoulders! Show them off

Allison - you're pulling some serious weights...90 lbs low row? I've just upped mine to 50 lbs and I struggle. I can't imagine ever pulling 90. BUT, I can sure see the difference in my biceps since starting weight training.

Yes - let's get some pics of those shoulders! You show your shoulders and I'll post my new biceps? :) Ha! Mine probably won't even show up in pics, but what the heck! Progress is progress.

Thanks gals, but I'm still not quite comfortable taking pics of myself and posting them on the 'net. At least not pics that are slightly unclothed. I still have a lot of flab on my arms.

Phew! I want to wait too, but I was game if you were ! :)

So I've been working my butt off lately and have actually PUT ON weight, and don't give me the stuff about it all being muscle either, guys. I'll have my body fat done in a couple weeks before I move, but I went from being a very active 196lbs to taking some time off and going down to 188lbs to being more active again and now I'm back to 195 and my pants are tight.

Not so motivating.

Yes, have other stuff going on, this heart thingy and thyroid possibly being out of whack, who knows. Just VERY frustrating.

This week, I did a 45-min spin class Friday, off Saturday, Sunday did the routine listed above minus the abs and plus an hour spin class, Monday did an hour spin class, Tuesday had an hour with a trainer...could not even begin to tell you what we did...I can recreate most of it in the gym, but I don't know what anything's called. Today I was supposed to go to Pilates but was really sore, so did a gyrokinesis class instead, which was mostly stretching exercises. Tomorrow I have that hour Chisel class, which is close to a training session.

All that and I gain like 7 lbs. I lost more weight not exercising. Yes, some of it was muscle, but everyone says go on how your pants feel, and they were looser by not exercising. Not that I'm going to stop, just saying it's VERY frustrating.

females do that...i can measure one 3 days apart and get conflicting measurements...your bodies hold all sorts of things

just a thought...

spin class is a repetitive motion so very energy efficient meaning each time you do it you burn less cal's doing it...what might be happening is when you were doing it a while ago it was new and you may have been burning 500cals per session but now that you've done a few of them and your fitness is increasing you're now only using 250cals per session...at 2 - 3/week your burning 500 - 750 less cal's a week and i'm sure the number is higher these are just for show

now the biggie...have you decrewased cal's this much?

if not then that may be your wt gain right there...

www.uponlinetraining.com

Allison, we all have our ups and downs. When you are a big woman, like you and me, the ups feel like a slap in the face when you are busting ass in the gym. I was 197, then 190, then 195, now 190, all since joining this board a couple months ago. All the hard work you can document, seems for not when the scale goes up. I almost gave up.

I would refocus on your diet, go back to measuring your food, maybe you are over estimating. I have these ice cream scoops, one is a tablespoon size,(originally for cookies). I use them all the time to help measure/serve out soft food like peanut butter and potatoes. I figure if I use them to serve food, I will not be giving my girls obsessive ideas and will give them appropriate serving sizes so when they serve themselves they will have an idea of how much to put on their plate.

good luck

so what are prisoner squats and lunges?

Swans: That's true, and while I feel like I'm able to do certain things in the class easier, it includes a lot of intervals, so I'm using that as my HIIT some days as well. The instructor on Mondays does the Tabata intervals. I'll try to vary the cardio I do a bit more.

Pandora: Yeah, I've never taken to measuring food. It's something that would drive me crazy. I have an idea of what serving sizes should be and usually stick to them, but that's always been my one thing...life will not be enjoyable for me if I have to record calories and measure out all my food. I don't feel like I'm eating all that much.

Here's a usual diet, for example:

9am: banana

9:30: goat kefir (like yoghurt) with honey-sweetened whole grain granola

10:45: apple

(usually a workout around noon, then a whey isolate shake + almond milk)

2: lunch (can consist of eggs & whole-grain toast, a temeph reuben, quorn "chicken" sandwich on spelted grain bun, garden veggie wrap or falafel pita when eating out)

4: snack (either celery with almond butter & raisins, about 6 whole-grain crackers & homemade black bean - mango salsa, rarely a homemade grain-sweetened almond cookie)

6-7: dinner (last night was sprouted grain spaghetti with organic tomato sauce and quorn "meatballs" and I ate half as much as my husband, sometimes fish + veg + couscous, sometimes quorn "chicken" sandwich on spelted grain bun, sometimes sushi, etc)

And I always have at least a liter of water a day.


moodygirl:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmnNYOxUB5A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZyRyIqRHVM
If you ever have a question about an exercise, go to YouTube.

I will have to give those a try - thanks

And I finally put body pics up on my profile, so if you want to be blinded, you can check them out.