Tuesday, December 30, 2008

39 Weeks, 3 days

Well, nothing too spectacular happened today. I got the BF to help me clean half of the living room. I still have the other half to do (half of that is mine and the other half is his. I'm going to get my side done tomorrow because I'm not going to workout - maybe go for a walk at most.

Tonight I did Chest/Tris and had a tough time getting through it. I was going to do legs/shoulders but Rachel & Michelle (trainers at the gym) convinced me to take Michelle's leg class on New Year's day from 9 to 11 a.m. I may also come back and do the shoulders/traps class at 3 p.m. At any rate, I want to be fresh for the marathon session with her. In a weird way, I'm looking forward to the workout!

Tonight, I really didn't have any energy - may have a lot to do with the fact that I'm not eating like I should. When I say not eating like I should, I'm saying I'm eating crap! I'm working on getting back on the wagon very hard by the 4th.

I have a dental appointment in the morning - not looking forward to that. Then I will do my side of the last half of the living room and catalogue the DVDs piled up in my bedroom.

I'm really, really, really looking forward to the New Year. This next year is going to be life changing for me. Just a year ago I was weighing 276 lbs and in just under a year I will be competing in my first body building competition. That just blows my mind! I'm going to be in the best shape of my life!

Monday, December 29, 2008

9 Months (39 Weeks), 4 days

Toda was a really interesting day (NOT!) The BF came back over to my house an dwe watched a couple of movies and T.V. We also played with the dog.

I went to the grocery store and bought groceries for the next two weeks. At the checkout, I put the 35lb bag of dog food up on the belt, the 25lb bag of cat food up on the belt, the two boxes of 15lb kitty litter up on the belt and then after the had been scanned back into the buggy. The cashier and bagger (both female, one overweight) both commented on how I was handling the bags as well as all the healthy food. Since my BF loves beer, I also had to show my driver's license with my fat picture on it. The cashier did a double take and showed it to the bagger. They asked me what I did to lose the weight and how much I had lost. I told them really quickly what I did and how much and as there was someone in line behind me I left them with their mouths hanging open! I am so thrilled to be able to share my story like that.

Joe, my trainer, tells everyone he can at the gym how much I've lost and also tells them about the fact that I'm training for a BB comp and how much I'm lifting! So, I get into conversations on a fairly regular basis about BFL and what it has done for me and how it has changed my life.

Well, today was back/bis today and I wasn't really feeling it but I did it any. I stayed in the high/low range that Joe set for me for each of the exercises. He doesn't want me to make new highs unless he's there to make sure I'm using proper form. He likes to pile on the weights to see how I do with it. I'm hoping that my low back tweak from the marathon squats session on Saturday is better by Wednesday when I do legs again. If not, I'll just leave the squats off or go light on the weights.

Tonight, I cleaned out the book case in my room of all the workout videos that I will never do as well as the books that I've read. So, I have a couple of boxes (in addition to all the other stuff I've cleaned out the last serveral days) to give to either Goodwill or the Salvation Army... Probably Goodwill since they are near where I go to the dentist. Yeah, I have a dental appointment on Wednesday... Nothing like ringing in the New Year with a dental cleaning! Whoo Ha!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

9 Months, 6 Days

OMG! I am SO unbelievably sore today. My triceps, chest, abs and traps are all sore from the workout yesterday. I didn't sleep well last night because I couldn't move! Every time I'd move I'd wake up because of the soreness. I'd go back to sleep then my hands or leg would go to sleep which necessitated my needing to move. THEN, my stomach started acting up from the ugly eating of the last several days. I finally got up at 11:00 (I went to bed at 12:30 a.m.) and I have a headache! YEESH!

I did go workout with Joe today. Since it was legs/shoulders day, he decided to see what I could do on squats today. I did super sets with shoulders... Following is what I did:

Squats (alternated first 3 sets with Military Dumbbell Press Shoulders, Last 3 sets with Side Lateral Shoulders):
Set 1, 10 reps, 95lbs
Set 2, 10 reps, 115 lbs
Set 3, 8 reps, 135 lbs
Set 4, 8 reps, 155 lbs
Set 5, 8 reps, 185 lbs
Set 6, 8 reps, 205 lbs
Set 7, 2 reps, 225 lbs (tweaked the back on rep 2 so I stopped)

Military Dumbbell Press:
Set 1, 15 reps, 10 lbs
Set 2, 15 reps, 10 lbs
Set 3, 15 reps, 10 lbs

Side Laterals:
Set 1, 15 reps, 8 lbs
Set 2, 15 reps, 8 lbs
Set 3, 15 reps, 8 lbs

Step ups (bench with 6 risers, alternated with Rear Delts):
Set 1, 10 reps each leg, 40 lbs
Set 2, 10 reps each leg, 50 lbs
Set 3, 10 reps each leg, 50 lbs (added another riser)

Rear Delts:
Set 1, 15 reps, 10 lbs
Set 2, 15 reps, 10 lbs
Set 3, 15 reps, 10 lbs

Leg extensions (lighter weight, higher reps, alternated with Frontal Shoulders and Lying Leg Curls):
Set 1, 15 reps, 80 lbs
Set 2, 12 reps, 80 lbs
Set 3, 12 reps, 80 lbs

Frontal Shoulders:
Set 1, 15 reps, 8 lbs
Set 2, 15 reps, 8 lbs
Set 3, 15 reps, 8 lbs

Lying Leg Curls (lighter weight, higher reps)
Set 1, 15 reps, 60 lbs
Set 2, 15 reps, 60 lbs
Set 3, 15 reps, 60 lbs

On the last two sets of squats I got dizzy after I finished the set and then got goosebumps. That was a weird feeling. I got goosebumps doing the step ups, during and after each of the sets. I also got them doing the frontal shoulders. On top of that I would leave a puddle of sweat everywhere I'd sit or stand! Joe was really happy with my workout today - he said the goosebumps were an indication that I had gone into an anabolic state and that was really good! He's happy so I'm happy!

I'm going to go get started on cleaning the office - that is if I can move! :D

Friday, December 26, 2008

9 Months, 1 Week

I cleaned the kitchen yesterday and boy was that a job. Yes, it was Christmas day. No one but me here at the ole homestead. It took me 5 hours to clean it but it is good to go for another couple years (naw, just kidding, but it IS clean!)

I didn't workout yesterday like I had planned and the eating was REALLY ugly. I'm mostly back on plan today - worked out with Joe but the eating still not so hot but not as ugly as yesterday. The BF was here all day so I didn't start cleaning until he left at 5:00. I cleaned the two hall closets and the laundry room. Oh and we FINALLY sold the BowFlex TreadClimber... YAY! I hated that thing!

Okay, now my workout for today (chest/tris/abs):

Chest (all weights are the last set)
Incline Bench Press: 125 lbs (increase of 20lbs) - 4 reps
Incline Dumbbell Flys: 35 lbs (increase of 5 lbs) - 6 reps
Pullovers: 45 lbs (increase of 10 lbs) - 10 reps
Incline Cable Flys: 35 lbs (increase of 5 lbs) - 12 reps
Incline Pushups

Tris (all weights are the last set)
Close Hand Press: 105 lbs (increase of 20 lbs) - 5 reps (edited to add bar weight!)
Decline Nosebusters/Skull Crushers: 98 lbs (increase of 20lbs) - 8 reps (edited to add bar weight)
Rope Overhead Extensions: 80 lbs (increase of 30 lbs) - 6 reps
Rope Pushdowns: 80 lbs (increase of 20lbs) - 8 reps
Bench Dips

Needless to say the cleaning tonight was interesting. Next chest/tris workout will be pretty much the same except no increases in weight and higher reps (Joe doesn't want me to increase unless he's there to spot and ensure that I'm doing good form.)

Tomorrow is legs/shoulders with Joe so I'm sure we'll be going heavy and there'll be increases as well. Then more cleaning... It'll probably be the office since the dog isn't here and it REALLY, REALLY needs to be cleaned!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

9 Months, 1 Week, 2 Days - Christmas Eve

Today is Christmas Eve and I am at work until about 2:30 or 3:00. I don't have any plans as far as Christmas goes... My BF will probably go to his house tonight so I will have some alone time tonight and tomorrow since my daughter is also gone to her father's until Jan. 4th.

I plan to do my chest/tris/abs tonight at home since both gyms (Joe's and Fitness 19) will be closed at 1:00 and closed tomorrow as well. My rest day is tomorrow but I may take a walk or something. I'm thinking that I may get a jump on the house cleaning as well since I won't have to worry if I'm bugging the BF with the noise, etc.

I'm so looking forward to having the next week and a half off from work. Sleeping late and getting stuff done around the house...

Oh, I had a great workout last night. Joe texted earlier in the day saying he couldn't make it because he was snowed in in Chicago (he's a flight attendant.) So, I went ahead and did the planned workout by myself - it was back and bis. I still really don't like pullups. My elbow was sore afterwards so I took some advil and put some ice on it and it is doing better today. Yay!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

9 Months, 1 Week, 3 Days

I had some personal bests/records last night in legs. I leg pressed 420 lbs, squatted 175lbs and deadlifted 212 lbs. I also had some increases in weights on shoulders but not as impressive as the legs: single arm rear delts, 95lbs (on the pec deck) and behind the back traps low lift, 65 lbs. I think I'm going to have some fun walking late this evening and tomorrow morning. My DOMS usually takes 24 to 48 hours to set in, though, I'm feeling some twinges now in both the legs and shoulders. I expected as much since I hadn't done legs/shoulders since last Tuesday due to my down time Friday through Sunday - Friday being my usual rest day and Sat/Sun being given to me by Joe due to the exhaustion of the drive to Chattanooga and back doing the kid swap with the ex.

I talked a little with Rachel, one of the trainers and co-owner at Joe's gym, as I was getting ready to leave. She said that she sees motivation in me that she sees in few people. She is impressed with how consistent I have been with getting to the gym and getting through the workouts. She is looking forward to working with me after the beginning of the year when the "real" training starts. Yikes! I also spoke with Joe about my new PRs and he said, I quote, "You will be doing twice that in a few months." Yikes, again!

I'm really enjoying the workouts. I enjoy lifting more and more and seeing the changes in my body. I can REALLY see the changes in my upper body. My midsection and legs, not so much. I can feel the muscles in my midsection and legs, just can't see them yet.

Oh, and I finally told my BF that I'm training for a body building competition. He was wondering why I've gotten obsessed with chicken and fish (I asked him to grill lotsa chicken breasts for me.) He just nodded his head and grinned a little. I expected an argument or articles on how this path is going to affect me negatively, etc. That didn't happen, at least, last night it didn't. I'm sure that it'll take time for it to sink in and then WAMMO! I hope it doesn't happen because I'd really like his support on this.

Well, tonight is back/bis with Joe. Back is probably my least favorite body part to work, abs being next in line. I really don't like pullups. But, with anything else I don't like, I will tough through it and get it done because I KNOW that it is a means to an end. I really do want a beautiful back and I know that I have to work it and work it hard to get there!

Monday, December 22, 2008

9 Months, 1 Week, 4 Days

Blog Day 1. I've never journaled or done a diary before so I'm going to take a stab at journaling my progress and journey to my first body building competition on October 3rd, 2009 - the Atlanta SNBF in Marietta, Georgia.

So, today is the Monday before Christmas, 2008. I've been traveling the road to a thinner more healthier me for over a year now. I've succeeded in "releasing" almost 100 lbs of weight from my body by following the BFL program out of my house. I bought several pieces of equipment: a set of SelectTech 552 dumbbells, a recumbent bike and a Bowflex incline/decline bench.

Those pieces of equipment took me a long way but I wanted to change things up quite a bit a couple of months ago so I joined a gym. While I was doing that, I decided to hire a trainer for 12 sessions (there was a discount) from the gym. That's how I met Joe. He left the gym to open his own gym with another trainer - a trainer's only type gym. I moved over there with him because we clicked and really like the trainer's only type gym where you could workout there (with very few other people) if you were training with one of their trainers.

I worked out with him for the 12 sessions and found that I really liked having a trainer but I didn't really have a goal. Jeo started talking to me about doing body building in a very casual way and pointed to himself and the other trainers as examples. He's 50 and finished 4th in a competition just recently.

So, I thought about it seriously and I decided a couple weeks ago that I wanted to go down the road of competing in a body building competition. I told Joe that I wanted to do it and when he thought I would be ready. That's how October 3, 2009 came about.

Today is the beginning of week 3 of the body building workout he created for me. I am loving the workouts and I'm lifting heavier than I ever thought I could. I did 155 lbs on the squat and 360lbs on the leg press.

Tonight is legs and shoulders and I'm really looking forward to coming away wiped out!