Temptation is a comin'

I have a friend's birthday morning tea to day. I made a cheesecake & had to wear sticky tape on my mouth to remind me not to lick the bowl after LOL! (It wasn't 100% successful :) But now, I need to make sure I don't overdo it. I'm still considering whether I will use this as a cheat meal or not....I think I will, though I haven't been to the gym in 2 days, and may not get there today (depending on when hubby finishes work). In any case, if I do - it will be one piece only & I will savour it & not feel guilty! I just hate that feeling when you go "OMG that is good, I can't stop at that!" But my plan of attack is to eat beforehand & get right back on the wagon after. I have my meals planned & there is no more bad stuff here at home, so I think I can handle it.  Wish me luck!!!

Who are the characters in your gym??!!

I know it's a bit mean, but this is a fun little game my husband and I play. It helps to make cardio sessions go much faster ; ) We give certain people in the gym little nicknames. In our gym we've got: 

Grunty Guy (very aptly named, they even put up posters saying no grunting!! -actually I don't agree with that rule, but this guy is really funny to hear)

Hang Man - he just likes to stretch it out on the chin up bar

The pair of Jokers - these guys don't know how to lift properly & it's just funny watching them swing the bar all over the place :) 

Smarmy Guy - he just has this spooky serene smile plastered on his face ALL the time

The running man - I don't think I've done cardio without him running (& sweating profusely) on the Tredmill

The Beefcake buddies - these are so big, burly & tough that they can just leave the heavy DB's around the place after their workout for other people to clean up (grrrrr, I used to have to put them away when I worked at the gym) 

And of course the towel sitters - this is where your towel acts as a babysitter for the piece of equipment you have reserved for yourself. C'mon people, what happened to 'working in'??

Anyway, these are just a few - I'd love to hear about your characters, all in good fun of course!

MM xx

What's the worst time to go to the gym?

5.30pm on a Monday. Forget it. Every piece of cardio (except maybe one of the clapped out recumbent bikes) was taken & the gym floor was overcrowded with towel sitters (they 'reserve' their  respective pieces of equipment with their towels so that you can't use it then swan around talking to their buddies who are doing the same!) Anyway it was my punishment for being slack yesterday morning and not waking up & doing a workout at 6am. I put on my patient hat & did a loooong warm up of back extensions, hanging leg raises (abs still sore from friday's 150 raises), overhead squats & sampson stretches. I then weaved my way through the crowds & did 2 x 10 chin ups, 2x10 dips & 3x 10 Incline DB presses with: 20lb, 25lb, 30lb.  

After that, I still had to wait for the treadmills to do some cardio. I am trying to improve on my running. I have slacked off lately, so am playing catch up again. These little legs aren't built for running (don't tell them I said that though!) so I'm going to work on that in the next few months. I need to do some outside runs, but otherwise the treadmill will do. My first little goal will be to get my pace up. So I am aiming to run 12km/hr for 12 mins. I only ran for 5mins @12, then intervalled it to 9.5 & then back up. My longer term goal will be to run @ 12 for 20mins. 

I noticed something last night. I don't go as hard when there are heaps of people around. I think I'm a bit self concious of the faces I pull when I lift heavy LOL! (My husband calls them my chipmunk face) or maybe it's afraid I will only do 4-5 reps & look sissy.....that's really bad, I shouldn't give a crap what anyone thinks! & if I do fail on 4-5 reps on a heavy weight, that's a good think - means it's going to true failure. Right, from now on I WILL grab those heavier weights that I KNOW I can lift. I don't care if I drop them on my foot or pull chipmunk faces or my face turns redder than a beetroot - I am going to pick up those 40lbers!!!

The Melb INBA comp is on this weekend. I was originally planning to compete in it, but the only flights I could get would mean 2 nights away! and since I am still breastfeeding my little girl, I couldn't bare to be away for that long. I wish they had a sparrow fart flight on Sat morning & a midnight one back - that would be perfect. It's expensive enough this competing business!! 

Anyway, I am still planning to get to the All Females in July, & if I qualify, then I will need to do some fundraising for the nationals & olympia (my dream).  

Anyone reading this doing the All females?? I'd love to hear from you - If I do compete, you will probably hear crickets in the back when I 'm on stage - Noone will probably be there that I know, LOL!!!  

Ok, enough from me. Train hard y'all 

MM xx

 

Super Saturday

Aaaaah, that's what I said a few hours after my session this morning. A good workout makes for a happy day :)  

My workout today consisted of 200 squats!! I think I'll aim for 500 next time as I need to blast my legs into shape. Here was today's leg/back/chest day:

Cardio - intervals on T/mill 12 mins 7.5 for 1min then 12-13 for 40sec x6 

Then: with 20kg bar- 

50 front squats, 

50 back squats 

50 air squats (no weight)

50 pop squats (no weight)

2x 5 chin ups just for fun

DB bentover rows - 40lb 2 x 17, 18 each arm

Dips 2x 10, 8 supersetted with cable crossovers & pushups to finish....nice :)

I'm definitely enjoying the freedom of my workouts as I am not following a strict routine, but mixing it up each time - when I get into the gym I don't know exactly what I'm going to end up doing & I think I am pushing myself harder because of this. Let's hope it pays off...speaking of which I will go and take a progress pic right now!! 

Ok first pic's are done - man I'm sooo white! 

Gotta run, my little girl has awoken!

xxx

Good Advice

'Whether you think you can do something or think that you can't do something, you're right'

I'm not sure who first came out with that, but it's a great piece of motivation. It helps me to address that little negative thought monster that is lurking in the periphery of my mind.  I've had another good eating week - but missed 2 days at the gym - this just means I'll do some harder workouts over the weekend & I'll have this week squared away. I have been mighty slack at getting my progress pics on here, must take care of that this weekend.  

Tonight's workout consisted of - 

'Michael' - a favourite met-con workout

3 Rounds for time of:

800m run on treadmill, 50 back extensions, 50 leg raises 

I ran at 11, 12, 12-13 on the treadmill for each round. 

Time was 32:06 not too bad seeing I did leg raises instead of sit ups this time round, so this will be my new benchmark time.

I then did:

barbell presses (15kg bar) 3 x 20 reps supersetted with 5 chin ups

Tomorrow will be some more met-con & legs I think - going to do 2x leg workouts per week as I have trouble getting good condition in my legs. When the legs look ok - the rest of me looks too scrawny! 

Nighty night xx

Legs eleven

Short n sweet today - 

Legs this morning: 

Squats, squats n more squats - 

Back Squats: 4 sets of 10 with - bar (20kg) , 30k, 35k, 40k 

Front squats: 3 sets of 10 - bar, 25, 30, 25k

stiff legged deadlifts: 3x10 - 25kg

standing leg curl 2 x 10 

knees to elbows 2 sets of 5 (hanging from a chip up bar raising knees all the way to elbows & down under control) Hard!!

3x10 back extensions

Then a 10 min hill run @ 9.0 

Done & dusted. Still just getting back into the feel of training, it's hard when I haven't got set time each day to go to the gym like I used to. I love to have routine, but will have to settle for changing things up a bit & get there whenever I can. 

Food was good - 

B/f Oats, protein, blueberries, almonds 

soymilk coffee

M/t Coffee & egg whites+1yolk with cauliflower & flax oil

1/2c bran cereal with soymilk

L Kangaroo & veggies

A/T coffee & almonds

Din: kangaroo & veggies

Supper diet jelly/whipped light evapo milk & almonds

"Cranky-Manky Chest Day"

I was unbelievably cranky today. I just couldn't help it - I had too much pressure build up from not going to the gym for 2 days, I'm sure I saw steam coming out of my ears.  I didn't want to go to the gym, but sometimes I just have to look at it as my 'medication' as I am UBER-cranky if I don't.

Anyway, food was good & I did an OK session at the gym. I'm going to be mixing it up with the preparation this time round - really going hard. Here was my workout:

Warm-up: 10 back extensions, sampson stretch, 10 pull ups, 10 air squats, 10 thrusters with light bar (think it's about 15kg?)

'Fran'  = 3 rounds for time of: 

21, 15, 9 of thrusters (20kg bar) & chin ups. 

This is a killer, as working againts the clock pushes you HARD.

 My time was a PB of 8.49 I am getting the hand of kipping pull ups - they're not pretty but I am at full extension at the bottom & chin over the bar at the top. (I am cultivating some nice blisters since I have given up wearing gloves :) 

After I got up off the floor I did chest:

3 sets, 10 dips (had to do just negatives of the last 5 of last set) 

3 sets, 10 incline DB press (25lb db's)

30 push ups feet on step to finish

Didn't have much time for anything else, but not a bad workout.

Food: 

Breakfast: 

Porridge=1/3c Oats & half again of wheat bran, 30g WPI, handfull of blueberries & 6 almonds

Morning Tea:

2 egg whites, 1egg, crumpet & flax oil

Coffee

Lunch: 

silverside, caulifolwer & broccoli (400g), little flax oil

Arvo tea: 

Shake = WPI, water & little soy milk  & small apple

Dinner: 

Kangaroo roast & veg (cauli, broc, carrot, corn, eggplant, squash)

Supper: 

6 almonds & shake 

I'm eating about 700-800g of veg a day, trying to get up to 1-1.5kg lucky I love my veg.

I'm thinking of putting some videos of my exercises as some are a bit hard to explain, I'm having fun mixing things up a bit & not doing the 'usual' ones. Will alsopost some progress pics too - gotta get accountable :)

I'm hoping to get up for an early morning session - will hopefully subdue little miss cranky first up! 

Good night,  xxx

 

My Sunday

My Arse is still sore, but it's a happy sore :) I think it was the pop squats - they are awesome. 

I'm still planning on how to approach my preparation, so I will post it when I write it all down - it's still swimming in the ether at the moment.  Last week I just had as a 'greasing the groove' week - just getting my headspace right & consistently getting to the gym (I struggle as I don't always have set times). This week will get a little more organised & have a bit more of a plan. I have had a bad habit in the past of wanting to change things all the time. This time I'm aiming to just 'set it & forget it' 

Had a great girly night out - my first in many years, & it was a lot of fun.  Back to normality again today - better go do some cleaning.

xx

God I am Sore!!

I didn't have a great sleep - was to 'wired' to sleep. Then had an early morning wakeup from my baby daughter (4am is too early for feeding!) So of course I couldn't get back to sleep & had to get something to eat as I was FAMISHED!  Why am I sore? well I did a Friday's Filthy Fifty yesterday - just picked random exercised & did 50 reps - great cardio & Metabolic conditioning workout, but be warned, it huuuuurts. I did: 50 pushups (feet on step), 50 pop squats (anyone who's been to Jen Hendershott's Phatcamp knows about them!) 50 thrusters with 5kg med ball (butt all the way down to ball all the way overhead!) 50 jumping alternate lunges, 50 arnold presses (4kg DB's) then to finish off this insanity I did 50 burpees - the proper kind with pushup from the bottom position - My ARSE IS KILLING ME!!! But hopefully a few sessions like this & I will keep my butt from going flat while dieting. Does anyone else suffer that? My butt is round with a bit of fat on it, but it seems to deflate & look flat when I get in condition....don't even get me started on boobies - they are the first to disappear LOL! 

Well, today is my first week of clean eating phase - I have done well & have stuck to my plan. Today is going to be a cheat meal day as I am going out with the girls as it is our first time out together without our bubs & hubbies, so its fishbowl margaritas all round!! Woo hoo! 

Have a great Saturday everyone xx

Helloooo to you out there in Figure comp preparation land :)

Well, here's my first blog. It's going to be just a short one, as I am getting tired & need to go to bed. I just wanted to say hi to all the gals who are going through the stage as me.......hmmmm, am I really going to compete again this year??!! LOL.  My main focus this year is to get as fit as I can - I'm wanting to change careers & to do it I need to be really fit. I've noticed that my previous 7yrs BB training has made me look fit, but I sometimes feel my muscles are 'painted on' so to speak - till now they have been a bit for show (which is all I cared about really, how vain!) but now, I wanna see what this lil body can DO!  Anyhow, my first ramble.  

Now, a few reasons I want to compete this year.  

1. I have competed before, always placed (sometimes just luck, I'll admit) but now I want to get on stage looking my BEST.

2. I had a baby last year & I want to make sure I haven't lost my lovely little six pack (I've seem glimpses, so here's hoping)

3. Do I need anymore reasons?!! OK, heres the real kicker - I, like most of you reading this (hey, the title brought you here right!) deep down am totally and utterly hooked on competing. I need that niggling feeling pushing me to train right, eat right, sleep right as the next comp is coming up. Call it a compulsion, an obsession, a drive, a haunting, whatever,  but I think about it everyday. Are we going to feel like this when we are 80??!! :P 

Well, I feel like an 80yr old - gonna go take a nap. Night all. xx