Pursuit of the Eternal Transformation!

[BrandyTKO]

New thread....yeah I forgot how to go about it for awhile. So kill me. Not sure I'm in the right forum category yet, but I'll let you guys tell me.

For anyone new out there who might be reading this. I used to be on the heavy side. 5'7" and 175 lbs. Then I decided I had to make some changes because I hated the way I looked and felt. So I went to the gym for ages with no results. Then I took a kickboxing class and although it was almost unbearable I figured it had to eventually get result so I stuck with it and I lost about 25 lbs. Then I found Bodybuilding.com and got more information on nutrition, exercise, etc. and fat kept coming off.

Once the weight started to come off I felt really motivated to get leaner and eventually talked to a trainer at my gym about training me as though I was going to compete even though I had no intention of competing.
10 months later I found myself on a stage in a FBB competition in March of 2010 and I came in second place. I couldn't stop smiling for about a week. Seriously!

Over the past year my life has gone through a lot of changes that have hampered my ability to (a) find time to workout; (b) find motivation to work out; (c) have resources so that I could properly prepare for competition.

NEW YEAR, NEW PLAN!

As you may have guessed, competing means being super lean, but over the past year or so I've done a yo-yo on the diet and am currently staring in they eyes of 20+ of fat to lose to be even close to competing. So my goal is now to drop the 20 and more and I suppose to update may stats on this site (groan). I'll think about that!

In November I embarked to lose weight before Christmas and lost 8 lbs before Dec 10th which was my goal. Gained a tad over the holidays so back at it! I KNOW HOW TO DO THIS!!!

Yesterday's workout looked like this:

Back Day (plus a bit of legs, cuz DANG!):

- Lats Pulldowns: w/u 90# x 12; work 110# x 10; 110# x 10;110# x 8 + 100# x 4; 120# x 5 + 110# x 4;
- 1 arm DB rows: 35# x 12; 40# x 10 x 10; 45# x 8;
- Bent Over Straight Arm Pulldowns; 60# x 12; 65# x 9; 60# x 8;
- Drop Set Bent Over DB Rows; (set 1) 30# x 12; 20# x 10; 15# x 12; (set 2) 30# x 10; 25# x 10; 20# x 10; (set 3) 30# x 8; 25# x 10; 20# x 8;
- Hammerstrength Low to High: 70# x 10; 55# x 12 x 12;
- Leg extensions: 70# x 12; 100# x 12
- Calf Raises (Lite to day as my back hurts): 135# x 12; 150# x 12 x 12

Cardio: 20 min step mill; 20 min stationery bike; 10 min walk and run on treadmill, SWEATY!

Happy New Year to all and best wishes in meeting all your goals!

Here's my old thread: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...#post807549941

[womanoid]

How bent over are you for the pulldowns? I've never heard of doing them like that.


Strong numbers for everything!

[BrandyTKO]

How bent over are you for the pulldowns? I've never heard of doing them like that.


Strong numbers for everything!

Thanks and thanks also for visiting! The straight arm pulldown is shown in this video by the lovely Jamie Eason. I bend over slightly more than Jamie so that my shoulders/ arms are straight up from my ear level. Here hers are about shoulder height at the start of the movement. Keep feet together, knees bent a bit and pull down the bar keeping arms straight. I use a shorter straight bar, she is using a wider one for lats. Might have to give this one a try though. Return to starting position slowly. Feels great.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercise...t-arm-pulldown

[ManWithCurls]

Sounds good Brandy.

I always tell people to share their journey so as to maintain motivation as peer support helps to fuel success.

Are you going to keep logging in the log you posted? My computer is being a bit slow right now so I didn't get to see whether you will continue to update that log or start a new.

All the best.

[BrandyTKO]

Sounds good Brandy.

I always tell people to share their journey so as to maintain motivation as peer support helps to fuel success.

Are you going to keep logging in the log you posted? My computer is being a bit slow right now so I didn't get to see whether you will continue to update that log or start a new.

All the best.

Thanks ManWithCurls for posting a comment. I agree that logging a journal here is a good way to keep motivated if only to keep track of ones progress. Besides I have found that sometimes just the smallest bit of encouragement from people's comments can be a huge boost.

I likely won't be posting on my old thread anymore, just here. If I find that I am going into a competition this year I may start another thread, but I kind of like sticking to just one forum area.

[dawndm]

Hi Brandy,

Great to see you're still working out. I've had a 3 week lay off.....daughter was across from Hawaii with her new husband, so what with that and all the Christmas prep..that was a good enough workout. I'm still having shoulder problems and it got so bad I could barely do any upper work. It was most demotivating and so I thought the lay off would do it good. Planning to go at it from tomorrow again but shoulder is still icky! I actually lost a pound over Christmas without trying....it's probably my hard fought for muscle.

Anyhoo, not sure if I'll be posting in my journal much as I'm so busy with my art just now...but I'll keep up with your workouts. I'm hoping to hit the gym 4 times a week again......what about you?

[BrandyTKO]

Hi Brandy,

Great to see you're still working out. I've had a 3 week lay off.....daughter was across from Hawaii with her new husband, so what with that and all the Christmas prep..that was a good enough workout. I'm still having shoulder problems and it got so bad I could barely do any upper work. It was most demotivating and so I thought the lay off would do it good. Planning to go at it from tomorrow again but shoulder is still icky! I actually lost a pound over Christmas without trying....it's probably my hard fought for muscle.

Anyhoo, not sure if I'll be posting in my journal much as I'm so busy with my art just now...but I'll keep up with your workouts. I'm hoping to hit the gym 4 times a week again......what about you?

Nice to hear from you Dawn! Happy New Year! I keep checking your forum to see if you've posted anything recently. I'm envious that you lost weight over Xmas, I didn't fare so well. I hear you about the shoulder. Mine is getting worse I think, goes into spasms. I find though that the less I work out with the the worse it gets, so even if I go light-ish its better than nothing. I just have to remember to try to do some rotator cuff exercises (not sure if that's really the issue, but it could help). Keep going, Dawn! Nice to hear your art is keeping you busy!



This week I was a bit out of sorts getting back to work and into the routine of work / working out again, so Tuesday and Wednesday were total rest days. Seriously sticking to the diet though and I've lost 3 lbs (most of what I gained over the holidays). Yesterday I did legs day only (no cardio). Here's the drill:

Seated Leg Raises - 100# x 12 x 12; 110# x 10 x 8 (new PR on the 110#)
Lying Leg Curls - 60# x 12; 70# x 8; 70# x 6 + 60# x 4 (new PR on the 70# which I struggle with)
Stiff Leg Deadlifts - 70# x 12 for 3 sets (not including bar weight) Had to go light here due to back pain.
Leg Press - w/u 270# x 12; work 360# x 12; 450# x 8 x 8
Seated Calf Raise: 110# x 12 for 3 sets

Dat's it!

[annemarie_DJ]

Well there you are! Glad I found your new thread. New year, new thread, new goals to accomplish! You can do this!! Keep the positive attitude as always.

Ps: waves to Dawndm .

[Princess20]

This week I was a bit out of sorts getting back to work and into the routine of work / working out again

I'm curious what is your typical diet per day / week? I was following my trainer's diet for two months, Nov. and Dec.. I am awaiting a new diet plan, but until then I'm just reaching for what feels right in the kitchen. Which unfortunately is showing as a tiny bit more fat on my frame. Without a plan to follow, I feel lost, quite honestly. Hoping to meet with my trainer this week; we're both busy.

[BrandyTKO]

Well there you are! Glad I found your new thread. New year, new thread, new goals to accomplish! You can do this!! Keep the positive attitude as always.

Ps: waves to Dawndm .

Glad you found me A-M! Yes, I had a bit of "annus horriblus" in 2011 and didn't seem to focus, my weight was all over the place and quite frankly I'm sick to death of it and just want to do this once and for all, get lean, get ripped, loose the fluff and try to stay closer to my competition weight. On a good note though, I honestly think that with all the excessive eating I gained some muscle. Even at my current weigh I show a good deal of muscle. Maybe it will be that my new competition weight is heavier. That would be nice.

I'm curious what is your typical diet per day / week? I was following my trainer's diet for two months, Nov. and Dec.. I am awaiting a new diet plan, but until then I'm just reaching for what feels right in the kitchen. Which unfortunately is showing as a tiny bit more fat on my frame. Without a plan to follow, I feel lost, quite honestly. Hoping to meet with my trainer this week; we're both busy.

You should probably go with what your trainer advises, but my current diet looks something like this:

Breakfast: 1/2 c eggwhites mixed with 1/3 cup of oatmeal or spinach + 1/2 grapefruit
Snack: Protein shake + 10 almonds
Lunch: 4 oz lean protein (chicken, tuna or eggwhites) 100 gr brown rice or veggies
Snack: Protein shake + 10 almonds
Dinner: 4 oz lean protein, 100 gr veggies (non starchy type)
Snack: Protein shake
Beverages - Lots of water, clear teas and I just gotta have my coffee in the a.m. (1 cup)



Don't have my workout journal with me today, so I'll post 'em later.

[BrandyTKO]

Here's the workouts that I did on the weekend.

Shoulders (Saturday):

Hammerstrength (Behind Neck?) w/u 25# 12; 35# x 8 x 6; 30# x 7 x 10 (sad)
OH DB Press: w/u 20# x 12; 25# x 12; 30# x 10 x 8 x 10
Bent over Lateral Raise DB: 20# x 12; 25# x 12 for 3 sets
Front DB Raise: 20# x 8 x 10 x 5 + 15# x 5
DB Shrugs: 45# x 12 x 12; 50# x 7
Leg Extensions: 110# x 10 x 10
Cable Oblique Crunch: 70# x 20 for 3 sets

Arms (Sunday):
Hammerstrength curls: 55# x 10 x 9 x 8
Cable Curls: 40# x 8 x 8 x 7
Straightbar Cable Pushdown: 70# x 12; 80# x 8 x 8
Standing OH DB Elbow Extension: 35# x 10 x 10 x 7
Concentration Curls DB: 20# x 5 + 4 negatives (2 sets); 15# x 6 + 3 negatives
Incline Hammer Curls DB: 15# x 12 x 8 x 5 (pathetic)
DB tricep Kickbacks: 15# x 12 x 12

I want to grow my shoulders and my arms (biceps in particular) need some serious work. Unfortunately with the left shoulder problem I have to be careful on how much I lift. The shoulder workout was particularly long (1.5 hours) because I have to rest for longer between sets. If I don't I just about can't lift at all. I can see a difference in the development between the left and right, the right looks somewhat spectacular while the left is not so much. Same on biceps. I think the shoulder issue affects my bicep lifts. Dagnamit! On the first exercise I strained my neck in the last set so it messed up my whole arms workout. I'm pretty sure I used to be able to lift a lot heavier. In fact I know that in November I was doing 20# concentration curls for full reps of 12, so I guess I just have to keep working at it. Disappointing workouts for both days. Oh well, try, try again! Cardio was only on Sunday and limited to 30 minutes as mentioned in my previous post.

Today is cardio at lunch and Chest day after work. I like chest day. Hopefully there will be improvements over last week.

Later!

[BrandyTKO]

Tuesday was Chest day, which I always like. This one went well compared to my last one. I'm always amazed at how fast I can progress on lifting heavier if I am consistent in my training, hitting the same body part at least once a week. Take a week or so off and it all slides back and I feel like I'm starting over. Consistency is the key, as with everything for reaching one's fitness goals, with diet and cardio too. I have to keep reminding myself of that. This week I didn't lose any weight, but the reason....wasn't consistent with the cardio, slipped a bit on the diet in the evening (the worst time to slip up).

Chest day:

Incline DB Press w/u 25# x 12; 35# x 12 x 12; 45# x 10 (YES!)
Incline DB Fly 25# x 12 x 12 x 12 (hurts shoulder to go heavier)
Seated Fly Machine 65# x 10 x 7 x 8 (OW! on shoulder)
Peck Deck 65# x 12 x 12 x 12
Seated Bench Press Machine 80# x 12 x 10 x 10
Leg Extensions 110# x 10 x 8
Captain Chair Leg Raise 3 sets of 20
Crunch on Ball 2 sets of 12

Cardio: 15 minutes on stepmill

I went home after work and then to the gym. By the time I got around to cardio it was 8:00 p.m. Ya just gotta get home to have dinner at some point. I go to bed around 9:30 so enough is enough. Will have to focus on cardio earlier in the day instead of trying to do it all at once. You'd think I'd have figured this out by now.

[BrandyTKO]

Yesterday I did 45 minutes cardio (30 minutes stepmill, 15 minutes walk/run on treadmill). A couple of posts back I said I hadn't lost any weight, likely due to lack of cardio, however this morning I'm down another 2.5 lbs, Hooray! So the diet DOES make a difference. I'm a HAPPY GIRL!!!!

Have a great weekend everyone

[annemarie_DJ]

LOL, yes the diet DOES make a difference! It's quite incredible actually! You never really think the small cheats add up to much, but wrong!! You are doing great. Keep it rockin' !!! I'm taking my sister to a Body Pump class this weekend to help encourage her. I'm looking forward to it as I haven't done it in a few years. It'll change things up a little. Have a great weekend !

[womanoid]

What shoulder issue do you have?

[Princess20]

You should probably go with what your trainer advises, but my current diet looks something like this:

Breakfast: 1/2 c eggwhites mixed with 1/3 cup of oatmeal or spinach + 1/2 grapefruit
Snack: Protein shake + 10 almonds
Lunch: 4 oz lean protein (chicken, tuna or eggwhites) 100 gr brown rice or veggies
Snack: Protein shake + 10 almonds
Dinner: 4 oz lean protein, 100 gr veggies (non starchy type)
Snack: Protein shake
Beverages - Lots of water, clear teas and I just gotta have my coffee in the a.m. (1 cup)

Thank you for your reply. I got a new diet for this month; it's remarkably similar to yours! And, like you, I MUST have a cup of coffee in the morning.

[pinklush]

I'm pretty new to this and have been doing decently but sometimes I feel so directionless with my lifting combinations and diet so I really appreciate you laying yours out like this. It sounds like you're lifting pretty heavy and keeping the diet fairly simple (I'm a horrible cook but can grill things very easily-- lol!)
Anyways, I just wanted to thank you for some new ideas and I think I may refer back to this thread.
Good luck with all your fitness goals in the new year, you look great!

[BrandyTKO]

LOL, yes the diet DOES make a difference! It's quite incredible actually! You never really think the small cheats add up to much, but wrong!! You are doing great. Keep it rockin' !!! I'm taking my sister to a Body Pump class this weekend to help encourage her. I'm looking forward to it as I haven't done it in a few years. It'll change things up a little. Have a great weekend !

The Body Pump class sounds fun. I've been thinking of doing a group class once a week just to change things up in the cardio area. I'm bored out of my mind with my current cardio which is either stepmill, stationery bike or treadmill or a combo of all three. If its nice I'll go outside. Would LOVE to get back into martial arts, but cha-ching $$$$! I already spend enough on my gym(s). Thanks for your encouragement. Losing a small amount of weight keeps me on the straight and narrow.

Thank you for your reply. I got a new diet for this month; it's remarkably similar to yours! And, like you, I MUST have a cup of coffee in the morning.

Yup, gotta have that caffeine. I don't know, they say caffeine messes with your cortisol levels which in turn makes you hold on to body fat. However, you can find it in an ingredient in a lot of fat burners too, so I think you just have to keep it in moderation. I usually have one cup in the a.m., that's it. Glad you got your diet. Its pretty simple really, watch the amount you eat and eat only unprocessed foods, keeping sugar to a minimum (even in fruit). Good luck in your goals!

I'm pretty new to this and have been doing decently but sometimes I feel so directionless with my lifting combinations and diet so I really appreciate you laying yours out like this. It sounds like you're lifting pretty heavy and keeping the diet fairly simple (I'm a horrible cook but can grill things very easily-- lol!)
Anyways, I just wanted to thank you for some new ideas and I think I may refer back to this thread.
Good luck with all your fitness goals in the new year, you look great!

Glad to provide some ideas. Its best to keep a journal of your workouts, then you can see what you lifted last time and try to progress. Switch around your exercises every 4 to 6 weeks so your body doesn't get to used to the same thing all the time and have fun. I didn't lift so heavy when I started, believe me.

What shoulder issue do you have?

I'm not really sure. My doctor at first didn't think it was rotator cuff, but now he thinks it might be or possibly some sort of tear. Although I don't remember any event that would have caused that. I've started doing a few rotator cuff strengthening exercises just in case.


Lets see....the weekend...it snowed on Friday night and I was super tired all day Saturday. It was one of those days I could just tell my lifts were gonna suck. So I just went for a walk for an hour to look at the pretty snow.

Sunday was somewhat more energetic, though not great. I think its post holiday blah's! I did back day at the gym and then 30 minutes on the stepmill.

Back & Bi's day:

Seeing as I have been time strapped lately, I'm throwing in arms from now on on Back and Chest days.
- Lats Pulldown: 90# x 12; 110# x 10; 110# x 8 + 100# x 4; 120# x 5 + 110# x 4 (goal is to pull my own weight)
- 1 arm DB rows: 35# x 12 x 10 x 12
- Hammerstrength (Low to High): 45# x 12; 55# x 12; 65# x 8
- Bent Over straight arm cable pulldown: 60# x 12; 70# x 11; 70# x 9 + 60# x 3
- Bent Over DB Rows (Drop Sets):
Set 1 - 30# x 10; 20# x 12; 15# x 12
Set 2 - 25# x 12; 20# x 10; 15# x 12
Set 3 - 25# x 12; 20# x 8; 15# x 8

Biceps:
- Hammerstrength Curls: 45# x 9 x 6 x 5 (that's just really sad....)
- Concentration Curls: 20# x 8 + 4 negatives; x 8 + 2 negs.; x 7 + 5 negs. (an improvement over last time)
- Incline Hammer Curls: (no 15#'s around sooo....) 12# x 12 x 12 x 10

Yesterday I did 40 minutes cardio at lunch (25 min stepmill; 15 min treadmill fast walk). Super tired yesterday due to a poor sleep. It makes a difference!

[Min125]

I've started doing a few rotator cuff strengthening exercises just in case.

Could you tell me what exercises you do for this particular area?

[BrandyTKO]

Could you tell me what exercises you do for this particular area?

I googled some exercises and came up with this link which I thought had the best of the exercises. Too early to tell if its making a difference:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ7l85g7EBQ

In case some of you think you're working waaay too hard in the gym, here's a little crossfit video for you (stolen from Buffycat on FB, thanks girl!) I just love how this girl's legs are trembling after some of her lifts. THAT's hard work! I went to the gym for cardio at lunch today (20 min. stepmill; 15 min stat. bike) after work (soon) will be heading in for legs day where I totally am going to destroy my legs and make them tremble like this video! INSPIRED!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY2paIdfSK4

Other stuff...I figure if I want to be as lean or leaner than the girl in the above video I have to weigh around 120 lbs. Not sure what my lean mass is at current, but last weigh in was 114 lbs. soooo at 8% that would actually put me around 123 which I was for my last competition, BUT I think I could have been leaner, 118 - 120 and I'm gonna be happy, hopefully.

Checked out the competition schedule here for the Spring. Looks like most of them are Mid-June through July. LOADS of time to cut and build, cut and build. Mostly cut, but build or at least NOT lose any muscle in the meantime. Seeing as I'm not taking supps, it will all be on the diet, enough protein and not spinning my wheels too hard in the cardio, or I'll go all catabolic on ya!

Skipping off to da gym, tra, la, la!

[Min125]

I googled some exercises and came up with this link which I thought had the best of the exercises. Too early to tell if its making a difference:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ7l85g7EBQ

In case some of you think you're working waaay too hard in the gym, here's a little crossfit video for you (stolen from Buffycat on FB, thanks girl!) I just love how this girl's legs are trembling after some of her lifts. THAT's hard work! I went to the gym for cardio at lunch today (20 min. stepmill; 15 min stat. bike) after work (soon) will be heading in for legs day where I totally am going to destroy my legs and make them tremble like this video! INSPIRED!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY2paIdfSK4

Thanks.

[BrandyTKO]

Wow, that video of Dana Linn Bailey has really inspired me. I went and killed legs last night, though probably not as hard cord as Ms. Bailey as my legs weren't trembling like hers. However, seeing how hard she worked and what a fantastic physique she has has really revved up my ambition to get things done. Hit the gym afterwork for legs day and even though Squats weren't on the menu for me, I did 'em anyway. Same weight as her (90 lbs or two 45 lb plates), I had to use the smith machine though as holding a bar with that bad shoulder is very painful, so one-arm hold on the smith. I squeezed out 15 reps for my first set, but not the 20 she does....I'll get there.

Here's the drill:
- Smith Squats: 90# x 15 x 12 x 12
- Leg extension (lower to the count of 10): 110# x 8 x 8 x 6
- Lying leg curls: 70# x 8 + 60# x 4; then 70# x 6 + 60# x 5 for two sets
- Butt Blaster: 100# x 12; 110# x 12 x 12 (is it me or are these just easy? Might have to find a diff. machine)
- Seated Calf Raise: 110# x 20 x 15 x 12
- Hack Squats (because the leg press was in use): 180# (woops) x 5; 140# x 8 x 8
- Leg Press (left to last and tired, so a bit lighter): 270# x 12; 370# x 12

I realize that I haven't done abs in a bit. I better check my new line up of training to make sure I included them.

Today will be shoulders day and then the next workout is a full arms day. This way if I do arms with chest and back and then just a day for arms, I'm hitting them overall twice a week (Chest/Bi's, Back/Tri's), THAT'LL show em!

Snowing like crazeeeee here, hopefully the gym will happen today.

[BrandyTKO]

Thanks.

Anytime

[BrandyTKO]

Yesterday I felt really tired (have felt tired since Xmas) and achy in the joints and sore everywhere (more than usual) and I've noticed recently that I'm struggling with even moderate cardio, feeling like I can't catch my breath and its more difficult than in the past. My doctor pointed out a while back that I have a Vitamin D deficiency. I took some for awhile, then ran out an never replaced it. Then yesterday I did a little research on the subject of D deficiency. Besides the obvious, that D helps the body absorb calcium, here are some other symptoms:

sore joints
muscle soreness and muscle weakness
obesity
chronic back pain
cancers
chronic pain / fibromyalgia
chronic fatigue
diabetes
multiple sclerosis
heart disease and hypertension

Interestingly enough, my lifts haven't been as strong as I was doing in the Fall, so with sufficient Vit D you can probably lift heavier.

I got some more Vit D and took some last night and already I feel waaaayyy better. Hey, if it helps me lose weight, gain muscle strength and energy, then I'm all for it. I thought it was just to help absorb calcium. Who knew. If you are having some of the symptoms I was having, then maybe get your doc to give you a test for it.

Surprisingly, D deficiency is quite common, about 55% of adults have it and of course its more prevalent in the winter months when there is less sun. 10 minutes of sun exposure per day on only 10% of your body (article I read suggested arms or legs) is sufficient. There is also some suggestion of tanning booths (they scare me a little), but the time would likely be much shorter, I'm not recommending that route though.

One thing that should be noted is that you should definately not take more than the recommended daily intake (RDI) unless your doctor suggests otherwise as this is a vitamin that can cause toxicity problems if you take too much. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR!

Needless to say, no workout yesterday, total rest.

[BrandyTKO]

Yesterday and the day before I've been a bit of a hungry raptor, constantly hungry. I guess its means I'm losing weight, but I think I might of eaten a bit too much too, so the end of the week weigh in will tell. Not crossing my fingers, but certainly cursing myself for it. Feeling a bit "bloaty" today, drinking water...chug-a-lug.

Did an arms day workout after work yesterday, still a bit draggy so I nixed the cardio:

I decided to try something new, hypertrophy training. As it turned out I only did it for one exercise, but I like it and I think it will save a lot of time in the gym. If I'm right on this, the idea is that say you are doing squats, you reduce the weight for your 6 rep max by 50% then do 6 reps, add some weight do 6 more reps and keep adding weight until you're pretty much failing at 6 reps, no breaks between sets. Once you've reached the failure set, rest for 30 to 60 seconds add more weight and do 2 more reps, then repeat the rest and 2 reps again twice (without adding any more weight). According to what I read, if you're short on time and need to grow fast, this is the way to do it. I used it to blast arms and get these biceps to grow. I tried the exercise for concentration curls and managed to curl 30 lbs for the final reps, WOOT!. You don't have to repeat all of the steps again, that's it. I may use this for biceps only as they are so much weaker than my triceps (I can almost lift double with tri's over bi's, maybe thats typical, I don't know).

I'll post my arms workout later, but with the Vit D now in my system I felt stronger for sure.

Have a great weekend.

[annemarie_DJ]

Hi Brandy. Hey ya I was also super motivated by miss Bailey's video! Been thinking about it all week as I was hugging my Kleenex box! Interesting about Vitamin D. My doc told me that we are all deficient up here. Anyone over the 50th parallel. I take them now and then but should be more attentive to that. Thanks for the info. Hope you feel better and more energized real soon. Your last workout looked like a strong one!

[BrandyTKO]

Hi Brandy. Hey ya I was also super motivated by miss Bailey's video! Been thinking about it all week as I was hugging my Kleenex box! Interesting about Vitamin D. My doc told me that we are all deficient up here. Anyone over the 50th parallel. I take them now and then but should be more attentive to that. Thanks for the info. Hope you feel better and more energized real soon. Your last workout looked like a strong one!

Yeah, I just can't leave that Bailey video alone. If I feel lazy and start thinking, "nah, I'll skip the gym today", I just run the video for a bit and I'm fired up!

[Princess20]

I decided to try something new, hypertrophy training. As it turned out I only did it for one exercise, but I like it and I think it will save a lot of time in the gym. If I'm right on this, the idea is that say you are doing squats, you reduce the weight for your 6 rep max by 50% then do 6 reps, add some weight do 6 more reps and keep adding weight until you're pretty much failing at 6 reps, no breaks between sets.

Yeah, I tried that last year during my bulk; it does work! I definitely saw my muscles pop and I was stronger even in my day to day.

[BrandyTKO]

Yeah, I tried that last year during my bulk; it does work! I definitely saw my muscles pop and I was stronger even in my day to day.

I'm quite liking that type of training. Sore as Hell though, but in a good way, sore means growth!

[BrandyTKO]

Workouts this past few days has included arms, shoulders and chest. Cardio has been somewhat neglected though, sort of tired still.

Really liking the hypertrophy training. Hopefully I'll see the results soon, I felt very pumped up after yesterday's chest/tri's workout.

Arms:
- HS Bicep Curls (Hypertrophy set): 25# x 6, 35# x 6; 45# x 6; 45# x 2; 50# x 2 x 3
- Concentration Curls: (Hyper): 10# x 6; 15# x 6; 17.5# x 6 (no 20#'s so....) 30# x 2 x 2 x 2
- Straightbar pushdown (tri's): 70# x 12; 80# x 8 x 7;
- Overhead DB elbow extension (tri's): 35# x 8 x 10 x 8
- Cable curls: 40# x 12; 50# x 10 x 10
- Seated DB Bicep Curls: 17.5 x 10 x 5 x 6
- Tricep DB Kickbacks: 15# x 12; 17.5# x 12
Some kinda cardio, don't remember, about 15 minutes.

Shoulders:
- OH DB Press: 20# x 12 (wu); 25# x 12 x 12; 30# x 7 x 7
- Bent over DB Lateral Raise: 20# x 12 x 12; 30# x 10
- Front DB Raise: 15# x 12; 20# x 12 x 12 x 8 + 15# x 4 (swinging a bit with the 20's, is that acceptable?)
- DB Shrugs: 45# x 12 x 12 x 12; 50# x 7
Cardio....uuuuuhhhhh.....

Chest / Triceps:
- Incline DB Press (hyper): 20# x 12; 25# x 6; 35# x 6; 40# x 6 x 6 x 7 (should have gone to 45's me thinks)
- DB Flyes (Hyper): 15# x 12; 20# x 6; 25# x 6; #30# x 4 x 5 x 5 (maybe should have gone to 35's)
- Fly machine: 55# x 12 for 3 sets
- Peck deck (hate it!): 55# x 8 for 2 sets (painful on the shoulder)
- Seated Chest Press machine (last and pathetic): 80# x 10 x 8
Cardio....um...I forgot, yeah that's it....forgot.

Today is either back/bi's day again, OR cardio....eeeeerrrrrmmmmm