Cardioconvert - Office chick with pipes

[Cardioconvert]

Hi all~

I introduced myself several months ago when I set up my bb.com profile but here is a quick summary of who I am before I start using this thread as my official journal for 2012:

I have been a distance runner for over 20 years. I incurred an injury in the fall of 2010 that required me to take approx 6/8 weeks off to heal. During that time, I started to ask folks around the gym about lifting. I realized that I loved it! Since then, I have worked with several 'vets' of the weight room (both men and women) and they have helped me with my training and provide valuable input regarding form and exercise selection. I love to learn about exercise, training and nutrition (hence my perpetual lurking on this site). I still run, though only about 30-40km / week these days - plenty to satiate the runner in me and still give me time to lift 4 times a week.

As you will take from the title of the thread, this year, I will be turning 40!!! I am happy that I get to enter a new age group for racing and also want to use my 'milestone' b'day year as the year in which I will strive to make some significant improvements in my training and strength/size. I will be logging my workouts here but not my nutrition - I use MyFitnessPal for my food tracking and that is enough admin/logging for me!!

In terms of personal info, I have a super hubby who supports me in EVERYTHING I do (both career and health related) and I am so thankful for his loving support. He also lifts and is a great source of information/guidance for me. We have two great kids - a 10 year old girl and a 9 year old boy. I am an Accountant - enough said about that!

To provide some context for my workouts - I am currently in week 12 of being 'back' to the gym after having some surgery. I was not able to lift for 2.5 months and feel that I am about 85-90% back to pre-surgery strength but I have lost some size. This loss is probably not noticeable to anyone but me (it's not like I was huge to start) but I notice it nonetheless.

Onwards.....

[Cardioconvert]

Here is yesterday's workout:

Leg Day

Squats
w/up with bar only
10@95
8@105
8@115
8@115

Bulgarian Split Squat (using Smith Machine)
w/up with bar only
3 sets 8@40 per leg

SLDL
w/up with bar only
10@115
10@135
10@135

Hamstring Curls
w/up 12 @ 50
10@70
8@80
10@70

Standing Calf Raises (using machine)
12@180
12@200
10@200

[bosgirlin09]

Welcome! Nice to see another tall girl in here..

[Cardioconvert]

Thanks! Your progress over the past months has been so inspirational to me!

[bosgirlin09]

Thanks! Your progress over the past months has been so inspirational to me!

Thanks! It's been a great year. I'm 17 weeks out now...it will be nice to actually look like my avi again

[CrazyKeira]

Yesterdays workout looked good! I don't know how much you used to run, but dang 30-40 kms/week seems like plenty to me lol!

[Cardioconvert]

Back/Chest Day

Please note, prior to surgery, I was working chest and back on separate days. I just got the 'okay' to re-introduce chest work as of last week so I am tagging a few exercises for chest onto my back day until I regain some strength - I don't want to go to the gym another day just for chest. In addition, I normally work bis on my back day but got talked into going on the stairmill with a friend so didn't get my bi work in today.

Back

Lat Pull Downs
w/up 12@55
12@70
10@80
7@90
4@100

Seated Row
w/up 12@70
12@85
10@100
5@120

Bent over row w/ bb
12@60
10@70
10@70

Inverted Row (using Smith machine)
3 sets of 8 reps

Rear Lateral Raise
12@12.5
3x10@15

Chest

Incline Press
w/up 12@25
3x10@30

Chest Press on Machine
12@60
2x10@70


Now out to run 5km - what a beautiful day. @ CrazyKeira - Thanks for stopping by my journal - in my marathoning haydays, I would log between 80 and 100km per week so 30/40 is a nice change

Have a great day everyone!

[CrazyKeira]

Nice workout. I'm definitely looking forward to the day when I can do rows with that much weight!

in my marathoning haydays, I would log between 80 and 100km per week so 30/40 is a nice change

*dies* I honestly don't think I even DRIVE that much in a week! Dedication!!

[Cardioconvert]

Good day~

No lifting today, run and abs today. Just dropped the kids off to school and the roads are nasty so I think I'll be hitting the 'mill for my run. After the winter we've had in my part of Ontario, though, I am not going to complain

[CrazyKeira]

After the winter we've had where I am I wish I had a dreadmill. I would have definitely put it to good use. I didn't run at all this winter, brrr. Have a nice run

[Cardioconvert]

@ CrazyKeira~

One of my good friends lives in Winnipeg - I don't know where in Manitoba you live. When I was out visiting her (during Grey Cup a few years back), I did a 10miler around her area - I couldn't believe the wind - I basically ran crouched over the whole time!!! Until then, I had thought about running the marathon out there and making a weekend out of it with her. After getting back from the run, that was no longer on my radar!!

Having a TM helped me through the 'napping' years with the kids and my hubby's busy work travel schedule for sure - otherwise, I would have never gotten my miles put in.

[Cardioconvert]

Good day~

Didn't get onto the site yesterday to log my workout so here is my workout for Thursday, March 1:

Shoulders/Traps

BB Shoulder Press
w/up 10@22.5
12@25
2x10@30
8@35

My biggest challenge with the press is actually getting the weight up and into position - my left shoulder suffers from some limited ROM and I think this is part of it. A friend did show me the other day how to more effectively kick up the weight (and how to make better use of a spotter ) so today did seem better. We`ll see how the next few weeks go.

Upright Row
w/up 10@50
2x10@60
6@70

Lateral Raise
10@12.5
3x10@15

BB Shrugs
w/up 10@95
2x12@105 (BB in front)
2x12@95 (BB behind) I can`t seem to shrug as much with the bar behind me - makes me feel like I am going to fall over! Does anyone know if eventually I should be able to shrug the same amount with the bar in front and behind? I am not overly blessed in the balance department!!!

Rear Lateral Raise
2x12@12.5

Rear Delt (reverse on Pec Deck)
8@55
10@50

Shoulder day is my favourite day!!

Have a great day.

[Cardioconvert]

Arm Day

I didn't have time today to warm on up on the elliptical like I usually do so I started with several light sets of press down and cable curls.

DB OH Tricep Extension (Single arm)
2x10@15
10@17.5

Skulls followed by close grip presses
10@40 + 10 press
10@50 + 10 press
8@50 + 8 press

DB kickbacks
2x10@12.5

Press downs
7@40
7@40

BB curls
10@40
10@50
4@60
8@50

Cable flex curl
3x10@30

Concentration curls
10@15
2x10@17.5

Done.

Have a great day!

[Cardioconvert]

Busy day at the gym today. I couldn't seem to get into my regular rhythm since folks kept asking for spots. In the end, got my legs/tri workout done, it just took so long!!!

BB Squat
w/up with bar only
10@95
10@105
8@115
8@125

Bulgarian Split Squat (@ Smith Machine)
10@40
2x8@45

BB SLDL
w/up with bar only
10@115
2x8@135

Ham curls
10@50
10@60
7@70

Standing calf raises on machine
12@190
2x12@ 200

Tricep Press Down(single pulley)
12@30
3x10@40

Skulls
10@40
10@50
6@60

burn out w/ dips

Have a great day!

[CrazyKeira]

Wow! Everything's looking awesome in here! I live way farther north than Winnipeg and it gets real cold and windy up here! Winter is death lol. As for the issue with the shrugs I can't really be of much help, but I'd imagine that it's likely normal to have the weight be different depending on the position. I can't imagine that I would be able to do the same in the back as I could in the front. Maybe I'll give them a try at some point just to see, but I can already picture in my head that having it behind would likely throw me off balance and I'd have to lift lighter and focus on keeping my balance more. Hope you're doing well today

[Cardioconvert]

Hi all~

As mentioned in my intro, I am an accountant - for the past several years, I have provided consulting services to companies undertaking major finance related projects (systems conversions/implementations, mergers & acquisitions, etc). This usually entails me finding a new 'gig' every 6 to 9 months. I just started a new contract today and guess what??? They have a gym right in the office!! Not in the basement or anything like that, right on the same floor as the IT and Finance group - how cool is that? Now, it doesn't have every piece of equipment needed (think comparable to a hotel gym - bikes, TM, free weights, a flat bench) but hey, when it is 20 feet from my desk, I am not going to complain!!!

Now that I know it is there, I can re-gig my schedule to do some of my workouts intra-day - nice

At any rate, it made my day!!

Bye~

[Cardioconvert]

Didn't get on the site yesterday to log my workout so I'll do that later today. Yesterday was the first day I worked out @ my gym quite early in the morning (5;45am my time). I will need to figure out my eating plan for these days as I really noticed that I was sluggish and by the end of the workout, I felt like my stomach was going to eat another vital organ!!! I used to run before work without issue but I think I"ll need a different gameplan for lifting.

How do any of you early morning lifters deal with this?

At any rate, I'll post my workout later today.

[Cardioconvert]

Okay - finally have a small window of time to note my workout from the day before yesterday (Tuesday, March 6)

As mentioned, this was my first experiment with what I consider to be early morning lifting. My only issue was that I really felt the lack of food. I am diligent with my diet (thanks to the ladies on bb.com and their useful stickies, I calculated my daily caloric requirements and macros about six months ago and stick very closely to my requirements) and rise from bed in quite a fasted state so I think I really need something before working out - the question is finding something that meets my diet needs and is FAST!! I'll probably post a question about this in training section.

Another thing is that I had my hubby take some progress pics- I am not sure yet whether I want the world to see them, but let me tell you - I don't seem to have any lats!!! My torso is so square - I guess this is an area I should target and focus on as a primary benchmark for my progress. If anyone wants to offer suggestions for lat development, I am always open to input and learning - don't be shy!!!

Here is the workout from Tuesday (Back/Chest):

Quick Warm up - Lat pull downs
12@50x2

Assisted Pull up
8@machine weighted at 20.5 x 3
by the end of these, I feel totally spent - I guess that is the truest indicator of my lack of lat strength!!!

Lat Pull Down
12@70x2
7@90 noticed I couldn't go as aggressively this week as I did last week on the pull downs and seated rows - I attribute that to either (1) last week I didn't include pull ups or (2) lower energy levels due to not eating before lifting or (3) a combination of (1) and (2)

Seated Row
10@90x2

Inverted Row
2x8

One Arm Rows
10@35x2 per arm

Rear Lateral Raise
10@12
10@15x2

Incline DB Press
10@30x3

Chest Press with Machine
10@70
10@80x2

I would have liked to throw in three sets of bi curls but was feeling very spent and had to get back to get the kids ready for school - I'll need to refine my approach as the weeks unfold to make these morning workouts as effective as possible! Now that I know about the gym at work, I can plan my approach out a bit more succinctly.

Have a great day!

[Cardioconvert]

Been a crazy end of week - will post both Thursday and today's workout in the next two entries. Nothing else too new to note. Went to see the WWE in Toronto last night with our kids - we were so close, I could've been hit by John Cena sweat - he is one built boy!!!! Had some popcorn and a few drinks - you only get to see Cena so often so I considered it a "special" occasion and gave myself permission to have an Ice while drooling (er, I mean watching). Even hubby said how built he is.

Okay: Thursday's workout (Shoulders/Traps) - worked out while kids were at swimming lesson - fast and furious - it is only a 45 minute lesson!!!!

BB Shoulder Press (Seated)
w/up 10@22.5
12@25
2x10@30
8@35

Upright Row
w/up 10@50
2x10@60
6@70

Lateral Raise
10@12.5
3x10@15

BB Shrugs
2x12@105 (bar in front)
2x12@95 (bar behind)

Rear Lateral Raise
2x12@12.5

Rear Delts using pec deck machine
8@55
10@50

Dashed downstairs to scoop up the kidlets from the showers/change rooms and home to do homework!!

[Cardioconvert]

Today (March 10) workout

I thought I would be the only one at the gym at 7pm on a Saturday night - well, I was totally wrong!! It was quite busy and not just with folks using the TM/elliptical machines - the weight room was about as busy as a 'slower' mid afternoon.

Today was arm day. I felt really pumped up for the workout because I have been flying around all day doing the typical Saturday stuff (laundry, painting (I HATE painting trim and I have 21 newly replaced windows for which I have to paint trim ), a rousing game of Star Wars themed Trouble (I lost to both kids), grocery shopping, changing the bedsheets, etc!!!

Somedays, this type of day kills my energy level but today, it just made me want to hit the gym, throw around some good weight and get home (to watch Real Steel - hoping it is going to be good)

Here is what I got done:

Tricep press downs
2x12@30
2x10@40

Skulls immediately followed by fast paced, close grip presses
3x12@40 +3x12@40 presses

DB Overhead press (one arm)
8@17.5
10@15

DB Kick Back
3x10@12.5

Dips (between two flat benches)
14 fast to fail
12 fast to fail

BB Curls
2x12@40
2x8@50

DB Curls w/ back against wall
2x7@22.5

Cable flex curls
12@20
2x10@30

Followed by a burn out, reverse grip BB curl set (30lb BB)

Now, onto watch Hugh Jackman.......

[Cardioconvert]

Okay- movie review first - Reel Steel was quite good - I'd give it a strong review for being a solid, family friendly feel good story. The kid in the story has got some real heart and grows on you during the movie.

Other new news - I am going to watch my first ever fitness show. My sister's university roomate is competing in a UFE show (physique division) and my sister and I are going to watch her (April 7th). Should be interesting knowing someone in the show. As mentioned, I have never been to one so I am interested in checking it all out.

Had a good workout last night (Legs/Tris) but felt a bit tired in the legs. Usually I don't run the day I hit legs but I just NEEDED to run on my lunch hour yesterday to think about some work stuff (I have the greatest epiphanies while running - should carry a dictaphone). So I showed up at the gym last night a bit tired from the get go. Not an excuse, just a fact.

I also have determined I need new shoes (approx 500km on the current pair) and my knees are advising me of this in no uncertain terms. Knee discomfort and pain in my met heads are the first signals to me that new shoes are required.....add to shopping excursion this week a quick trip to the R****g R**m (I don't know if this website allows retailer's names, so I'll use secret code

Here are the details of last night's workout:

BB Squat
w/up w/ bar only
10@95
2x10@105
8@105

BB SLDL
3x10@105 - by the end of the third set, my tushie was screaming!

Hamstring Curls
3x10@60

Standing Calf Raises
12@190
2x12@200

Tricep Press downs
2x12@30
2x10@40

Skulls
2x10@50, each followed by 10 fast, close gripped presses

Managed to get the workout done and be home to do some reading with the kids - started the "Hunger Games" with them on the weekend. I am interested in seeing what all the hoopla is about. I must admit, I did enjoy the Twilight Series, which had a similarly strong following, but the movies, IMO, totally sucked.

Be back either tomorrow or the next day to log my planned workout for tomorrow (early) morning - back/bis.

Take care,

[Cardioconvert]

This morning was back/bi workout. Forgot my w/out journal, my watch and almost hit a HUGE racoon heading to the gym. Needless to say, I am not going to attempt to log the details of my workout b/c I didn't write everything down. Let's just say, I did some back / bi exercises with some weights that I think are in / around what I used last week and call it a day

Have a great day!!!

[Cardioconvert]

Good morning~

Just dropping in to note that I am feeling some 'nice' back DOMS today. I know, via reading other threads, that DOMS shouldn't be leveraged as an indicator of the effeciveness of workouts but I somehow take some pleasure in sometimes experiencing it. I always worry that b/c I work out by myself most days, I may not be pushing myself as much as I could. When I did have a training partner (with years of experience), he used to really push me to test my limits. I somehow feel that when I experience DOMs, it is an indicator that I have at least pushed something a little differently than usual?

Any one else ever feel this way?

[Cardioconvert]

Crazy end to a crazy week but got all my workouts in so I am pleased with that!!! Jam packed weekend ahead so I'll need plan my workouts carefully. It is my intention to fit in my arm workout tomorrow (Sunday) and a nice 5mi run. Today, I am shopping with my sister and daughter and then having a mexican themed dinner (I know, doesn't really go with the whole St. Patrick's day thing, but hey, I am a sucker for fajitas!!)

Went to see Journey to Mysterious Island w/ the kidlets on Thursday - surprisingly good movie!!! I had set the bar really low and was pleasantly surprised. In addition to having an okay story line (I was impressed that they actually referenced classic books - do kids even read those anymore???), the Rock was more than entertaining in his role. You'll notice I watch a lot of movies (I'd much rather watch a movie than tv)

So, last night worked out for the first time with hubby - did my shoulder / trap routine and he was working back and legs (this worked out well because, with limited equipment in the bsmt, we never ended up needing the same equipment @ the same time)

Details:

Shoulders / Traps
\
Seated DB Military Press
w/up 12@25
10@27.5
3x10@30

Upright Row
Our e-z curl is shorter than the one @ the gym so when I put the 25lb plates on it and performed this move, I kept hitting my forearm (just inside my elbow) on the plate - it was annoying and I couldn't seem to adjust my grip to avoid it.
2x10@60
9@60

Lateral Raise
12@12
3x10@15

BB Shrugs
3x12@110

Bent Over Lateral Raise
3x12@12

I then tried two sets of those scapula dips that Rutzilla had referenced in KimPossible's journal - wow, it feels weird doing those but I can totally see the benefit of including them in one's workouts.

Have a great St Pattty's day everyone

[Cardioconvert]

Hi All~

Starting a new program tomorrow that I lifted from a book published by Muscle and Fitness - I am going to use one of their pyramid programs - aligns nicely with an approach I took last year when I had someone helping me my workouts and I did see some great improvements with the program.

To sum it up, there will be 4 days of lifting, split as follows: (1)Arms/Abs;(2) Legs; (3) Chest, Shoulders, traps and (4) Back. These splits are similar to my current four day splits so I like that aspect. From there, it is basically a 5 set per exercise approach, with weights chosen to support the following reps within those sets: 10, 8, 6, 8, 9 and, if desired, a burnout set. I like that the program doesn't involve a million lifts per session (okay, that is an overstmt, but left to my own devices, I tend to try to fit in too many lifts to be the most effective).

For anyone interested, I will post the workouts as I execute them so you can get an idea of the program contents.

I am going to perform the program exactly as written for 8 weeks which takes me to mid May and then re-assess to see whether to try another variation of the pyramid (provided also in the book) or a different one.

In conjunction with this program, I am going to continue eating at my maintenance calories as calculated by reading the stickies. I have dropped a few pounds (4lbs) in the last two weeks and I am not sure how that happened as I have been quite good with hitting my daily targets, sometimes 100-250 cals over even. If this trend continues, I guess I am going to have to re-assess my calculations - I may have underestimated what I need to maintain.

At any rate, tomorrow will be day #1 (with an early am workout) and I will post the results later tomorrow.

Take care,

[CrazyKeira]

Wow, the new program sounds neat! Can't wait to see how you do with it. I revamped mine and am starting on day 1 tomorrow too

[Cardioconvert]

Okay, Day 1 kinda sucked. I didn't end up going to the gym before work - last minute audible by the boss that I had to be there for a meeting w/ the brass right at 8:30 so that makes working out prior to work impossible. Hubby offered to be on "taxi" duty for the kids' lessons tonight so I could get my workout in this evening.

So here are my thoughts on the program (see details below of Day 1 (arms)):

1. Despite looking like only a few lifts, by the time I did warm up sets and moved around to get all the different weights required, this workout ended up taking me just over an hour. Realistically, I need to try to keep my workouts in the 45 - 55 min range in order to balance them with the rest of life.

2. Pyramid sets requiring the use of multiple weights aren't great in a jam packed gym where weights of any variety are hard to come by. This frustration may be somewhat offset when I do workout in the mornings as the gym isn't nearly as busy.

3. Having my first exposure be smaller muscle groups probably isn't the best test of the program - I find that I can't increase the weights as easily as with larger moves (i.e. bench / squats) and there is a huge difference (at least for me) between curling 25lbs and 27.5lbs. My pyramids, as you will see, sometimes looked a bit skewed as my ability to push out the required reps dropped significantly with the adding of weight. It will be interesting to see how I feel on the bigger muscle group days.

4. I fared far better with exercises I was familiar with (I had some idea of what weight to start with in order to execute the pyramid). I haven't ever incorporated preacher curls so I didn't have a clue -> notice the lack of pyramid

Overall, I am feeling lukewarm about this program - unusual sentiment for me. I'll give it two full weeks before making a decision but I am not sold.

Here is Day 1 (Arms):

Barbell Curl
w/up with 10 @ 30
10@40, 8@50, 5@60, 8@50, 10@40, burn out: 13 @ 30

DB Curls
10@17.5, 10@20, 7@25, 3@27.5, 8@20, 10@17.5 here is where I had the issue described above - I was doing okay until I attempted the transition from 25 to 27.5 >> not sure what the best route would be - start lighter???

Preacher Curls
4x10@ 30 - next week, I'll try to approach this lift using a pyramid - will have to start quite light b/c I was really reaching for the 8th thru 10th in the last two sets at 30

Pushdown (@ Single Pulley side)
w/up 12@30
10@40
8@50
another 8 @50 (I set it up for 60 and couldn't even do one - we don't have any 'little' plates to add to the machines to set it at a number between 50 and 60 )
10@40
14@30

Smith Machine Close Grip Bench Press
This is another exercise I haven't dabbled with - I have done fast, close grip presses with the E-Z curl bar after skulls, but never on the Smith Machine. I have carpal tunnel and wrist issues and I don't know if it is b/c of that or poor form but this exercise just made my elbows scream - I think I must have been doing something wrong - will seek out input from one of the trainers...if not, will have to swap this one out for another tricep exercise

Skulls
10@40
8@50
5@60
10@40 (should have tried the 50 bar again but was doubting my ability to get more than 5 reps out)
15@30 (kinda a lop sided pyramid)

Went home. Pouted a bit. Now packing lunches for tomorrow.

Have a great night everyone!!!

[CrazyKeira]

Wow! That looks good, I find part of the annoyance of a new exercise being the "finding your weight." You'll get it figured out tho. I can't say much because your lifts put mine to shame lol...30lbs preacher curls!! I do 10lb ones and it kills my arms right now, I have chicken arm syndrome haha. I'd definitely see about getting someone to look at how you're doing the smith machine exercise because your elbow shouldn't be hurting like that. Now, pick up your lip and carry on lmao

[Cardioconvert]

@CrazyKeira ~ **giggling** I love your response. My lip has been hitched up now and I had an okay workout today (legs) - totally think you are right about finding the right weight - I'll get it eventually.

Just to clarify (and I am sure you interpreted it as such based on my DB curling figures) but my preacher curls were with the 30lb BB, not DB (in my dreams!) Just noticed that I wasn't really clear in that description and didn't want to false advertise

Will post workout later today - going to sit out in the sun right now....

[Cardioconvert]

Here we go, today's workout (Legs):

Warm up - 10 minutes of brisk walking on TM

Squats
w/up set with just the bar (10 reps)
10@95, 8@115, 6@ 135, 8@115, 10@95 Couldn't have done one more at 95lbs even if I wanted to....

Bulgarian Split Squat (at Smith Machine, weights shown are total added weight (not per side weights) - I don't know the rules re: correct expression of weight added
10@30, 8@35,6@40,8@35, 10@30

Leg Press
10@90, 8@140, 6@160, 8@140, 10@90 Need to increase the weight on this one next week - could've probably added at least 5lbs to each set

SLDL
10@80, 3x8@90, 10@80

Ham Curls
10@50, 8@65, 6@80, 8@65, 12@50

Overall, a better experience than the arms - as I had predicted, it is actually easier for me to build a pyramid with larger muscle groups (I would think this is normal b/c adding successfully 5/10 pounds to a leg move is more easily achieved than adding 2.5/5 pounds to an 'arm' move?)

Still took too long to run the workout (1hr 20min) so I don't know if it is realistic for me to perform all five working sets for each exercise. I wonder what would happen if I only did four as follows: 10,8,6,10 (i.e. skipped the other 8)? I need to keep the workouts in/around the hour mark as mentioned previously.

On a lighter note, I saw something different today at the gym. There was a guy there working out and he was using a peanut butter jar as his water bottle. I am sure people look at me doing things and wonder wtf, but I couldn't really grasp the idea of using a jar as a water bottle The thing is, peanut butter jars aren't intended for drinking, so it seemed everytime he took a drink, he was spilling his water all over the floor/whatever equipment he was using. Huh.

Got my new shoes this afternoon so hopefully me feet will be a bit happier on my next run (tomorrow) - I was stoked b/c Asics released my shoe in metallic silver and pink. I know you guys don't know this but I am a VERY pink girl

Take care,
CC