Workout Log 3-29-2013: Squats

Today ended week 2 of my Cube Method training. I'm feeling really good (pretty carb depleted) but my workouts overall have been awesome! Here is what today looked like:

Speed Squats: 5x2 @80%
Good Mornings: 3x8
Lunges: 3x12
Leg Press: 3x20
Back Extension: 50 total reps
Band Leg Curl: 2x50
Abs
Conditioning

My normal (and preferred) workout time is generally around 3:30 in the afternoon. Things have been pretty hectic with work lately so the only time I had to train today was at 6:00 am. I am very much a morning person but not so much for lifting. I was a little uneasy about putting squats this early in the day but it worked quite well! I was very pleased with how the weights felt and have felt pretty energized all day! (Ask me in a few hours and I'll probably be ready for naptime haha). I'm really excited for week 3 of the program. The only complaint I have so far is that I really feel the effects of having carbs once a week. I've been having crazy bad cravings the last couple days! If you're like me and keep your carbs low most days but find yourself wanting a treat then take a look at this awesome recipe posted today on elitefts.com that was written by one of my all time favorite people :)

http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/low-carb-chocolate-peanut-butter-protein-pudding/

It's for a low carb treat; chocolate peanut butter protein pudding! I can't wait to try it as I never so no to peanut butter :)

That's all for now. Enjoy the day and train hard!!

In honor of squat day:

Keeping Your Mind Right

"Promise yourself to be so strong nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. Live in the faith that the whole world is on your side as long as you are true to the best that is in you."
-Christian D. Larson

Falling into a negative mindset has become far too commonplace in today's society. It's easy to have one negative thought, whether it be about work, stress, money, you name it. One negative thought and it leads to a whole domino effect and before you know it your entire mindset is that of pessimism and negativity. Just yesterday I found myself doing that. One little thing rubbed me the wrong way early in the day and just like that, the negative thoughts kept coming.

The quote above summarizes almost perfectly how I would like to live my live. Sure, the world isn't perfect so that doesn't always happen, but it's days like yesterday that make me realize how important it is to keep your mind in the right place for overall happiness and well being. In hindsight, the stuff that frustrated me yesterday was so minuscule that I should have just brushed it off right then and there; ask me about it in two weeks and I probably won't even remember what it was that was bothering me. Instead, I dwelled on it most of the day and let my whole day take a negative turn.

I pride myself in being a very optimistic, upbeat individual. The last year and a half I've had more stress in my life than before but I've certainly been trying to put a positive spin on it. I am very fortunate: I'm healthy, hard working, and have a wonderful family and a handful of close friends.
Having negative thoughts not only ruins your day, it goes much deeper than that. Most people underestimate the power the mind has on your body. An example I like to use is that of working out. If I tell myself time and time again that I'm never going to deadlift 300 pounds, then I can guarantee you that I will never get that bar off the floor. On the other hand, if I tell myself time and time again that I WILL deadlift 300 pounds and I train to my best ability, than sooner or later I will pull 300 pounds off the floor like it's nothing. You cannot possibly tell yourself negative things all the time and expect to have enjoyable days.

In order to truly enjoy life, we must forget the negative because chances are, it's not earth shattering. Sure, there are the exceptions to this, but I've found there is good to be found in every negative situation, even if it seems impossible to find. "God never closes one door without opening another." Just let go of the little things; they only weigh you down and hinder you from reaching your full potential and level of happiness. Sure, there will be the not so great days and bad stuff will happen, but as the quote says, "work for the best and have faith that the world is on your side."

Life is beautiful. Don't get so caught up in small worries that you forget the see the gift that every day brings. So put a smile on that pretty face and think positive things :)

As a side note: when I got to my second job last night my supervisor had left a card for me thanking me for all I do and for being a good team player. How nice it is to have your work recognized. Her note of gratitude made all the difference in my day. It really is the little things.

Workout Log 3/25/13: Speed Deadlifts

Good afternoon, friends! Yesterday afternoon was my speed deadlift day. I had a lot of personal training cancellations due to the snow yesterday so I was able to get my workout in around 3:00 pm which is my favorite time to train! Here is what the workout consisted of:

Speed Deadlifts: 8x3 @50% with bands
Block Pull, Snatch Grip: 3x12 @50%
Olympic Stance Squats: 3x8
Shrugs: 3x12
Back Extension: 50 reps
Lat Pulldown: 4x15
Abs
Conditioning

Well I'm not sure which is more of a challenge, the Olympic stance squats or snatch grip deadlift. Between the two of those, I was completely exhausted after this workout. I did some planks and hanging crunches for abs and used the rower for conditioning just to switch it up a bit, as that is not normally something I do. Today my upper back is sore in places that I didn't even know were possible (thank you, snatch grip deads). I have a much needed rest day today (minus the 15 hour workday, yay.) But I plan to end the day with an Epsom salt bath and foam rolling and then tomorrow evening I get to enjoy a yoga class which  I am really looking forward to!

Have a great day, everyone! Remember, the harder you work, the luckier you get.

Also, never forget to stay committed to your training!!!

Workout Log 3-24-13: Bench (Reps)

Yesterday started the second week of my meet preparation. For this workout, I went down to ISU to train with Brandon and then enjoy my one evening of carbs for the week.

Yesterday was my bench day for reps. Here is what the workout looked like:

Incline Bench Press: 1x8 @ 70%
Incline DB Bench: 2x20
Close Grip Bench: 3x12 supersetted with TRX Inverted Rows 4x12
Band Flys: 3x15 supersetted with Band Pullaparts 4x20
100 Total Band Pressdowns
Overhead Press: 3x12
Abs: (Weighted Side Planks: 3x35 seconds)

We finished the workout with a little bit of Olympic lifting. Olympic lifting is something that I really want to learn more about so Brandon helped me with cleans yesterday. I definitely need practice but it was a lot of fun to start learning something new! And it really got me sweating!!!

After the workout we enjoyed a feast of grilled chicken breast, gluten free mac and cheese, baked potato, rice, and ice cream for dessert! Now that I've got my carb stores reloaded I'm ready to go another week! Today is my deadlift day; I have snatch grip deadlifts today which will be something new for me...and I still have those silly Olympic stance squats...just can't seem to hide from those!

Enjoy the day and work hard...the harder you work, the luckier you get!

I think this pic is just adorable and so true! :)

Wrap Up of the Cube Method, Week 1

Happy Friday!!

Week one of the Cube Method was a great success! My weight is on the decline (thankfully) and I feel like my workouts were awesome all week, which means my recovery week was well worth it and needed.

I have my program set so I lift four times a week with one bench day, one deadlift day, one squat day, and one day where I basically work on weak points, whatever I feel that may be; however, that day must always include overhead press, curls, and calves.

This program is really a new challenge for me because it requires more rep work than I am used to. This week I did deadlifts for reps and speed squats; two things I really need to work on as all my years of a distance runner have left me with not a whole lot of speed or explosiveness.

Now that I have officially completed one week on the program I will let you know this: biggest challenge ever is still Olympic stance squats. Those darn things have left me sore not once, but TWICE this week!!! I will conquer them though! I thought I was past the days of being challenged with squatting 100 pounds (ha).

This week for my accessory day, I focused a lot on triceps and shoulders. I'm really focused on increasing my bench right now. It has made great progress over the last few months but my goal is to bench 135 by June so I definitely still have some work to do.

For each of my workouts I ended with abs and conditioning. I did barbell complexes for conditioning twice this week and loved it! They were a great way to finish the workout and get my heart rate up. I'm hopeful the weather will shape up soon so I can start doing hill sprints and other outside conditioning (a prowler is next on my list of workout toys to buy!) Snow is in the forecast for the weekend but after that I'm hopeful spring will finally decide to "spring" and I can enjoy outdoor workout finishers.

I found that since I'm only eating carbs once a week, I really need to focus on recovering even more than before. I was sure to devote more time to foam rolling and did a bit more stretching this week. I also took a couple Epsom salt baths, which not only helped me recover, but were also very relaxing :)

Sunday marks the beginning of week two! Stay tuned for more workout logs, workout tips, and other advice from me!!

Remember: the harder you work, the luckier you get :)

A little motivation for the day:



And I really want these shoes:

Let the Meet Prep Begin!

Exciting news!!!

 May 11th I will be partaking in my first powerlifting competition! It's a small push/pull meet in the Indianapolis area, close to where I live. I plan on doing this one just to get my feet wet and then do a full meet over the summer.

Last week I took a full recovery week. I felt like I had probably been over training a bit and a little rest was very beneficial to me. I did light recovery workouts all week, incorporating a lot of band work and a few bike sprints for light conditioning. I'm the type that has a hard time resting but I knew how imperative recovery was at that point so I made myself relax a bit (ha).

This past Sunday started my new cycle of training. After doing several cycles of 5/3/1 (and having GREAT success with it), Brandon and I decided to switch me over the the Cub Method for the 8 or so weeks I have before my competition. My workouts Sunday and Monday were awesome, but incredibly challenging. With the cube method, I'm trying out some things that I haven't do for quite sometime. For example, on Sunday, the program called for me to do 2x15 on bench. I'm so used to doing typically no more than 5 reps, so even though I think I only had 70 pounds on the bar, I was struggling by the end of that and definitely feeling it the next day! Big challenge #2 occurred on Monday. I started with deadlifts, which went very well! However, for squats I had to do 3x8 @ 50%. Doesn't sound bad at all, right? The catch was I had to do it in Olympic stance, something that I clearly need to work on. That was definitely the hardest part of my workout even though it was only 100 lbs on my back.

As far as my diet goes, I've also switched that up a bit as well. I've switched from carb backloading to carb nite. Basically, I have one night a week where I eat carbs and the rest of the time I am very low carb. I'm starting to adjust to the change (thankfully). Life without carbs was rough there for the first few days. My weight is down a couple pounds so I think carb nite was a positive change for me to make.

I'm very excited to see how all these changes work for me. Competition day is getting closer and closer and I'm ready to work hard and reach the goals I have set for myself.


I love this :)