If you had to describe how you look to someone what would you say? If you're like most people you would probably say mostly negative things. What about if a complete stranger described how you look?
I was catching up on some of my favorite websites and blogs last night when I came across this video. Take three minutes and watch it...I promise it will be worth it.
The week began with two really great workouts! I had speed bench to start the week and it was awesome! I did more weight than I ever had and did it with great ease! I'm definitely re-thinking what I want to open with at my meet; my bench seems to be improving so much each week! For my accessory work, I did some pull-ups, incline DB press, shoulder press, band flys, pressdowns, and pull aparts then ended with my favorite conditioning: tire flips!!!
My deadlift day was also fantastic this week! I had heavy deadlifts and wore my new awesome hot pink Purdue tank top...it must have brought me good luck!! I did block pulls from mid shin and did 215 for doubles with no problem. I videoed this lift and was happy to see there wasn't anything major to work on; just a couple little things with my set up and trying to "break the bar" when I lift. I wish I either would have gone heavier or lowered the block to make it more challenging and get more of a feel for where I really am. My ultimate goal is to hit 250 at my meet and I think it's very attainable at this point so long as I keep up the hard work and recover properly. The rest of my workout consisted of snatch grip deads, DB rows, shrugs, leg curls, and abs. I was a bit more rushed for time than I expected so I didn't get my conditioning session in but I hope to make up for it tonight.
Today is a no lift day, which is awesome because my back is pretty sore. Tomorrow I've got my accessory day and I think I'm going to do quite a bit of glute work this week, seems to be a weakness in my deadlift as well as my silly squat that has been stagnant for months (grrrrr).
In terms of training, the week didn't end nearly as well as it began. I had two crazy fantastic workouts earlier in the week but I had a pretty rough accessory day and my squat day was just so so. I've been dealing with a little back pain the last couple days but after much foam rolling, stretching, and hot baths I think it's well on the road to recovery.
I did squats this morning before work and they went okay. I didn't go as heavy as the plan called for because I wasn't hitting depth. So I dropped the weight a bit and really focused on going deep and pausing at the bottom. I'm a little frustrated with the lack of progression on my squat but after my meet (which is just push/pull) I'm going to start a new program where I focus tons on my squat.
My schedule is changing a bit now that I am working at Nunn's so I'm not exactly sure what my training schedule will be from here on out. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday I have plenty of time to train; however, I really don't want to do 3 days back to back to back so we shall see what I can come up with.
I've decided to up my conditioning a bit so tonight after work I will be partaking in hill sprints (trusting that the park is no longer closed from the "flood" we had yesterday). Then tomorrow will be my usual Sunday tire flips after my bench day (my wrist had crazy bruises from this last week!)
Also, a BIG congratulations to Brandon who just found out yesterday he is officially sponsored by NutraBio! Such a great and very deserved accomplishment for him! :D
Sunday and Monday both brought me awesome workouts! Sunday was bench day and Monday was deadlift day. Here is what the plan looked like for the two:
Bench Day:
Incline: 1x6@80%
Incline DB: 2x15 (used heavier weights than I ever have!!!)
Close Grip Bench: 3x12
supersetted with
DB Rows: 4x8
Band Flys: 3x15
supersetted with
Tricep Band Pressdowns: 4x25
DB Shoulder Press: 3x12
superestted with
Band Pull Aparts: 4x20
Abs
Conditioning
My conditioning Sunday consisted of tire flips and it was tons of fun! It left my forearms pretty sore and my quads a little tender as well. After the workout I did extra stretching than usual and spent the rest of the day enjoy the beautiful sunshine!
Deadlift Day
Speed Deadlift (with bands): 6x2@65%
Snatch Grip Deadlift: 3x12
Olympic Stance Squats: 3x8 (Put a huge emphasis on depth)
RDL: 3x8
Shrugs: 3x12
Back Extension: 2x25
Abs
Conditioning
My deadlifts felt so light today! I went well over 65% and the bar was still moving very quickly! My olympic stance squats are improving a good amount as are my snatch grip deads. I will say this: I've been working out in tank tops recently and my traps are growing quicker than anything; I almost had to do a double take (haha). Today is a rest day but I'm going to do lots of stretching and foam rolling between clients because I'm pretty sore.
On another note, I am very happy to announce that this week I will be starting as a part time intern for Nunn's Performance Training in Indianapolis. I will continue to work my other two jobs while putting in about 10 hours a week there. I'm so excited to work with athletes and expand my knowledge on training! I'm so thankful for this opportunity and can't wait to see where it leads.
It was a great day for squats! I feel like my squats are not progressing nearly as quickly as my other two lifts but the speed squats felt pretty good this week. I've been focusing way more on depth and less on the weight on the bar because I need to make sure I hit depth every time; especially once meet time rolls around. Here's what the workout consisted of: Speed Squat: 2x6@65%
Squat against band: 1x2@80%
Olympic Stance Squat: 5x5
Leg Press: 4x12-15
Kettlebell Swings: 3x15-20
Back Ext: 3x12
Abs
I think it's safe to say this was my first absolutely awesome workout of the week! My energy levels have felt low this week which is very unusual for me and I've been wanting to sleep way more than normal which is just absolutely not me at all (I'm a super light sleeper and tend to get up at 6 am on weekends). I was feeling crazy tired before this workout and really just wanted to be at home but I let myself get an energy drink before hand (no carbs or sugar) and hit the weights and it was fantastic! I almost felt like a new person afterward. The weather is supposed to be great this weekend so I've got some hill sprints in the park planned for Saturday and then bench day and tire flips on Sunday! For my accessory day, I focused on upper body and conditioning. It was a quick but effective workout.
My lifting shoes are getting a little worse for the wear and being the avid shoe love that I am I have been shopping around for some new ones. I was looking on the Converse website when I stumbled upon the "design your own" option. This just had my name written all over it. So, I designed my own shoe and put my own message on them (sadly, you were only allowed 12 letters). I haven't quite given myself permission to spend $70+shipping so I haven't ordered them but here's what I came up with:
I can't copy and past the picture so you'll actually have to click on the link. I used my favorite colors, black and teal, and I thought the stars added a nice personal touch. 2 Timothy 4 7 is what I got on the side which is my favorite Bible verse: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished my race, I have kept the faith."
Have a wonderful day everyone! Has always, get at me if you have any questions or comments! I'd love the feedback!
Not going to lie, deadlifts were a little rough on Wednesday. Despite the extra recovery work I've been doing I still felt incredibly tight in the sumo position. I took more warm up sets than normal and that seemed to help a little but I still wasn't super pleased with how the weight felt. Certainly not a bad workout though! Here's what it looked like:
Deficit Pull: 1x6@80%
Block Pull: 2x3@80%
Olympic Stance Squat: 3x8
Leg Curl: 4x10
Back Ext: 50 total reps
Abs
Conditioning
It took me awhile to really get into the swing of this workout but once I did it ended up way better than it began. I've greatly increased the weight on my olympic stance squats in a short time which makes me really happy because they were certainly a struggle the first couple weeks. I've a couple days behind with my logs because blogger hasn't been letting me post...or maybe I'm just technologically inept. Either way, my apologies. Enjoy Friday! The weekend is upon us!!
Another great workout in the books! I'm about 5 weeks out from my meet and am feeling really good with everything. Here's what the workout looked like:
Wow. The prowler pushes killed me! As Brandon said, he almost gave me prowler flu. My heart rate has not been that high for quite sometime.But it was Sunday and that meant I got to go home and enjoy my one carb evening for the week and it was absolutely fantastic! I can't wait until I buy a prowler and torture myself (haha). Awesome workout though! I've got deadlifts in a couple hours!
Take a moment to read the following conversation I had with a new client last week:
Me: "So what are your goals?"
Client: "Well I really want to work on my butt. Summer is almost here and I wanna look good in my shorts. I run like 8 miles a day; that's plenty of butt work though, right?
Me: shaking my head
Over the course of my personal training career I've met countless people, females especially, that believe running is the be all end all. Heck, I was one of them not all that long ago. Hey, if I'm running that means my legs are in constant motion; therefore, I'm really hitting those muscles hard and will have an amazing lower half, right?
No no no.
Ever since I really got serious with strength training my lower half, glutes especially, have done crazy things that could never be achieved through running alone. So if you're like my client and are looking to build up your backside then keep reading and find out my favorite glute exercises! Building up your glute strength will not only help you rock those summer shorts; having strong glutes will have much carryover to your main lifts. Build up your glutes and I guarantee you will see huge increases in your squat and deadlift.
Barbell Glute Bridge: Okay, I know, you think this exercise makes you look silly. Who cares? It's a crazy good exercise. Glute bridges (with a decent amount of weight) will let you get a really good glute contraction that really can't be found with many other exercises. Once you master the basic glute bridge, try it with only one foot on the ground. I thought I had pretty good glute strength until I tried this. Wow, talk about an eye opener! The video below provides a demonstration:
Barbell Glute Bridge Video
Bulgarian Split Squats: I did these just yesterday and my glutes feel the effects today! I'm a big fan of single leg training and this is probably my favorite single leg exercise. To perform this exercise, you simply elevate your back foot on a box or bench; about 18'' off the ground, hold dumbbells or kettlebells in each had and squat down. Make sure you come out far enough with your front foot in order to prevent putting strain on your front knee. Exercise bonus: try elevating your front foot a few inches off the floor to get more depth and extra burn!
Bulgarian Split Squat Video
Good Mornings: This exercise is great for basically the whole posterior chain. If done correctly, they will leave your hammies, low back, and glutes feeling the burn. Keep in mind good form is essential on this exercise in order to keep your back safe! You can perform these with a wide stance or with a conventional deadlift stance. Rest the bar on your upper back as if you were doing a squat, make sure your knees are soft; not locked! Next, push your hips back as far as possible. Make sure you keep the glutes squeezed and lower until you are about parallel to the ground. Then slowly return to starting position. Feel it in your backside? You're welcome.
Good Mornings
High Step Up: This is a simple, often overlooked exercise that probably leaves me huffing and puffing more than any other exercise on this list. Whether you use dumbbells or a barbell on your back, or no weight at all if you're new to the game, it is a great exercise to build your glutes and it has a great amount of carryover to things such as squatting, sprinting, and jumping. (And this is another great single leg exercise that I'm such a fan of)
Step Up
Prowler Pushes/Sprinting: If you are like my client we talked about in the beginning of the article and really want to incorporate cardio into your routine (which I think is great, don't get me wrong), then you should set aside the steady state jogging and try things such as prowler pusher and sprinting. Not only will these hit your backside harder, they'll also do wonders to cut body fat and boost metabolism.
Whether I'm deadlifting or squatting, lower body training day is hands down my favorite. Since I've been doing the above exercises for my glutes and posterior chain, I've seen my numbers for squat and deadlift grow by leaps and bounds (deadlift especially). Not only have I seen increased strength, I can also say that I certainly look better in my shorts as opposed to when I had my pancake butt in my days of running. Try them out and see what you think; I guarantee your glutes will love you for it!
Happy Tuesday! Yesterday was my deadlift day (my favorite!) Here is what the workout looked like:
Block Pull: 5x2 @80%
Snatch Grip Deadlift: 2x8 @65%
DB Rows: 3x10
Shrugs: 2x20
Leg Curl: 4x20
Abs
Conditioning
80% on the block pull felt incredibly light so I kept increasing the weight which is awesome because that means I'm getting stronger! I haven't officially set goals for my meet yet but in the back of my mind I would love to get 250 on my deadlift. My upper back is sore again today; I think this is partially from the snatch grip deads and partially from Sunday's band pull aparts. For abs I did Pallof presses and my ab wheel and then ended the workout with a barbell complex.
I hope you all had a great holiday with family and friends! After enjoying an awesome salmon lunch with my family it was time to hit the weights! Yesterday marked the start of week 3 of my program. Here's what the workout looked like:
Floor Press: 9x3 @60% (I ended up going a little heavier than this for the last few sets)
Incline DB Press: 3x15
DB Shoulder Press: 3x10 Supersetted with
Pullups: 3x10-12
Band Pressdowns: 100 total on each arm
Band Flys: 3x15 Supersetted with
Band Pull Aparts: 4x20
Abs
Conditioning
Really good workout! Afterward, I finally got my carbs for the week!! I enjoyed a feast of breakfast for supper (one of my favorites!) then ice cream for dessert with some puppy chow as a topping. I'm about 6 weeks out from my meet and I feel really good about where my numbers are. My body weight is slowly dropping as well. I'm not overly concerned with my body weight for this meet but down the road I would like for it to be a bit lower. Every day I feel a little bit stronger and feel like I get one step closer to my goals. It is such a great feeling and I can't wait to keep on going and see where I end up.
Don't forget that today is April Fool's Day...don't be falling for any jokes! :P
