Eighty-EIGHT, Eighty-NINE...

Oh my. Today Liz punished me. For an hour. While I was away in NYC she texted me once asking how I was doing. I answered honestly that my food hadn't been that good. It was bad actually. She did not respond. I suppose she did not need to--at that moment, her mind was made up for today's session: Hell to pay. And I would say that I've paid it, but until the DOMS fully sets in and leaves, I have not. The worst is most definitely yet to come. I gained 4 pounds in one week. I think a lot of it is water weight. She does not. :)

Liz decided to destroy my legs. In her words, her goal was to remove my ability to walk. Hasn't happened (yet) but only time will tell. She also wanted to make me throw up--failed again, HCL!!! The pain:

Lying Leg Curls: 60/20, 75/15, 85/15
RDL: 75/15, 95/15, 115/15
Seated Leg Curls: 65/100
Power Steps: 50/12, 50/12, 50/12 *superset
Lunges: BW-40/15, 40/15, 40/15 *superset
Quad Leg Press: 270/30, 360/25, 420/20
Seated Leg Extensions: 55/50

Some clarifications:

a) Seated Leg Curls: No, friends, I did not *accidentally* hit the 0-key two times. I ACTUALLY did ONE HUNDRED reps in ONE set. Liz's face ever did look so happy. She didn't warn me either--although her silence tipped me off that the number of reps would be cruel and inhumane, I did not see 100 coming. After 50, she started counting at 1 again. I promptly put an end to that. As I told her, if I am doing that many reps, every gym patron in a 5 machine radius *will* know about it. So, *I* began counting. Loudly. Sixty-FIVE! Sixty-SIX!... NINETY-THREE...MAN! I AM AMAZING!...NINETY-FOUR!...ONE HUNDRED REPS!!!! :) And yes, I finished with a smile. And very painful legs.

b) Power Steps/Lunges: This was a superset. Power steps sucks. The end. Last time I did them was with Devon and another trainer asked me what I did to make Devon so mad. I didn't have to wonder what I did to make Liz have me do them. I knew. BAD NYC eating... Bad. The first set of lunges I went one length of the floor body weight only. Once we reached the barbell rack, I went back with a 40 lb BB on my back. Subsequent sets had the 40 lb BB in their entirety. Liz mounts and demounts the barbell from my shoulders. After set 2, she starting small talking some guy. I glared at her, then started to walk toward her with the intent of dropping said barbell as close to her feet as possible. LUCKILY FOR HER, she came and grabbed it before I was forced to risk my life so foolishly...

c) Quad Leg Press: Yeah, it's fun doing 30 reps sets after your legs are already destroyed. Only ONE thing could be more fun... (see item d.)

d) Seated Leg Extensions: What's the best thing to do once your legs are destroyed? Why, isolate the quads and do a 50 rep set, of course!

Liz, hands down that was the toughest workout I have been out through--not in terms of stamina, but it is not a question of whether or not I will be in pain for days, it's just how much pain... And I will be taking bets on whether or not I will be able to walk tomorrow. Or Saturday.

My uncle was lifting during my session and I did not notice him once. He saw me doing my horrific workout though. I was having dinner with them after my workout and he told me that there was a guy at the gym who within 5 minutes had irritated him by thinking he knew more than he did and was completely wrong. With only a few clarifying questions I was able to figure out that the moron at the gym was none other than: GYM JERKFACE! A.K.A. Captain America. I love that an objective third party can't stand him either!!!

Finally, there is a new trainer at the gym (well, many new trainers), and I guess I wasn't friendly enough or something to her because I didn't laugh at her incredibly lame joke. I was headed to meet Liz at the desk--focused and in the zone--and she turned the corner and we almost walked into each other. We both went left, we both went right. It was HILARIOUS. (straight face implying sarcasm). She stopped (still blocking my way) and said, "Thanks for the dance!" I thought to myself, "You are not funny and taking MORE of my time" and shot her a look of disdain. She walked THREE FEET past me and told trainers Joe and Anthony what a jerk I was for not laughing at her joke. I was so grouchy after my Liz punishment session that if I could've stood for a longer period of time I may have officially complained--I don't care how big of a jerk you think I am (or I actually am): you work there, I pay your salary--shut up and smile. :) You're lucky, new trainer. And I'm watchin' you.

Liz Always Wins.

Today was a Liz session day. The scale was being used (for an insanely long period of time) so we did not weigh in. The locker room scale reports me down one pound, but I do not count that as official.

Liz decided today would be upper body and core. I actually really liked it! I may break my workouts into upper and lower body vs. legs, chest & arms and back & shoulders.

Here was the lifting (supersets grouped together):

TG Pull Downs: 30/20, 35/20, 40/12
SA Low Row: 35/15, 45/15, 55/15
SLR w/ Hip Lift: BW/12, BW/12, BW/12

Hammer Shoulder Press: 30/15, 35/15, 40/15
BB Press-Ups: 35/15, 35/15, 35/12
Suitcases: 10/12, 10/12, 10/12

Hammer Decline Press: 20/15, 25/15, 30/15
FM Fly: 25/15, 30/15, 30/15
Toe Touches: 10/20, 10/20, 10/20

It went back, then shoulders, then chest--each superset ending with a core exercise. I'll explain the core exercises since they aren't always easy to tell what they are based on their names (e.g. suitcases).

SLR w/ Hip Lift: You lay flat. Then, keeping your legs extending out straight, you raise them so that they are perpendicular to the ground. At that point you pause (the reason for this is simple--Liz wanted me to lose any momentum I might have had from raising my legs to make my core hurt more). You finish by using your core to lift your butt off of the ground slightly, then lower your legs back down in a controlled fashion. To do this properly (read: make it hurt right) you do not touch the ground in between reps.

Suitcases: You lay flat holding a core ball above your head with your arms extended out straight. Simultaneously, you crunch up and bring one leg in to your chest so that when you are mid-rep, the core ball is extended in front of you an your knee cap is in the circle your arms are making. You reverse the motion and repeat with the other leg. That is one rep. I am not sure I am describing this well--it's not as complicated as I make it sound.

Toe Touches: You lay on your back with your legs raised in the air so they are perndicular to the ground. You hold a core ball vertical as well with your arms fully extended. You then crunch your stomach to touch the ball to your toes (or do the best you can). Fun. Times.

I felt like Liz and I were laughing a lot this session. In a good way. We talked a lot about Amanda F.'s upcoming wedding (on Saturday!) and my Beefy Guy escapades from this week. There was much giggling between sets and during--which makes the workouts all the more fun!

At one point during the cable flys, I was struggling a little bit and Liz said to do one more but I am a better counter than her and I was done the 15 rep set. The conversation went like this:

Liz: One more.
Me: THAT WAS 15!
Liz: DO ONE MORE.
Me: 15! IT WAS 15!
Liz: Shut up! I'm the trainer! DO. ONE. MORE!
*the sound of laughter from several other trainers in the vicinity*
*the sound of Erin doing a 16th rep*

Liz always wins.

One final funny story. Anthony was working with a client on the cable rows while we were on the Hammer Shoulder Presses right next door in Man-Land. Anthony says, "Liz, what do you think of when you hear the word: Panera?" I answered (naturally he was talking to me too): "Nothing good for you! But SUPER tasty!" Liz agreed. His poor client kept trying to make it okay. He was all: "What if I bring my own salad dressing?" My response: "Unless all you are eating is lettuce with that dressing--not good." Anthony thought it was hilarious that I was on their side. I don't believe his client saw it that way. I'm such a jerk. :) Liz did make the good point that you can do much worse eating out, but it isn't good for you.

I won't be working out tomorrow as I am working working working then rehearsal dinnering!!!

Lifting With a Purpose

I will get to the lifting, but first, some philosophical commentary. I debated (for like 35 seconds) over whether or not to include my blatant flirting with beefy guy (formerly known as match-my-sweatband-to-my-outfit guy) in this post. There are a couple reasons for this: 1) I would be *so* embarrassed if he ever saw it! and 2) although my life is truly an open book for all of the internet to enjoy/mock/pity/etc, some things are more on the personal side. Having said all of that, it is my understanding that many (if not all) of you could care less about how much I can bench (I was up to 120 lbs before the surgery!!!) and how many reps and sets I do of each exercise. As far as I can tell, my big fans eat up the relational aspects waaaaaaaaay more. You want to read about funny ZTT, ABD and HCL stories. You want to read about my hilarious rants and awkward encounters. I'd also like to believe that you want to cheer me on as I try and succeed and support me when I fail, laugh with me when I find something funny and be sad with me when things aren't going well. My life is a bit of a roller coaster and, if I understand correctly, you want to come along for the ride. :) If I do not understand correctly, I am just incredibly narcissistic and typing to myself. In either case, I type on. :)

Ok, on to today! Today I did a full body lifting routine. Yes, I did a few more exercises than I planned to to strategically smile at beefy guy more. I also selectively chose some exercises to be in his line of sight. Oh yes, I am playing *that* game. And I am a novice. ;)

The lifting:

Kneeling Leg Curls: 40/15, 50/15, 60/15
Seated Leg Press (Cybex): 150/15, 190/15, 210/15
Seated Cable Row: 50/15, 60/15, 70/12
BB Deadlifts: 95/15, 115/13, 135/10
DB Chest Press: 15/15, 20/15, 25/15, 30/15
Seated Leg Extensions: 70/15, 80/15, 90/15
Lat Pulldowns: 50/15, 60/12, 60/10
BB Upright Rows: 40/15, 45/15, 45/12
Pec-Decks: 50/15, 60/15, 70/15
DB Front/Side Raise Combo: 5/12, 5/12

So, I will explain my lifting choices. In general I try to do 2-4 leg exercises (with at least one focusing on hams and one on quads), a lats, a row of some sort, 1-2 chest, 1-2 shoulder. I flip and flop back and forth between upper and lower body, trying to move from larger muscles to smaller as I go. I haven't been getting more specific that that in pre-planning like I used to and it *appears* to be working I think...

Ok, so, I'm all cable rowing it up when I see beefy guy at the bench directly across from the deadlift rack. Guess I'm doing deadlifts next. :) So I went over and as I was 3 feet away another guy swooped in and took it!!! There was an awakward "Did you want this?" "No, no, you take it" "You can have it" "No, I'm good" exchange with him which served the purpose of getting beefy guy's attention. I went over the another rack on the other side of the weight floor and after my second set, beefy guy walked past and smiled at me. I smiled back--it's only polite. Erin's Feminine Wiles 1, Beefy Guy's Attempts to Stay Away 0.

I then went over to do a dumbbell chest press. I started with 15s--way too easy. By the time I was done set 3 (with 25s) I had more juice in me. I decided to do 30s but was a little worried about dropping them on me (I was at 35s before the surgery break and am not quite back yet). I saw beefy guy walking in my direction so I got his attention and asked if he would spot me. He said sure. Then, in true Erin form, I started rambling things like, "If you're too busy, it's cool. I'll be fine." He flashed me a smile--I choose to believe it was a "Man, you are adorable when you ramble" smile vs. the "Man, this girl is crazy" smile--and said it was fine. I started very strong--uh oh! What if I don't look like I need a spot?!!? I'd be made! I was so incredibly grateful when my right arm buckled a little during rep 9. He swooped in and grabbed my elbows! I finished the rest of the set fine and when I was done he gave me a "good set" and I thanked him. Erin's Feminine Wiles 2, Beefy Guy's Attempts to Stay Away 0.

I let things be at this point--don't want to use all my best material in one sitting. :) I *did* do the pec-decks and shoulder raise combo to lengthen my time on the weight floor in his peripheral vision. Hey! Extra working out is never a bad thing...right? ;)

Double the Workouts, Double the Fun!

Today was a TWO workout day!!!! This was for a couple reasons:

1) I am not working out Wednesday, so I thought I'd double it up today! and
2) Two different friend sets that I really enjoy chillin' chillin' with wanted to work out doing different things at different times.

First up was a bright (dark-ish) and early (too early) run with Amy and Amanda B.! It was raining at 5:30 am, so we ran inside the church gym. Oh, memories back to the Sole Sisters! As Amy pointed out, we replaced Kiley with Amanda! (As if Kiley could ever be replaced and as if Amanda could ever just be someone's replacement...) We went for about 30 minutes. The general flow was run 5 laps of the gym, run 1 stair loop then walk 2 laps of the gym and repeat! I didn't feel too tired at any point which is great! Liz had told me to intentionally run intervals rather than try to run the whole thing and get disappointed when my stamina isn't where it used to be. Good plan, Liz! I am pleased. :)

I then got ready and went to work and worked a 9 hour day until it was time for my workout date #2 at 5:30 pm with Stephanie! It's Monday and so it is Gradual Build Day!!!! Gradual build day sucks way less with Stephanie. I may make her join me *every* Monday!

After gradual build, we stretched on the stretchy seat thing. I had never used one before, but Stephanie taught me what was what. :)

Also! I love my homemade protein bars! I also shared one (with Amy) and it was *very* well received! I am bringing some into work tomorrow to make all of my coworkers enjoy them too!!!!

Homemade Protein Bars

I made protein bars today from scratch! This makes me feel like I have entered a whole new level--like I have graduated from "health and fitness junkie" to "health nut," except the only problem is that I haven't really. I am not a health nut. But I *do* make homemade protein bars. :)

The recipe (passed to me from Hard Core Liz):

No Bake Protein Bars

Ingredients:

1/4 c. natural peanut butter or natural almond butter
1/2 c. water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. rolled oats or quick oats (uncooked)
6 scoops chocolate or vanilla protein powder (it should be whey isolate--no added junk)
2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed
1 c. skim milk powder
1/2 c. dried cranberries
Stevia (optional, if your protein powder is not sweet)

Directions: Spray an 8 inch square pan with non-stick spray. In bowl, whisk together nut butter, water and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients. Spread into pan and freeze for one hour or refrigerate overnight, until bars can be cut. Wrap individually.

Makes: 10
Calories: 180 | Fat: 4.5g | Protein: 19g | Carbs: 16g

I had to modify the recipe slightly. Allow me to explain. Liz suggested that the whey protein form the LifeCafe was a good one for the recipe--although I suspect she has never used it herself. Also protein powders have their own size scoops. I believe that the Lifetime Whey scoop is ginormous compared to others. When it was all mixed together it was very dry. To remedy this I added another 1/4 c. of water. The consistency *seems* fine to me. I will ask Liz for actual scoop size of hers and modify next time--or I may just keep it this way if I like it enough. :)

Also, I chose to use wax paper to line the pan rather than spray with non-stick spray. The idea of using non-stick spray and *not* baking it grosses me out for some irrational reason. :) And I did not use Stevia--because I am sweet enough. ;)

For your benefit (and your benefit alone) I photo-documented various stages of the process.

Here is the goop spread in the pan. I started spreading it with a combination spatula and butter knife (it's sticky stuff!) but quickly moved to the rice-krispie-treat-method of using my hands--MUCH more successful...and messy!:

From Carry-On With Life

Here is the lot of them cut up and individually wrapped (I cut them 5 x 2). I am not so good at cutting them evenly--maybe I will get better in time...:

From Carry-On With Life

Here is one, in case you wanted a closer look:

From Carry-On With Life

Yum.

My Shoulders Are Properly Destroyed

Today I lifted and it was time to do back & shoulders. I thought I hated back & shoulders day, but surprisingly, I do not. I enjoy it. I only hate *some* of the back & shoulders exercises and I managed to avoid most of them. :)

There is something to note before I get into specifics though. Ever since last Thursday, I have been BOTE (for the newbies, it's Back On Track Erin--nicknamed by my wonderful mother and immortalized in tshirt form by Awesome Lyn Lyn). I had emailed Liz a plan for the next two weeks (ending at Tom & Amanda's wedding where I plan to eat yumminess). I told her that failing to plan is planning to fail and that's what I had been doing. So far, planning = winning! I worked out 6 days this week--3 cardio and 3 lifting. I have also been on track with my eating since last Thursday. It feels really good (physically and psychologically) to have a successful week when it has been so long since that has happened. :) One small change in attitude I noticed was that a few weeks ago I thought that I would work out on Saturday if I could fit it in, then as the day progressed I just did not make time for it. This week, I set my alarm (I know, right? On a SATURDAY!) and planned ahead to get ready, make & eat breakfast, go to the post office, go to BJs, workout, shower, eat snack and get to my 12:30 haircut appointment. Everything went to plan (even the added 10 minutes from my leaving my packed lunchbox on the kitchen counter and having to retrieve it). I am now home, laundry is in the washer and I have sometime before my evening festivities. Success! :)

The Back & Shoulders lifting:

LATS:
Assisted Pull-Ups: 100/15, 95/15, 90/12
Lying DB Pull-Overs: 25/15, 35/10, 25/15

RHOMBOIDS/REAR DELTS:
Seated Machine Row: 40/15, 50/15, 60/15
Seated Cable Row: 40/15, 50/15, 55/15

SHOULDERS:
Seated DB Shoulder Press w/ Rot.: 12.5/15, 15/15, 17.5/15
Machine Shoulder Press: 30/15, 35/15, 40/12
DB Front/Side Raise Combo: 5/15, 7.5/15, 7.5/12
Rear Delt Flyes: 40/15, (50/6:40/9), 40/12

You may have noticed the title of this post and the reference to my shoulders being destroyed. This is evidenced by my pitiful performance on the rear delt flyes. I can typically do like 50 or 60 lbs with ease. At least I could before the surgery, maybe I am trying too much too fast. In any event, the 40 seemed reasonable. So, on set 2 I naturally increased to 50 lbs. I could not do it! After 6 reps I couldn't move the weights! So I dropped the weight (shamefully) to 40 and finished the set. Boooooo. Then for set 3 I could only muster 12 reps at 40 lbs. I have to remember that I am used to do full body workouts where I do only one or two shoulder exercises. When I do more (like today), my muscles are fatigued more when I get to the end and I cannot do as much. Ok....I feel a little better about it all. :)

I also like the Front/Side Raise Combo. It's hard--to be clear--but it's a nice, challenging workout. You stand with your feet shoulder width apart and hold the dumbbells directly in front of you against your upper thighs. You raise them up to be parallel with the floor (the front raise), then rotate them out to the sides (like the Virtuvian Man). Next you lower the weights to your sides and immediately reverse the process (doing the side raise on the way up!). That's one rep. You see how doing 3 sets of 12-15 reps of these with even lightweight dumbbells can destroy your shoulders!!! But in a good way. ;)

For the rest of today I will be relaxing, having coffee with my IronGirl Tri Relay team and seeing the Green Lantern!!! Tomorrow is a well-deserved rest day!

Step-Mill Intervals! And a Rant About Personal Space.

Today was my step-mill day where I do intervals. Liz suggested I do intervals as she does and when she spoke she had a level of excitement in her voice that rivals mine when I talk about math! And if you know me and my love for math (just ask me about Henri Poincaré and his hyperbolic geometry heaven!!!), you know just how sick and twisted Liz is.

For the intervals I did 50 minutes of 5 minute intervals doing 4 minutes at level 4 (easier) and 1 minute at level 10 (yucky). I typically could get about 20 seconds into the level 10 minute before it was hard and then I pushed through the final 40 seconds huffing and puffing. About 2 minutes into the the next interval, I felt as though my heart rate was back to where I like it. Then after two more minutes, back at it again!

ZTT (Yes! We all missed posts with fun ZTT stories/advice!) always said that intervals are great for your fitness because they are rapid and unexpected and force your body to react quickly to handle it. I believe that as a general rule of thumb, it's always good to trick your body in fitness. Keep it guessing!

Here are my stats:

Calories Burned: 514.1
Time: 52:00
Distance: 3.63 miles
Floors Climbed: 174
Average Pace: 54 steps per minute

It was almost exactly 100 calories burned per 10 minutes. There is no point to that statement other than it makes my math-loving, OCD-like heart happy. :)

Now for my rant! People! You gotta learn to appreciate personal space! I'm not talking "my bubble"--most people know not to stand within 6 inches of someone else (although not ALL people...). I'm talking about a concept I like to call "Relative Personal Space." (You heard it here first.)

What is this new concept, Erin? Oh, I will tell you. Here is the scooby: if I am in a sparsely populated setting, stay away from me--if it is densely populated, simply respect the bubble. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Here are some common places where people do NOT demonstrate courteous relative personal space practices:

1) The Couch at a Party: If I am the ONLY person sitting on a standard, three-seater couch, it is my duty to sit on one end and not directly in the middle. It is then YOUR duty to sit on the other end. There is NO reason for you to sit in the middle unless a) the other seat is filled leaving ONLY the middle seat for sitting; or b) you want to snuggle with me. Depending on who "you" is, option b is more or less appealing.

2) Public Restrooms: If I walk into a public restroom and I am the only person there, it is my duty to choose a stall that allows a second restroom patron to select one away from mine. This is only an issue in a three-top setting. In that scenario I shall NOT choose the middle stall. In the >3 cases, any stall selection is fine. It is YOUR duty to choose a stall not directly to mine so long as they are available. The end. I don't want to be able to see what color your shoes are when I KNOW there is an open stall on the opposite side of you. Ew. (Side note: I am not the only one who ascribes to this theory, here is an algorithm for men's room urinal usage. Enjoy. And you're welcome.)

3) Gym Equipment: Ok. Now that you are on board with this excellent concept. Here is what happened today and how it violated it so egregiously. If I am in the gym and it is Friday night and, hence, sparsely populated, and I choose a step-mill far from everyone else, when YOU come to use a step-mill, it is YOUR duty to choose one AT LEAST one machine away from me. There should be a one-machine buffer until the gym fills up. The end. Tonight, this simple principle was violated. Repeatedly. Until I ended up in the following situation (yes, I made a diagram...it's not exactly the gym floor map, but good enough to make the point):

From Carry-On With Life

The red dots are BAD gym patrons and the teal dots are acceptable ones. I WAS SURROUNDED!!!! If there was a wall rather than the terrifying drop-off to the lobby behind me I might feel like I would implode! Oh my! Too much. Too much...

Luckily for me, they all seemed to be pansy workout-ers and didn't last very long. Yes, I was there before they all showed up and after they all left--further evidence that only crazies do the better part of an hour on the step-mill.

OK. That's enough ranting. Thanks for listening/reading! I hope you enjoyed it and will apply these principles in your everyday life if you do not already. Which you do. Because you read my blog. Which makes you awesome. ;)

Chest & Arms Day

On Tuesday Liz only did legs with me because my arm had hurt a bit during my full body workout on Saturday. So the plan is to do chest & arms today and back & shoulders on Tuesday. Then, when I meet with Liz on Thursday I will be all evened out (my OCD-like tendencies cannot handle not being even). :)

For chest and arms day I try to do 2 chest presses and 1 flye, then 2-3 each of biceps and triceps. Specifics for today:

CHEST
FM Chest Press: 35/15, 40/15, 45/15
Flat DB Flyes: 15/15, 17.5/15, 20/15
Incline DB Press: 20/15, 22.5/15, 25/15

ARMS
Cable Bicep Curls:15/15, 20/15, 25/15 *superset
Cable Triceps Pushdowns:15/15, 20/15, 25/15 *superset

Standing DB Hammer Curls: 15/15, 20/15, 22.5/15 *superset
Lying Overhead DB Triceps Extensions: 12.5/15, 12.5/15, 12.5/15 *superset

Machine Bicep Curls: 30/15, 35/12, 35/12

Machine Triceps Press: 50/15, 70/15, 90/15

Next workout will be cardio tomorrow. If the pool isn't too crowded I may swim, otherwise I will likely do intervals on the step-mill!

Pyramid Cardio on the Elliptical

Today was a cardio day and I planned on either using the elliptical or swimming. I didn't feel like getting my hair all chlorine-y so I used the elliptical. I did my pyramid cardio which is moving the crossramp incline from 10 to 15 to 20 to 15 to 10 to 15 etc... every 5 minutes for 45 minutes.

Here are my stats:

Calories Burned: 550.2
Time: 46:30
Strides: 6753
Distance: 3.86 miles

I got a smoothie in the LifeCafe after my workout (as I typically do) and while I was waiting for it Devon came in to get some dinner. He came and sat with me while he waited too. Looks like somebody misses Erin... :) I was reading my book but as I told him, I was *happy* to put it away for such a momentous occasion. I caught him up on the hilarity that is the comings and goings of my life. He told me that I never disappoint. :) Of course I don't.

Liz Session Lifting!

Today was a session with Liz day. As you may recall from yesterday, she gave me the challenge of losing 2 pounds since last Thursday. I. Lost. 4. Boom. That just happened!!! :) Back On Track Erin, back in the house (yes, I just wrote "in the house"). :)

Liz only did lower body with me today because my forearm had hurt on Saturday. Through conversations with Liz, she thinks it was my bicep. My big, hulky biceps cannot help themselves. :)

The lifting:

BB Box Squats: 95/15, 95/15, 115/12

Rev SM Lunges on Box: 45/12, 55/12, 50/12

Squat Press: 180/15, 270/15, 360/15, 450/15

Hack Squats: 180/15, 180/15

ABD w/ Hold: 50/15, 65/15, 75/15
RDL: 40/15, 40/15, 40/15

During the hack squats, my left knee started to hurt fairly significantly so we only did two sets. From Liz asking me questions and me having no idea how to answer them (e.g. Liz: Does it feel like a pin prick or a knife? Me: I don't know what a knife feels like! Liz: But imagine. Me: What?!?!) she thinks it's my IT band. She showed me how to stretch it and recommended icing it. She had a great idea! Freeze some water in dixie cups, then you can massage it while icing it! Genius!

Also, I told Liz I am growing tired of my afternoon meatwich snack (appalling, I know!). She suggested a protein shake. I asked about a protein bar. She said that she prefers homemade and gave me a recipe. I am excited to try it out!!! I won't for like a week until I eat all of the lunchmeat currently in my fridge. :) When I do I will post the recipes and pictures a la Awesome Lyn Lyn.

Finally, I had a nice dinner with my friend Kimberly tonight who expressed disappointment she has not been mentioned in the blog. She doesn't READ it. But anyways, here's a shout out for a fun dinner!!!! :)

Back to the Grind, er, Gradual Build

I do not have any fun jet-setting trips (until later this month) for a bit so I have no excuse not to work out and eat all healthy for a bit. I committed to Liz, via a specific plan, how I intended to do this between last Thursday and June 25th (Tom & Amanda's wedding!!!!). So...I had to get back into Gradual Build Mondays! As much as I looooooo-oooooooove Gradual Build!

Lucky for me, I was joined by my dear friends, Stephanie and Victoria!!! And Stephanie and I both noticed that the ridiculously high inclines suck just a touch less when you are chit-chatting with a friend. To be clear, the 5 minutes at the incline of 14.0% was virtually silent as we both needed to focus on breathing!!!!

The Stats:

Calories Burned: 420
Distance: 2.12 miles
Time: 44:14 (with added 4:14 cool down because the "cool down" 5 minutes at 9.0% incline just doesn't do it for me!)

Next workout is a Liz session tomorrow. I was given the goal of losing 2 pounds since last Thursday's weigh-in. I think I kicked its butt, but tomorrow I will know for sure. :)

Sunday Funday!

Today I attended a Surprise Shower for my dear friend, Julie, who is having her fourth child--her first boy!!! Amy and I worked on our super-secret shower surprise Friday night. It is a rose basket with the roses made out of baby socks. This website show the steps and this is how it is supposed to look:

We had some slight variations, namely a) our socks were baby blue, b) we used a basket rather than a vase and c) floral tape is a horrible concoction developed in the depths of hell.

Here is our finished product:



It's not a very good picture, but it was 1 am before we finished and I was sleepy and didn't notice the photo quality until just now. In any event, we are very pleased and we think Julie liked it too. :) Congrats Ajay & Julie!!!

Later this evening, my church small group got together and cooked dinner for the teenagers in youth group. It was super fun to grill out in the parking lot. I was in charge of filling the large 3-gallon beverage holders with lemonade. And I rocked it. Like a champion. Here's the photo of us working hard (or hardly working...):



Now off to bed so I can gradual build with Stephanie tomorrow!!!

Rachael Boer Photography

Friends!!! My digital images have arrived from my "I lost a bunch of weight and am turning 30" photo shoot. Also referred to as "I have GOT to get new pictures for my mom's dining room wall because the current ones are AWFUL" photo shoot. Evidenced below:



So...here is the album (I believe set to autoplay a slideshow if I did it correctly)!!!



Rachael specializes in newborns and children photography and is just wonderful at it. If you have one or some of these (or if you are a cool, single gal like me) you should check out her work! Her website is www.rachaelboerphotography.com.

I'd love to know which are you favorites! My mom chose: 2, 25 and 37. I chose: 6, 11, 14, 24, 26 and 31. :)

Lifting & a Movie!

What a great Saturday night. :)

I lifted later this evening because I had plans to go to the 8:50 pm showing of X-Men First Class at Arundel Mills Mall and wanted to not go home in between. Given the reputation of Arundel Mills Mall, I required that my escort for the evening pre-agree to walk me to my car at the late hour the movie would end--he obliged, but upon safely arriving at our respective vehicles asked me what exactly I thought *he* would do to protect me. Fair question. I hadn't thought that far ahead. :) Safety in numbers... :)

Oh! And the actual movie, although did not receive great reviews from the critics was really good! I should disclaim that I am an X-Men movie groupie and it may be my favorite superhero movie series of all times and as such my opinion may not be objective. But I really enjoyed it! And young Professor X and Magneto are dreamy. Just saying...even though I know Magneto will toggle the line between the 'good' X-men's friend and foe, I still love him... ::swoon::

Enough geekery for now. For the pre-movie lifting, I did full body. I did not go in with a plan. This was unsettling for me because I like plans. Also, in the past, without a plan I would slack a little--do only what I *felt* like doing vs. what I need to do. I feel that I did reasonably well plan-less. I mixed it up by alternating between lower and upper body every couple exercises. Here it is (pounds/reps):

Seated Leg Extensions: 70/15, 80/15, 90/15
Seated Leg Curls: 85/15, 100/15, 115/15
FM Chest Press: 35/15, 40/15, 45/15 *superset with FM Lat Pulldown
FM Lat Pulldown: 70/15, 80/12, 80/10 *superset with FM Chest Press
45° Leg Press: 270/15, 360/15, 450/15
45° Leg Press Calves: 180/20, 230/20, 270/20
Pec-Decks: 40/15, 50/15, 60/15
Seated Row: 40/15, 50/15, 60/12
Machine Shoulder Press: 30/15, 40/15, 50/12

Toward the end of the second set of the pec-decks I got a sharp pain in my right forearm just under my elbow on the inside. I took the last set easy and also was careful with the seated row. I think I did a good job! :)

Tomorrow is a rest day!

Swimming, Snazzy Supermarket & Super-Secret aSsembly!

Wow, friends. Today was chock full.

This morning, I headed work early so that I could make it over to a dear friend's funeral. Jason Shupe was a wonderful man, son, husband and father. On Monday morning, at the way-too-early age of 29, he suffered from a heart attack leaving his beautiful wife, son and daughter much earlier than anyone could have anticipated. The service was beautiful and hearing all of the stories of how he touched the lives around him was so moving. We love you, Jason. And to Jennifer, the picture of strength throughout this week, I hope and pray that you take the time to grieve and lean upon us whenever you need for however long you need. That's what we are here for. We love you.

Later in the day, I swam laps at Lifetime in the outdoor pool. I forgot my watch, so I have no times (sorry, Rachael--my super-awesome memory did not time and memorize each lap...this time...) but I know I went 0.5 miles.

I then came with Amy to Frederick to babysit her adorable niece, Anna! She is quite the cutie-pie. After she was asleep, we left her in the care of her uncle and went to WEGMANS. As expected, it was awesome. They have Coca-Cola machines from the future. Or at least Amy is convinced they are:



When we finally pried ourselves away, we came back to Amy's parent's house to 'get our craft on' and make a Super-Secret and equally Super-Awesome gift (inspired by Ruth F.--If you know her, you may know what I'm talking about...but it's super-secret!!! So shhhhhh...).

At Wegmans I wanted to get ice cream...but I am being good. So I texted Liz the following:

I am texting you because I really want to eat ice cream but am not going to and texting you so I know you'll ask if I did. Which I wouldn't have. :)

She replied with:

Stay away!!! Ice cream is bad!!! (good call on the txt!)

And I didn't eat the ice cream. Victory. :) Lifting tomorrow!

I Will Do ANYTHING ANYONE Tells Me To...

Not sure this is a good thing, but hey--it's working for me so far. :)

Today I had a Hard Core Liz session. As an aside, every session I am more and more glad that I switched. She is just very different than Devon. They are both very knowledgeable, but just...different. Hard to explain why exactly. Maybe because she is tough and no nonsense, but also funny and seems to really care if I do well. She can email me: "Now get your a$s back on the wagon" one day and then write on the top of my workout:

Goals: 20% body fat, routine, be strong & empowered, have "good arms". ***What are you doing each day to work towards these goals?***

the next. Nice touch, Liz. I like it.

I had not worked out since my swim last week (due to traveling and such), so I knew today would be tough. It was a standard Liz workout--challenging, but not impossible. Here it is:

DB Squats: 20 lb DBs/20 reps, 20/20, 20/20
Lunges: Body Weight/20 reps, BW/20, BW/20
Burpees w/ Stand: 10 lb DBs/10 reps, 10/10, 10/10

V-Grip Pulldowns: 50 lbs/20 reps, 60/15, 65/12, 65/12
Push-Ups: Body Weight/10 reps, BW/10, BW/10, BW/12
Pop-Ups: Body Weight/15 reps, BW/15, BW/15, BW/15

SL Leg Press (Glute-focused): 140 lbs/15 reps, 140/15, 180/15
DB Shoulder Press: 15 lb DBs/20 reps, 20/15, 20/15
Split Jumps: Body Weight/16 reps, BW/16, BW/16

And I am still standing!!! :) Also, during rest periods I decided to tell Liz the things I think about the other regulars in the gym to include: Gym Jerkface who used to yell at me for inane reasons, the guy who walks around like he's a jerk (Liz agrees--he is apparently one of the 'arms brothers', two guys who work arms all the time and walk around the gym like they are AWESOME!) and the "gym kingpin"--this jacked guy who I swear is the mayor of Man-Land. In my head, men stop using weight machines when he walks up to use them. Liz just laughed at me. Appropriately.

Then I told her about the guy that I like to smile at but we rarely speak. I had told Devon about him and he suggested I have conversation with him "with intention." Like I know how to do that, Devon... I was going to...I really was...but then I saw him talking to a pretty girl. For like two hours. (I may be exaggerating. But it was over 30 minutes for sure.) And I decided that he's not too shy to talk to me, he doesn't want to. So, no Devon, I will not start a conversation 'with intention' with him. I told Liz all of this. She rolled her eyes (a common occurence during our conversations--it's in a nice way, I assure you) and brought up the possibility that maybe *she* initiated the conversation with him. Hmm. Possible. But I don't care. I reminded Liz that I have been single since I was 17 for a reason. :) She told me to go put the dumbbells away and say hello to him and ask him how we was doing. I really do WHATEVER I am told to. So I did. :) We had a nice small chat about Liz kicking my butt and how he was kicking his own butt because he went away for the weekend and overindulged. Nice.

As we were leaving our session, we passed Devon. I said hello and told him I missed him (as I do every time I see him) and he pointed over to the guy and smiled. So subtle, Devon. The only hope I have is that the guy wasn't looking in the mirror while Devon did that (as we were behind him). Maybe he was looking at his big, beefy muscles. If I had muscles like his, I know that I would do that ALL the time. :)

As I was stretching, Devon walked by and I told him I was mortified!!! He told me I wear mortification well. Why, thank you, Devon... :)

Next workout tomorrow: probably swimming outside!

Laid Out in the Sun and Read!!! Oh, and Swam, Too...

Today I worked a half day to leave early so I'd have enough time to prepare my house for the new roommate moving in Saturday. I went to the gym to get my workout in. I decided to swim laps. I always *want* to swim laps, but _hate_ sharing lanes. When I am normally working out, the lanes are full. I figured since I bolted from work super early I'd be good--and I was! And I swam in the *outdoor* lap pool!!! Sun was shining! I was swimming. Alone in my lane. Sheer bliss. I went a half mile:

Lap 1: BS, 1:46
Lap 2: BS, 1:54
Lap 3: EB, 2:17
Lap 4: BS, 1:46
Lap 5: BS, 1:53
Lap 6: EB, 2:20
Lap 7: BS, 1:51
Lap 8: BS, 1:57
Lap 9: EB, 2:23
Lap 10: BS, 1:54
Lap 11: BS, 1:55
Lap 12: EB, 2:28
Lap 13: BS, 1:53
Lap 14: BS, 1:55
Lap 15: EB, 2:29
Lap 16: BS, 1:52

Total: 32:33

I normally do this faster. In particular, my elementary backstroke is usually faster than my breaststroke. I find this interesting that it was SO much slower. I have a theory. I think because there was no ceiling--only bright sun and blue sky--I wasn't sure when I was reaching the end of the pool so swam tentatively, i.e. slowly. Hmm...I think being out in the sun was worth it!

I then dried off by reading two chapters of my book on my back and then two on my stomach. :)

Now to clean the basement... :)