Monday, 25 August 2014

The end of lazyness

Deload week is OVER so today I'm back in the gym and the start of another 4 week cycle.  The first week looks like this:

Monday 25th Deadlift (123 1rm/111) – 83kg x5, 89kg x5, 94kg x5+
Tuesday 26th Squat (56 1rm/50) – 38kg x5, 40kg x5, 43kg x5+
Thursday 28th Overhead press (31 1rm/28) – 21kg x5, 22kg x5, 24kg x5+

Friday 29th Bench (67 1rm/60) – 45kg x5, 48kg x5, 51kg x5+

Wednesday, 20 August 2014

DELOAD

It's the final week of my 4 week lifting cycle which means DELOAD.  YAY!

So this month i've been doing this:

Week 1
Fri 18th Deadlift (118 1rm/106) – 79kg x5, 84kg x5, 90kg x5+
Monday 21st Squat (51 1rm/46) – 34kg x5, 36kg x5, 39kg x5+
Tuesday 22nd Overhead press (28 1rm/25) – 19kg x5, 20kg x5, 21kg x5+
Thursday 24th Bench (73 1rm/66) – 50kg x5, 53kg x5, 56kg x5+

Friday, 15 August 2014

I have created a masterpiece!

After watching Matty Fusaro I really wanted to make Taco Salad.  Enter ingredients!


500g packet of mince (got the non-lean stuff by mistake!)
1 red onion
1 packet of guacamole, salsa, and sour cream
1 iceberg lettuce
1 tin of taco beans in tomato sauce
1 packet of fajitas seasoning

Saturday, 9 August 2014

getting back in the game

I don't want to do many totes serious posts but I have THOUGHTS.  I've been going to the gym hard 5-6 times a week for 2 years consistently and I think I finally hit burnout.  The gym is MY place and I didn't want to be there.  I can't even explain why I didn't want to go, I just knew I wanted to sit on my sofa, watch tv, and play on my laptop. 


I saw the signs a few weeks back and decided to completely change my training focus.  Although I've been doing strength training my main focus has been weight loss.  I am SO BORED of weight loss.  Since I started deadlifting I've become obsessed with strength and increasing my numbers.  I love how strong I feel when I'm deadlifting 115kg.  Love it!  So I decided to work towards competing in power lifting meets and change my training to focus on the big three - deadlift, bench press, and squat.  I now do my big compound lifts first using a 5-3-1 training programme and then accessory work.  Before I was doing too many exercises, lots of them I didn't care for that seemed to be more for bodybuilding.  Now, if the exercises I do don't contribute to increasing my deadlift, bench, and squat then I don't waste my time doing them.


This change defo helped and it feels right...but then the not wanting to go to the gym happened.  I didn't really know what to do!  I started watching Elliot Hulse on you tube and he helped me remember why I do any of this in the first place.


After I started strength training I realised that I seemed stronger than women I have known before.  This grew and grew and my body changed, but so did my mind.  My personal development is directly related to my physical strength.  I truly believe this!  The easiest way to become the best version of yourself is through exercise.  This might not be barbells and dumbbells, but could be through anything that involves the body.  Training for a 10k run, building up your squat pb, learning how to play an instrument, or learning how to fish, these are all ways for you to become the best version of yourself.  It forces the mind to expand by using the body.  It's an exciting process!


I believe 100% that I can lift any weight you put in front of me.  ANY weight.  I can't see a limit to my strength.  I want the world (and more importantly my own consciousness) to see that I am as strong on the inside that I am physically.  I cannot be strong in mind if I am not strong in body.  I didn't realise this was the case when I broke my leg, but looking back now it makes sense.  I was wheeled into A&E and left in a corridor whilst the nurses figured out where to put me.  I was completely immobile, in great pain, left alone, and I felt weak.  All I could do was cry.  It wasn't just tears of being in pain or potentially ending my sporting career.  It was because I was nothing in that moment.  That feeling continued and only started to leave when I could be active in any way.  The first time I felt relief was when they were teaching me to walk again.  I could only manage a few steps and I almost fainted.  But it was progress, it was exercise, it was evidence of strength, and as a result my mind was getting strong again along with my leg.  In fact, at various stages in my life when I was weak in mind the only time things got better was when I started to exercise my body.


So how does this tie in with me lethargy to gym recently?  It made me realise what I'm doing the gym for.  I need this to make me stronger, in all aspects.  If I'm not at the gym because I don't feel like it then I will get weaker physically and mentally, and it will spiral.  The weaker I am mentally the less likely I will want to go back.  Obviously a day off here and there won't kill me.  And I am a believer in a deload week.


The gym is the place where I am most myself.  There are no boundaries, there are no real judgements.  There is me, a barbell, and a connection between my consciousness and my limbs.  It's personal, it's intimate, it's self-expression, it's self development, and it's all mine.


The only thing I could do was to fucking force myself back there.  So I went for a shoulders day.  I told myself straight off that I was just going to do the things I enjoy for this one day.  For one day I'm not going to do stupid exercises that I'm meant to do that I hate.  I'm not doing to do boring shitty cardio.  I am going to lift heavy fucking weights above my head and I am going to grunt and shout and slam shit down, because that is cathartic and how doesn't love to slam shit down!? 


It felt great.  I got new pb's and I walked out feeling like I'd achieved something and I was getting stronger again.


This stuff isn't easy, but sometimes you need to realise why you are doing what you're doing to get back in the zone.

Tuesday, 5 August 2014

deadlift researching

I've been doing a lot of research on deadlifting to obvs max my deadlift.  I've come across this guy Richard Hawthorne and he has some excellent tips for deadlifts.

I've always read that for deadlifts you set up by placing the midfoot under the bar and then bending your knees until the shins hit the bar, then you pull up.

Richard Hawthorne first teaches that the deadlift is a push, not a pull, which is obvious, and I totally agreed, but wasn't putting it into practice.  It's easier to let a stronger body part take over when doing a big movement like a deadlift!

Secondly, he states the shins should be as close to vertical as possible, not the conventional position of angled towards the bar.  Obviously this changes depending on the individuals proportions, but it's a really smart idea.

Thirdly, by putting the shins in this position the hips and butt will be a lot higher (it'll almost look like a straight leg deadlift) allowing you to push from the heels and not pull up using the back and shoulders.

Watch the videos and listen to the guy!  I'm going to test out his theory on deadlift day this Friday and will report back!

Monday, 4 August 2014

post game feasting

The game was a lot of fun!  And the carb loading helped loads.  I always feel horrible the day of carb loading but realise how much benefit it has the next day.  I didn't run out of energy during the game at all so that was a win! 


Saturday, 2 August 2014

carbing

Today was carbing day!  And it was HARD.  My goal was 600g of carbs and I just came under that.  Here's a quick run down of all the horrible things I put in my mouth today.


Breakfast:
50g Porridge with wheat bran
25g My Protein impact whey
1 tablespoon strawberry jam
Omelette of 4 egg whites and 1 whole egg
1 slice of wholemeal bread


52g carbs, 11g fat, 50g protein


Meal 2:
50g Museli
150ml Skimmed milk
Banana
75ml low fat natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon strawberry jam


87g carbs, 4g fat, 16g protein


Meal 3:
2 Croissants
6 slices of ham
1 slice of edam cheese
200g spinach and ricotta tortelloni
75ml tomato and mascarpone sauce




113g carbs, 52g fat, 46g protein


Meal 4:
2 New York Bagel Co mini bagels
4 slices ham
200g Italian sausage and ham tortelloni
75ml tomato and mascarpone sauce


83g carbs, 23g fat, 31g protein


Meal 5:
Homemade chocolate and raspberry tart
20g double cream
1L cranberry juice
106g melon
50g blackberries
50g raspberries
100g pineapple
100g grapes


173g carbs, 27g fat, 6g protein


TOTAL
3853 calories
508g carbs, 117g fat, 149g protein