Back and Bicep Training

Sunday morning, and I haven't trained back in a week. I cut one day out to add in a quad day. You can see things are looking a bit tighter (clothing) all over, more muscle, more fat, more me! Weight is up, I am at 130 pounds.


I don't like the added fat but I will be fine, soon I will start a diet and then we can see how the added muscle looks with no bodyfat covering it.


I was quite surprised at how strong I felt, I guess giving the back a rest helped me recover so I could go really strong.


I started with pull ups, and chin ups, sets of 6, changing my hand position with each set. I did 4 sets and in between I did dips, 10 reps in each set. 


On to the low cable row. 90 pounds, 3 sets of 10 with a wide grip handle, then 2 sets with a triangle. I made sure to count slowly on the eccentric movement, timing each set with only one minute rest between each.


Then the same technique with the lat pull down, 90 pounds again, 5 sets of 10. 


Down to the lower weight room where the power racks are. I will do barbell bent over rows. I warm up with 65 pounds, then go with 95 pounds. 5 sets of 12, 90 second rest in between.


Bicep curls with the e-z bar curl. I like these, I can go fairly heavy. I did 5 sets of 10 with a total of 58 pounds.


Back upstairs and I warm up with a 25 pound dumbbell with single arm dumbbell bent over rows. You really can cheat yourself on these, it is important to maintain a good bent over stance, squeezing the back at the top with each row, lowering slowly down, then pulling up explosively.


After my warm up I grab the 45 pound dumbbell and do 4 sets of 10 on each side.


I am done, I make a note to go up quite a bit on everything next Sunday, except the e-z bar curl, I don't think I can go much heavier there.


Next week I shall change it up a bit, I will add in some skull crushers, T-bar rows and heavier weights all over.

Back and Arm Training

Thursday- back and arms, here's how the morning went:

Chin ups and Pull ups: 5 wide grip pull ups, 5 neutral grip, 6 chins ups, 5 slow eccentric lowering chin ups.

Barbell bent Over Row 115 pounds 4 sets of 10 reps , 90 second rest in between sets, tempo:

40/41/42/35

Low Row (cable) 85 pounds 5 sets of 10 reps (first 3 wide handle grip, last 2 triangle handle), 60 second rest in between sets, tempo: 46/49/45/48/47

Lat Pull Down 85 pounds 5 sets of 10 reps (first 3 wide handle grip, last 2 triangle handle), 60 second rest in between sets, tempo: 50/47/46/44/44

E-z Bar Curl 48 pounds 3 sets of 10, 60 second rest in between sets, tempo: 51/47/48

Skull Crushers 38 pounds 3 sets of 10, 60 second rest in between sets, tempo: 33/40/39

Single Arm Dumbbell Row 45 pounds 4 sets of 10, 60 second rest in between sets, tempo: 48/47; 40/39; 34/36

Getting Back to Normal

We all self critique, some more than others. Some of us are very hard on ourselves, and others, well they just don't get too worked up about anything.


In the month or so following a competition, I scrutinize everything. Every little body part, every lump and bump. I worry it's all just falling apart at times.


Then some days I look in the mirror and think "damn I still look awesome for a 50 year old. In fact, for a woman half that age!"


These are pictures of me now, three weeks after my competition. I went from 118 to 128 (you always blow up a bit due to the carbs, sodium and basic mess your body is in), down to 124 and now I am at 125.

Tuesday I was out on campus and had run my stairs and jumped rope, I was wearing my typical clothing, same as here but a tank top over it. When I was done I ran to the Nutrition and Food Science building to pick up my CSA delivery and as I walked back, iPod still blasting in my ears, a student tried to talk to me. He said something to me and I couldn't hear, I pulled my ear bud out and asked him "what?". He said it again "You are extremely fit!"


He walked off quickly, no intention of talking more, he just wanted to say that. I felt good. Here was a kid, maybe 22 years old telling someone who is as old (no, older) than his  mom that she is "fit". 


At the gym on Thursday I was in the back room, where the bench press's are located. There were two guys who always train together there. They are young, maybe 30 if anything, and I know one is a surgeon. I have noticed as he is extremely attractive so I kind of paid attention to him. I was training back and in the squat rack doing bent over barbell rows. I could tell he tweaked his back but didn't want to say anything, he is hurting. As he stretches out, and tries to alleviate the pain, I take my ear buds out and walk over. 


"You tweaked your back, didn't you?"


"Yeah, how did you know?"


"I can tell by the way you are moving. I didn't want you to feel bad so I wanted to tell you that a few months ago when you two were in here, I broke a rib training."


They looked a little shocked and asked what I was doing at the time. I showed them and they asked if I stopped. I explained , no, I just do it a bit differently now and they laughed.


Then his buddy said that he (the surgeon) was an old man, that's why he was struggling.


"Old!?" I said. "I am 50! He isn't old!"


The surgeon looks at me, from the bench press where he is sitting and says "We are talking body age here. And speaking of body age, aren't you supposed to have a guardian to be in here?"


Nice...


Tall, dark, handsome, young....and he knows a good pick up line! Just the male I have always been attracted to! Don't worry, David knows I have always been attracted to dark skinned men, It's a running joke, he picks out my eye candy for me sometimes.... 


The three of us laughed and chatted a while, we had fun doing what we enjoy.


Interactions like these are really necessary to help me ease back into life as a normal person. I am sure that those who don't compete cannot understand, cannot empathize. But luckily, I meet and talk with people like this all the time, it helps me to get back on track. It's also one of the things that keeps me going back to the gym day after day!

Sunday Back Day

Sunday morning I wake before the alarm sounds, I am anxious to get up and get to the gym. I don't know how many people feel this way, I just love quietly slipping out of bed, then into the kitchen to shake up my drink. I walk over to the computer and drink my meal, take supplements and slowly wake up as I read email, Facebook, check my blog and other sites I interact with.


I am looking and feeling a little "soft" today, and it is going to happen, my body changes every few hours according to what foods I have eaten and how much water I have been drinking. The hydration level really is the most crucial. 


I had some sweet potato (2.5 ounces) with dinner and when you consume carbohydrates, it increases the glycogen in the body, the more glycogen in your body, the more water you hold onto, weight goes up.


It's temporary.


I hit the abs first, get the stuff outta the way that I don't like. 20 Reverse crunches, slow and steady, concentrate on the abs. 10 hanging leg lifts, I can see the veins popping out running up the sides of my abdomen. I do three sets of each.


To the squat rack, time for chin ups. I do 8, then walk over to the captains chair and do 10 dips, lowering slowly, as low as possible. Rest and back to the squat rack. 3 sets of each.


My tops are tighter across the back, the fabric is stretched and I have to take it off by pulling it down over my hips, I cannot get them over my shoulders any longer. 

Now on to my favorite, bent over barbell rows. I warm up with the bar (45 pounds), 10 reps, music is thumping in my ears. Then 10 at 65 pounds, 10 at 85 pounds and then I load on 115 pounds. Three more sets at 115 pounds, I rest 60 seconds in between, I have my stopwatch on the rack.


I love these, it's difficult, not many women do these, or at least the ones I see use little dumbbells or a very tiny barbell. I am in a zone, counting, slowly down, fast up, making noise. Hit the stopwatch so I don't rest too long.


I look up, in the mirror and three men are staring at me, grinning. I take my earbuds out and turn to look at them expectantly. It's Mike, Bobbie and another guy whose name I don't know, I only see him on weekends.


"You know I cannot hear a word you guys are saying..." I tell them. Mike laughs, "oh we were just talking about a new piece of equipment in the other room", as he points to the next weight room.


No they are not, they were talking about me. All the new equipment came in a week ago, I have looked at everything, there is nothing new in that room. I don't mind, there is something amazing about watching a woman train with heavy weights, I even like to watch!


The guy whose name is unknown to me looks at me and says "It's getting close isn't it?" He gestures towards me. "Everything is all dialed and and looking sculpted." 


"Yea, I have 4 weeks" I tell him. "Still have some fat to lose".


They all three laugh, "right!" Bobbie says. "Have you seen her shoulders!? Damn those shoulders!.....


I turn to get on with my training. 


E-Z bar curls 3 sets of 10 at 58 pounds.


Low Cable Row 2 sets of 10, wide bar at 100 pounds, 3 sets of 10 triangle bar at 100 pounds.


Lat Pull Down 2 sets of 10 wide bar grip at 85 pounds, 3 sets of 10, triangle at 85 pounds.


Offset Grip Curl 4 sets of 10 at 22.5 pounds


Posing for a while, then 30 minutes on the stairmill


I went to roll my legs, they have been quite sore lately, especially the vastus medialis  Well I figured out why, both of them have big dark bruises on them! How on earth do you bruise both of your VM's??? I did squats, leg extensions and lunges a couple days prior, maybe that did it. Now I know why just touching them with the roller caused intense pain.  


Home for egg whites and steel cut oats. No ketchup, no sweetener, no nada. Time to cut all condiments out for the next 4 weeks.