Fat Gripz

Friday my new toy was Fat Gripz. Not sure if I like them, but I love new things, I love trying different things and I will use them for a while and then decide!


I met Roy for my usual shoulder training, darn shoulders just cannot get big enough if you ask me!


We are still working on behind the neck barbell presses, and the weight is still going up. I suppose as long as I am not at a plateau, then this is good!


Then seated dumbbell press and again, still moving up in the weight each week.


Front raises, and I am just a wet mess here. I suppose that my arms and shoulders are a bit fatigued by this point, and Roy wants me to perform the exercise very strictly. Honestly, I watch others in the gym do this and they almost have a little dance going, they bounce along, using momentum to swing the weights up, and then just drop them down, completely ignoring the fact that the eccentric movement (the lowering) is really important to be done in a controlled manner- this is where the strength and size is developed.


Times was up and his next client was there stretching, I was still trying to lift my sorry little dumbbells for my front raises. Although I make fun of myself, I am actually doing a good job, you can tell, my arms look great and look better and better everyday actually.


I finish and Roy starts working with his other client then comes over and tells me to do some pull ups with these. We talk a bit about them, they make the bar much, much thicker, so it is incredibly difficult to hold on. 


The theory behind these is simple and it makes sense. Your grip and your arm strength typically give out before the larger muscles that are being trained. This is why I use lifting straps for deadlifts, to hold my dumbbells with walking lunges, with barbell bent over rows, you have the idea right?


By using these large rubber grips, your are supposed to be able to develop the grip and arm strength which in turn allows you to continue on or with more weight with your main lifts.


Roy had them on the pull up bars in the middle of the dual cable machine, I tried some pull ups. Much more difficult! What I noticed is I had to strategically place the opening where the slit in the rubber was, as it tended to turn a bit in my hands. Once I found the right position it stayed though.


I love pull ups and chin ups (I told you recently right?) so I just hung out, doing a few sets, moving the Fat Gripz to other posts and trying those.


As usual, my gym doesn't have any of the fun toys, so I cannot use these there, I have to use them at Roy's place.


I will keep track of my progress and let you know how it goes!

Monday Morning Motivation

"Aim for the top. There is plenty of room there. There are so few at the top it is almost lonely there." 

Samuel Insull

"You must have long term goals to keep you from being frustrated by short term failures." 

Charles C. Noble

"First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do." 

Epictetus

"The person with a fixed goal, a clear picture of his desire, or an ideal always before him, causes it, through repetition, to be buried deeply in his subconscious mind and is thus enabled, thanks to its generative and sustaining power, to realize his goal in a minimum of time and with a minimum of physical effort. Just pursue the thought unceasingly. Step by step you will achieve realization, for all your faculties and powers become directed to that end."

Claude M. Bristol 

"Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success." 

Stephen A. Brennan

"From a certain point onward there is no longer any turning back. That is the point that must be reached." 

Franz Kafka

"I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacation with better care than they do their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change." 

Jim Rohn

BCAA's

Back at the start of the year I wrote about BCAA's, and explained how vital they are to growing and maintaining the lean mass I want. I also wrote about the product I was taking called X-Tend and I have since discontinued it due to the dangerous dyes that are used in the product. It is a very popular product, it tastes great and has some good ingredients, but I am afraid the bad outweigh the good, so I stopped using it.

It took me some time but I found a great product I have been using for a couple months now, you can see it above and it is BCAA 5000 by Nutra-Bio. It has only what I want, BCAA's and nothing else!

I do like a little flavor though, it makes me drink more and I need to drink this during my training, not before and not after. Studies have shown this is important to ingest intra-workout.

I searched high and low and finally found an all natural flavoring that I like!

Below you can see my four containers of Reboost with Erythritol (a natural sweetener) from SeelecT. I do like the Cherry flavor quite a bit, the mango not as much and I will be trying some others soon, I think the lemon lime and the orange!

My flavorings do come with an interesting story as does most of my life, everything is better with  a story isn't it? I called the company and asked about the product, as I found the website a bit confusing and couldn't understand how a sugar free product could also have dextrose in it (sugar!).  After discussion I placed an order for two bottles of flavorings, one mango and one cherry, I was to get the ones sweetened with erythritol, not the one with dextrose. I received my order and was disappointed to see they had dextrose in them and quite a bit more calories than I wanted. They were an excellent post training drink, but that is not what I wanted.


I emailed them that evening and the very next day I got a call from Richard, a very patient fellow at SeelecT. I explained my dilemma and he apologized and said to keep the bottles he would send some new ones out right away, the ones I thought I was getting. He would send them for free due to the mix-up.


I soon received four containers of powder, the ones you see above.


Richard even called me back a short while later to ask what I thought, did I like the product? I do, I do! I told him I would call and let him know and I will after I post this, just so he can see it too.


The directions on the BCAA's say one serving is 5 grams, but Roy has advised that I have 20 grams per serving, this is based on my bodyweight per Charles Poliquin. Here is his  article if you would like to read a bit more about them. 


So I use 20 grams and my flavorings during my training. Often I train twice a day so on the days I am conditioning only (as opposed to weight training) I will use 5 grams only, then later during lifting I use the 20 grams.


I have seen great results in the last couple months, and there may be a few factors that have contributed to my results, but I believe this is one of them.  Exactly what results am I talking about anyway? My weight is fairly high, yet my bodyfat low, I look pretty darn lean for where I am. I believe that I have been able to add lean mass as opposed to just "mass", meaning fat mass. 


If you plan on ordering any flavorings, you may wish to call the good folks at SeelecT, as I still find their site a bit confusing and don't want to get the sweetened version again in error!

Stress

We all have times of stress, and stress can be very different for each of us. We each handle situations differently. Some people might get extremely stressed at the thought of having to present at a meeting, while others love the thought of it.

I tend to be a fairly stress free person, as each year goes by I learn that getting worked up about things I cannot change does me more harm than good, so I try not to sweat the small stuff. My husband says he needs to worry so much because I don’t worry about anything. I think he might be exaggerating a bit though.

I have been under a tremendous amount of stress now for the last month and a half; I am starting to feel the toll it is taking on my body, my emotions, my whole being. 

I have been caring for a friend who is dying, she is much younger than me and currently needs round the clock care. Although I have arranged to have a caregiver there 24 hours a day, I am still with her almost every day, and we spend a lot of time in the hospital. I am responsible for her day to day living, it isn't something I was prepared for and the challenges I face daily are astounding. I wasn't ready for the medical power of attorney, the durable power of attorney, paying bills, managing finances, divorce attorneys, wills, statement of assets, life insurance, prescriptions, transportation, grocery shopping, doctors calling, social workers calling, I am sure I can add more to the list. Just think of your life, then pretend you need to do everything the same for someone else.


Whew!

This is the type of trigger that sets many people into a tailspin, and these are the times when it is most important to stick to your plan.

Thursday we left for the hospital at noon, and I ended up driving home at about 6:30pm without her, she would be staying again. I last ate at about 10:30 am, as I had a meeting to attend prior to taking her to the hospital. I had food with me, I always do, but the afternoon progressed much differently than planned. I have an aversion to eating in a hospital exam room, or the Emergency Room, not sure why, but I do and since that is where I was for 5  1/2 hours, I had no food. I also only drank one liter of water in that time, although that is fairly good, it is not what I typically drink.

I drove home, emotionally and physically exhausted, it was a repeat of the prior weekend, so much time at the hospital. All I could think of was a big, rare, juicy cheeseburger on a white bun with mayo; French fries and a glass of red wine.

The drive was long though, as it was commute traffic so I sat on the freeway, looking at my speedometer going from 10 to 20 miles per hour, this would take forever. I called David and asked him to help. He cooked some asparagus, and some eggs. He took my turkey patty out of the fridge so it could finish defrosting.

When I am stressed I don’t crave carbohydrates, I crave fats. I like the textures and satisfaction I get from fat. Peanut Butter, rare beef, undercooked egg yolks, cheese.

So to help me stay on my diet I planned to eat my Spanish Turkey Patty and then supplement it with a semi-hard cooked egg. The yolk would still be soft and creamy to satisfy me. Having David cook the asparagus helped to make everything move along faster as soon as I got home, I can eat my vegetables at room temperature. 

I didn’t have the wine either.

My lesson is to always have food prepared, such as my turkey patty that was defrosting, and have some healthy vegetables ready for you. Add a little something to help make it better- like my whole egg, it changed my meal from healthy to sublime. Ask someone to help if you can. David would have made that cheeseburger for me had I asked, but I didn’t thank goodness. 

Don’t let the daily stresses side rail you, it’s not a valid excuse. Had I chosen an unhealthy meal, not only would I be tired the next day but I would feel angry at myself too. Now, I am only tired, but I have been for weeks, so it's OK.

It is very easy to rationalize in our minds that it is OK to deviate "just this one time, I have had a hell of a day". But how many days do you have like that? How often would you find yourself saying that?


Don't act on impulse, you have a plan, stick to it, you can do it if you want to.

Save it for a celebration, don't use "life" as an excuse.

We must be careful not to let our current appetites steal away any chance we might have for a future feast. 

Jim Rohn

Vegetables

This should be a huge part of every meal. Fresh, organic vegetables and fruits. I encourage you to join a CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, either one that delivers to a central drop off point, or to your home.


By doing this, you will be assured of eating what is in season, so that means that the food will be at the height of freshness and full of vitamins and minerals and anti-oxidants. When you belong to a CSA, they only deliver what they grew, and that means it is the right time to eat it. It tastes better when it is in season too.


It also ensures that the food is healthier for you. It won't be grown in a hot house, or flown from all over the world. It is meant to be eaten now.


What would I do with this delivery?


Strawberries and oranges would be eaten as they are.


Artichokes would be steamed.


Avocados would go in salad.


Beets would be roasted in the oven (in a pan with a little water, covered with foil) until tender, about 30 minutes.


Beet greens would be sauteed in olive oil, and served as a side dish.


Chard would be sauteed in olive oil and red pepper flakes added.


Carrots would be eaten in salad, or on their own as a snack.


Celery would be cut up for crunch in a salad.


Green onions, cut into large pieces on the diagonal, added to salad.


Cilantro? In salad, I love whole cilantro leaves for a burst of flavor.


And, of course the lettuce, it forms the base of the salad.

Sledgehammers

Yes you read it right. Sledgehammers.


Monday after we finished our hamstring training Roy wanted to do more. Time was up but that was OK with him, he knew I missed the boxing and the ropes last week so he suggested this to make up for it.


He looked at me and asked if I ever swung a sledgehammer.


"Yes, I did! I used to swing a sledgehammer, against a big tire, in the sand pit, in the hot sun, with the football team when I trained with SC."


I saw a look of disappointment come over his face, and I instantly knew I shouldn't have said it with quite so much excitement. I think he wanted to have me do something new, but it wasn't new to me, although I hadn't done it in about 2 years. 


He quickly recovered and started to roll the huge truck tire out into the parking lot. It was about 6:45 p.m. and it was warm out, I took off my shirt, I needed to be in shorts and a bra top for this. 

He said to go for 15 to 20 swings on each side. It sounded like a lot and I said so, he was starting to train another woman so he walked away and left me to my tire and hammer.


After the first couple swings I got it all back. I remember back when I did this with SC, some of the guys on the football team would be there with me, coaching me along. SC would just stand in the shade shouting out orders once in a while. I would be in the hot sun, sweat dripping in my eyes, wondering what the hell I was doing here as I would sometimes miss and sand would go flying up into my face.


The guys were great-- they were all young, anywhere between 18 and 22 and quite strapping young athletes I may add. They looked only better as their backs became wet with sweat along side me. 


They taught me how to start with my hands wide, one at the top of the shaft, one at the bottom, then let the top slide down to meet the bottom as I swung to hit the tire.  I started to develop a rhythm, I liked it. I liked it a lot.


I like things like this, it makes me feel alive. The sheer effort, the sweat, the feeling of the muscles in my entire body working and rippling.


Roy would come check on me every so often, and gave me encouragement, I would just keep swinging my sledge. 


Roy showed me how to hit the tire with the side if the sledge, to reduce the bounce back, it was effective. If you don't hit it with a good solid strike, the reverberation running up the shaft can start to wear on your arms.


20 on each side, four sets. All I needed was some loud music and a couple guys along side!


It's a great workout, it hits your entire body. I can feel it everywhere the next day, and its one of those great things that hits the abs, the obliques, the back, legs, glutes, arms and traps. 


Although my other gym doesn't have a tire and sledgehammers, Roy's does, and I am there three times a week! Now I can add this to the ropes, sled and boxing, all much better than any cardio machine man ever made!

Back Training

Sunday, Back day! Love it! For some odd reason I am holding my shoulders crooked in this picture, But I think you can still see the wideness of my back, which is what I wanted to show.


I think it is imperative to have a written plan every single time you walk into the gym. Now, that doesn't mean you need to adhere to the plan, and Sunday I didn't.


I decided I wanted to do lots and lots of chin ups. So after stretching I wandered down to my favorite power rack, I wanted to use that instead of the dual cable in the main room. The dual cable has an area in the middle with several different hand positions for chin ups and pull ups, but I wanted to listen to some really good Latin reggae and hip hop and just crank out chin up after chin up, watching in the mirror. I actually watch my abs, it helps to see them in the mirror, to maintain a tight core, make sure I don't use any swinging or momentum, and concentrate on the eccentric move. 


I listened to Orishas, I love them! 


Want to hear one of the songs that let's me do chin up after chin up? Here ya go! (Email subscribers will need to navigate directly to the blog to see the video below)








I did set after set after set. Then I did some back extensions in between. And more chin ups, over and over. The music kept me going.


I then did 4 sets of bent over barbell rows, in the same power rack. The off to the T-Bar row, with lots of weight. I came back for more chin ups. 


Up to the Low Cable Row.


Then I did barbell curls with the e-z bar. A male, much bigger than me was doing the same thing, with the same weight. He should have been using more.


Then triceps extensions with the same e-z bar.


I was done, my back was toast.