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Leg Envy

I have a really bad case of leg envy lately. My legs have always been the biggest challenge for me and I am determined to build some muscle in them so they look more sculpted and defined. If I had a magic wand I would wave it over my legs and POOF! they would look like this:

Unfortunately this is not possible. So I have been putting in hard work the last few weeks. I am slowly… sloowwwlly, seeing some changes.  Through this process I have decided that I hate squats, like the real deal barbell squats, no Smith machine. It pains me to think of the next leg day when I have to do them again, and add more weight. I already feel the tears pooling in my eyes but I will squat on.

Here are some progress photos…(sorry for the poor photo quality)

Here are some of the leg exercises I have been doing:

1. Squats

2. Leg Extensions

3. Leg Curls

4. Calf Raises

5. Lunges

6. Leg Press

7. Cable Abbductors

8. Cable Adductors

9. Kick backs

Staying Active

I just returned home from a business trip and although my diet may have taken a serious hit (as my co-worker stated “we ate our way through Savannah”) I still remained active and got my workouts in. I am proud to say I remained sore throughout my trip to Georgia, and yes some of this soreness came from my accident prone nature. Not only did I end up with sore arms, shoulders and back I had the following mishaps as well; pinched finger resulting in blood blister from the assault of my carry on bag, earring backing lodged in my ear thanks to my headphones, toe-nail half lifted and detached from skin due to a folding chair mishap, rogue mosquitos in our hotel room feasting on me, and a fat lip due to the multiple times I bit it while consuming my less than nutritious food (a sign?).

Luckily the hotel we stayed at for the conference had an amazing fitness facility (the best I have seen in a hotel). I took full advantage of it, despite my personal injuries.

Fitness Center @ Hyatt Regency Hotel, Savannah GA.

It definitely took some motivation to get my workouts in though since we already had to wake up so early for the conference. I wasn’t sure how I was going to fit in my workouts and I knew I wasn’t waking up at 5am to do it before the day started. Once we were finished working for the day my co-workers and I had plans of walking around and exploring the town, so what did that leave me with? I had an hour of free time right before our event lunches so I high tailed it down to the gym and had to superset my exercises so that I could fit them all in. Now that’s what I call dedication, but was it dedication to the fun I planned to have after work, or to fitness? I guess I’d say, both

Here are some tips for getting your workouts in while you are away from home.

1. Visit your hotel Gym or Fitness Center

2. Take a Run/Bike Ride/ or Walk through the town or city you are visiting

3. Visiting a beach? Swim some laps while you soak up the sun

4. Use Workout Videos saved on your Computer

5. Create your own workout!

There is really no excuse why you can’t be active away from home. Even if it’s just for a short period of time, you will NEVER regret working out but you may regret not doing it. If you need to, plan ahead of time so that you are prepared, and this can go for your diet too. Although I did slip up quite a bit I don’t feel horrible about it because just like everyone else I’m not perfect. The key is to find what works best for you.

Plyometrics

PLIO = more METRIC = measurement

Strength  & Speed Workouts

We’ve all heard of them, but do you do them on a regular basis? Plyos are an amazing way to burn fat and are one of my favorite methods of exercise (because you can really feel the burn!). I used to do tons of plyometric exercises with the small workout group I was teaching back in Virginia and I know they would tell you how great they felt the day after doing them

Plyometric workouts develop strength and speed. Many athletes do plyos because the power attained from doing these exercises facilitates higher jumps, safer landings, and stronger/quicker upper body movements. Coaches make sure to use this method on their players to improve power and prevent injuries, so why shouldn’t you perform these as well? You don’t have to be an athlete to benefit from these exercises.

There are some things you need to know before beginning a plyometric regimen.  You need adequate strength and balance to accurately perform these. I’ll explain some of the basic exercises to start with.

1. Two Legged Jumps (Squat Jumps)

This is a great one to start with. It will take you through the motions and get you comfortable with how plyometrics work. This is also one exercise that has a ton of variability. Once you have mastered the basic squat jump you can then move onto more advanced techniques like jumping up onto a box and then stepping back down (which will eventually lead to jumping back down). Again when you are comfortable with the full movement, jumping up and down from the box, you can then start jumping up and then to the side of the box, or from side to side up onto the box and down to the other side. Start with a box of low height and slowly increase it each week.

2. Plyometric Lunges

Once you have learned how to do a lunge properly you can up the intensity by making it a plyo lunge. I  recommend being very comfortable with stationary and walking lunges before moving onto the plyo lunge.

3.  Plyometric Pushups

These are similar to regular push-ups and are a great workout for your upper-body muscles and your core strength. Instead of pushing yourself back up slowly you explode up by pushing off the floor causing your arms and upper body to leave the ground by a few inches. Catch yourself and repeat!

4. Medicine Ball Throws/Slams/Tosses

Upper body plyometric drills allow you to attain maximum power. Opposite of barbells and dumbells, you can use medicine balls which can be released into the air. You can thrown them to the side, slam them down, overhead toss it, etc.

Just like all other exercises make sure you warm up, stretch, and have proper form when performing these exercises. If you skip out on any of these things you can easily injure yourself.

Healthy Breakfast Ideas

On my quest to becoming healthier and eating clean I have discovered a variety of amazing breakfast ideas. Who would have thought that Pancakes could be healthy? Well I never did until now. Check out some of the awesome breakfast meals you can consume guilt free.

1. Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Protein Muffins

1 cup oats

6 egg whites

1/2 cup almond milk or skim milk

40 g of vanilla protein  powder

cinnamon  to taste

1tsp of vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup smashed banana

1/4cup smashed blueberries

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 mins (depending on your oven). I recommend checking them at the 20 minute mark.

2. Blueberry Banana Protein Pancakes

1/4 cup egg whites

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 tbs vanilla almond milk or skim milk

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbs ground flaxseed

After above ingredients are mixed together add 1/2 banana (mashed)- mash first, then add!!

Add a handful of fresh or frozen blueberries

Top with maple syrup

3. Low Fat Yogurt with Granola & Berries

1 cup of your favorite low fat yogurt (I like Dannon Vanilla Light & Fit)

1/4 cup bear naked granola

Add a couple blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries

4. Vanilla, Banana & Brown Sugar Oatmeal

1 cup old fashion oats or steel cut oats

1/2 – 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

3 teaspoons light brown sugar

1/2 sliced banana

Make with Hot Water

5. Egg White Omelet

4 egg whites (or use eggbeaters egg whites carton)

1/4 cup fat free shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup cooked spinach

Top with sliced tomato

6. Banana Protein Waffles

1/2 banana

3 egg whites

1/2 Tbs. Almond Milk

3 Tbs. Brown Rice Protein Powder

1 tsp. Cinnamon

Top with sliced apples  & maple syrup

These are just a few great breakfast ideas. Hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I do!

Progress…

As I stated in my last post we are currently on a new diet and workout regimen. Figured I’d take the opportunity to make this post a documentation of my progress thus far.

Week 1

Week 2

Going into week three now. There are just a few slight changes that I’m seeing so far but I hope to add some muscle over the next few weeks. I feel such a HUGE difference just from changing my diet,  my workouts are easier and I have way more energy. The weather is definitely helping me too, I’ve been able to do my cardio outside (I love to run). I plan on purchasing some new supplements over the next week as well to help me push through my weight lifting days, sometimes you need that extra boost! I found a great whey protein powder that I have been using, so now all I need is something for pre-workout and intra-workout. I will try to continue with updates as the weeks continue 

New Diet & Workout Regimen

Well before I begin to train others I figured I should do a practice run on myself and my significant other.  I have created an extensive new diet and workout regimen for the both of us to test out my abilities. I will learn along the way and can use the knowledge I gain to help train clients in the future. I know I need some practice and this is the perfect opportunity for me since Josh and I have slacked off quite a bit since our move back to Connecticut. Here is a sample of what I have been working on for our diet plan (Josh's version):

The TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure, if you aren't familiar with this read my previous post about your Daily Calorie Intake) above is for Josh and he is 5'11'' and 200lbs. Once I calculated in the activity factor and other variables I was brought to the number shown above and from that I have broken it down into macros (protein, carbs & fat). We just made it through our first week and going strong! I have also created a workout plan for us. Here is what our first week looked like.

DAY 1 (Chest/Tris)

5 Minute Warm up & Stretch

Incline dumbell flyes

3 sets of 12 reps

Overhead cable tricep

3 sets 12 reps

Bench dumbbell press

3 sets of 12 reps

Overhead tricep extension

3 sets of 12 reps

5-10 Minute Cool Down & Stretch

DAY 2 (Back/ Bi/ Abs)

5 Minute Warm up & Stretch

Knee Ups

3 sets for 30 seconds

Weighted sit ups

3 sets for 30 seconds

Cross Body Crunch

3 sets 30 on each side 

Air Bike

3 sets of 30

One Arm Dumbell Row

4 sets 12, 10, 10, 8

Wide Grip Lat Pulldown

4 sets 12, 10, 10 , 10

Bicep Curls

4 sets 12, 10, 10, 8

5-10 Minute Cool Down & Stretch

DAY 3 (Legs)

5 Minute Warm up & Stretch

Seated Leg extensions

4 sets of 8-10 reps (1 min rest between sets)

Seated Hamstring curls 

4 sets of 8 - 10 reps (1 min rest between sets)

5-10 Minute Cool Down & Stretch

DAY 4 (Delts/Traps/Abs)

5 Minute Warm up & Stretch

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

3 Sets 12, 10, 8

Side Lateral Raise

2 Sets 12, 10,

Low Pulley Delt Raise

2 Sets 8 reps

Reverse Dumbbell Flyes

2 Sets 10, 8

Knee Ups

3 working sets to failure

Crunches

3 working sets to failure

5-10 Minute Cool Down & Stretch

DAY 5 (Cardio)

45 mins - 1 hour