Week 1 Day 1 - Cycle 2

Core Synergistics!!!

The wife comes downstairs while I'm in the middle of this workout and says 'I've never done this one...it looks hard.' - I can laugh now at this mild understatement, but lets just say that while I was in the middle of banana rolls, I didn't find it very amusing...specially since once again I'm working solo.

I did manage to finish the entire workout with a raging headache though...and the low back is a little sore today, but CS is a ton of core work...so it's kinda expected.

A weeks rest really was solid, I did more reps on most of the 'max reps' phases like most of the push-ups, I kept up on almost all of the ab work (had to take a little break on the superman bananas and the bow to boat as the boat is rough on my lower back) and powered through all the lunge and lower body work.  Which means overall, I've shown myself a good amount of improvement in 4 weeks.

Pre-workout - tonight I put down the Arginine Extreme with the A-Supreme and Catalyst, I skipped the ThermoPlus as I already sweat buckets when doing CS.

Post-workout - OmegaPlex and Joint Promotion.

Tonight is gym night, but I have a HUGE AdvoCare event to attend, so I may not make it...if I don't gym in the morning!!!

Cycle 1 Recap

Alright!  So what did I learn from the first Cycle?

Well first thing is this - if I don't have to write a blog...well I probably won't, so easy to forget about.
Working out 7 days a week is really hard, both physically and mentally.
Doing it alone is even harder, that's right with the exception of 2 or 3 workouts that the wife decided to join me on, this whole process has been solo.  And not one single comment on my blog, so I'm curious, is anyone reading this thing?  If so, let me know!!!

Other things learned:

Doing AbRipperX the day after leg day is damn near impossible
Going to the gym every night on the weekend takes absolute and sheer dominate will power (as in it's really really hard to do).
Putting your body through 7 days of workouts requires a lot more food.

Things I noticed:

Loss of body fat in my body fat heavy areas (the loooove handles).
My brand new jeans are loose (don't tell the wife).
More vascular in the arms when working out (this means veins are popping out).
More defined areas of the body - legs, arms and back.

So last Cycle went like this (after a first week adjustment)

Monday - AbRipperX
Tuesday - Cardio X
Wednesday - XStretch
Thursday - Core Synergistics
Friday - Back and Shoulders - Gym
Saturday - Chest and Arms - Gym
Sunday - Legs - Gym

So round 2 here we come - new Cycle new rotation, and taking the things we learned from Cycle 1 into account we'll be splitting our gym days and keeping AbRipperX away from Leg day and Core Synergistics.  We'll also be upgrading XStretch to YogaX!!

Monday - Core Synergistics
Tuesday - Back and Tri's - Gym
Wednesday - CardioX
Thursday - AbRipperX
Friday - Legs and Shoulders - Gym
Saturday - YogaX
Sunday - Chest and Bi's - Gym

So there it is...the road map to the next Cycle - so tonight after Tom Tyson's super terrific mixer - Core Synergistics!!!

Week 4 Day 7 - End Cycle 1

Sweet!!!  I made it through the first cycle without dying...missed a couple of workouts and learned quite a bit from this new experience.  I've never worked out 7 days a week before.  Ever.

I'll go over my last leg workout right quick and sometime in the next couple of days, I'll recap and post my thoughts, what I've learned and what I have planned for Cycle 2.

Lying Leg Press - standard leg press machine with the seat in the bottom position so your body is at a 90-100 degree bend, feet are shoulder with apart and in a mid/neutral position on the sled, or what I call a relaxed position on the sled.  The sled on this machine weights 60lbs and I stack it with 45lb plates.
4 plates x 20 (240lb)
14 plates x 12 (600lbs)
16 plates x 12 (690lbs)

Seated Leg Extension - neutral seating position on the bench, legs are roughly 8-10 apart on the pad.  Follow the instructions on the machine you are using to make sure you are seated correctly (or ask a trainer).
130 x 20
145 x 12
160 x 12

Seated Leg Curls - same as leg extensions - neutral position but with feet together on pad this time.
115 x 20
130 x 12
145 x 12


I know I know...it's the same workout I did week 1...well too bad, that's what I did!  :D  Honestly I wasn't in the mood to get creative and since I write everything in a journal I take with me to the gym, I had a roadmap.


Pre-workout consists of Arginine Extreme, Catalyst x 3 and Thermo x 2


Post-workout - Post-Workout Recovery immediately after final set and OmegaPlex on the arrival at home.


Recap to follow soon!!!

Week 4 Day 6 - ARMageddon and some chest too!

Last chest and arms workout...and I can say that I'm actually very happy about it.  :D

Man does my body hurt, looking forward to the break fo sho!

So tonights workout was rough, back was a bit stiff from the back/shoulder workout, and my neck is just giving me fits (that happens when I do dumbbell shrugs).

But I muscled through it anyhow...HA nice pun!!!  OK fine...but I laughed.

Here's the breakdown - 

Chest 

Flat Bench Dumbbell Flys - arms bent and lowered out to your sides and then pulled together, this is a FLY not a press.

30 x 20

42.5 x 12

45 x 12

Incline Dumbbell Press - Standard (no rotations, just straight pressing to the ceiling here)

40 x 20

52.5 x 12

60 x 12 - almost didn't finish this set

Cable Cross-Overs - nothing special here but it's another cross/fly type movement, I wanted to get a good stretch in the muscle and this always feels good for that.

50 x 20

60 x 12

60 x 12

Bi's

Standing Alternating Dumbbell Curls - the basic standing one arm at a time curl...make sure to get a good supination at the top.

25 x 20

35 x 12

40 x 12

Straight Bar - Squat Rack - Standard Grip - this one uses the long bar on the squat rack - standard grip shoulder width apart....it hurt.

65 x 20

70 x 12

70 x 12

Standing Cable Cross-Body Curls - I really like the Freemotion all in one machine - so for this one, bars are at the floor and wide, elbows in tight to the sides and curling across the body...so right hand to left shoulder, alternating.

7.5 x 20

12.5 x 12

15 x 12

Tri's 

Push Downs - Inverted V bar - back to pulleys - for push downs you have single pulley machines with your back to the pulley or 2 pulley machines where you face them.  This one is harder and forces some minor ab work.  Elbows in tight to the sides and arms never go higher than parallel to the floor.

50 x 20

70 x 12

90 x 12

Rope Pull Over - double pulley machine - rope attachment - facing away from pulleys you bring the rope over your head, lock your elbows to your ears and extend your arms to straight and flex your wrists down.

70 x 20

110 x 12

130 x 12

Seated Behind the Head Kick Backs/Ups  - sit in the small chair, elbow at ear and lower weight behind head...kick it up.

20 x 20

25 x 12

25 x 12

Pre-workout - A-Supreme, Arginine Extreme, Catalyst x 3

Post-workout - Post-Workout Recover immediately following last set, OmegaPlex upon arrival to house.

Legs and I'm done for the first cycle.  I'll be doing a 'post cycle wrap up' this week to let ya know what I've learned and my thoughts on how things went.

Week 4 Day 5 - Back to it!

So no Core Synergistics last night, the wife hogged the TV til midnight...stoopid FBI shows...finally I can blame someone else for me being a slacker!!! Oh wait...um...for interrupting my wonderful schedule!!!  Yea that worx.

OK tonight is back and shoulders for the last time (I'll be switching things up next cycle) - so I went in with the 'combo' approach, meaning that I wanted compound movements where possible to work both back and shoulders with each exercise.  So effectively each muscle got 6 exercises tonight.

Back
High - Seated Rows - "H" bar - no this does not mean sitting in a high chair.  When you look at a seated row machine you can place your feet on a high platform or a low platform, most gyms should have both, if not...well this one might be tough.  Sit at roughly 80degrees with the "H" bar - this bar is set so that your arms are shoulder width apart and your palms are facing each other.  Pull straight back to chest arms parallel to floor - this arm/hand placement brings more work to the read shoulders and upper back.
105 x 20
150 x 12
180 x 12

Seated Reverse Fly - you want to raise the seat so that your hands are right at armpit level - keeping your arms straight you swing the weight back as far as you can - literally a reverse fly movement.
60 x 20
90 x 12
105 x 12

Standing Upright Rows - EZ Curl bar - I used the EZ Curl bar as it's not as rough on the wrists and allows me to pull the weight higher.  Knees bent, straight back, weight starts at the hip and is pulled straight up the body to the chin.
55 x 20
75 x 12
80 x 12

Shoulders
Leaning lateral/rear delt raise - you will need to stand behind an incline bench elevated to its top position about 10-12 inches and lean forward.  This is a single arm exercise with one arm/hand supporting the lean on the top of the bench. Weight starts at a neutral position in front of body and is raised sideways stopping and holding just above the shoulder.  Keep your body flat to the floor.  This is a more advanced movement so lighter weights.
25 x 20
40 x 12
40 x 12

Seated Dumbbell Press - just like what it says...sit in the little chair and press those dumbbells over your head, lowering them to your shoulders.
45 x 20
60 x 12
50 x 12 (normally start with this exercise, but someone was using the one and only small chair so I had to drop weight as I wore out the muscle in the previous exercise and knew I wouldn't finish 12 at 50 again).

Standing Dumbbell Shrug - this is more for the rounding the traps than anything else.  It's not a building exercise, just a shaping one.  Weights start at sides, slight forward lean, shrug shoulders to ears, keeping arms straight.  DO NOT rotate shoulders with this exercise...bad bad bad!!!
90 x 20
100 x 12
100 x 12 (I was tired, normally I jump up again...but long week).  :D

Pre-workout tonight was Arginine Extreme, Catalyst x 3

Post-workout - Post-Workout Recovery immediately following last set, OmegaPlex upon home arrival.

Chest and Arms tomorrow night!!!  Last time there too!!!

Week 4 Day 3 - the home STRETCH!!!

Well last XStretch as next cycle, I'll be changing it out for YogaX - this one was a late nighter, started just before midnight.

Straight into the pre-workout today - A-Supreme and Catalyst - no Thermo this time...Thermo before bed is a bit too much for me...I end up just way to hot to sleep.

Post-workout - OmegaPlex and Bio-RQ with a shot of protein.

Core Synergistics tonight!!!

Week 4 Day 2 - Bring it!

I've just got to say that our dog Boris...a 170lb St. Bernard goes ape over ice cubes and it crax me up.

OK, now that I've got that outta the way...Cardio X for the last time this cycle and I FINISHED IT!!!  WOOO BUDDY!! All the way thru, no breaks, no missed steps.  Man that felt good.

Personal triumph number 1!  Sweet sauce!

Well celebrations over, got more work to do this week, so on with the bidniz.

Pre-workout - today was the A-Supreme/Catalyst/Thermo cocktail 10 minutes prior...got sidetracked and almost forgot!!! :P

Post-workout - OmegaPlex and a Muscle Gain shake.  See last post for the recipe....oh this time I added a teaspoon of honey.

Feeling good about the finish tonight, but man my legs and hip flexors are on FIIIYA!

Week 4 Day 1 - It's all downhill from here!

Wooooweee!!!  Holy cow, into week 4 already?  Next week is a break week...so very little in the way of updates unless I read a fabulous article I must share.

So AbRipperX last night...again it's not AbRipper 100 or 200...it's AbRipper 349!!!  Did I get all the way through?  Nope...failed again!!!  Abs right after legs is just plain painful...so I missed 5 or 6 here and 5 or 6 there...so I would estimate that I hit the 300-310 mark...getting closer but there are still a few that just destroy me...I'm looking at you Mr. Crunchy Frog!

Again my pre-workout is a bit different since there's no huge output on ARX night - so it started with one of my super duper awesomely possomly Muscle Gain shakes 45 minutes before, followed by the Catalyst/Thermo combo we've come to know and love 15 minutes later.

What's in the shake you ask? Oh that's simple...here's my recipe for one of my fav's and the one I had yesterday.

One whole banana
3 frozen strawberries
3 ice cubes
2 scoops of Vanilla Muscle Gain
8-10oz of OJ

MMMMM tasty!!!

Post - workout once again is the super dee duper OmegaPlex.

Tonight...I'm ready to sweat like a mad man!!!

Week 3 Day 7 - Legs of Doooooom!!!

Well I guess it's only right that the longest workout of the week is followed by the second shortest right???  I mean really...26 minutes for a leg workout?  Seriously?  It might seem like a little...but it hurts a whole LOT!

OK so straight to it

Legs - when the workouts are quick I'm not one to get super creative on leg day, so even though I do my best to rotate through exercises, there will invariably be some overlap.

Hack Squat - Standing Machine - this is a machine that you lean back on (you're at roughly a 40degree incline) and drop your butt to your heels.  Feet are shoulder width and high on the platform.  I believe the sled weighs 60lbs, and this will be a total plate count not weight (these are much harder to do and a lot rougher on the knees, so be mindful of what your body is telling you here).
2 plates x 20 (1 each side)
4 plates x 12 (2 each side)
6 plates x 12 (3 each side)

Leg Extensions - Wide feet (last week we did narrow/touching feet) - we're concentrating more on the outside of the quads today.
100 x 20
145 x 12
160 x 12

Straight Legged Deadlift - Dumbbells - this is extremely rough on the body below the rib cage, the low back, the abs, the hips, the rear, the hams and the knees...you'll feel it most along your back side though.  Feet and hands are shoulder width apart, weights are in front of body, keeping your legs straight but not locked you are touching your toes with your fists (your feet should fit between the weights of the dumbbell...if not...holy cow you gots big feets).
45 x 20
60 x 12
70 x 12

You should hate me at the end of this...really.  Got a great sweat and really drove the legs into the ground in a quick way.

Pre-workout - Arginine Extreme, Catalyst x 3, ThermoPlus x 1

Post-workout - Post-Workout Recovery immediately after the last set.  45 minutes later, A-Supreme and Joint Promotion as my knees were hurting on that last set of hack squats.  Normally I take the Joint Promotion with my breakfast, but I'm doubling up today.

AbRipperX tomorrow...maybe this time I'll get all the way through!!

Week 3 Day 6 - A call to arms!

By the time I got home last night, I just didn't feel like typing....and well I had church and some friends over, so am just now getting to last nights log.

So Chest, Bi's and Tri's - longest workout of the week, 3 body parts, 3 exercises so 9 total...3 per for 27 total sets - that's a bit of a time investment.  :P

I'm just going to get right to it:

Chest 

Flat Dumbbell Press - standard flat bench bench press.  If you don't know the rules to the lift, ask, otherwise I'll just think that you know how to do it.  Again with dumbbells.

50 x 20

65 x 12

75 x 12

Incline Dumbbell Press - 90degree rotation/hands to shoulders - sounds complicated but its not.  Incline bench dropped all the way to post - so roughly 45degree angle. As you drop the weights to your shoulders you rotate the palms in 90degrees and keep your hands over your shoulders.

42.5 x 20

47.5 x 12

50 x 8 - 35 x 4 (with the shortened rest period, 50 was too much to finish)

Elevator Cross-ups - basically standing cable raises.  Crossover machine, standing square between the weight stacks, facing perpendicular and 2-4 steps out of center (towards a mirror/wall essentially).  Knees slightly bent, hands begin behind and to the side of your rear and the weights are brought up in a single motion to above your eyes, keeping your arms straight thru the movement, bringing your hands together at the top of the motion.  Sounds more complicated than it is. Ask if you need help, I'll make a quick video or something.

40 x 20

50 x 12 tough

40 x 12

Bi's - I go to the bicep first to give the tri's a break after the chest workout.

Straight Bar Cable Curls (double pulley) - bent knees, short straight bar, start with arms extended straight and curl up to nose keeping elbows at your side.

40 x 20

60 x 12

80 x12

Standing Alt Hammer Curls - dumbbells again (see a pattern???) - hammer curls are straight arm, palms in, curl to 90-100degree keeping palms in thru the movement.

20 x 20

30 x 12

35 x 12

EZ Curl Bar - this is the shorter bar bell that kind of looks like a 'W' - arms straight, curl to shoulders.

55 x 20

65 x 12

75 x 12

Tri's - now that they've had a time to rest we get to totally shred them...and they're sore today, so I KNOW I did a good job.  ;D

Standing Bent Bar Push Downs (single pulley) - this bar is a very small inverted upside down 'V'.  Arms at 90degrees, elbows locked at your sides and push straight down - do not let weights go past 90 on the return.

40 x 20

65 x 12

75 x 12

Crossface Extention - these might scare you a bit, but it's ok as you have your other arm to spot yourself.  :P  Lying on a flat bench you will start with the dumbbell above your face, your shoulder slightly elevated and your chin tucked into the shoulder, palm towards your feet.  Lower the weight across your face while keeping your free hand in the crook of your elbow, extend to return to a straight arm.  If you start to tire, move your freehand to your wrist to spot the drop and push. 

17.5 x 20

30 x 12

30 x 12

Reverse Push Downs (double pulley)  - 'W' bar outside grip - palms are up on this exercise, using the bar that looks like a 'W' grip the bar on the outside so your biceps are slightly supinated (palms turned in towards each other), I generally stick my thumbs on the outside of the bar.  Extend arms to floor, keeping your knees bent and a bit of a bend in your lower back.

It was a good solid workout, I was sweating like mad at the end and my arms were on fire.  

Pre-workout - Arginine Extreme, Catalyst x 3

Post-workout - Post-Workout Recovery immediately following, OmegaPlex and Bio-RQ when I got back to the homestead.

Off to do some legs!

Week 3 Day 4 - it's all about the Core!

So as I was getting set to get my sweat on last night, I ran out of gas...literally just hit a wall of no return.  So for the first time in 2 yrs I actually went to bed before midnight.

So first thing this morning...well third thing actually as I dropped the girls of at school as the first and second things.  :P  I fired up the Core Synergitics and went to work.  This one still hurts the most for me...it's just brutal, and some of you know that I've got a bad back, and this morning it wasn't being nice to me, but I wasn't in pain, so for the most part I just worked through it.  Felt great after though, and the back has been super tight all day long which is forcing me to take a pause on my normal Friday night workout - I know when I can push it and when I shouldn't and believe me I don't want to end up laid up for 3 days.  It's not fun...I cry...alot.

So no weights tonight - but I'll be all over it tomorrow, we may push the days over 1 and do a double workout on Monday...maybe.  We'll see.

So this morning

Pre - workout - good breakfast and a protein shake as my pre-workout (still on the MNS 3)

Post - workout - OmegaPlex x 2

US healthcare shortens American life expectancy

Two little articles that should really grab your attention.

Since the 1980s, obesity has spread at an alarming rate. Across OECD countries, one in 2 adults is currently overweight and 1 in 6 is obese. The rate of overweight people is projected to increase by a further 1% per year for the next 10 years in some countries.

Rates are highest in the United States and Mexico and lowest in Japan and Korea, but have been growing virtually everywhere.

World Obesity Stats

American citizens have a lower life expectancy than their counterparts in 48 other countries.

US healthcare shortens American life expectancy

Week 3 Day 3 - stretch it out

Well this should have been posted last night, but due to some drunk driver pulling a spectacular hit and run on a power transformer up the road, we were on the power grid that lost power for a couple of hours....good times.

Anyhow, this is still the quickest hour of the week when it comes to the workout - soooo nice.  I'm sure I had something great to type about it last night...but alas that moment is long gone.

So pre-workout - A-Supreme, Catalyst x 3, Thermo x 1 and since I missed my MNS at lunch, I had my lunch MNS with dinner...so it was pre-pre-workout.  :D

Post workout - OmegaPlex x 2

Off to do some Core!!!

Week 3 Day 2 - Burn baby Burn!

WOOOOOOEEEEEY!

Man that was a fast 43 minutes tonight, and like last week I went even further before taking a break.  I kept pace pretty darn good and rolled right up to the 8 minute mark!  Good stuff cause the last 5 minutes is actually cool down!  So next week I expect to finish straight through...

Same routine - Yoga to get warmed up, Kenpo to feel like you're uncoordinated and get the heart rate escalated, Plyo's to work those twitch muscles and keep the heart rate up and then Core to just plain old make you feel worked over!!  I am actually starting to enjoy this set....how odd.

Short post tonight as it's late, the showers on and I'm drippin sweat.

Pre-workout - again since I started in on the MNS-3 this week, I actually finished my packs with a late dinner and hit the usual Catalyst x 3 and Thermo x 2.

Post-workout - the almighty Omega's with plenty of water, before I crash I'll hit the Bio-RQ with a light before bed protein snack and possibly a shot of A-Supreme...yea...sounds good.

Tomorrows set up for a nice long streeeetch!!!

Week 3 Day 1 - The AbRipper Strikes Back

So obviously week 2 day 6 and 7 are missing - trying to maintain a 7 day workout is tougher than I'd thought it to be. Day 6, in Longview til 10:30, home at 11ish, tough to go to the gym with church in the morning.  Day 7, after no sleep the night before, up early for church (Taylore was an usher for service!!!), I just didn't have any juice in me - listen to your body, if you're not ready to workout, you WILL injure yourself.

So Day 1 of week 3 - this isn't AbRipper 100 or 200...this is AbRipper 339!! with a bonus 10 on the Mason's Twist at the end for 349...still didn't get them all, but I am getting much closer  I'd say I'm into the 250 mark, and after soccer practice and all the kicking I did today with the girls...I'm pretty darn happy with that.

So not a ton to say about tonight as it's 15 minutes of gut busting pain and boy am I gut busted!!!  So we'll roll right into pre/post.

Started a new cycle of the MNS-3 (my first round of 3 as I normally go with the E) and a late dinner tonight so we drop the regular Catalyst/Thermo mix.

Pre-workout - A-Supreme for an extra boost of fat burning love!

Post-workout - OmegaPlex - you just can't get enough!!!

Now I'm off to watch Iron-Man 2 with thanks to my buddy AJ for dropping it by!

What if?

What if…..

Those of you who know me, know that I am not much of a blogger, however since the last year of my life has been such a whirlwind some things have been weighing heavily on my heart. I have titled this blog what if, because as my husband and best friends know it is my favorite game in the world. Since my husband met me 17 yrs ago, I have battered him with what if scenarios, the more bizarre the better.

So I decided to talk about the last year of our life. September 2009, my husband had just been laid off from his job. I had been out of work for about a year. We had decided that it was time for me to focus on finishing school and not work anymore. Working a full time job, going to school and raising three daughters was starting to take it’s toll. But we never thought Derek would be out of work too.

All of a sudden we were in a situation that we had not prepared for. Both of us out of work, 2 mortgages, 2 car payments, and credit cards and unemployment was not going to cut it. We really didn’t know what we were going to do. Little did we know, God had a plan for us.

Later that month a childhood friend made a post about an opportunity she had. I responded and a few days later both my husband and I were sitting at her and her husband’s kitchen table listening to what their life had been like the past 7 yrs. My husband and I found ourselves asking, “what if.”

We decided to jump in. For the first couple months we were not overly active in our opportunity, but we made enough extra money to make ends meet. The real positive was it gave us time to be together and to be home with our kids. It also gave me an opportunity to see my dad a lot more since he had moved back from Kentucky a year earlier, and opportunity I would not have had if I had been working and going to school full time.

At this time in my life, it wasn’t about the money. I thought it was but really it was about time. Just two months after we became involved, I received a call from my stepmom on November 13^th, that my dad was rushed to the hospital by ambulance.  You see my dad had been fighting cancer for almost 9 yrs then. I wasn’t overly concerned at that moment because I had just spoken with him 10 hours earlier and spent the day with him the day before that. He was doing great, full of energy and feeling good. But I rushed to the hospital anyways.

Later that day, sitting in the ICU with my brother, sister and stepmom the doctor told us how bad things really were. The next two days were filled with uncertainty and on Sunday, November 15^th, my dad took his last breath. I can’t even begin to explain the sadness that I felt during this time.

Now looking back I believe God was preparing me for these things. I believe bringing my dad back to Washington the year earlier, me getting laid off and even putting this opportunity to make extra income in front of me were all part of his plans. You see if my dad was still living in Kentucky I wouldn’t have gotten to be with him as much as I was the last year. If I was still working I wouldn’t have been able to be with him like I was. My boss wouldn’t have let me drop everything over and over to be at the hospital and I would not have been able to take off 3 months of work afterwards like I did.

So my question to you is what if? What if you lost your job? What if you got sick and couldn’t work or your spouse did? What if you lost someone close to you? What if you stopped doing something you hated and followed your dreams again? What if you had the opportunity to stay home with your family? What if you didn’t have a boss? You could go on vacation anytime you wanted without asking anyone? What if every day when your kids came home, you had the opportunity to be there, not wondering what they were doing? What if?

In the past year I have seen so much tragedy, things that none of us ever wants to think about. I have watched a friend lose their child, a friend lose a brother, and I lost my dad. I have seen countless people lose their jobs, their homes, even their security. None of us are immune to the what if.

I have also discovered new friends, new hope and new security. I have witnessed amazing things happen when people believe that amazing things can happen and become prepared for the what ifs. I have seen my relationship with not only my husband but my children grow. We have the opportunity to witness them grow and be there for everything. We get to coach and encourage them in life.

Life is what you make of it. We continue to grow as a family every day. My challenge to you is to take a look at your life and ask yourself what if. Do you have a back up plan? What would you do if something life changing happened to you? Why wait until later? Why not do something now?

The opportunity that we have may not be for you, but what if it is?

Week 2 Day 5 - Back to the Gym!

Day 5???  What happened to day 4? Um...welcome to the hall of shame Mr. Osborne!!!  I'll be honest, I got lost in time playing a video game and by the time I looked up and thought, 'oh I need to hit the workout' it was 1am.  ARGH!!!  Bless me Father for I have sinned, it has been forever since my last confession.

I will say that my discipline for the last couple of months has been really really bad and I have been mentally beating myself with a stick for the last day or so over it...so penance written.

Now - Day 5!  Back and Shoulders - feeeeel the burn baby!  As my shoulders are on fire as I type this, holy cow!

So I'll just get right to it as typing with my arms up is a bit on the uncomfortable side as they're still full of blood.  :D

Back - remember we are following the Rule of 3 this cycle - so 3 exercises with 3 sets.

Lat Pulldown V-Grip - this is the handle that you normally use for seated rows - looks like a V with a slight angel in the V.  Back straight - pulls to chin, keeping straight as possible through the movement - this is a controlled movement.
105 x 20
135 x 12
165 x 12

Standing Lunge Lawn Mowers - this is a single arm dumbbell exercise - drop your self into a deep lunge, knee over ankle with your back leg straight and back as far as comfortable.  One are rests on forward bent leg as the other pulls the weight from the floor to the chest.  Rotate your shoulders from parallel to the floor to perpendicular by rotating the hips as you bring the weight up - again control is key here.
40 x 20
50 x 12
60 x 12 - I was winded after this set as we are still working quickly thru each exercise.

Standing Pullovers - also known to me as the 'Notorious' Pullover - this is again a controlled movement - standing at the lat pulldown - grip the bar as far apart as you can keeping your hand parallel to the floor (don't grip the pads on a standard pulldown bar as they are generally at a 45) - half step back from the bench, bend your knees, keep your arms straight and pull the bar straight down to your waist.
50 x 20
75 x 12
90 x 7/75 x 5 - I got over confident here and had to drop weight - remember the faster we go through a workout the more muscle fatigue we have in our later exercises.  Bad Oz!

Shoulders

Standing Close Grip Front Cable Raises - no that's a mouthful huh? We are standing at the cable crossover machine, facing the pulleys. Using a small straight bar, grab as close to the cable hook as you can, keep your arms straight and lift completely above your head.
50 x 20
60 x 12
70 x 12

Seated Read Delt Flys - Hands above the shoulders on this exercise - we want to isolate the rear delts, one of the most neglected muscles in the upper body - so we keep our hands just a bit above shoulder height to keep from engaging the back at all.  Keep your arms straight, keep your chest on the pad and push your arms back.
50 x 20
90 x 12
105 x 12 - struggled with 11 and 12 here

Standing Straight Lateral Raise - I say straight because my standard lateral raise is slightly bent forward with the weights under the shoulders - this time we keep the weights even with the legs as we finish out the 3.  This forces more focus on an already burnt set of muscles.  Raise the weights above shoulder height and keep them at your sides through the entire movement.  It's ok to bend the elbows a bit but not so much as you have the weight in front of your body.

Pre-workout consisted of something a little different - wife ordered me a bottle of A-Supreme which will again help with the cardiovascular health, trim fat and help the body cope with stress...which obviously I am putting it through some extra at the moment, and of coarse the almighty Arginine Extreme - man I love that stuff!

Post-workout as always on weight days - Post-Workout Recovery - if I don't have my post, I won't workout - PERIOD.

Tomorrow is Chest and Arms and I've got some make-up to do!!!!