Week 2 begins

Week 2 update!

I think I am not lifting enough. What??? some may say, but yes. My problem may be that I have been reading too many articles (sigh, again) from fitnessathlete.com, but I find that those articles can also be super motivating to be a strong woman. However, I do not want to look quite like all those women......it's inspiring to read some of the articles about an average mother who goes to a fitness competitor in 12-20 weeks (ok, they are already in pretty good shape). It's also nice to know (or think) that in an alternate life, I could do that too--if I were only willing and that's what I wanted to look like.....

Somewhere there is a happy medium. Regardless, my updates to what I'm lifting at the gym and then my future modifications.

Monday

squat 115
dead lift 70 (although I now realize I was doing a modified version.....and this will change next week)
calf raises 70 (i think....)
leg raises and incline abs are the same...

I also did reverse lunges with a kick (literally, a forward kick). I did just 2 sets of 10 on each leg. I was short on time....oh, the Mondays. I think the fact I always want to add a bit after my workout is evidence that I need to find ways to lift more during the workout. I'm not sure, generally speaking, that the 5 sets of 5 is good for me at this point. I should consider at least making it 8....I'll continue to ponder.

Tuesday

incline bench 20 lb dumbbells...until I realized I should do the hammerstrength machine (where I will not be afraid to add more weight without a spotter). So glad I did too because I was doing 35 on each side.
bicep curls with the cable, 40...I think
tricep push downs again with cable, 50
shoulder press 20 lb dumbbells
bent over lat raises 5 lb-6lb dumbbells. hmm....clearly a weakness. it's just a hard move for me period, weight or no weight. maybe my muscles are really tight in my back--it is where I hold my stress.

An added component to Tuesday's workout....protein shake! I bought 100% Whey in vanilla ice cream from Optimum Nutrition, or Jewel-Osco Grocery store. Ugh, Jewel. Anyway, it's decent! I had received a free jar from Muscle Milk, but the light formula used artificial sweetener and I can NOT stand the taste. I was willing to get over using artificial sweetener 1x a day, but not if I can't gulp it down. Anyway, I'm trying to add more protein to my day. Yesterday, I just had the protein shake and some Kashi cereal after the gym. Before, I had a Luna bar and some chocolate milk. (same for Monday, actually) I didn't do well with adding more protein the rest of the day. I had hummus, falafel, 1/2 pomegranate, 7 grain pita with veggies for dinner and string cheese and popcorn as a snack. And....my veggie version of Shepherd's pie for lunch. I guess it's not bad....but not meeting what some say are protein requirements---which can be as much as 1g per pound body weight. Yikes!

I'll keep trying and eventually get close is the hope. I think until I get my nutrition totally up to par, it will be hard to make the muscle gains I have in sight. However, it's a lot to ask for with a 9 wk program. I need to differentiate my goals for this 9 wk set and maybe a longer term goal like 27 wks. More to come about wednesday...yoga