A friend in the gym was wearing a shirt today that read "It's You Vs. You". It got me thinking how that's really the bottom line when it comes to performing at your best. It doesn't matter how much the person next to you is curling or how much longer than you they have been running for. All that matters is that you get in there and push yourself harder than you did the last time. I got to the gym nice and early this afternoon, having taken the day off from work. Days off from work are always the most productive; even more so than the weekends are because it's truly time off to do things for yourself whereas the weekends are always filled with chores and errands that you didn't have time for during the work week. I won't bore you with a list all the things I got done today but let's just say I will go to sleep tonight with a feeling of great satisfaction!
Over the past couple of week's I've decided on a new fitness goal for myself. I'm not going to announce it to the blogging universe just yet though. I'm going to use December as a trial period, making slight diet and workout alterations and if I feel like I'm headed in the right direction then I'm going to commit in January. We all know what happened last year when I announced I was going to run my first 5k and then I ended up with all sorts of lovely injuries that prevented that from happening. A year later, I still hate running haha. I'm someone that needs to always have a goal to strive for though, something to look forward to, so regardless of whether I achieve my goals I always end up in a better position than when I started. Changes I'm making in December include the following:
Fitness - Change workouts from a 4-6 day split to a 3 day split. What I mean by this is that previously a typical weight workout would consist of two major opposing muscle groups followed by core work. Going forward, I will be typically be doing 3 major muscle groups that aren't necessarily opposing and not every day will include core work so that I can work that area harder on the days that I do have it scheduled. The problem with my former plan was that A) say for example I was doing bi's & tri's one day, I would have already tired my arms out by the time I got to the 2nd muscle group so that group would not get as strong of a workout as the 1st and B) Some muscle groups would only get done once per week. This new plan will mean that some days I will be in the gym for much longer than usual, but that's a "sacrifice" I'll have no problem making! Of course, this new schedule may be altered slightly on days when I do a spin class but in general, that's the new format.
Diet - I've been keeping track of all of my intake via the free app called myfitnesspal. Looking back over several weeks, it is evident that my macro ratios are off for my goals. If you are unfamiliar with macros, then Google it; it's really a very interesting topic that I've been coming across a lot lately. Basically, your macronutrients or "macros" are the proteins, carbs, and fats in your food. You want to try to maintain certain ratios of each in keeping with your particular fitness goals. For me, this means that I need to cut carbs and increase both protein and fats (good fats of course!). A general rule for people trying to gain muscle is to eat 1 gram of protein for every pound you weigh. However, I already do this and it's not enough so I'm making sure to mix up a protein shake on my way out of the gym every day for an added 20 grams. Fats are pretty easy to increase. For this, I'm doing things like adding mixed nuts to my breakfast oatmeal and making sure to have fish at least a couple of night's a week. Carb-cutting however is going to be the most difficult since carbs are in basically everything! I'm a major pasta junkie, eating it for several dinners each week (with chicken of course!) so I'm trying to slowing wean myself off of it by cutting back to half-portions and increasing my protein source instead. I may even try spaghetti squash although I'm a bit skeptical. Tonight I had a delicious & easy homemade turkey chili that I threw together in my Crock-Pot this morning. Take a look at my Recipes tab if you are interested in making it.
Now, back to my workout today which consisted of a run followed by chest, core, and triceps. Here's the split:
-Running intervals for 21 minutes doing 1-min segments of walking followed 3-min segments of running
-Stability ball chest presses (3x12)
-Incline dumbbell flies (3x12)
-Plank rows (3x12, each side)
-Stability ball leg lifts (3x12-8-10)
-Wood Chops (3x20-18-16, each side)
-Stability ball weighted bench dips (3x12)
-Tricep kick-backs (3x10, each side)
-Straight-bar pushdowns (3x10)
In total it took me approximately 110 minutes (including breaks) which isn't too bad for adding in an extra muscle group!
In other fitness-related updates, my ISSA CFT studying is going great! I officially have no free time whatsoever but I love it! I'm already on unit 6 of 33 so I'm right on track if not ahead of the game. This 6-month life plan of mine is really improving my overall mood and outlook so I highly recommend it for all of you regardless of your life/work situation.
Well, I'm going to end it here so I can write out my workouts for the next couple of days and pack my meals for tomorrow. I know it was a long entry but I hope you found it interesting. Remember, whatever your fitness goals are, when you get in the gym, on the track, in the pool, or wherever you are doing your workout, it's you vs. you out there. Doing your best is all that matters.
Over the past couple of week's I've decided on a new fitness goal for myself. I'm not going to announce it to the blogging universe just yet though. I'm going to use December as a trial period, making slight diet and workout alterations and if I feel like I'm headed in the right direction then I'm going to commit in January. We all know what happened last year when I announced I was going to run my first 5k and then I ended up with all sorts of lovely injuries that prevented that from happening. A year later, I still hate running haha. I'm someone that needs to always have a goal to strive for though, something to look forward to, so regardless of whether I achieve my goals I always end up in a better position than when I started. Changes I'm making in December include the following:
Fitness - Change workouts from a 4-6 day split to a 3 day split. What I mean by this is that previously a typical weight workout would consist of two major opposing muscle groups followed by core work. Going forward, I will be typically be doing 3 major muscle groups that aren't necessarily opposing and not every day will include core work so that I can work that area harder on the days that I do have it scheduled. The problem with my former plan was that A) say for example I was doing bi's & tri's one day, I would have already tired my arms out by the time I got to the 2nd muscle group so that group would not get as strong of a workout as the 1st and B) Some muscle groups would only get done once per week. This new plan will mean that some days I will be in the gym for much longer than usual, but that's a "sacrifice" I'll have no problem making! Of course, this new schedule may be altered slightly on days when I do a spin class but in general, that's the new format.
Diet - I've been keeping track of all of my intake via the free app called myfitnesspal. Looking back over several weeks, it is evident that my macro ratios are off for my goals. If you are unfamiliar with macros, then Google it; it's really a very interesting topic that I've been coming across a lot lately. Basically, your macronutrients or "macros" are the proteins, carbs, and fats in your food. You want to try to maintain certain ratios of each in keeping with your particular fitness goals. For me, this means that I need to cut carbs and increase both protein and fats (good fats of course!). A general rule for people trying to gain muscle is to eat 1 gram of protein for every pound you weigh. However, I already do this and it's not enough so I'm making sure to mix up a protein shake on my way out of the gym every day for an added 20 grams. Fats are pretty easy to increase. For this, I'm doing things like adding mixed nuts to my breakfast oatmeal and making sure to have fish at least a couple of night's a week. Carb-cutting however is going to be the most difficult since carbs are in basically everything! I'm a major pasta junkie, eating it for several dinners each week (with chicken of course!) so I'm trying to slowing wean myself off of it by cutting back to half-portions and increasing my protein source instead. I may even try spaghetti squash although I'm a bit skeptical. Tonight I had a delicious & easy homemade turkey chili that I threw together in my Crock-Pot this morning. Take a look at my Recipes tab if you are interested in making it.
Now, back to my workout today which consisted of a run followed by chest, core, and triceps. Here's the split:
-Running intervals for 21 minutes doing 1-min segments of walking followed 3-min segments of running
-Stability ball chest presses (3x12)
-Incline dumbbell flies (3x12)
-Plank rows (3x12, each side)
-Stability ball leg lifts (3x12-8-10)
-Wood Chops (3x20-18-16, each side)
-Stability ball weighted bench dips (3x12)
-Tricep kick-backs (3x10, each side)
-Straight-bar pushdowns (3x10)
In total it took me approximately 110 minutes (including breaks) which isn't too bad for adding in an extra muscle group!
In other fitness-related updates, my ISSA CFT studying is going great! I officially have no free time whatsoever but I love it! I'm already on unit 6 of 33 so I'm right on track if not ahead of the game. This 6-month life plan of mine is really improving my overall mood and outlook so I highly recommend it for all of you regardless of your life/work situation.
Well, I'm going to end it here so I can write out my workouts for the next couple of days and pack my meals for tomorrow. I know it was a long entry but I hope you found it interesting. Remember, whatever your fitness goals are, when you get in the gym, on the track, in the pool, or wherever you are doing your workout, it's you vs. you out there. Doing your best is all that matters.
That's for sure...sounds like a good plan...remember to switch it again next month...keep switching the prescription (i.e. sets, reps, intensities, rest intervals, total volumes and frequencies you work out different areas of your body...and you'll get to better places, faster...You should create a self critique or testing protocol so you can prove to yourself you are doing your best. By achieving an objective standard or benchmark you can compare, challenge and conquer accordingly... it can push you and help you focus with more intensity and success...
ReplyDeleteI like your running prescription...smart and efficient...accomplishes more work in less time... the power equation: Power = Force x Velocity = Work/Time = [(Force x Distance)/Time]...physics can help so much...your mind can help so much...you can outdo so many people with a little planning, toughness and commitment! It's awesome!
Check out "back loading carbs" ...