Strength Update: My new thing...

I achieved some major PR’s ending my 6 week (Texas Method) program. It was a huge success for me and it felt really good! No need to bore you with the program details but below is a breakdown of what I did…

Squat Week 1 – 135 (3x1)

Squat Week 6 – 165 (3x1)

Overhead Press Week 1 – 62 (3x1)

Overhead Press Week 6 – 70 (3x1)

Deadlift Week 1 – 185 (3x1)

Deadlift Week 6 – 230 (3x1)

I’ve now switched my focus completely on Olympic lifts for May. It’s a huge compliment and motivator to know I'm strong enough and skilled enough to graduate to Olympic lifting because it's pretty challenging. Since I've been doing standard barbell lifts for 10 months now, I totally understand the benefits of learning form and working up to being strong to acheive the mechanics of Olympic lifts. In the past two weeks I've caught onto power cleans super fast (I may have even surprised my coach).... He's put a lot of time and effort into my programs and coaching me and I'm very thankful for his constant support and encouragement.

Doing these lifts brings me back to my gymnastic mentality. The competitiveness, the explosiveness, the focus.... My coach sent me this video - a perfect example of the lifts I'm working on, so you can visually see what I'm talking about (I don't kiss my biceps or flex like shown in the video, serious....) 

Thanks for following along with me on this journey (and to certain family... for the gear I'm getting for my bday :) haha.

2014.....The Voyage of Discovery

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." -Marcel Proust

Though I'm not a huge blogger I'm happy to have tracked my last year in workouts (more or less) a few months in between posts.... I started this blog with my 2013 resolution: "Say Yes to new things and people"....Then, I walked into a gym full of strangers to start a transformation challenge :)

I had a year of trying new things mixed with a year of life struggles and my "fit fam" (as I like to call them) have helped to keep me grounded and motivated wether they know it or not... Walking into my gym each day kept me focused on something positive when I had a lot of negative things going on in my head. Though I tell my strength coach, John how thankful I am for his passion and enthusiasm to make me strong. He'll probably never know just how much he's helped me stay focused. Along this fitness journey I have made some great friends that make me feel good, are positive and fun to be around.... Also, they're pretty damn strong... ;)
To this day, those 45 minute bootcamps still kick my butt and make me sore... In fact I'm sore right now. Though I am definitely stronger, I still push myself everytime. I blogged the last few times about switching over to strength training, doing barbell lifts twice a week. And somehow I've become "a lifter of heavy shit" in just 6 months... My own strength surprises me sometimes... I still really enjoy it and in 2014 I am training for a lifting meet.... Yes, really.... It's a private gym meet but my lifting goals seem outrageous and scary. My coach seems to think I am completely capable of dead lifting 275 pounds... Stay tuned, I'll be tracking my 2-1/2 months of training... It's going to take a lot of focus and determination and I'm ready! Thanks again to my family for all your support! XO

Here's to a year of discovery. Happy 2014!!

"Go to your f***ing crazy place"

These are the words of wisdom coach, John gave me tonight for when I deadlift crazy amounts of weight in the future. I have to "mentally find my crazy place. Get angry! Say the F word." See... now this is where lifting with huge dudes is just weird... Find my crazy place...?

This all came up when my lifting buddy, Fiona and I were talking to him about an October goal. We're all being encouraged to write down an October goal in my gym... John gave us a goal of deadlifting 215lbs by the end of the month. Tonight we were supposed to do 195lbs for 1 rep.... it turned into a 200lb PR!!

I've attached two videos because I want my family to see me do what I'm doing, I'm not quite sure you know exactly what I've gotten myself into... Before you watch this I must point out...

• I had never in my LIFE lifted this much weight, until tonight.

• The motivation and excitement from my coach and my lifting peers make an incredible difference in my confidence to lift such ridiculous weight (as you can hear in the background).

•  I have also never seen myself lift (there are no mirrors in the gym) and I've watched this several times and can't stop smiling... It was such a huge accomplishment after starting 3 months ago lifting just 125lbs...

Here it is - - me deadlifting.... Dad, I can lift you off the ground, I think...

1st video is 195lbs, John thought this looked too easy and you can hear his "whoa" in the background... haha!

So he thought I should go for 200lbs.... : ))

So This Happened...

Aside from the fact I haven't written on this thing for like....6 months. I wanted to document a few amazing feats that happened tonight.

First accomplishment: I started a 12 week strength training program at my gym back in July. Today was the LAST day of that program. I've seen some pretty awesome results physically and on paper! The program was derived from Mark Ripetoes Starting Strength. My trainer/coach is certified under his lifting standards (which I really don't want to explain at the moment :) Maybe I'll "blog" about it in a few days. It's basically a very simple technique in barbell training. I go twice a week and do squats and bench press one day and overhead press and deadlift the next.
Just to break it down.... this is how I started and ended my program....

Week 1
Squat: 105lbs
Bench Press: 75lbs
Overhead Press: 55 lbs
Deadlift: 125lbs

Week 12
Squat: 133lbs
Bench Press: 82lbs
Overhead Press: 64lbs
Deadlift: 180lbs !!

This is so crazy to me. One, because I never thought I'd be able to squat a small adult or deadlift a grown man (figuratively speaking :) My trainer has given me some really great coaching and advice and he's damn proud of me! It makes me feel great to have committed to something that was new and foreign to me which has given me physical strength I've probably never had, not even as a gymnast... My trainer told me tonight I was his "poster child example" for women who don't lift because they think they'll get big and bulky. I really have opinions on this but won't get into it... I mean I do worry sometimes that I will look way too muscular, but it hasn't happened, I won't let it : ) I'm just getting stronger... which leads me to my next accomplishment.

Second accomplishment: This happened tonight, it was a celebration in disguise for the completion of my 12 week program and totally unexpected....
I want to do a body weight pull-up, who doesn't, right?! Well, my trainer is switching my lifting program up and as we were talking about goals, I told him... "My goal before this year is over... to do a pull-up!" He says,"You can do one now! Go do it!" I jumped up and tried one and did it with no struggle. It honestly surprised the SH!T out of me.... I have been wanting to do that for soooo long!

On a side note...This week has marked 2 years since Dave passed away, I've been thinking of him often and I really felt him with me tonight. Now that I think about it... that pull-up was way too easy. I think he just may have been there spotting me.... ; ) XO

1 MORE WEEK !!!

Been going to Riley Athletics for just about 8 weeks now! When I did my Saturday boot camp yesterday I could tell for the first time there was a change in my strength. Things are getting easier and I don't feel like ima throw up after my workouts. YESSSSSSS.

I have one week left in this transformation challenge, I'll weigh-in at the end of the week and I'll be posting pics of BEFORE and NOW. Pretty excited for this.... Then we all get to celebrate!! Thanks to my friends and family who have encouraged and listened to my stories of this transformation, I feel the love and support! I've decided to keep on going to RA two times a week. Not only are the workouts awesome but the coaches and people are the BEST.....

I really enjoyed this boot camp yesterday....1 leg workouts are pretty awesome for your balance and core! I highly recommend it....

35 sec. on / 15 sec. off - 4x each

1: TRX 1 leg squat to row (switch for next round - 2 times each leg).

2: 1 arm dumbbell plank to row (do this plank on a bench, legs back far enough that your back is flat switch for next round - 2 times each arm).

3: Squat with heavier dumbbells to clean motion (heavier weights for this)

4: Half push-up, down. Full push-up, down - - repeat. Great alternative to regular pushups!

5: Cable pull to squat motion

6: rope slam one leg

7: med ball cross over

8: back lunge kettle bell swap (swap the kettle bell in the lunge position) its a good one!

Sled push 6 lengths of the gym - killer....

"The most powerful force on earth is the human soul on fire."

ONE week till final weigh-in !!! I really have no intention of stopping what I've been doing though. Except for eating a cookie or drinking wine once in a while or even an m&m or two..... I actually enjoy the way I'm eating and my workouts. Why stop.... : )

I did meal plan for this week (in more detail than I ever have) and I'm finding I have a ton of variety for my meals. I've never really had so much food in my fridge before!..... It's a lot of work to make all this crap though. I'm not really a great cook either but I'm learning. Like, don't put chopped up bay leaves in your soup in place of basil leaves......EW! - - that was a big fail....

My boot camp workout tonight (below) also included one of my trainers in my face bugging me.... the other one pushing me to my limit. Gotta have that push once in a while, I suppose.

40 sec 4x
1A - mountain climbers
1B - landline torso rotation (not sure if regular gyms have this thing)....
1C - dumbell row (in a squat position)
1D - kettle bell split plank

2A - rope slam / jump squat  NO THANKS
2B - TRX plank hold
2C - dumbell clean to jump (technique is involved with this one)
2D - pull ups

SOMETIMES THE STARS

Just in case you ever wondered where my blog title came from..... I saw this stop motion animated video a while back and loved it! The music, story and animation is so incredible and beautiful. Enjoy....