Gaia's growth season

[Gaia]

Saturday: I did Shoulders around 4 PM, after shopping all afternoon with my daughter , and I took my sons with me. It was an OK workout, and switched up the routine alittle bit with a Smith Military Press first, and then rear delts, and then did dumbbell raises last. I also added some descending sets to just fatigue the muscle.

Sunday: Rest day, with a tanning session in the morning. Slipped in the parking lot of the gym today. It was raining on my way to the gym, with a bunch of ice on the ground. I am in awe of the large icicles hanging off the roof of the gym. A couple of them touched the ground! I wanted to throw up my shoes and break them into a million pieces on the ground, but decided that they looked more beautiful up there, and maybe it wasn't the safest thing to do.
I had a hard time saying goodbye to my daughter. We had an awesome time having her home for the weekend. I will be seeing her in two more weeks for her Spring break, in which we will be heading for the Grand Canyon, AZ (actually Williams and Flagstaff) for a couple of days by taking the Amtrak train across the country. Haven't done that before, so it will be an adventure.

[Gaia]

Monday: Kids had another snow day/ice day (seems like they never have a full week of school lately!), and I started to clean the house like crazy. So after errands (food co-op order came in today during my usual gym time) and chores were completed, we headed to the gym around 3 PM to do both Chest and Biceps. I was able to do both with the same amount of heavy weights that I usually do when I do a split routine. Today I didn't need the extra rest time in between working the two muscle groups/body parts, which is good since I didn't plan my time very well to split the routine. And I got it all in by an hour (which my sons were happy about since they were all done!).

[Gaia]

Tuesday: Rest day. Felt a little run down, so I took a nap after grabbing all the kids from school. I still had to take my 14 year old son (16 year old had work so he was excused ) to the gym and made him run 2 1/2 miles for 30 minutes on the treadmill (I just walked my usual 1 mile on the next treadmill to his). I am actually starting to feel anxy about starting up cardio next month. So far I have been able to do all my heavy weights without too much strain, so I am getting the muscles matured. My body I think is ready for dieting and running again. Wish the weather would help out in March by being a bit warmer so I can possibly run outside (50 degrees and up would be nice ).
It has been quite a challenge this week to eat without soy or corn. I am finding so much stuff made with soybean/soy oil. And cornmeal is in some stuff also. I am back to cooking and making all my food again. Just glad I am not allergic to wheat! And thank goodness for my shakes to keep my protein intake up. I am also getting pretty good at making variations on the chickpea cutlets recipe in the Veganomicon cookbook. I am going to make a mockloaf next time from the recipe.

[Gaia]

Wed: Got to the gym around 10 AM this time to do Back. I did my usual heavy weights, but noticed that again the rep of 8 was solid and I am not straining to get the last two reps out. I did the new exercise of the straight bar lat pulldowns again towards the end, and got only to the 50 lbs plate again, but with a solid rep of 8 this time (I did 10 reps, buy the last two my lats were shaking as I did them - muscles were fatigued!). I also played around and did a low cable row with the two post handle grip and tried to raise it up to the middle back and got quite a good squeeze in between the shoulder blades (did 2 sets for 12 on 70 lbs and 80 lbs plates).

Headed to the gym with my two sons around 3 PM to do Triceps. I did a PB of 130 for 8 on the cable tricep pressdowns! I tried to do the next plate higher (70 lbs) on the Cybex overhead tricep extension, but even with my son helping me getting it up over my head, I could not bring it back up when I lowered it down. So I just did 10 reps on the 60 lbs plate: nice and solid. On the Cybex assisted machine, my son and I did our Dip contest and this time I won! I did 10 on the 4 plate, while he did only 8! He'll come back next time and do 12 just to out do me! Then he will have the Cheshire cat's smile, but for now I do!

[Gaia]

Thursday: A rest day. But I decided to start up my Anusara yoga class. Went to the Intermediate level at 7 PM (didn't want to just jump in the Advanced class, that is only available in the morning, and hurt myself). It is now the next day, and my delts are screaming, and of course the obliques (revolved triangle was featured last night) are a little sore. I have a little soreness in my sternum area also. I felt it going down in the fourth chaturanga. It is way at the top, and I think it is from the two extra dips I did to outdo my son, cause that is what was straining when I was doing them yesterday. Leaning too far forward when I did the dips at the end probably and worked in the clavicle part of the chest a little too hard.

A week to go and Gaia's growth season will end. I am starting to incorporate yoga class and cardio this week. Again I am starting to feel more energy to do the extra stuff, cause I haven't pushed the weights and feel solid in the weights I have now. Just have to hold on to them as I start to diet down, in order to keep my muscle mass.

[Gaia]

Friday: Tanned in the morning, and did Legs around 4 PM. I found out that my sternum/pectoral muscle attachment was indeed tore a little. I went to do the Leg Press with light weights, and the first time I got done holding on to the handles, and locking the machine back into place, my sternum flaired way up! I went up to 6 plates on each side, but had to be careful cause if I leaned forward just a little, and pushed with my hands on something, pain shot up in my chest. I did just medium heavy weights for the rest of the exercises (lying leg curl with my arms bent on the bench was unbearable at times). I did some abductors, and went back and did some light weight high rep sets on the machines when I got done doing my routine. I still did not get a pump in the legs. It is now the next day, and my legs are a little sore, so I did do something to my legs. Going to do Shoulders later on today. Hopefully I will be able to, with this pec tear.

[Gaia]

Saturday: It was so nice and sunny outside, but still too cold to run outside, so I headed to the gym for only 20 minutes of treadmill cardio at 5.0 mph. I broke a sweat, just barely.
Went back again at 4 PM to do Shoulders. My sternum did not hurt while doing the shoulder presses and raises, so I did the usual heavy weights for 8 reps for 3/4 sets per exercise. Just a solid workout, no intensity, but no fatigue feelings either. Just went through the motions. Still sunny outside!

[Gaia]

Sunday: Rest day. No cardio. No yoga. Just house chores (I cleaned up my room and did laundry) and went outside. Though it was a cold 24 degrees, I still went out into the sunshine. I decided to see if my spinach had survived the winter in the cold frame, and it has. It is just not growing so I don't dare pick any. I think it will take off in the spring again. I took my funny bunny out to the garden and he had a nice little jog around the fenced in area. He was so cute in that he kept hopping over to me (sitting on the cold frame with my behind getting mighty cold) whenever there was a loud noise. I ordered some seed trays again this year. And our family has decided to try growing potatoes this year. We tried garlic last year and that was such a hit to grow and harvest (I still have one long braid in my kitchen waiting to last till the next batch of garlic cloves in July/Aug, and some elephant garlic bulbs in the refrigerator). Also, next week I will be heading off to Key West, Florida with my daughter who is on Spring Break from Michigan State University. We decided on a cost effective road trip to snorkeling the coral reefs off of Key West, instead of heading on a train for the Grand Canyon in Arizona (it is still cold in the high desert). Anywhere where it is warm is fine with me. It will be my first time going out without the whole family. Just us girls. Haven't done that since my college days! Which has been two decades. . . . . at least.

[Gaia]

Monday: Chest and Biceps done around 4 PM with my son again. Nothing new, just a solid workout. I have been trimming my diet alittle bit, and for the first time in a long time I have been found being hungry and not being able to stuff myself with food. I am doing the sugar snap peapods to fill in the times when I am not suppose to eat. The shakes fill me up for awhile, but I am hungry about 1/2 an hour before my next scheduled meal.
This is where weight lifters differ from bodybuilders, from my own experience. The mental capacity of eating just what needs to be eaten, and nothing more. And then the sacrifice of eating shakes made just with water, to reduce caloric intake minimally to lose fat and not muscle mass. The balance between the two. All the while trying to keep sane, and keep intensity up. . . . especially when there is no energy to draw on. Mental focus becomes key.

[Gaia]

Tuesday: Headed for the gym around 4:30 PM with both my sons. My 14 year old son and I did 30 minutes on the treadmill and went 2.5 miles (5.0mph) since it was our day off from weights. Bigger son hurt his back and was going to just bike for the 30 minutes, but after 15 minutes he decided to do some weights (at my urging) carefully so his back doesn't hurt more than it does.

Had a band concert at the high school for my middle schooler (who wants to go the gym but is only 13 and you have to be 14 to join. By Thanksgiving he will be able to). He is my last kid, so I call him my baby (he use to fight me on that, "I'm not a baby! Stop calling me that to your friends!" Now he just smiles and says "Yeah, my parents finally got it right with me! Only took them four tries!" Um yeah . . . . I think the world better watch out for this one!). He plays a flute, and this week he learned how to flutter on a single note very well. He is going to challenge the first chair this week since his concert is over. He never wanted to be first chair because there is some responsibility with helping the teacher (lazy boy!). But now the two girls he has to sit between have been talking/gossiping so much that he can't stand it, so he is going to go up to first chair and get away from the direct line of fire between those two girls! Me, I'd want to be first chair just based on my ability and ego. But not my kids, they do it just out of necessity! The next son who works out with me plays the clarinet (the oldest plays trumpet in jazz band, and tenor sax in the marching band) and he could be first chair but doesn't want the responsibility of helping out the teacher and having to do solos all by himself during concerts (he is just getting use to the fact that he is always put up front during the concerts - very shy boy in front of strangers).

Oh yeah, I tanned after the concert. Good rest day. I also added Chia seeds to my oatmeal in the morning. Smallest little round things I've ever eaten!

[Gaia]

Wednesday: Did some yoga in the morning at home (very slowly, and mostly sun salutation A with pigeon, triangle, warrior I and II, and then some ab work). Then headed for the gym around 4:30 PM to do Back and Triceps with my one son (the other bigger one had to go to work). Pushed the weights a little and was able to do the whole stack on the Cybex Back Row - 200lbs for 8 (my son put me up to it. He was getting impatient with my going up in weights and being able to do at least 12 - 15 reps for the set and I would tell him that I needed to keep doing the sets till I topped out at my max of 6 to 8 reps. He just pulled the pin and put it on the last plate and said "Here try this!!" and so it was!). I also was able to do 130lbs for 8 on the tricep rope pushdown (new PB there). I also beat my son on the dips by doing 10 on the 4 plate (Cybex assisted machine). And once again my sternum hurts just alittle this morning. I was careful in not leaning too far forward and using only my triceps predominantly, but to get the last two I may have pushed forward alittle - thus the soreness. All in all, it was a good workout. An added bonus was that my oldest son's (who was working as my other son and I were working out) honors English teacher was in the gym working out and she told me what nice boys I have. That my oldest son is very polite and respectful in the classroom, and also very personable to talk to. My kids have always got along great with their teachers, even when they really hated the style of teaching they did. It was just nice to hear a complement on my life's work (at least my priority in life at the present moment).

[Gaia]

Thursday: Totally rest day. Didn't even do yoga or run at the gym. In fact, I didn't even tan. I just went out for DVD's and went home and watched them. Oh yeah, I did do the motherly things and cooked breakfast, made lunches, and cooked an awesome dinner. Plus tried to get the laundry all done since I will be gone for a week in Florida with my college age daughter! Lounging in the sun. I will get my tan the old fashion way!
So I have to get Shoulders and Legs in today. Going to do Shoulders this morning and Legs tonight (driving 3 hours to pick my daughter up from MSU after doing Legs doesn't sound like fun - cramping and all that stuff, so that is why I am doing them tonight).

[Gaia]

Friday: Did Shoulders around 9 AM (early) and went solid heavy as usual. Then took off for 3 hours of driving to MSU to get my daughter. Came home and rested for an hour and then went to the gym around 4:30 PM to do Legs. Did not get up to seven 45lbs plates (630 lbs total) on each side, just the usual 6 on each side (540 lbs) for 15 reps for 2 sets. Probably cause I started out doing the whole stack on the leg extension, and the whole stack on leg curls. Did some seated leg calf raises also. Lastly I also did some abductor work also on a Cybex Machine (around 70 lbs, 80 lbs, and 90 lbs. for 15 reps for each set) instead of the plie squats.

This ends my month of Gaia's growth season. I am off to Key West for a week. I will start my new log of Gaia's cutting season. I am already not looking forward to it. My starting weight will be 170 lbs. I don't know what my contest weight will be as I have added some extra muscle mass these past two years (former contest weights were in the 140lbs). So we shall see what happens.