Gaia's cutting season

[Gaia]

Sunday: Shoulder and Leg day (but I decided not to do Legs today and to do them tomorrow with my son who is on Legs tomorrow too). Headed off to the gym around 4 PM (had a soccer game this morning at 11 AM that I went to).

Shoulders were heavy:

Hammer Strength Shoulder Press: 100/6+ (feebly attempted to do the 2 more for 8, but it was not to be), close to PB

Dumbbell Side Lateral Raises: 30/8, PB

Rear Delt (Cybex machine): 70/8, PB

Dumbbell Grip Icarian Shoulder Press: 100/7+, a new PB!

Barbell Front Raise: 60/8, a new PB! Don't really do this one, but since I wasn't going to do Legs, I started looking for something else to do - playing around

Cable Overhead Side Pulldowns: 50/10, never done this exercise, but I saw someone do it before so I tried it out. Weird to have the reverse muscles used when doing dumbbell side laterals. Tried to do 60 and got to two good ones and then I wimped out on the third one - so to me it doesn't count unless I can do at least 5, though 6 is optimal for counting.

Should've done some running today since I wasn't going to do Legs, but oh well. Weigh in this morning was still 168. Which is OK. Maybe this week I can lose the 1 lbs I want.

[Gaia]

Monday: Leg day. Went to the gym around 3:30 PM, so early for me and my son.

Leg Press: 630lbs for 8 was the highest I pushed (PB is 700lbs./6 for some reason I didn't want to go there today)

Leg Extension: Whole stack: 255lbs/8, PB

Leg Curl: Whole Stack: 225lbs/6+2 feeble attempts to make it 8 ,8 is a PB

Seated Leg Calf Raise:80lbs/25
supersetted with
Plie (Power) Squats (on the Smith Rack): 160lbs/25

Legs were fatigued and I had some steps that wobbled on the way out, which is a sign of a good workout. I am also glad that I had drove the automatic car to the gym so I didn't have to work the clutch on the way home!

As I am putting this entry in the next morning, I noticed right around my knees on the top quad hurts. I also noticed a big bruise on my right quad, and I remember saying something about how that was going to leave a bruise but I can't remember what I actually did to think that.

[Gaia]

Tuesday: No rest day today. Feeling strong this day. I even headed out to the gym to do the usual 30 minutes, 2.5 miles on the treadmill. My daughter called halfway thru it, so I had to take a rest, but I finished when I got done cheering her on in her college endeavors. An hour later my legs really started to talk to me and reminded me of how I did Legs yesterday and that they really didn't like the running I made them do. Oops.....

Chest and Biceps around 3:30PM with my son (as we are now back on the same page of workouts. He kept me going fast pace).
Looking at my last Chest workout everything was pretty much the same:

Hammer Strength Wide Chest Press: I did 230lbs/6, not a PB of 8 yet.
Cybex Flyes: 100/8, PB
Smith Machine Incline Press: 90/8, PB
Icarian Dumbbell Grip Chest Press: 120/8, new PB

Cable Curl: 120/8, PB
Hammer Curl: 30/8, PB is 35/8

All done said my son, even though I wanted to do the overhead bi curls, but some person had just started to do cable crossovers, so we would have to wait for awhile, and he was a little impatient to get home and play Halo with his friends. I was tired so I gave in, plus the gym was really getting busy and noisy which always bothers me. Should have done some more bicep exercises looking back at how I just did them last time with low weights. I will try to keep it in mind for next time.

[Gaia]

Wednesday: Rest day all around. In fact I was feeling really weird, and slept for 2 hours during the afternoon (didn't get to sleep till midnight then...oh well). I felt not weak, but nauseous. Kind of like my body chemistry was off. I always shrug it off as detoxing, and see if it gets worse or better the next day (I am on a homeopathic virus combination eliminator and liver detox medicine).

[Gaia]

Thursday: Headed to do treadmilling for 3 miles in 36 minutes this morning at 8 AM. Did really well, so whatever it was yesterday must've been a detox of something and passed on (with a flush if you know what I mean ) this morning.

Went and did Back and Triceps around 3:30 PM with my workout partner/son. Did the usual heavy weights.

Same as last time except I did the 140/8 on the Lat Pulldown (PB), and did a 50/4 on the Front Straight Bar Pushdown! I really don't count it since it wasn't even a 6 on the rep! But it hurt doing it! My lats were screaming and it was the last thing before Triceps.

Triceps were the same as before, except I tried 7(0)/6 on the Overhead Tricep Extension, a new PB, and on the Cybex-assisted dips I did plate 4/10 reps instead of 8 reps (with no chest sternum problems - keeping my chest way forward and the elbow behind my lats), new PB. Tried only my body on a dip bar and got only to three! It was pretty pathetic.

I also did ab machine with the 5lbs and 7lbs medicine balls, 25 reps only (it hurt my son's chest for some reason - hard to breath without it hurting he said. so I stopped to make him not feel bad. we are way too competitive and he would have kept on trying to beat me. plus I don't like to do abs till two months before contest time. I am one of those whose ab muscles grow quickly and I hate the tree trunk look!).

[Gaia]

Friday: Rest day and pick up daughter from Michigan State (3 hour ride). Went early in the morning to do treadmilling for 3 miles in 30 minutes (upping the rate during rest days). Triceps by the armpit hurt so bad! Overhead Ext's new PB yesterday is making itself known today. Needed a nap this afternoon, but wasn't going to happen (too many teenagers in the house - the boys were home all day due to them having Good Friday off, and then you throw their sister in the mix and it is loud! good kind of laughing loud when you think about it. I will just smile and let my body be tired for the day. I can sleep tonight - at least by midnight, when the older kids are home for curfew).

[Gaia]

Saturday: Double duty today! I have to do Legs and Shoulders today as the gym will be closed due to Easter holiday. So my son and I headed off to the gym around 1 PM to do Legs first.
Legs were heavy as last time in all the exercises, except that I did 8reps on the whole stack (225lbs) with the Leg Curl. Also upped the weight on the Seated Leg Calf Raise to 100/25 for 4 and did those right in a row, and then did the power squats on the Smith Machine with the same amount of weight as last time.

Shoulders were done just before they closed at 7 PM, so around 6 PM. Exercises were all the same as last time except the cable overhead pulldowns I did not do. I was extremely fatigued doing the shoulder routine, so I was pleased that I was still able to do the same heavy weights as last time.

Dieting is not going well again. I am still stuck on the 168lbs and seem to not get below it. I am going to have to start doing 45 minutes on rest days of cardio I think and maybe start weighing my food portions (a time consuming effort!).

[Gaia]

Sunday: Bright sun out today! Went for an hour long trail run! It was close to 5 miles in the hour (so I am alittle slow out on the trail with some patches of ice and snow here and there). It is the next day now and as usual my Achilles tendon is acting up. I stretched it this morning doing downdogs and on the stairs. Weigh in was not fun! It was still the same. I am now going to start weighing my food portions, and start trail running (as long as the snow stays away and the temps are up in the 40's (or above would be better )) on my rest days. I've also added CLA and Carnitine to my list of supplements. Hopefully that will help me get out of my rut.

[Gaia]

Monday: Cardio/treadmill for 30 minutes, 2.5 miles in the morning. Chest and Biceps around 3:30 PM.
I just did all my PBs, with a slight increase, new PBs, in the following:
Icarian Dumbell Grip Chest Press: 135/6
Cybex Chest Flyes: 110/6
Overhead "Bicep" Cable Curl: 60/6

Weighed out morning food, but afternoon I gave up (how do you weigh soup?) and tonight we had chili (I had 1 and 1/2 portions - I am so bad! I was just a little bit more hungry and had to have 1/2 bowl more! With avocado/lime juice on top!). Now I have to make sure I don't eat anymore tonight!

[Gaia]

Tuesday: Rest day. Just did 30 minutes of cardio this morning. Having a hard time getting motivated as it started snowing again today, and the wind picked up. I am also so hungry tonight, even though I had cashew cream pasta sauce (so yummy - and only one portion!). Just have to stick it out and know that I can get through the plateau I am having of losing weight if I don't eat anymore tonight! Tomorrow it is suppose to be sunny and 40 degrees. I will just think of that!

[Gaia]

Wednesday: Today I dropped my littlest one off at middle school and headed straight to the gym for cardio on the newest treadmill. I was so naughty in that the gym had placed a 20 minute limit on the newest treadmill so everybody can have a turn, but nobody was waiting for me to get off, so I did my usual 30 minutes for 2.5 miles. It was nice outside and I took my bunny out to the garden and let him romp out there (stretching his legs) for half the day.
Headed for the gym right at 3 PM today as my son mumbled something about getting it over with so he can get back and get online/Halo3 and play with his friends. It was Back and Tricep day. I did all my PB pretty much after a warmup set. I then backed off and did the medium weights with the 15 rep range to pump the muscle up.

Cybex Back Row: 200/6, 187.5/8, 165/15
Lat Cable Pulldowns: 140/8, 120/12, 110/15
HyperExtension (lower back): 45lbs plate (new PB)/25
supersetted (4 sets) with
Machine Shrugs: 230/25, after 2 sets went back down to 180/25 (hands giving out)
Lat Pushdown: 50/8 (new PB, did 8reps instead of 6), 40/10, 30/12

Tricep Cable Pushdown with Rope: 130/8, 110/12, 100/15
Overhead Tricep Extension: 70/6 (my son helped me get started), 60/12, 50/15
Cybex-Assisted Machine Dips: this I did with my son and he was doing the usual set count, so we started with plate 8/15, plate 6/12, and plate 4/10 (my son did 8 because he hurt his wrist on the Tricep Rope Pushdown I felt sorry for him, but not enough to not get the 2 more out. He just said "Next time, I'll beat you").

Very hungry last night, but I did not eat anything after my one portion of dinner (baby red potatoes, seiten hotdogs by the Grain Co., mushrooms, and kale, all fried/sauteed in a garlicky olive oil). I was rewarded with the scale telling me I was 166lbs this morning!!!

[Gaia]

Thursday: Rest day with the weights. I did my usual 30 minutes cardio/treadmill for the 2.5 miles before breakfast to get my blood going. It was snowing all day today. I just pouted all day in my house.

Friday: I did Legs in the morning around 11 AM at the gym by myself. It was all the same as last time. Heavy PBs all the way thru (except the Leg Press, I stayed at the 630lbs/8, and not 700lbs). I then went to the gym around 3 PM with my son and did Shoulders. It was the same as the last time I did them. I did talk alittle too much with people today and my son was done as I was only on my second exercise (side lateral dumbell raises). He pushed me and kept me going from one machine to the next and kept people from talking to me too much! Such a little personal trainer! (OK, not so little as he is taller than me, at the age of 15!).

[Gaia]

Saturday and Sunday: Rest days. I did my usual treadmill in the morning before breakfast. I recall that Saturday night I binged alittle in the eating of a Good Karma Rice Dream chocolate covered bar. I was very hungry for something chocolate, sugary, starchy, and just plain bad for you, but I have been such a good Mommy, that I didn't have a single piece of junkfood in the house for the kids that I could steal from! The Karma bars were it, so I took one of those.

[Gaia]

Monday: Treadmill for 30 minutes/2.5 miles in the morning before breakfast as usual. Went off to the gym around 3 PM with my son to do Chest and Biceps. I did the same PB weights on the same exercises. So my muscle mass is still there, unfortunately so is the fat! I am going to have to do something at night with my eating. Need more calories for lunch perhaps, and it is right before working out, so I could get my metabolism to burn it off and hopefully not feel so deprived at night. Otherwise it will have to be will power that will have to kick in at night, but that makes Mommy turn into Oscar the Grouch at night (not a good thing).

[Gaia]

Tuesday: Went to the gym in the morning and did my usual cardio stint for 30 minutes.

In the afternoon, it was rest day for me, but it was an Open House at the gym, so I took my youngest one to the gym. I showed him how to use most of the machines they have there (Hammer Strength, Cybex, Icarian, LifeFitness, Smith press, and Leg Press). I made the mistake of calling him my "baby" when introducing him to people. We agreed that I am to just call him my "youngest son" when I am introducing him to people. I still make mistakes with my fourth kid! Though that mistake is particular only to him as he is the last one and I do think of him as my baby. I also found out how many people at the gym are their mother's "babies" too to help my son unblush (and I agree, at 13 years of age, he is not a baby - especially when he is only an inch shorter that me! (I am 5'4")).