Crystal's Training

[Crystal]

Hey VI: exercise definatly helps! Keeps things mobile. If I sit in one place to long, I stiffen up all over and its hard to get going again.

6 July 2007 - Friday
Went bouldering out at Pena Blanca, from 6 p.m. until just before midnight. Night climbing is fun . Here is a video (before it got dark out) of me climbing a problem called "The Shield". V0, the crux is at the top and I have yet to top this one out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ZOA7JggYw
Yes, feel free to laugh at my friend who tilted the camera on its side towards the end .

And then of course there was a rattle snake in the path on the way back to our cars:



7 July 2007 - Saturday

DL: (wahoo! I deadlifts)
10 x 135 lbs
10 x 155 lbs
10 x 165 lbs
10 x 175 lbs
10 x 185 lbs

BB Bent Rows:
10 x bar
10 x 65 lbs
10 x 75 lbs

DB Shrugs:
3 x 20 x 35s

*stretching

Good to be in the gym, but my hands are raw from climbing! Makes it painful to grip the bar.

[bunnylalu]

Here is a video (before it got dark out) of me climbing a problem called "The Shield". V0, the crux is at the top and I have yet to top this one out:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ZOA7JggYw.

Good show! Are those tattoos on your arms or just dirt?

[veganmomma]

6 July 2007 - Friday
Went bouldering out at Pena Blanca, from 6 p.m. until just before midnight. Night climbing is fun . Here is a video (before it got dark out) of me climbing a problem called "The Shield". V0, the crux is at the top and I have yet to top this one out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ZOA7JggYw

I could never rock climb. I would fall flat on my arse.

7 July 2007 - Saturday
DL: (wahoo! I deadlifts)

Who doesn't?

[Veganitaliana]

Cool rattlesnake! You gotta respect them, that's for sure. The few times I've tried climbing I loved it! I really should do it more often. Ciao

[Crystal]

Are those tattoos on your arms or just dirt?

Its a tattoo! D'oh, stupid low-quality video.

@VM: I fall on my arse all the time, that's what crash-pads are for!

9 July 2007 - Monday

Squat:
6 x pistol sqts
10 x bar
10 x 95 lbs
10 x 135 lbs
10 x 155 lbs
10 x 155 lbs
8 x 155 lbs

SLDL:
10 x bar
10 x 75 lbs
10 x 95 lbs
All with pauses at the bottom, such a good stretch!

Superset of:
Leg Ext: 3 x 10 x 25 lbs - one leg at a time
Leg Curl: 3 x 10 x 25 lbs - also one leg at a time

Standing Calf:
3 x 15 x 220 lbs

*stretching

Darn, couldn't quite finish out the last 2 reps on squat, it dropped to the pins on my 9th rep like there was a magnet pulling it down or something! Oh well, its about time I started dropping reps and upping weight a little anyway .

[veganmomma]

@VM: I fall on my arse all the time, that's what crash-pads are for!

I'm challenged. I'd probably fall on my head.

[Crystal]

Hee, hee, that's what the spotters are for

[Crystal]

10 July 2007 - Tuesday

Bench:
10 x bar
10 x 75 lbs
10 x 85 lbs
5 x 95 lbs
5 x 95 lbs
3 x 100 lbs

Dips:
3 x 8 x bw

Rope Tricep:
10 x 50 lbs - easy
10 x 60 lbs - hum, still easy
10 x 70 lbs - starting to feel it!
Drop down set from 100 lbs to 30 lbs (in 10 lbs increments) - ouch!

DB Hammer Curl:
10 x 17.5s
10 x 17.5s
4 x 20s - d'oh!

*light stretching

I've been having a lot of fun at the gym lately, hope it keeps up .

[Crystal]

13 July 2007 - Friday
Wee bit of climbing today. Really just exploring a new route that recently re-opened in the mountains in town. It was a hot day so didn't get very far

14 July 2007 - Saturday

DL:
10 x 135 lbs
10 x 165 lbs
10 x 185 lbs
3 x 8 x 205 lbs

BB Bent Rows:
10 x bar
10 x 65 lbs
8 x 85 lbs

DB Shrugs:
20 x 35s
20 x 40s
20 x 40s

*stretching

Was going to get out early this Sunday morning for a bit of hiking, but didn't sleep to great Saturday night (must be the heat), so ended up sleeping in until it was too hot to go out . Oh well, this is El Paso's off season for that sort of stuff anyway.

[Crystal]

17 July 2007 - Tuesday

Squats:
6 x pistol sqts
10 x bar
10 x 95 lbs
10 x 135 lbs
8 x 165 lbs
6 x 165 lbs
7 x 165 lbs - hum, so much for 8 reps on those last three sets there

Overloads/Rack Walk-outs:
10 sec x 185 lbs
10 sec x 225 lbs
10 sec x 275 lbs
10 sec x 315 lbs - crushes SO good

SLDL:
10 x bar
10 x 95 lbs
10 x 115 lbs

Superset of:
Leg Ext: 3 x 10 x 30 lbs
Leg Curl: 3 x 10 x 30 lbs
As always with these, I work one leg at a time, right leg is finally starting to catch up to the left

Standing Calf:
3 x 15 x 240 lbs

*stretching

Legs felt weak during the squats, but that's okay. Its getting better all the time

Oh, also did 1 hour 40 minutes of walking Monday around the mountains in town. Good times

[Lindsay76]

Wow! You are an amazing athlete!
I was looking at your training journal - you do a three day split working full body each day?? Or am I remembering it wrong?
You are so lean - I have to ask . . . are you like this naturally? What is your diet like and do you do cardio?
Your arms are simply gorgeous - good work!

[Crystal]

Lol Lindsay76, you are too kind!

I basically do a 3-day split based around the three powerlifting lifts: squat, bench, and deadlift. The only one I'd really call "full body" is the deadlift day, works a bunch of muscles that one does. I do fairly high volume for now, but will cut that down with the passing weeks to increasingly high weight and low reps until I peak and will test my 1 rep maxes for those three lifts. Hope that makes sense

I am lean naturally, when I was competing in powerlifting I tried desperatly to put on some muscle (or any) mass to help add weight to my lifts, but was never able to! D'oh.

My diet is okay, could be better. At best I generally eat cold cereal for breakfast, sandwiches or leftovers for lunch, and something with rice/noodles and beans for dinner. Other than that I have a sweet tooth from hell and can't get enough chocolate Silk

Don't really do much cardio, but I have been hiking some lately which is kicking my ass, my cardio SUCKS. My rock climbing doesn't really count as cardio, I do bouldering and I'm enough of a novice that I don't climb long before falling and having to rest before trying again.

Thanks for the compliments and comments, sorry about the longwinded reply Honestly, you seem like a much better athlete than myself.

21 July 2007 - Saturday

DL:
10 x 135 lbs
10 x 165 lbs
10 x 195 lbs
3 x 8 x 215 lbs - weights are getting heavy!

BB Bent Rows:
10 x bar
10 x 75 lbs
f x 95 lbs - God my back is weak

Bench:
10 x bar
10 x 75 lbs
3 x 6 x 95 lbs - missed my benching this last week (laziness is my only excuse), so threw it in today. Happy to get 6 reps at that weight, was a struggle.

Oh, kind late for posting this workout . I hate rows, they've never been a strong point for me, but I'd like to build up my back more to help climbing. Oh, as for climbing, been WAY to hot to climb lately, but I'm hoping to hit it again next week as its supposed to be cooler.

[Lindsay76]

Wowsers sister! Thanks for all the info! I have always been intrigued by this type of workout - I've never had any instruction in power lifting - and don't have a partner - which I think would be necessary . . .

You are more than welcome for the compliments ... they are well deserved - just good to see someone (especially a woman) so lean and well muscled representin' the vegan front!

Take Care!

[Crystal]

24 July 2007 - Tuesday

Squat:
6 x pistol (I'll get 7 reps soon!)
10 x bar
10 x 95 lbs
10 x 135 lbs
9 x 165 lbs
9 x 165 lbs
10 x 165 lbs - Wahoo! Much better than last week

Overloads:
10 sec x 225 lbs
10 sec x 315 lbs
1 sec x 405 lbs - okay, almost 1 second, it went up off the pins after much effort, then came right back down

Superset of:
Leg Curl: 3 x 10 x 35 lbs
Leg Ext: 3 x 10 x 35 lbs - one leg at a time

Standing Calf:
20 x 240 lbs
15 x 240 lbs
12 x 240 lbs - really killed myself on the first set so these others weren't so great

*stretching

Felt great to hit more reps on those squats, will up the weight next week.

[Crystal]

26 July 2007 - Thursday
Started out the day with a nice hike. Same one as last time, but took 1 hr 50 min instead of 1 hr 40 min, d'oh! Was an awesome morning though That night did:

Bench:
10 x bar
10 x 75 lbs
10 x 85 lbs
2 x 105 lbs - d'oh
3 x 100 lbs - d'oh again
2 x 100 lbs
10 x 85 lbs

Dips:
3 x 10 x bw

Skull Crushers:
3 x 10 x 35 lbs

DB Hammer Curls:
10 x 20s
7 x 20s
6 x 20s

*stretching

Cursed benching , I can get 10 reps at 85 lbs just fine, but add any weight to that and I can barely do a couple! Last week I was scraping for 6 reps at just 95 lbs, and this week I couldn't do crap with any more weight. Oh well, just need to use those little 2.5 lbs plates or something next time. The rest of the workout was great, finally getting up there with dips again