Adjustments

Life is full of adjustments. No matter how hard you (particularly, I) try to make it the same, it just doesn't happen. There are too many variables. Too many ways to look at things. Too many other people involved. Too many events going on. Training ins the same. Just when you think you're done adjusting to issues, there's another one to tackle. Teaches you a lot though. Helps you find your true character. I'm very thankful that Brian has the same 'staying power' that I do...to hang in there through the frustration and miscommunication and stresses of training me for such a high level of performance. Vince Lombardi said "I firmly believe that any man's finest hour - his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear - is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious." ~~And, I'm not necessarily referring to the battlefield being my competitions. I'm quite a peach to work with, and there are many other battlefields and other things I hold more dear than my competitions. But, we're a great 2-man team, and we always come out on top...together. :-)

Cable Rows - 130 lbs., 15. 175 lbs., 12. 185 lbs., 2 sets of 8.
Cable Overhead Iron Cross - I think we stuck around 100 or 110. A few sets of 10 or 12.
Shrugs - Not real sure what I did. I know 95 lbs., for 15. Then I did 2 sets of 10...don't know if it was 105 lbs. or 115 lbs.
Wrist Curls - small bar, I think it weighs 35 lbs. Set of 20-ish. Tried 5 lbs. on each side, but it was too heavy. Did 2 1/2 on each side, and I got about 12 or 15.
Hammer Curls - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 20.
Chops - 40 lbs., 3 sets of 15.

<3 Stretching <3 Even a little extra for my shoulders today. :) Thank you Brian.

Long Day

We did LOTS of stuff today. It was longer than my workouts have been lately. But it was good. :-) Everything felt very good. I'm gonna do my best to remember everything.

Bench w/ Band underneath - 95 lbs., 1 set of 8? 135 lbs., 2 sets of 5. Then, maybe, 145 lbs., set of 3. 135 lbs., set of 5.
Dumbbell Bench - 40 lbs., 10. 45 lbs., 2 or 3 sets of 10.
Military Pin Press - Not sure what he put me up to on these. Maybe up to 105. I did 3 sets of 10 I think.
Triceps Side Extensions supersetted with Triceps Roll-Up Extensions - 15 lbs., 1 set of 6 each. 20 lbs., 5 (i think) sets of 6 each.
Shoulder Horn - 8 lbs., 2 sets of 25.
Cable Crunches - 70 lbs., 4 sets of 20.

Was a good workout.

<3 Stretching <3 My fave.

Thankful

So thankful to have my added fourth day. I love it. :-) Thank you Brian.


Dumbbell Rows - 35 lbs., 2 sets 25, 2 sets 20.
Y's - 5 lbs., 2 sets 25.
Pull-ups with Rope - 10 sets of 5.
Military Pin Press - 2 warmup sets w/ bar (45 lbs.), 95 lbs., 10. 135 lbs., 5, but, Brian had to help quite a bit.

Perseverance

Perseverance: Steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

Floor Presses - Worked up to 155 lbs. for 4 & 3.
Triceps Pushdowns - 70 lbs., 15. 80 lbs., 12. 90 lbs., 10.
TRX YT's & Pushups - 2 sets of 12.

<3 Stretching <3 Thank you Brian.

Inspiring

I'm going to attach a few videos of my potential World's teammates. Leroy is a very new athlete. He's not ever competed before. Rohan is a seasoned athlete and will surely make the team this year. There are two links about Rohan and one about Leroy. They're very inspiring to watch. Hope you will when you get a moment.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4372243

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NikVGvYIocs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaXfFRx5ZWw

Today was awesome. Had a lot of fun. And had a good lift. I love training. It's very wonderful.

Cable Rows - 150 lbs., 15. 175 lbs., 3 sets of 10.
Cable Overhead Iron Cross - 100 lbs., 12. 110 lbs., 12. 120 lbs., 10. 130 lbs., 10.
Lateral Pulldown - 80 lbs., 12. 90 lbs., 2 sets of 10.
Shrugs - 95 lbs., 15. 115 lbs., 2 sets of 10. My grip finally worked!!! YAAAY!!!!
Back Raises - We majorly readjusted my position on these. I was out way too far the past couple of weeks and my back isn't strong enough to pull me up that much yet. So, I slid back and it worked out much better. Felt great.
Hammer Curls - 15 lbs., 15. 20 lbs., 2 sets of 10.
Chops - 40 lbs., 3 sets of 15.

And stretching <3

That's all she wrote!

Perfect Form

I had a completely fantastic weekend at my clinic in Oklahoma. I loved getting to know my potential teammates. And when we did our practice lifts, my head coach told me that my form was perfect!!!!!! She even emailed me last night to say the same thing!!!!!!! YAY for hard work paying off!!!!!! And Thank you Brian for working so hard with me to make sure I do what I'm supposed to do.

Today was short because we went heavy. Brian says I look better. I felt really great. But I'm still having a problem with reps. So, I really don't understand what the deal is. I guess the most important thing is, I felt better and stronger and was handling the weight more confidently and comfortably.

Bench - worked up to 155 lbs., and did 2 sets of 3 with it.
Incline Bench - worked up to 145 lbs. Brian said I got it for a double, but I don't think I did. I think he helped me quite a bit.
Blackburns - 3 sets of 12 with 8 lbs.
Bosu Abs - 3 sets of 15.

<3 Stretching <3

I was super happy to be home and see Brian and get to work out today. I had fun going to see my team, but, there's just no place like 'home'.

Combo

Hey everyone,

Here's yesterday and today combined into one entry. Both were very good days, for the most part. Still struggling on Back Raises and TRX...both positioning problems, I think. It's very frustrating for me....those are two of my favorites because I never thought I'd be able to do them...and I really don't like to have things taken away from me once I do them...so it makes me pretty angry to come in and not be able to do them when I know I can do them.

Wednesday:
Cable Rows - My sets were 15, 12, 9, 8, 6, 7, 7. The 6 was 195 lbs, followed by a strip set going back down.
Cable Overhead Iron Cross - Worked up to 110 lbs. 2 sets of 10. Then, last set was 15...felt like he lightened it up, but he said no.
Lateral Pulldown - 70 lbs & 80 lbs. Kept it light because we tried a backwards grip. My elbows didn't like it very well, but, who knows...maybe it'll work next week! 3 sets of 10, last set with wide grip.
Shrugs - 95 lbs., 15. 115 lbs., either 2 or 3 sets. I got 10 on one of them. Then my grip started to go to crap, I think I got 7, and I'm thinking I did a set of 5, but I might be getting that from something else.
Back Raises - were crap. I only did about 3 and I hardly moved. I have no idea what the issue is. It's extremely frustrating.
Hammer Curls - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 15.
Chops - 40 lbs., 3 sets of 12.

Thursday:
Floor Presses - Worked up to 150 lbs., 7 reps. Then my fourth set was 135 lbs., for 10. This is completely awesome!!!!! Floor presses are harder than bench, and I did the same amount of reps. So, that made me completely happy. I'm just a crappy rep-er. I go quicker when I rep and it throws off my balance. I waste more energy getting my balance back than I do just going slow. But, we're working on it...I have to learn to stay tighter...then maybe my balance won't be so bad.

Triceps Pressdowns - 60 lbs., 15. 80 lbs., 100 lbs., 110 lbs., all for 12. This was very awesome too! We're finally getting the hang of the strapping thing and it isn't so hard to keep myself down on the seat...that makes it much better for my triceps.

Lateral Raises - 20 lbs., 2 sets of 10. Pretty tough...but I did it :)
TRX - YT's, 2 sets of 12. Pushups - 2 sets of 20. Rollouts - 1 good set of 15...then we lost positioning and couldn't really find it again. We're still chippin' away at it though.

And of course <3 Stretching <3 both days. I went to dinner with Brian and his wife last night for her birthday. It was so much fun! I had a great time hanging out.

We worked out today because I was invited to a New Athlete's Clinic in Oklahoma at our National Paralympic Powerlifting training site. So, I leave in the morning and I'll be back on Sunday evening.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Thinker

Bench - 95 lbs. for 6. 115 lbs., 125 lbs. for 3. 150 lbs. for 6.
Incline Bench - 95 lbs., 115 lbs., for 10. 135 lbs., for 7 & 6.
Smith Military - I can't remember the first two set weights, but I ended up at 135 lbs., for either 8 or 10.
Blackburns - 8 lbs., 2 sets of 15.
Bosu Reach-Up Abs - 4 sets of 15.

Stretching <3

I had a good day with Brian. Not so sure how I feel about my bench. I kinda feel I should have been able to get more...I'm having trouble repping still. It felt heavier than I would have liked it to feel. I wasn't really 'out of energy'...but it was still heavier than I expected it to feel. But the rest of my workout went very well. I did a lot of thinking after my bench, but, I verbalized most all of it and was feeling better by the end of my workout. Brian would like to shoot me because of my thinking sometimes...but, that's what makes him wonderful, because he keeps me anyway. I'm getting particularly anal since my meet is quickly approaching and I'm not so fond of not doing very many pauses yet....and I'm not so fond of the pauses that I have done the last couple weeks not being very high in weight. It makes me really nervous. But, I know if I just listen to him, I'll be fine.

Got a sponsor yesterday. Will help out a great deal :-)

Climbing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, apparently my added fourth day is my 'fun day'. I found this out today....I'm very excited about that. Very happy Brian added a fun day. I need one of those. And fun it was indeed!!!!!!!!!

Did some Dumbbell Rows & Pull-ups like last Sunday. THEN, Brian busted out the ropes. I was trying to get the hang of climbing up just one of them. But, when I let go with one hand to move it up higher, I just fall down. I can't hang on long enough to get my hand back on the rope. So, Brian looks at me and says "I wouldn't be surprised if one day you really climb up." I said "How?" And Brian says "Just because of sheer want-to." Then, for whatever reason I said to him "I wonder if I need two ropes instead of one." So, he slid the other one over for me, I grabbed both of them, and kinda tucked them under my armpits....and I started to climb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The second time I was almost high enough to be in a standing position. SUPER cool. We were really really excited. Brian just stood and grinned at me. It was awesome. He understands so much. Then we did my beloved TRX. I'm still having some issue, but I think it's just strength issue and that it will improve.

Such an excellent day. YAY for fun days. YAY for Guardian Angels that know how to make a fun day......and understand how important the smallest successes are. :-D

Hard-Nosed

Has a little better ring to it than hard-head, doesn't it?!!??!?! Maybe that's just because no one has ever called me that before. Leave it to Brian to come up with something I've never heard before. :-) Today I had a Tony Robbins shirt on. When I got done with the TRX, Brian said "I think you should be the one talking to Tony Robbins!" Brian makes me smile when I need it most.

Floor Presses - Worked up to 135 lbs., 2 sets of 8. First two sets were 12 & 10, not sure exact weight.
Triceps Pressdowns - Brian found a new way to strap me and it helped work my triceps much better, instead of having to stabilize. 70 lbs., 20. 90 lbs., 12. 100 lbs., 12. 120 lbs., 6, strip set back down, 100 lbs., 8, 80 lbs., 12.
Lateral Raises - 15 lbs., 4 sets of 12.
TRX - Push-ups, Roll-outs, YT's - Roll-outs did not go as well as they should. I'm very frustrated that we are still having such a positioning problem with this. I REALLY didn't want to stop until we found the right spot, but, we were running a little low on time and I can't not be stretched!!

Stretching!!!!!! (I haven't said that every time lately, but he does it for me every day. :) )

Popeye

I was talking to Doug, who works at the gym, yesterday and was telling him about how bad last week was and I didn't have any energy and stuff. He asked how everything was now and I said that it's been great since Brian told me to eat a potato every day. He said "You're like Popeye, only potatoes are your spinach!" It made me laugh.

Really good day again today. I feel SO much better than I had been feeling.

All sets today were between 8 & 12, and I did 4 sets of everything but Back Raises, I did 3 sets of 3 reps.
Cable Rows - Worked up to 185 lbs.
Overhead Iron Cross Cable Rope Pulls - Worked up to 120 lbs.
Lateral Pulldown - 90 lbs.
Shrugs! - 115 lbs.
Back Raises - Didn't go well enough to make me very happy today, but Brian says to "relax." :)
Hammer Curls - 15 lbs.
Chops - 30 lbs, first set. 40 lbs., rest of sets

A New Beginning

Credit for the blog name goes to Brian. He walked over to put my straps away and I grabbed my sheet to take it to the other room and at the top it said "Chelsi Figley New Beginning" How wonderfully appropriate, eh? And that's truly what it was. It was such a great day!!!!!!! I worked up to 135 lbs. on the bench and got 12 reps!!!!!! That's the most I've ever gotten...and Brian said he thinks I probably could have gotten 13. I was SO excited. It felt SO much better. I'm still not feeling 100%, but I'm definitely 85% or better. The weight wasn't near as heavy as it's been feeling lately. I even misgrooved a couple of reps early on, but was able to fight it out and keep going. And, when I got done and sat up on the bench, Brian said, "You know all this advice you get about being mentally ready?" I said "Yeah." And Brian said..."Well, they've never seen you look like you're going to fail for 3 reps in a row and fight each one of them out because you want to get another one. I'm never gonna question your mental strength." It was really great to hear him say that. He's the most important advice I need to be taking and it felt really good to hear that he thinks that part is in top shape.

Incline Bench - worked up to 125 lbs., sets of 8 until 125 lbs., then I got 7 (and a half)
Military Press - worked up to 120 lbs. First set was 10, second was 8 and 120 lbs was 7.
Blackburns - 5 lbs., 3 sets of 15 lbs.
Bosu Reach-Ups - 3 sets of 15.

I also got to work out YESTERDAY!!! Very light lat work. 35 lb. Dumbbell Rows, 4 sets of 12, and a scapula stretch between sets. Then Commandos in sets of 5 until we did 50 with proprioceptive stretching in between.

I lost 3 lbs. (And STILL got 12 reps today), even without doing cardio. So, Brian added some more calories to days that I'm doing cardio, and we're just going to have to play with my intake until we get me maintaining, because I really shouldn't be losing anymore weight.

Brian did a couple of my stretches one day, a couple weeks ago, on the decline bench, and it worked out pretty well. So, we did it again today, only today he did all the stretches up there, and it worked out VERY well. I rely on him pretty good to stabilize me while I'm getting up there, but, that's okay. The stretches felt like they were even more effective than they already have been, and it was a lot easier on Brian to stretch me like that.

He's definitely got me pointed toward the right track again. So glad he's so smart. Didn't take long....I expected much worse. He's a keeper! I'm glad he thinks I am too :)

Raising Up

I did work out a bit today. Got to do some chest floor presses and triceps pushdowns and use my very favorite TRX system. The lifting felt better today, although, we didn't do anything very heavy. But, Brian's getting it all sorted out.

While I was using the TRX today, Brian came up with another fantastic brainstorm. He 'built up' an aerobic step, so that my body wasn't at such an angle to do push-ups. It worked out REALLY well, but, he has to hold my legs, cuz they wanted to slide off. Since that worked out so smoothly, he had me try it with the Rollouts also, and THAT was awesome also. It's still demanding on me, but, it was a much better demanding than before. It took off a lot of bad, unnecessary stress on my lower back.

This was a really rough week for me....which in turn makes it a really rough week for Brian. I'm very dramatic in my reactions to life, and most people don't know how to deal with it, and I think most people take it offensively, as if I'm angry with them. But, that's not the case. I'm so thankful that Brian was able to hang in there with me until I could calm down to explain that to him. We had a really great talk on Thursday. It made me feel better, and I think it made Brian feel better because he understood me better. And he assured me, a couple of times, that he's here to stay.

When he was talking about adjusting my angle on the TRX, he said he thought it'd be a good idea to 'raise me up'. Then, when I was done with a set of roll-outs, I was kind of stuck hanging. I couldn't get my upper body back to a sitting position, so Brian had to hold my legs, and at the same time, grab my shoulder to bring me backwards. When I sat down, he smiled and said "You were really relying on me for that one weren't ya." That's pretty much how most of my training goes. Options to not be dependent are limited without the function of legs.

I can't seem to find a way to express correctly in words(although, I don't think that's ever going to stop me from trying) how good he is at paying attention to the smallest details and knowing what needs done, sometimes even before I do, and knowing how to increase my capabilities by the slightest movements I make. And his compassion and willingness to listen and remain calm when I'm having such a horrendous week is just uncanny to me.

I know I would have reached my goal if I never met him.....but, it was so much harder to keep going before I knew him. Dreams aren't supposed to be that way. It's DEFINITELY still not a cake-walk. And, as long as I have to deal with the way my brain functions, it's never going to be a cake-walk. But, it's so much easier when there are two people working with each other toward the same goal. He actually cares whether I reach my dreams or not....it's not just a job that I'm paying him to do.

I have learned so much, and continue to grow and mature because Brian's so willing to help me through anything and find a fix and figure anything out that he can. I always thought I was good at persevering and not giving up, but, to me, Brian is even more magnificent at it. Anyway, Brian said he was going to 'raise me up' today to take the unneeded stress off during my exercise. But, Brian 'raises me up' on a daily basis and eases my mind of many things that I unnecessarily stress and flip out about. I'm eternally grateful to God, My Father, for this modern-day miracle that has entered my life. I don't think many people are so lucky as to find their Guardian Angel while they're still living here on earth.

This song came to mind today when I was finished...the first verse for Brian, and the last verse for My Lord.......the chorus for both of them. They seem to be a team working together to mold me into what I'm supposed to be and accomplish in life. Listen when you have a moment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYFC4god31o

Day(s) Off

Brian "highly suggested" (which means, I basically had no choice) that I take 'a day' off. He kept saying that it's 'only one day'. But. It's not. It's about 5 out of 6. No lifting today. No cardio yesterday or tomorrow or over the weekend. "Very light" on Friday...so probably not much that's gonna be blogpost-worthy. (And technically, I didn't really work out on Monday either...or last Sunday, except for abs.....so we're basically talking one time in about a 10-day span here.)

Kudo's to Brian for being able to put his foot down and keep it planted through my very unpleasant reaction yesterday. I know he's going to make everything better. That's why he's my Guardian Angel. I'm still goin' to the gym, to study and help out with Brian's office stuff. So, that will make the mental part better. And I'm sure my lift will be excellent, come Monday. He knows what he's doing. I just have to listen. :-)

Follow Your Gut.

There's a famous saying. "You know your body better than anyone else." Unfortunately, we get downplayed by people in (perceptively) authoritative positions...and sometimes they're right, and sometimes they're wrong. It just so happens that this time, they happened to be wrong, and I listened to outside sources a little too long.

For a while now I have been complaining about how I can't do as many reps as I used to. Brian kept telling me it was because he was training me to do less reps. I also get told (in general) that I worry too much and over-think everything, and I know I have to trust Brian as my trainer if he's going to be able to train me properly, so I just assumed that's what it was. I ask every so often, but he really seemed convinced that was the only issue and so I wouldn't inspect any further.

I haven't been happy with my energy level that I have for a very long time, since long before I left Adam. But, my bench kept increasing, and that's the most important thing, so no one ever messed with the diet I was on because 'it seemed to be working.'

Then there's the "mental" part. If I've ever beat a dead dog, the mental dog would be it. I've blogged about it numerous times. But, I bought into the advice that I was being handed by countless people and just assumed I needed to be better mentally prepared. But, ya know something? As upset as I seem to get and as dramatically as I respond to things, I've come to the conclusion recently that I'm probably more mentally ready to rise to any challenge than 3/4 of the people handing me the advice. And, as I was coming to this conclusion on my own, Brian looked at my yesterday and said "Anyone that sees you on that TRX System would never doubt your mental strength." ....of course, I think that a lot of people don't understand the situation to the fullest, to understand the mental strength it takes, but, I understood that he was telling me to quit doubting my mental strength, because it's there even if people don't 'get it'.

Today we did sets of 3. He loaded 145 lbs., and 3 reps didn't go very swimmingly. And it DEFINITELY should. But, I got it, nonetheless, so, moving on assuming I misgrooved or something, he loaded the bar again with a higher amount. I don't know exactly what it was. I didn't ask, and he didn't offer. But, I know it was somewhere around 165-ish. I got one rep and the second one fell to my chest. That was it....I could do no more. I told him to let me try it with my back flat instead of arched. So, I sat up to get a drink of water and give myself a break. And laid back down to try again....and couldn't even achieve one full rep. It was heavy. That's not good.

Now, 165 lbs. is nothing to sneeze at......unless your one rep max just over a month ago was about 25 lbs more than that. That's a very bad thing. So, I'm less than 10 weeks out of a meet and I got one touch-and-go rep of only 5 lbs. more than my best competition hold 5 months ago. That's not good either. And it isn't because I was not mentally prepared to come lift today. It's because I don't have energy and my arms don't want to move. The weight keeps getting increasingly heavier to me and I'm not lifting weight that's any heavier.

I'm not sure how big of a hole I'm in by not pushing the issue more. I should have had Brian adjust my diet as soon as I started with him. But, I didn't. I don't know how long it will take to recover. I don't know how it works, cuz I've never been here before. I don't know if I eat really great this week and come in next week and lift the world, or, if I head to the biggest qualification of my entire life (to this point), lifting the same thing I did the last time I saw my national coach. Only time will tell.

I'm not blaming anyone....except for maybe myself. Brian was wonderful today....Brought be right upstairs and spent 45 minutes reconfiguring my diet. Guardian Angel to the rescue. I'm just very, very frustrated that I've felt that's been the ongoing problem for a while and I listened to everyone else. I know Brian will fix it....I just am unsure of how much he can fix in 9 1/2 weeks.

Welcome, again, to the ups and downs of my journey.