Details, Details, Details...

So, I've converted all the flight times from the local times where I'll be landing to the times it will be here. I know what time I need to go to sleep to start converting to Malaysia time. I got my shorts I needed, now I'm waiting for the rest of my uniform from my training site. I got a lot of my food. Need to tie up a few more loose ends and I'll be ready for my trip!

Today's workout was awesome :-) I haven't had one that wasn't for quite some time now. My muscles have even been a little shaky when I've gotten done working out!! It feels real good, but, it's a little hard to transfer. haha.

Cable Rows - 120 lbs., 140 lbs., sets of 12. 150 lbs., 160 lbs., sets of 10. 175 lbs., set of 8.
Scarecrows - 60 lbs., 80 lbs., sets of 12. 90 lbs., set of 11 & set of 10.
Lateral Pulldowns - 80 lbs., 90 lbs., sets of 12. 100 lbs., 2 sets of 8.
Kettlebell Shrugs - 50 lbs., 3 sets of 15.
Biceps Curls - 12 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
BOSU Abs - 2 sets of 20. 1 set of 15 and 1 set of 20. I usually do these with my arms straight out in front of me. For my second two sets, he had me bend them up beside my head.

I need the most help today (or so it seems)....but it's slowly becoming a day that I really like. :-)

Cleaning up

There's usually a few meanings to my blog names :)

I left the gym early today so I could clean up a bit in my room and get things organized with my sponsor stuff and make sure all of my anti-doping information is in order.

We're also cleaning things up with me in the weight room. My technique was a bit off today. Heavier weight is harder to stay perfect. That's why we start practicing so early! ;-) But, it was still an excellent day! I have a lot of fun.

Bench Press - 140 lbs., 145 lbs., for 4. Then 150 lbs. for 1 and I completely misgrooved the 2nd one. I sat up to regroup and Brian says I got 3 on the next one. I thought he helped a bit, but, it's rather hard for me to tell. Sometimes he puts his hands there just to get me going so I will fight it out. Then he let me try again and I did the same thing as the first set of 150 lbs. :-( I really have to get myself to keep a tighter form
Dumbbell Chest Press - 40 lbs., & 2 sets of 45 lbs., all for 10.
Triceps Rollbacks - 20 lbs., 5 sets of 8.
Military Pin Press - 70 lbs., 3 sets of 8.
Lateral Raises - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 10.

I'm real tired again tonight. But it feels good :)

Love my Sunday

I'm so glad to have a four day routine again in the weight room. I love it. I always loved my four days when Brent was here and I always missed it the whole time I was with Adam. Very content to have it back again.

Today was a bit rough, but, rows usually are. My balance is all weird on rows, no matter how hard we try. We've perfected it about as well as we can, but, it's still hard to row. Anyway, Brian said I looked real good doing them, so I guess that matters the most!

Barbell Rows - 85 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Dumbbell Rows - 45 lbs., 3 sets of 10.
Blackburns - 5 lbs., 2 sets of 20.
Pullups supersetted with Red Miniband Triceps Pushdowns - 3 sets of 5 & 3 sets of 6 on Pullups and all sets of 30 on triceps.

Prospering!

I had another article in the paper....Salem News. I can't get the link to paste into my blog, but, you can search my name on the Salem News site...it's www.salemnews.net.

I think I forgot to tell my blog-followers: I made Dean's List at school! I should be done with school before I leave for Malaysia. And then my internship will probably be before I leave.

So! All that with me and the gym is doing excellent! Brian has a new logo, put up a new sign outside, got T-Shirts to sell with the new logo, and a website is under construction!!! YAY! I'll post the link when it's done :)

I feel absolutely fantastic! Yesterday when I swam, I had full range of motion. Nothing around my rotator cuff was catching, my arms felt great (well, except for being worked from the day before). And for the first time in my life, my hips don't feel like they're going to come up and attack my kidneys! lol. Thanks to Brian for stretching me every day.

Today's workout was sooooooo great! :)

Speed Bench with Weight Releasers - I lowered 175 lbs. and raised 95 lbs. for 6 sets. I lowered 185 lbs. and raised 95 lbs. for 2 sets.
Close Grip with a foam mat rolled up on my chest ;-) - 95 lbs., 135 lbs., 150 lbs., 155 lbs., all for sets of 5. I forgot to mention last week that I had the mat.
Triceps Pushdown - 80 lbs., 100 lbs., 90 lbs. (times 2) - all sets of 12....but Brian helped a bit on the 100 lbs.
Upright Rows - 50 lbs., 4 sets of 12.
Shoulder Horn - 10 lbs., 2 sets of 20.
MedBall - overhead & chest passes but I only got one set in. My arms and triceps were exhausted! :)

<3 Stretching <3 ....gotta remember to include this.

MORE FOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! I was down in weight AGAIN!!!!!!!!!! SO, Brian's slowly upping calories again. Gonna try to have me up a couple of pounds by the time I leave. This is CRAZY! No one has ever found a way to keep weight off of me. Now I'm eating insane calories (for my situation especially, with my build and me being in a chair) and I still can't keep weight on! GEEZ! BUT, it DOES make me feel good for when I'm done powerlifting. At least I know I can get to a normal size weight Brian in charge of the situation :)

Was a great lifting day. This cycle is gonna be as good as the last!

Cable Rows - 130 lbs., 12. 150 lbs., 2 sets of 12, 1 set of 10 and 1 set of 9.
Scarecrows - 80 lbs., 4 sets of 12.
Lateral Pulldowns - 80 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
KettleBell Shrugs - 50 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Biceps Curls - 12 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
BOSU Abs - 3 sets of 20.

Some of my exercises (such as cable rows) we've been changing up a bit, as far as the angle that I'm doing them, but I'm not sure how to document all of that, cuz a lot of you might not understand what I'm talking about :) But, it's been enough change to continue to make me stronger. But not too much of a change to stall me, because I have been doing so well, so we don't need to put me into a complete shock of changes yet.

Great Workout!

Bench - 120 lbs., 130 lbs., 140 lbs. (2 sets), all sets of 5 with 2 second stops on my chest.
Dumbbell Bench - 35 lbs., 10. 40 lbs., 3 sets of 10.
Triceps Rollbacks - 15 lbs., 10. 20 lbs., 5 sets of 10.
Military Pin Press - 65 lbs., 2 sets of 10 and a set of 8.
Lateral Raises - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Cable Crunches - 40 lbs.

I was tired! :)

Marge In Charge

Brian had the day off today, for Father's Day. So, I took care of opening and closing and cleaning and such. :) I had a lot of fun. It was pretty cool. I was pretty happy because I wasn't thinking that I would be able to reach near as much as I was able to reach! I think I was able to do everything that they normally do at close, except sweep!! But, I scrubbed the upstairs floor since I couldn't sweep, so I evened that out ;) I even found a way to turn on the radio by myself!!!!!!!!!!! Haha. I was excited.\ about the whole thing.

So, the fabulous, reliable Doug came to spot me. We had a good time again. He's funny. Keeps me entertained and kinda makes the time go by. :) It's cool.

Cambered Bar Rows - 65 lbs., 10. 85 lbs., 4 sets of 10.
Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows - 45 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Blackburns - 8 lbs., 2 sets of 15.
Pullups supersetted with Red Mini-Band Triceps Pushdowns - 6 sets of 5/30.

:) Happy Day at My Happy Place :)

In Your Face

So, today, I sat up from doing Close Grips and Brian says "You do better when I yell at you." I laughed. Of course I do, I said to him. I've always known that makes me work harder. Adam was never a yeller, and I've missed that part of training since Brent left. So, I'm glad Brian is realizing it pushes me. It made me smile. I love the extra atmosphere it adds and the extra motivation it pulls out of me. Then he said "But, I don't get real carried away." Haha....I kinda wish he did. I'm sure he will soon enough...especially if it keeps making me better when he does it. We've had a ton of stuff to get used to with each other over the past 10 months, and I guess after 9 months of Adam not being a yeller, that wasn't up so high on my priority list. But, it's super nice to have it back :) I'm glad he took note of it today.

I'm doing real well. Feeling amazing. Lifting great. Having a ball. Seriously. I feel like I just started lifting again. Every day is fun. And, when I'm uncomfortable, I've learned to talk through it instead of clamming up. That's an awesome feeling....to trust Brian so much that I'm not embarassed to talk about the stuff that scares me. I've come a very long way. He knows every time now and is real good at reassuring me or talking me through all of it.

Speed Bench with Weight Releasers - I lowered 185 lbs., for 6 sets and raised 95 lbs. and the 7th set I lowered 200 lbs., and raised 95 lbs. I'm loving the weight releasers. I really think they're going to help me so much. I'm getting to handle the heavy weight and get used to what it feels like. It's really awesome. And I do well at controlling it down!
Close Grips - 95 lbs., 135 lbs., 145 lbs., 150 lbs., all sets of 5.
Triceps Pushdowns - 70 lbs., 12. 80 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Upright Rows - 50 lbs., 10. 60 lbs., 2 sets of 10.
Shoulder Horn - 5 lbs., 2 sets of 30.
Medball Bounces - 2 sets overhead, then two sets of chest bounces. The overheads, he made me lean from side to side and bounced....scared me so bad. But, I made it through :) He's right behind me, so I know I'm okay.

Preparations

Well, yesterday I went to get my shots so I can leave the country. I believe I have the funds. Waiting to hear for sure, and to recieve info about our plane tickets. Starting to think about packing, and what to carry on and what to put under the plane. Did one more newpaper interview today....but really trying to get totally focused on training and my efforts in the weight room before I leave. My weight is awesome. I'm so impressed with Brian. I have been hanging at 118 since I came back from Virginia. It'd be nice if I could be up one to one and a half more pounds, but, I'm doing really well right where I am. And I'm so impressed that he has everything down to such detail and that he's actually figured out how to make me maintain weight!!! Most paperwork is done, at least as far as I know. I'm all signed up for random drug testing. We're pretty much down to just waiting on it to get here....which won't be hard...it's only 5 weeks!

Great day today! :) I love training. <3 I feel so amazing. And we're getting a lot of stuff done for Brian and the gym lately. Everything is working out so well. Brian's business has been very consistent...when some of his clients go away for vacations or have reached their goals, he picks up more from somewhere else. Everything's awesome. Including my training. I'm doing so well. And I feel great when I'm lifting. It's so fun.....just like it was in the beginning. And I'm improving and weights are moving up. Brian's been pushing me and testing my limits again recently. Kinda takes me a little adjustment time because he doesn't do that very often, but, it's good :) I need it.

For some reason, I totally have gotten out of the habit again of mentioning Brian stretching me at the end of my blogs. Brian deserves me to have a better brain than that. He takes the time every single day to do that to make sure my hips are feeling okay and to keep the spasms away that I've dealt with for so long.

Cable Rows - 130 lbs., 10. 150 lbs., 10. 160 lbs., 3 sets of 10.
Scarecrows - 70 lbs., 90 lbs., 100 lbs., all sets of 10.
Lateral Pulldowns - 70 lbs., 80 lbs., 90 lbs., all sets of 10.
Kettlebell Shrugs - 50 lbs., 3 sets of 15.
Biceps Curls - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 15.
BOSU Abs - 4 sets of 15.

And <3 Stretching <3 Thank you Brian. I appreciate it.

Back in the Game!

SO! Today I hit 170 lbs., for a Triple! WITH! the cambered bar!!!!!! It's been ages since I hit 170 for a triple, not to mention I had to come down an extra inch into my chest with the camber! AND it wasn't heavy and I wasn't unstable or weak, and I felt GREAT and really wanted to do more, but Brain halted me ;-) That's what he's there for....to keep me under control. haha.

Was a great day. I feel excellent.

Cambered Bar Bench - 135 lbs., 145 lbs., 160 lbs., a set each for 5. 170 lbs., for 3.
Triceps Rollbacks - 25 lbs., 6 sets of 8.
Lateral Raises - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Cable Crunches - 40 lbs., 50 lbs. (2 sets) for 20. 60 lbs., for 14.

Fulcrum

Tody was lat day. Brian found that my elbows probably hurt because I was curling my hands underneath the row bar to be able to pull up higher, which shortens the muscles going from my wrist to my elbows. So, I started straightening them and then got very perturbed because I couldn't pull back as far. Brian said it's okay because I'm really at a disadvantage and proceeded to explain how people usually push down with their feet harder, the farther back they pull, because the fulcrum changes. He said there was an entire section in his certification course on fulcrums and he never knew why and then he met me. :-D It made me laugh. And it made me feel better that there's a real reason I'm not doing it right. I always know that, but, it's nicer to understand and have it explained to me....and to have someone that understands and can explain it.

Cambered Bar Rows - 55 lbs., 10. 65 lbs., 10. 85 lbs., 2 sets of 10.
Dumbbell Rows - 45 lbs., 4 sets of 10. Second set was single arm, the rest were double.
Blackburns - 5 lbs., 2 sets of 20.
PullUps & Miniband Triceps Pushdowns - 6 sets of 5/30.

In The News

I don't remember if I put my Morning Journal article link on my blog or not. If not, here it is:
http://www.morningjournalnews.com/page/content.detail/id/519296.html. Kent State did an article on me recently and posted it to their website: http://www.salem.kent.edu/news/newsdetail.cfm?newsitem=F3D12808-9BB2-3000-2CAEDFA1BD855497. And yesterday I was in the Vindicator: http://www.vindy.com/news/2010/jun/08/lifting-spiritsspina-bifida-may-have-stopped-use-c/. So, there's all that info for all of you who don't live in the area :)

Had to work out this morning because I'm headed to Oklahoma for the rest of the week for clinic. I'll be home Saturday. I'm going to Aunt Gert's house, so, I'll be A-OK. She's taking me to Okie. Today was a good day, although I wasn't quite awake. Was good though :-)

Cable Rows - 130 lbs., 12. 150 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Scarecrows - 70 lbs., 12. 80 lbs., 12. 90 lbs., 2 sets of 12.
Lateral Pulldowns - 70 lbs., 12. 80 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Kettlebell Shrugs - 50 lbs., 15 and 2 sets of 12.
Biceps Curls - 15 lbs., 12 and 2 sets of 10.
BOSU Abs - 20 and 2 sets of 15.

Won't be blogging again till Sunday.

Had to be there.

Doug works at the gym. He comes in during the day to work out a lot, even if he doesn't work. Between him and Brian, it's so hard for me to get a workout in. They are truly hilarious, especially together. Doug is really quick-witted and has a come-back for things even when you weren't looking for or expecting a response or come-back. And between the two of them bantering, I laugh till I cry. But, it's pretty hard to explain, or to retell. It's not near as funny to anyone else. There's a whole lot of "You had to be there" things that go on in the gym. Especially when they're together. It's so much fun. One of the best parts is when Brian says something hilarious and I crack up and immediately he hands me weight and says "Okay, let's focus." That's really hard to do when you just busted up laughing!!!!!! It's fun though. We all have a great time together. Like a second family for me :-)

Great day today. I feel really amazing. I think I finally have the right techniques going with my massages. And Brian knows what to do to keep me real fresh :-)

Cambered Bar Bench - 95 lbs., 115 lbs., 135 lbs., 2 sets of 155 lbs, all sets of 5.
Dumbbell Floor Press - 40 lbs., set of 10, 3 sets of 50 lbs., 8 reps.
Triceps Rollbacks - 25 lbs, 2 sets of 8. 20 lbs., 3 sets of 8.
Dumbbell Military Press - 35 lbs., 3 sets of 10.
Lateral Raises - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Cable Crunches - 40 lbs., 20. 50 lbs., 2 sets of 20.

Outside Lookin' In

Cambered Bar Rows - 85 lbs., 10, 8, 8, 10, 10.
Dumbbell Rows - 30 lbs., 22 double-arm, 2 sets 22 single-arm.
Blackburns - 5 lbs., 25.
PullUps supersetted with Red Mini-band Triceps Pushdowns - 5 sets, 5/30.

Lighter day today. I was kinda having a rough time. Just a bit tired from yesterday. And my arms are a little tight. Nothing major. This is my 'accessory day' anyway. (Brian's words.)

The Lift-A-Thon went excellent last night :-D I had so much fun. It was great. Brian's employees showed and helped run it and clean up. Some of the lifters came and helped set up. Brian knew just how to run it and he was the judge. He kept things going very smoothly. He kept the crowd well-informed and explained everything. It was a great night. Much bigger turnout than I expected. And we raised more than I expected. Everyone was real supportive of everyone else while they were lifting. It was great.

I've thought about using the Outside Looking In theme for a while, but, something else has come up when I've wanted to. It's very fitting for last night though. And a lot of days when I'm hanging out. There's a song by Lonestar that talks about this guy who has been all over the place and done many things and seen many things. But his favorite view is his 'Front Porch Lookin' In." Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dvKS9RO99o. It's a great song. It makes me smile....cuz, as much as I love training and as much as I love being activeand getting involved while I'm at the gym....some of my most cherished time is when Brian is working with another client or working out himself, or, like last night running the meet. I just sit back and watch how much he loves what he does and what passion he has for it. It's awesome. Even with all the other lifters last night, they all had such a motivation to be there...it was so cool to just watch everyone do what they're really great at and what they love to do. It's so fun to just observe sometimes and enjoy, instead of being in the mix....when you're on the outside, just looking in and watching how much everyone else enjoys what they're doing. :-)

Coming Together

Well, I'm hoping that all the stuff that Brian and I have worked on in the last 10 months is finally all connecting. It really seemed to start coming together today. I felt really great benching and and was so excited. I specifically asked Brian to not regular bench this cycle because I was so consistently feeling off. But, today with my speed drills and close grips, I think I finally found my groove again. It felt great.

Speed Bench with Weight Releasers - I lowered 175 lbs., and raised 95 lbs., for 7 sets of 3. Then the last set I lowered 185 lbs.
Close Grips - 135 lbs., 5 sets of 5.
Triceps Pushdowns - 60 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Upright Rows - 50 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Shoulder Horn - 10 lbs., 2 sets of 20.
MedBall Bounces - Overhead and Chest - 2 sets of timed, 30 seconds.

Tomorrow is the Lift-A-Thon at the gym!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm really excited. It should be a lot of fun. And I'm really thankful for Brian taking the time to have it for me :-) Things are coming together financially as well...a lot more than I ever expected. Hoping it turns out to be enough. I'm sure it will ;-)

Dedicated

Wholly committed to something.

I'm really thankful that Brian is dedicated to me, so I can be dedicated to my goals. We're putting together a lift-a-thon as a fundraiser this weekend at the gym.....as if Brian needed one more thing added to his schedule. But, he really cares and wants to see me get to Malaysia. It's really awesome for me that I have someone so intricately involved in my journey with me. Makes me smile. :-)

Cable Rows - 130 lbs., 10. 150 lbs., 10. 160 lbs., 10. 175 lbs., 2 sets of 8.
Cable Scarecrows - 60 lbs., 70 lbs., 80 lbs., all sets of 10, 2 sets of 80 lbs.
Lateral Pulldown - 80 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
KettleBell Shrugs - 50 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Biceps Curls - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 10.
BOSU Abs - 3 sets of 15.

My workouts have felt really great recently. My body feels great, due to the combination of finally finding a good massotherapist to settle in with and Brian really putting together great routines, I feel I've been able to be more dedicated to the work I put in to my workouts. I'm always there and mentally I'm always focused and dedicated, but, feeling good before you start has a pretty big effect on what goes into the effort of the workouts. Things are wonderful :-)