My Guardian Angel

Exodus 23:20-21a says "See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him;"

I had a great time at dinner last night with Brian and Steph (his wife) for my birthday outing. I'm extremely humbled and so thankful that God has placed Brian in my life to lead me through this journey I'm on and to understand me and what is important to me and teach me about life farther beyond my own point of view. It's hard for me to express the gratitude in my heart that I am at this point on the way to my lifelong dream coming true, and that I am so blessed to have someone who cares so much about helping to see it through to completion with me....right beside me, leading me and guarding me and listening to me and helping me.

Today was a great workout :-)

Low Rows - 50 lbs., 12. 60 lbs., 4 sets of 10.
Scarecrows - 20 lbs., 12. 30 lbs., 2 sets of 10.
Lateral Pulldowns - I'm not sure what the weight was. I'm thinking 50 and 60 lbs. I did 4 sets of 12.

<3 Stretching <3

Say a prayer for Brian. He has been sick the last few days.

It's My Birthdaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Know what I did for my birthday today?!?!??!? I lived in My Bubble.....at My Happy Place....with My Guardian. And it was an amazing birthday. I got there at 7, and read a book, on the floor upstairs in the aerobics room. I did leave to go to breakfast with my disability counselor, which was very fun. And returned right back to My Bubble, to read again, this time on the new physical therapy table that Brian has. Then I trained....and hung out downstairs when I was done. Until I went to dinner with my parents. This is the bubble I live in. I love it. It makes me happy.

I also got a new PR today!!!!!!! YAY! Happy birthday to me!

Bench with Pauses - 145 lbs., 160 lbs., sets of 2. 175 lbs., single. 180 lbs., I didn't do on my own off my chest...Brian aided...but once he gave me an inch, I locked it out. And 170 lbs., single.

Dumbbell Bench - 45 lbs., 50 lbs., 60 lbs., 65 lbs., all sets of 5.

Triceps Pressdowns - 80 lbs., 10. 100 lbs., 110 lbs., 100 lbs., sets of 5.

<3 Stretching <3

Tomorrow I return to My Happy Place Bubble to get stretched. And then My Guardian and his fam are takin' me to dinner. <3 I can't wait. If all I ever got for my birthday was quality time with my favorites, I'd be a really happy girl. Quality time is the best gift ever. It's priceless and irreplaceable and it makes my heart happy.

Don't Burst My Bubble!

I was in a bit of a 'mood' before I worked out today. Brian asked what was wrong and I said "I like my bubble. And that's why I have a bubble. And that's where I like to stay." He smiled. We chit-chatted and he redeemed my 'bubble'. THEN, he almost took my T-bar rows away from me!!!!!!!!!! :-O Not on birthday week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Talk about bursting my bubble!!!!! (He was really trying to nurse a sore spot I've had...so, he wasn't trying to burst my bubble). But, he back-pedaled and we discussed it and decided that T-Bar's were A-OK to do. :-D And, my bubble got to remain neatly intact with no lasting effects. Doesn't take much for me.......to make me happy or unhappy. lol.

Bench with pauses - 135 lbs., 150 lbs., sets of 2. 170 lbs., single. 165 lbs., 2.
T-Bar Rows - 45 lbs., 60 lbs., 65 lbs., 80 lbs., all sets of 5.
Y, T's - 5 lbs., 2 sets of 12.
"Spider" Curls (from the T-Bar) - 30 lbs., 3 sets of 10.
Lateral Pulldowns - 40 lbs., 50 lbs., 60 lbs., sets of 10.

Enjoying my birthday week! Got a milkshake last night (actually, because i have a sinus infection and my throat hurt so bad i couldn't stand it....but, i still got a milkshake) And tonight (again because of a sore throat), my mom made cream chicken & biscuits. A few more days to go. Super happy to go out on Saturday!!!!!!!

OH! I can't forget. <3 Stretching <3

Kickoff!

Well, today started my very wonderful birthday week. My parents took me to dinner in Akron to Spaghetti Warehouse to meet a very good friend that used to go to camp with me, and her husband. We had a great time. Couple more dinner plans spread through the week, and then out with Brian and fam on Saturday. :-D Can't wait for that one.

Very good workout today. :-)

Bench with pauses - 135 lbs., 150 lbs., 155 lbs. (3 sets), 145 lbs. (2 sets), all sets of 3.
Close Grip Floor Presses - 95 lbs., 115 lbs., 135 lbs., 150 lbs., 140 lbs., all sets of 3.
Military Dumbbell Press - 30 lbs., 35 lbs., 45 lbs., 40 lbs., all sets of 5.
Skullcrushers - 45 lbs., 55 lbs., 65 lbs., 60 lbs., all sets of 5.

<3 Stretching <3

Starting internship tomorrow. It's such an insane week!!!!!! :-)

Birthday WEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, guess what is this week?!?!?!?! MY BIRTHDAY!!!!! It's not till Friday. But, I have birthday weeks!!!!!! I LOVE my birthday. Goin' out with a friend from my old SB camp tomorrow and wrapping up the festivities with Brian and his family next Saturday! It's gonna be soooooooo much fun. :-D

Today was a good workout :-)

Low Rows - 50 lbs., 60 lbs., 70 lbs. (2 sets), all sets of 12.
Scarecrows - 20 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Lateral Pulldowns - 50 lbs., 12. 60 lbs., 10. 70 lbs., 10.

<3 Stretching <3

Training is wonderful.

To The Point.

I'm tired. And it's been a long week. So, Here's my workout. Then I'm off to bed.

Good workout again today :-D

Bench with Pauses - 135 lbs., 150 lbs., 155 lbs., 145 lbs., all sets of 4.
Wide Grip Bench - 135 lbs., 145 lbs., 150 lbs., 140 lbs., all sets of 4.
Triceps Pressdowns - 60 lbs., 80 lbs., 100 lbs.(2 sets), all sets of 12.
Lateral Raises - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 12.

<3 Stretching <3

My Safety Net

My great aunt died last night. :-( I was super sad. It was pretty sudden. I wasn't sure how the workout would go today. I didn't feel like even moving out of bed this morning. But, I finally had the sense to tell Brian that.

I hate 'taking it easy', so I don't tell him when I'm not really feeling up to hitting it so hard. (I know, not too bright on my end.) I always feel like if I back down it could have been a chance to do much better than I expected. But, it doesn't usually work out like that. So, I finally just told him. He gave me a hug. Made me laugh. We took it easy on bench. Then he told me to always remember two things, 1) I'm not gonna make gains every day. 2) I'm not gonna be able to come in an kill it every day.

So, it wasn't a terrible day after all. Going to the gym, talking to Brian, working out.....it reminds me of the song that's out by Ryan Starr called Breathe. Take a listen, when you have time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WamzHFj_SBI ... The only problem is, I'm sure Brian would say I fall down a little more often than 'sometimes'. Glad I have him and the weights to help get me up again. Besides, today was T-Bar Row day. That can't possibly be a bad day!!!! <3

Bench with Pauses - 135 lbs., 5 sets of 5.
T-Bar Rows - 45 lbs., 2 sets of 10. 55 lbs., 8. 60 lbs., 2 sets of 8.
Y, T's - 5 lbs., 2 sets of 12.
Biceps Curls - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 12.

<3 Stretching <3

Kickin' @$$

Today's Cambered Bar Bench was real good :-) Takes me a while to rebound from deloads, but, when I rebound I do real well! I'm very very excited for this meet.

Cambered Bar Bench - 135 lbs.(2 sets), 150 lbs., 160 lbs., 165 lbs., 170 lbs., 160 lbs., all for sets of 2.
Dumbbell Floor Press - 40 lbs., 50 lbs., 60 lbs., 65 lbs., 55 lbs., all for sets of 2
Skullcrushers - 45 lbs., 55 lbs., 60 lbs., 45 lbs., all for sets of 6.
Military Dumbbell Press - 30 lbs., 35 lbs.(2 sets), all for sets of 6.

<3 Stretching <3

Everything is awesome. I love training.

Normal Sunday.

Low Rows - 40 lbs., 50 lbs., sets of 12. 60 lbs., 2 sets of 10.
Scarecrows - 20 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Behind Head Lateral Pulldown - 40 lbs., 50 lbs., 60 lbs.(2 sets), sets of 12.

<3 Stretching <3

Oh, Brian made a funny today. He said he likes to 'keep my on my toes'. Made everyone laugh ;-)

Facing The Giants.

Well, I won't go into all of it. But, again, Brian and I have had a long couple of days with a couple rather intense conversations. We're getting really good at those. ;-) I really think I'm being less argumentative. Brian really knows how I tick. And he does a great job at relating to me. It was pretty difficult for me to start physical therapy wtih all the memories and emotional feelings of the past and having so much therapy when I was a kid. I think, after my conversations with Brian, I'm being able to realize that it's NOT the same as when I was a kid and I have a lot more choices that I can make myself.

Physical therapy was actually really great. My knee is already straighter from one session and I found out I have some inner hip muscles that are working that I didn't know worked. It's going to be a very good thing. I just have to work through conquering the giants from the past so I can have a better future. But, I know I can. And Brian's gonna work closely with my P.T. so he knows what to help me with. And my mom's gonna stretch me in the evenings, also. It's gonna be a good thing.

My bench press wasn't great today. Was not completely awful, but wasn't great. Considering all the things going on, I don't think Brian was terribly surprised. Plus I'm still getting over my deload week. That always throws me off.

I'm a little late blogging. I apologize. Here's what I did yesterday:

Bench with pauses - 145 lbs., 155 lbs., 160 lbs., 165 lbs., 170 lbs., all for doubles. My second rep on 170 was REALLY sloppy.

Triceps Pressdowns - 70 lbs., 12. 80 lbs., 3 sets of 12.

Lateral Raises - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 12.

<3 Stretching <3

Oh Happy Day!

T-Bar Rows are the best!!!!!!!!!!! Love them. It's a realy great piece of equipment for me. Great angle!!! Today I did Y, T's on it as well!

Close Grip Bench with Pauses - 135 lbs. (2 sets), 135 lbs., 155 lbs., all sets of 2. 165 lbs., 2 sets of 1. 155 lbs., 1 set of 2.
T-Bar Rows - 45 lbs., 10. 55 lbs., 3 sets of 8.
Y, T's - 12, 15.
Biceps Curls - small bar, plus 5's (?) on each side, 3 sets of 12.

<3 Stretching <3

Happy day :-)

PT time!

Cambered Bar Bench - 140 lbs., 150 lbs., 160 lbs., 165 lbs., 155 lbs. all for sets of 3.

Close Grip Floor Press with 1 set of chains - 95 lbs., 120 lbs., 130 lbs., 130 lbs., 120 lbs, 120 lbs., all for sets of 3.

Military Press - 65 lbs., 8. 75 lbs., 85 lbs., 85 lbs., sets of 3.

SkullCrushers - 10s on each side and then 15 on each side, both sets of 10.

<3 Stretching <3

Brian took me to meet his Physical Therapist today. He did a consultation with me and really thinks that he can help my hip and lower back, and my knee contraction. So, I'm gonna start going to him also at the end of the week. That will be really great if we can get some of that stuff figured out. I think it will help how I get strapped on the bench, not to mention hopefully keep me from having all the spasms I've had. And, he might even get some stomach issues worked out, believe it or not. So, I'm pretty excited. :-) That's also where I'll be doing my internship, so, now I know them all in the office and I'm ready to do that as well!!! (Brian is pretty good at takin' care of me, eh?)

Hard Work.

Sundays are great. But they're really hard. Definitely my hardest day. I'm still in the midst of figuring out if there's anything I can do about it. But, for now, it's just hard. Great work though. I love the exercises. Just don't have the lower body to bolt me to the seat like I need.

Low Rows - 50 lbs., 60 lbs., 10. 70 lbs., 10, 8.
Scarecrows - 20 lbs., 12. 30 lbs., 9. 20 lbs., 10, 10.
Cable Biceps Curls - 10 lbs., 2 sets of 10.
Medball Throws - 2 sets both sides.

<3 Stretching <3

Yesterday was 6 weeks till meet time.

Re-Grooving

So, apparently my body doesn't like the routine changed up. (just like my brain. lol.) It's taken me most of the week to get back into the right groove on my bench. But, I didn't do too shabby today.

Bench with Pauses - 150 lbs., 3. 155 lbs., 3 sets of 3. 160 lbs., 2 sets of 3.
Ultra-Wide - 135 lbs., 3. 145 lbs., 3. 150 lbs., 3 sets of 3.
Triceps Pressdowns - 60 lbs., 12. 70 lbs., 12. 90 lbs., 10. 100 lbs., 8.
Lateral Raises - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 12.

<3 Stretching <3

Thank you for everything, Brian.

Competition in 6 weeks :)

T-Bar Rows....My Newfound Love.

Today was awesome :-D We did T-Bar Rows again. Love them. So much. I don't know if I love the exercise more or just the fact that Brian is willing to help me find a way to do so many things. But, I do love the exercise. It feels great :-)

Close Grip Bench - 135 lbs., 2 sets of 3. 140 lbs., 3 sets of 3. All with Pauses, no board or rolled mat this time.

T-Bar Rows - 45 lbs., 10. 55 lbs., 10, 8, 8.

Lateral Pulldowns - 60 lbs., 12. 70 lbs., 10. 80 lbs., 10. 90 lbs., 8.

Y, T's - 5 lbs., 3 sets of 10.

<3 Stretching <3

Sweet Spot.

Man alive!!!!!!! This crap is comp-li-ca-ted!!!!! I started out doing REEEEAALL bad on bench. Couldn't figure out what the problem was. Didn't want to talk about it. I was pouting for sure. Brian was all over trying to figure out what was wrong, but, I wasn't havin' it. (God bless him.) For some reason, after I'd done about a million sets completely crappy, it finally dawned on me that I was down too far on the bench. I told Brian to unstrap me, I pulled myself backwards, Brian re-strapped, and PRESTO! It was like someone waved a magic wand. So, the bright side is, at least I got 2 good sets out of the million I did. lol. AND next time I'd hope that I will think about checking my position on the bench.

Cambered Bar Bench - 145 lbs., for 2 sets of 3. 155 lbs., for 4 sets of 3.
Close Grip Floor Press plus Chains - 115 lbs. and one set of chains for 2 sets of 3. 125 lbs. and 1 set of chains for a set of 3. Same weight 2 sets of chains, for a set of 3 (Brian helped a bit, I think). Then another set with just one set of chains.
Military Press - 45 lbs., 55 lbs., 65 lbs. (2 sets), 4 reps each.
Skull Crushers - 10's on each side for 2 sets of 10. Then 10's & 2 1/2's for a set of 10. It's a smaller bar, I'm not sure how much it weighs.

<3 Stretching <3

God is Great.

It's wonderful how things fall into place. I don't know why we can't learn not to worry about things and just know that something will work out. :-) I'm doing an internship at the place where Brian is going to physical therapy. So, he already knows them and has told me about them and I'm going to go down with him to meet them before my internship starts :-D AND! A guy that I was emailing about training before I met Brian came into the gym this week through a friend of Brian's nephew, so we got to meet, and he's going to the powerlifting competition that I'm going to in November! So, I'll know someone there :-) (I wasn't too concerned about that, because Brian's going with me so it doesn't really matter, but, it's still really cool!)

Great workout today. Feelin' pretty strong.

Low Rows - 40 lbs., 12. 50 lbs., 10. 60 lbs., 10. 70 lbs., 8. 50 lbs., 12.
Scarecrows - 30 lbs., 3 sets of 10.
Bicep Curls - 10 lbs., 2 sets of 12.
Medball Throws - 2 sets, both sides

<3 Stretching <3

Together, We Triumph.

There's a song that's reminding me more and more of my time with Brian. One part says "I swear, we've been through everything there is. Can't imagine anything we've missed. Can't imagine anything the two of us can't do." The glitch is, the song is called "Through the years" and Brian's only been my trainer for a year. So, I guess I'm gonna have to wait a while before it really suits.

Today was the last day of my princess week. :-( But, it was awesome! (The week, and the day). I benched a little, just some lighter touch and go stuff. Then I shrugged, which felt so amazing :-D I was so excited to shrug. I really missed it. It's one of my favs. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!THEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brian got me up on the T-Bar Row piece of equipment, so I could row from there!!!!!!!!!! It was soooooooooooooooooo my absolutely favoritest thing we have ever done!!!!!!!!!!!!! (probably because it's another one of those things that no one else would have probably ever done with me). Felt super super great and made me SO happy :-D Was awesome. He strapped me up and I was basically just sitting on the straps...nothing else to hold me up. haha. He's not afraid to do anything. It's super super awesome. I can do just about anything as long as he's down there with me :-) We're a good team. And the exercise felt really great. Much closer to what I would think a row should feel like than some of the rows I usually have to do. The other stuff isn't bad, and it works (obviously, with all the gains I make). But, this was perfect angle and I didn't move and I could extend my arms all the way. Then we did some medball balance stuff.

So, Chelsi's week comes to a close for now. Time to start hitting it again for the upcoming meet. Which is good. I need to do that. But, this was really a nice break in things. I guess maybe I get a little more burnt out sometimes than I realize. Glad Brian is able to recognize when a little change could be a good thing. ;-)

OH! And, of course, <3 Stretching <3