"Under the Bar"

I had a couple lessons today. I don't know whether to say I 'learned' them or not. Each time I think I have, I end up forgetting them and having to start over.

I'm reading a book by Dave Tate right now called "Under the Bar." He says that whatever you're like "under the bar" is how you will be in life. And he couldn't be more right. I can't let bad lifts go under the bar and I can't let bad days go in life. I blame myself for any and all bad lifts and I blame myself for any and all things that go wrong in my life (or that I perceive are going wrong). I have the hardest time forgiving myself for bad lifts, and I have an even harder time forgiving myself for screwing up in life. And then I make it worse by projecting that on to others, feeling like they won't forgive me, because I can't forgive myself. Hindsight is always 20/20, huh?

I'm going out of town this weekend. Brian had an opening tomorrow morning, so I'm training early and taking off. So, I will post my numbers for you all in my blog post on Monday because I'm not getting on any of my personal pages this weekend. I need distracted and to chill out. Big time.

Say a tiny prayer that things return to normal on Monday. That it is not only a new week, and a new year, but hopefully a new beginning...that the slate can be wiped clean and I can start all over.

Today I got in my car to go to my massage. I paid my toll and kept out the rest of the change to pay on the way home. I pulled into massage 15 minutes early and counted the change and I was a dime short. I panicked and didn't understand how that happened because I always get the exact amount from the bank for each month that I will need. I scrounged up 9 cents that I found around my car and laying in the bottom of my purse. I was a penny short. And really was not sure what to do. I concluded that I would ask my massotherapist, cuz after all, it's just a penny. I opened my car door, unloaded my chair and as I was transferring I looked down. There was a dime on the ground right under my feet. ...God's got my back. I'm hoping it was my sign that things are gonna turn out A-OK. I've just gotta learn to remember my lessons and keep hold of them so I can stop screwing up.

There's just another bump in the road of my journey, that you've all wanted to follow. Hope it speaks to someone.

Everyone have a safe and happy holiday weekend.

Mid-Week

My belly's kinda in knots. Say an extra prayer. Week is almost done. Brian's back was bothering him. Say an extra prayer. So, no T-Bar Rows today. ...Everything will be normal soon.

RPE was 9:

Bench with 3 second pause half way up - 140 lbs., 150 lbs., 155 lbs., 160 lbs., 150 lbs., all for 3.
Barbell Rows - 75 lbs., 85 lbs., 95 lbs., 100 lbs., all for 6.
Dumbbell Curls - 15 lbs., for a set of 12. Then he gave me 12's and had be change my form. I did two sets of 12.
Chinups - 10 & 8.


<3 Stretching <3

Some Days Look Better Upside Down.

I'm not sure if I like Eeyore cuz I'm moody. Or if I'm moody cuz I like Eeyore. Either way, both are true. I like Eeyore and I'm moody. I have an Eeyore plate collection in my room and the very first one I got says "Some days look better upside down," and he's standing on his head. After I got that plate, my mom got me earrings of him on his head, and then later a necklace of him standing on his head and the heart around him has the same logo. There's a lamp out there of him standing on his head, but, I don't have it yet. But I did get a shirt this Christmas that says the same thing and has him standing on his head.

Holidays are pitiful things for me. I don't know why. I don't know what ever happened...if there is anything that ever happened...or if I just don't like them. But, it's pretty ugly. I despise being off my schedule. Truly. And it's tough for me to get through holidays without me hurting someone's feelings. Not on purpose. Just cuz I'm so thrown off that I don't know what to do with myself.

Ya know, Brian sat me down before Malaysia and basically the summary of what he said was that I was coming home from Malaysia and he was still gonna be here to train me when I did return. Sounds pretty basic and logical, right? But, it worked miraculously, and I was okay for the next two weeks before I left. It's almost like I need to be told something along the same lines any time there's a break in my schedule for any reason. "Chels, this is very temporary and things will be normal again soon and everyone and everything is gonna go right back to where it should be in just a few short days." Unfortunately, I have to get through two weeks in a row this time of year. Things were semi-normal today, but, I'll be super happy when next Monday comes and everything is over and we can return to business as usual.

In case it isn't completely, painfully obvious at this point, I didn't train yesterday. With good reason, of course. Brian definitely needed and deserved time off. (He should take more.)

So, back at it today we went. And it was a great workout. He's really found a great thing for me with this RPE program, I think. It really seems to be working very well.

Today's RPE was 9, I think:
Close Grip with 1/2 Board - 135 lbs., 145 lbs., 155 lbs., 160 lbs., 150 lbs., all for 4.
Military Press - 65 lbs., 75 lb., 85 lbs., 80 lbs., all for 4.
Facedown Lying Lateral Raises - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Triceps Pressdowns - 90 lbs., 100 lbs., 110 lbs., all for 12. 120 lbs., for 6 (Brian helped with 2...I was cooked).

I'm very blessed to have found Brian. He puts up with a lot of garbage from me. And still lets me show up again the next day. I hope he takes most of it as a grain of salt, and realizes that it doesn't cloud how much I truly appreciate everything he does and how hard he works with me.

Things will be normal again next week. I just have to keep reminding myself.

Merry Christmas!

Today was a great workout :-)

RPE was 8.

Bench w/ Competition Pause - 140 lbs., 150 lbs., 160 lbs., 155 lbs., all for 3.
Dumbbell Floor Presses - 45 lbs., 55 lbs., 60 lbs., all for 6.
Dumbell Triceps Rollbacks - 15 lbs., 20 lbs., 25 lbs., all for 6.
Shoulder Horn - 5 lbs., 20. 8 lbs., 2 sets of 15.

<3 Stretching <3

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone! Remember to count your blessings. :-)

More Answers!

This one from the physical therapist. I'm SUPER tight on my right side in my back, from my scoliosis. So, it feels like there's nothing on my right because it's so loose....it's not one huge knot! haha. So, he started today on loosening up the right side, and Brian said I looked better than I had been recently on my lift-offs! YAY!

Was a good workout :-) Different positioning on T-Bar Row...a little higher...freaked me out a little bit, cuz I didn't have much to hold on to. But, Brian made me laugh and watched me close to make sure I wasn't going anywhere unexpectedly.

Today my RPE was a 9...I was supposed to have 1 left in me. I think Monday's RPE was an 8...so I needed 2 left.

Bench with 3 second Pause 1/2 Way Up - 135 lbs., 145 lbs., 140 lbs. (2 sets), all for 4.
T-Bar Rows - 45 lbs., 70 lbs., 75 lbs., all for 8.
Y,T's - 5 lbs., 3 sets of 10.
Spider Curls - 35 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Chinups - 2 sets of 8.

<3 Stretching <3

Brian's got someone to finish constructing his website, and I'm really excited about it! It's gonna be really great!! I'll post the link when it's finished!

Wobbly.

I'm getting pretty frustrated. I've been wobbly on my handoff on the bench again, for quite a while. We had pretty much taken care of that...and I don't know what changed to make it come back :-( I'm sure we'll get it to go away again. It's just a pain in the you-know-what in the mean time.

Close Grips with 1/2 Board - I did 135 lbs., for 8 & 150 lbs. for 5 with a regular grip. Then I did 150 lbs., for 3 & 145 lbs. for 2 with a close grip. It was pretty crappy :-( But, I also have a sinus infection, so I have to take that into account also.
Military Press - 55 lbs., 65 lbs., 75 lbs., 85 lbs., all for 5.
Facedown Lying Lateral Raises - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Triceps Pressdowns - 80 lbs., 12. 100 lbs. & 110 lbs., 10. 120 lbs., 8.

<3 Stretching <3

I think I would drive Brian a lot less crazy if I could get the idea of it being okay to have off days. But, it's also pretty hard for me to see it as 'a day' when I feel like I've been struggling with that wobble for a couple of months now. BUT! My bench has continued to go up, no matter how I look at it...Even with the wobbles. And once I wrap my mind around that, it's easier to accept days that I'm unhappy with and move on to the next one to make it a day that I am happy with. :-)

Sick :(

I have a sinus infection now :( And Brian hasn't felt real great the last couple of days. But, it was still a great workout. I was just pretty exhausted afterward.

Barbell Rows - 75 lbs., 12. 85 lbs., 8. 95 lbs., 8. 105 lbs., 6.
Dumbbell Rows - 40 lbs., 4 sets of 8, double-armed. 4 sets of 6, single-armed, right arm only. (It's weaker)
Dumbbell Pullovers - 25 lbs., 4 sets of 15.
Lateral Pulldown - 60 lbs., 80 lbs., 12. 80 lbs., 10.

<3 Stretching <3

It's Working!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm getting thicker in my back and my bench is going up. I'm happy and loving training. My weight is good. Brian's 'a little' better. All is getting right with the world.

Bench Press with 3 second pause 1/2 way up - 95 lbs., 125 lbs., 140 lbs., 155 lbs., 160 lbs., all for 3. (RPE was 8 today...meaning I had 2 left in me.)
Dumbbell Bench Press - 55 lbs., 65 lbs., 60 lbs., all for 5.
Skullcrushers - 50 lbs., 65 lbs., 70 lbs., all for 5.
IronCross with Red Miniband - 3 sets of 12.

<3 Stretching <3

I really like this RPE principle. It's been working extremely well for me :-)

Two in One

So, I just completely forgot to blog Monday. I was working on a project I wanted to get done and just plumb forgot! There could have been soooooo many titles for this blog. But, I just decided to keep it simple. Here's the rundown of the last couple days.

Monday Brian told me I'm getting thicker again in the back. :-D That's a really good thing. Thicker helps. Also Monday I hit 200 lbs!!!! Well, not technically in an actual bench press. But, it was super close. And I've been WAITING AND WAITING to hit 200 lbs. So, it was good enough for me. Haha. Today Brian strapped me to the t-bar row, and actually left me. He went upstairs to his office while I was strapped there!!!!!!!!!! :-P It was funny. He knew he had me secure enough that I wasn't going anywhere. And there was someone else in the basement, "just in case". My weight stayed right where it needed to stay. So I was thrilled about that. I'm all shopped and wrapped for Christmas. So, I don't think that I could ask for much else!

Monday:
Log Pin Presses - 130 lbs., 150 lbs., 175 lbs., 190 lbs., all for 2. 200 lbs., for 1. And 195 lbs., for 1 and then Brian helped with a couple.
Close Grip Inclines - 85 lbs., 100 lbs., 115 lbs., 135 lbs., 145 lbs., 150 lbs., all for 2.
Facedown Incline Laterals - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Triceps Pressdowns - 70 lbs., 80 lbs., 90 lbs., all for 12. 100 lbs., 10.

Wednesday:
Banded Close Grip (only thing this cycle that I wasn't fond of) - 95 lbs., 115 lbs., 125 lbs., all for 2.
!!!!T-Bar Rows!!!! - 70 lbs., 80 lbs., 85 lbs., 90 lbs., 95 lbs., all for 5!!!!!!
Blackburns - 5 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Chin-ups - 3 sets of 8.

<3 Stretching <3

I forgot to explain that for this cycle, we've been going by my RPE or Rate of Perceived Effort. It's different every week. But, for example, today on bands, Brian wanted me to get a double but still have 2 left in me to do. Sometimes he wants me to have 1 left....sometimes 3 or 4. And the number of reps changes also. I don't understand how you decide how many to do or how many to have left, but that's why he's the trainer! lol. Anyway, my blogs might have made more sense for those of you out there who lift, if I would have explained that in the beginning.

I think this second round of medicine is finally doing Brian some good! He seems to be feeling a bit better the last couple of days. Thank you all for your prayers. (Please continue).

Epitome of Problem-Solving

Brian is the epitome of problem-solving. Just when I think there can't be anything crazier for us to do, he does it. But it works SOOOOOO well, every! single! time! It might take time...it might take weeks or months, but, he comes up with answers to just about any leverage/stability/balance issue I have.

Today we did Barbell Rows. I'm not a huge fan of Barbell Rows. Honestly, I think it's because I'm weak and it frustrates me. But, I think it frustrates me because I've always felt weak because I can't get the right stability to do what I need to do. That's close to all but over, thanks to Brian and his willingness to try about anything. He strapped me differently today, strapping my legs back and underneath the bench. When I complained that it felt like my butt was picking up too much, he went to the back of the bench, put his feet up on it, and kneeled down on my butt. It was completely perfect!!!!!!!!!! I felt the exercise SO much in my lat muscles because I wasn't compensating to keep myself still on the bench! Then he did the same thing for Dumbbell Rows. It was completely awesome. And it made me smile. :-)

Barbell Rows - 65 lbs., 10. 85 lbs., 4 sets of 10.
Dumbbell Rows - 35 lbs., 2 sets of 20 and a set of 16.
Dumbbell Pullovers - 25 lbs., 1 set of 15.

<3 Stretching <3

He still doesn't feel good :-( Please keep prayers going. My sessions aren't the same without some chit-chat ;-)

Picking Up

Brian said today that I'm picking up where I left off. So, that's good news to me! One hard week of catching up and this week, I'm back! Not as long as it's taken me in the past, so that's a plus

Bench with 3 second pauses 1/2 way up - 95 lbs., 115 lbs., 135 lbs., 150 lbs., 145 lbs., all for 5.
Dumbbell Bench Press - 50 lbs., 60 lbs., 70 lbs., 65 lbs., all for 5
Skullcrushers - 45 lbs., 60 lbs., 65 lbs., all for 5.
Ironcross with Red Miniband - 3 sets of 20.

<3 Stretching <3

Brian got new meds today. Hopefully that kicks whatever it is out of his system!! Say some prayers.

Sooooo Tired.

Wow, I hardly slept a wink last night. I had a great deal of spasms. Probably the most I've had in 6 months. Wasn't fun. Needless to say, it doesn't make for a great workout the day after. It actually wasn't too bad. I wasn't real happy with my bench though. But, my weight is down! YAY! But Brian still doesn't feel good :-( Boooo! Keep the prayers going!

Banded Close Grip - 95 lbs., 115 lbs., 135 lbs., all for 3. 130 lbs., for 2.
T-Bar Rows - 65 lbs., 70 lbs., 80 lbs., all for 6.
Blackburns - 5 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Chin-Ups - 2 sets of 8 & a set of 7 I think.

<3 Stretching <3 It helped a lot today. I'm very grateful to be stretched every day.

Chaotic

That's my life, and that was training yesterday. When I got home, I completely forgot to blog! It's my second week back on my diet after my competition and it puts a damper in my schedule...even when I'm used to it. Plus, last night I stayed at the gym extra long to talk to one of the guys that just did a competition. It was his first sanctioned competition and he did very well and I was enjoying the conversation. So I got home late, had to cook, and tried to get in bed at a reasonable time.

So, it was a great workout! I'm so happy Brian has come up with a way for me to use the log. I really like it....although it frustrates me at the same time. It's very chaotic and very hard to control and if you get out of the groove at all, it's all but over. It's a great teacher of staying tight though!!!!!!!

Log Pin Press - 120 lbs., 140 lbs., 150 lbs., 170 lbs., 180 lbs., 175 lbs., all sets of 4, except for the last set I got 3.
Incline Close Grips - 65 lbs., 85 lbs., 95 lbs., 135 lbs., 130 lbs., all sets of 4. The last set I really struggled, but, I made it.
Facedown Incline Lateral Raises - 15 lbs., 3 sets of 12.
Triceps Pressdowns - 60 lbs., 70 lbs., 90 lbs., all for 12. 110 lbs. for 7, and Brian helped with a couple.

<3 Stretching <3

Brian still doesn't feel good :( Pray for him to feel better.

Dead Weight

As of today, we ixnayed the Reclined Rows. Brian says there is too much dead weight from my legs, and my glutes don't activate to support, so it doesn't do the job on my lats that it's supposed to. But, we switched to an old reliable, that we actually haven't done for a while...and it turned into a great workout! :-)

Cable Rows - 110 lbs., 130 lbs., 150 lbs., all sets of 12. 160 lbs., 11. 175 lbs., 9.
Cable Scarecrows - 70 lbs., 80 lbs., 90 lbs., all sets of 12.
Pull-Overs (the ones from last week with the dumbbell) - 25 lbs., & 30 lbs., 12. 30 lbs., 15.

<3 Stretching <3

Brian's finally starting to sound better. Pray it continues. :-)

Sticking Point Work

Today on my bench, Brian had me come down to touch my chest, stop half way up for a THREE count, and then lock out. The place where I've been failing most often or slowing way down is right around half way up. So, that's the next step toward improvement....making that sticking point disappear. I actually enjoyed the exercise and I had a really great workout. It felt good.

Bench with 1/2 way 3-count Pauses - 95 lbs., 105 lbs., 135 lbs., 145 lbs., 140 lbs., all for 5 reps.
Dumbbell Bench Press - 45 lbs., 50 lbs., 60 lbs., 55 lbs., all for 6 reps.
Skullcrushers - 45 lbs., 55 lbs., 50 lbs., all for 6 reps.
Red Mini-band Iron Cross - 4 sets of 20.

<3 Stretching <3

Good day. Pray for Brian to feel better.

Rough Start.

Getting back into the swing of things never goes smoothly for me. I had a lot of trouble finding a good arch today. My back hurt from physical therapy and my shoulders feel funny from not working out for so long. But, it wasn't a horrible workout, AND I got to do T-Bar Rows!!!!!!! So, I'll take it. :-)

Banded Close Grips - 95 lbs,. 105 lbs., 110 lbs. (2 sets), 105 lbs., all for sets of 4.
T-Bar Rows!!!!!! - 45 lbs., 70 lbs., 75 lbs. (2 sets) 70 lbs., all sets of 8.
Blackburns (on T-Bar Row) - 5 lbs., 2 sets of 12.
Inclined, Seated Biceps Curls - 12 lbs., 2 sets of 12.

<3 Stretching <3

Pray for Brian. He's still sick. I don't think it ever really went away from a month ago. Please say extra prayers for him. He's really miserable.

I have a speaking engagement tomorrow. So I'm excited about that. Just trying to keep up with life and training cycles!!!