Early Morning Leg Work Out

I had a busy Saturday ahead of me as I was covering a rugby game in the morning and then going to watch my boyfriend’s game in the afternoon. I planned to go to the gym in the morning as it was my only opportunity. I did a quick leg and cardio work out. I did some squats, hip thrusters, and medicine ball slams. My second circuit involved walking lunges, deadlifts, and kettle bell swings. I ended my work out on the stair master. Although it was early, I was happy to get a work out in. It gives my more energy through out my day and I feel good about myself for working out. 

Have a great weekend every one! 

Proof Is In The Pictures

Here’s my progressions from June 1st. On the left is June 1st and on the right is August 1st. The change is unbelievable. I knew I had lost weight over the course of 2 months but I didn’t realize how much I had lost. I see changes in every area of my body, most noticeably my waist and stomach.

I also did my Biotonix yesterday. My body fat percentage is now 30.1% down from 35.1%. It’s gone down 5% and 7.1% overall. I also weighed in at 151 lbs. This means I’ve lost 10 lbs since I started!!

These pictures are a reminder that my hard work is finally paying off. Even if I don’t see the changes right away, I know everything I’m doing is working. I just have to keep at it and I’ll achieve the results I’ve always wanted.

Early Morning Cardio

I got my butt out of bed and to the gym this morning. I decided to work out before work. When my alarm went off this morning, I wanted to keep sleeping but I knew it would be my only chance to work out. The hardest part is getting out of bed but once I’m up, I’m awake.

I did 40 minutes of some quick cardio. I started with 20 minutes on the stair master, 10 minutes on the spin bike, and ended with 10 minutes of rowing. I felt great after it was done but also a little tired. 

When I came home tonight, there was a surprise waiting for me! My new protein came in! I decided to try a new brand: Dynatize Nutrition ISO-100. I’ve heard a lot of great things about it so I wanted to try it. It tastes amazing! I also wanted to try isolate protein instead of whey so that the protein is absorbed more quickly by my body. I can’t wait to use it in my smoothie tomorrow morning and I’m curious to see if it’ll give me more energy during my fast! 

Off Day

Wednesdays are a really long day for me. It’s normally my rest day because I work a 12 hour shift and I’m exhausted by the end of it. I had energy this morning and decided that I was still going to work out tonight. I created a little circuit for myself and just planned to work out for an hour. However, as the day passed, I got more and more tired. I realized that it probably wouldn’t be the best idea for me to work out.

I was conflicted. Part of me said “you’ll have more energy when you start, just get over your tiredness.” The other part of me said “listen to your body, you need rest.” In the end, I decided not to go work out. I’m tired and my body needs rest. I felt guilty initially because I told myself I’m at the gym and there’s no reason I can’t work out for a bit but I know in the end I made the right decision by taking the day off. This just means I’ll work out even harder for the rest of the week. I can’t over do it and I have to listen to what my body is telling me to do. A good night’s sleep will make me feel a lot better! 

Boxing

It was shoulder and arms today! I never used to like training my shoulders but I think its finally growing on me. I crushed my shoulder press record today by doing 8 reps of 25lbs. I think 17.5 lbs was the highest I had gone before so it was exciting to see my strength get better! I also did some push press and lateral raises. The next circuit involved reverse fly and rope pulls on the VMX. The rope pulls were tough. To work my triceps, I had to keep my elbows at my side and only pull down. I did the same for biceps while only pulling up. It was a struggle to do for a full minute as my arms got tired really quickly.

The most exciting part of my work out came at the end when I got to box! I really enjoy boxing and it’s a great way to relieve stress. We did various combinations and it really worked my cardio too. I really want to start incorporating this more often in my work outs.

 

I decided to work out again at night after I finished work. I decided to do a bit of cardio. I did some rope pulls on the VMX. I don’t know what came over me but I really wanted to push the sled for some reason. I decided to push it across the gym, hope on the stair master for 2 minutes and then pull it back across the gym. I did it 3 times on my own and then I got my co-worker Marie-Laure to join me! It was a lot more fun being 2 and it was more motivating! I was really proud of myself for doing it and challenging myself to do more intense cardio.

Leg Day Strength

I had a great session today. We trained legs and I love leg day! I wouldn’t say I loved every moment as it was tough at times but I worked hard and pushed through! The first circuit involved leg press, walking lunges and a wall sit. I crushed my previous leg press record and did 4 plates plus 5lb! I can really feel myself getting stronger with every work out. For the walking lunges, I had to stay in a low lunge position even as I was switching legs. I held the position for 3 seconds. That was tough because I could feel my legs really working hard. I then did a wall sit for 1 minute while holding a 45 lb plate. It got harder and harder after each round. The look on my face below masks the struggles of the wall sit (if you look closely, you can see me giving him a death stare for making me do this)

The second circuit involved hip thrusts and single leg split squats using the TRX. I had to do a 2 minute cardio bout to get my heart rate up after each circuit. I started with the stair master, cycling backwards on the elliptical and ended with lunges on the VMX rope machine. The lunges on the rope machine were tough because my legs were jello. It was the last exercise of the day and I really felt I worked my legs to the max!

I weighed myself this morning and I’m happy to say I lost 3.6 lbs in a week!! I’m sooo excited! My hard work is finally paying off. I know the scale isn’t the only indication of weight loss but it’s exciting to finally see the number go down! 

Rest Day

I decided to give myself the day off from training yesterday. I was really tired and it felt like my body was telling me it needed a break. I already worked out 5 days this week and some days I worked out twice a day. I don’t want to over do it and tire myself out completely so I took some time to relax. I foam rolled my legs and even took a long bath to help myself recuperate. 

Since I was tired, my cravings for junk food were through the roof. I made cookies for my boyfriend’s birthday and they were just asking to be eaten. I fought the craving and I didn’t even have one. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop at just one. I’m really proud to say that now I have the willpower to say no. 

I’m feeling better physically and mentally and I’m ready to take on the new week ahead of me!