And now to finish out the July blog...

Monday, July 23, 2012 LAF MGV

Quads/Abs/HC

Leg Press: 180x10x4, 230x8, 250x8, 270x8

Squat: 45x15, 95x12, 135x8, 155x6x2

Leg Extension: 55x12x3

Sissy Squat: 12x3

Abs: Crunches SS Cross Body Crunches

Cardio: 30 minute bike, posing practice 10 minutes

Leg press: sled weight +118

Squats: solid, full range, strong

Sissy squat – body weight

Leg extension – Life Fitness

So my body and head are out of whack again. My body says yes and my head has been saying no. I am not sure how I am getting through these workouts. Feeling drained today despite 9 hours of sleep yet I am moving the weights well.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012 LAF WAR

Chest/MC

Incline DB Press: 20x12, 25x10, 30x8, 35x6x3

Flat Bar Press: 55x12, 65x10, 85x8, 90x8, 95x8

Chest Dips: 12x3

Slight Incline DB Press: 25x12x3

Cardio: HIIT, stairmill, 12x20, core and stretch, posing practice 5 minutes

 I accidentally switched the slight incline and the incline chest presses. Not that drained today, despite only 4.5 hours of sleep.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 LAF MGV

Back/Calves/HC

Lat Pulldown Wide: 60x15, 75x10, 90x8, 105x6x3

DB Bent Row: 20x10, 30x10, 45x6, 25x12

Close Row: 75x12x3

Bent Over Row: 95x15x3

Calf Raises: 100x15, 140x15, 160x15, 180x15x3

Cardio: 30 mins on bike, posing practice

Close Row: Life Fitness Cable Row

Feeling good today, increased energy. I like these B workouts. They are not too mentally daunting when I look at the list and I can do them well and move through the workout physically. I feel worked, but not drained as much. I can still function.

Check in today

Weight: 121 – contest weight from 2010 – yay!

Chest: 35

Waist: 26.5

Hips: 34.5

This was a great check in that boosted my spirits since I hit my contest weight from last time. I was happy to see that. Things are really looking good. I am so lean. But I am still looking forward to eating more food in the future and feeling 100% healthy again.

Thursday, July 26, 2012 LAF WAR

Shoulders/Hams/Abs/MC

DB Press: 15x15, 20x10, 25x8, 30x6, 15x10

Bar Shrug: 75x10, 95x10, 135x8, 95x10

Front Raise: 10x12x3

SS Rear Delt Raise: 12x12x3

Glute Hams: 12x3

Leg Curl: 50x10, 70x10, 40x10

Abs: Long Lever Leg Lifts with Hip Thrusts SS Twists

Cardio: None – twisted my right knee a little bit last night and so I am playing it safe and postponing HIIT until Saturday. Advil, ice, and Ben Gay today. It was a little sore during the workout so after I debated extensively, I decided to wait and also no posing practice.

No 20 lb. BB available for my front raise so I used 10 lb. dbs.

I also decided I was not going to the shore this weekend/next week. I am too tired and worn out to prep all of my food and I have to take my car to get fixed on Monday and we have posing class on Sunday. I drove into a wall yesterday at the bank and I knocked off my mirror. Not good.

Friday, July 27, 2012 LAF DTN (Downingtown)

Arms/MC

BB Curl: 25x10x3, 40x6, 30x8

Alternating DB Curl: 15x8, 20x8x2

Concentration Curl: 15x12x3

Triceps Dips: 15x3

Rope Pressdown: 20x12x3

Reverse Press: 15x12, 20x12x2

Cardio: HIIT 12x20 and stretch; ran sprints – and I am way faster than the treadmills. They go to 12 and so I had to put it on an incline. I also noticed that I barely sweat during my workouts anymore and I am very fit cardiovascularly. I am not even winded at this pace. Amazing.

LifeFitness large tower for Rope Pressdown and Reverse Press.

Ran to WCU to get stuff for school set up. Bust times ahead.

Saturday, July 28, 2012 OFF

But I had a HIIT session to make up so I went to Planet Fitness and did it on the Arc Trainer. That was interesting.

Yes, I go to Planet Fitness because they are 24 hours and I can get a shower late night after work and I don’t wake up my parents. It is convenient and cheap – plus the black card membership gets me tanning and red light therapy too.

Sunday, July 29, 2012 WAR

Quads/Abs/HC

Leg Press: 180x10x4, 270x8, 230x10

Squat: 45x15, 95x12, 155x8, 135x8

Leg Extension: 65x12x3

Sissy Squat: 12x3

Abs: Crunches SS Bicycle

Cardio: 30 minute bike, Posing class today

Drop set option today

Leg press: sled weight +118

Squats: solid, full range, strong

Sissy squats – body weight and SS with ab sets today

Leg extension – Life Fitness

Ugh!!!! Went out to the car today and there it was – a low/flat back tire. Thankfully my dad took it to get it fixed for me, but I had to then get all my food ready for the day to take with me. I was late for posing class. Darn it!

I was very grateful for a high carb day though. But boy was today a hungry day. I chomped through my meals with conviction. Haha!

And the scale was 123 today. Interesting.

Monday, July 30, 2012 LAF DTN

Chest/HC

Slight Incline DB Press: 20x12, 25x8, 25x10, 30x6x3

Flat Bar Press: 45x12, 65x10, 95x8, 75x8

Chest Dips: 12x1, 10x2

Incline DB Press: 25x12x3

Cardio: HIIT, spin bike, 12x20 Again, not a drop of sweat and I was working hard – at least it felt like that to me lol!! But I am thinking I am very conditioned now and I just pedal fast as I can with a decent amount of resistance on the bike.

This time I got the chest presses right. And today is drop set option day.

Left elbow was a bit sore today so I had to cut back on the chest dips a little bit.

I had to be at the car dealership early today. They ordered the wrong part and so I have to go back tomorrow. Darn. I really just wanted 2 do nothing days this week. I had to run back to WCU and see about a new book, parking permit, and getting into an earlier class. Unfortunately I could not get into an earlier class and so this upcoming semester is going to be very tough with 3 long and 2 extremely long days. I will have to see how things go, but hopefully I can get in my workouts. I am thinking right now that Thursday and Fridays will have to be no gym days. I will need to work Friday & Saturday nights and right now, I would start my Friday at 4 am and end it at 4 am Saturday. I don’t think I can pull that off  - even if I could nap on the trains to and from school on Fridays. I get home at 11 pm Thursday nights. Ugh – well, I will have to see how it goes… and then go from there.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012 LAF WAR

Back/Calves/HC

Lat Pulldown Wide: 60x12, 75x10, 90x8, 105, 75x8

DB Bent Row: 20x10x2, 45x6, 25x10

Close Row: 75x12x3

Bent Over Row: 95x15x3

Calf Raises: 100x15, 140x15, 160x15, 180x15x3

Cardio: 30 mins on bike, posing practice 15 minutes

Today was drop set option day. LifeFitness cable machine used for Pulldowns and Close Rows.

Wow was I super hungry last night. I ate a lot of Altoids. I am an Altoid addict. I am not a big fan of chewing gum. Prior to that though, my stomach was hurting really badly. I think that steak I ate was raw in the middle. I cooked on the grill and froze it, but it looked done to me at the time. So then I went to bed early and I thought that was going to be a good night sleep, but it wasn’t. I woke up 2 hours later and was up for another 4 hours. Then I slept for 5 hours until I had to get up to take my car back to the dealership. My workout was good. I still surprise myself with the amount of energy I have during the workout. Also, I practiced posing and took the advice Kate gave to me during practice on Sunday.

I also met a girl who is competing on the 25^th as well. She is doing 35+ and Open. She already won Novice 5 years ago. Her name is Nicole and she is nice. She is working hard and really wants the pro card. I just want to win Novice this time LOL!!! But let’s see who shows up that day and go from there. I am going to give it my best and I hope that I do well and if not – so be it. I already won and have moved onto thinking about school. I just cracked open the microbiology book and I am so excited to be taking this class – I love what I am reading so far!!

So to that end I made a list of achievements and wins for this show:

1.     Other than 1 time last summer and just post surgery, I kept my 2010 post contest weight between 130 and 135. That is huge for me since for years I have been up and down the scale by at least 15-20 lbs. or more.

2.     I have significantly increased my strength and exceeded my lifting goals since I started working with you, Joe, and I am amazing by what my body can do when it gets going full steam ahead. I am looking forward to recovery and hitting new personal bests this fall. I am looking forward to 5/3/1 and the Juggernaut (a personal favorite to mix in!).

3.     I have had a virtuously “painless” and really, and effortless prep. We have 24 more days to go and I am sure there may be some changes in the future, but over all – than than sleepless nights – this prep was by far easier than my first one.

4.     I look incredible. The changes from my last show are significant. Depending on the time of day and what activity I am doing, I have a full pack. I have veins popping out everywhere – even on my abs. I have a more noticeable waist and I am not as thick in the middle as last time. My shoulders are bigger and more capped and my lats are bigger and wider. My legs are more defined. Even my arms and chest look good. I am very excited to present this on stage at the end of the month.

5.     I hit my last contest weight about a week ago. That is amazing. The fat just dropped right off without much struggle and that is great. I think keeping it lean and clean all year really helps. It was not a struggle and I saw changes every week in measurements, numbers, and how I look. This is definitely motivating me for the fall.

6.     I am a lot calmer this time. I still had freak out moments and again, we have 24 more days to go…but I dealt with some heavy issues and some big changes this summer and I did not miss a beat when it came to diet and workouts. I just took it in stride.

All in all, as we go into the final 3 weeks, I am very pleased. I met the GM for LAF WAR today and we were chatting about the show. He asked me if I was nervous and I said no. I said, last time I was bouncing off the wall, but this time, I feel calm. I could step on stage tomorrow and be proud of what I am presenting. I am ready. I feel like all the pieces are together. Well, except for the make up artist, with whom I have to follow up, but I am certain that will come together too. If not the one I selected, then it will be another one. I am ready and now I am just going to rest and coast into the finish line.

July 19 - July 22

And here is the latest installment. We are less than 5 weeks out from the show! At this point, I am taking things day by day. The upcoming weekend is my weekend for the shore house but I am not sure if I am going to make it. I will have to see how I feel. I really enjoyed this weekend "off" from the shore.

Thursday, July 19, 2012 SSF

Back/Calves/HC

Lat Pulldown Wide: 50x12, 60x12, 70x10, 90x6, 70x6, 50x10

Bent Over Row: 65x12, 95x10, 120x6, 95x10, 70x12

1 Arm Cable Row: 50x12x3

Deadlift: 135x15x3

Calf Work: 100x15, 140x15, 160x15, 180x15x3

No cardio today – spent most of it in the car driving around and doing errands while on the way back from the shore. I ran into Luray at Whole Foods, Marlton and we got caught up. What a great person and I am looking forward to seeing her at the show. She is happy and I am happy for her.

I was sleepy today, but my work out was pretty good. I think I am sleepier at the shore to be honest. I seem to have more energy at home. While I am grateful to be able to go every other week – many people would love it; it is bittersweet for me. In some ways, I would like to just stay at home and get things done. I seem to be more productive at home too. But then I think about the sun and the sand and just watching those waves and there is no other place I would rather prep than on a beach. That being said, I am happy to be going home today.

My foot was not swollen anymore. It was just a slight bit tender and so all is good with that.

Today is drop set option day and instead of just sticking with the reps on the sheet when I was on the lighter weights, I just went to failure for those and then kept dropping down the weight, repeat to failure.

Smith machine calves

1 armed row – vertical grip and used the small Precor tower. I swapped the order with these with deads since I did not want to lose the cage.

Deads – I was thrilled to get all 3 sets in at 135 with full 15 reps each. This was so tough. But I did it! Yay! Wow, 215 is so far away right now…

Friday, July 20, 2012 LAF MGV

Shoulders/Hams/Abs/MC

Side Lateral: 5x15, 10x10x2, 20x6, 10x8, 5x10

Incline Delt Press: 20x15, 30x8x3

Upright Row: 25x12, 30x12x2, 40x12

Front Raise Plate: 25x12x2

Stiff Leg Deadlift DB: 35x8, 45x8, 55x12, 35x12

Leg Curl: 50x12, 60x12, 75x10x2

Abs: SS crunches with 5 lb. DB and oblique twists with 5 lb. db.

Cardio: HIIT with Crossramp 12x20. Stretches. I am not sure when my legs are going to work again for sprints. I will try next week maybe. Tomorrow I will do spin bike HIIT. Although I am not moving with the power and speed that I used to have, I am still trying to work hard. It gets tougher every HIIT session I face.

Today is drop set option day and I am still repping it out at the lower weights.

Had some super energy today and so I took advantage of that for my workout.

Abs – my abs are starting to get stronger and have more endurance. Nice!

Leg curls – forgot this place has no lying leg curl so I did the seated type. That is ok though – SSF had the lying leg curl and so it was nice to have the variety.

SLDL – I just kept going until my grip gave out at the two different weights.

Check in and progress pictures today. I have a 6 pack in the morning complete with ab veins and sometimes my 6 pack shows up in the afternoon. It is out at the gym too. I have veins in my biceps and shoulders and on my chest now too. That is cool. When I am in my heels, you can see the separation between the gastroc and the soleus in my calves – very cool.

Weight: 122.9 – yeah, I am keeping that .9lb and not rounding up, lol!!

Waist: 27

Hips: 34

Chest: 35

I got my suit back from Theresa – she stoned it for me and it is gorgeous. I put it on and it fits great. I will definitely be using the body glue too.

Saturday, July 21, 2012 LAF MGV

Arms/MC

Hammer Curl: 10x12, 12x10, 20x15, 15x10, 10x10

Close Grip Bar Curl: 25x10x2, 35x8x2

1 Arm Cable Curl: 20x12x3

Triceps Press (Short): 40x12, 50x12, 70x8, 60x10, 30x12

Lying Bar Extension: 25x12, 30x12x3

1 Arm Rope: 20x12x3

Cardio: HIIT on the spin bike 12x20. I am getting my HIIT done well within the 24 minute time limit. I only need about a minute rest before I go again – at least until the last couple sets, then I may take about 90 seconds. I don’t do a complete 35 minutes of cardio though – should I? I can do steady state for the difference before I do my five minute cool down. I am not running right now and I think that is why. My body kinda freaks out when I think about sprints anymore. But I do want to try on Tuesday after my chest workout. I am going to start splitting the cardio away from the weight sessions when I can too.

Stretches

Another energetic day today so I am taking advantage. Seriously, I felt good. I don’t too many of these days lately. I am usually feeling drained so I am just going with it. For example – hammer curl 20x10 – where did that come from?? Perhaps I could have done 25s? But these days, I never know. I could pick up 20s and barely move them next time. I just go with whatever I can do well and get done.

Drop set option day and I am repping out the lighter weights.

1 arm cable curl – dropped the weight down only because I wanted to get deeper into the bicep more – the heavier weight was getting too much shoulder involved.

Small Life Fitness cable tower used for the 1 arm cable curl, 1 arm rope press, and the short triceps press – the lighter option of course haha!

And that is it for group A – next up is group B.

Sunday, July 22, 2012 OFF

YAY – I really needed an off day. I have done chores, ran errands, and worked on projects, but I am very tired today. I feel cranky and I was no fun when I went out with my dad earlier. I just didn’t have any patience and I think he is losing his mind sometimes. He is getting up there in years.

I am drinking my coffee pretty much 24/7 just to feel normal. Usually I am jittery after 2 cups or 1 big Starbucks. I wonder how it will be once my body heals and recovers – will I be a caffeine junkie? Will I need several gallons per day just to function – or will food be my source of energy as it should be? I hope so.

I have wacky sleep patterns now. But I just go with it. I really don’t want to take any sleeping pills if I don’t have to. I just use the extra hours awake to my advantage and get more things done.

One thing I laugh about is how my shore house friends said that I didn’t have to drink to be out of it – the lack of food has made me loopy and I fit right in with their drunken selves. 

July 7 - July 18; Finally Up to Date!

Saturday, July 7, 2012 LAF MGV

Back/Calves/HC

Lat Pulldown Wide: 60x10, 75x10, 90x10, 105x8, 90x6, 75x6

Bent Over Row: 65x10, 95x10, 120x8, 105x8, 95x8

1 Arm Cable Row: 30x12, 35x12, 40x12

Deadlift: 135x15x3

Calf Work: 90x15, 140x15, 160x15, 180x15x3

Cardio: Stairmill HIIT 12x20 Core and Stretch

Deads – warm up 95x10

Smith Machine calves

1 arm cable row - small Life Fitness tower with “lighter” option; vertical grip

Drop sets rotation

Sunday, July 8, 2012 LAF MGV

Shoulders/Hams/Abs/MC

Side Lateral: 5x12, 8x12, 10x10, 20x6, 10x8, 8x8

Incline Delt Press: 20x8, 30x8x3

Upright Row: 25x12, 35x12x3

Front Raise Plate: 25x12x2

Stiff Leg Deadlift DB: 35x8, 45x8, 55x8, 35x10

Leg Curl: 50x10, 60x10, 70x10, 75x10

Abs: SS Long lever leg lifts with hip thrusts and 3 lb oblique twists

Cardio: 30 minute bike

Seated leg curl since this gym has no lying leg curl

Drop sets in rotation

Check in today: Weight: 124.9, Chest: 35.0, Waist: 27.0, Hips: 34.0

Monday, July 9, 2012 LAF MGV

Arms/MC

Hammer Curl: 10x12x2, 20x6, 15x6, 10x6

Close Grip Bar Curl: 25x10x2, 30x8, 35x8

1 Arm Cable Curl: 20x12x3

Triceps Press (Short): 40x12, 50x12, 70x8, 45x8, 20x12

Lying Bar Extension: 25x10, 30x10x3

1 Arm Rope: 20x12x3

Cardio: Spin bike HIIT 12x20, core and stretch. This was something new for me to try – spin bike HIIT. Well it was definitely different and very tough, but I ill give this another go in the future.

Posing Practice 15 minutes

Drops sets in rotation

Tuesday, July 10, 2012 OFF

Rest! LC

Wednesday, July 11, 2012 LAF MGV

Quads/HC

Squats: 45x15, 95x10, 135x10, 155x5, 165x5x3

Leg Press: 180x10, 230x10x3

Leg Extension: 60x12x4

Step Ups: 10sx12x3

Abs: SS hanging knee raises with bicycle 20x1

         SS crunches with bicycle 20x3

No cardio

Step ups 16 inch step height

Leg Press: 45° and +118 sled weight

Stopped hanging knee raises because I felt discomfort and pulling in my incision areas and I was not liking that. Back to regular crunches.

Worked in the ab work with the Step Ups during rest between sets.

Feeling super string today and so I was just going to go with it – take advantage of these days when they come at this point and do a great workout.

Thursday, July 12, 2012 LAF MGV

Chest/MC

Flat bar press: 45x15, 50x12, 65x10, 85x6x3

Incline DB Press: 20x8, 30x8x3

Slight Incline DB Fly: 20x12x3

Uneven Push Ups: 12x3 on each arm

Cardio: Flat sprints HIIT 12x20 and stretch

Friday, July 13, 2012 SSF

Back/Calves/HC

Lat Pulldown Wide: 50x12, 60x10, 70x10, 90x6x3

Bent Over Row: 65x10, 95x10, 120x8, 100x8, 70x8

1 Arm Cable Row: 35x12, 50x12x2

Deadlift: 135x15x3

Calf Work: 100x15, 120x15, 150x15, 170x15x3

Cardio: 30 minute run and some walking through town. Feeling really energetic during the run and really going at it. Too late in the day for going to the beach and then doing my normal walk there.

Posing practice: 20 minutes

Those deads are getting tougher at 135, but I don’t want to decrease the weight because I like lifting 135 off the ground with the 45 lb plates on the sides. The height works well for me. So I am going to keep at 135 and get it done.

Smith Machine calves

1 arm cable row: small Precor cable tower, horizontal grip

Check in today: pictures sent; weight 123.3; Chest: 35; Waist: 27, Hips: 34 Nice!

Looking very lean and my abs like to show up in the mornings and sometimes in the afternoons and evenings. Regardless I am looking hard and seriously sculpted.

Saturday, July 14, 2012 SSF

Shoulders/Hams/Abs/MC

Side Lateral: 5x15, 8x12, 10x10, 15x6x3

Incline Delt Press: 20x8, 30x8x3

Upright Row: 25x12, 35x10x3

Front Raise Plate: 25x12x2

Stiff Leg Deadlift DB: 35x8, 45x8, 55x8x3

Leg Curl: 40x10, 50x10, 70x10x2

Abs: SS Long lever leg lifts with hip thrusts with cross body crunches no legs – just elbow to knee.

Cardio: Incline walk HIIT 12x20; horrible session. I think I zapped all my energy during yesterday’s run. Lesson learned: when I am supposed to do low intensity, keep it to low intensity and save the strength for another workout.

Posing practice 15 minutes

Had to drop either the weight or the reps to get through the workout – very drained.  I am not happy about this, but now I know for the future.

Not a good beach day today – cloudy and rainy boo!

Sunday, July 15, 2012 SSF

Hammer Curl: 10x15x2, 20x6x3

Close Grip Bar Curl: 25x10x2, 45x5, 35x8x2

1 Arm Cable Curl: 20x12, 25x12x2

Triceps Press (Short): 40x15, 60x12, 80x8x3

Lying Bar Extension: 25x12, 30x12x3

1 Arm Rope: 20x12x3

Cardio: 30 minute bike – very tired session today. But the weight work was better than yesterday.

All cable work done on the Icarian tower system.

Accidentally put the wrong plates on the bar for close grip curls and I was wondering why I could not get through the set – total miscalculation. So I got in an extra set there at a heavy weight. Switched out the plates and finished the sets at the right weight.

Not a good beach day today – no time, had too much stuff going on today.

Monday, July 16, 2012 OFF

Rest! LC

This was a toughy – I ended up eating all of my meals pretty much at once at the end of the day, except for 2 meals eaten earlier in the day. So seeing as how I wanted to get up early and I had no food left, I decided to take a Unisom. Spent the day at the beach and took a lot of naps. Great day for it.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012 SSF

Quads/HC

Squats: 45x15, 95x10, 135x10, 165x5, 145x8, 125x10

Leg Press: 180x10, 230x10x3

Leg Extension: 40x12x4

Step Ups: 15sx12x3

Abs: SS combo upper/lower crunches and bicycle

Cardio: walked on the beach for 60 minutes – took a few swim breaks. I did not bring my phone with me so I could go in the water. I walked 60 blocks total at a pretty good pace so I am happy for that.

45° leg press this time.

16 inch step height for step ups

Feeling woozy today from sleeping pill – won’t be taking one of those again unless I absolutely have to. Naps on the beach. Spent about 7 hours there today.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012 SSF

Chest/MC

Flat bar press: 45x15, 55x12, 65x10, 85x6, 65x10, 45x15

Incline DB Press: 20x8, 30x8x3

Slight Incline DB Fly: 20x12x3

Uneven Push Ups: 12x3 on each arm

Cardio: Crossramp HIIT 12x20. I actually was able to get one of these so I could try this instead of running or spin bike. It was ok – I have to jack up the intensity if I can next time. Napped on the beach again today – spent about 4.5 hours there today. Then I had to come back to the house and start getting things ready for an early departure tomorrow.

So of course this evening I just had to go and slam my foot into the under carriage of the recliner. I was walking in the dark and I literally walked right into it and my right foot slammed up into where all the springs are. It was loud and shocking. It only stung a minute, but of course I was worried about my foot being broken. Luckily I don’t think it is. I put ice on it and elevated it. The top part had a large lump on it, no discoloration though. And after about 45 minutes of ice, the lump seems to be half the size, thank god. I also took 4 Advil just to help the swelling. It does not hurt and I can walk on it just fine, go up and down stairs, and I even jumped up and down to test it. I am probably making a bigger deal out of this than necessary, but at this point my perspective on things is clearly skewed. Hopefully it is a distant memory tomorrow and I can back to business as usual. I am way too busy for this crap.

July 1 - July 6

Sunday, July 1, 2012 SSF

Back/Calves/HC

Lat Pulldown Wide: 50x12, 60x10, 70x10, 90x6x3

Bent Over Row: 65x10, 95x10, 115x8, 95x8, 65x8

1 Arm Cable Row: 40x12, 45x12, 50x12

Deadlift: 135x15x3

Calf Work: 90x15, 140x15, 160x15, 170x15x3

Cardio: 30 minute walk on the beach

1 arm cable row – Precor small cable tower; vertical grip

Smith machine calves

Monday, July 2, 2012 SSF

Shoulders/Hams/Abs/MC

Side Lateral: 5x12, 8x12, 10x10, 20x5, 15x6x2

Incline Delt Press: 20x8, 30x8x3

Upright Row: 25x12, 35x12x3

Front Raise Plate: 25x12x2

Stiff Leg Deadlift DB: 35x8, 45x8, 55x8x3

Leg Curl: 40x10, 50x10, 60x10, 70x10

Abs: SS Combo Upper/Lower Crunches with Hip Twist Thrusts (1 set) and Elbow to Knee Cross Body Crunches (3 sets) 20 reps each set

Cardio: None – giving tired quads a break

Abs still really out of shape. I wanted to do hip twist thrusts, but I am so not there yet so I had to decrease the intensity to get through the sets.

SLDL DB – always a toughy on the grip versus the actual legs.

I still need to research more ab variations, but I know I will forget…

Tuesday, July 3, 2012 SSF

Arms/MC

Hammer Curl: 10x15x2, 20x6x3

Close Grip Bar Curl: 25x8x2, 30x8, 35x8

1 Arm Cable Curl: 25x12x3

Triceps Press (Short): 45x15, 50x12, 75x8, 90x8x2

Lying Bar Extension: 25x12, 30x12x3

1 Arm Rope: 20x12x3

Cardio: HIIT 12x20, stretch, core

Triceps Press Short done on Icarian cable tower – can go heavier on these; 90 was good.

1 arm cable curl and 1 arm rope done on the Precor small cable tower.

Wednesday, July 4 OFF

LC – yay for a day off. This has been such a busy week at the shore and I am looking forward to coming home. I am leaving Friday. But man oh man – out every night with the group until late at night. I decided it would be best to switch things up and sleep in a bit and work out later in the day. Naps on the beach also help!

Thursday, July 5, 2012 SSF

Quads/HC

Squats: 45x15, 95x10, 135x8, 165x5, 145x8, 125x10

Leg Press: 180x10, 140x10, 160x10x2

Leg Extension: 40x12x2, 50x12x2

Step Ups: 15sx12x3

Abs: SS combo upper/lower crunches and cross body elbow to knee crunches 20x4

Cardio was a 30 minute walk on the beach

Step ups on 16 inch bench height

I am going to alternate the drop sets with the regular sets on my rotation for variety. Today starts the drop set rotation.

The 45° leg press was being used so I tried out the horizontal leg press machine – Icarian cable machine. It was pretty cool actually.

Home sweet home!!! So glad for the rest. I am so tired of late nights and last night was one of them. Normally the shore is just late on Friday and Saturday, but being as though this is a holiday week…everyone was down and the party was started! But I was 100% on plan and I have been since the tiny hiccup in May after Nicole’s show. I thought I would didge the dreaded July 4^th cookout bullet…but nope. Not only did the two houses (our neightbors) comingle for one big party on the 30^th, but they repeated it on the 4^th. So I had a doube dose of torture. At least I got to see fireworks on the beach.

Everyone here is saying ho great I look and giving me mad props for being able to stay on track. They admire it and some are envious, but hey – it is all about what you want and what your goals are. I am liking the way I look right now – not too emaciated, but very fit. Too bad we can’t look like this all year around. I am having fun meeting new guys, but you know – I can’t really take what they say seriously. Post show, I will not look like this. I will be fit, but fuller and not as “ripped”. Still, I will enjoy it for now, but I learned a big lesson last time: do not get used to this as I will return to the REAL Becky once the show is over and all is said and done. Although secretly I would LOVE to do the Charm City Show in October. I jut don’t know if that dieting would affect my grades… but that is a thought for another time.

Friday, July 6, 2012 MGV

Chest/MC

Flat bar press: 45x15, 55x12, 65x10, 90x6, 80x6, 70x6

Incline DB Press: 20x8, 30x8x3

Slight Incline DB Fly: 20x12x3

Uneven Push Ups: 15x1,12x2 on each arm

Cardio HIIT 12x20 incline runs, core, and stretch

I do the uneven push ups 12 on each arm for 1 set.