This week starts my new program! It will look very similar to my last one. Zach Moore says since I am getting more into the competition training, I need to keep hammering the primary lifts and work the accessory lifts that will give me the most bang for my buck. He says he will change it up more for me if I get bored (which I have been known to do), but I am good for now.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Dynamic Warmup
Airdyne Sprints
Turkish Getups
Cooldown and Breathing
Monday, May 6, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Standing Hurdle Jumps 3×1
2) Sumo DL 3×5 – 155 lb, 165 lb x2
3) SSB Paused Back Squats 2×5 – 95 lb, 100 lb
4a) GHR 3×10
4b) 1/2 Kneeling Diagonal KB Chops 2×12
5a) Single Leg Rufus DL 2×8 (video coming next week)
I get the point of single-leg work, but it isn’t my favorite thing so I am happy to have found an exercise that I actually like. The funny thing is I do not particularly enjoy single-leg RDLs by themselves but add in this Rufus DL thing and things change. By the way, this exercise is named after our good friend and amazing weight-lifting coach, Rufus Gardis.
5b) Supine Triceps Rollouts 3×12
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Overhead Med Ball Throws
2) Bench Press 3×5 – 75 lb, 85 lb x2
3a) Chest Supported Row 3×8
3b) Pushups AMAP from the floor x3 – 8, 6, 5
Not really sure that Zach intended for this to be a max effort exercise, but that is how it ended up today on sets 2 and 3. 
4a) Front Foot Elevated Reverse Lunge 3×8
4b) KB Overheads with Leg Lowering 2×12
Trying to make this a little more difficult on myself by lowering both legs at once. Right now, I am keeping them bent at a 90 degree angle with the eventual goal to straighten them completely out.
5) KB Swings 4×10 – 24K
Still HEAVY!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Dynamic Warmup
Heavy Sled Pulls
Heavy Prowler Pushes
Biceps Curls 2×10
Wall Press Abs 3×8
Breathing
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Back Squats 3×5 – 95 lb, 115 lb, 125 lb
2a) Barbell RDLs 2×8 – 105 lb, 115 lb
2b) DB Bench Press 3×8 – 30 lb, 35 lb x2
3a) Foot Elevated Single-leg Hip Thrusts 2×10
These took me back to the old days when Zach and I lived in an apartment downtown. Zach was just starting out as a client at IFAST and loved it so much that he would write “programs” for me to encourage me to get off the treadmill and start lifting weights. He has learned so much since those early days and has come so far with his coaching and programming. If you ask me, he is well on his way to his 10,000 hours and becoming a master strength coach!
3b) 3 Point DB Rows 2×10
4) Bodysaw 2×10
Friday, May 10, 2013
Dynamic Warmup
KB/Powerblock Circuit
Turkish Getups
Cooldown and Breathing
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Off Day – I literally did nothing today – didn’t even go for a walk. I had a couple stressful nights at work, and I definitely needed the break so Zach and I went to see Iron Man 3 and called it a day.
I have talked at length about my previous eating disorder and how difficult it was for me to overcome it. One of the hardest parts is learning to trust your hunger signals. Since I had been limiting my food intake for so long, my stomach had shrunk considerably. This made it very hard for me to get in the amount of calories I needed.
Often, I would feel really full after a meal, but after a few hours I had a lot of energy and felt good. On the other hand, if I would listen to my body and stop eating when I wanted I would feel pretty crummy a few hours later even though I did not necessarily feel hungry. I later learned this was my body needing energy. I had gotten so used to a lack of energy from low food intake that I did not notice it until I started my recovery process.
I know I am not the only one who has a hard time listening to their body’s hunger and fullness signals. In fact, I just finished reading a great book called, “Mindless Eating”, which talks about this exact thing – our inability to modulate how much we eat, largely due to external factors.
This book, and the strategies I am going to share below, are more about how to limit food intake versus increase it, as I had to learn to do when gaining back my weight. However, I now realize I used some of these strategies – just in the opposite direction.
For example, the author of “Mindless Eating” Brian Wansick, PhD. discusses how we will easily overeat if there are more people around, if our plates are larger, if the product says low-fat, etc.
So today, I want to go over simple ways you can tweak your environment to control your food intake (if that is your goal).
1. Put 20% less food on your plate.
Studies show that you probably won’t even notice it. If you try to eat 30% less you may start to notice.
Dr. Wansick writes, “While most Americans stop eating when they’re full, those in leaner cultures stop eating when they’re no longer hungry. There’s a significant gap between the point where an Okinawan says, ‘I’m no longer hungry,’ and where an American says, ‘I’m full’” (p.34).
2. Plate your food before you eat it.
Many people snack on foods out of boxes and packages, but a better strategy is to get out how much you think you will eat and put it on a plate (remember, 20% less). If you are still hungry after, then go back for more, but most of the time this will not be necessary.
3. Use smaller, bowls, glasses, and plates.
You have probably heard this strategy before. This works because the same serving of a particular food will look much larger on a smaller plate than on a larger plate. This will trick our brains into thinking we have eaten more than we really have.
4. Try to limit your food variety within a meal.
While it is a good idea to eat a variety of foods, if you are trying to eat a little less then it is a good idea to limit the variety of foods within a single meal. It is fine, and probably beneficial, however, to have a variety of foods throughout the day.
The author writes that, “The first bite of anything is almost always the best. The second a little less, and the third less again. At some point, we’re tired of the yogurt or cake. But if we add two more types of yogurt, or if we add ice cream to the cake, our taste buds are back to the races. This is why we eat more when there is variety” (p.72).
5. Keep tempting foods out of sight, or preferably out of the house.
The more you see these tempting foods, the more they will be on your mind. And, the easier it is for you to obtain these foods the more likely you are to eat them.
“…the convenience of a food pretty much determines whether we will eat it or not. If people have to go to a separate lunch line to pay for candy and potato chips, they buy less. If the salad bar is farther away from the table, they will eat less salad” (p. 87).
6. If you eat with a group of people try to pace yourself with the slowest eater.
It is great to go out with friends and family for meals, but the problem is that we often overeat in these situations.
In fact, the author’s lab has shown that, “On average, if you eat with one other person, you’ll eat about 35 percent more than you otherwise would. If you eat with a group of seven or more, you’ll eat nearly twice as much – 96 percent more… a table for four, you’ll end up right in the middle – you’ll eat about 75 percent more…” (p.97).
7. Be mindful when you are eating.
What I mean by this is try to get rid of distractions and enjoy your food. Chew it thoroughly and eat slowly. Take the time to enjoy the flavors.
Check out these statistics reported from a poll of 1,521 people:
-91% typically watch TV when eating meals at home
-62% are sometimes or often too busy to sit down and eat
-35% eat lunch at their desk while they work
-26% often eat when driving (p.104)
No wonder we have no idea how much food we are consuming – we are always distracted while we are eating.
8. Don’t deprive yourself.
If you think a food is off limits you are more likely to give into temptation and overeat it when the opportunity arises. Instead, if you find yourself craving a not-so-healthy food try plating a very small amount on a small plate and eating it mindfully, … sound familiar?
Note: Sometimes it is good to eliminate a food, especially if you have allergies or an intolerance to it. Also, some “diets” that eliminate food groups can be beneficial if they allow you to determine if you feel better without a particular food or food group. For example, I know I feel much better without dairy, but I do not label it as bad for everyone. I just know that I feel better without it. You sometimes have to experiment to find what works for your body.
Conclusion
These strategies may seem very basic, but small changes can make a huge difference over the course of the year. “If we make three small, 100-calorie changes, by the end of the year we’ll be as much as 30 pounds lighter than if we didn’t make them. Even if you only succeed in making one or two of them, you are still going to weight 10 to 20 pounds less in a year” (p.214).
Now, I do not want you to get hung up on the calorie part of the quote. The idea is that the strategies I have listed above should help you shave off a few hundred calories here and there without even noticing or counting. And these small changes, as you have seen, can make a big difference in your physique a year later.
Lastly, I want to make this clear that these tips are only for people that want or need to reduce their food intake. In my opinion, this is not the best strategy for a lot of people. I would rather see people try and increase their energy output through exercise and movement rather than restricting food intake. However, I understand that there may be times when you need to decrease your caloric intake, and I believe these strategies will help make this process less restrictive.
If you are unsure as to where you need to start with changing your physique you can look into my online coaching services. I have worked with several people who assumed they needed to decrease their calories to be happy with their bodies, but often I have kept their calories the same or upped them slightly to help fuel more activity and movement. In the end, these people were much happier with their bodies and the amount of food they were eating.
Sunday April 28, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Standing Hurdle Jump 3×3, 1×2 – 28 in, 32 in, 34 in, 36 in x2
Finally got my 36 in jump on video!!
2) Sumo DL 5×3 – 155 lb, 170 lb, 180 lb, 190 lb x2
3) SSB Tempo Back Squats 2×8 – 70 lb, 75 lb
Zach Moore took it easy on me this week and only gave me 2 sets.
4a) GHR 3×10
4b) 1/2 Kneeling Cable Chop 2×12
5a) 2KB RDL 2×6
5b) Triceps Pushdown 3×12
Monday, April 29, 2013
Dynamic Warmup
Airdyne Sprints
Turkish Getups
Breathing
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Dynamic Warmup
KB/Powerblock Circuit
Turkish Getups
Cooldown and Breathing
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Heidens
Heidens outside in the sunshine, that is. If you have ever been to IFAST, you are familiar with the curvy road leading to the gym from which you can see the back garage doors. I am here to tell you that one of my favorite things it driving around those curves and seeing the garage doors open – that equals fresh air and beautiful weather, and I, for one, can’t get enough of it!
2) Squats 5×5 – 115 lb, 125 lb, 135 lb x3
I swear, I am the worst warmer-upper ever! My warmups NEVER feel good! I don’t know if it is just that I am thinking too much during my warmups or what, but almost everyday I warmup and then think, shit, this is going to suck today. However, it hardly ever does. For whatever reason, how I warmup is no indication of how I will do during my sets. Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated!
3a) Barbell RDLS 2×8 – 105 lb, 115 lb
3b) DB Bench Press 3×8 – 30 lb, 35 lb, 37.5 lb
4a) Hip Thrusts to Single-leg Support 2×12
4b) Quadruped Walkouts
5) Real Rows 2×8
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Dynamic Warmup
Heavy Sled Pulls
Heavy Prowler Pushes
Cooldown and Breathing
Friday, May 3, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Med Ball Chest Passes
2) Bench Press 5/3/1 – 90 lb, 100 lb, 110 lb
110 lb is my competition max (uh, twice actually) so I was pretty happy to bench that today since I am still only on the first program of this meet training.
3a) Seated Cable Row 4×6
3b) Pushups AMAP from the floor, 2×8 from an incline
4a) Front Foot Elevated Split Squats 2×10
4b) KB Overheads with Leg Lowering
5) KB Swings 4×10 – 24K
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Off Day/Kentucky Derby Day/Hang-out-with-my-extended-family Day.
Made the drive to Paoli for the weekend to celebrate the Kentucky Derby with my family. It is always fun to visit my parents and spend time with my brother, aunt, uncle, and cousins. While the weather wasn’t exactly conducive to sitting by my aunt’s pool and sipping mint juleps, we managed to sit on her couch and sip mint juleps all the same. This was the first Derby Day celebration since my mamaw passed away in February, and it was sad to sing My Old Kentucky Home and raise our bourbon-filled glasses without her. Well, to be honest it was hard to sing My Old Kentucky Home, but it really is never hard to drink bourbon. Trust me, that is not disrespectful. My mamaw would have totally agreed.
On to my new program!
Since my audience is largely women, I often scour other women’s blogs to get ideas on topics and read about what women are interested in. I have come across a lot of good blogs out there, but today I want to highlight five in particular that have a common message I believe is good for women to hear.
Amber Rogers (a.k.a Go Kaleo) – I love this woman’s philosophy. She has a crazy amount of followers and for good reason. I believe her message is EXACTLY what many women need to hear.
She has undergone an amazing transformation and learned many valuable lessons along the way.
Basically, she teaches women to love their bodies and to stop starving themselves. I will not go into depth on her philosophy – you should just go read her blog and/or facebook page to learn more. I am confident you will love her stuff!
Nia Shanks – I am also a big fan of Nia’s writing and philosophy. I believe she and I are very similar in our backgrounds (both have struggled with eating disorders and overexercising and have found something we now enjoy – lifting weights). We both preach about setting performance goals versus burning calories (e.g. getting stronger versus weighing X pounds).
Nia is also a super strong chick but has a very balanced approach to fitness, nutrition, and life in general.
Jen Comas Keck - Jen is a very good friend of mine. She is down to earth, fun, and runs a great blog. One of the things I like most about Jen’s writing is how personable she is. She recently wrote a series on her struggles with hypothyroidism and the process she went through to overcome that.
She admits to doing too much cardio, undereating, and overstressing her body. I am seeing this more and more – more exercise and less food is not always the best answer for a better body.
Stefani Ruper - Stefani is the person to go to when it comes to women’s hormonal problems. She has a lot of great information on these topics. I recently just read her eBook, PCOS Unlocked, which was an excellent resource.
Stefani also covers a lot of topics related to eating disorders and body image issues. She works with a lot of women and has great insight into these areas. She is a super smart chick and you will find a lot of useful info on her site.
Molly Galbraith - Molly is my homie! Molly and I have hung out on several occasions and have had some seriously deep talks. I am fortunate to call her a friend. She is a great person and really wants to help other people. She is constantly learning and trying to get better at what she does.
Me and Molly
She owns her own gym in Lexington, Kentucky and runs Girls Gone Strong (GGS) along with Alli McKee and Neghar Fonooni.
Molly is a super strong chick that loves lifting weights and helping women reach their performance and aesthetic goals.
Honorable Mention: Krista Scott-Dixon – Krista is the author of “Fuck Calories” and has a blog at stumptuous.com. I did not include Krista in my top 5 list because I am relatively new to her stuff. But, she posted a great article on her site the other day and I started looking over her other content and it looks really good.
She also has her PhD and works for Precision Nutrition, which is a highly regarded business in the fitness industry. Several other women I know also said they love reading her stuff. So I am looking forward to reading more of her content.
That is it for today. There are many other awesome female bloggers out there, but these women are the ones I seem to read and chat with the most. I love their philosophies and I believe at least one of them will have a message that will resonate with you. So go check them out!
But first, how about you? What are your favorite fitness and health blogs? Please list them below in the comments. I already have way too many in my reader, but I still enjoy reading new sites:)
Lastly, I hope to have most of these women on the site for interviews in the near future so be on the lookout. I have also received confirmation from them that they will be contributing to my free eBook, which will available to my newsletter subscribers in the next few months. So if you are not already, make sure to sign up below or at the top right of the screen.
Have a great week!
An insanely busy work schedule this week has left me with little time to do anything else. I have been getting my training in, but I swear I have done some of it in my sleep. So, bear with me on this one. I doubt it is going to be as insightful as some of the previous posts but here goes…
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Dynamic Warmup
Airdyne Sprints
Turkish Getups
Cooldown and Breathing
Monday, April 22, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Standing Hurdle Jumps – 28 in, 32 in, 36 in x2 (almost – see the video below.)
The 36 in jumps today were technically fails, but they were better fails than the week before. They say try and fail and then try again and fail better, right? Learn a little bit from the first fail, and don’t make the same mistake again. Maybe this is just an attempt to make myself feel better. It is half-way working.
2) Sumo DL 3×3 – 160 lb, 175 lb, 185 lb
3) Tempo SSB Back Squats 3×8
4a) GHR 3×10
4b) 1/2 Kneeling Cable Chop 2×12
5a) 2 KB Single-leg RDL 3×8
5b) Triceps Pushdown 3×10
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Dynamic Warmup
Heavy Sled Pulls
Heavy Prowler Pushes
Cooldown and Breathing
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Med Ball Chest Passes
2) Bench Press 3×3 – 85 lb, 95 lb, 100 lb
3a) Seated Cable Rows 4×6
3b) Pushups AMAP from the floor, 2×8
4a) Front Foot Elevated Split Squats 3×10
4b) KB Overheads with Leg Lowering 2×12
5a) KB Swings on the minute x6 – 24K
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Dynamic Warmup
KB and Powerblock Circuit
Turkish Getups
Breathing
Friday, April 26, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Heidens
2) Back Squat 3×5 – 125 lb, 135 lb, 135 lb
3a) Barbell RDL 3×8 – 95 lb, 105 lb, 105 lb
3b) DB Bench Press 4×8 – 30 lb, 30 lb, 35 lb, 37.5 lb
4a) Hipthrust to Single-leg Support 3×12
4b) Quadruped Walkouts – 3×3
5) Real Rows 2×8
6) Tornado Ball 15 sec on 30 sec off x8
Friday night’s activities included a heated ping-pong tournament (yes, with seeds and a losers bracket and everything) at our buddy’s house. We take our table tennis seriously around here. After a couple hours, Zach Moore was the undefeated tournament champion.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Off Day
Played 9 holes of golf with Zach and our friend JB who were nice enough to let me tag along. I played pretty well actually. No joke though, I needed my powerlifter rest periods. Golfing is like 2 hours of nonstop action. I was ready for a nap when we got home!
One more week of this training program! Always excited to see what Zach comes up with on my new programs!
Hope you had a great weekend! I had a fairly busy weekend and am happy to say that I have been staying very consistent with my goal of being more social.
Friday night a group of friends and I got together and played some ping pong. I had not played ping pong in forever, but in college I played it almost everyday. It was a lot of fun and I think we are planning to make it a regular thing.
Saturday morning I went out golfing with a buddy of mine and my wife, Emme. The weather was great, and I hit the ball really well so of course I am ready to head out again soon.
Sunday was more of a day to relax and get stuff ready for the week; as well as write this post for you.
So, let’s get to my list of randomness:
First, I have some really exciting things in the works for this site. I have contacted several popular women in the fitness world to contribute to a free eBook I will giving out to my newsletter subscribers. I think it will be a great resource, and I am excited to share it with you. I am not going to share the details on what it is about just yet, but you will know soon enough. So if you haven’t already, sign up for my newsletter!
I am also setting up a few interviews with some of these women that will be available on the site. The first interview will be up in a few weeks. If you have any specific questions you would like me to ask let me know in the comments.
Second, I just want to give a shout out to Heather King. I write Heather’s programs and train her at IFAST. She just competed a few weekends ago at the Indiana NPC Naturals in the Figure competition.
She competed for the first time last year and has made huge progress since then. She looked amazing and deserves a shout out for all of the hard work she puts in every time she comes to the gym. Way to go, Heather!!
Third, I have been getting more and more requests to see videos of my older female clients rockin’ it in the gym. Therefore, I have started filming some of these women and hope to have a video clip up soon. Trust me when I say I have a lot of amazing female clients so it should not be hard.
Fourth, I stumbled across a TED talk the other day that I think everyone should watch. It is excellent! I am a huge fan of TED talks and this one may be my favorite: Ric Elias: 3 Things I Learned While My Plane Crashed
I have watched the talk more than once, and when I feel myself getting stressed or overwhelmed by the work I need to do, I just remind myself of Elias’s message. It has been very helpful in putting things into perspective and helping me relax a little.
Fifth, I am dying to watch the second season of “The Game Of Thrones”! Have you seen it? My wife has read the books, and she convinced me to watch the first season. We ended up renting it from the library, and it was awesome. As soon as we were done we hopped on the library website to reserve the next season, and we were 350th in line!! That gives you an idea of how popular this show is.
We are now roughly 150th in line so I will probably have to wait another month or two, but I am definitely looking forward to it.
I have found that I really enjoy watching t.v. series. This will sound awful, but sometimes it is hard for me to sit still for a 2-3 hour movie so these hour long episodes really work well for me. So if you have any recommendations for other good shows please let me know if the comments.
Lastly, if you are in pain or know someone who is please watch this short video:
Understanding Pain: What to do about it in less than 5 minutes?
It helps to explain the many things that go into our experience of pain. At the end of the day, the pain we experience is controlled by our brain and is a protective mechanism to keep us away from harm. For example, if our brain believes we are doing something that will hurt us, it will deter us from that activity by invoking a pain response.
I work with a lot of clients in pain, and this was a very helpful video for me. I have also started reading, “Explain Pain”, which is another highly recommended book if you know people in pain or are dealing with it yourself. In fact, I am considering buying it for several of my clients that are in pain. That is how convinced I am that it will make a positive difference in their pain. It is also an easy read, even if you are not a science nerd and know very little about the nervous system and pain in general.
That is it for this edition of randomness. Hope you have a great week! And, don’t forget to leave a comment and/or get signed up for my newsletter. I want to continue building up the community here at zmoore.com and would love to hear from each of you.
Before I get into this week’s training log, I have to give a huge congratulations to all of the ladies who lifted in the SPF Women’s Power Weekend at The Sweatt Shop in Cincinnati, OH last weekend. Talk about amazing displays of strength, power, and mental toughness all coming out of a bunch of GIRLS! I am talking pony tailed, fingernail painted, pink clothes wearing girls! The Sweatt Shop puts on a hell of a powerlifting meet, and based on the numbers that came out of Saturday, the ladies put on a hell of a show. Congratulations to all of you!
Also, congratulations to my friends Heather and Yanick who competed in the NPC figure show in downtown Indy last Saturday night! These two ladies work incredibly hard and have the bodies to show for it! It is so much fun to watch them strut their stuff up on that stage. They both looked absolutely fantastic!
So, needless to say, after all the competition excitement from this weekend, I was super inspired to get back into the gym on Sunday morning!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Standing Hurdle Jumps 3×3 – 28 in, 32 in, 36 in
36 in was just not happening today, and believe me, it wasn’t for lack of trying (I tried to jump over the damn thing about 15 times). So I gave that hurdle the kick it deserved and moved on.
2) Sumo DL 5×3 – 135 lb, 150 lb, 165 lb, 175 lb
3) Tempo SSB Back Squats 3×10 – 65 lb x3
Still brutal!
4a) GHR 3×10
4b) 1/2 Kneeling Cable Chop 2×8
5a) 2 KB Single-leg RDL 3×8
5b) Triceps Pushdown 3×12
While waiting on Zach to finish up his workout, I may or may not have practiced my figure girl poses in the mirrors.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Med Ball Chest Pass 3×5
2) Bench Press 2×5, 1xAs Many As Possible (AMAP) – 75 lb, 85 lb, 85 lb
My first and second sets of bench today felt fantastic! The second set is on the video, and it might be the best bench set I have ever done.
3a) Seated Cable Row 3×8
3b) Pushups 1xAMAP from the floor, 2×10 on an incline
Whatever was up with my wrist last week is completely fine now. So, I did 7 solid pushups from the floor for my first set before moving over to the rack to finish up my sets from an incline.
4a) Front Foot Elevated Split Squats 3×8
4b) KB Overheads with Leg Lowering 2×12
5) KB Swings 5×10 – 24K
On my program, Zach typed HEAVY next to these. I used the 20K KB last week, but my new friend and IFAST intern Kyle was using both of the 20K KBs today. So I just moved on up to the next one, and it was definitely HEAVY!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Dynamic Warmup
Heavy Sled Pulls
Heavy Prowler Pushes
Cooldown and Breathing
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Heidens
2) Back Squat 4×5 – 95 lb, 115 lb, 125 lb, 125 lb
3a) Barbell RDL 3×10
3b) DB Bench Press 4×10
4a) Hip Thrust to Single-let Support 3×10
4b) Quadruped Walkouts 3×3
5) Real Rows 2×10
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Dynamic Warmup
KB/Powerblock Circuit
Turkish Getups
Cooldown and Breathing
Friday, April 19, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Med Ball Chest Pass
2) Bench Press 3×5 – 80 lb, 85 lb, 90 lb
Since I did 4 days of lifting this week, I changed my bench press workout just slightly making the last set only 5 reps instead of going for as many as possible.
3a) Seated Cable Row 3×10
3b) Pushups AMAP from the floor then 2×10 on an incline
4a) Front Foot Elevated Split Squat 3×8
4b) KB Overheads with Leg Lowering
5) KB Swings 5×10 on the minute – 24K
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Off Day
Walked around the neighborhood with Zach before heading into work for the weekend.
Last week I challenged you to make one new positive change in your life. If you took on this challenge, how is it going (keep reading to see what my positive change is and how it is going)?
Unfortunately, as I have discussed before, most people fail when it comes to achieving their goals and taking on new habits.
I want to change that. I am passionate about helping you achieve your goal(s) and maintaining them.
Therefore, I want to discuss some more tips I picked up from “The Power of Habit”, which will make your chances of success much greater and longer-lasting – no matter what your goal may be.
3 Lessons From The “Power Of Habit” To Achieve Your Goal(s)
1. Start small and be consistent.
I discussed this one last week so I will not go into much depth here. Just know that ONE positive change in your life often manifests into positive changes in other areas of your life.
Therefore, by focusing your efforts on one small goal (e.g. walk 10 minutes a day, drink one less coke a day, get to bed by 9pm, etc.) and being consistent with it, you are more likely to accomplish that goal, which will set you up for future successes.
2. Have a back-up plan.
Our willpower is finite, which means that we can only avoid temptations for so long throughout the day before our willpower is used up and we give into these bad habits and temptations.
Having a back-up plan will be less taxing on your willpower and will make you more likely to stick to your plan.
For example, let’s say you are easily tempted by a bag of M&M’s that your husband keeps on the coffee table.
To avoid these M&M’s you come up with a plan that states, “If I am tempted by the M&M’s I will take a breath, drink a glass of water, and wait 5-10 minutes. If I am still craving the M&M’s then I will have five.”
You may need a back-up plan to avoid these
Many times you will not even desire the M&M’s after those 5-10 minutes.
Another example is exercise. Often, we tell ourselves we will go work out after work or on our lunch break, but then that time rolls around and we start thinking otherwise.
“I just don’t have the energy today. I think I will skip today. But I will definitely go tomorrow.”
Instead, have an action plan in place if you start feeling unmotivated to go to the gym. Tell yourself, “I will at least go and warm-up, and if I still feel drained, I will head home.”
If you still feel tired after the warm-up, this most likely means your body is definitely tired and may just need some rest. There is no need to feel guilty in this circumstance.
3. Find a support system.
This is a great way to stick to a new habit or goal. One of the first things I have my fat loss clients do is keep a food log. I have them share it with me and preferably one other person.
This makes the person much less likely to overeat or reach for that bag of M&M’s.
Another great idea is to announce your goal on one of your social media outlets – facebook, twitter, google+, etc.
Having people to stay accountable to is a huge motivator.
What is your action plan when going after a new goal? What keeps you on track? I would love to hear from you in the comments.
Have a great week!
My positive change:
I did not mention this in the last post, but my positive change is attempting to be more socially active. To make this goal more quantifiable, I am attempting to do something outside of work with friends and/or family twice a month.
I know that sounds like it should be very easy, but I am quite the home dweller (and I want to start small, right?). I love my routine and relaxing for me is hanging out with my wife watching a movie. Pretty boring, right?
But I love it! However, I know that I need more social interaction outside of the gym.
In fact, a healthy social life is one of my 5 pillars when it comes to building a healthy, happy, and sexy body.
So far I have been doing really well with my goal. I have far surpassed my goal these past two weeks – I went to the driving range, met with a friend and former intern to chat about life and his future plans, went to Sky Zone twice (an indoor trampoline facility that is awesome!) with friends, and went to a client’s birthday party at her house.
I will keep you updated on how I am doing with this goal.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Standing Hurdle Jumps – 24 in, 28 in, 32 in, 32 in
This week was a little bit of a standing hurdle jump deload so no 36 in hops for me today.
2) Sumo Deadlift 3×5 – 135 lb, 145 lb, 150 lb
I am back to my sumo style DLs! I had gotten used to conventional, and was more comfortable with them than in the past. However, sumo just feels like a much stronger position for me. Gonna keep it fairly easy this program, and go up (hopefully way up) from there.
3) Tempo SSB Back Squats 2×10 – 65 lb, 65 lb
Not real sure what I did to piss Zach off to get these on my program! Seriously though, these things are brutal! At the end of the video, I turn my head away from the camera… so you can’t see the tears in my eyes! I need more stability and control though, and Zach swears this is the way to get it.
4a) Glute Ham Raise (GHR) 3×10
4b) ½ Kneeling Cable Chop with a Rope 2×8
5a) 2 KB Single-leg RDL 2×8
5b) Triceps Push-down 3×12
Monday, April 8, 2013
Dynamic Warmup
Heavy Sled Pulls
Heavy Prowler Pushes
Cooldown
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Dynamic Warmup
Airdyne Sprints
Turkish Getups
Breathing
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Medball Chest Pass
2) Bench Press 3×5 – 65 lb, 75 lb, 80 lb
Easing back into barbell bench press mode and grooving out my pattern again.
3a) Seated Cable Row 3×8
3b) Pushups 3×10
The first set I was supposed to do as many pushups as possible from the floor, but for some reason whenever I got into the pushup position, I was unable to hold myself up due to a bad pain in my right hand/wrist. WTH? I told Zach about it, but he only had time to look at it for a second because he was busy with clients so I just did 3 sets of incline pushups.
4a) Front Foot Elevated Split Squats 3×8
4b) KB Overheads with Leg Lowering 2×12
5) Heavy KB Swings 4×10 on the minute
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Dynamic Warmup
KB Circuit – Swings, Front Squat, Bent Over Row, Floor Press
I should probably call this my KB/Powerblock Circuit now since we have those to add into the fun!
Turkish Getups
Breathing
Friday, April 12, 2013
Foam Rolling and Dynamic Warmup
1) Heidens
2) Back Squats 3×5 – 95 lb 115 lb, 115 lb
3a) Barbell RDLs 2×10 – 95 lb, 95 lb
3b) DB Bench Press 3×10 – 25 lb, 30 lb, 35 lb
4a) Hip Thrust to Single-leg Support 3×10
4b) Quadruped Walkouts 2×3
5) Real Rows 2×10
6) Tornado Ball 15 sec on/60 sec off x7 rounds
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Off Day
Zach and I went to Sky Zone Indy – the wall-to-wall trampoline place – jumped around, did some back flips, and played some dodgeball with a mother and daughter that Zach trains at IFAST and a bunch of their family. So much fun! Thanks for the invite Ann and Ellen! And a very Happy Sweet 16 to Ellen!
NEW GOALS!
If you have been paying close attention and remember from last week that my goals were going to be changing up soon, you probably noticed that this program has me back to the three big lifts – squat, bench, and deadlift. (If you didn’t notice or remember, that is totally fine. I am more of a just-look-at-the-pictures-and-hit-the-highpoints type of girl myself. ) So, does that mean I am planning to compete again? Yes, it does… sort of. On July 27th, IFAST is holding its very own unsanctioned powerlifting meet, and I will be there competing with a bunch of my IFAST friends! This should be such a fun day, and I am so excited!
I just recently finished the book, “The Power of Habit“, which is a fantastic read (thanks, JB!). One of the big things that this book reaffirmed for me is the benefit of starting small and being consistent when attacking goals and habits – we are much more likely to be successful in achieving our goals if we do this.
Here is a quote from the book that supports this idea:
“When people start habitually exercising, even as infrequently as once a week, they start changing other, unrelated patterns in their lives, often unknowingly. Typically, people who exercise start eating better and becoming more productive at work. They smoke less and show more patience with colleagues and family. They use their credit cards less frequently and say they feel less stressed. It’s not completely clear why. But for many people, exercise is a keystone habit that triggers widespread change. ‘Exercise spills over,’ said James Prochaska, a University of Rhode Island researcher. ‘There’s something about it that makes other good habits easier.‘” (108-109)
The book goes on to reveal that it is not only exercise that causes widespread change. In fact, any positive change in your life can help you make other positive changes. Researchers believe this is due to strengthening our willpower.
“‘When you learn to force yourself to go to the gym or start your homework or eat a salad instead of a hamburger, part of what’s happening is that you’re changing how you think,’ said Todd Heatherton, a researcher at Dartmouth who has worked on willpower studies. ‘People get better at regulating their impulses. They learn how to distract themselves from temptations. And once you’ve gotten into that willpower groove, your brain is practiced at helping you focus on a goal.’” (139)
So it is not only exercise that can cause positive changes. In fact, these researchers show that one positive change in your life often manifests into positive changes in other areas of your life.
So here is my call of action to you: Make it a goal to make one new positive change in your life.
When?
How about today or tomorrow? The sooner the better.
What change should you make?
Well, if you have watched my webinar (available for free if you subscribe to my newsletter) then you know that I am big on focusing on the basics, which I narrow down to:
Adequate sleep
Stress management
Sufficient exercise
Proper nutrition
Healthy social life
Most of you already know that these basic things are good for you and that they will make the biggest impact on you building your healthy, happy, and sexy body. However, many of you (and I understand, I was guilty of it myself) continue to search for the “magic pill” – that perfect plan that will give you the results you want in X days or months.
STOP doing this. Instead, spend your time and effort turning the basics I listed above into habits. If you can do that, I promise you will see amazing changes in your happiness and physique, and these changes will be long-term unlike quick-fix plans and promises.
By adopting small changes and working to be consistent, you will also develop the willpower and strength to build new positive habits in the future.
Now, some of you may be asking, “Well what is proper nutrition or sufficient exercise?” These are fair questions, but do not worry about them yet. Focus on doing better than you are now.
Do you feel like you are getting enough sleep? If not, maybe you should try to make that your positive change.
Are you constantly stressed from work or your home life? If you are, maybe you need to look into stress management tools. My vote here is for meditation.
But remember: START SMALL!! One small change is all that is needed.
In future articles, I will discuss strategies to change your habits and build new, positive ones.
In the meantime, let me know in the comments what you are going to work on. I would love to hear from you.
