Category Archives: strength train

Back to squat basics

Monday, Monday! I decided on just a weight workout today and skip the cardio for a bit of rest. Biked to the gym and got right to the iron.

Exercise Set/rep/weight Muscle worked
Barbell squat 3 sets of 10 with 45# bar (lower than parallel) Lower body
Seated lat row 1 set of 4 at 85#

1 set of 6 at 70#

1 set of 8 at 55#

1 set of 10 at 40#

 Back
Stiff-legged deadlift 3 sets of 10 at 75# Lower body
Captain’s Chair 3 sets of 10 Abs
Incline barbell chest press 3 sets of 8 at 55# Chest
Seated calf raise 3 sets of 10 at 110# Calves
Lower Back Extension 3 sets of 10 at 100# Low back
Nosebreaker 3 sets of 10 with 30# bar Triceps
Front Raise 3 sets of 10 with 8# DBs (16# total) Shoulders

I did a video of myself with the squat and wasn’t all that happy with my depth, so I decided to back way off on the weight and make sure to go below parallel to work on form. I really want to be able to do full squats (aka ass-to-the-grass) with more weight, so back to basics!  I see many, many partial squats being done at the gym, and I don’t want to be in that category.  I may or may not show that video as an example of poor form. 😀

Biked home and made up a new oat dish – Apple Pie oats!

  • 40 grams of oats
  • 1/2 of a granny smith apple chopped small
  • 1 tsp of brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1/4 cup of egg whites
  • 4 toasted pecans, crushed
  • 1 square of lowfat graham cracker

I added apple, cinnamon, and brown sugar to the cooking water with the oats when it came to a boil.  Cooked for a few minutes, then tempered in the egg whites.  Topped with the pecans and crushed graham cracker (for the ‘crust’ ).  Quite tasty, I have to say.  I think a tart, firm apple is best in this.  If I was feeling truly decadent, I guess a drizzle of caramel on this would be pretty awesome…. just sayin’

I also had some of these on the side.

I was asked about any supplements I take.  These are my dailies.  I do a multivitamin, a flax seed oil (don’t do fish oil), a vitamin C/B combo, and a vitamin D3.  Vitamin D3 is important for me living in a northern climate and my liberal use of sunscreen.  If I think about it in the winter, I add zinc.   I actualy probably could do without the multi as my diet has a good variety of whole foods, but I just want to cover my bases, particularly as I am progressing forward in years.

Work time ensued.  Busy, busy.  Yesterday not busy, today very busy.

Lunch break was so awesome!  I made a 1 egg/2 egg white omelet stuffed with some cabot reduced fat cheddar, sauteed broccoli and caramelized onions.

I found the secret for me and omelets is to pour the egg mixture into the pan and cover it to sort of steam the omelet so I don’t have to flip it.  Doesn’t it look purty?  Not sure if it is sad or not that I was excited at how this omelet turned out LOL.

I had to laugh at some of the interpretations of yesterday’s post title,  from bikini butt to not knowing what the heck it meant!  A bikini is not something I think I would ever get in for one, and I don’t often talk about my behind on the blog (other than to get it in gear), but I thought that particular issue of biking needed to be addressed.  The soreness seems to be a major sticking point for people getting started with biking, so I want to let you all know it does go away.

Snack time!  Latte and some dark chocolate.

Then I was hungry again an hour later, so I had some blueberries.

These are from the store and not the local ones and I can taste such a difference.  Oh well.

John was on the grill tonight and did up some ground pork burgers.  I like ground pork as it is not as dry as lower fat ground beef and still quite tasty.

I had mine with laughing cow and more caramelized onions (I have a batch in the freezer).  Good thing I am already married 😆

Still working tonight.  We have a weekend getaway planned, so I have to get as much extra work done as possible this week!  Gonna get a snack and back to work after posting this.

Question:  Do you ever get back to basics with something?

What’s blooming and last of the blues

Friday!  Only a little work to do today.  I headed out to the gym for some lifting this morning.  It was a good workout:

Exercise Set/rep/weight Muscle worked
Barbell squats 3 sets of 10 at 55# Lower body
Wide grip lat pulldown 3 sets of 10 at 50# Back
Single-leg deadlift 3 sets of 10 (each leg) with 20# DBs (40# total) Legs
Reverse Crunch 3 sets of 15 Abs
Push ups 3 sets of 10 Chest
Seated Calf Raise 3 sets with 10 at 110# Calves
Reverse fly on bench 3 sets of 10 with 12# DBs (24# total) Shoulders
Triceps pulldown 3 sets of 10 at 30# Triceps
Hammer Curls 3 sets of 10 with 12# DBs (24# total) Biceps

I thought about running after the workout, but changed my mind.  I really don’t like to run right after (or even before) my lifting.  I just do it when I need to get it done.  Today, didn’t need to get it done early.

Cooler morning, and had pumpkin to use up, so I made some pumpkin custard cream of wheat:

Topped with toasted pecans and crystallized ginger.  Yummers!

My mom and I went blueberry picking today, and the bushes were pretty bare.  The season is ending early this year (started early), so I’ll have to go back to store bought soon until the price goes back up.  Sigh….

Came back to snarf a quick lunch.

Then had to run out and get my hair trimmed Came back and did some work for job #2.  Dang I feel busy sometimes.

After work I had a snack:

Here is what is blooming this week.  I am also going to include a video at the end of this post, which I will say is pretty long and the sound is not great because of the traffic on our road.  The camera picks that up like crazy.  This video is just a little tour of the garden as a whole so that you can see it and I talk a little bit about some of the plants and our plans for different areas (if you can hear it).

Globe thistle:

Primrose:

Another color:

The sedum have their buds – looks like broccoli!

Flowering tobacco are going again.

Cool snapdragon color:

Who says purple and orange don’t go together?

I had an urge to make cupcakes, so I did a half batch of devil’s food.  This made 6 small cupcakes – which is good because I don’t have a ton sitting around (and John likes all things chocolate, so he will eat them).  I tried a real buttercream frosting too.

Went to cook chicken for dinner and it was still rock hard frozen, so we walked up the street for a slice of pizza.  I got the white pizza with sedum broccoli:

Pretty good.  Very friendly staff here, and you get 2 slices plus one drink for $4.50.  We each have a slice because they are really big and I bring my own water.  What can I say, I am a cheap date!

After dinner was one of said cupcakes.

Yum.  The buttercream is not very sweet.  It was the cooked kind with the egg whites, sugar and butter beaten in.  I added some cold coffee, too.  I am used to a powdered sugar version.  Nice small size, though.

Then I decided on an evening run, which I am just about to go out and do at dusk.  It is a gorgeous night!

Here is the garden video:

Strength workout

Here is the 2nd workout in my new split routine:

Back, chest, shoulders, abs, calves

Incline Dumbbell chest press: 2 x 15 15 pounds
Incline dumbbell chest fly: 2 x 15 10 pounds
Seated lat row: 2 x 15 45 pounds (BF)*
Function lower back extension: 2 x 15 45 pounds (BF)
Lateral Raise: 2 x 15 5 pounds
Seated Dumbbell shoulder press: 2 x 15 10 pounds
Standing calf raise: 2 x 15 10 pounds
Seated calf raise: 2 x 15 105 pounds (BF)
Crunches: 3 x 15
Reverse crunches: 3 x 15

I like it. My shoulders are very tired now.

*(BF) = Bowflex

Another pretty good day!

Despite a lot of stress today (could I have received any more phone calls???), I did not go off plan. Food was good, and I got in a good amount of protein. I did my strength training, albeit much later than usual due to the phone, and also walked to the post office and back (about 30 min). I was going to go easy on cardio today, since I jogged the previous two days.

Been working on medical transcription study, almost ready for my mid term. I want to be able to continue with real estate flipping, but need something to fall back on, especially in this market. I have my one house that I am holding now, and will sell it in a couple years. I hope to get another flip house sometime next year. So, 40 years old and a career change. The nice thing about the MT is that if I work for a national company, I can get health insurance for John and I.

This was my strength workout today:
Chest:
1 arm seated fly: 3 sets, 10 reps at 25 pounds
resisted punch: 3 sets, 10 reps at 25 pounds

Shoulders:
Rear deltoid row: 3 sets, 10 reps at 45 pounds

Arms:
Lying triceps extension: 3 sets, 10 reps at 25 pounds
Seated bicep curls: 3 sets, 10 reps at 30 pounds

Tomorrow is weigh in day!