Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from November, 2013

What I Am

Well, I entered the Bodyspace Spokesmodel Search and was super surprised when I was told that I made it to the semi-final round! I didn't expect that for sure and definitely don't expect to make it to the top 5, but it's worth a try, right? There are some amazing looking women that I'm up against, so the competition is stiff. As I was looking at photos of the other top 20 semi-finalists the other night, I found myself thinking, "I don't look like that; my waist isn't that small; I don't have fake boobs; I don't have those abs; I'm not a competitor; I'm not that lean; I'm not that muscular; I'm not cut out for this;  I'm not fitness model material." I've found that I have a tendency to have this "I'm not" way of thinking "I'm not this, I'm not that. I'm not, I'm not." And then I realized that while there are certainly a LOT of things I'm not, it doesn't matter, becau

Thankful.

I make it a point to be thankful every day, for everything I've been given, even the small things. I am so blessed, my heart just overflows with gratitude. God really is so good! I'm so thankful to have such an amazing husband who I love so much and who encourages me and makes me laugh every day. I'm thankful for a healthy and strong body and for God allowing me to live out my passion for health and fitness and to influence others in a positive way. Thankful to be a part of team Muscle-Tech! I'm thankful for my family, for my mom surviving her accident and being here with us today. I'm thankful for Celeste and the joy she has brought to our family. And most importantly I'm thankful for my savior Jesus Christ, for what He did for me and for the joy and peace I have in Him. Make it a point to have a thankful heart, not just one day out of the year, but every day. Choose to have an attitude of gratitude and be content with what you have. Con

December Workouts

My training for the rest of November and December will look something like this:  UPPER BODY 1)Clean and jerk 2)Handstand pushups/calf raise 3a)Wide grip pull-ups or weighted (alternate) 3b)1 arm DB chest press 4)Lateral raises 5)Bentover lateral raises + Finisher LOWER BODY 1)Seated calf raise 2)Back squat 3)Front squat 4)Step up or lunge 5)Hip thrust 6)Back extensions 7)Ab movement & glutes  UPPER BODY 1)1 arm db snatch 2)Bench press 3a)1 arm DB oh press 3b)Chest supported row 4a)DB bicep curls 4b)Tricep pushdowns 5)Band Pullaparts LOWER BODY 1)Bounds 2)Deadlift/oh squat 3)1 leg glute bridge 4)Band clams +Finisher

Yes.

Lord, help me to remember this!

Just a Bunch of Stuff

Just a hodge podge of random stuff on this Sunday morning.... My husband is going to be gone all day for a wrestling show his beginner's training class is having today, so it's just me and Asher. I'll be prepping food  for the week, watching football, doing some cleaning... and getting started on my Christmas decorations! Matt got everything out of the garage yesterday, so today I'll probably just get the trees started and finish it all next weekend. Can't wait! :) I'm pretty much finished with Christmas shopping, thank goodness. Just have a few more things I'll order online. I have been in the mall the past few weeks way too many times, and I would be happy to never step foot in the mall again for the rest of my life! Shopping makes me miserable; I don't see how people enjoy it! For that reason, I have come to just  except that I will never be trendy or fashionable. So yesterday I babysat Celeste for a few hours. She's good, but man, it's

Loving the Process Is the Key To Results

There are two kinds of people in the gym: 1. Those who are training to get results. ... 2. Those who are training because they love it. Who builds the best body in the long run? Those who train because they love it! Don't get me wrong, those who train merely to get results will sometimes get short-term results, usually the inevitable "newbie gains." But they never achieve true, long-term success. Why? Because once you're past your beginner gains, progressing in physique and strength is hard. If you're only in it only for the results, they'll never come fast enough. So when you're passed that beginner stage and you have to work much harder for your gains, you simply won't make it far if you don't love the process. -Christian Thibaudeau

Be Confident

This picture someone made of me has been floating around the internet, and I just came across it again yesterday on Facebook, along with some of these comments: "Not on those legs she doesn't!!!" "Her legs sure don't show proof of her squatting anything but an egg" "Poor choice of a model. She's skin and bones." "With those tiny legs?" "Doesnt look like it... lol flat butt" "the girl in the pic doesn't look like she squats look at that ass its flat" Why, thank you so much, tell me something I didn't know! :-P Honestly, it really doesn't bother me at all. The funny thing is, in other pictures I've been told that I look like a man! Really? It's just amusing to me how people can sit behind a computer screen and make fun of someone they know nothing about. They don't know anything about me or my story. They don't know how hard I've worked to build up my skinny legs...they d

Pizza and PRs

Happy Monday! My husband's birthday is tomorrow, but we celebrated over the weekend by going out for pizza, of course, because that's his fave. My Italian boy from New York loooves his pizza! And I made him his favorite pumpkin cake that he requests every year. It's soooo good. Well, I had a great workout this morning, fueled by yesterday's pizza and pumpkin cake. :) I switched some things up for this month, and I really liked today's upper body workout: 1)Clean and jerks: worked up to 130x1   (the heaviest I've cleaned or jerked in a LONG time....like, years!) 2)Handstand pushups: 5-4-3-3-3-3-3 3a)Wide grip pullups: 7-6-6-6/ chin-ups x10 3b)DB chest press: 45x 8-8-8-8 4)Lateral raises: 2x12/ 1x8/6/6 (drop sets) 5)Bentover lateral raises: 2x12 Finisher: 5 rounds of : 25 rope slams + 30 double unders   I've actually hit a couple PRs in the last week-got 120lbs on bench for 5 reps(without a spot), which has been a goal of mine

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Welp, here we goooo!!!! It's that time of the year again...the holiday season! As much as I absolutely  cannot stand winter, the holidays just make me giddy with joy! :) I was talking to my husband about how excited I was for Christmas, and he cracked up laughing at me when I said, "When I look at a Christmas tree, I get so happy I could just cry!" I don't know what it is, but it just does something to me inside! Who else feels this way? BUT with the holidays come all those yummy family meals and treats galore .... I'm sure you're going to be reading on fitness sites about all the ways you can get through the holidays without gaining weight and all that, soooo I won't bore you with that, I'll just share my philosophy. I think the holidays should be enjoyed and that you should be able to have a few extra treats and sweets here and there, just the same as any other time of the year. Don't fret or stress about it! Because this is my lif

Cardio vs. Conditioning

Cardio vs. Conditioning:    http://www.t-nation.com/training/predator-conditioning If traditional cardio is your thing and makes you happy, then by all means, go for it! But this is why I choose not to. Well, this and the fact that I despise it. Just too funny not to share. ;)   Conditioning prepares you for battle. Cardio makes you really good at running slowly away. Conditioning fires up the metabolism. Cardio extinguishing it over time. Conditioning makes a man look good naked. Cardio makes a man look good in lavender skinny jeans and not much else. Conditioning builds legs of steel. Cardio builds legs of an underfed seabird. Conditioning makes you lean and hard. Cardio makes you small and soft. Conditioning gives you an upper body made of stone. Cardio gives you an upper body made of twigs and Jell-O. Conditioning makes you better at any physical activity. Cardio makes you good at cardio. Conditioning is sex. Cardio is cuddling and a chick-flick. Conditioning is test