Lindsay's Ramblings

My training the last couple weeks has been a little all over the place. I wasn't able to get a workout in all this week with traveling and the photoshoot and everything(although I did do a bunch of kettlebell swings and battle ropes at the shoot-that counts, right?!). Plus, last week I cut my carbs and calories down and took out creatine in preparation for the shoot, so my workouts were  NOT very good! I'm really looking forward to getting back on track with my workout plan next week. Going to start working on deadlifts again( yay !!) and getting back into the lower rep strength workouts. Yesterday and today I decided to get my sweat on in my garage because I just needed to MOVE ! Especially after sitting on airplanes, it feels good to get those tight muscles moving. It is HOT and muggy here in KY, but there is something about working out in the heat with sweat dripping that just makes you feel amazing !  Just a lil' sweaty! Most of the time I love actually get

Wow, what a crazy past few days it has been! It was exhausting but exciting, and so much fun! I am proud to announce that I am now officially part of Team MuscleTech!   Tuesday I flew out with Matt to Toronto, Canada for a photoshoot for MuscleTech's new ad campaign!   As nervous and stressed as I was before the shoot, as soon as I got there and met everyone, my nerves just went away(thank you, Lord!).  The people there were all so amazing-the makeup artist, the photographer, and the people from Iovate, and they really made us feel comfortable.   There were two other people doing the shoot with me, Tricia and Jesse, who were both really cool. I was so glad that I was not the only one who had no photoshoot experience!     We had an amazing makeup artist(she's done all the pro fitness models, including Erin Stern! Yes, I had to ask!!). It was so much fun getting my makeup and hair done!    It looked so good, I didn't want to take it off that night

"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not." I'm not afraid to admit that I struggle with self confidence at times. I mean, most of the time I am confident in myself(or I can fake it pretty well if not!!)...but when it comes to doing something out of my comfort zone, something I've never done before, something I'm not good at... I'm instantly filled with self doubt and insecurity. The negative voice inside takes over, blocking out everything else, which only leads to anxiety, worry and fear. The inner pessimist comes out, and I begin to think about all the "what ifs", compare myself to others, and worry about what other people think of me. I'm the type of person who likes to be the best at everything I do. I'm a perfectionist. I've always been that way. I wanted to get really good grades in school, I wanted to be the best player on my softball team, and I wanted to be the strongest in the we

* SEPTEMBER TRAINING PLAN*   MONDAY-UPPER BODY 1).Barbell clean & press 5x3-5 2)Close grip bench press 4x5-8 3a) Wide grip pullups 5x6 3b) Overhead dumbbell press 4x6-8 4a) T-bar rows 4x8 4b)L-sit hold Finisher- farmers walks or overhead carries, battle ropes, or jump rope WEDNESDAY-LOWER BODY 1a)Deadlift 4x5 1b)Vertical jump 3x5 2)Bulgarian split squat 4x6-8 3)Barbell hip thrust 3x8 4)Back Extensions Giant set 5a)Calf raises 5b)Reverse crunches   FRIDAY -UPPER BODY 1)Handstand pushups 4xamap 2a)Neutral grip pullups or ring pullups 3x8 2b)Parallel bar dips 4x8-10 3a)Cable face pulls 3x12-15 3b)EZ bar drag curls 3x12-15 4)Lateral raises  Giant set SATURDAY-LOWER BODY 1)Glute ham raise 3x5 2)Squats 2x6/1x8/1x12 3a)Single leg glute bridge 3x10-12 3b)Hanging leg raises 3x8-10 Finisher- kettlebell swings, battle ropes, or sled pushes Some good internet reads I've come across recently; check them out! Clean eating? http

"Think eating healthy is hard? Think it sucks? Well, you won’t be surprised then, when you experience just that. Think you have no time to exercise? Then you certainly won’t find time with that mindset. Think your body is disgusting? That’s a choice you are making to see it that way. Someone else may look at your physique and kill for it. Your attitude determines your reality–bottom line. If you can change your attitude about the fat loss process, you can change your experience of it." -Jill Coleman

Hi everyone! I just got back from our "vacation" in New York yesterday. We had a great time, but the week went by way too fast! Now it's back to reality. :( So Friday we flew in to New York City because my father-in-law had set up a surprise birthday trip for my mother-in-law. She was thinking the two of them were just going on a weekend trip to the city, but me, Matt, and my brother and sister-in-law all surprised her by being in her hotel room when she got there! She had no clue! We had a good time seeing all the sights in NYC and going to see a Broadway show.     Sunday we flew from NYC to Rochester for the rest of the week. We finally got to meet our little nephew, Caleb, who we hadn't seen in person yet. He is such a cutie with all that hair! We have the cutest nephews! :) We took Noah to the Varysburg safari and had a great time seeing all the animals! Soooo I'm not gonna lie, I ate pretty bad the whole entire week. I'm ta

Yesterday I rode out to my mom's and spent the day with Celeste! It had been almost 2 weeks since I'd seen her last-way too long!   I just can't get enough of her! She is so adorable. I'm going to have so much fun spoiling this little girl!   So anyway, this week I'm doing a deload, and then next week we'll be visiting the in-laws in New York, which I'm excited about! I'll be able to keep up my usual training plan while I'm there since they have a weight room. I always have a little anxiety about how I'm going to eat when I'm there, but I just need to relax and not worry about it too much.   One thing I'm NOT excited about is that my stupid knee is acting up again. It felt completely fine, then I must have done something Saturday at the gym to irritate it. The weird thing is, it's not sore to the touch and it doesn't hurt to squat or anything, just hurts when I walk. I guess I will have to get it checked out if it

"Question everything. The reality is that there’s no secret solution. There’s no magical nutrient that will make or break your progress, there’s no magical macronutrient composition that will allow you to bypass the laws of thermodynamics, and there’s nothing magical about certain nutrient timing or meal frequencies . The reality is that not everyone has a food allergy. Not everyone should be eating a low carb diet. Not everyone should be drinking buttered coffee. Not everyone should believe dogmatic claims. The most important factor in successful diets is a caloric deficit and being able to have flexibility in order to adhere to the diet over a long period of time . That’s it. Dieting is not a religion, although some people take it to that extreme. Your particular dieting protocol doesn’t make you morally superior than anyone else. Dieting doesn’t have to control your life . There is a way to be flexible, eat the foods you love without worrying about toxins and carbs and s

The majority of people I see at the gym are doing ineffective workouts with all the wrong exercises, and consequently, not getting results. One thing I see so many people in the gym doing wrong is only working certain muscles while neglecting others. For women, it's usually tricep kickbacks and the inner/outer thigh machine that they focus on, and for men, it's usually abdominal machines and chest exercises. Most women's workouts I see at a typical gym consist of cardio, the inner/outer thigh machine, a few ab exercises, and then maybe some bicep curls and tricep kickbacks. Very rarely do I see women doing pushups(one of the best exercises you can do!), and almost never do I see women squatting with any significant amount of weight, and definitely NOT with a barbell on their back.  Don't be scared to squat! Even though most of us know that you can't spot reduce and that lifting heavy weights won't cause women to get all huge and bulky, I think that mos

Interesting! My concept of nutrition and "clean" eating has definitely been changing lately. Like I always say, there is no one "perfect" nutrition plan and everyone has different opinions about what is "best". But I have to say, I agree pretty much with everything he says in this video. I have had my own experience with being obsessed with eating "clean" and not allowing myself to have certain foods, and I know the anxiety it can cause. To me, that is not healthy, and that's why my nutrition philosophy is changing. What are your guy's thoughts on this? Any of you follow the IIFYM protocol?