Lindsay's Ramblings

Heeeey!! Happy Friday!   So next week I'm starting with my trainer, and I'm really excited! I decided to go with someone local rather than an online coach, just because for me, I feel like I needed someone who could give me instant feedback on my lifts and fix any issues in person. I'm not nervous about the meet since it's so far off at this point, but I'm just hoping I will be able to get stronger! For some reason I find myself thinking that I'm at my genetic limit in terms of strength and muscle gains, so I know I have to really work on my mindset. I have to truly believe that I can and WILL get stronger! My training lately has been going great. Since doing sumo deadlifts exclusively for the last few months, the chronic knots and tightness in my lower back is pretty much totally gone! It's awesome-I forgot what it felt like! I feel like I'm stronger at conventional deadlifts, but maybe I can get my sumo to catch up because the constant tightne...

 Protein  Ya'll know I loooove my protein powder. I just received a new shipment last week, and I'm excited to try the new flavors! Ab wheel rollouts I had not included these in my workouts for a while, and I forgot how effective they are. As hard as they can be, they are probably my favorite ab exercise.  Treat meals!  Last weekend I enjoyed this delicious treat from Culver's after our dinner. I finished every single bite, and it hit the spot. Probably one of my favorite desserts, second to donuts, of course! I'm so glad I can have treats like this in my life and know that it won't hold me back from reaching my goals. Actually, hasn't ice cream been scientifically proven to improve gym performance and muscle gains? Hehe. ;)  New books to read I picked up the second book in the Divergent trilogy, and I'm SO excited to read it.   Flex Friday! I love this cute crop tank I received from my sponsors, Crazy Ripped. Super cute a...

  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. A nd let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.   We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus , the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. -Hebrews 12:1-3-

Guess what, y'all? I signed up for a powerlifting meet! I just had to do it, otherwise I knew I would keep making excuses and putting it off. It's in December, so that gives me a good 3 months to train. I'll be starting with a trainer in early September. I always keep my reps pretty low on my main lifts, so I don't think I'll have to completely change up my routine or anything. But it will be fun to do something different! Here are the reasons I decided to do a powerlifting meet: *To get stronger(duh!) *To have a goal to work towards *To find and work on my weaknesses *To get out of my comfort zone and do something I've never done *T put my focus solely on performance and not looks *To help me with eating to fuel my lifts, not for abs(yes, I still struggle with this!) I'm scared and nervous...but I'm also excited! I'm excited to have a goal to work towards and also just to have a program to stick to and someone to coach me on my lift...

"BEAST MODE." You hear that term all the time in the fitness world, and honestly, I've really never been a fan of it. But this is not what you think...   My in-laws bought this shirt for me a while back, but I had never looked up the meaning until the other day. I loved it and had to share this from Juan Pierre who came up with the concept:   "Before I got saved I always thought Christians were soft especially Christian athletes. So once I got saved and developed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I realized that Jesus is a Beast. Jesus isn’t soft by any means. He died for me, for all of us, on the cross – He took my place on it (the Cross) and He saved me from eternal destruction (hell). Also, He was relentless in pursuing to do His Father’s business – He never gave up!   Jesus is our best example of how we should live on this earth. So if Jesus is a Beast then I should be a beast in every aspect of my life whether I’m ...

When most people decide they want to lose weight, the first thing they usually do is restrict. They decide to go on a "diet", which to most people means severely lowering calories, and/or eliminating all "bad" foods, or even entire food groups or macronutrients. So for example, they completely cut out all carbs, or swear off sweets, or whatever it may be, and initially, they get great results. The weight drops, they lose 20 pounds in just a few weeks, they feel great, and then... Usually one of two things happens: one day they have something that's not on their "diet", they over-do it and binge, feel guilty, go back to depriving and restricting until their next binge, and the cycle continues.   O R they simply just give up on their "diet" because they can't continue restricting, feeling deprived, having cravings, and being miserable all the time. So they go back to eating like crap, and then slowly bu...

1)It's been so long since I've made these muffins, I forgot how good they were! Since I had a buttload of sweets last week, I wanted something a bit healthier for this week's post workout treats. These hit the spot. Just oats, egg whites, pumpkin, and chocolate chips! You can never go wrong with pumpkin. 2)So. I'm like 90% set on doing a powerlifting meet in December. I met with a potential trainer today...I'm determined to really follow through with this! I thought about just waiting until next year, but I don't want to keep putting it off because I don't feel "ready". I think it's kind of like having a kid-you will NEVER feel quite ready! Yes, it's scares me, and I'm  afraid I'm going to embarrass myself, but who cares-it's about getting out of my comfort zone. Plus, it will be really fun training for strength and having a goal to work towards! 3)Here are some great articles I came across this week. Cheeeeck 'em ...

We just got back Saturday from a week in New York visiting family. We had a great trip, but it's always sad to leave. We had such a good time with the nephews-they are the cutest things!   Of course, I was not able to eat perfect while there(props to you people who can do that on vacation!), but I did try to eat good throughout the day and let myself have some treats and dessert with dinner on some days. Of course, we always have pizza a couple of times! And when I eat pizza, I can never have less than 3 slices. ;)   I was able to keep up with my workouts, although I didn't really stick to a plan, just kind of did whatever. Got in 4 days of lifting and a couple of walks. My workouts were okay-didn't feel super strong, probably due to having a week off before and not being on my normal eating routine. But deadlifts Saturday felt really good, and I was able to work up to a set of 210 for 3 reps, which is the heaviest I've done sumo style.    ...