Lindsay's Ramblings

I've recently been reading the blog of Bret Contreras, a well known certified strength and conditioning specialist who is apparently known as "the glute guy". His area of expertise is on glute training, and he has  tons  of great articles about building and strengthening the glutes. An exercise he is all about is heavy glute bridges/ hip thrusts.  Here's one of his articles showing some strong women doing  heavy hip thrusts. I want to be able to do that! http://bretcontreras.com/2012/04/a-strong-booty-is-a-healthy-booty/ This is an exercise I have never included in my workouts. I have done tons of heavy squats, lunges, step ups, and deadlifts, but never glute bridges or hip thrusts, which may be part of my problem as to why I'm having these hip and lower back issues now. I may be able to squat 210lbs...but I have weak glutes! So I'm going to start adding these into my training. So tomorrow I'm going to get a massage to see if t...

At the gym my husband manages there is this older couple that I always see there working out together, and it is just the cutest thing! They've got to be in their 70s, but they both look super fit and in shape. What I love is that they come in and do every exercise together at the same time, and I always see the man helping her with her form.  I also love the fact that they aren't just walking on the treadmill like most people their age, but they actually realize the importance of strength training. I can only hope that someday that will be me and my husband! Instead of wasting away on the couch, I want to be active and live life to the fullest in the last years of my life. I believe strength training is the fountain of youth(along with healthy eating), and while we never know what can happen, I believe that the things I am doing today are not just for my looks but are an investment in my future health and quality of life. THAT is what it's truly all about.

"So many things that money buys, but really nothing I can find like sunshine and love...."

I am a planner, I'm a listmaker. I like things to be structured. Therefore, my training lately has been driving me crazy . I've been trying different things, trying to figure out what I can and can't do with my legs, what exercises make it feel better or worse. Since I can't do a full leg workout, I've been trying to figure out different types of splits I can do-upper/lower, push/pull, or full body. I don't like to just go into the gym without a plan, and I don't like just doing random exercises. I think that's one of the reasons why I've had success. I've always planned and logged my workouts. I know sometimes it's good to just relax about it, but in my head, I feel like if I'm not on a structured plan that I can be consistent with, I won't get results. So this is my training plan for the next month or 2: Mon-upper heavy(3-5 reps) + tabata finisher Wed-snatches, upper pull+ full body finisher Thurs-upper push Sat-Snatc...

People always want to know what and how I eat, and I’m more than happy to share.  However, the way I eat works for ME, but may not necessarily work the same way for someone else. I have a naturally high metabolism, so I can eat higher calories and tolerate higher carbs than most women probably can.   Also, the fact that I have built so much muscle over the years and am already lean means that I can eat differently than someone who has 20-50 pounds to lose. My activity level is also higher than most average women, and the intensity is probably higher as far as the weight that I lift, therefore, I can afford to eat more.   My goal is to build muscle, which means I can consume more calories than I burn-NOT ideal if fat loss is your goal. With that being said, I am very mindful of what I eat. I stick to my planned meals every 3-4 hours, all of which consist of 20-30 grams of protein, a healthy carb, and fats at each meal.  I try to stay away from snac...

I KNOW you want results, but seriously, throw out the scale. Stop being obsessed with that stupid number, please . It means nothing. How many times do I have to say this? What I want you to focus on is being consistent with your strength training and pay attention to how your body is changing and how you are getting stronger. Are your legs starting to firm up, are your biceps starting to show a little more? You've reached your goal of getting a pullup and can do 10 real pushups? That's great, that's awesome ! So what if the stupid scale hasn't budged?  Those are some terrific accomplishments! Continue on with that, and you will continue to see results over time. Enough with the yo-yo dieting, the hours of cardio every day, the "quick fix" strategies! The people who care about nothing else but weight loss are usually the ones who will eventually gain all of it back after they've reached their "goal weight". Those who choose to make fitnes...

It’s sad how much people can change. I know it’s just part of life…but it still makes me sad sometimes. It’s sad how close my sister and I were growing up, how we would laugh and talk and share our secrets and have so much fun together…. and now we see each other maybe once every 3 months. The light in her eyes is gone, the girl who used to always make me laugh is sad and depressed.   She was my best friend, and now it’s like I don’t even know her, almost like I don’t even have a sister anymore, really. It’s sad to see the life that she’s chosen for herself, when I know she deserves so much more. Sometimes I wish I had a sister who I could just call up to go shopping with, or go out to lunch with, or whatever-just normal things sisters do together. But she lives too far away, doesn’t have transportation, can’t be away from her boyfriend for 5 minutes, and doesn’t have any money. I hope that someday things will change for her, but I may just have to accept that this is the way...