Post Vacation 21 Day Shape Up

Hi all,

I have just returned from a relaxing and indulging vacation. Before I left I was on a 6 week strength and muscle-building program that went great. I had planned on running during my time away but before I left I pulled something in my lower leg from doing sprints so I decided to do a little walking and recovering. It went great but I also over indulged with a few goodies. I do not feel guilty about my indulgences because I was on vacation enjoying myself and having a great time. However, the results of that are me feeling tired, sluggish, less motivated. So enter a new program.

I love the http://www.bodybuilding.com website because it is full of free workout programs and great information overall. I found a program I am going to be doing over the next 21 days. It is called The Bizzy Diet 21 Day Fitness Plan. It is designed for the busy persons lifestyle with a focus on strength and muscle-building which I want to continue and also on fat loss. It incorporates Hiit (high intensity interval training), which I love, at the beginning and the middle of the workout. I like this because you get the strength and cardio in one workout. Perfect for me. Below is the link for an overview of what it is all about. Check it out if you may be interested too. I will be posting about my progress over the next 21 days. The great thing about this program, is that it can be done at home too. You do not have to have a gym membership, just dumbbells and a great attitude. Time to get Bizzy 🙂

 

*Not all exercises are suitable for everyone. Consult your physician before beginning any new exercise or nutrition program.

 

 

Increasing Metabolism and Strength

So in my previous post I started the 21 day program from Ashley Conrad. I did it but not exactly all 21 days. It is a great workout and one that I will go back to when I need a full body intense workout. Now, I have started another workout program. It is by Erin Stern and it is called the Elite Body Workout. She is a figure competitor, Ms. Olympia and a track and field athlete. I was inspired by her workout because I love her style and the way she trains. I love to run so I have to include it in my workouts and her training method always includes HIIT (high intensity interval training) which works great with my runs too. I am feeling so much stronger! I began the workout 2 weeks ago and I can see a difference already. I am following a clean eating plan similar to hers also. The workout is for 4 weeks but I am stretching it 6 weeks. I have been progressing with the weights and getting stronger. I find that when I follow a complete plan I stay motivated and really enjoy it more. The only thing I changed was adding another leg day. I know my body and it responds better to 2 leg days per week, of course with plenty of recovery between. Legs are shaping up!   I am doing this program because I reset my goals. My new goals are to increase my strength, power, muscle, and speed. I took before photos in a swim suit so I can really see my progress by the end of the 6 weeks. My nutrition consists of lean protein, vegetables, fruit, brown rice, quinoa,  sweet potatoes, oatmeal, almond milk, protein shakes, and nuts. I avoid processed food. No bread, cheese, milk, sugar, butter, sauces, junk etc… It is going pretty smooth because I eat clean most of the time. I love lifting weights and learning more about different styles of lifting. I believe if you really want to change the shape of your body, increase strength, and increase metabolism you must lift weight and I mean weight, not the dinky vinyl covered weights. It is time to pump some iron. There are great workouts and articles about lifting, nutrition, and supplementation over at http://www.bodybuilding.com and below is a clip of the Erin Stern’s training philosophy.  Check it out. My actual workout split is: Monday-rest Tuesday – Plyometrics and Legs Wednesday – High Intensity Cardio Thursday – Chest and Shoulders/Sprints Friday- Back/Sprints Saturday- Plyometrics and Legs Sunday – Shoulders and Arms/Sprints I vary my cardio and sprints. It will sometimes be running, spinning bike, stepmill, or the elliptical. I always keep it high intensity. I will have more on HIIT and steady state cardio in my next post. Have a great day everyone! Go pump some iron! 🙂

Lean Muscle, Fat Burning 21 Day Challenge Starts Today

I am so excited about this new training program I have started today. It is a 21 day challenge I found at http://www.bodybuilding.com by Ashley Conrad, a fitness expert and celebrity trainer. Her program is called The Clutch Cut 21 Day Challenge. She promotes cutting the crap and cutting the fat. 🙂 I like her already. This is just what I need to motivate myself, build lean muscle and burn fat. Her program is awesome because you train at a high intensity for 5 days with rest days as well. I like it because the lifting days are full body workouts which I know my body responds well to. I never have had good success with split training. She also includes HIIT cardio training which will work well with my 1/2 marathon training since my goal is to get faster. I started today with the cardio and core. I did a warm up of light running, stretching, then 10 circuits of interval training (scale 1-10 using treadmill, bike, elliptical or outside run) which included an easy run for 60 seconds (level 5) a faster run for 30 seconds (level 7) and a sprint for 60 seconds (level 10). I finished with a steady run for another mile then cooled down. It felt great. I cannot wait to do the lifting circuit tomorrow. I will give a quick update when done.

She also gives complete nutrition information which is very similar to the way I eat. I am also going to follow her nutrition plan as I train. Who wants to join the challenge with me? Let’s keep each other motivated for the next 21 days. I love it when a good plan comes together.