My Workout Week: Dec. 8 - Dec. 14, 2013

I'm working through Jamie Eason's 12 week Live Fit program on bodybuilding.com. I'm following the weight training program she's outlined, but doing my own nutrition plan.

On days that included cardio, I did the weight training early in the morning before work, and the cardio after work before dinner.

Sunday: off
Monday: Back, cardio
Tuesday: chest, abs, cardio
Wednesday: glutes, legs
Thursday: biceps, triceps, abs, cardio
Friday: shoulders (should have done cardio too, but I didn't make it back to the gym for it)
Saturday: was supposed to be another leg day, but I skipped it

My Workout Week: Nov. 18 - Nov. 23, 2013

My workouts this week consisted of only weight training. I will add in cardio two weeks from now. This is part of Jamie Eason's Live Fit workout on bodybuilding.com. I should have done five days, but I only got four of them in. I didn't make it on Thursday or Saturday - no biggie.... still trucking.

Sunday: off
Monday: legs
Tuesday: back & biceps
Wednesday: chest & triceps
Thursday: off
Friday: legs

My Workout Week: Nov. 3 - Nov. 9, 2013

I started a new program this week. This 12 week routine was written by Jamie Eason, one of my favorite fitness spokespeople. Jamie is featured in magazines like Muscle & Fitness Hers, Fitness RX for Women and others. She also recently had a baby and allowed us to peek inside her life throughout her pregnancy and after-childbirth experiences via Facebook.

Jamie wrote this Live Fit program a few years ago. I've followed it once before and got awesome results. I'm going to be doing my own nutrition plan instead of using the one she outlines in the program. (I'll write a separate post about that soon.) But I will be following the workout routine pretty closely as written. Be sure to click through the links and explore. Jamie has created and shares some yummy recipes too.

Sunday: off
Monday: chest & triceps
Tuesday: back & biceps
Wednesday: off
Thursday: legs
Friday: shoulders & abs

My Workout Week: Oct. 20 - Oct. 26, 2013

I had a great week of workouts last week. Getting to the gym isn't usually a problem for me. My challenge is with my eating. For my nutrition last week, I was about 70/30, good/bad ratio. I'm slowly but surely getting closer to not craving high-carb foods, like bread and chips, as much. It has to be one of those things where it has to really, really matter, and for the right reasons. The longer goal has to be bigger than the immediate moment. I'm getting there...

Sunday: off
Monday: Legs & abs
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Back, biceps & cardio
Thursday: off
Friday: Chest, shoulders & triceps
Saturday: off

My Workout Week: Oct. 13 - Oct. 19, 2013

It's been a quiet week around here - the blog, I mean. Busy week everywhere else. I managed to get in a workout on all but one day, though.

I'm the nerd who listens to podcasts instead of music while working out. I've heard a few really good interviews on topics I'm getting excited about. I have ideas for some articles I'll write here soon.

This was my workout routine this week:

Sunday: off
Monday: chest, shoulders, triceps, cardio
Tuesday: cardio/circuit
Wednesday: legs, abs
Thursday: back, biceps
Friday: off
Saturday: chest, shoulders, triceps

My Workout Week: Oct. 6 - Oct. 12, 2013

This week was skimpy on workouts. I over-trained my back early in the week and ended up with a very sore lower back by mid-week.

If you know what it feels like to have pulled a muscle in your lower back, that's what I was feeling. I don't think I pulled it, though, because the pain came on hours after my last workout instead of immediately after a movement. By the end of Wednesday, I could hardly stand up straight or do anything that requires the lower back muscles without cursing my Wednesday morning workout. You don't realize how much you use the muscles in your lower back until you feel each thing.

I took the rest of the week off from the gym. I'm feeling much better now. I'll re-start my workout routine, picking up where I left off, tomorrow morning.

Sunday: off
Monday: legs & abs
Tuesday: core builder/cardio
Wednesday: back & biceps
Thursday: off
Friday: off
Saturday: off

My Workout Week: Sept. 22 - Sept. 28, 2013

I skipped two days of my planned routine for this week. On Thursday I felt run-down and ill, and I'm convinced it was caused by my diet on Tuesday and Wednesday. Those days were big days at work and for a couple of events in the evenings, and I ate horribly. By Thursday, it was all I could do to get myself out of bed on time and go through my work day. By evening, however, I was feeling much better because I took care to eat limited carbs and sugar all day and limited my calories. Friday morning, I was back at the gym and feeling great.

I skipped my Saturday workout because of my diet as well. Ugh!!! We had breakfast at Bob Evans with family, and I took full advantage of the occasion to scarf down two of their scrumptious biscuits along with eggs, potatoes, gravy and sausage. The rest of the day was full of family in from out of town and lots of mindless munching.

The way my body performs and how it treats me depends so much on what food I put in my mouth. I know that fact going into a bad eating day, and it never fails to prove true. I'm going to pledge not to have any of those days this upcoming week.

Sunday: Back, biceps
Monday: Cardio (circuit training)
Tuesday: Chest, triceps, shoulders
Wednesday: Legs, abs
Thursday: off
Friday: Back, biceps and cardio
Saturday: off

My Workout Week: Sept 15 - Sept 21, 2013

This was my 2nd week with this 12 week program. The weight training portion is patterned after Lee Lebrada's program on bodybuilding.com. I made a couple of small changes, and I'm doing my own cardio and nutrition plan. The basic model for weight training is two days on, one day off. In addition, I'm doing two to four cardio workouts each week.

Sunday: chest, shoulders, triceps and cardio
Monday: legs and abs
Tuesday: cardio and abs (circuit training)
Wednesday: back, biceps and cardio
Thursday: chest, shoulders and triceps
Friday: off
Saturday: legs, abs and cardio

My Workout Week: Sept. 8 - Sept. 14, 2013

This week I started a plan that's structured around a program I found on bodybuilding.com. Lee Labrada's 12-week Lean Body Program is a plan that makes sense and covers all the bases: weight training, cardio and nutrition. It starts out with basic moves and tons of information, and moves into more advanced workouts as the weeks progress.

The outline is to do weight training two days on, one day off repeatedly. Muscle groups are split in a three day cycle. I plan to follow the weight training schedule pretty closely and do my own cardio two to four days a week. This week I only got cardio in on two days. I intended to do cross training today, but my body was really needing a rest, so I took it. I may end up doing 30 minutes of yoga later this evening.

Sunday: Rest

Saturday: Rest day and 60 minute massage.

My Workout Week

This week was a re-boot after a couple of weeks of active rest. I typically like to do weight training at least 5 days a week, splitting up muscle groups throughout the week, and cardio 3 or 4 days a week. Since I was getting back in the gym after a break, I modified my weight training accordingly.

Monday: weights (lower body, abs) and cardio
Tuesday: weights (upper body)
Wednesday: cardio (circuit training) 
Thursday: weights (full body)
Friday cardio (HIIT) 
Saturday: cardio (HIIT) and abs

Feel free to contact me with any questions or assistance with this week's workout.

Monday

 

Tuesday

 

Wednesday

Thursday

 

Friday

 

Saturday