Shaking Things Up A Bit

I decided to shake things up this week in regards to my weight training routine.  Instead of following a upper/lower body split to organize my workouts, I'm going to break things up a little differently.  The plan for the week looks like this:

Sunday: Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders and Abs
Monday: Hamstrings and Quadriceps
Tuesday:  Chest and Back
Wednesday:  Long Cardio
Thursday:  Butt and Abs
Friday: Plyometrics
Saturday: REST DAY

I got off to a good start with some nice giant sets this afternoon.  I completed each circuit 3 times, doing 15 reps of each exercise, resting only in between each giant set.

GIANT SET #1:

• Rotating biceps curls
• Triceps kickbacks
• Overhead presses
• Stability ball plank roll-ups

GIANT SET #2:

• Hammer curls
• Straight arm triceps pressbacks
• Lateral raises
• Stability ball roll-outs

GIANT SET #3:

• Wide biceps curls
• Overhead triceps extensions
• Arnold presses
• Plank circles on stability ball

GIANT SET #4:

• Biceps 21s
• Triceps dips
• Front dumbbell raises
• Plank with alternating knee drives

It was a great workout!!  I'm already looking forward to tomorrow's circuits.

I also decided to shake things up with my diet as a kind of "experiment."  I have decided to try being a vegan for a week.  I keep reading about all these people who feel immediately healthier when eliminating animal products and I want to see what all the hype is about.  So far, the only thing I've missed is the milk in my coffee.  Soy milk just doesn't seem to cut it...  If you've found a vegan solution for "cream" in your coffee, I'd love to hear it.  I have tried almond milk in my coffee in the past and it was absolutely repulsive so I'm not about to try that again.  Yuck!

The food I've had today has been yummy.  My morning oatmeal is already vegan but I did add a scoop of brown rice protein to it.  I found the rice protein to be a bit chalkier than whey protein but I think I may be able to tweak it to my liking.  I'm thinking almond milk might up the creaminess factor.  I've also had a TON of veggies, some homemade hummus, and am marinating some tempeh for dinner.  I can't wait to try it.  If it turns out to be as yummy as I hope it will be, I'll be sure to share the recipe.  I haven't felt deprived so far and had plenty of energy to power through my workout.  So far, things are looking good.  I'll keep you posted...




 

A GREAT Workout Day

Yesterday's "day of rest and relaxation" left me itching for some fitness today, so today's sunshine and crisp temperatures were just begging me to put the boys in the stroller and run my little heart out.  After a quick doctor's appointment and story hour at the library, we hit the road for a 7 mile run out to the beach and back.  I love that I can walk to the library with the boys and we had a great time at story hour.  The boys are little social butterflys and it's SO fun to watch.  They got their exercise crawling all over and playing with the toys after the organized class and then it was time for me to get my exercise while they napped.  It was GLORIOUS!  I'm not gonna lie, the bridges are always a challenge, especially with the stroller, but the sense of accomplishment I get when I hit the top is so fulfilling, I forget how hard the ascent was.  I hope this cool weather sticks around for a while.  It definitely makes for a more enjoyable workout. 

Upon returning home, it was time for an upper body workout.  I did some light weights on Saturday but it felt like it had been a while since I had really challenged my upper body so I decided to hit it heavy and fast.  I did the following workout from Peanut Butter Fingers with a couple adjustments to suit my training goals. 

My biceps are my strong suit and my triceps need some attention, so I substituted tricep kickbacks for the barbell bicep curls at the end.  I also finished out the workout with 2 minutes of various dumbbell triceps exercises to really hit my target zone. 

As usual, I also completed 5 minutes of plank variations.  I'm still trying to tighten up and tone my midsection as I fix my diastasis recti.  One day at a time... 

I'm really looking forward to a leg workout and some speedwork tomorrow.  What are your fitnes plans for the week?  Make em great!