Want strong arms? See the preacher...

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     This is a quick post but did you know that every gym has a preacher? No, it is not one of the trainers on a podium declaring what you should be doing to get fit. No. The preacher is a bench at the gym that is used for arm exercises and resembles a preacher's podium. I sorta laughed to myself the day Brandon said to me "meet me over at the preacher." I was like "huh?" And he points to a piece of equipment in the middle of the gym and explains that it's called the preacher bench because it resembles a preachers podium and lifters 'pray at the preacher bench for big arms.' (insert laughing emoji here)

     So for those of you who don't know this (because I didn't until recently) the preacher bench is a bench with a slanted pad that you sit behind with your arms resting on the pad and your chest up against it while doing bicep curls (or in this case known as preacher curls) with an EZ bar. You raise the bar to your shoulders as your starting position and then lower the bar until your arm is fully extended before using your biceps to curl the bar back up to your shoulders again. As far as breathing goes (because Brandon always has to remind me to do this) inhale as you extend the bar. Exhale as you raise the bar. Easy Peasy.

     So I sit down to do my curls at the preacher. To start I thought it was one of the easier exercises to do on arm day. (don't tell Brandon I said that. Haha.) That is, easier until Brandon starts adding weight. And as with many things at the gym there are variations of the movement. You can do preacher curls with dumbbells both arms together or alternating. Or Brandon had me do a similar exercise on the cables. A variation of the preacher curl. I sat on the floor with a padded board on the cable bench, I had my arms in a similar position on the board while I leaned against the bench and did curls with the cables. And apparently there are other preacher curl variations you can try..

     So the next time you go to the gym if you see someone (or maybe it's you) at the preacher bench you know they are praying for strong arms.

Deadlifts, progressive overload, PR max and deficits, yeah mind blown!

     Tuesday night was a back workout night and when I arrived at the gym Brandon said to me, "It's time to step it up and go heavy with standard deadlifts." Now if you don't know what a deadlift is it's a training exercise using a standard loaded barbell where the barbell is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, then lowered to the ground. (See Gym Lingo, a vocabulary lesson) Little did I know that I was going to get an education in deficit deadlifts, progressive overload and Linear Periodization. Yeah. If it sounds technical to you then you will understand when I say I looked at Brandon like "Huh?" In fact, his first explanation I can safely say went right over my head and once again reminded me of how well educated in training and powerlifting Brandon is. He never ceases to amaze me. He looked at me and said ok. Then went on to explain it all in a way I could understand. 

     Now Brandon told me that one way to stay motivated with workouts at the gym it to set goals in squats and deadlifts. He explained how squats, deadlifts and bench are the big three when it comes to powerlifting. I looked at him with a look of shock (at least I can imagine that was the look on my face) when he told me he thought I was capable of squatting 225 if I worked up to it using Linear Periodization. Linear what?? Linear Periodization. Again I was like huh? Let's just say progressive overload. Ok. At least I can pronounce that one. haha. And then he explained to me what he was talking about. Now Brandon said a lot when we had this conversation and it all made sense and it made me want to set PR (personal record) goals and use this method to reach them. Because as I've said before, my goals at the gym keep changing. I started out in June wanting to lose weight and get in shape, then I added the goal to get strong, and as I get strong I set other goals that get me there. Tuesday night, I initially asked Brandon how much weight I could realistically squat after I reach my first goal of 135 (two 45lb plates + the barbell) for 8 reps. When he said he thought I could realistically squat 225 I thought, 'yeah ok.' But he was serious. He said I was strong enough. I just had to work up to it. Mind over matter.

     So how will I get to 225? By using a technique called Linear Periodization or progressive overload. Brandon explained that by gradually increasing the stress I place on my body during training and by doing it in cycles to max my reps I can, over a given time period, reach my goals in both deadlifts and squats. He further explained that I would begin with a weight just below my current max in a given number of reps and then gradually add weight for that rep range until I max out. For example right now my max for squats is 125 for 8 reps. For progressive overload I would begin with 115 for 8 reps and then add weight in multiples of 5 or 10 lbs (listening to my body) until I hit my max for 8 reps. I would do this over a given number of weeks or months and can vary the number of reps. Drop down to 6 reps and see what I max out at and then 4 reps etc... until I find my 1 rep max. The same technique can be used for deadlifts and the bench. So by using progressive overload I would be gradually increasing the volume, intensity, frequency or time in order to achieve the goal. He also explained how workouts should alternate between high reps and max weight. One week I should be doing a higher number of reps with not as much weight and the next week do fewer reps working on increasing my max weight. The high rep weeks may be a combination of more movements, supersets & drop sets while the fewer reps weeks may be just two or three exercises while increasing my max weight in the rep range I'm working on. He said having sufficient recovery and rest between these types of workouts is key. And by using this technique I will see greater gains in physical strength and muscle development. 

     So we started deadlifts that night with two 25's or 95 lbs with the bar. It was at this point that Brandon explained what a deficit deadlift is. So 45 lb plates are considered the standard plate when lifting. Physically 25's are smaller in diameter than 45's. So when using 25 lb plates the barbell sits lower to the ground. This is considered a deficit deadlift. The lifter exercises a wider range of motion when executing the lift as a result. So when we moved up to 45's (total 135 lbs) the movement is slightly different because there is no deficit. Soon as he put the 45's on I stood there looking at the barbell. And as if to read my mind, Brandon said, "Don't you dare get intimidated because of the size of the plates. The weight is only 10 lbs more than what you just did." We had worked up to the 45's. But yes, the size of the plates suddenly changed the game for me. But it didn't take long for me to get over it mentally. I did 135 for 12 reps. When I finished Brandon said, "add a 10." and I finished with a max of 155 for 12 reps. Not bad for my first deadlift day. 

     Needless-to-say after deadlifts and the explanation Brandon gave me my head was spinning (just a bit) and I even said to Brandon, 'boy, do I hope I get it right when I blog about it. Because you know I will." So when I sat down to write this I went and looked up the internet definition of progressive overload and Linear Periodization just to see because I hadn't heard about it before Brandon explained it to me. What I found was the explanation for progressive overload was exactly what Brandon had explained in layman's terms. But the explanation for Linear Periodization was so technical I think my mind exploded when I read it. Which again reminded me of how well educated Brandon is in what he does. He explained the science behind the technique and then explained it in a way I could understand. Everyone keeps telling me that I should be able to do this on my own now that I've been training with Brandon for 7 months and I always say, 'No, there is still so much I don't know.' Well Tuesday's workout is a great example of what I mean when I say I'm not ready.

Let's talk turkey

     So today I got a scolding from my trainer, Brandon. And when I say 'scolding' I mean I got the look (of disappointment) and then he explained that he actually thought he was going to have to yell at me. Why? Because for three days I strayed from the program. Thursday was Thanksgiving day. One day off plan turned into three days of cheat meals. But last night I had come to the realization that it was time to get back at it when I found myself sitting at the bar in a Mexican restaurant with a bowl of guac and chips and a margarita sitting in front of me.

     Last weekend I was worried about this week mainly because Thursday was Thanksgiving day, the first big food holiday since I have been on my carb cycling meal plan. I was nervous to say the least. But I didn't realize that the holiday wasn't the only thing I should have been worrying about. Last Sunday night when I was doing meal prep for my work week (which this week was Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) I realized that my alternating carb days would play out where Thanksgiving day was a zero carb day. Yeah right! I told Brandon, "Nope, that's not happening." His response was to swap out the days and do two zero carb days before Thursday. I was a little nervous about that idea but I prepped for Tuesday and Wednesday to be zero carbs and hoped I would not be starving by Thursday. haha.

     Monday to Wednesday I was fine. It actually wasn't as bad or as difficult as I had thought it would be. I did a carb day and then two zero carb days and trained every night with Brandon. The plan was to do a zero carb breakfast on Thanksgiving and then train that morning before all the food and festivities. But as fate would have it, I overslept on Thursday morning, woke up 15 minutes before I was supposed to be at the gym and because I was rushing to get there I never ate breakfast. To try and ward off hunger I stopped and got two Americanos, one for me and one for Brandon. We trained hamstrings that morning which was not really what I had in mind for a holiday. But after the intense workout that included; seated hamstring curls superset with stiff-legged deadlifts, wide stance squats on the smith machine superset with reverse lunges and lying hamstring curls superset with Good Mornings, I was glad we did legs. I felt pumped.

     I don't know if it was the workout that did it but when I got to Thanksgiving dinner I was excited about the cheat meal but tried to be smart about what I put on my plate. My biggest weakness was what came before the actual meal, the snacks, apps and finger foods. My brother-in-law made bacon cheese dip (a cup of mayo, cup of onion, cup or bacon and cup of cheese baked in a hollowed out loaf of bread and served with crackers). I tried so hard to steer clear of it because I knew one bite would not suffice. I ended up giving in and about a half dozen bites later I was asking myself why I even took one bite. Oh well, one little set back. I made sure my dinner plate was mostly veggies, I didn't use gravy on anything and I took reasonable portions and did not go back for seconds. I had one glass of wine which was a huge deal for me since I hadn't drank since before the challenge 10 1/2 weeks before. When dinner was over I had a sliver of pumpkin pie and a sliver of my sister's ever popular pumpkin cheese cake. When I got home that night the plan was to go back to carb cycling the next morning.

     But instead of getting back to carb cycling Friday I ended up out to breakfast with friends, not doing meal prep and just eating whatever was available but healthy and skipping my supps. Saturday was no better when I slept in, ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast and then didn't eat anything else all day until we went out to dinner (which is the point at which I found myself with a margarita in one hand and a chip with guac on it in the other.) Not good. And idk if I was looking for Brandon to get me back on track or yell at me but I sent him a picture of my margarita and said I was having one last 'treat' before I went back on plan. It was at that point that I realized I was slipping and needed to reel myself in. It was also in that moment that I realized that I can't let challenges take my attention away from my goals. Eyes on the prize as Brandon would say.

     So Sunday afternoon when I came in for training Brandon looked right at me and said I needed to get focused again. He explained that I'm at a point in my journey when I am more confident and I like how my body looks. But I have to be careful because I'm not at my goal yet. He told me once I reach my goal I will be able to go off plan for short spans or skip the gym if I get busy (long as I always come back) and my body will bounce back quickly. But right now I cannot do that. I'm still working towards my goal and my body is still changing and I need to stay focused on that. Somehow the thought of disappointing him was enough to get me back in line.  Back on the carb cycling meal plan and leg day heavy squat day. And today was a day to make progress with my squats too. I was pumped when I got a new personal record 125 lbs for 2 sets of 8 reps!

     So if you find yourself struggling to get through a holiday or celebration remember the most important thing is to get back to your plan when its over. Make smart choices and don't over do it but enjoy yourself. Let yourself have fun but don't let it get out of hand. Don't let one day turn into several days. Get back on plan. Get back to the gym. Zero in on your goals. And get it!

Gym Lingo, a vocabulary lesson

     When I first started training at Muscle Inc. I was completely new to the whole gym culture. And it is a culture I did not understand until I became a part of it. Part of what I didn't understand was the lingo. I found myself constantly asking Brandon 'what's that?' or 'what does that mean?' It has taken me 6 months but I think I've heard it all (or at least most of it.). One night while training I was corrected when I called one of the trainers 'skinny.' I was told she's not skinny (in fact that is an insult.) Instead she's lean. So this got me thinking about all the gym lingo I have heard over the last 6 months. And the English teacher in me decided I needed to do a vocabulary lesson for today's blog post. So if you are new to working out at the gym or if you 've never been here's a collection of gym terminology you may find useful. This blog post is more of a reference tool than a top to bottom read.

People at the gym:

Photo from TransformPT

newbie ~  The word newbie in the gym has a similar meaning as it does in other settings. The gym
newbie is someone who is new to the gym and usually has no idea what they are doing. Back in June I was a newbie and in many ways I still consider myself a newbie.

trainer ~ The trained, knowledgeable, fit individuals who work usually one on one with clients at the gym helping them reach their fitness and nutrition goals. These commanding individuals can make climbing stairs impossible for 48 hours at a time (or at least until the soreness wears off).

gym rat ~ The gym rat is someone who is addicted to the gym. They are dedicated to training on a daily or almost daily basis. I've become a gym rat.

lifter ~ These mighty individuals can be found lifting in multiples of 45 lb plates and like to squat, bench press and deadlift.

Working out:
rep ~ Short for repetition a rep is moving a weight through a range of motion and then back again one time.

set ~ A given number of reps. The way of measuring an exercise movement that is repeated a desired number of times. Four sets of 12 reps would be doing 12 reps four times with short rest periods in between each set.

super set ~ Step up any workout by doing supersets where two exercises are done back to back with little or no rest between them.

drop set ~ The first time Brandon said drop set I was like what? This grueling strength training technique is where weight is reduced mid-set, and the exercise continued until exhaustion. 

rest ~ The time between sets where you take a break. In my case, the time when Brandon and I bullshit about just about anything related to my training.

failure ~ In the gym failure is not a negative thing. When weight training to failure, the movement is done until exhaustion.

form ~ Exactly as it sounds, form is the particular way you do a the movement of an exercise. It is important to get the form right before you add weight to any exercise. Lifting more weight won't make a difference if you don't have the right form. It took me 3 months to get the form right for a barbell squat.

spot ~ If someone spots you it means they stand by as you lift weights in case you need help. Part of the role of a trainer is to spot the client when necessary.

shred ~ At the gym, to shred is to do exercises that help you burn fat and make your muscles appear more defined.

HIIT ~ High Intensity Interval Training... a cardio workout that uses intervals of high intensity and steady state activity to maximize fat burning and boost your metabolism. Brandon likes to have me do HIIT on the speed bike with intervals of 15/45 secs or 30/30 secs for 10 minutes. The intensity of the workout leaves you feeling like you were on the treadmill for 45 minutes.

split ~ The way in which your trainer divides up muscle groups into different training days. The more training days in the week, the more a training session can focus on specific muscles.

grind ~ In the gym grinding is a long,  physically draining workout.

lats ~ Short for the latissimus dorsi, are the large muscles of the back. 

bis ~ Short for biceps, the large muscles of the front of the upper arm.

tris ~ Short for triceps, the large muscle of the back of the upper arm

quads ~ Short for quadriceps, the large muscle group of the thighs

hammies ~ Short for hamstrings, the muscle group that runs down the back of your leg from your thigh to your knee.

glutes ~ Short for gluteus, the muscle group of the buttocks. 

muscle memory ~ The ability to repeat a particular workout movement without conscious thought, a result of frequent repetition of that movement.

chins and dips (or as Brandon calls them chips and dip) ~ But these are no snack. Done on an assisted machine these two movements work multiple muscle groups. While chins will work the biceps and back, dips will work the chest, triceps and shoulders.

Equipment:

barbell ~ The bar made for lifting weights that are added to it. A standard barbell weighs 45 lbs.

kettlebells ~ A ball-shaped weight with a handle on it. I often use them during a leg day workout while doing lunges.

dumbbells ~ A small bar with weights (smaller version of the barbell) on each end used in pairs or singly in weight training.

EZ bar ~ A bar that is a variation on the barbell. The bar is bent to make it easier for arm exercises like bicep curls.

bench ~ Literally just that. A bench, incline or lay down, to sit on/lay on for lifting weights.

plates ~ The metal weights various size/lbs designed to be stacked on a barbell. Heavy lifters add weight in multiples of 45 lb plates.

barbell clamps ~ Also known as collars, the clamp is placed on barbells to keep the plate(s) from being too loose and possibly falling off the bar while in use.

cables ~ The cables are a piece of gym equipment with various sets of stacked weights attached to a cable and pulley and uses various handles that work different muscle groups depending on what you are working. The cables at Muscle Inc have 5 different stations.

smith machine ~ The smith machine is a weight machine that includes a barbell set in a steel frame that allows vertical movement of the barbell. Plates can be added to the barbell to add weight. When training Brandon had me use the smith machine to learn my squat form before going to the regular barbell.

Nutrition:
clean eating ~ Eating clean involves avoiding packaged and processed foods and eating foods as close to their natural state as possible. It involves choosing whole foods, avoiding processed foods, and creating a healthy, conscientious approach to what foods you eat. To eat clean is to remove unnecessary fats, sugars, and carbs from your diet. It's about making better, more nutritious choices for your body with healthy fats, protein and carbs.

prepping/food prep ~ The weekly preparation of meals for a given number of days. I usually do food prep on Sundays for my work week breakfast & lunch. Post workout and dinner meals I prepare fresh.

macros ~ Short for macronutrient, a macro is the nutritional parts of a diet that are necessary in large quantities; protein, carbs, & fat. On the flip side a micronutrient or micros are the nutritional parts of the diet required in small quantities; vitamins and minerals.

carb cycling ~  A nutritional strategy that involves 'cycling' carbs through your meal plan to help boost fat loss and maintain metabolism.

Goals:
gains ~ Gains refers to any progress you have made in your training. (what you have gained)

cutting ~ Cutting refers to losing fat while gaining muscle. If someone looks cut they look lean and muscular.

bulking up ~ Bulking up refers to building up your muscle. When bulking up the builder will make changes to his/her diet to increase their calorie intake.

ripped/jacked/shredded ~ Ripped, jacked and shredded can all be used when describing someone with great muscle definition.

swole ~ If someone is swole they are very muscular and have great muscle definition.

beast mode ~ Beast mode is performing a difficult task with beast-like strength, skill or determination.

PB/PR ~ Personal Best and Personal Record

Expressions:
pumped ~ being pumped at the gym has the same meaning as in other contexts; filled with energetic excitement and enthusiasm.

shaboooom ~ expression of approval or affirmation, like saying 'there ya go!' Brandon says this all the time!

work in ~ expression meaning to allow someone else to use the machine you are on during your rest period.

     I'm sure Brandon and the other trainers at Muscle Inc. could add more to this list but that is what I have learned so far in my time at the gym.

The recovery benefits of training

     If six months ago someone would have told me that signing up for a trainer with Transform PT and lifting weights could help improve neck, shoulder and wrist pain I would have laughed. I have spent my life dealing with pain in my neck, shoulders, arms and wrists. It all started with a gymnastics accident when I was 11 years old when I injured my neck doing a front tuck. Since then I have had issues with herniated discs, bulging discs, degenerative disk disease, carpal tunnel, ulnar nerve issues, tendonitis, and bursitis from my neck down to my wrist and primarily on the right side of my body. In 2008 the pain got so bad I ended up having surgery to remove 2 herniated discs. A surgery that resulted in having a supporting piece of metal fused to my spine and a 9 month recovery. Then in 2010 I had surgery on my wrist to correct carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve issues.

     Over the years, when the pain got bad or my range of motion diminished for whatever reason (cold weather, exercise, lifting something too heavy, sleeping on it funny etc...) I would end up at the orthopedic doctor or neurologist and the treatment was always the same; heat alternating with ice, here take these pills for pain, muscle relaxers to help you sleep and anti-inflammatories for the swelling. For good measure I'd be sent to physical therapy which always helped for a day or two but the pain always came back and there would be no lasting effects. And when that course of treatment ran out I'd be back at the doctor still dealing with pain. I spent countless hours on my sofa or in bed trying to 'rest away' the pain. I bought a new bed, special pillow and even got a rolling book bag for work. I was convinced that the pain was something I just had to deal with.

     It has been 10 years since I had surgery on my neck and 8 years since my wrist surgery. And other than a stiff neck here and there I've been lucky to not have the pain I was dealing with before the surgery. But over the years other issues have popped up. Pain in my knees, tendonitis in my elbow and shoulders, and pain in my achilles tendon. Whenever some new pain showed up without cause I always blamed it on my getting older. And when I reached my forties my joints started to make noises I had never heard before. Again, I thought to myself, 'I'm getting older.'

     When I started training with Transform PT at Muscle Inc. I was actually dealing with shoulder pain from tendonitis and bursitis in my left shoulder. I had been going to the orthopedic doctor (again) and physical therapy (again) when my training sessions with Brandon started. When I went for my consultation with Transform PT I was told the trainer would work around an injury and not to worry. As we trained I began to realize that a lot of the exercises we were doing were the same as the exercises I was doing with the physical therapist. The only difference was I was doing those exercises with weights when I was at the gym. As a result, after three weeks I eventually stopped going to physical therapy.

     Training has changed my life in many ways. The most notable changes are in my physical and mental health. I am mentally stronger. I think more positively and I've learned ways to deal with stress that keep me from sweating the small stuff. I am physically stronger too. Aside from the accomplishments I've made at the gym (dumbbell presses with 25 lb weights almost went to 30 last night but the 30's were being used, barbell squats with 115 lbs and deadlifts with 135 lbs) I also recover from pain a lot faster. The shoulder pain I was dealing with when we first started training was something that diminished over time and now only bothers me when we train shoulders hard. But now I ice it and it recovers. Brandon explained to me once that the worst thing you can do for an injury is not move it. Of course you work around the pain but moving and working the injury gets the blood flowing which aids in recovery for the muscle. And our workouts over the last six months have proven this to me.

     A few weeks ago I woke up with terrible neck pain. Pain that was comparable to my pre-surgery pain. I could barely move my neck. The first day the pain was so severe I skipped the gym entirely. The second day I felt I needed to go to the gym even if it was just to do a short cardio workout on the treadmill. So I went. That night the pain in my neck had lessened. Just that short 15 minutes of exercise got the blood flowing enough to help my neck recover. By day three I was training with Brandon again. Now in the past I would have been on the sofa with my heating pad and by day three I would have been at the doctor's office. What a difference. Another time recently I was having pain in my wrist (I swear it was the weather. It had been a really cold, damp, dreary day). After training that day I put ice on my wrist for good measure. The next day I woke up with no pain. I've also noticed that since I've lost weight I have no pain in my knees and my joints don't click and crack when I first wake up in the morning like they used to.

     Brandon told me recently that training is making me younger. And I believe he is right. I can feel it.

   

Missing my mush

    So when Brandon said he was going to have me carb cycle for the last 2 weeks of the challenge I envisioned eating carbs on a bike. (cupcakes! LOL) No. Not even close. So carb cycling is basically doing zero carbs every other day or cycling carbs throughout your meal plan. He said he was going to make changes to the meal plan to accommodate this. At first I was a little panicked. HOW am I going to get through the day without any carbs?? Even if it is every other day, it sounded like a difficult task. I was, quite frankly, scared. I don't eat that many carbs right now to begin with; sweet potatoes, sprouted grain bread and rice. And I look forward to those carbs in each meal. I was having a hard time envisioning a day with NO carbs.

Brandon's Morning/Midnight Mush

    So last weekend Brandon gave me my new meal plan. Carb days would remain the same meals as the old meal plan. NO carb days were a bit different and included things like sauerkraut and fermented beets for their probiotic aspects. (I've never eaten a beat in my life.) I told Brandon, "I don't do beets." And he told me to get over it. The plan for NO carb days also eliminated fruit and fruit juice AND my midnight mush!! Oh no he didn't!! NO MUSH?? I look forward to my mush every night; plain Greek yogurt, scoop protein powder (I've used chocolate or vanilla) cinnamon, hemp hearts and blueberries. Referred to as Brandon's Morning/Midnight Mush (depending on where it is in your meal plan.) It has been my evening snack and little bit of sweetness every night. But for 2 weeks I would be missing my mush every other night.

    Well, here I am a week later and I have to say that Carb Cycling was a bitch the first few days but I think I've got it now. After two NO carb days in the cycle I found that I felt hungry shortly after every meal. When I told Brandon he said it was because my metabolism was up. And I found that after day five I wasn't feeling that hunger as much. In fact, I am enjoying the variety in changing it up every other day. I actually look forward to the NO CARB meals. Still can't get used to eating eggs instead of mush on NO carb days at bedtime. Carb Cycling is not something I would have been able to do 6 months ago. It's not something you should just jump into. I'm so glad Brandon has been guiding me through this whole process of learning about nutrition and how the body works. If Brandon had handed me the Carb Cycling meal plan back in June I would have given up on the first NO carb day. But by slowly introducing cleaner foods into my diet and eliminating the bad I have acclimated myself to a better way of eating. This slow transition made Carb Cycling so much easier.

     Things I've learned: 1. I DO like beets and actually look forward to them in my meals. 2. Doing Carb Cycling was not as difficult as I thought it would be. 3. I will always look forward to my mush on carb days and miss it on NO carb days.

2 weeks out, new week, new goals

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Check out my FB album, Reaching Goals

     Today I woke up pumped! Early morning at the gym with Brandon. It's Sunday. Leg Day. And only 2 weeks left in the Fall Transformation Challenge. Call me crazy but I love leg day and I love doing squats. I love the challenge of seeing how many reps I can do and lately,  I love seeing how much weight I can squat. Last week was a 100 rep day. Doing 25 rep sets Brandon kept the weight reasonable. Today he told me we were going to do shorter sets and more weight. My personal goal is to get up to 135 (two 45 lb plates) before the holidays. Totally doable according to Brandon. My personal record before today has been 80 lbs for 16 reps. So today I was anxious to see what I could do. In fact today is a day of new goals for the new week. Brandon and I have been talking for the last 2 days about changing up the meal plan and start carb cycling (no carbs every other day) and making sure I do HIIT cardio (High Intensity Interval Training) every day we train. Doing these things will help me drop more weight between now and the end of the challenge. Winning the challenge would be awesome (but I have no idea how everyone is doing and how many people in the challenge are crushing their goals). And although it would be nice to win and be recognized (not to mention the free year at the gym) I am starting to look beyond the challenge to new goals. I told my husband and Brandon that I am not done until I can see my abs. I want to be tone, cut and in the best shape of my life before I say I am satisfied.

     Normally, (at least since the challenge started) I would weigh-in today since it is a 2 week check-in. Today is 8 weeks in the challenge. But I got to the gym early and did cardio before Brandon and I started leg day and just totally forgot to weigh myself. About halfway through the workout as I was lunging towards the scale in a quad extension/lunge superset it suddenly dawned on me that I never weighed in. Brandon was like 'No problem. Just do it next week.' And added that by next week I will have been carb cycling for a week so I should see a difference. So I will weigh in next week and see how much the carb cycling and HIIT cardio affect my success. Getting on the scale is not a necessary a thing for me. It doesn't mean as much to me as the gains I feel from working out; more energy, clarity of focus and overall wellness and strength. 

     So today we started the workout with squats warming up with the bar first and then adding weight in sets of 12 reps. One set with just the bar (45 lbs), one set with 10's (65 lbs total), one set with two 10's (85 lbs total), and one set with three 10's (105 lbs). A new personal record (PR) and only 30 lbs from my goal! I was so pumped after that part of the workout the rest seemed so easy. Realizing I hadn't weighed in didn't matter in my mind because at that point I had already made other gains. So as I look ahead at the coming weeks and months I have new goals; to squat 135 lbs, to learn more about nutrition and how it affects what the body can do and to continue to enjoy the journey I am on by pushing myself beyond what I think I can do.

Can I take a moment to give my trainer props

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    I just want to take a moment to give credit where credit is due. My trainer, Brandon Mauro, at Transform PT is a beast. And when I say beast, I mean it in the most positive, kindest way. He is the only trainer I have ever worked with. So I may be biased when I say he is the best trainer I know. At 24 years old he never fails to impress me with his knowledge of workout programing, clean eating, nutrition, and general well being. He has taught me that the most important things in life are to be healthy, happy and positive and to have balance in your life. I have learned over the last 5 months that 'it's all about the process, setting goals, and seeing results while having fun.'  And THAT is just what I have been doing. And as I go through this process I realize just how much Brandon has to do with my success. He tells me I made a good choice to start training because too many people don't take care of their bodies and its sad because we only get one body. I never looked at it that way before. Brandon and I have become friends along the way and can talk about just about anything during our training sessions. I never think about Brandon as being a twenty something kid. In many ways he is more knowledgeable than I am and I respect that and have learned to depend on that when it comes to my transformation journey.

     I first met Brandon at the gym one day after doing cardio. He introduced himself to me and seemed nice enough. And then again, everyone at Muscle Inc. is friendly. We had our first training session 2 days later and I have to admit when I first arrived I thought I wasn't going to like working with him. I walked out of the locker room and said hi to him as he was talking to a woman I did not know. He told me to go do cardio until he was ready for me. He said it with what I have come to call his 'resting gym face.' LOL As I did cardio I thought to myself that this guy is probably some dumb jock who became a trainer to pick up girls at the gym. It didn't take long for him to prove my thoughts wrong. In fact, my first thoughts are so far from the reality I'm almost embarrassed I ever thought that about him. Brandon truly cares about his clients and their success. And Brandon's clients see amazing results as long as they follow the program he gives them and they train as hard as he asks them to. He always has more faith in what I can do than I have in myself and pushes me beyond the limits. Whether it's more reps, a heavier weight or a new movement; I may think I can't do it. But if he thinks I can, chances are I can.

     Along the way of this (so far five month) journey, I have come to depend on Brandon's guidance in everything that has to do with my health and well-being. I don't make a move when it comes to my health without running it by him first. And I never take for granted how lucky I am to have him as my trainer. I make sure to tell him on a regular basis how glad I am that I ended up with him as my trainer and how much I appreciate everything he has done for me. He very modestly tells me 'thanks, appreciate it!' But I don't know if he realizes just how much he has changed my life. My training and nutrition has truly become my life focus, the lifestyle change I set out to do. And although I have come far, I still have a long way to go. There are days where I talk to Brandon as much as I talk to my husband. Sometimes we text so much when we get into a conversation on a particular topic, I am surprised he hasn't told me I text him too much. He keeps me motivated and on point, shares my successes, talks me down from my set backs, shows concern when I am not well, explains things I don't understand and makes me smile even during a workout when I think I'm done and he says, 'one more set.' Although I know one day I will be ready to do my training on my own, I don't look forward to it because having the knowledge to do it solo is not the same as having a workout partner like Brandon.

     Working out on my own will come sooner than I like in just a couple short months. I recently found out that Brandon will be leaving Muscle Inc. to move on to bigger and better things and I have no doubt that he will be successful in whatever he sets his mind to. I've told him he has a bright future with his experience and education in personal training and he will go far. But that doesn't mean I have to like the fact that he is leaving. In fact, I am very sad to see him go. Training will not be the same without him. So for the next couple of months I will continue to learn from Brandon and work towards my goals until he moves on. And then continue on my own after he leaves. He has assured me I will be ready even though I don’t feel like I will be. But just like I never imagined doing squats with the right form, he is probably right when he tells me I’ll be ready. So if you are reading this and are lucky enough to have Brandon as your trainer, don't take him for granted. He is a beast that knows what he is talking about.