|
Bren |
| It's all about the intensity! |
| 03.08.2010 15:43:37 | |
|
Hi everyone! This week I learned a great lesson from 3 wonderful people that I know, and I wanted to share that information with everyone. So what did I learn this last week? Well, Dave showed me how intensely cardio should be done. Dave has elliptical trainers at his gym, and I had him jump on one of them and show me how hard he works out on it. Hmmm...it was alot more intense than I usually do. Dave sets a goal of how many strides per minute he can do, which I've never done. I usually just get on the machine and work out at the same level and resistance settings. After my training with Dave, I have upped my intensity. I'm doing the elliptical, but with a purpose now! Every 5 minutes I push as hard and as fast as I possibly can for a minute, then recover and do it again throughout my whole cardio session. I'm usually cruising on the machine around 180 strides per minute, but now every five minutes I'm pushing 225 for a minute, which gets me breathing even harder and sweating like I never have before.
The second person that I've learned from is my friend Kathy, who is preparing for her first bodybuilding show in Vancouver in 3 weeks. I work out with her at Dave's gym and she never ceases to amaze me. We work legs every Friday together, with Dave coaching us. I admire Kathy, she is a hard worker! Kathy really "digs deep" and lifts hard. As Dave says, bodybuilding is a mental game. You need to be able to push through the pain, to dig deep from within. I remember when I first met Kathy and told her about Dave. I explained that Dave doesn't waste his time on anyone that isn't dedicated to doing what is necessary to achieve results. I was concerned that Kathy may not realize how dedicated and determined she needed to be to work with Dave, and I didn't want to refer someone to Dave that wasn't willing to put forth the effort required. Well, she is amazing. She does everything Dave has coached her to do, and she is seeing results.
My third person that inspires me is fellow blogger on this website, Julie. If you've read her blog, you know that life is not easy for her. She works as a personal trainer, and has 4 children... 2 of them being twins! Julie and I work out at the same gym, Gold's in Bothell. I saw Julie a while back at the gym and she looks great. She's getting ready for the Vancouver show, and will be competing in the figure division. I can't wait to see her onstage and cheer her on. What really hit me the other day is how hard Julie was working out on the elliptical. She had her earphones on listening to music, so I just gave her a wave "hi", and didn't stop to talk. She was focused. It was back day for me, so I had my work to do as well. Between sets I glanced over at Julie to see if she slowed down...nope, she just kept on going like the energizer bunny on that elliptical! Lol! I remember when I first met Julie. She told me how happy she was to see her body transform into what she always dreamed of. I think about what she said, and the emotions she had when she looked in the mirror and realized she created the body of her dreams. That's what I want. It's what I think about daily. I want to look in the mirror and not recognize myself. I want to have the body I have always dreamed about!
Have you ever really looked around the gym and watched people doing cardio? I can't help but notice how many people either read a book, get totally engrossed in TV or talk on their cell phone while they are supposed to be pushing hard to burn as many calories as possible.
I want to thank the 3 people who inspire me and push me to do my best. They have no idea how their actions spoke to me this last week. Thank you Dave, Kathy and Julie for inspiring me! You are very dedicated individuals and I admire each one of you! I hope someday to be an inspiration to others as well. Keep on pushing hard!
Think On It:
Just a little rant...can I do that? Tonight at the gym, the person next to me on the elliptical talked endlessly and effortlessly on her cell phone the whole time she was on the machine. Is it just me, or is that just a little annoying? Lose the cell phone while at the gym...and concentrate on pushing as hard as you can...you will get better results for all the time spent in the gym. Just a thought.....
Bren
archive Tags: |
| Time to Focus |
| 03.01.2010 13:13:55 | |
|
It's time to focus! For all the competitors that are doing the Vancouver show in 4 weeks, you should be very focused right now. You should be dialed in on your training and nutrition. Eating, sleeping, working out and repeating...each day. I'm excited for all the competitors. I'll be helping my friend Kathy with her first bodybuilding show and I can hardly wait until the day of the show. The Vancouver show will be even more special to me, since later in the year I'm actually going to be stepping onstage myself. The title of my blog "Focus" has more to do with my last month of training than anything else. I have my trainer do a body comp on me each month to see how much fat I'm losing. Well, let's just say this wasn't the best month. As I mentioned in my last blog, I had a business trip I had to go on and wasn't able to eat exactly how I normally do. I still ate pretty good and worked out while I was there, but my foods were not the same as what I would eat at home. When I got back from my trip, I came down with a really bad cold that left me not able to work out for a week. Two weeks in a row of not following the plan. Not good. I also started a new relationship, which I allowed to take some of my focus away. We all know about the first stages of a new relationship. We want to be with the person as much as possible right? Well, I still got my workouts in most days, but they were not like before the relationship started. I would run into gym and get my workout done in as little time as possible. 45 min of cardio instead of an hour and.not as many sets of my workout exercises. I told myself I have plenty of time before the Ironman, so a few sessions at the gym that are shorter and less intense won't matter this far out. Wrong!
What I learned is that EVERY DAY counts! What I eat, or don't eat...matters. The number of reps....matters. The total number of sets...matters! It all either takes me closer to my goal, or farther away. I had to learn the hard way. I lost a pound of muscle, where the previous month I had gained a pound of muscle. Yes, I was sick and I was away on business, which were out of my control. However, I chose to cut workouts short, or eat or not eat something that was on my plan. I take full responsibility.
So, I learned from this experience, and am thankful that I have time to make amends. Time to focus! Bodybuilding is a priority to me and it requires sacrifice and some amount of suffering. It's what I want to do and nothing is going to stand in the way of my goals.
So...I am focused...are you?
Think On It
The choices you make everyday about foods and training either bring you closer to your goals, or farther away.
Bren
Tags: |
| Challenging, but not impossible! |
| 02.10.2010 12:11:43 | |
When you think of traveling, what is it that comes to mind in regards to eating clean and staying on task with your training? Well, in the past, I've only seen the obstacles that stood in my way. Now, I have a whole new outlook.
This past week I traveled to San Antonio, TX for a continuing education seminar. I went with my co-workers from my dental office. We left on Wednesday morning and didn't return until Sunday morning. Before I left I gotta admit, I was a little freaked out about how I was going to eat clean and train. Most of the meals would be provided for me at the 3 day seminar. I wouldn't have much choice in my food selection. Then there were the traveling days. How was I going to eat on the plane, and in the airport, with all the somewhat needless restrictions on what you can take through security? What could I possibly do to keep up my training? All these thoughts kept running through my mind. I was determined to do the best I could with the circumstances I had.
So, what did I do? Well, I packed a huge canister of Parrillo protein powder in my checked luggage for starters. For those of you that aren't familiar with Parillo products, they are awesome, and are quality products. Just a side note, I order them through my trainer...gotta have my Parrillo fix! Lol. Look them up on the Internet..www.parrillo.com. Anyway, the canister took up about a third of the space in my luggage, but I didn't care. Next, I packed a ton of protein bars in my carry on luggage, so I always had something to eat when I was traveling. When I got to the hotel I found a small convenience store that just happened to have frozen chicken breasts, 2 pieces to a package, and eggs. Wow..I couldn't believe it! So I purchased chicken, eggs, carrots and water and ran back to my hotel room to cook. I had a room with a kitchen, which I was very thankful for. I defrosted the chicken and put it in the oven to cook while I hard-boiled the eggs. So far, so good, I thought to myself. I would be able to have chicken and eggs for breakfast. Now all I had to deal with was lunch and dinners provided at the conference. The lunches were buffet style, so I was able to pick the healthiest options. Dinners were a bit more challenging however. Most of the time I ate a piece of chicken or eggs before going to dinner, so I was able to get good quality protein, and not have to rely on what was served to me.
I was fortunate to have a fitness center that had elliptical machines, recumbent bicycles and treadmills. The fitness center even had a selection of dumbells up to 25 pounds. I was able to get in my cardio and did an upper body workout with the dumbells. I combined a variety of exercises for back, chest, bis/tris and shoulders into one giant workout since my time was very limited, and the weights were so light. I didn't get sore at all, but I felt good that since there weren't any machines, I was able to improvise, and get a high rep workout in.
I know now that when I travel, whether on business or for fun, I can make healthy choices and not just give in to the idea that my routine has to be disrupted. It takes planning, and lots of it. I put alot of effort into the thought process of what I would be able to do to stay on task. I was fortunate, as I said earlier, that I had a store nearby, a kitchen and a fitness center. However, if I didn't have these things I still would have been able to drink protein shakes and eat protein bars to get me through. I would have found a hill to walk up or jog around the hotel for cardio, and I would have done bodyweight exercises to get some lifting done.
So did I eat the best foods? No. Did I get the best workouts in that made me sore afterwards? No. Did I get the best cardio sessions in with the limited time I had? No. Was I proud of myself? YES! I did the best with what I had. Challenging, but not impossible! I'm most proud of the fact that I have challenged my old way of thinking. In the past, I would have taken time "off" from eating healthy and my workouts while I was out of town. No longer! I wont let obstacles stand in the way of my goals now.
Dedication and determinination. Was I tired after sitting in lectures all day? Yes. Did I go workout late at night when all my co-workers were heading off to bed? Yes. Was I proud of the fact that I was the only one in my office that exercised while we were there? Yes. I did it!Think on it:When you want something bad enough, you will not see the obstacles, only the goal before you! Quit looking at the obstacles and making excuses. Go for your goal, and let nothing stop you! You can do it!BrenTags: |
| Life Goes On.... |
| 02.01.2010 14:10:01 | |
|
Tags: |
| Consequences |
| 01.05.2010 01:56:32 | |
|
Happy new year everyone! I look forward to 2010 being my best year ever! This is the time of year that many people make resolutions. Everyone wants to improve upon areas in their lives that are lacking in one way or another. Relationships, personal health and fitness, work, organization...whatever it is that has fallen by the wayside. I gave up making resolutions years ago. I never followed through. Oh sure, I used to start a "diet" more Mondays than I can remember. If a Monday happened to fall on the first day of the month, it was even better. I seemed to think that if I started a new behavior on the first day of the week, month or year, then I was working with a "fresh slate" so to speak. Looking back, I see how foolish my thinking was. It doesn't matter when you start a new behavior, what matters is that you actually START! So my journey to compete started in June of 09, when I began to workout just to look and feel better. I was tired of being fat and unhealthy, and everything that comes with a lifestyle of neglect. I was always tired and sluggish, and because of being overweight I couldn't do the things I wanted to do easily. I kept working out, and slowly began to lose bodyfat. It's so exciting to see the changes happening in my body. These last 6 months I've witnessed so many changes. The biggest outward change is that I'm developing muscle and losing bodyfat. The inside however, is where the real change is happening. I've developed a self confidence that I never knew I had. I feel good about myself for the first time in a long time. I had pictures taken the other day, and I actually liked what I saw! To me, that's a miracle in itself. You see, I "hid" whenever a camera was pointed in my direction for so many years. I missed out on so many memories of me and my kids when I could have been in photos, because I hated my picture being taken. In fact, I don't even have a "before" picture of me at my heaviest weight, because it was too painful to see myself in pictures. Now, I like pictures of me with my friends and family, because I know I am achieving the goals I have set for myself, and it is beginning to show. I know I have a ways to go before I am in competition shape, but I'm liking what I see so far. Hard work and dedication does pay off! Training is going well, however, I had a little injury that has left me trying to deal with the "mental" issue of bodybuilding. Here's the story. About 2 weeks ago, I smacked my knee into the footboard of my bed. I hit it HARD. At the time, I heard a cracking sound. "Not good," I thought to myself. As I lay on the floor, writhing in pain, my first thought was "Is anything broken?" No, I had just hyper-extended my knee joint and it hurt. My next thought was "Is this going to affect my training?" Well, I put ice on it throughout the week, but it didn't get better very fast. I was supposed to train legs later in the week with Dave, and I realized that it just wasn't going to happen. So I did a hard chest workout instead for my weekly session with Dave. I was disappointed that I didn't get to work legs, but relieved I wasn't hurt bad. It just needed some time off, and I would be back to training legs next session. The next week it was feeling pretty good, but still had a few issues with it "talking" to me. I didn't listen to it. I wanted to go snowboarding on Christmas day, even though I knew my knee joint still felt a bit unstable (I had a previous ACL reconstruction in this knee and I've felt the same "unstable" feeling in this joint before). I didn't run it by Dave to see what he thought about snowboarding since I had hurt the knee, because I knew he'd say it's a bad idea. I knew in my heart and mind that I needed to rest it if I wanted to train legs at my next workout with Dave. So what did I do? I went snowboarding. Hmmm..., I did not listen to my body OR my mind telling me I shouldn't go. I went boarding on Christmas anyway. Since I weighed 50 pounds lighter than I did last time I went boarding, it was so much easier and way more fun! I paid a price for it however. My knee started to "talk" to me...well...scream at me, actually. I think I heard it scream..."Boy are you stupid,...you gonna pay for this!" I was supposed to work out legs the next day with Dave. When I told Dave that I went snowboarding, and my knee was still acting up a bit, but I wanted to try to do legs anyway, he said in a matter of fact voice, "NO, we're not doing legs!" That kind of took me by surprise, since I thought bodybuilders just pressed on, working through the pain. Surely, Dave would tell me to just deal with it. Nope, he said no leg workouts until it heals up. Ice and rest. Okay. I can understand that. What I wasn't prepared for were the intense feelings I had about missing leg workouts. I got mentally messed up. I talked about it with Dave, and he helped me to wrap my mind around it, so that I can continue to train for my competition and not be left with permanent injuries. Here is a sample of the questions that flooded my mind...are my leg muscles going to atrophy if I miss 2 or 3 leg workouts? Will I be able to squat the same weight when I come back to legs? How many weeks is this gonna put me back? Am I gonna make my competition in time? All those questions were really messing with my head. He answered every question! Rest and ice are important after an injury. If you don't rest an injured joint, you risk arthritis setting in. Don't want that! So rest and ice, and listen to Dave. That's what I'm gonna do. When it's okay to work legs, I will work them. I will not worry about what I can't control. So what did I learn from all of this? I always want to learn something new from my life lessons! What I learned is that there are CONSEQUENCES to our actions. I knew that I shouldn't go snowboarding, but I did it anyway. Now I delayed my leg workout at least another week. CONSEQUENCES. I learned to ask Dave for his recommendations on training issues and to listen and follow his advice. Dave is my advisor, and that is why we have trainers...to advise us what we should do, to help us achieve our goals. CONSEQUENCES. I learned to listen to my body. If I just would have listened....CONSEQUENCES! On a brighter note...I made my first goal. I wanted to have lost 50 pounds by Christmas day, and I MADE it happen! 50 pounds lighter since last Christmas...Yay! Notice I said "I MADE" it happen? I am realizing to achieve goals, no one else is gonna make it happen for you. I made it happen. It was a priority for me. You have to want it! You have to desire it... more than anything else! Think on it: If you have ever run out of air in your lungs while under water, all you can think about is getting to the surface of the water and taking a big breath. You're not thinking about anything else, you're just focused on that one thought. You want that air... you need that air. That breath of air is the only thing that matters to you at the time. You know that feeling? Training is alot like that. To get what you want, you have to want it that bad. (This thought was taken from a movie. The coach had held a players head under water until he was struggling for air. When the player came up to take a breath, the coach said that is how you should be training...like your life depended on it. I can't remember the name of the movie. It might have been from Remember the Titans. I just wanted to give credit where credit is due). While I'm at giving credit where credit is due...a special "thank you" to Dave Patterson, for giving me advice and helping edit my beginning blogs. He knows his stuff, and I appreciate the help he is giving me to get me started. Thanks Dave! Bren Tags: |
| Crunch Time! |
| 12.22.2009 13:50:07 | |
|
Ok people, it's crunch time! No, I'm not talking about ab work...I'm talking about only 3 more days until the BIG Day! I can't believe this was the last weekend before Christmas and I didn't get any shopping done. Life got a bit crazy for me this weekend. My son flew into SeaTac airport for a short layover on his way to Mexico. I was able to spend a few hours with him before he flew back out. This meant I stayed up all night to enjoy every precious minute of time I could with him. Which meant I slept all day today. I woke up at 3 in the afternoon, and the adrenaline started pumping before I even got out of bed. My mind started racing. I have so much to do, how am I gonna fit it all in? How am I going to get Christmas shopping done, get meals ready for my work week, and find the time to exercise? Hmmm...I started to think things through. First and foremost, I know when we are stressed cortisol is released into our system, and guess what happens then? Belly fat! That's right, the very thing I am trying to get rid of. I took a deep breath and began to make a game plan for the day. I'm not working Christmas eve day...so that will be my shopping day. I might even get some great sales that late in the game! I planned out what stores I absolutely needed to go to today. Costco was it. I needed food for the week. Then what? Prepare meals for the week. Easy! Dave showed me how simple preparing meals can be. I used to make a huge deal over preparing stuff. Not anymore. All I can say is Costco, baby! I get tons of stuff there and make it simple! For example, this week I'm packing cans of chicken breast that require a can opener and a fork. Throw in some veggies and rice and call it good! Next on the list...how was I going to find time to get my exercise in? Reality check! I'm not FINDING time I'm MAKING time. Big difference. It's all about priorities! Finding time, to me, means I'll try to get it done. Making time, however, means it will get done! Dave always says "do or do not, there is no try". You might remember Yoda saying that line from a little movie named Star Wars!
Tags: |
| Uncharted Territory |
| 12.21.2009 11:48:27 | |
|
You're back! Good! Thanks for coming along on my journey with me!
Tags: |
| Livin' The Dream |
| 12.19.2009 14:03:52 | |
|
Yep, livin' the dream, that's what I'm doing. My name is Bren and I'm finally living my dream after so many years of sitting on the sidelines, watching life go by. My blog is about my journey into competitive bodybuilding...from fatness to fitness and everything in between. I'm preparing to compete this next year and I'll be sharing with you my thoughts, feelings, goals, successes and things that didn't work well for me. My perspective will be that of someone who has been involved with bodybuilding for many years, by attending shows, helping competitors get ready backstage, taking pictures and cheering friends on when they are on stage... to me actually "going for it" and competing myself.
Tags: |