Sassy69: BB to Physique 2012 [Archive]

sassy69

11-06-2011, 03:46 PM

I'm discovering its not a short discussion about what led me to this decision, but it seems to be an inevitable one. 30 yrs of Wear & tear = can't lift heavy anymore. That means no grow. Old = harder & harder to drop bodyfat. Mental/physical/spiritual well-being = must lift. How to reconcile all this & still enjoy being part of the brotherhood of the iron & sisterhood of the steel? Downsize & check out Physique.

After a very long year of exploring alternative ways to drop muscle mass via some sort of interval training, pretty much everything I tried was not a viable replacement for lifting while not hurting and still getting some sort of satisfaction out of it. In the process of trying, hurting, getting frustrated, doing nothing, I have actually managed to drop some muscle mass. So I'm grabbing this as my starting point for competition next year. Ideally I'd be targeting something in the summer.

With the help of Shelby Starnes, I'm going after it. Here's my starting point:

Age:46
Bodyfat: dunno - soft
Wt: 150.5 lb -- keeping in mind 150 has been my stage wt in 2009 & 2010. Obviously hugely different body competition.

Goal... 130?? & rippt

So welcome to my new adventure!

I think my immediate goals are to get down to maybe 135 by Xmas and see what I have to work w/ at that point. I haven't seen that number on the scale since my first show 11 yrs ago.

Towards this goal:

Diet guidelines:
M1: 20 g complex carbs, 10 g fat, 20 g protein
M2: 20 g protein, 10 g carb (fruits/veggies), 10 g fat
M3: same
M4: same
M5: 20 g protein, 10 g fat

So roughly 100g protein per day, 50g carbs (30 from fruits and veggies) and 50g fat. Yep.... whole new adventure.

Training:
Still playing around w/ this but its currently looking like 4 days of Poliquin's German Body Comp-style training. Basically supersetting. Obviously more w/ light weights given the limited fuel. Also toying w/ getting into Bikram yoga. I'm finding my flexibility, particularly IT band / lower back / upper back / shoulders are becoming critical and start to go to shit when I don't regularly stretch. My chiro highly recommends Bikram.

Cardio: currently 25 min SS/day.

sassy69

11-06-2011, 04:02 PM

Catching up:
11/4/11 - TGIF!

First day on the program! Pretty close to the diet macros above but I'd already made my food for today when I got the diet details last night.

Training: "Day 1" of a 2-routine alternating Poliquin GBC

20 min DeFranco lower body wu - this actually felt great & I'm flexible as hell given I've been on my butt most of the last 2 weeks.

A1: walking lunges: 40 steps x3
A2: lat pulldowns: 90/20 x 3
B1:leg press: 200/40 x 4 -- ideally B1/B2 would've been C1/C2 but some guy was fucking around on the leg curl when I needed it
B2: seated alt cross cable row: 40/15 x 4
C1: lying leg curl: 80/20 x 4
C2: tri rope pressdown: 80/20 x 4

Cardio: 10 min treadmill + 5 min bike -- bailed early due to sore foot and still a little light-headed from the workout.

sassy69

11-06-2011, 04:03 PM

11/5/11 - Sat

Slept in big time today... just doing some computer stuff today and huddling under a blanket cuz it got cold! Looks like our Indian Summer is over :( On the other hand I get to pull out my big sweatshirts & long gym pants.

Here's an example of the implementation of my diet per the earlier posted specs:

M1: A little less than 1/2 c oatmeal + 1 scoop Designer Protein vanilla (~18 g protein) + 1/4 c berries --- a little more carb than prescribed but its what sounded good this morning. And missed the fats.
M2: 3 oz tilapia, 1 c broccoli, 10 almonds
M3: same
M4: same
M5: 1 scoop casein whey (~24g P), a little more than 1tbsp PB

Total cals: 1,028
Fats: 43.9
Carbs: 68.6 -- Probably gonna go back to 1 whole egg + 3 egg whites + veggies + 1/2 grapefruit or 1/2 c oats
Protein: 92.8

I'll see how it goes tonite - last nite before I went to bed I needed a scoop of PB to sleep and not get annoyed by being hungry.

At the moment my goal is to lean out reasonably by Xmas. It helps to have a time-based motivator to stay on this and get some results. Over the last several months I was able to easily drop my protein intake, but just general dont-give-a-shitness and everything-fucking-hurts-when-I-liftness has made me not care so much about getting soft. But there is no better feeling than feeling lean... That's more motivation.

Training: "Day 2" of GBC
DeFranco wu - again felt great & great flexibility
shoulder wu -- right shoulder is a little jacked up from the way I've been sleeping lately.

A1: ATF BB squats (on the 3-D rehab rack): bar/20 65/20 x 3
A2: TechnoGym Vertical Traction (similar to pulldown, but neutral grip):80/20 x 2 70/20 x 2
B1: Lying leg curl: 80/20 X 4
B2: machine tri ext: 50/30 x 2 50/20 x 2
C1: alt cable abductor: 20/20 x 4
C2: seated cable face pulls: 40/15 x 4

10 min posing -- fiddling w/ the new Physique mandatories

Cardio: 25 min treadmill (angle: 9, speed: 2.0)

GarlicChicken

11-06-2011, 04:28 PM

Holy crap if I ate that little I would starve! Lol good luck with this adventure, you should be able to pull it off!

KBigz81

11-06-2011, 04:48 PM

Another good thread I will be following. Good luck Sass!!

sassy69

11-06-2011, 05:20 PM

Holy crap if I ate that little I would starve! Lol good luck with this adventure, you should be able to pull it off!

That's actually sorta the idea .... kinda messed up huh? :no:

txhawkeyes

11-06-2011, 07:08 PM

Hey !!!!

Great read. I fell your pain, I am 47. Just started training 30 months ago, and everything hurts so much more now, more than it did back in my 30's, much less 20's.

Gonna send this link to my wife and have her follow it.

I already, ALREADY ordered the book. Got a used copy for a buck and a half, 4 bucks shipped. Coming to W Texas from Vegas...my wife will have it in a week I bet.

All the best to you !!!!

:hmn:

Curt James

11-06-2011, 07:09 PM

(snip) Goal... 130?? & rippt

Your goal is your own, of course, and for excellent reasons as you described in your original post but are the judges rewarding ripped condition in Women's Physique competitors?

No matter what the judges are looking for, best wishes in achieving your goals, sassy.

txhawkeyes

11-06-2011, 07:13 PM

PS Tell my how to sleep without getting woke up by Jacked Up Shoulders when you figure it out !!! I turn back and forth from R to L to R to L every night.

I guess I could skip Military Press..... NOT.

Shoulders, and Elbows without pain, I think, at our age, are a fantasy !!!!

I just started a new thread in Masters asking for ideas on for Bicep that don't make my Elbow Tendonitis hurt more than it already does !

PSS My wife has this thread up on her laptop as we speak. I think she will love it.

sassy69

11-06-2011, 07:13 PM

Your goal is your own, of course, and for excellent reasons as you described in your original post but are the judges rewarding ripped condition in Women's Physique competitors?

No matter what the judges are looking for, best wishes in achieving your goals, sassy.

Curt thx for stopping by. I have no idea what is going to result from this effort. I also need to stress the issues I've had w/ conditioning in every show I've ever done so I'm very much not worried about what judges want right now and rather what I can achieve w/ this completely different effort.

stephaniewicked

11-06-2011, 07:42 PM

Suzanne

11-07-2011, 12:05 AM

wow those cals are insanely low! :hypno:

Good luck hope you enjoy the new goal! :yep:

sassy69

11-07-2011, 12:38 AM

wow those cals are insanely low! :hypno:

Good luck hope you enjoy the new goal! :yep:

Just throwing a stake in the ground to start. I think the real "prep" will start early next year. Whole new adventure!

FitnBuf

11-07-2011, 12:58 AM

SUBSCRIBED! Good luck Sassy and I look forward to following your journey! :D

sassy69

11-07-2011, 01:23 AM

SUBSCRIBED! Good luck Sassy and I look forward to following your journey! :D

Thx girl! Hope to keep it interesting!

sassy69

11-07-2011, 01:23 AM

11/6/11 - Sun

Cardio: 25 min stairmaster

partsRheavy

11-07-2011, 02:19 AM

Please eat my egg!!! I laid it for you!!

I don't want those ugly guys to be chick-daddies!!! :p

SRSly I think U need more cals than 1028. IIRC you're a bit taller than 5'1" in height. :p

sassy69

11-07-2011, 02:30 AM

Please eat my egg!!! I laid it for you!!

I don't want those ugly guys to be chick-daddies!!! :p

SRSly I think U need more cals than 1028. IIRC you're a bit taller than 5'1" in height. :p

LOL .. except if my goal is to give up muscle mass ...!

partsRheavy

11-07-2011, 02:43 AM

She sqwauked and told me that just 1-2 of her eggs are OK to maintain-run around-lose weight. She's an older hen and knows that we lose our panache as we get older.....

She's laying fewer eggs than she used to. That's why these little girls are in the coop.....a new generation....

BUT the gal in the box says that sometimes the Big Guys steal so many eggs that she gets REALLY tired of laying for Peeps that eat 6-7+/day.. :p :p

LOL .. except if my goal is to give up muscle mass ...!

tammyp

11-07-2011, 05:45 AM

woo hoo jill! welcome to my club. totally different than what we are used to, but im into week 7 and feel great...doing more cardio and pretty much no weight training but so far im good w it.

powergirl

11-07-2011, 05:58 AM

Good for you Sassy, you have to do what makes sense for you. Me, I think I would likely pass out if I ate that little 😜. I'll be following along and looking for pics (hint).

---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=26.331452,127.742958

shankuan

11-07-2011, 09:54 AM

Good luck on this journey Sass! I'll definitely be following along!

sassy69

11-07-2011, 11:16 AM

woo hoo jill! welcome to my club. totally different than what we are used to, but im into week 7 and feel great...doing more cardio and pretty much no weight training but so far im good w it.

Its the no-training part I had the biggest problem with. I guess that's part of the goal of the minimalist calories. I'm also starting from a different point than you - not quite lean to start w/ & now its more like shrunk & deflated.

sassy69

11-07-2011, 11:22 AM

I've been SO out of the journal loop the last few months, but I'm gonna get back into it... and I definitely want to follow your journey Jill! I think it's awesome that you're looking towards physique. Good luck with everything!! :)

Thx for stopping in Steph!

She sqwauked and told me that just 1-2 of her eggs are OK to maintain-run around-lose weight. She's an older hen and knows that we lose our panache as we get older.....

She's laying fewer eggs than she used to. That's why these little girls are in the coop.....a new generation....

BUT the gal in the box says that sometimes the Big Guys steal so many eggs that she gets REALLY tired of laying for Peeps that eat 6-7+/day.. :p :p

Well, I posted AN EXAMPLE of what I had eaten that day w/ the caveat that I might throw in more - its all a starting point w/ plenty of room to explore & respond. I don't need to perform anything amazing in the gym & I sit on my ass all day in front of a computer for work. The whole process is very counter-intuitive, but I'm very interested in getting to the point where I can start pursuing the actual shaping for any competition. Right now I'm passing thru what can only be called a dramatic transformation. And just like competition -you either do it or don't bother. This ain't nothin' new fo sho.

Good for you Sassy, you have to do what makes sense for you. Me, I think I would likely pass out if I ate that little 😜. I'll be following along and looking for pics (hint).

LOL I'm amazed only a couple pix requests - all in due time. All in due time. Thx for stopping in Zoa! I do look forward to getting to a point where I'm actually done w/ this particular phase.

Good luck on this journey Sass! I'll definitely be following along!
Thx girl! I'll try to keep it interesting :)

jewelisa

11-07-2011, 11:50 AM

I am a following too !

11Hungrybb

11-07-2011, 12:52 PM

Cool Jill, I'll be following ;-)

PFEPerformance

11-07-2011, 01:07 PM

I'm in !! Best of Luck and following along!!!

juiceinator3000

11-07-2011, 01:27 PM

:babyboy: Jesus that diet looks brutalllll

stephaniewilles

11-07-2011, 06:21 PM

Hey Sass!!!

Definetly following along!!! Best of luck in this new journey of yours! The workouts would be the hardest for me too I think if I had to downsize. Although I do love my 1500 cal diet now and any lower i would probably eat my own arm!!! LOL!!!

Would love to see pics!!!!!:yep:

partsRheavy

11-07-2011, 10:42 PM

Was just trying to be humorous.

Just curious --- are you doing anything @the gym i.e. cardio, circuit, a class, light/high rep lifting, or etc.?

Best wishes!

Well, I posted AN EXAMPLE of what I had eaten that day w/ the caveat that I might throw in more - its all a starting point w/ plenty of room to explore & respond. I don't need to perform anything amazing in the gym & I sit on my ass all day in front of a computer for work. The whole process is very counter-intuitive, but I'm very interested in getting to the point where I can start pursuing the actual shaping for any competition. Right now I'm passing thru what can only be called a dramatic transformation. And just like competition -you either do it or don't bother. This ain't nothin' new fo sho.

sassy69

11-08-2011, 02:54 AM

11/7/11 - Mon

Late client call at work bumped my "night at the gym" back to "cardio at home".

Cardio: 25 min stairmaster

sassy69

11-08-2011, 02:56 AM

Was just trying to be humorous.

Just curious --- are you doing anything @the gym i.e. cardio, circuit, a class, light/high rep lifting, or etc.?

Best wishes!

:) Its one of the hitches when you throw stuff up on the interwebs & peeps wanna comment. I got lotsa experience w/ crazy diets and pretty much know what I can handle, what I don't care to deal w/ and what I need to get where I'm going. But I'm also working w/ someone who doesn't know me & my body well yet so you gots ta start somewherez!

Training - I'm playing around w/ this but its currently looking like 4 days of Poliquin's German Body Comp-style training. Basically supersetting. Obviously more w/ light weights given the limited fuel. Also toying w/ getting into Bikram yoga. I'm finding my flexibility, particularly IT band / lower back / upper back / shoulders are becoming critical and start to go to shit when I don't regularly stretch. My chiro highly recommends Bikram.

partsRheavy

11-08-2011, 09:03 AM

Looks like a plan!!!!!! :yep:

katt981

11-08-2011, 10:17 AM

I totally am with you with the older = harder to burn fat. It freakin' sucks! I've always been in the 1700-1900 for maintenance, but that's not working any more. So, I guess I have to bite the bullet and drop cals or do more cardio :mad:

Good luck with your transformation, I can't even imagine how hungry you are!

The Prodigy

11-08-2011, 09:22 PM

Count me in for the ride! Post pics! I love transformations!

sassy69

11-09-2011, 12:21 AM

11/8/11 - Tues

The good news is that the problem we were putting off to pick up in the morning, turned out to be "user error", so nuttin' to fix for me! Yay!

Hi Gail! Pix ... eventually....!
Training: GBC - Chest / Back

20 min DeFranco WU
Shoulder wu x 3

Giant:
A1: 45 incline DB press: 40/6 x 3
A2: 45 incline BB: 65/12 x 3
A3: 30 incline DB press: 30/25 x 3

Giant:
B1: HammerStrength Hi Row: 90/6 130/6 x 3
B2: Bent over BB row: 95/12 x 3
B3: seated cable face pulls: 30/25 x 3

Cardio: 25 min treadmill (angle: 9, speed: 2.2)

sassy69

11-12-2011, 01:59 PM

11/12/11 - Sat

Quick update - haven't been in the gym since Tues because I started getting the cold that is floating around my office. However it only manifested itself as a lot of sneezing and some massive congestion in the sinus cavities above my top teeth. OH FFFFFuk the pain in my teeth this week. I discovered between that and spending more time on the computer for some web design work, my neck & upper back have gotten all jacked up. I went for an early massage & adjustment this morning. Gonna spend some time w/ an ice pack in a minute. And hopefully get things back on track!

NubianBeauty

11-12-2011, 09:18 PM

Good luck sassafrass!!!! ;)

sassy69

11-12-2011, 09:39 PM

Good luck sassafrass!!!! ;)

Thx NB!

sassy69

11-13-2011, 10:45 PM

11/13/11 - Sun

Was hoping to hit the Bikram yoga class today, but I forgot their weekend schedule is shifted by 30 min from the weekday schedule. So I opted for the gym instead. The massage & adjustment I got yesterday kinda left me in bed w/ an ice pack for half of yesterday ... my neck & upper back were really jacked up. I was pretty happy to find I was still decently flexible today. Even my plantar fasciitis was flaring up from the massage. Kinda like a full-body workover.

Training: GBC - legs

DeFranco wu

A1: ATF squats: 135/6 x 3
A2: walking lunges: 10 lb plates / 25 steps x 3
A3: leg ext: 60/25 x 3

B1: lying leg curls: 100/6 x 3
B2: SLDL: 135/12 x 3
B3: reverse hypers: 25 x 3

Cardio: 20 min treadmill

The Prodigy

11-13-2011, 11:53 PM

Glad you are back in the gym! Where do you work?

sassy69

11-14-2011, 02:01 PM

Glad you are back in the gym! Where do you work?

I work on the tech side of a digital marketing company just south of San Francisco.

KBigz81

11-14-2011, 03:38 PM

How are you doing on the lower cals?? Energy good?

txhawkeyes

11-14-2011, 04:24 PM

Keep at it girl. Colds SUCK.

Got book today, has some nice black and white basics on food and diet.

Thanks for the suggestion !

sassy69

11-14-2011, 06:42 PM

How are you doing on the lower cals?? Energy good?

Diet has been a bit sloppy the last couple days - some days I ate next to nothing because I felt like crap, others I was starvin / craving carbs. But generally the only place I see it manifest itself the most is in the gym - I get wiped out quickly when I do my supersets.

Keep at it girl. Colds SUCK.

Got book today, has some nice black and white basics on food and diet.

Thanks for the suggestion !

Its a great book! Enjoy! And yes colds suck! It never turned into more than a lot of annoying sneezing, but the congestion in the sinus cavities above my teeth was really annoying -- led to some unconscious jaw clenching, which contributed to a really jacked up neck. It was a big adjustment my chiro did on Sat morning - and even after spending a lot of time lying down w/ an ice pack, it just felt like I'd done stupidly heavy lifting day. Much better today and the congestion is mostly gone.

sassy69

11-15-2011, 12:59 AM

11/14/11 - Mon

I feel so much better in my neck & upper back. Getting adjusted & the massage on Saturday was brutal and took a day to recover but I feel so much better! Yay chiropractor and sadistic massage therapist, and of course, YAY ICE PACKS!

Training: shoulders / arms

Shoulder wu - dropped the reps & wts from what I usually do ... shoulder is still kinda screwed & left forearm tendonitis ... my massage therapist was aching to get her claws (I mean hands...) into that particular area but I really had to ask her to go easy on me because it just flippin hurt.

A1: seated db press: 35/6 x 3
A2: seated side laterals: 15/12 12.5 / 12 x 2
A3: cable side lateral: 20 /25 x 3

B1: dips: bodywt/6 x 3
B2: ezbar OH tri ext: 40/12 x 3
B3: ezbar cable tri pressdowns: 80/25 x 3

C1: seated incline DB curls: 20/6 x 3
C2: ezbar cable curls: 50/12 x 3
C3: hi cable bis: 30/20 x 3

Cardio: 25 min treadmill

Tu Holmes

11-15-2011, 01:45 AM

Good luck getting little!

Gaoshang Xiongshou

11-15-2011, 02:35 AM

I absolutely, positively, MUST keep up to date with this thread. :)

In for the ride.

bjo12

11-15-2011, 04:40 AM

Keep it up!!!! When you have carb cravings etc hunger spikes up! what do you do?

Keep it up you can do it! :)

sassy69

11-18-2011, 11:06 PM

Had a little drop - I'm actually doing pretty good w/ hunger. Its more just the sheer lack of energy in the gym. I crap out quickly. These last two weeks I've had some unexpected allergy problems that jacked up my neck last week and just exhausted me this week. Finally feel normal today. First time since Tues.

Ugh the last couple of days... allergies... no energy ... came very close to falling asleep on the drive home after work... several times.

Thus - Training:
25 min stairmaster @ home

Finally feel more normal today!

11/18/11 - TGIFnF!

So today, I walk into the gym and AC/DC is blasting. I'm like .. huh? My gym is usually overrun w/ music that makes you want to put on your iPOD and blast it to drown out the annoying noise. Apparently they started putting on one of the trainer's iPOD playlists and were getting a lot of positive feedback on it. It was truly the best workout I've had in years. Ozzie! Pantera! Rob Zombie! GnR! AC/DC! It just kept coming! AMAZING. Turns out Ozzie is great music to lunge to! Who knew??

Training: GBC: Leg day
DeFranco wu

A1: ATF squat: 135/6 x 3
A2: walking lunges: 10 lb plates/15 x 3
A3: leg ext: 80/25 x 3

B1: SLDL: 135/6 x 3
B2: lying leg curls: 80/12 x 3
B3: reverse hypers: 25 x 3

Cardio: 20 min treadmill

sassy69

11-19-2011, 07:53 PM

11/19/11 - Sat

Checked out a different gym - awesome eqpt - old school! Only stinker was that all the barbell chest/ benches were on the other side of the gym from the DBs. Makes for a stupid set up for supersetting chest.

Training: chest/back GBC

DeFranco WU

A1: DB incline press (45 degree): 40/6 45/6 x 2
A2: BB inclline press (45 degree): 60/12 70/12 x 2
A3: DB incline (30 degree); 30/25 x 3

B1: HS hi row: 90/6 x 3
B2: Tbar row: 45/12 x 3
B3: HS iso-row: 90/25 x 3

Sunnyday

11-19-2011, 08:57 PM

How did I miss this?!! Subscribed!! :)

AnglicanBeachParty

11-19-2011, 11:15 PM

How did I miss this?!! Subscribed!! :)

Same here!

sassy69

11-20-2011, 12:05 AM

Same here!

How did I miss this?!! Subscribed!! :)

Welcome to my training journal! A little slow getting moving, but I guarantee big things coming!:yep: (Well, some big things, most everything else is smaller...)

BC123Jm

11-20-2011, 12:19 AM

this thread could really use some pics.

Curt James

11-20-2011, 01:13 AM

^^^^ Believe she covered that subject elsewhere in this thread.

Edit: I lie! Thought she had... but she hasn't.

Curt James

11-20-2011, 01:21 AM

A muscular bird stated...

Sadly, pix ain't gonna happen for a while. When I have a place to start the actual prep - I want to get in a good place by end of the year. Maybe I'll post then. I'm not one to personally need the "transformation pix".

LOL I guarantee any pic at the moment is going to scare small children and pets anywhere near your computer.

All in good time.

:beerbang:

My apologies on the hijackish dealings above. :o

(no sassy69 stalker)

sassy69

11-20-2011, 02:17 AM

A muscular bird stated...

:beerbang:

My apologies on the hijackish dealings above. :o

(no sassy69 stalker)

LOL .. yep... I'm going thru a very big change in my body composition and a lot of how I'm going about it is driven by not being able to train like I used to & dealing w/ age-related limitations that I don't like looking at. I want to be at a place where I'm feeling like I'm in competition prep and not just deflating right now.

Curt James

11-20-2011, 02:32 AM

I'm sure you have a plan. :beerbang: <--- Thazza zero-carb beverage, btw.

sassy69

11-20-2011, 02:30 PM

I'm sure you have a plan. :beerbang: <--- Thazza zero-carb beverage, btw.

Its going to be another 6-8 months before I'm on stage so lots of things still change.

sassy69

11-21-2011, 02:51 AM

11/20/11 - Sun

Training:

Cardio: 25 min stairmaster

stephaniewicked

11-21-2011, 05:18 AM

Just checking in! Hope you're feeling better Jill!

Any special Turkey Day plans?

sassy69

11-21-2011, 12:38 PM

Just checking in! Hope you're feeling better Jill!

Any special Turkey Day plans?

Hey thx Steph! Dude .. weirdest allergy issues ever! Kicking my ass!

T-day is going to be just going out w/ friends. Actually looking forward to just getting out, and better, not having leftovers sitting around the house! And I need the rest of the time to work on some projects.

How about you?

txhawkeyes

11-25-2011, 07:01 PM

Diet has been a bit sloppy the last couple days - some days I ate next to nothing because I felt like crap, others I was starvin / craving carbs. But generally the only place I see it manifest itself the most is in the gym - I get wiped out quickly when I do my supersets.

Its a great book! Enjoy! And yes colds suck! It never turned into more than a lot of annoying sneezing, but the congestion in the sinus cavities above my teeth was really annoying -- led to some unconscious jaw clenching, which contributed to a really jacked up neck. It was a big adjustment my chiro did on Sat morning - and even after spending a lot of time lying down w/ an ice pack, it just felt like I'd done stupidly heavy lifting day. Much better today and the congestion is mostly gone.

I have a bad habit at work, when I sit at my desk in my office, of clenching my shoulders and they then rise up slowly, and I end up holding them for a while without thinking. Then it throws a kink in one of my rhomboids, and then my upper back is messed up until I see a Chiro. Hell getting old !!! :):yep:

stephaniewicked

11-27-2011, 07:59 AM

I spent a few Thanksgivings with friends and loved it. No holiday pressure, just fun. Everyone made a little something and had a nice little dinner. And I hear you on the 'no leftovers' thing. The only thing I took home from my grandparents' house was turkey.

Tu Holmes

11-27-2011, 03:40 PM

this thread could really use some pics.

I will fly up there and take some Paparazzi photos for you guys.

sassy69

11-30-2011, 12:23 AM

Last week - some cardio - between the holidays, allergies and work things suffered.

11/29/11 - Tues

Training: GBC chest / back
DeFranco wu -- one plus - my right IT band loosened up some -- it was brutally tight last week

Repeat 3x, 2 min interval between each triple
A1: 45 degree incline DB press: 50/6 x 3
A2: 45 degree incline BB press: 65/12 75/12 65/12
A3: 35 degree incline DB press: 27.5/25 x 3

Repeat 3x, 2 min interval
B1: HS hi row: 140/6 x 3
B2: BB row: 95/12 x 3
B3: med rope cable face pulls: 40/25 x 3

Cardio: 35 min treadmill (angle: 9, speed: 2.5)

sassy69

11-30-2011, 12:23 AM

I will fly up there and take some Paparazzi photos for you guys.

That sounds like a threat!

figurefit09

11-30-2011, 08:51 AM

Hope your training and dieting is going well and that you had a good holiday!

sassy69

11-30-2011, 02:41 PM

Hope your training and dieting is going well and that you had a good holiday!

Hey girl - thanks for the wishes! The holiday was quiet and I think I'm still just coming out of getting my ass kicked by ongoing allergies (sort of seasonal transition stuff I guess - its gotten decidedly colder & wetter and that seems to make me sneeze....)

The biggest challenge is the low protein intake - makes me tired and I peter out quickly in the gym.

ChristyLaurenPoole

11-30-2011, 03:40 PM

sassy69

11-30-2011, 03:56 PM

YO YO YO !!!! I heard you had a journal, but took me forever to find it! LOL...I'm ra-tarded.

ANYWAYS, wth, 1028cals/day.......so what are you going to do when prep time comes? Just curious. I'm excited for you!!!!! Are you working with anyone new, or on your own?

You're always awesome in my eyes!

xoxo

I think the general cals go around 1000-1200. That is really not the hard part. The point right now is just continuing to dump muscle and some flab along the way. I've got an easy 7-8 months before a target show date, so the prep will probably be similar to past. Haven't really worried about it that far ahead as I'm making changes that are bit different than straight competition prep right now.

KBigz81

11-30-2011, 03:59 PM

I think the general cals go around 1000-1200. That is really not the hard part. The point right now is just continuing to dump muscle and some flab along the way. I've got an easy 7-8 months before a target show date, so the prep will probably be similar to past. Haven't really worried about it that far ahead as I'm making changes that are bit different than straight competition prep right now.

Wow sounds like my cals when I was 2 weeks out. I know how hard it was getting through workouts with that low of calories. A new you when this is done! Keep it up Sass!

sassy69

11-30-2011, 04:24 PM

Wow sounds like my cals when I was 2 weeks out. I know how hard it was getting through workouts with that low of calories. A new you when this is done! Keep it up Sass!

Its a change in everything that I've been doing for the last 30 yrs. Weird in soo many ways.

One thing that hasn't changed in 30 yrs -- headbanger music in the gym makes the workout BETTER!

stephaniewilles

11-30-2011, 05:04 PM

Its a change in everything that I've been doing for the last 30 yrs. Weird in soo many ways.

One thing that hasn't changed in 30 yrs -- headbanger music in the gym makes the workout BETTER!

x2, on the workout music lol!!!

Hope the training is going well. I am doing less protein now too, definetly is harder, I dont feel as strong in the gym for some reason, but my carbs and fat are up now so that does help a lil bit. :)

ChristyLaurenPoole

11-30-2011, 06:16 PM

ha ha ha , I've switched to classical in the gym with higher cals.....I'm doing something wrong. =( HAHAHAH

ChristyLaurenPoole

11-30-2011, 06:26 PM

I can totally see how wierd it must be for you! Hang in there girl!! =)

ChristyLaurenPoole

11-30-2011, 07:09 PM

Lololol!!!!

sassy69

11-30-2011, 08:12 PM

Lololol!!!!

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I'm leaving work w/ a big goofy smile on my face laughing to myself :yep:

sassy69

11-30-2011, 11:51 PM

11/30/11 - Wed

Training: GBC Legs

DeFranco wu

A1: ATF squats: 95/6 x 3
A2: BB reverse lunges: 95/12 x 3
A3: Leg ext: 80/25 75/25 x 2

B1: lying leg curls: 140/6 x 3
B2: SLDL: 95/12 x 3
B3: reverse hypers: 25 x 3

Random:
- abductor: 150/20 x 3
- adductor: 150/20 x 3

Cardio: 10 min treadmill + 25 min recumbant bike

ChristyLaurenPoole

12-01-2011, 05:16 PM

ha ha ha Someone said you needed pics in this thread! ;)

ChristyLaurenPoole

12-01-2011, 06:00 PM

ok ok just one more....lol

figurefit09

12-01-2011, 09:12 PM

sassy69

12-02-2011, 01:01 AM

Sassy, Do you enjoy these circuits that you have being doing? I know the diet is probably not enjoyable because of the low cals, but do you have a lot of days where you miss training heavy? Or do you still train heavy with the circuits?

I don't mind these circuits too much. They have a concept behind them so I"m not just slapping random exercises together. It has the challenge of supersetting - which is an ass-kicker in terms of exertion and target reps. It also incorporates the same type of lifts I do in my traditional splits. There is also the opportunity for variety - I've been collecting various interpretations of Charles Poliquin's German Body Comp splits off the internet - so I've got some that are per-muscle group splits as well as some mixed splits. The annoying aspect is trying to set up 2-3 exercise stations to cycle through and have to work around a gym full of people who wander up and start using your eqpt. I've always bitched about people claiming use of several pieces of eqpt, so I make a point to hit the gym on the slower nights and keep my eqpt within the same area so I can cycle thru them quickly and keep an eye on them between sets - but yea, it takes the fun out of the workout, or kills the momentum if you have to wait for someone or find an alternative exercise mid-set.

The diet I really have no problem with. I tend to go in spurts where I want certain flavors, and then I am able to drop into a phase where I just need to shovel food down and I'm not getting a taste for things. I even forgot to eat today. Even w/ the fairly low cals. The thing that is different from past years is the low protein. I don't think I"ve had a regular diet of less than 180 g of protein in the last 20 yrs. Now I'm on around 100g. I find it affects me the most in the gym - I start w/ lots of energy and reasonable strength, but I just crap out so fast, that its kinda humbling. "Heavy lifting" is not part of my training or the things I crave when I hit the gym, and I include it in things I can pull it off with - e.g. 140 lb leg curls last nite, but then I only had 6 I had to do. But doing squats in the first circuit - even w/ a lousy 95 lb... I tried 145 lb and just about dropped. My traditional "first set" weight is 135 for 12-15 reps. 95 lbs for 6 was exhausting by the second set. The reverse lunges I had to take in 2 parts - 6 + 6 w/a short stop between them just cuz I was too tired, like my legs don't want to move.

Overall, I've spent most of the last year looking for some way to lift that doesn't hurt, so I think I'm finally over the need to lift heavy. I have a transition point coming up in the next couple months where I'm going from just trying to dump mass, and moving into a true cutting phase towards a competition date. Even tho I'm not building, I'm still far enough out from my target date that I don't have, or need to have the focus that I get once I'm on a "contest prep schedule". Its more about being relaxed and just doing what I do regularly, than being in a big rush and looking for things to tweak towards a target date. At least for me there's a definitely different mindset between the two phases.

sassy69

12-02-2011, 01:03 AM

12/1/11 - Thurs

The drivers side window on my car finally stopped going up (i.e. the regulator died) - its been slow going up & down for years, and I guess it finally choked. The problem was that I can't leave the window down w/ the rainy season starting in CA. So I brought it in to my repair place and had to leave it overnight for a pickup in the morning. The result is no transportation to the gym. So I did cardio at home.

Cardio: 30 min stairmaster

figurefit09

12-02-2011, 07:54 AM

ChristyLaurenPoole

12-02-2011, 05:48 PM

HAHAHA I couldn't resist.

sassy69

12-02-2011, 07:32 PM

I am glad you are enjoying it! I was interested in the methods you have been so I have been following along! Can't wait to see your progress! Keep up the hard work!

That's pretty cool you have a stairmaster at your house, we only have the old reliable treadmill haha

I'm getting the urge to go to my traditional split - on these days when I'm making up my own stuff (I find I get really bored w/ these supersets after a couple weeks of the same thing) I sort of pick & choose my exercises - per muscle group (e.g. quads day, hams day, back + bis, etc) and call them my "Nights of 100" - whatever I do has to be either sets of a 100 or total sets for an exercises has to sum up to 100 (e.g. 4 x 25 leg ext). The "100" is the goal. Its always the goal - i.e. 'see if I can get up to...." that drives me in the gym - or I seriously just get bored if I'm just running down my scheduled list of lifts.

I got a stairmaster because I simply dont' have the room for anything else. The whole thing takes up about 2 x 3 sq feet. Keeping in mind my whole house is about 800 sq ft, I have to be very judicious w/ floor space. If I had the freedom, I'd get a treadmill and a stepmill!

sassy69

12-02-2011, 07:34 PM

HAHAHA I couldn't resist.

LMAO!

My old cat would sit and watch me clean the box, and immediately after I put in the new litter, he'd go in there and take a dump. Sometimes he'd climb in the box BEFORE I put the litter in... just the fact that there wasn't one of "his" in the box drove him nuts. He couldn't stand the idea of litter w/o his "mark" on it.

I'm so glad my girls now are not hung up on the kitty box. The only silliness w/ them is the long-haired one always comes out w/ some of the shavings stuck to her butt, while the short-haired one always manages to come out w/ the stuff all over her face. I have no idea how she does that. :dunno:

ChristyLaurenPoole

12-03-2011, 06:24 PM

HA HAHA HA I'm so glad I have a dog now and NOT a cat! =)

11Hungrybb

12-03-2011, 08:07 PM

swingslammer

12-03-2011, 09:45 PM

I got a stairmaster because I simply dont' have the room for anything else. The whole thing takes up about 2 x 3 sq feet. Keeping in mind my whole house is about 800 sq ft, I have to be very judicious w/ floor space. If I had the freedom, I'd get a treadmill and a stepmill!

I still think the stairmaster is best, I do 1 minute fast, 1 slow for 15 minutes. Slow is level 10 and fast is 14/16. I usually burn 215/230 calories. So far it is working.

sassy69

12-03-2011, 11:16 PM

You left out the McDonalds story, LMAO!

Luv ya! :)

Takes too much time hunched over the computer to type it ... thx to your time, I worked out my frustration on that matter :)

sassy69

12-05-2011, 11:29 PM

12/5/11 - Mon

Wt still holding at 151 this morning. Still need to get some consistent cardio going. Some side projects and volunteer work kinda cutting into my usual scredule.

Training: GBC Shoulders / arms
shoulder wu
My right shoulder is kinda screwed up right now so shoulder stuff hurts.

A1: seated DB press: 30/15 40/15 x 2
A2: seated side laterals: 15/12 x 3
A3: bent over reverse flys: 15/25 x 3

B1: standing DB curls: 20/6 x 3
B2: cable BB curls: 60/12 x 3
B3: hi cable bis: 30/25 20/25 x 2

C1: rope cable tri pressdowns: 100/15 90/15 80/15
C2: rope cable OH tri ext: 70/15 60/15 x 2
C3: alt cable tri kickbacks: 20/10 x 3

Cardio: 30 min treadmill

figurefit09

12-07-2011, 11:46 AM

ChristyLaurenPoole

12-07-2011, 01:44 PM

Nice work out...thats interesting about the food thing, body getting bored. I think of that sometimes too....but not sure any science behind it other than, 'total cals'

sassy69

12-07-2011, 04:46 PM

Really really like this last set of circuits! I usually only do circuits closer til show time but its definitely good to change things up a bit because my body just stops responding after a certain point.

Do you ever find that if you eat too much of the same stuff your body also doesn't respond well? I don't personally get bored of the chicken, tilapia, eggs but i feel as if my body is bored of it for a lack of better words.

Hope the training is going well for you still. How much cardio did you say you were doing a week?

Nice work out...thats interesting about the food thing, body getting bored. I think of that sometimes too....but not sure any science behind it other than, 'total cals'

To put it in perspective - if you've ever gone thru a competition-quality diet, you are familiar with the repetition of the meal plans because the whole point is to optimize your 'fuel' and puts the "enjoy your food / taste" way down the priority list. To that end, it means mentally giving a lot of the "taste for things", cravings and a lot of what associates eating w/ social events, relaxation, trying new flavors, etc. All of that is out the window in favor of your goal of making a dramatic change in your body composition or hitting a particular target date. And you also know how sick you get of the same food knowing that you are restricted.

After following this sort of approach to dieting for nearly 20 yrs now, just out of habit, I find it is easier to just make the same food - from trial & error I've found the optimal ways to prepare food and pack it, and also have decided how much effort I'm going to put into food prep for flavor & variety vs just pack it & shovel it down as "fuel". I also have certain things I just can't stomach anymore so that also drives me towards particular food options. That is probably the biggest driver. IMO its mind over matter if you have a taste for somethign but are scheduled to eat somethign else. But I have a couple things that I can guarantee I will not get down if I eat it because the consistency makes me gag. Protein shakes and chicken right now fall into this category. Also anything w/ a tomato base to it - e.g. salsa.

As far as response to the restricted variety - for a set period of time I don't think it has any negative effect. I vary a few things in the near term, but I certain also cycle my diets and get plenty of variety outside of this. If I did strictly this all the time, then yes, but I don't. Mostly I think its important to throw some shit down the pie hole just to keep my digestive skills going. I haven't even hit the prep phase yet, so I have the freedom to vary things right now. Personally my biggest concern is hitting a point where I can't digest certain things - e.g. I start to get retentive on potatos or can't comfortably digest oats anymore. I've become lactose intolerant a few times during prep. Too much broccoli will take its revenge as well. Then when I can't digest stuff, everything is miserable. So prefer to avoid that.

Tu Holmes

12-07-2011, 05:31 PM

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/funny-pictures-lover-cat.jpg

figurefit09

12-07-2011, 05:47 PM

sassy69

12-07-2011, 06:46 PM

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/funny-pictures-lover-cat.jpg

LMAO!

Nothing remains but a trail of kitty litter....

sassy69

12-07-2011, 06:50 PM

Yeah I'm not to concerned with the flavor and stuff, I just eat in terms of my goals, it's just a slow growing process and I'm sure I'm just being impatient!

And yeah chicken and hard-boiled eggs are on my unwanted listed right now because I ate it so much during prep I can just look at them and gag right now haha it sucks but I'm sure my stomach will come around in time.

Tried bison for the first time the other day, was a pleasant surprise. Too expensive to have all the time of course but not bad for a treat.

My fav is orange roughy, but since it has been added to the "threatened species" list, it is nearly impossible to find. I can choke down tilapia, but BIG FAT NO on hard-boiled eggs - tho I can do scrambled any day of the week, and thanks to CLP's brilliant idea of blending spinach or asparagus into your egg whites w/ your handy dandy personal blender, and slapping that in skillet - love it AND high in vit C! I tried doing hard-boiled eggs for the first day I started my first prep in 2000 - nearly gagged trying to get thru 7 of them. Haven't done it since.

ChristyLaurenPoole

12-07-2011, 07:06 PM

My fav is orange roughy, but since it has been added to the "threatened species" list, it is nearly impossible to find. I can choke down tilapia, but BIG FAT NO on hard-boiled eggs - tho I can do scrambled any day of the week, and thanks to CLP's brilliant idea of blending spinach or asparagus into your egg whites w/ your handy dandy personal blender, and slapping that in skillet - love it AND high in vit C! I tried doing hard-boiled eggs for the first day I started my first prep in 2000 - nearly gagged trying to get thru 7 of them. Haven't done it since.

OMG, most informative post of the day!!! I have been searching far and wide for some orange roughy!!!!!! I used to buy it in HEAPS at costco!!! Now I know...damn!!!! I liked that when dieting too...

The steak and sweet potatoes (not yams, but the sweet potatoes) are my fav meal now, but after a month I can feel its wearing on me too....

I'll be back to the blender eggs soon I fear, Jan 1 or 2nd can decide which day I'll be starting LOL!!! Depends on how hung over I am? ;)

Tu Holmes

12-07-2011, 09:56 PM

LMAO!

Nothing remains but a trail of kitty litter....

If I were a cat.

;)

sassy69

12-07-2011, 10:54 PM

U]12/7/11 - Wed[/U]

Cardio: 30 min treadmill -- thank god for my iPod!

Training: short leg day - mini nite of 100s

leg ext: 90/25 x 4
leg press (close stance): 360/20 x 5
atf squats: 95/20 x 5

AnglicanBeachParty

12-08-2011, 10:39 AM

My fav is orange roughy, but since it has been added to the "threatened species" list, it is nearly impossible to find.

So that's why my wife hasn't gotten orange roughy lately! I love the stuff!

txhawkeyes

12-08-2011, 11:27 AM

To put it in perspective - if you've ever gone thru a competition-quality diet, you are familiar with the repetition of the meal plans because the whole point is to optimize your 'fuel' and puts the "enjoy your food / taste" way down the priority list. To that end, it means mentally giving a lot of the "taste for things", cravings and a lot of what associates eating w/ social events, relaxation, trying new flavors, etc. All of that is out the window in favor of your goal of making a dramatic change in your body composition or hitting a particular target date. And you also know how sick you get of the same food knowing that you are restricted.

After following this sort of approach to dieting for nearly 20 yrs now, just out of habit, I find it is easier to just make the same food - from trial & error I've found the optimal ways to prepare food and pack it, and also have decided how much effort I'm going to put into food prep for flavor & variety vs just pack it & shovel it down as "fuel". I also have certain things I just can't stomach anymore so that also drives me towards particular food options. That is probably the biggest driver. IMO its mind over matter if you have a taste for somethign but are scheduled to eat somethign else. But I have a couple things that I can guarantee I will not get down if I eat it because the consistency makes me gag. Protein shakes and chicken right now fall into this category. Also anything w/ a tomato base to it - e.g. salsa.

As far as response to the restricted variety - for a set period of time I don't think it has any negative effect. I vary a few things in the near term, but I certain also cycle my diets and get plenty of variety outside of this. If I did strictly this all the time, then yes, but I don't. Mostly I think its important to throw some shit down the pie hole just to keep my digestive skills going. I haven't even hit the prep phase yet, so I have the freedom to vary things right now. Personally my biggest concern is hitting a point where I can't digest certain things - e.g. I start to get retentive on potatos or can't comfortably digest oats anymore. I've become lactose intolerant a few times during prep. Too much broccoli will take its revenge as well. Then when I can't digest stuff, everything is miserable. So prefer to avoid that.

Love your attitude. A hard boiled egg, is a hard boiled egg. I eat a ton of em, cause they are so convenient. Food is fuel. Salmon packs dont taste that great, over and over and over...but it's just fuel, so I pack it in.
Every breakfast is identical, mostly cause it is good fuel, and it is easy and quick when my girls are getting ready for school, etc, etc. Lunch has some variance to it, and dinner is pretty predictable. My problem with the fuel schedule is Sat and Sunday. Mostly Saturdays. During the week, life is scheduled. Sunday with church and stuff, about half scheduled...but Saturdays are all up in the air. Makes it hard to stay on schedule.

Good work Sassy !!!

ChristyLaurenPoole

12-08-2011, 02:42 PM

HA HA HA!

My friend just sent this to me with a message and said:

BE STRONG TODAY!

hahahaha, had to share! =)

KBigz81

12-08-2011, 03:19 PM

KBigz81

12-08-2011, 03:20 PM

My fav is orange roughy, but since it has been added to the "threatened species" list, it is nearly impossible to find. I can choke down tilapia, but BIG FAT NO on hard-boiled eggs - tho I can do scrambled any day of the week, and thanks to CLP's brilliant idea of blending spinach or asparagus into your egg whites w/ your handy dandy personal blender, and slapping that in skillet - love it AND high in vit C! I tried doing hard-boiled eggs for the first day I started my first prep in 2000 - nearly gagged trying to get thru 7 of them. Haven't done it since.

When I was traveling I would do hard boiled eggs. Only way I could choke them down was with mustard. That got old REAL fast! Never though about blending the spinach and asparagus into the eggwhites though. Nice idea!

figurefit09

12-08-2011, 03:47 PM

txhawkeyes

12-08-2011, 04:12 PM

When I was traveling I would do hard boiled eggs. Only way I could choke them down was with mustard. That got old REAL fast! Never though about blending the spinach and asparagus into the eggwhites though. Nice idea!

Mustard. I could DO that! And I think it is on the list of good things to eat...gotta be.

I have a habit, twice or three times a week, of making a big bowl of chicken salad. I use these big round cans of white chicken meet from Sam's, then I throw in a double pack of Chick of the Sea Salmon(red pack)
then add some tabasco, tspn of lime, sweet relish, and some olive oil mayo. Problem is, I eat it on tortilla chips..not good. BUTTT, I know the relish has some sugar in it, and the mayo..may not be the best, but other than that, I think it is probably pretty good. What am I missing??? It ain't the best, but I think its probably a pretty good helping of protein at least.

Sassy talked about not worrying about taste, I eat this stuff 2-3 times a week and have for probably over a year now. Same exact recipe. And I throw it in place of dinner, lunch, whatever.

ChristyLaurenPoole

12-08-2011, 04:40 PM

Everything taste better with: mustard, soy sauce, salt....when you're dieting.

figurefit09

12-12-2011, 01:18 PM

Everything taste better with: mustard, soy sauce, salt....when you're dieting.

AGREEED! Found this little tip from Nicole Wilkins Lee that is a recipe for honey mustard with ZERO cals. Its stone ground sodium free mustard + stevia liquid drops and balsamic vinegar. Just add the second two ingredients into the mustard bottle and shake it up and wah-la!

sassy69

12-15-2011, 02:12 AM

Hard boiled eggs are definitely great for convenience. Managed to sneak them onto the airplane a few times, don't think the rest of the plane enjoyed them as much as I did but its always nice to have your food with you when you travel. I can't travel without packing my own food. Family thinks I'm completely nuts of course because I am only 20 and eat "all the time" as far as they are concerned.

Sassy, thanks for the idea on doing the 100's or aiming for a specific number of reps thing. I had never thought of training in that way before, tried it today and it was definitely a refreshing experience for something different!

This idea was inspired by the way I trained during the last 2 weeks or so prior to a show I did in 2005. Everything I did in the gym had complete 100 reps. Let me tell you about misery. I was open to break it down however I wanted, as long as I finished the 100. The only purpose was to burn glycogen and it did help to have that goal in mind when running thru my reps. I can't deal w/ someone standing over me counting reps, w/ that implied continued counting when you're not totally sure how many reps the counter is going to make you do. I get anxiety from that shit.

Another aspect to this, since I'm not doing it in the context of competition just to burn glycogen, I also know that the higher rep stuff requires conditioning towards the higher reps instead of higher weights. It is amazing what you can accomplish if you give it try and stick to it. The inspiration I draw from for this comes from an Olympic-level sprinter from Trinidad or one of those exotic Caribbean islands who had me doing 4 x 200 reps w/ just the sled on the leg press. That was ass-kicking and took a while to work up to, but I did it. Think about it. 800 reps in the span of about 10-15 minutes. Sheeyit!

sassy69

12-15-2011, 02:30 AM

Everything taste better with: mustard, soy sauce, salt....when you're dieting.

I'm not a big fan of salt - never have been. But I can go all day long w/ the tang of vinegar. Lemon is near second. Margaritas are a near 3rd. (But they are a number 1 no-no.)

figurefit09

12-15-2011, 07:36 PM

That was ass-kicking and took a while to work up to, but I did it. Think about it. 800 reps in the span of about 10-15 minutes. Sheeyit!

Yeah no kidding!!! Wowzers!!!

I'm not a big fan of salt - never have been. But I can go all day long w/ the tang of vinegar. Lemon is near second. Margaritas are a near 3rd. (But they are a number 1 no-no.)

No salt for me either but love LOVE vinegar! I usually put lemon juice on chicken and fish when baking, it keeps it form getting too dry!

sassy69

01-03-2012, 12:03 AM

12/29 - Thurs: Legs super sets

12/30 - Fri: back / chest super sets

12/31 - Sat: 30 min stairmaster

1/1/12 - Sun: 2 hrs at kitty adoption place & Star Wars marathon ;)

1/2/12 - Mon:
AM: 25 min sauna suit cardio - stairmaster
PM: legs
DeFranco warmup
Triple: quads
- atf squats: 95/6 x 3
- bb reverse lunges: 95/12 x 3
- leg ext: 75/25 x 3

Triple: hams
- lying leg curl: 120/12 x 3
- DB SLDL: 35s/12 x 3
- reverse hypers: 25 x 3

sassy69

01-10-2012, 11:39 PM

1/10/12 - Tues

Slow coming back - I did so good not getting sick over the holidays - 2 6 hr plane rides across the country and came out healthy as a horse. Walk into my office the first work day of the new year and I'm surrounded by a bunch of sickies... Thus I get the creeping crud. Anyway felt better today, and really hoping whatever I have doesn't turn into something bigger.

Training: German Body Comp - Chest / Back

shoulder wu x 3

Chest cycle:
- 45 degree incline DB: 45/6 50/6 50/6
- 45 degree incline BB: 65/12 x 3
- 30 degree incline DB: 30/20 x 3

Back cycle:
- lat pulldown: 135/6 165/6 150/6
- Hammer Strength iso-row: 180/12 x 3
- seated face pulls: 40/25 x 3

Cardio: 20 min stepmill

Suzanne

01-11-2012, 11:42 AM

Catching up. Hope you feel better I had it last week ugh!

sassy69

01-16-2012, 10:34 PM

Catching up. Hope you feel better I had it last week ugh!

Hey Suzanne - no luck yet -- still screwing around w/ whatever I can try to kill this thing. I'm at the point that I'm gargling w/ hydrogen peroxide! Blah... t'is the season.

KatieMcSquats

01-16-2012, 10:50 PM

great thread SasS! good luck with the journey!
(still in shock you're 46, deff look like ur a 20 something yr old )

sassy69

01-16-2012, 11:13 PM

great thread SasS! good luck with the journey!
(still in shock you're 46, deff look like ur a 20 something yr old )

Thx Katie -- I'm not quite out the gate yet I guess, but I promise big changes are coming ... the sooner the sore throat goes anyway....!

KatieMcSquats

01-17-2012, 12:07 AM

You're gonna kick ass girl! FEEL BETTERr:flowers:

sassy69

01-17-2012, 01:17 AM

You're gonna kick ass girl! FEEL BETTERr:flowers:

Thx Katie! Waiting for the Mucinex to kick in as we speak!

GirlyMuscle

01-17-2012, 07:00 AM

Still no Sassy pics. pooh

sassy69

01-17-2012, 10:56 AM

Still no Sassy pics. pooh

Not for a while I'm afraid.

I am happy to report for the first time in 2 weeks I DIDN'T wake up at 4 am to a coughing fit! I think I kicked that bitch!

juiceinator3000

01-17-2012, 11:13 AM

Still no Sassy pics. pooh
x2. Wanna see the transformation happen!

Suzanne

01-17-2012, 11:13 AM

Hope you kicked the germs ass! I had it about a week. Chase is still coughing a bunch. He end up going to Dr for sntibiotic and something for bronchitis. I avaoid antibiotics unless really necessry

sassy69

01-17-2012, 01:17 PM

Hope you kicked the germs ass! I had it about a week. Chase is still coughing a bunch. He end up going to Dr for sntibiotic and something for bronchitis. I avaoid antibiotics unless really necessry

I've been thru this same exact this every year since 2007 - I also don't like going to a doc for a "cold" - especially when its mostly just a very low-grade fever, but coughing & hacking enough to wake the dead and so bad that I've worked from home for a week at a time just to make it possible for my co-workers to not have to listen to the hacking. The other thing is that each time it has been up to 2 months before I've actually gone into the doc, because I've tried everything else - from the liquid cough things, to the sinus medication, etc. The ONLY thing that has killed the cough is anti-biotics (z-pak). So that's telling me this is something bacterial as well as flavors of whatever flu bug is going around this time of year. I don't have the time to fuck around w/ this - Its already been 2 weeks and I was 100% healthy over the holidays. I picked 'whatever' up at my office and it has been a full 2 weeks. First morning I slept all the way thru. I almost fell out of bed when I realized I made it all the way to 6:30 am w/o hacking once! I still have a little residual sinus and stuff but that's clearing out.

And to the pix ... its still going to be a while. Patience kids!

Curt James

01-17-2012, 08:21 PM

Get well soon.

sassy69

01-17-2012, 09:55 PM

Get well soon.

Thanks Curt! I think I can say I've gotten well! YAY!

sassy69

02-04-2012, 02:17 AM

2/3/12 - Fri

Still dealing w/ some raspy cough and a bit of a fever. BUT ....

Training:

45 min cardio - treadmill

GirlyMuscle

02-04-2012, 08:48 AM

I feel ya...I got sick twice this winter and both times left me with a lingering cough for a couple of weeks afterward.

sassy69

02-14-2012, 02:53 AM

Still coughing a little, but I feel healthy :)

2/13/12 - Mon

Ok .. unofficially back on the wagon. Officially is when I get in touch w/ Shelby and get my progress pix done. Egads I hate that part of prep. This week is easing back into the gym and seeing what still hurts or not. I can tell my shoulder is going to be an issue - it hasn't really changed in over a year. I may need to get it checked if I did actually redamage it a week before my last show in 2010. My good ol' elbow tendonitis is still an issue. Luckily my biceps are still reasonably well developed, but it still sucks when shit starts to hurt on a a stupid curl.

Training: back / biceps

Shoulder warmup:
front / angle / side DB raises: 7.5 lb/ 10 x 3 x 3
cable in/out: 20/20 x 3 x 4 (both arms, both directions)

Exercises today were more about just moving and getting the feel for the weights again. Because Monday is always a cluster fuck at my gym, no room on the floor for warmups, so kept it simple.

lat pulldowns: 105/20 x 4
close-grip cable row: 105/15 x 4
HS iso-row: 90 lb / side / 12 x 4
super:
- ezcurl bar: 40/20 50/15 x 2 40/20
- DB x-over hammercurl: 25/10 x 4
90 degree preacher curl machine: 40/20 x 3

GirlyMuscle

02-14-2012, 09:00 AM

This over 40 shit sucks. My hips have been aching every night when I lay down to sleep. I took off from cardio today, hoping to give them a rest. Then there's my wrists, knees, bunions, etc......

sassy69

02-14-2012, 11:55 AM

This over 40 shit sucks. My hips have been aching every night when I lay down to sleep. I took off from cardio today, hoping to give them a rest. Then there's my wrists, knees, bunions, etc......

Do you stretch? I actually do pretty good w/ achy joints - the ones that hurt are the ones that have had tendonitis problems for years.

sassy69

02-14-2012, 11:45 PM

2/14/12 - Tues

Day 2 in the gym... I was really short on sleep last night, so definitely noticed some dragass towards the end of the day at work. I was looking for gym motivation w/ some Motley Crue on the radio to the gym, pulled into a great parking spot at the gym, got out of the car, yawned, stretched .. turned around & got back in the car, pulled out, drove around the center median in the parking lot, then decided I needed to suck it up so I could sleep better tonite. :) Even more so I need to get the momentum going so the gym isn't "optional". I miss the regularity & looking forward to killing it every night. Hard to get back into that.

Anyway.. I also left w/ my ass kicked, doing the "Leg Day Shuffle" w/ my knees about ready to buckle.. YEA! Next time it will be my quads burning and not my knees exhausted....

Training: Quads dominant

20 min DeFranco wu --- dude this felt sooo good too! My lower back has been getting a little sore when I wake up.
atf squats: bodywt/15 bar/20 95/15 x 4
leg press: 270/20 450/15 x 4
leg ext: 110/15 x 4
standing alt leg curl: 20/20 x 2

Sunnyday

02-15-2012, 02:14 PM

Props for turning around and going back to train, girl! It is sooo hard getting back into regular training, and especially on limited sleep.

sassy69

02-18-2012, 12:30 AM

2/17/12 - Fri

So Tues was leg day. Wednesday was an off day where I did some relocation research (Seattle maybe??) related to work, then Thurs on the way to the gym, the minute I hit the highway, I discovered there was a fatal motorcycle accident 7 miles down the road, just north of the gym. 2 hrs later, I passed the accident site - nothing remaining but some flares on the road. Too tired by that time, so went home & crashed. The downside was sitting in the car for two hours just added to the DOMS and stiffness post leg day. Anyway, reminder about how important it is to be regular in the gym... conditioning can refer to many things!

Diving into the diet now too...

Diet:
M1: 1 whole egg + 3 egg whites (I use liquid egg whites) + 2 c spinach (blend it all together, make scrambled green eggs!)
M2: 4 oz ground turkey + sliced peppers
M3: forgot to eat
M4: 4 oz ground turkey + 1/2 c brown rice pasta + 1/4 c spaghetti sauce
M5: 3 oz chicken + 1/2 c pasta + (less than) 1/4 c spaghetti sauce
M6: 1 scoop casein + 1 tbsp PB

Training: Chest / tris
DeFranco wu ... damn this felt good!
shoulder wu x 3
super:
- 30 degree incline DB press: 50/12 x 4
- 30 degree incline DB fly: 20/15 x 4
HS low row: 45's / 10 x 3
cable x-over: 30/15 x 3 20/20 -- right shoulder not liking me on these
super:
- ezbar skull crushers: 50/10 x 2 40/15 x 2
- ezbar close grip press: 50/10 x 2 40/10 x 2
ezbar grip tri pressdowns: 100/20 x 3

Left shaking after this -- I find I have the strength, but I guess I still need to work on my conditioning. Part of the challenge is my right shoulder which really gets tired quickly. Kinda hoping its just all the time I've taken off. We'll see. The next step in the progression is to add cardio.

GirlyMuscle

02-18-2012, 08:24 AM

Actually, no ...I never stretch. Guess it's time to start.

Ann Caliri

02-18-2012, 11:31 AM

sassy69

02-18-2012, 03:22 PM

Actually, no ...I never stretch. Guess it's time to start.

YES! You'll LOVE it! Its annoying to make the time for it before training, but it makes the whole difference for me. I have zero faith in my knees not buckling under the bar on squats or getting stuck "down" on the hack squat. I also get stupid tight in my IT band all the time, which immediately promotes shitty form and stresses my lower back.

Scoll down to the Agile 8: http://www.defrancostraining.com/ask_joe/archives/ask_joe_08-10-03.html

I start out just laying on my back and doing 20 leg kicks up per side as sort of an active warmup. Then I'll pull each knee across my hips to stretch that hip. Note I do this at the end of each change in this 3 step progression to get my hips / hams & IT bands going:

1) each side lying on my back - 20 leg kicks as far as it will go - not pushing it, just getting things warmed up
-- after each, pull that knee across to the other side to specifically stretch the hip - again - not pulling hard, just getting things warmed up - usually count out 20-30 sec - the point isn't to rush thru them, but just go as how I feel things loosening up
2) each side lying on my back - pull my knee to my chest, hold my ankle and rotate my foot from the ankle 20 x each direction - the purpose here is to help stretch the heel / ankle in support of my randomly returning plantar fasciitis. Then twist the knee it back & forth so the pivot point is coming right from my hip/piriformis - I can feel it in the IT band / piriformis w/ some stretching. The goal of this is to further stretch the hammy
-- after each, pull that knee across again - and you'll notice it get looser and hurt less w/ each progression
3) each side, lying on my back, grab my toe w/ fingers and extend my leg all the way out. The point here is again stretch the heel (plantar fasciitis) and again, the hamstring. This is like step 1 to warm up my hamstring for a stiff-leg dead lift.

Then go into DeFranco's Agile 8. I also mix in some of my usual leg stuff - always working on my split (both directions and full front), which ultimately is still about getting a good stretch in my hamstring & IT band.

If its leg day, I'll follow up all of this w/ some bodywt ATF squats to be sure my knees support going all the way down & back up. If I'm doing any squating > 135 lb, I'll use my nylon knee sleeves.

If its upper body day, I'll do a shoulder warmup that I modified from my shoulder rehab (Stanford doctor approved!):
- w/ light DBs (7.5 -10 lb) - 3 rotations:
--- 10 reps front raises (palms facing in)
--- 10 reps at a 45 degree angle from front (palms facing in)
--- 10 reps to the sides (palms facing down)

Then on the cable frame, set a single grip on a cable around waist height, and execute the following w your elbow locked into your side to isolate rotation to your shoulder (they call these "in / out" or "inside / outside") - and note doesn't need to be heavy. I set the stack at 20 lb.
Repeat 3 x, 20 reps each motion:
- right side, pull from side to front (resistance from the side)
- left side, pull from side to front (resistance from the side)
- right side, face away and pull from front to side (resistance from the front)
- left side, face away and pull from front to side (resistance from the front)

And then if you're familiar w/ any of DoggCrapp's extreme stretches, I kinda like doing those sorts of things between exercises.

sassy69

02-18-2012, 03:29 PM

1 whole egg + 3 egg whites (I use liquid egg whites) + 2 c spinach (blend it all together, make scrambled green eggs!)

I'm gonna have to try this, it sounds like a good twist!

Good luck on your new journey!

Hi Ann! Credit goes to CLP (ChristyLaurenPoole) for that! I eat a lot of eggs, but I've gotten sick of salads to get in spinach. Instead its just brilliant to mix it into the eggs in the morning - I use my little cheapo version of the Bullett to blend, takes about 20 sec. If you have them, mix in some scallions, otherwise I use onion powder & some salad spices (non-salt, but not heavy seasoning so it tastes like spaghetti or something). Or throw some broccoli in there. And scramble it all. Easy and you just added 1-2 c of spinach to your day!

sassy69

02-18-2012, 10:51 PM

2/18/12 - Sat

Diet:
M1: 1/2 c oats + 1/4 c berries + 1 scoop casein protein
M2: 1 1/2 scoop protein mix + 1 tbsp PB
M3: 4 oz ground turkey + 1/2 c brown rice pasta + 2 tbsp spaghetti sauce
<training>
"M4": 12 oz juiced veggies
M5: tbd

Training: Hams dominant

DeFranco Wu
SLDL: bar/20 135/15 x 4
BB side lunges: bar/30 65/30 85/30 x 3
BB reverse lunges: bar/30 85/30 x 4
lying leg curls: 90/20 x 4
seated leg ext: 80/25 x 4
Cool down:
- PVC pipe shoulder dislocations
- PVC pipe OH atf squats: 15 x 3

... ass kicked!

KatieMcSquats

02-19-2012, 01:51 AM

Love reading your journey !Looks like you are certainly kickin butt!! ;)

sassy69

02-19-2012, 11:53 AM

Love reading your journey !Looks like you are certainly kickin butt!! ;)

Thx! And with the help of Rob Halford, its definitely a ROCK YOUR FACE OFF kinda workout!

QVoXrg3dp70

sassy69

02-19-2012, 06:27 PM

2/19/12 - Sun

Morning duty at the kitty adoption center ... beyond cute. The adoption center is part of a local pet store, and they were doing doggy vaccinations as well today. So someone brought in 2 boxes of these adorable little beagle puppies... awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! The cute factor was off the chain!

Diet:
M1: 1 omega-3 egg + 3 egg whites + 2 c spinach
M2: 1/2 c oatmeal + 1/4 c berries + 1 scoop casein whey
<training>
PWO: juiced veggies
M4: tbd
M5: tbd
M6: tbd

Training: shoulders / calves

DeFranco wu
shoulder wu: in/outs x 4 x 3
standing front BB press (focus on rear delt contraction): bar/20 x 5
standing front DB raises: 15/15 x 4
palm facing DB to rear delt contraction: 20/15 x 4
forward-leaning DB side laterals: 17.5/15 x 4
cable bent over reverse fly: 15/15 x 4
super:
- seated sliding calves (fast pace): 140/30 x 3
- seated plate-loaded calves (slow): 90/15 x 3

sassy69

02-25-2012, 10:35 PM

2/21/12 - Tues

What a messed up day - I've got viruses or my some shit on both my work & home laptops. Just had the IT guy clean up the work laptop & now i can't find any of my files. Some days I just get tired of it all.

Anyway, was looking forward to hitting the gym.

Diet: as usual

Training: back & bis
shoudler wu
lat pulldowns: 105/20 120/15 x 4
DL: 135/15 x 5
HS iso-row: 180/20 x 4
x-over 1 arm cable rows: 40/15 x 5
super:
- ezbar curls: 50/15 40/20 x 4
- DB hammer curls: 25/10 x 5
seated alt DB curls: 20/10 17.5/10 x 3

sassy69

02-25-2012, 10:35 PM

2/24/12 - Fri

OK, so took a few days to get back. Dealing w/ some damn virus issues again. My knees were a little iffy doing squats, and that sorta got me what I suppose we could call pre-exhausted, because I just started feeling like I was going to drop under the weight. So I opted to drop the weight a little & up the reps. Left the gym w/ the Leg Day Shuffle!

Training: Quads dominant

DeFranco wu
atf squats: bodywt/20 bar/15 95/20 115/15 135/5 135/7 135/8
leg press: 360/25 x 4
leg ext: 100/20 100/15 x 4
lying leg curl: 100/15 x 4

sassy69

02-25-2012, 10:36 PM

2/25/12 - Sat

Training: chest & tris

shoulder wu x 3
super:
- incline DB press: 45/20 x 3 35/20
- incline DB fly: 22.5/15 x 4
machine (flat bench equivalent) chest press: 50/15 x 4
cable x-over: 30/15 x 4
attempted to super the x-overs w/ close stance push-ups but my right shoulder wasn't going for it

Super:
- rope cable tri pressdowns: 100/20 x 2 90/20 x 2
- OH rope cable tri ext: 70/20 x 4

Cardio: 20 min stepmill

sassy69

03-04-2012, 03:37 AM

3/1 - 30 min treadmill

3/3 - quads
DeFranco WU
shoulder wu x 3
Javorek DB Complex 1 (x 3):
- DB upright rows: 10/6
- DB high pull snatch: 10/6
- DBs squat push press: 10/6
- DB high pull snatch: 10/6
- DB bent over row: 10/6
(lower back started hurting)
ATF Squat: bodywt/20 x 2 bar/15 95/15 x 3
leg ext: 80/20 x 4
Cardio: 30 min treadmill

The Prodigy

03-04-2012, 10:56 PM

Hey! Stopping by to see how you are doing! Things look like they are crusing along! Are you writing your own workouts?

sassy69

03-05-2012, 01:41 AM

Hey Gail - its been kinda limping along. Lots of non-motivation in many dimensions of my life right now. So I started back to basics. I've been working w/ Shelby - well started to, had to bail out due to some work obligations, needed some time to heal a few things and now back on it. Based on the recent Phx Physique Pro and where I'm at right now after spending more than a year trying different methods of training for something that works w/ my variety of tendonitis issues, but also isn't annoying (hey I'm a bit set in my ways...), I had found I kinda like Poliquin's German Body Comp approach. I felt some limitation w/ it as I don't like lifting for speed (a la crossfit) and I had some issues w/ not switching out the upper body stuff frequently enough to let my right shoulder recover properly. I dug up my notes on the Javorek BB & DB Complexes and gave it a shot over the weekend. The two problems I had, at least out the gate, were all the upper body things (shoulder) and the lower back stuff I'm just not conditioned for (e.g super sets of DB high pull snatches). I suppose given time it would've been ok. But still I"m floundering all over the place w/ what I think I need diet-wise, and then getting bored w/ the whole thing. So I recontacted Shelby and going back to basics. Given all of it, we're back at the beginning. Going to spend the next month NOT training, sticking with cardio and very light diet.

3/4 - Sun
OK, so reset back to square one. The hard part was sending "progress pix" to my trainer. O.M.G. We'll just leave it at that. Not going to post anything any time soon. My weight is up around 165 right now. Probably due a lot to frustration w/ my job, my life, the recent results of the first Pro Physique show. The funny thing is that we're back to what I was trying to avoid in the first place - how to prep for a show by NOT training. Seems its the only way. OK I got nothing left to argue w/ and just do it. Here's the diet again - same as I started trying back in October:
5 meals per day:

meal 1: 20 grams carbs (complex carbs like oats, etc.), 20 grams protein, 10 grams fat
meal 2, 3,4: 10 grams carbs (fruit or veggies only), 20 grams protein, 10 grams fat
meal 5: 20 grams protein, 10 grams fat

Not counting the protein and fat in the oats, or the carbs and protein in fat sources like nuts / nut butters, etc.

So roughly 100g protein per day, 50g carbs (30 from fruits and veggies) and 50g fat.

Support sups are generally:
- multi
- hoodia (seems to work for me after a while)
- 2 x 3 g EFA
- joint support
- thermo

Target cardio at 30 min / day to start. It will be some sort of steady state as my knees never seem to handle HIIT. I may try some bike HIIT and see how it goes. I do have worry about too much steep angle treadmill cardio because it tends to aggravate my plantar fasciitis (which hasn't been an issue for a while now!) So I'd be leaning towards more stepmill than anything w/ stairmaster (at home) as my fall back. I've also verified the value of my beloved Joe Defranco warmups.

sassy69

03-05-2012, 03:10 AM

I just got done putting together my food for tomorrow:

Meal 1: 1/3 c oats + 20 g protein mix (a little less than a scoop) - suspect I will switch the protein to a whole egg + egg whites to get in the fats.

Meal 2: 2 whole eggs + 2 egg whites + 2 c spinach (blended = green scrambled eggs) + 1 carrot
Meal 3: 3 oz ground turkey + 2 c broccoli + 1 oz almonds (Will add a smal piece of fruit - gotta see what is available)
Meal 4: 1 can tuna + 1 c spinach / celery / carrots / cucumber + 2 tbls basalmic + oil
Meal 5: Most likely casein protein mix + PB.

The Prodigy

03-05-2012, 09:33 AM

sassy69

03-05-2012, 11:32 AM

Hang in there lady! Sometimes it is hard to find what works to motivate you! I hired and new trainer and I feel like a virgin in the gym again. I have the drive of a tank now. When you diet with Shelby does he tell you home many grams of each marco to use and you create the diet or does he give you specific foods to eat and lay it all out for you?

Generally he just gives the high-level guidance. I need to do this a few times to get an idea of the portions because they're much different than what I'm used to. I also have spent more than a year flopping around w/ what I think I need at different times of day (driven by nothing other than thinking about it too much & panicking), so I asked for specifics this time - just tell me what to do and keep it simple.

The Prodigy

03-05-2012, 12:40 PM

That is where my offseason diet fails...I can't be told do Xg Carbs, Yg Protein...yadda yadda.....

I have to be told specific foods and a variety for each one. Otherwise I justify to myself how eating a piece of cake is both carbs and fats.....

Imystify

03-05-2012, 01:46 PM

Probably due a lot to frustration w/ my job, my life, the recent results of the first Pro Physique show.

Hi.
Your description is a great snapshot of my perpetual situation.
/first post and subscribed.

sassy69

03-05-2012, 03:40 PM

I find if I don't have a lot of structure in my life, other things start to fall apart. So when I feel things getting random, I'm getting bored, or not feeling like I"m moving forward in my accomplishments in life in general, I generally always start w/ my training. The problem here is that there's no training and even the gyms don't feel the same anymore - not the old crowd, times changin'! So backed out even further to just have Shelby tell me what to do and stop worrying about the rest of it. The rest of stuff tends to fall into place after that.

sassy69

03-06-2012, 12:06 AM

3/5/12 - Mon

Diet was tight.

Cardio: 25 min stairmaster

AnglicanBeachParty

03-06-2012, 06:11 AM

sassy69

03-06-2012, 03:10 PM

That part has got to be tough, mentally feeling like you are not moving forward.

Good luck with it!

I've spent more than a year coming to terms w/ that. But so far training isn't working, so we're trying "not training", and working up to "more cardio". My problem is that I have a hard time justifying going to the gym for just cardio. But probably the bigger annoyance is that EVERYONE is doing cardio between 5-7 pm so no eqpt open. That's half the reason I burn the time I do w/ training and do cardio later.

katt981

03-06-2012, 03:42 PM

boy tell me about that one!! We have those "biggest loser' competitions going on now at the gyms and you can't find a piece of cardio equipment between 5-7 to save your life.... ha ha ha

The Prodigy

03-07-2012, 09:43 AM

Suzanne

03-07-2012, 10:49 AM

Ugh the gyms are packed right now at night Gold's did 9.99/month no contract so really crowded sucks! Should start getting better tho March is the peak then they fade away

sassy69

03-08-2012, 10:59 PM

3/8/12 - Thurs

I'm up here in Seattle the rest of the week for work. Way too tired Tues & Wed to do any cardio - between packing, traveling, work & no sleep anywhere in there (weird, I simply couldn't fall asleep, but scared to take anything so I didn't oversleep & miss my flight).

Cardio: 40 min elliptical @ the hotel

LOLZ -- the 3 treadmills they have in the "fitness room" don't elevate & the bike won't turn on.

Happy to say the diet is good - just not hungry so I'm rolling w/ that. There are a bunch of restaurants near the office, but none of them really have food I care for, so I hit the grocery story & bought some salad stuff and I brought several packs of pouch tuna, a small thing of Designer Whey protein & oatmeal. Easy peasy!

sassy69

03-24-2012, 06:57 PM

Catch up post! Per the above note, I went to Seattle to explore a potential move and just didn't like it at all. Great office & staff and great opportunity, but I'm already moody enough. The perpetual grey weather is 3 steps backwards a probably beeline directly to the therapist's office. I was also hoping an opportunity to relocate to Denver where I've got family & friends and there's s great fitness environment there. That was explicitly not an option and it took me a week to really come to terms w/ that & refocus here. So I took that week & got focused! Here's the catch-up. This week's requirement is 35 min cardio/day. As I mentioned above, my challenge is getting into the gym w/ something that feels like I accomplished something & cardio doesn't pull it for me. So me personally, I added in a ham & quad day where its all high rep / low weight. My ass & thighs have always been an issue for me, so it feels good to get them working. I'm also looking for any classes that coincide w/ when I get to the gym - my work schedule sometimes slides past 5 pm so it's always been hard to commit to classes. I also bought "Insanity" - see if / where that fits in....

Progress-wise - since a stall 2 weeks ago, I've dropped 5 lb :) Official recording tomorrow. The bigger thing is just seeing some forward motion. Here's when nothing tastes better than feeling lean!

3/19/12 - Mon
AM: 30 min cardio - stairmaster
PM: 20 min stepmill + 20 min treadmill

3/20/12 - Tues
AM: 20 min stairmaster
PM: quad dominant
- DeFranco warmup
- squats: wu/20 bar/20 95/15 x 5
- alt leg press: 180/25 x 4
- reg leg pres: 360/50 x 4
- leg ext: 80/25 x 4
- DB SLDL: 27.5/20 x 4
Cardio: 20 min stepmill + 10 min treadmill

3/20/12 - Wed
PM:
DeFranco WU
60 min Power Yoga class
Cardio: 20 min stepmill + 20 min treadmill

3/21/12 - Thurs
(worked late & long phone call w/ my brother)
40 min stairmaster

3/22/12 - Fri
PM:
DeFranco WU
Hams dominant:
- SLDL: bar/20 95/20 x 5
- super: walking lunges + reverse hyper: bodywt/50 steps + 20 reps
- leg ext: 100/20 x 2 80/20 x 2
Cardio: 45 min treadmill (and thank God for Big Bang Theory repeats!)

3/24/12 - Sat
45 min cardio

AVBG

03-24-2012, 08:37 PM

Denver would be my #1 choice if I were to re-locate to the US

sassy69

03-25-2012, 11:14 PM

Denver would be my #1 choice if I were to re-locate to the US

I was truly bummed. It would be a great place!

sassy69

03-26-2012, 01:07 AM

3/25/12 - Sun

Cardio: 45 min stairmaster while watching The Muppets :)

sassy69

03-27-2012, 01:19 AM

3/26/12 - Mon

PM: Quad dominant
20 min DeFranco wu (happy w/ my flexibility!)
ATF Squats: bodywt/20 bar/20 95/20 95/15 x 5
machine leg press (wide stance): 210/20 x 5
smith front squats: 95/15 x 5
DB sumo deads: 80/12-15 x 5 -- total muscle exhaustion! AWESOME!

CardiO: 40 min treadmill

sassy69

03-28-2012, 02:08 AM

3/27/12 - Tues

45 min stairmaster

sassy69

03-29-2012, 01:04 AM

3/28/12 - Wed

PM training: abs & calves
*wanted to get some sore abs going but really didn't have much luck at it - for some reason maybe just too tired or something - no energy & all the stuff I did really didn't feel like it got my abs engaged.
fitball cable abs: 110/20 x 4
kneeling cable abs: 150/15 x 3 alt sides: 150/15 x 2
lying leg raises: 20 x 3
bunch of fitball crunches, alt crunches
standing calves (fast paced): 140/30 x 4
seated calves (slow paced): 90/12 x 4

Cardio: 45 min treadmill

sassy69

03-30-2012, 02:10 AM

3/29/12 - Thurs

PM Training: hams/glutes
DeFranco wu
Hack SLDLs (a la Charles Glass): 140/20 x 4 180/20x2
SLDL: 135/15 x 4
super:
- walking lunges: bodywt/40 steps x 4
- reverse hypers: 15 x 4
super:
- lying leg curls: 100/20 x 2 80/20 x 3
- standing alt leg curls: 15/10 x 5
DB sumo squats: 80/25 x 3
Cardio: 10 min bike + 30 min treadmill

tammyp

03-30-2012, 05:27 AM

pics jill!

Curt James

03-30-2012, 02:48 PM

Sorry Denver didn't work out.

sassy69

03-30-2012, 08:52 PM

pics jill!

LOLZ that'll be a while yet :)

sassy69

03-30-2012, 08:52 PM

Sorry Denver didn't work out.

Thx Curt. It actually turns out it may not be completely out of the picture, but I just don't know yet.

sassy69

03-31-2012, 01:16 AM

3/30/12 - Fri

PM Training: shoulders / rear delts

shoulder wu x 3
BB OH press: 40/20 x 5
BB body drags: 30/15 x 3 20/15 x 2
cable side raise: 15/20 x 5
cable reverse flys: 20/20 x 5
lat shoulder pulldowns: 105/20 x 3
cable shoulder x-overs: 30/20 x 5
seated cable face pulls: 40/20 x 5

Cardio: 40 min treadmill

sassy69

04-04-2012, 01:08 AM

4/1/12 (Sun): 45 min stairmaster

4/2/12 (Mon) 45 min stairmaster

4/3/12 (Tues): 20 min stpemill + 25 min treadmill -- opted out of training because my knees weren't happy with me.

The Prodigy

04-04-2012, 12:19 PM

Lovin your workouts! Keep posting them!

sassy69

04-06-2012, 01:29 AM

4/5/12 - Thurs

Not gettin' on the scale yet, but got some nice compliments from peops at the gym - looks like I'm defluffing :)

Training: abs & shoulders
DeFranco wu + foam rolling
shoulder wu

smith shoulder press: 75/20 x 2 65/20 x 4
DB front raises: 15/15 x 4
DB side raises: 15/15 x 4
ezbar body drags: 30/20 x 4
seated cable face pulls: 40/20 x 4
hanging abs: 15 x 4
lying leg raises + oblique v-ups: 20 + 15 x 4
alt cable vacuums: 40/20 x 3 60/15 x 2

Cardio: 15 min HIIT recumbant bike (13 cycles) + 30 min treadmill

sassy69

04-07-2012, 01:42 AM

4/6/12 - Friday

Ohhh how easy it would've been to take a nap after work..... I can definitely tell I'm in contest mode - that feeling of being physically tired all day. But in a weird way, that same tired body is telling me it wants to get up & move. So I sucked it up! Yay me!

Training: quads dominant

DeFranco wu + foam roller
ATF squats: bodywt/20 bar/20 95/15 x 5
Technogym machine leg press (close stance): 200/20 x 5
leg ext: 80/20 x 5
DB sumo squats: 80/20 x 6

Cardio: 15 min HIIT recumbant bike + 30 min treadmill

sassy69

04-08-2012, 02:32 AM

4/7/12 - Sat

Yay! Down 2.5 lb and broke past my usual sticking point!
Training:
45 min free crossfit class -- talked to the guy there - scheduled a trainer session for the specific stuff I want (and can do w/o hurting myself) for next Tues.

Abs:
- fitball cable crunches: 110/20 x 4 + high fitball crunches: 20 x 4
- kneeling cable crunches: 140/10 x 5
- lying leg raises + oblique v-ups: 20 + 10/side x 4
various crunches

Cardio: + 15 min treadmill

sassy69

04-09-2012, 02:12 AM

4/8/12 - Sunday (Happy Easter!)

Cardio: 45 min stairmaster

sassy69

04-10-2012, 12:40 AM

4/9/12 - Mon

45 min stairmaster

sassy69

04-12-2012, 02:17 AM

4/10/12 - Tues - no cardio / training due to allergies

4/11/12 - Wed - 45 min stairmaster

Rescheduled an appt w/ a crossfit guy for Thurs... updates to come!

sassy69

04-13-2012, 01:58 AM

4/12/12 - Friday Eve!

As promised! Crossfit report! Got thru it, but definitely a good demonstration of all my issues. The two biggest were shin pumps from my plantar fasciitis and my generally crappy cardiovascular capacity. The assumption would be that both would improve w/ conditioning. He's scheduling another session next week to make a decision on going forward.

Here's the intended routine & the actual:

"Warm-up" - this was walking around the building 3x w/ the trainer discussing my various concerns, goals & limitations.
quad stretch
ham stretch
10 reps reverse hyper
15 reps x 2 ham glute raise - get some blood into the lower back
super (repeat x3):
- 500 m row x 3 - 1st round a little sloppy since I haven't done a row in a while - gotta find the form
- sled push (+50 lb) - 50m there, 50m back x3 --- 2nd set needed a couple minutes for my shin pumps to go down, 3rd set - same
warm-up reps: bumper plate DL: 95/10 x 2
super (repeat x5) - goal: finish in under 5 minutes - actual: finished in 3:55
- bumper plates DL: 135/5 x 5
- pushups: 10 x 5

Cardio: 45 min stairmaster @ home

katt981

04-13-2012, 12:04 PM

that looks pretty brutal.... I just started taking an insanity class at our gym, and found out real quick how my cardio endurance sucks...LOL

sassy69

04-14-2012, 01:00 AM

that looks pretty brutal.... I just started taking an insanity class at our gym, and found out real quick how my cardio endurance sucks...LOL

It was humbling. Then I talked to a guy at my work who has also recently gotten into crossfit - he's also a former weight junkie so he's not starting from scratch. He said the same thing - he was gulping air when he started too - and he's 15 years younger than me. So I don't feel so bad. The hitch is just getting through the first week or two. (Or at least that's the mindset I'm starting with!) And it gets better.

sassy69

04-14-2012, 01:00 AM

4/13/12 - Friday the 13th!

The result of crossfit + 45 min stairmaster is sore feet. Boo. I can see I'm going to need to get my ice packs back in the freezer. I'm also currently sitting on a tennis ball because my right IT band is sore & tight as effff again. I will shortly be wrapping my right ankle in an ice pack as well. Tomorrow morning I'll be hitting another general Beginner level Crossfit class and upping my cardio to 55 min.

I got another comment about looking leaner, so that's good. I can also tell there's something going on because I get dried out a lot quicker -i.e. water dropping, which usually comes w/ fat burning. Yay!

Training: quads dominant

DeFranco wu
ATF squats: bodywt/20 bar/20 95/15 x 6
leg press (wide stance): 270/20 x 2 180/40 x 5
leg ext: 80/20 x 3 60/20 x 3
DB sumo squat: 80/20 x 6

10 min posing -- I can see I'm going to need to work on my hip flexibility.

Cardio: 45 min treadmill

sassy69

04-15-2012, 12:48 AM

4/14/12 - Sat

I had great plans to get up & do a beginner crossfit class this morning, but I woke up around 7 am w/ my knees a bit achy but more concerning, the bottoms of my feet and my achilles tendons kinda throbbing. So I got up and grabbed my gel ice packs and wrapped up one foot for 20 min then switched to the other for another 20 min. It helped, but I think I really needed some time to let the pain go, as I know they do running in this class. I'm going to break out a new pair of shoes & orthodics!

In the mean time, I'm seeing more of the fluff come off, though the scale hasn't moved. At least its holding steady. I decided to do shoulders, posing & cardio at the gym. Got done doing shoulders & posing, and then got into a conversation w/ a couple people, one of which is a former bodybuilder. Ending up spending a good half hour talking about the state of competition and stuff. Figured it was time to go home & eat. Then did cardio at home.

Training: Shoulders

Shoulder wu x 3
seated smith (front) shoulder press: bar/20 65/25 85/20 x 5
machine shoulder press (wanted to compare the effect vs the smith shoulder press - because the smith press activated some chest as well): 60/20 x 2
DB side raises: 15/20 x 5
bent over DB reverse fly: 15/20 x 4
EZ bar body drags: 30/15 x 4 20/15 x 2 -- This is to hit rear delts, and in the process, does a bi curl on the way up and a tri extension at the end of the move. I get nutty bicep pumps and my elbow tendonitis starts to flare so I keep the weight low and do the max number of reps I can handle.

* Got the idea to do mostly shoulders and 1 bi and 1 tri exercise since they were already getting hit in the body drags. I've explicitly stayed away from arms, back & chest because I tend to build upper body easily, but have also wanted to do conditioning work to bring out the more refined detail as the fluff comes off. For future reference, I think I'll keep arms on a different day. My right shoulder got tweaked when I started up w/ the next set of bi cable curls.*

hi cable bi curls: 40/15 30/20 x 2
tri cable rope ext: 80/20 x 3

Posing... so here I'm playing w/ variations on leg positioning. A lot of it has dependence on hip flexibility. I have great flexibility, but I'm apparently very tight in this particular orientation of the joint. So I'm going to have to work a lot on that.

Cardio: 50 min stairmaster

And my ultrasound & ice packs are coming out tonite!

sassy69

04-16-2012, 03:12 AM

4/15/12 - Sun

Yep, sore but not too achy :)

I was planning to do a decent abs/calves day today, but it has been proposed that I check out crossfit classes on Mon & Wed this coming week. So I decided to cut the calf work way back because I tend to get really sore the day after calves and its just bad if I have to do any running. I also pulled out the frozen water bottle to roll under my feet and firing up the home ultrasound. And yes, dug out some new tennis shoes & thick socks! I also picked up some new nylon knee sleeves. Talk about going in w/ new armor.

Training: abs/calves

DeFranco wu
Super:
- fitball cable crunches:100/25 x 6
- fitball high crunches: 20 x 6
hanging abs: 10 x 4
various ab machines
standing calves: 80/20 x 3
30 min posing.. I seriously gotta work on my hip flexibility. Sheesh!

Cardio: 25 min HIIT recumbant bike + 30 min treadmill

sassy69

04-17-2012, 02:00 AM

4/16/12 - Monday

I only got to one achilles tendon last night, and of course the worse one still hurt this morning. On the lighter side, work ran late and I didn't make it to the crossfit class, so I blew it out on hams/glutes/posing and then came home for Stairmaster with the Stars!

Training: ham/glute

DeFranco wu
lying leg curl: 80/20 x 3
SLDL: 95/20 x 5
super:
- walking lunges: 40 steps x 4
- reverse hypers; 20 x 4

20 min posing

Cardio: 55 stairmaster

sassy69

04-18-2012, 11:57 PM

4/17/12 - Tues

Cardio: 45 min stairmaster & cleaning my house LOL

4/18/12 - Wed

Crossfit:

wu:
- OH squats: 25 lb bar/5 x 5
- DL: 75/5 x 5

WOD: completed 8 cycles (in 2 person teams) in 30 min:
- DL: 135/5
- pushups: 13
- 24" step ups (had to sub because I'm scared shitless of doing box jumps): 9

sassy69

04-24-2012, 02:33 AM

Hit some distractions over the weekend, but keeping up w/ things.

4/19/12 - 55 min stairmaster

4/20/12 - 55 min stairmaster

4/21/12 - massage + adjustment (desperately needed), followed by ice packs and later 55 min stairmaster
- recorded weight: 152.5 lb

4/22/12 - quad dominant
Defranco wu
atf squat: bodywt/20 bar/20 95/15 x 6
leg press (shoulder-width stance): 270/40 270/25 x 5
leg ext: 80/25 x 6
DB sumo squat: 80/25 x 6

Cardio: 55 min stairmaster

4/23: shoulders dominant
shoulder wu
machine shoulder press: 70/20 x 4
HS shrugs: 270/10 x 4
front->side raises: 10/10 x 3
side -> front raises: 10/10 x 3
ezbar body drags: 30/15 x 4
rope grip seated cable face pulls: 40/20 x 4

Cardio: 20 min HIIT recumbant bike + 40 min treadmill

sassy69

04-25-2012, 01:10 AM

4/24/12 - Tues

Training: abs
super:
- fitball cable crunches: 110/20 x 6
- fitball high crunches: 20 x 6
super:
- lying leg raises: 20 x 4
- oblique v-ups: 15/side x 4
hanging leg raises (aka vertical crunches): 15 x 3
cable pulldown vacuums: 40/15 x 3

Posing: 15 min

Cardio: 20 min stepmill + 10 min treadmill (came home -- starvin marvin) + 30 min stairmaster

sassy69

04-26-2012, 02:58 AM

4/25/12 - Wed

So today I sort of hit a wall in terms of food - starvin marvin within an hour of every meal. After chatting w/ Shelby about it, decided to do a cheat meal. So I used that as motivation to hit a crossfit class I'd been invited to check out. I threw down a small protein bar prior to the class because I was still starvin. Got down there, did the warm up, then when we started the "WOD", it went bad. Lots of joint tweaks. After 2 rounds of the 4, i decided I'm better off right now just sticking to stuff that is back in the gym a la Poliquin German Body Comp or just what I've been doing + cardio. I'm just not into the crossfit stuff enough to want to learn & improve right now, and enough tweaks occurred tonite that I could just see things going south quickly. I gave it a reasonable try :)

Also because I didn't get the expected ultra-intense crossfit session, i opted to schedule my refeed tomorrow night after quad day.

Training: crossfit
stretch/wu
OH squats: 25/10 x 4
squats: 65/5 95/5 135/5 155/5 x 2
Circuit: (intended x 4 - but did x 2)
- 400 m run
- waiter walk - 100 m walking OH press
- squats: 21/set
- kettlebell swing: 21/set
- burpees: 21/set

Came home & did cardio: 55 min stairmaster

sassy69

04-27-2012, 02:34 AM

4/26/12 - Thurs

Worked a bit late supporting one of my clients and writing up some funny stuff about how fucked up another client is. Then got to the gym & plowed thru my workout before I started starving.

Training: Quads dominant

DeFranco wu

* all sets w/ ~45 sec rest interval *
Super:
- ATF Squats: bodywt/20 bar/20 95/20 x 4
- squat jumps: 5 x 4 --- my start towards some plyos
leg press (wide stance): 180/25 x 4
leg ext: 80/20 x 4
DB sumo squat: 80/25 x 4

Cardio: 45 min stairmaster (running out of time)

REFEED!
- non-gluten, non-everything herb & cheese pizza + chicken patty + grilled veggies
- low sodium sweet potato fries (baked)
- some junk --- don't want any more junk..ugh

BC123Jm

04-27-2012, 08:30 PM

thought for sure i would see some pics in this thread by now. guess not

sassy69

04-28-2012, 01:47 AM

thought for sure i would see some pics in this thread by now. guess not

You guessed right.

sassy69

04-28-2012, 11:24 PM

4/27/12 - Fri --- today was completely off due to allergies. Ended up falling asleep in the afternoon and sleeping thru most of what would've been gym & cardio.

4/28/12 - Sat

Training: hams
DeFranco WU
SLDL: 95/20 x 8
BB reverse lunges: 95/10 (per side) x 6
lying leg curl: 80/20 x 2 ... bagged on these because me knees have been hurting
replaced with:
- cable kick backs: 30/20 x 3

Cardio: 10 min rowing + 45 min treadmill

sassy69

05-02-2012, 02:34 AM

Catching up -- busy weekend and just a lot going on in my personal life right now..planning another relocation, this time only half-way across the country instead of all the way. But still lots of details TBD. Frustrating & distracting.

5/1/12 - shoulders

Training: shoulders / rear delts
DeFranco wu -- stifffffffff IT band on the right side
shoulder wu
smith shoulder press: 95/20 75/15 x 4
Hs shoulder shrug: 180/20 x 4
ezbar body drags: 30/15 x 4
DB side raise: 15/15 x 4
bent over DB reverse fly: 20/20 x 3

Cardio: 55 min treadmill

Suzanne

05-02-2012, 02:53 AM

Allergies suck! Mine don't sound as bad as you but i pretty much live on sudafed for months. Didn't have this problem til moving ot AZ

Where you relocating to?

figurefit09

05-02-2012, 10:34 AM

Great workouts! I have been MIA for a while with graduating from college and all but I'm back in the forums more now! Love these workouts and also the progress and hard work that I see you have been putting in!

sassy69

05-06-2012, 12:42 AM

Allergies suck! Mine don't sound as bad as you but i pretty much live on sudafed for months. Didn't have this problem til moving ot AZ

Where you relocating to?

The one thing I always heard about in Phx was Valley Fever. I don't recall having issues w/ sinuses when I lived there - tho when I lived in the dorm right on University Drive at ASU, my contacts would get disgusting - I'd have to chemically bomb them at least once / week to see thru them.

So it looks like I'm heading to Chicago this summer!

And with that move, its become pretty apparent that I am not having much luck focusing on contest prep, esp w/ the chance that my move will line up at the same time as my target show. That just sounds like a big fat distraction that I don't have time. So I've stepped back from prep this summer. Just want to focus on downsizing still and getting in a better place to go after it once I get settled.

Suzanne

05-10-2012, 03:58 AM

Ugh ya contacts get so dry!!!

I hear lots of people talking about allergies. Even my dogs have issues here.

I loved Chicago!!! Would be tough for sure to prep and move and start new job!

figurefit09

06-02-2012, 05:51 PM

Your workouts are great posts. Thank you for posting. Hope you are doing well!

The Prodigy

06-02-2012, 10:58 PM

the one thing i always heard about in phx was valley fever. I don't recall having issues w/ sinuses when i lived there - tho when i lived in the dorm right on university drive at asu, my contacts would get disgusting - i'd have to chemically bomb them at least once / week to see thru them.

So it looks like i'm heading to chicago this summer!

And with that move, its become pretty apparent that i am not having much luck focusing on contest prep, esp w/ the chance that my move will line up at the same time as my target show. That just sounds like a big fat distraction that i don't have time. So i've stepped back from prep this summer. Just want to focus on downsizing still and getting in a better place to go after it once i get settled.

wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!what????????????????? Your moving to my neck of the woods? Where in chicago you moving!!!!!! Yeah haw!!!!!!!!

sassy69

06-08-2012, 04:07 PM

wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!what????????????????? Your moving to my neck of the woods? Where in chicago you moving!!!!!! Yeah haw!!!!!!!!

Hey Gail - don't know yet. Initially when I talked to my boss about it, I gathered it was "Get yo' butt out there! They needz uuuuu!". And then w/ some staff change at my current office, it became - "... but wait .. now we need someone to pick up your current stuff...." So I told them I need some dates to start orchestrating my move. I threw a stake in the ground at the end of Aug, but I feel like its going to leak into Sept.

Anyway, given that, I need to schedule a trip out, probably some time mid-July to check out different areas. My office is right downtown, so its really a wide open question still.

Any suggestions? I need a good gym too. PLEASSEE I want a good gym w/ a good hardcore ambiance and good people who "get it"!!!!!! I'm dying out here between the crossfitters, the marathoners and the old people.

The Prodigy

06-08-2012, 04:26 PM

Hey Gail - don't know yet. Initially when I talked to my boss about it, I gathered it was "Get yo' butt out there! They needz uuuuu!". And then w/ some staff change at my current office, it became - "... but wait .. now we need someone to pick up your current stuff...." So I told them I need some dates to start orchestrating my move. I threw a stake in the ground at the end of Aug, but I feel like its going to leak into Sept.

Anyway, given that, I need to schedule a trip out, probably some time mid-July to check out different areas. My office is right downtown, so its really a wide open question still.

Any suggestions? I need a good gym too. PLEASSEE I want a good gym w/ a good hardcore ambiance and good people who "get it"!!!!!! I'm dying out here between the crossfitters, the marathoners and the old people.

Email me and we will make plans for a visit! If you need help finding an apartment I would use the Apartment People or one of those agencies. Or check Craigs List. The city is hard...the place looks beautiful but then a block north the area is gang territory! They can help make sure you find a safe place!

Hardcore Gyms....Quads south...You will like it there!!!! If you need a trainer there are GREAT ones there as well!

sassy69

06-09-2012, 01:07 AM

Email me and we will make plans for a visit! If you need help finding an apartment I would use the Apartment People or one of those agencies. Or check Craigs List. The city is hard...the place looks beautiful but then a block north the area is gang territory! They can help make sure you find a safe place!

Hardcore Gyms....Quads south...You will like it there!!!! If you need a trainer there are GREAT ones there as well!

Thanks Gail! Thinking about mid July -- obviously I gotta get on it soon! That's exactly what I was thinking of doing - just too much to look at otherwise. Just too much - but I want to make a good choice so I don't have to move again when the lease is up. I'm so jazzed about the move! I'll let you know when I've got some more details!