Week 2

So this post I did not have a catchy title, but I hope it doesn't hinder you reading it. So Friday was a super quick day as far as working out. And me and Paula were both glad that the weekend was coming up because we could rest. I know I definitely needed it because my back was till a little sore from when I strained it. And my legs were super sore too so I wanted to rest.

Over the weekend, I did not do too much except spend some time with the family and also work at the Y.

Week 2, we were ready for what is to come. I was actually excited because I could see some definition in my back. I honestly don't feel any different and neither does Paula when I asked her today. But we have only done one week out of the 8 weeks we are planning on doing.

Now we made some changes in week two because we wanted to make sure we do the exercises to its fullest and not hurt ourselves. We were able to go up to 20 repetitions in the hanging leg raises (which we did 15 last week) and even though it was harder, I was glad we were able to push through. Also, we weren't able to always increase the weight in some exercises. Now I am not quite sure why we decreased weight, because we were not sore. We thought that maybe it was because we had a lot of hyped-up energy the first day, so we had this strength that helped us push through a bier weight. However, I was also not wanting to re-injure my back. After the workout, we both felt great. I am not as sore as the first time; of course tomorrow morning may be a different story.

One thing I recommend when doing this workout, is to take your time with each workout. One of the fellow members at the Y noticed that I was just throwing the weight up and down and gave me some advice. One thing that I have learned in all my weight training classes is to control the weight, especially when increasing muscle. For instance, when doing a dumbbell bicep curl, you want to raise the weight up not so quickly and not slow where it is painful. You want to control the weight up and really engage (what I mean by engage is to really activate the muscle you are working) the bicep muscle. Same thing when you lower the weight. You want to control it and not just let the weight drop. That is not good for your muscle. So remember CONTROL!!!

Well that is all that I have for ya so have a wonderful evening....I hope to publish something tomorrow.

Day 2: Soreness is not something to laugh about

So as the title explains, I am super sore from the workout yesterday. I am more sore around my abs and back. Now I was supposed to do a cardio circuit last night, however I decided to do yoga with my mother. I believe that this was the reason why my abs hurt so much. My arms were not so bad, but Paula said that her triceps were a little sore.

Today, we worked on abs just like yesterday and then chest/shoulders. The abs was actually a little easier than yesterday even though it hurt because I was sore. It helped when I counted by 10's and took like a second break after each ten. I have noticed that if you can break up the repetitions or count them by fives or tens, it is a little bit easier. So those 3 sets of 50 went by much quicker.

For our chest and shoulders, me and Paula had to decrease the weight because it went from three sets to four. We wanted to be able to finish each exercise and not over exert ourselves. My suggestion for today's workout would be to decrease weight especially if you are sore or new to the workout. Just remember that you have a few weeks to raise that weight up.

As for food, I did pretty well yesterday. For lunch, I ate a grilled chicken sandwich for Chick Fil A without the bread, but it had provolone cheese, tomato, and lettuce. Instead of fries, I got the parfait with granola which was really good. I did have a sprite because I had an upset stomach but water or crystal light are usually my drink of choice. For dinner, I splurged and ate a leftover half eaten burrito from Chuy's (thanks Alex) with some sour cream. It was just enough to fill me up. Today, I had the same breakfast which was a meal bar from South Beach diet (before my workout) and then a bowl of Special K original when I got home.

Well that is all I have for today, I must take a nap before work. Tomorrow is our day off so no workout blog.
Take care and have a terrific day!