Absolutely Killin It

I'm feeling like a Baddie on top of her game this week!

I am a Hydrated Queen on the daily, and I'm taking my BCAAs like my life depends on it because it's keeping me from being so sore that I can't keep training. It's honestly made the biggest difference, because that Day 2 soreness isn't making me wanna die.

I've been consistent with my workouts, consistent with mobility, and keeping nutrition in mind when I'm eating. Remembering that I need carbs and protein to push so hard, and keeping it all balanced with tons of fresh veggies and fruit.

Today I had the day off, so I spent the morning doing breathwork and enjoying the cooler air and the yellow sun of autumn while sipping my tea and thinking about my current goals.

The leaves have already started changing here, especially on the black cherry trees. It makes for a very peaceful morning on the porch, listening to the whisper of the leaves on the driveway and the porch planks.

Then I ate some pancakes, bacon, and drank a protein shake, and hit the mat. I made sure to do mobility again, spending extra time on my hips and shoulders and spine as well as my ankles and toes.

I started with core work on the mat, doing Bird Dogs and Dead bugs for 1 minute each. I always try to remember to start with some core work to remind mine to wake up and engage.

I have a lot of muscle compensations going on in tandem due to my core being weak as well as some other key areas. It creates a domino effect and a lot of discomfort, which is why so much of my training is focused on stability and functional moves.

Once my core felt awake, and very warm indeed, I stood up and did Squats for 30 seconds to warm up my hips a bit too. Now I was warm all over and it was time for weights.

I started off with Dead Lifts, because they're one of my favorites. Today with my heaviest weight yet: 35lbs in each hand. I knew I wouldn't be doing a wild amount of reps with these to start, but I wanted to do some slow and steady focused work that would engage all of me. Because believe me, when you're moving anything heavy, your core is in it on it too. I managed 8 slow steady reps before I put one of the weights down, and started doing B stance with only one 35lbs dumb bell. 10 reps on each side.

Goblet Squats for 30 seconds with 25lbs. I hated every one of those thirty seconds. I have nothing nice to say about them. My form was off, as usual when I'm doing these, and my quads stole the show and I felt none of them in my glutes.

Push ups, wide arms, and feet about a foot apart for stability. I managed 10 reps, focusing on squeezing my shoulders together at the bottom and then pushing up with everything tight. We're getting there people!

I got back on the mat with my 10lb medicine ball, and laid on my back and planted my feet. I lifted my hips and held that hip thrust while held that medicine ball above my head and raised it up to meet my hips and then back overhead again. I won't lie, these used to be fucking impossible for me to hold so the fact that I did for a whole ass minute had me feeling good.

Back to the weights, I kept 25lbs on my dumb bell and did lat rows until I couldn't anymore on each side. I'm determined to get my lats stronger. Part of the Boobie Support program I'm writing is recognizing that we need strong lats to support our tiddies. So as the Guinea Pig in charge, I'm working on mine.

Now for Curtsey Lunges because I love myself. I can always feel how much stronger I am with a set of these. I did these to failure.

Russian Twists, again with the medicine ball, because core is everything.

I grabbed my heaviest long resistance band for this next and final move. I wrapped it around the porch rail and sat down on my knees far enough away that there was already some tension in the band, and so that the band was level with my ribs.

Then I pulled.

And pulled, and pulled and pulled, focusing on tightening all the way back into my lat and side with each pull.

Switched sides and went at it again. To failure.

I'm terrible at photographing my workouts because I'm listening to music while I'm training, and both the camera and the video setting turn off my music while they're running. I'm about to snag my husband's phone during training so I can use his to video and photograph my workouts and then just send them to my phone for editing and content. I just solved the problem while typing it out, lookit that.

Back to work tomorrow bright and early, so I'll be training at the buttcrack of dawn. It's okay though, I prefer it that way so much more than afternoon's or evenings. It just sets me in such a better mood for the day, ya know?