Friday's Training: Shoulders, Triceps, Calves

Had to make up for my shortened tris workout the other day. Hit calves too, but they're still getting used to the training so volume is still low.

Seated DB Shoulder Press 25'sx15; 35'sx10; 40'sx8; 45'sx4.5-35'sx3.5
Machine Shoulder Press 30x12; 40x11; 40x10; 45x6-30x4
Superset:
1)Upright Row 50x12; 50x11; 50x10; 50x10
2)DB Scaption 10'sx10; 10'sx10; 10'sx10; 10'sx10
Assisted Dips 40x10, 40x8
Reverse Grip Triceps Pressdown 30x10; 25x8; 25x6-20x4; 20x10
Seated Hammer Calf Raise 10'sx18, 25'sx12, 25'sx12

Shoulders=16
Triceps=6
Calves=3

Thursday's Training: Legs!

Get some! Legs is still the mentally toughest workout for me. I finally feel like I'm getting back into my old groove.

Free Motion 1-legged Squat (R,L) 40x13,12; 50x12,10; 60x12,10; 70x12,10; 80x12,10; 90x10,8
Kettlebell Double Traditional Deadlift 2-44'sx12; 2-44'sx12; 2-44'sx12; 2-44'sx12; 2-44'sx10
Superset:
1)Leg Extension 60x12, 75x10, 75x10
2)Right Leg Extension 20x5, 20x6, 20x6
3)Lying Leg Curl 50x12, 50x12, 50x10

Total Sets=17 (20 for right leg)

Wednesday's Training: Run; Chest/Tris

Workout #1: Morning Cardio
Off to a good start today. Weather was a bit cool, windy and overcast but still a great day to run. I did my favorite 2.8 mile loop on the running path. Finished in 26:50.

Workout #2: Chest/Tris
I had some Graston done on my left hammy today, so the chiro wanted me to do some knee flexion to encourage the new tissue to lay down properly.

Had a pretty good workout today. Killed chest. Intensity could've been a tad higher near the end, but I ran out of time to finish since people were talking to me and I had a client immediately after. Maybe I'll hit triceps a little tomorrow, or friday after shoulders.

Leg Curl - Seated 40x15, Unilateral 10x10ea., Lying 50x10

Incline DB BP 25'sx15; 35'sx12; 45'sx9; 45'sx7
Hammer Wide Chest Press 15'sx20; 25'sx15; 25'sx15; 35'sx12
Superset:
1)BOSU Pushup x12, x12, x13
2)Flat DB Fly 15'sx10; 15'sx10; 15'sx12
EZ Tricep Extension 30x12
V-Bar Tricep Pressdown 30x12

Hams=4 sets
Chest=14 sets
Triceps=2 sets

Tuesday's Training: Routine Practice; Back/Biceps/Abs

Workout #1: Routine Practice (12:00-13:00)
I do a general warmup (sprinting, jogging, lateral foot work) for about 5 minutes, then specific dynamic warmup plus stretching for 10-15 minutes. The rest of my practice (45-50 minutes) is dedicated to working on new strength moves. I'm not trying to build my conditioning as of yet.

Workout #2: Back, Biceps, Abs (18:15-19:00)

I used to always do my pullups first, but had a hard time isolating my lats. Now I pre-exhaust with straight-arm pressdowns and my lats are killing me by the last set of pullups. I favor unilateral work since my right side is a little less developed. I always do the right side first and do 2-3 extra reps on every set for the right side.

Straight Arm Pressdown 50x15; 60x12; 65x12
Assisted Pullups (Wide Overhand Grip) 90x12, 80x12, 70x8
Hammer Low Row 45'sx12; 45'sx10; 45'sx10; 45'sx10
DB 1-Arm Row (unsupported) (R,L) 35x12,10; 45x10,8; 40x11;10
Free Motion Narrow Lat Pulldown 60x12, 60x9, 60x10
EZ Bar Curl 40x12, 50x8
Rope Curl 45x12, 40x10
Hanging Leg Raises (straight up high, superset with bent) x15; x8,4; x8,4

Back=16 sets
Biceps=4 sets
Abs=3 sets

Monday's Training: Shoulders & Calves

I hate training calves, but I've decided to put them back in. So I'm starting out with just one exercise until my body gets used to it. Had a kick-butt workout all-around.

DB Arnold Press 20'sx12; 25'sx10; 30'sx6,2; 25'sx10
Machine Shoulder Press (alternate anterior, medial) 30x12, 30x10, 35x12, 40x8-30x7
Superset:
1)DB Scaption 10'sx10; 10'sx10; 10'sx12; 10'sx12
2)Upright Row 50x8; 50x8; 50x10; 50x10
Standing Calf Raise 45x12; 75x12; 75x8-45x7

Shoulders=16
Calves=3(4)

Off-Season Training Programs

Hey all,

I just wanted to let you know that my schedule has opened up quite a bit as I'm transitioning into full-time college student! That being said, I have more openings to take clients for online training. My featured service is off-season training programs.

Here's a rundown of the service. Please contact me if you're interested in getting started or learning more!

Off-Season Programs
Don't let your competition get the better of you. Continue working hard and smart by optimizing your training and nutrition for the most effective off-season. Plans focus on bringing up lagging body parts to balance out symmetry while staying relatively lean. Periodization will be used for the best results.

Individual Services
Off-Season Diet - $100 first month, $50 thereafter
Off-Season Training - $100 first month, $50 thereafter
Off-Season Supplements - $20 first month, $10 thereafter

Package Combos
Diet/Training/Supplements - $210 first month, $95 thereafter
Diet/Supplements - $110 first month, $55 thereafter
Diet/Training - $190 first month, $90 thereafter

I ran the Army Ten Miler!

Well I finished the race and it was incredible! I wasn't that excited going into it, but once we got started I got fired up. This race is the best of its class. 26,000 registered runners make it the biggest 10 miler in the nation. Dave and I arrived just after the Golden Knights parachute team made their jump. We saw the last one making his descent.

Throughout the race, Army bands were playing music to keep us pumped. The thousands of volunteers made this event so incredible; I am grateful for their service. Running through Washington DC is an awesome experience. With no traffic and transportation on foot, you can see all the museums, monuments and rivers. The weather was a perfect sunny day, 55 degrees at the start of the race.

I made my best time yet, finishing in 1:43. Here's a picture Dave took just after I finished. Even though you're not supposed to photograph it, that's the Pentagon behind me!

Oh, and after we got home, Dave cooked me a huge breakfast from scratch: eggs, sausage, toast with orange juice and coffee. He's the best!

Legs!

One of the biggest areas I've slacked in during the past 6 weeks has been legs. I've prioritized my back and shoulder for so long now (2-3 years) that when I have to miss a workout, it usually ends up being legs. So now that I'm on this new split, my goal is to really focus on the quads (particularly quad sweep) and get my old volume back up to about 18 sets total. Yesterday was my 2nd leg workout since starting my split. The middle of my quads is tight and sore, and during my last set of barbell front squats yesterday, I could feel that meaty part of the muscle just start to burn deep inside. It was a great feeling!

Smith Machine Split Squat (R,L) 10'sx13,11; 10'sx12,9; 20'sx12,10
Narrow Hack Squat 25'sx15, 25'sx15, 45'sx12, 45'sx12
Barbell Front Squat (deep - down to floor) 95x8, 95x8, 95x7
Leg Extension (feet turned in) 50x12-10x5R only; 70x8,2-10x6R only; 90x8-70x4-10x6R, 10L, 7R only

13 sets
40 minutes

2008 Competition Photo Album

Finally (only 3 months after my season ended!) I've compiled an album of all my fitness routine action shots. Check it out on my public profile link courtesy of Facebook.

Alissa's 2008 Competition Fitness Routine Photo Album

ABCD... Follow Me!

Do you remember The Letter People from PBS, circa 1984? Well, if so, that's where this blog post title came from.

Anyway, I'm excited to let you all know that you can now become a follower of my blog by clicking the "Follow Me" link directly to the right under my profile.

Once you become a follower, you can simply receive my blog updates directly into your profile, eliminating the need to have to bookmark the site and remember to come back and check for updates.

Subscribe to This Blog
Or, if you always use your My Yahoo or My Google page, you can receive a daily feed by subscribing with the orange box icon and link at the top right of the page.

All of Alissa's Info, Updates, Pics, Articles
In addition, it's a one stop shop for all of my sites on the web. Check out my Links to the right to view my personal website, team site, sponsors, various community pages and blogs on the web. It's all here!

I hope you'll join me and thanks for reading!

xoxo
Lissa

New Training Split

Yesterday I kicked off my new split. I think this is the 3rd "new" split I've kicked off in about as many weeks! I was having trouble finding my motivation, plus other things were taking higher precedence. Well, I think the motivation is here to stay. I'm eager to get started on honing my physique over the next 6 months before the start of the 2009 season.

Back & Biceps
Chest & Triceps, Abs
Legs
Shoulders & Calves, Abs

This will be a rotating split. I will take no more than one day off every 2nd day before beginning the next day's training. This will allow me to get get way more workouts in than if I were on a fixed day split. The split will last app. 4 weeks before I add more volume and frequency to my training program.

I will be focusing on detail and shaping, not pure mass building, at this point. I am going for a moderate/high volume, moderate intensity training style that will increase over the coming weeks. I like to be intuitive so I'll change things up as I go along.

After the race on Oct. 6, I will cut my running back to no more than 3 times and no more than 6 total miles per week, to help my hip heal. To keep my cardio up, I'll add in some gym cardio maybe twice a week for 20-30 minutes.

What have I been up to?

When it comes to life in general, I have ADD of sorts in that I can't commit to one thing for too long before it bores me and I have to move on - that is, if it's no longer stimulating or productive for me.

Do you ever find yourself comfortably drifting along in life with a normal routine, when all of a sudden - BAM! - an idea hits you and you realize you have to do it NOW or the chance may never come back? Well, that's what happened to me. One day an idea bopped me in the head and I thought, "Wow, I'm a dumba-- for not having done this, and even more of one if I don't do it NOW!" That idea was going back to school, full time, to finish my Bachelor's and move on to my Masters or Doctorate. I have about 2 years of full-time school left until my BS is attained. I figure at that point I will definitely know what post-baccalaureate education I want to pursue.

The thing about life and ideas is, I am a strong proponent that you should do them for your own reasons and when the timing is right for YOU. Heck, if I followed the leader, I may have had a degree in computer science right now, and probably would have 1 or 2 kids! Not that there's anything wrong with that, but for me my heart was not in it and that leads to a half-a-- commitment and piss-poor results! At this point in my life, I am ready to capitalize on the perfect situation God has given us, to go back full force and get that education done so I can move on in life and in my career. I start next week!

Exercise and competition-wise, I've been keeping up with workouts and eating fairly well, though I've put on more weight post-comp than I would've liked. I have some major hip problems right now, which severely limit my range of motion and restrict my flexibility laterally. Yesterday, I found a great practitioner that will address my entire neuromusculoskeletal system and I am stoked to be working with him! Once I get some movement back through his treatment and my own self-treatment, I can resume my strength and flexibility and work on some new fitness skills for next year. I want to try and compete in June of next year at the Jr. Nationals, then at Fitness Nationals in September (unless they change the dates).

I'm still personal training and writing for added income, but my focus will gradually switch to my studies and rehabilitating my body. So, that's what I've been up to lately!

Can you DIGG it?

Hey guys, I need your help. If I'm one of the first 5 Bloggers to get 200 Diggs on my article, I win a cash-money prize! Please show me how much you love me and click "Digg" on the following link. (You need to register for a Digg account to do so)

Click to Digg The Busy Woman's All-in-One Workout

Show me some love!

For all of you faithful and hardworking clients of mine, I suggest purchasing a shirt to show how much you really care about me and my torture... er training methods!



Or, if you're still a little sore and maybe not so happy with me, you can always go for this one:

Random Fitness Thought

I was browsing some fitness buttons and bumper stickers today and found this awesome one. Had to share it with you all!

I'm on Prevention.com!

Hey everyone! Many of you know that I am switching business gears and focusing more on my career as a freelance health and fitness writer. I've been writing for the past six years, but just really started marketing it and pursuing more frequent work.

One of my latest opportunities is a Prevention.com Buzz Community Contributor (aka Prevention Maven). I am part of a network of women writers who are into health and fitness and are independent staff to Prevention.com. I am very excited about this new opportunity - to promote my writing, to educate others on health and fitness, and to be part of this great community Prevention.com is building. There are tons of resources here; I invite you to check 'em out!

My Blog on Prevention.com

My Prevention Community Main Page

Off Season, baby!

I had a GREAT time at Jr Nationals! Stayed with two new friends and all-around awesome chicks - Dixie and Laticia. Ready to refocus in the off-season and keep on keepin' on. I won't be hitting the stage again until 2009.

I am welcoming the break after 3 competitions in an 8 week period! I am taking it easy this week as I ease into off-season. My biggest concern is controlling the post-show weight gain! I want to get up to 148 lbs. slowly and maintain that off-season weight until next year when I start dieting again.

Cardio: I am leading a Running Club at my gym. We are preparing for the Army Ten-Miler in October, and we're currently running about 2.5/3 miles twice per week.

Fitness Routine Skills: I will resume gymnastics lessons mid-July and practice 1-2 times a week on my own to learn some new strength moves for next year.

Lifting: I haven't defined the next split in my training phase yet, but for the next 1 1/2 weeks I'll be laying off on volume and frequency, doing several circuit-style workouts. After vacation, I'll resume training in mid-July as my first full training phase of the off-season.

Gotta enjoy the summer!
Alissa

3 Days Out!

I am FINALLY getting excited for this show... a mix of positive anticipation and unknown anxiety, but excitation nonetheless. :)

Everything has really come together over the past week. I won't lie, I was worried about not having my physique where I wanted it last week, but I just stuck to everything and waited it out, and I have made some awesome changes in that little bit of time. My routine is, and has, been ready to go and is more polished as well has better conditioning (endurance) from Jr USAs last month. I am mentally ready for a break from competing. Started the baseline diet in February and this will be the 3rd show in 8 weeks. Physically, thanks to my Doctor and putting extra time into supplementation and balanced nutrition, my body feels great. I am a little bored with the same old training but I've kept the fire in the workouts and am ready to bring it to Chicago!

I fly out Thursday and arrive in the afternoon. The best spray tanning crew around will be taking care of me - John and Roxana Kreklo. They did my tan at Dallas Nationals last year and it was beyond awesome. My hair will be done Wed by my local hairdresser, and Laurie St. Michael will be making me up both Friday and Saturday.

This show will be 2/3 over with Friday night! Very odd, so I have to adjust my diet to peak well for Friday. I've been trying some different things and I have a perfect peaking plan and have no doubt it will turn out awesome. This will be the best show for me this season. I just hope to hit my routine well and have fun while I'm out there. Looking forward to meeting new competitors and having some deep dish Chicago pizza Saturday night!

T-2 Weeks Training Schedule

Holding steady with training and diet. Trying to get even tighter before I head into peak week this Saturday. A few changes in the schedule this week to accommodate next week's training. Two-a-days every day this week!

Mon: Running Club (2.25 miles run/walk intervals - 35 min.); Back & Biceps
Tue: Routine Practice; Sprint/Walk-Jog intervals - 15 min.
Wed: Running Club (2.25 miles run/walk intervals - 30 min.); Legs
Thu: Routine Practice; Sprints (6 100-meter sprints with 2-3 minutes walk/recovery)
Fri: Shoulders/Chest/Tris; Routine Practice

*Peak Week begins*
Sat: Run 2.8 miles
Sun: Run 2.8 miles; Legs (80% volume/intensity)
Mon: Short Routine Practice then light/mod run w/ club; Back & Biceps (80% volume/intensity)
Tue: Routine Practice (last all-out); Shoulders/Chest/Tris (80% volume/intensity)
Wed: Short Routine Practice then light/mod run w/ club; Full Body Circuit (30 minutes)
Thu: Sprint/Walk-Jog Intervals - 20 min.; Upper Body Circuit (30 minutes)
Fri: Show Day 1!
Sat: Show Day 2!

Training & Diet - T-3 Weeks

Time is ticking! Feeling good about the changes I've made since Jr USAs. Here's the game plan this week:

Mon: Back/Biceps; Run 2.5 miles
Tue: Routine Practice; Shoulders
Wed: Run/Walk Intervals (with client) 30 minutes
Thu: Routine Practice; Sprints
Fri: Legs; Shoulders/Delts/Tris
Sat: Routine
Sun: Rest

Food for the week:
Carbs M & W at 85g. Tu & Th at 100g. F will go up to 125g.

Weigh in Saturday morning!