Hi everyone,
Tomorrow is November 1st, and it marks the official start of my off-season program (decided to start after Halloween,LOL). For the past 6 weeks since Atlantic City I have been laying low and enjoying some "in-between" time. I have still been going to the gym and doing cardio, but more for maintenance than anything else. It was nice to relax for a little bit, but I am excited to be getting back into serious training with a clear cut goal. I am a competitive athlete at heart, and I really enjoy the challenge of setting and reaching goals.

I'm going to lay this out there without beating around the bush...my ultimate goal for the 2008 season is to qualify for the Olympia. This means that I have a lot of work to do this off-season, but having that goal in the back of my mind at all times really gives me an extra push in the gym. I know how difficult this goal is to achieve, with all of the exceptional fitness athletes at the pro level, but I like to set "big" goals, because it makes me work that much harder.

After a lot of consideration, I have decided to wait to compete again until the summer shows. I really wanted to try for the Arnold, and also to compete in the NY Pro, but after sitting down and discussing everything with my trainer, we decided that it is best for me to take some time off from competition prep (in the past year and a half I have only had 3 months total off from contest dieting), and really try to make some quality improvements to my physique. My off-season will be about 20 weeks long, and I will likely begin my contest prep in late April or May. I plan on competing in the Europa, the All-Star Pro Fitness, and the Atlantic City Pro....and the Olympia

The specific goal for this off-season is to put on some quality muscle "thickness" to my legs, glutes and calves and to add a bit more size and "cap" to my shoulders. During 2007, I started the season very full and muscular, but lost a bit of size going into Atlantic City. The main reason for this is that I have "new" muscle...I have only been lifting seriously for about a year and a half, and so although I put on size relatively easily, I also tend to lose muscle fullness and size while dieting. Therefore, I need to develop muscle maturity, which really comes with years of training, but hopefully I can make some progress and build some quality, lasting muscle during this off-season.

The goal is to add size, but stay moderately lean. I am not the type to maintain contest shape during the off-season, and I am not afraid to gain wieght, as I feel it is a necessity for me, at this point in my career, in order to build the muscle quality that I need (hopefully in a few years I will achieve a degree of muscle maturity that will allow me to not have to gain much weight in the off-season). However, I also tend to gain weight in my midsection and am very carb sensiitve, so my diet needs to be tailored for muscle gain, but to avoid fat gain in my midsection (easier said than done...but we're working on it).

I'm not going to lay out my exact diet plan, but it does include a lot of protein and is moderate in carbs and fats, with very little sugar (besides added into the post workout shake). For now, it is about 2100-2200 calories (on workout days), and may change based on the progress I make. I get one "cheat day" per week (Sundays), which is nice because my boyfriend and I like to get pancakes for breakfast on Sundays, and I also like to have my ice cream fix once per week

As for my training, I am going to try to keep a training log here both to share with everyone, and for me to keep track of my numbers and progress over the next 20 weeks. During my off-season I don't do any gymnastics training, because a). its not necessary for me, and b). my body needs a break from the pounding, and being a little heavier in the off-season does not make for successful gymnastics training. I do try to keep up with flexibility though, because that is one thing I tend to lose as I put on more muscle. I'm also in the process of picking out new music for my 2 minute routine...I have some ideas, but I do want the routine to be a surprise, so I won't mention anything just yet

My training split will be 2 days on one day off (for now at least) and will be split up as:
Shoulders + Calves
Quads + Hamstrings
Back + Triceps
Chest + Biceps
with 20 minutes of cardio post workout, and abs mixed in there when I can.

So thats pretty much it. I will try to update each evening on days when I train. Please feel free to comment or ask questions. I've already trained shoulders and legs this week, so I will post those workouts below.

Hope everyone is having a great week, and Happy Halloween!!

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Monday 10/29--Shoulders + Calves

Shoulders:

Smith machine barbell press:
25/side x 20 (warm-up)
35/side x 12
40/side x 9
45/side x 8 (2 sets)

Hammer Strength BTN press
55/side x 12
65/side x 10
70/side x 8

Side Lateral Raise machine
50 x15
60x 12
70 x 10

Rear Delts (pec/dec)
60 x 15
70 x 12
80 x 10

Dumbbell Side laterals:
one giant drop set--
25's x 10, 20's x 10, 15's x 10, 10's x 10, 5's x 10

Calves:

Seated calve raise
45 x 20 (warmup)
90 x 10
110 x 10
120 x 8

Calf Raises on leg press
4 sets (4 different feet positions)
2 plates per side x 20


Cardio--elliptical intervals 20 minutes

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Tuesday 10/30

Quads/Hamstrings:

Smith Machine squats (just below parallel)
25/side x 15
45/side x 15
60/side x 12
70/side x 10
80/side x 8
85/side x 8
( I write these numbers as weight per side instead of total weight because I'm not sure how much the bar on the smith machine weighs...I'm pretty sure its not 45lbs, so to say my last set was 215 x 8 would not be accurate)

Sumo Deadlifts w/ barbell (feet very wide...done for legs, not lower back)
95 x 15
115 x 12
135 x 10

Hack Squat--feet together
45/side x 15
60/side x 12
70/side x 10
(this hack squat is really hard for some reason...the hack squat at the other gym I train at I've done 4 plates per side, but struggled on this one with a plate and a quarter....I think its the angle of the machine)

Stiff Leg Dead Lifts (dumbbells)
45's x 15
55's x 12
65's x 10

Lying Leg Curls (1/2 range of motion , all the way up, pause at top, lower 1/2 way down...slow)
3 sets, 80 x 10
these made me very sore today, LOL

Lying leg press--single leg
50 x 15
60 x 12
70x 10

Cardio = 20 minutes incline walking

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

You can do it, Erin!

_________________
Women's Bodybuilding, Fitness, & Figure...

Hi Erin

Great journal. I look forward to reading about your progress towards the O stage.

Best

Doug

Thursday--11/1/07

Thanks Sioux and Doug! I don't know how exciting this journal will be, but I will try to keep everyone updated. Right now my life pretty much consists of school, work and training...and of course spending the rest of my free time with my boyfriend

Anyways, it was a long day today and I was tired for some reason....probably the two exams I had earlier this week catching up to me. But overall, my workout went really well.

Chest

Flat Bench Press (on Smith machine)
25/side x 20
35/side x 15
45/side x 12
50/side x 10
55/side x 7
You will notice that I do a lot of work on the Smith machine. this is basically for 2 reasons. First, when I use this machine, I am better able to focus on targeting the exact area I am looking to target (for example, when i flat bench with a free barbell, which I do every now and then, I feel it more in my shoulders and tricpes, but when I use the smith I can focus more on pushing and squeezing from my chest and not worry about dropping the weigth on my head ) ...which leads me to the second reason, which is that i workout alone and have no spotter, so I feel a little safer on the Smith machine...

moving on...

Incline dumbbell press
35's x 15
40's x 12
45's x 10
Again, I feel like I could go heavier on these...but I worry a little about stability issues with no spotter behind me...hopefull will be able to go heavier as I get more comfortable with the exercise.

Hammer strength Incline Press...1/2 reps-- very controlled/slow eccentric portion
55/side x 10
65/side x 10
70/side x 8

Cable crossovers
2 sets--40 x 15

Biceps

Preacher Curl (machine)
35 x 20
50 x 15
55 x 12
60 x 10

Seated dmbbell curls
20's x 15
25's x 12 (2 sets)

Single arm Cable curls (arm at shoulder height)
2 sets--20x15 (each arm)

Cardio= 20 minutes bike intervals....my ankle was bothering me a little today, so i decided to go with the bike for cardio....man, I hate the bike, LOL.

On a side note, I worked with one of my favorite clients tonight. She started with me back in February to get in shape for her wedding (which was in august). I swear when we first started she could not do one lunge on either leg....and today she was doing step-ups onto a bench with 20's and standing lunges with 25's. She's also able to do REAL push-ups, and shoulder press 25's. It's just so amazing to watch someone's progress...it also helps that she has one of the best attitudes of anyone I've ever worked with .

Ok, so thats all for me. No work or class tomorrow...YAY (but I do work all day on Saturdays, so tomorrow will be a nice break). I train back and triceps which is my easiest workout. I'm also meeting my trainer for lunch to finalize the plans for the next few months and 2008. Looks like it's going to be a great day. Hope everyone has a happy Friday.

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Friday--11/2/07

I met with my trainer today. Had a nice long chat about lots of different things, and decided to tweak my program a little bit. My training split will be a little different than what I had originally laid out. Still 2 on 1 off, but with different combinations...
1-Shoulders/biceps/Abs
2-Quads/calves
3-off
4-Back/triceps/Abs
5-Chest/hamstrings/calves
6-off
7-Repeat

Here's a general sample of the off-season diet (starts monday...subject to change based on progress/results):
Meal 1- Oatmeal pancakes (my own secret recipe )
PostWO- protein + dextrose + creatine (shake)
Meal 2- Turkey wrap + fruit
Meal 3- Protein Shake + NPB
MEal 4- Steak + Baked potato + salad
Meal 5- yogurt + nuts
supps-- multivitamin, flaxseed oil, antioxidant, glucosamine

My favorite part of the off-season is being able to use the sugar free vanilla caramel creamer in my coffee every morning
black coffee for 31 weeks straight got realy old

soooo, I get to take the weekend off (which is good because I work all day on Saturday and have a lot of schoolwork to catch up with on Sunday)
Monday will be the REAL official start of my off-season ( I just like to get a head start on things, LOL)


Today was back/triceps:

Back

Hammer Strength BTN Pull-Downs
45/side x 16
55/side x 15
65/side x 15
70/side x 11

Close grip underhand pull-downs (not extending the arms fully)
80 x 15
90 x 12
100 x 10
Superset with back hypers...3 sets of 25-body weight only

Close grip bent over row (the one with the olypmic size bar coming out of the corner of the wall....)
1 plate x 20
1 plate + quarter x 15
2 plates x 10

Hammer Strength underhand low row--one arm at a time
45 x 12
55 x 12
65 x 10

Triceps

Close grip bench press (Smith machine)
25/side x 20
35/side x 15
45/side x 12
50/side x 10

"Dip" pushdowns (set up like doing a bench dip--use the platform of the assisted pull-up to push-down)
70 x 13
80 x 10
80 x 10

Overhead Dumbbell Extension
45 x 15
50 x 15
50 x 15

Cardio= 20 minutes incline walking (treadmill)
**note to self--> please remember to train abs at some point this off season

It's been a pretty uneventful day. I always get so excited for a day off from work/class, but then when I actually have the day off, I'm always so bored, LOL. I think I actually enjoy being busy (most of the time ).

Everyone have a great weekend! I'll check back in on Monday

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Your getting strong!!!! Keep up the great work!!!

Monday 11-5-07

Whew, Mondays are long days. Workout in the morning, then just one client, then off to class for the rest of the day.
Anyways, workout today went well.

Shoulders/Biceps/Abs

Shoulders:

Behind the Neck Press (Smith MAchine)
25/side x 15--twice
35/side x 12
45/side x 8
45/side x 8

Dumbell Press
Alternating Arms--2 sets 35's x 10
Both Arms together--2 sets 40's x 10

Side Laterals--dumbbells
20's x 15
25's x 10
25's x 10
30's x 8

Upright Rows (wide grip..only to 90 degrees)
65 x 15
85 x 12
95 x 10

Rear Delt MAchine
2 sets--80 x 15

Biceps

Straight Bar Curls
45 x 15
55 x 12
65 x 10
65 x 10

Single arm dumbbell preacher curl
20's x 15 each arm
25's x 10 each arm
25's x 10 each arm

Cable curls (EZ grip bar)--elbows on bench at shoulder height
2 sets--40 x 15

Abs--
3 x each (circuit style---reps to just about failure...I don't even count)
Hanging leg raises, crunches, butt-lifts (for lower abs)

Cardio=20 minutes incline walking

I'm beat tonight, and I have this Literature Review due tomorrow that is part of a group research project...and one of the group members is not doing her part
Anyways, it was an overall good day. Tomorrow will be quads/calves

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

I want to see you benching 225 in a month:)

Haha, gymrat, I'll be happy with 155 for 8

Tuesday...11-6-07

Quads

Front Squats (Smith Machine)
25/side x 15
35/side x 12
45/side x 10
55/side x 8

Squats (Smith Machine)
70/side x 10
80/side x 10
90/side x 8 (wooohooo 2 plates per side!! I think I fudged the 8th rep a little on this one, but I wanted to get to 8, LOL)

Leg Press (Feet Wide)
4 plates/side x 15
5 plates/side x 12
6 plaes/side x 10

Hack Squat (Feet Close)
45/side x 15
70/side x 12
80/side x 10

Calves

Incline machine
45/side x 20
90/side x 10
100/side x 10
110/side x 8
120/side x 7

Single leg calf raises (bodyweight)
3 sets 15 each leg

Cardio=20 minutes incline walking

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Hi Erin

Great workouts and posts.

You are inspiring me to go to the gym - fast!

Best

Doug

Haha, Great Doug...glad to know I'm inspirational

Got home late last night and I went straight to bed...forgot to post my workout for the day....

Thursday-->11-8-07

Back/Triceps/Abs

Back
Close Grip pull-downs (squeeze at bottom, let up slowly)
70 x 15
80 x 12
90 x 10
100 x 10

Hammer Strength High Row
70/side x 12
80/side x 10
90/side x 8

Single ArmDumbbell Rows
40 x 12
50 x 10
60 x 10

Wide Grip Seated Row
80 x 12
100 x 10
110 x 10

Triceps

Close Grip Bench Press (Smith Machine)
25/side x 15
35/side x 12
45/side x 10
55/side x 8
55/side x 8

Rope Push-Downs
40 x 15
50 x 12
60 x 10
65 x 8

Ab Circuit--> 2 times around
Roman Chair leg lifts
Ab Roller
Controlled crunches on ball
Trunk Twists

Cardio = 20 minutes treadmill

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Friday 11/ 9/07

I'm back again already today. I love Fridays....no work and no class, so I can get some things done that I need to (or just hang out and relax like I normally end up doing, LOL)

Today was chest/hamstrings

Chest
Flat Bench (the real one, not smith)
95 x 10
115 x 10
135 x 8
145 x 6

Incline Bench Press (Smith machine)
35/side x 12
45/side x 10
50/side x 8
50/side x 8

Hammer Strength Incline Press
70/side x 10
80/side x 7
80/side x 7

Hamstrings

Plate loaded single leg curl--warm-up
2 sets 15 each leg at 20lbs

Stiff Leg Dead lifts (dumbbells)
45's x 15
55's x 12
65's x 10

Lying leg curls
90 x 10
100 x 8
110 x 6 drop to 70 to finish out to 12reps

Reverse Hack Squat (facing into the machine)
45/side x 15
70/side x 12
80/side x 10

Cardio-->elliptical

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Hey Erin:) GREAT journal. I'm starting mine up on Monday haha. I'm really looking forward to reading your progress and hoping to gain some ideas for my own diet and training as well. Bust your butt girl and keep your eyes on 2008! I can't wait to see what big things happen for you!

xox

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete
www.allifit.com
AllisonMoyer@allifit.com
allifit@tmo.blackberry.net

Thanks Alli!! I look forward to your journal as well. It's always great to see what other women are doing, and sometimes steal a few ideas

Sunday--> 11/11/07

Shoulders/Triceps/Abs

Shoulders

Barbell Press (Smith Machine)
25/side x 15
35/side x 12
45/side x 10
50/side x 8
50/side x 7

Hammer Strength BTN Press
60/side x 10
70/side x 7
70/side x 7

Dumbbell Lateral Raises
15's x 15
20's x 12
25's x 10
30's x 8 drop to 20's x 8 drop to 10's x 10

Superset--Rear Delt machine (80 x 15) + front plate raises (35lb plate x 12)---2 sets each

Triceps

Straight bar push downs
50 x 20
70 x 15
80 x 10
80 x 10

Dip pushdowns (very close hand position)
60 x 15
70 x 12
80 x 10

Overhead Rope extensions--2 sets 15 at 25lbs

Abs-
Circuit---8 sets total

Cardio--> treadmill

This is the first time I've worked out on a Sunday since before Atlantic City, so it was a little strange, but no big deal. Some guy came up to me in the gym today and says "Wow, you lift a lot of weight for a girl...I've never seen a female lift so much." LOL I guess he would probably fall flat on the floor if he ever watched Ali Huston do one of her powerlifting workouts
I enjoy lifting heavy. Its a challenge from week to week to try to improve on the previous weeks lifts, and right now, its something that I need to do to begin the process of building "muscle maturity" (i.e. lasting, quality muscle that doesn't suddenly disappear after the 22 week mark of dieting). And its funny to be able to lift more than some of the guys in the gym (and with better form, LOL)...J/K. I learned how to train with proper form and intensity from my boyfriend (we used to train together). Unfortunately our schedules don't match up at all right now to be training partners , and besides, he lifts wayyyyyyyyyyy more weight than me.

Ok, enough rambling, I'm off to bed. Long week coming up.

Oh and one more thing....Mizzou Tiger Football ranked 5th in the nation!!!!! Here's hoping the gymnastics team will have an equally successful season. GO TIGERS!!

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

haha I know how that feels when guys say that to you! lol. The other day a guy passed me walking in the gym and he goes "you look like you lift a little" and I was like "no shit" I was wearing lifting straps hahaha.

Or the best is when this past week I was back in the gym and a friend Greg goes "God you're back already? You're obsessed". I felt like saying "you know it:)"

I'm already getting some good ideas for my training from you workout girlie!

xo

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete
www.allifit.com
AllisonMoyer@allifit.com
allifit@tmo.blackberry.net

Monday--> 11/12/07

Quads/Calves

Quads

Squats (Smith MAchine)
25/side x 10
45/side x 10
70/side x 10
80/side x 10
90/side x 10
100/side x 6 (PR )

Leg Press (feet together)
4 plates/side x 15
5 plates/side x 12
6 plated/side x 10

Sumo Squats---feet very wide (smith machine)
45/side x 15
60/side x 12
70/side x 10

Barbell lunges--smith machine--alternating legs (stepping back)
2 sets of 20 at 45/side
(haven't done lunges in awhile because they still bother the ankle that I injured right before AC....and because I do about a million or more of them in all different varieties during contest prep )

Calves

Seated Raise
45 x 20
90 x 10
110 x 8
120 x 7
120 x 7

Hammer Strength leg press calf raises
4 sets of 20; different feet positions; 1 plate per side


Cardio--> treadmill----why does 3.5 on the treadmill feel like a sprint after training legs

Random thought of the day---I hate when people load up the machines with a ton of plates and then don't take them off when they're done. Someone left a bunch of one-hundred pounders on the hack squat , and I didn't feel like taking all of them off, so I altered my workout a little from the original plan...no big deal, but its very annoying when people do that...grrrrrrrrr

Yay for the PR on squats

Thats all for today...back to homework and then off to another class.
Hope everyone has a happy Monday

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

OOOO CONGRATS ON THE SQUAT PR GIRLIE!!!

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete
www.allifit.com
AllisonMoyer@allifit.com
allifit@tmo.blackberry.net

Oops, forgot to post my workout yestrday....Tuesday was an off-day.

Wedensday--- 11/14/17

Chest/Biceps

Chest

Flat Bench Press (Smith machine)
25/side x 10
35/side x 10
45/side x 10
55/side x 8
60/side x 5

Incline bench press (Smith machine)
45/side x 10
50/side x 8
55/side x 6

Hammer Strength Incline press
70/side x 10
80/side x 8
90/side x 6

PecDeck
90x 15 (2 sets)

Preacher Curl machine
45 x 15
55 x 12
60 x 10

Dumbbell Curls
20's x 10
25's x 8
30's x 8

High Cable curls (one arm at a time)
25 x 15 (2 sets)

Cardio= elliptical

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Thursday 11/15/07

Ok, I don't know what was up, but I think somebody put grumpy powder in my coffee this morning, because I was just in a blahh mood all day. It was raining and my joints were achy and I just felt like staying in and watching movies all day LOL.

I normally work out first thing in the morning, but I just could not get myself motivated and moving this morning, so I decided to do my workout between my 2 work shifts this afternoon. Everyone has that little voice that says, aw come on, you're not in contest prep, just skip it...but luckily my other voice takes over...the one that says get up and get your butt to the gym

Anyways, I can't say it was the greatest workout, but I got everything done that I needed to. I think part of it is that there is nothing exciting to me about training back. I love to train legs and shoulders, because I know that those are the body parts I need the most work on, and chest is fun because I like to bench and see if I can beat my previous week's weight or reps.

For back, I have to be careful because my lats grow like crazy (they always have, even as a gymnast...I had to learn how to not spread my lats so much when I pose so that I create symmetry with the width of my back and legs, and so that my back width does not over power my physique). My traps also tend to grow like crazy, and I have never done a "trap" exercise in my life. I have to modify how I do some exercises when I train shoulders and back to try to prevent my traps from growing.

So I only really do moderate weight for back. I also never do real dead lifts because I have a thick waist to begin with, genetically, and so I can't risk adding more thickness in that area. I really don't think I am genetically blessed when it comes to having a natural shape for this sport. But I am blessed with good genetics when it comes to building muscle and how my body responds to training, so it balances out. For me, the goal is to create the "illusion" of a smaller waist by adding shoulder and quad size.

Ok, so in case you didn't want to read all of my rambling, the main point of the above novel is that I was in a bad mood all day and i think training back is boring .

moving on to the workout..

Back

Undergrip pull-downs
80x 15
90x 12
100x 10
110x 8

T-bar Rows
45 x 15
70 x 12
80 x 10
90 x 8

Close Grip seated row
80 x 15
90 x 12
100 x 10
110 x 8

Back hypers
body weight only--2 sets of 30

Hamstrings

Plate loaded Single leg curls (warm-up)
2 sets of 15 on each leg at 20lbs

Stiff Leg Deadlifts (barbell)
115 x 15
135 x 12
145 x 10

Lying leg curls
80 x 10
90 x 10
100 x 8
110 x 5 drop to 70 x 8

Cardio=treadmill

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Hi Erin

Every time I need motivation to go to the gym I read your journal.

Keep up the great work.


Best

Doug

Aw, thanks Doug! I could have used a nice kick in the butt yesterday, but I guess everyone is allowed those kinds of days once in awhile. Today was much better....

Friday-->11/16/07

Today was supposed to be an off day but, I may or may not be going to the NY Jets game with my boyfriend and my dad and uncles on Sunday, so I wanted to make sure I didn't miss a workout. If we end up not going I will just take Sunday as my off day.

Shoulders/Triceps/Abs

Shoulders

Behind the neck press (smith machine)
25/side x 15
35/side x 12
45/side x 8
50/side x 6
do/side x 6

Dumbbell Press
both arms:
40's x 10
45's x 10
45's x 10.....I know i could press more weight than this, but the problem is getting the dumbbells to the starting position without a spotter. i have still not perfected that technique, LOL
alternating arms:
30's x 10 each arm (2 sets)

Seated Lateral Raise machine
45 x 15
55 x 12
65 x 10
75 x 8 drop to 45 x 10

Front Cable raises--using the bar with the handles with palms facing each other (like for rows)
35 x 15
45 x 12
50 x 10

Rear Delt machine---2 sets 15 at 80lbs

Triceps:

Close grip bench (smith machine)
45/side x 12
50/side x 10
55/side x 7

Dip-push downs
60 x 15
70 x 12
80 x 10

Rope pushdowns....
I don't know what the weights were on these, they're not labelled and I forgot to count the plates, lol
but i did 15, 12, 10, increasing the weight each time, with a drop set on the last set.

Abs- incline leg raises superset with decline situps 3 sets each
200 seated trunk twists, no weights

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Saturday...11/17/07

Quads/Calves

Quads:

Front Squats (Smith MAchine)
25/side x 15
45/side x 10
55/side x 10
70/side x 7

Back Squats (Smith)
80/side x 10
90/side x 10
100/side x 6

Hack Squat--feet together
70/side x 12
80/side x 10
90/side x 8

Reverse Hack Squat (facing into machine, wide stance)
70/side x 12
80/side x 10
90/side x 10



Calves
Incline MAchine
45/side x 20
90/side x 10
100/side x 10
115/side x 8
120/side x 6

Leg Press calf raises
2 plates per side--4 sets of 20 w/ 4 different feet positions

No cardio today...my legs were shot after all of the squatting, LOL

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Ok, so we decided not to go to the NY Jets game yesterday because it was cold and rainy, they're 1 and 8, and they were playing the Steelers. But of course, the Jets suddenly decide that they know how to play football again and win the game....and we missed it LOL

I'm not really a huge football fan, but my dad has had Jets season tickets for as long as I can remember (I used to go to the games with him when I was little), and he and my uncles usually go to all of the home games. I actually have a connection to the Jets in that Brad Smith, who was the quarterback for Missouri when I was there (I met him a few times), now plays for the Jets as a utility player....pretty cool to know someone that plays for the NY Jets, lol.

So I took yesterday as my off day (from working out), but ended up not being able to train today either.....check out my luck on this story...

So I drive a pretty old car (93 Oldsmobile cutlas), its the only car I've ever had and it has about 240,000 miles on it (its been back and forth to Missouri a few times). So anyways, for the past couple of days its been making a weird noise when I step on the brakes. The noise is coming from the back, and I swear it sounds like someone stuck a soda bottle in the wheel well, and every time I stop its rubbing against it. Well, apparently thats the sound the car makes when it needs new brakes. On top of that, I recently found out that my car did not pass the NJ State emissions inspection. So not only do i have bad brakes, but I've been polluting the air for the past few months as well

So needless to say, we need to take my car into the shop. Well, yesterday my dad wanted to take a ride with me to hear the noise I was talking about. It was raining and my car was parked down the block, so I told him I would pull it up to the house. So I ran out to my car in the rain, went to start it, and all it did was click. And I'm thinking, well thats not good. It was dead. My dad was waving at me like lets go, and all I could do was laugh.

We assumed it was the battery (althoug it could be the alternator, which would not be good), but my dad and brother were going to try to jump start it. My brother went to pull on that little latch under the seat that releases the hood, and it broke. So, I have a car that has bad brakes, pollutes the air, won't even start, and now we can't even get the hood open

Finally my dad said forget it. I had it towed to the shop this morning, so I had no car all morning. I was able to borrow my mom's this afternoon to go to my classes, but wasn't able to make it to the gym. They didn't get a chance to finish working on it today, but we rented a car for tomorrow, so I can get to the gym and work and class.
I really could use a new car, LOL, but at this point I can't really afford one. It's time to start a "buy Erin a new (well, not necessarily new, but better) car fund, LOL

Soooooo, things should be back to normal by tomorrow, and I will update everyone on my workout, and more importantly anything new that may go wrong with that car (j/k)

Hope everyone has a great week!

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Still no car today, but everything is all fixed and I can pick it up tomorrow. I had my mom's car all day today (2007 Fusion...a bit of a step up from the 93 Olds, lol), so I was able to get everything done that I needed.

11/20/07

Chest and Biceps

Chest

Incline bench press (Smith Machine)
25/side x 15
35/side x 15
45/side x 10
55/side x 8
60/side x 5

Hammer Strength incline machine (differnt one than I normally use...little bit harder angle)
45/side x 12
65/side x 10
75/side x 7

Incline dumbbell flyes superset with push-ups
3 x 15 with 25's on the flyes, push-up were sets of 20

Biceps

Straight bar curls
35 x 15
45 x 12
55 x 10

Preacher curl with dumbbells
3 sets of 12 each arm with 20's

Preacher curl machine
2 sets of 15 with 40lbs

Cardio--elliptical and bike

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

good journal btw girl, and great to see so many team members writing and posting their workouts and journal. i am glad to hear you get your car back ... well your training looks like its going good for you tho, like i said i can't wait till we meet at the Arnold we definitely gotta do some workouts together, and also some footage for the website training together!

_________________
www.DanielleRouleau.com

Haha, yep, the car is back in business. Dani, I think we should get everyone together at the Arnold, find a gym and train legs, LOL. It seems like we have some very strong women on Team FigureRX, and that would be a great video

Happy Thankgiving to you too...and to to everyone. Enjoy the Holiday!

Wednesday 11/21/07
Back + Hamstrings

Back

Close grip pull downs
70 x 15
80 x 15
90 x 12
100 x 10
Squeeze the bottom and let back up slow....For some reason I feel my back more in the eccentric motion of this exercise, so I really try to control it.

Hammer Strength high row
70/side x 12
80/side x 10
90/side x 10
(same style as the above exercise)

Bent over close grip rows (with the bar coming out from the corner...you guys know what I'm talking about, right...does this have a real name?)
70 x 15
80 x 12
90 x 10

Underhand machine rows
60 x 15
70 x 12
80 x 10

Hamstrings

Seated curl--warm-up--2 sets of 15 w/45

Dumbbell SLDL
50's x 15
55's x 15
60's x 12

Glute/Ham Raises (I use the lat pull-down seat--kneel facing outwards, putting feet under the leg pads....lower down to horizontal and pull back up, staying straight and using the hamstrings. Luckily, there is a machine just within arms reach of where I do this exercise, so I can "cheat" a little by using this machine to push off of a little bit when I get stuck. These are a great exercise, and are really hard, even with no weight added.)
I did 3 sets of 10--bodyweight only

Lying Hamstring curls
I get bored with these so I did something a little different
Did this twice--
80 x 10 half reps (all the way up, lower half way down, pause, back up)-drop to 60 x 10 full reps
single leg curls--
2 sets 10 each leg at 30 lbs (hams were dead by the time I tried this...I went 40lbs on the first set and the leg didn't even move, lol)

Cardio--treadmill

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Friday 11/23/07

Shoulders + Triceps

Shoulders

Barbell Press (smith machine)
25/side x 10
35/side x 10
45/side x 10
55/side x 6
55/side x 6

Dumbbell Press
40's x 12
45's x 10
45's x 10

Hammer Strength btn press
55/side x 11
65/side x 9
70/side x 6.5

Side laterals (single arm, dumbbells)
15 x 15 each arm
20 x 12 each arm
25 x 10 drop to 25 x 10 each arm

Front cable raises (straight bar, palms facing each other)
35x 15
40x 12
45x 10

Rear Delt raise (face down on incline bench)
12 x 15
15 x 12
20 x 10

Triceps

Superset--
straight bar push-downs 70 x 15 (3 sets)
with
regular dips (body weight) 15, 13, 12

Dumbbell skull crushers on decline bench
15's x 12
20's x 10
20's x 10

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Saturday--11/24/07

Quads/Calves

Squats (smith machine)
25/side x 10
45/side x 10
70/side x 10
90/side x 10
100/side x 10 (*PR for reps at that weight)
110/side x 6 (**PR for weight)

Slow Squats---2 sets of :
45/side x 8 counting to 5 on the way down hold just below parallel for 5, then push back up explosively

Leg press--wide stance
5 plates/side x 12
6 plates/side x 10
6 plates/siede x 10

Superset (2 times):
Reverse hack squat (facing into the machine) 70/side x 10
with
Walking lunges--10 each leg w/35's (dumbbells)

Calves

Hammer Strength leg press calf raises
70/side x 15
90/side x 10
115/side x 10
135/side x 8
160/side x 6

Single leg calf raises (body weight)
3 x 15 each foot
Body weight calf raises--very slow, all the way up, squeeze, all the way down--3 sets 15 w/3 different feet positions

So for all of the ladies on FigureRX (and anyone else)--please help!! My calves are pretty much my only body part that refuses to grow. I have tried heavy, high rep, and a combination of both (which is what I do now). My calves tend to get cut and have a good shape, but they just don't grow, LOL. I know it has a lot to do with genetics, but does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks!

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Danielle is putting together some suggestions .... I know from experience that she maxes out all the calve machines, at about 475 lbs on the standing that's still not enough weight for her ...

_________________
www.FigureRX.com

Hi everyone!

I found a picture on my computer the other day that I am going to have Stephen post for me (because I cannot for the life of me figure out how to post pictures...am i missing something??? )
Anyways, the picture is from the last week in May, which was 1 week out from my very first fitness show (Atlantic States). It was basically 16 weeks out from Atlantic City, but I want to post it because it really shows how much muscle size I lost between then and AC. Like I mentioned in my first post here, I still have relatively "new" muscle, so the longer I diet, the more I tend to lose. This is why, for my past 2 off-seasons, I have had to put on weight in order to put on as much quality muscle as I can.
I was about 133 in this picture and was struggling to maintain about 123 in Atlantic City (I was about 125 at Team U)
I just thought it was interesting....

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Ok, Ok, I forgot to add, please excuse my messy hair and lack of make-up in that picture, LOL. Contest prep progress pictures were always taken Sunday mornings right after I woke up and got out of bed....but you can see what I mean about the muscle.
I'm definitely looking forward to the tips from Dani. She has some incredible legs!

Also, this is really important and I forgot to mention it in my workout post for today...

LETS GO TIGERS!!!:D
A win against Kansas today could mean a national championship game

yea, yea, I'm a proud Mizzou alum

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Hi Erin

Happy Thanxgiving.

Great journal entries and great progress.

Also great dedication to keep working out straight through the holiday. If I am strong enough to lift all the extra weight I put on Thursday I will drag myself to the gym tomorrow thanx to your inspiration.

Best

Doug

Hey Erin, i always shock my calves pretty hard so that it hurts for about two days. try this and lmk if you like it, this workout is great.

Seated calve raise you need a spot for this for someone to load and unload for you as you drop. start with a 45, rep 10, then add a 10lb plate and rep another ten, you will stack about eight 10's on top of that 45, and get about 80-90 reps, 10 for each. Try and really focus on sqeezing and getting a good pump in there, and DO NOT STOP NO MATTER HOW MUCH IT HURTS YOU.

THEN AFTER ABOUT TWO MINUTES OF REST YOU'RE GOING TO REPEAT BUT YOU'RE GOING TO DELOAD IT THIS TIME. WHEW AFTER THIS YOU'RE GOING TO BE HURTING THROUGH THE LAST ONE BUT YOU CAN DO IT... THEN:

STANDING CALVE RAISES
4X15-20 HEAVY

LEG PRESS CALVE RAISES
3X15-20
TOES IN FOR 3X15-20

_________________
www.DanielleRouleau.com

Another tip that helped me grow my calves.... was really focusing on the movement... going through each calf lift slow and steady... make it more painful obviously BUT it really pushes the muscle to develop through its full range of motion.

And then at the end of my set I squeeze at the peak of the movement and hold for a few seconds before slowly lowering. OUCH.

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete
www.allifit.com
AllisonMoyer@allifit.com
allifit@tmo.blackberry.net

Agreed. Erin we HAVE to train together somewhere at the Arnold and DEFINITELY get a video... AWESOME footage there. Better yet I think it should just be a whole TeamFigureRX hotness invading the gym!!! WHOO HOO!

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete
www.allifit.com
AllisonMoyer@allifit.com
allifit@tmo.blackberry.net

Thanks you guys for all of the tips. I will definitely be putting them to use this week when I train calves. Dani, that giant set with the drop set sounds pretty brutal. I usually train alone, but I think I will try the concept maybe on a pin machine.
Alli, I know what you mean by trying to feel the muscle working. I have "loose" ankle joints/ligaments both from genetics and from a few severe ankle sprains (old gymnastics injuries), so my feet have a tendency to roll outward. When i train calves, i have to really focus on keeping the weight over my big toe and squeezing the inner portion of my calf. If not, the weight rolls to the outside of my foot and I work more of the oustide calf, which does not need work.

I think its really important to feel the muscle and even the specific part of the muscle that you want to be working. I've gotten much better at this in the past few months, especially learning to use more of my glutes when I squat, and also pushing from my chest (rather than shoulders) when I train chest. I still have a long way to go, but I really think that focusing on really feeling the muscle is important. Sometimes I even modify the range of motion of exercises to really target a specific area. I guess its all about learning what works for you....and I'm still learning

So we decided to change my workout plan, mostly because I'm a little anal and I like to have the same schedule every week

The new schedule has me working out 6 days per week, but only one body part per day (not counting abs). So my workouts will be quicker, which is nice, and I can focus a little more on individual muscle groups.

Monday 11/26/07

Chest

Flat Bench Press (smith)
25/side x 15
35/side x 15
45/side x 10
55/side x 10
65/side x 6

Incline Bench Press (smith)
45/side x 10
55/side x 6
55/side x 5

Incline Dumbbell Press
45's x 10
50's x 9
50's x 8

Machine Flyes
one triple drop set:
100 x 10 drop to 70 x 10 drop to 50 x 6 (last 6 holding for 3 counts with hands together, let back slow)

Abs:
Circuit--3 x thru
Knee lifts off the end of the bench +
BOSU controlled crunches +
knee-ins on the ball (push-up position with feet on the stability ball, roll ball inward bringing the knees to the chest)

Cardio--> 20 minutes incline walking-treadmill

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Nothing exciting to talk about today...
I had to give a formal group presentation for a class called "Organization and Management of Food Service Systems"......I think it went pretty well.
My degree from Missouri is in nutritional science, but it was basically a "pre-professional" program, meaning it included all of the requirements for medical school/vet school/dental school, etc-. I originally wanted to go to medical school and eventually become an orthopedic surgeon. In my senior year of college I decided that I wanted to go the nutrition/dietetics route instead, but I wanted to come home. I graduated from Missouri with the degree, and now I'm back in Jersey finishing up the required classes to earn a second degree in dietetics. I've already had a lot of the nutrition requirements for my first degree, but I have had to take a lot of "management" type classes to complete this degree. Not my favorite subject, but its interesting, and about 25% of the RD exam is on management, so I have to pay attention, LOL.

Anyways...enough of my boring school talk

Tuesday-->11/27/07

Hamstrings/Glutes

Single leg Hamstring curl (plate loaded)--warm-up
20 x 15
30 x 15
40 x 15

SLDL (dumbbells)
50's x 15
60's x 12
65's x 10

Lying Hamstring Curls
80 x 10
90 x 9
100 x 6 drop to 70 x 5 drop to 50 x 5 drop to 30 x 5

Glute-Ham Raises (as described in a previous entry)
3 sets of 8--bodyweight only

Bench Step-ups- 2 sets of 10 on each leg with 30's (dumbbells)
superset w/
Single leg press (lying--pin)-2 sets of 10 on each leg with 70lbs

Glute Machine
2 sets of 10 each leg with 80lbs

Cardio--> Treadmill

Missouri Tigers--->Ranked #1 in the nation NCAA Football!!!!

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Erin,

I'm sorry to hear about your car troubles! I've had a few of my own recently - no fun at all.

Thanks for sharing your training and off-season details. You're no doubt going to DOMINATE in 2008!!!!

And as far as that FigureRx girls gym shoot in Columbus....... I know just the right guys to handle shooting that. Just name the time and place!

Joe
HDPhysiques.com

P.S. - OUR MIZZOU TIGERS ARE RANKED #1 IN THE NATION - WOO HOO!!!!

_________________
http://www.hdphysiques.com

"Hi-Def Bodies in Hi-Def Video"

http://www.myspace.com/hdphysiques

Doug, Happy (late) Thanksgiving to you too! As for training straight through, I was lucky...Thanksgiving happened to be an "off-day" for me so I got to relax all day. I didn't eat all that bad either. My mom tends to try to make all of her dishes healthier, and I don't like stuffing, so I eat mostly turkey, veggies and yams. I'm also not a huge fan of pies, but I did have some pumpkin pie (and ice cream )...but hey, pumpkin is good for you, right Now, if there was chocolate cake, it would have been a whole different ball game, LOL.

Joe, I'm soooo excited about Missouri!! Why couldn't they be this good when I was there (all athletes get free tickets to the games), LOL. They looked great against Kansas, but I know OU is going to be tough.

I think the FigureRX shoot is a great idea as the whole team will finally all be together in one place. I'm really excited to be meeting everyone finally. I have never attended such a major show like the Arnold, so it will be a fun experience I'm sure.

Wednesday-->11/29/07

Back

Hammer Strength High Row:
45/side x 15
70/side x 15
90/side x 10
90/side x 10
100/side x 10

Hammer Strength Underhand low row (one arm at a time)
45/side x 15 (each arm)
60/side x 12 " "
75/side x 10 " "

Reverse Grip pull downs (hands close)
90 x 12
110 x 10
110 x 10

Wide grip machine row
70 x 10 (3 sets)

Abs--circuit 3x
Roman chair leg raises
Stability Ball crunches
Butt lifts

Cardio--> treadmill

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Thursday--11/29/07

Shoulders

Overhead Press (Smith machine)
25/side x 15
35/side x 10
45/side x 10
50/side x 8
55/side x 6

Dumbbell Press
2 sets--35's alternating arms x 5 each + both arms together x 5
40's x 9 (palms facing each other)
40's x 7 (palms facing each other)

Machine seated side laterals (bent arm)
60 x 12 (thumbs down)
60 x 12 (thumbs up)
70 x 10 (down)
70 x 10 (up)

Cable side laterals (straigh arm)
15 x 15 each arm
20 x 12 " "
25 x 10 " "

Dumbell Rear Delt raises (face down on incline bench)
2 sets of 10 with 20's

Dumbell Front Raises
2 sets of 10 with 20's

Cardio-- elliptical


I thought this was a great workout and My shoulders felt really full after the workout, which is good. I'm trying a slightly new approach of using different hand positions for different exercises to try and target the shoulders from all different angles.

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Friday 11/30/07

Quads:

Front Squats (smith machine)
25/side x 10
35/side x 10
45/side x 10
55/side x 10
65/side x 8

Squats (smith machine)
90/side x 10
100/side x 10
110/side x 6---> if the bar weighed 45, this would be 265, but I'm going to assume the bar weighs nothing and say it was 220 ...still happy with that, lol. Maybe one day I will squat on the big girl racks, but then again, I'm not sure my knees would appreciate it. And this seems to be working, so why mess with it.

Sumo Squats (feet wide/turned out)
70/side x 12
75/side x 10
80/side x 9

Lying Leg Press sissy squats (pop hips up high in the air, with the weight of your body resting on the upper back/shoulder bladed--targets the quads very well)
80 x 15
100 x 12
120 x 10
130 x 10
A friend at the gym that used to compete in fitness but now does a lot of martial arts competing suggested these to me.....what a great exercise!)

Leg extensions <-----least favorite exercise EVER
2 sets: 100 x 10 drop to 80 x 10 drop to 60 x 10

Calves:

Seated calf raise (modified version of Dani's suggestion)
25/side x 10 + 35/side x 10 + 45/side x 10 + 55/side x 8 + 60/side x 5
drop to 55/side x 8 + 45/side x 8 + 35/side x 10 + 25/side x 10
(that was one giant set, LOL)
Note to self, when asking Dani for advice on calves, keep in mind that she is superwoman when it comes to leg training...and start lighter than what she does

Incline calf raise
4 sets 15 at 120 lbs

Hammer Strength seated leg press-calf raises
3 sets of 15 at 200lbs

Cardio--> bike

This was another great workout. I'm pretty sure walking is going to be interesting tomorrow...but thats a good thing
Thanks ladies for the ideas!!

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

Hi Erin

Thank you for the Thanxgiving good wishes, and I am glad you took at least one day off.

Great workouts, you are a machine.

On an earlier post you asked about how to get heavier weights up for the Db shoulder press without a spotter. My advice is unless the weight is relatively easy to shoulder get a spotter. I have a friend (Nat level FBB) who injured her shoulder that way.

However knowing how competitive and determined you are I suspect you may try it anyway . In that case my suggestion is to use fractional weights. One of the main problems with the Dbs is that in most gyms they increase in 5 lb increments (unless you work with the pink weights like me and David ). Going from 40 to 45 for example is then a 10% increment. You should never really increase weights more than 5%, and many advanced lifters only like to go 2% per increment.

When you have a spotter they effectively make up for the big jump by helping you with the weights (in some cases they seem to be carrying most of the load!). The fractional weight alternative is to use plates that are smaller than the usual ones to keep your increments in the 2 to 5% level. Most gyms do not have them but a trick that several athletes I know have used is to just purchase one and two lb wrist bands. By using these wrist bands you can progressively go (again using 40 to 45 as an example) from 40 to 41, to 42, to 43 to 45. Each increment is well below 10%

Then when you want to go from 45 to 50 do a similar progression.

Best

Doug

PS - you have great leg development so I do not think you need to worry about joining the 'big girls' at the free squat area unless you just want to impress them

Thank you for the tips Doug! At this point I'll probably just stick with the weight I'm comfortable at for the dumbbell presses and gradually work my way up, unless I am working out with Jeff (my boyfriend...he's the only one I let spot, lol). Right now I go heavier on the Smith or Hammer Strength machine, and I think that will be sufficient. The last thing I need is to get injured. I remember in our weight room in college the dumbbells were all in 2.5 lb increments, which I thought was a great idea, but you're right, at the gym i train at they are all 5 lb. increments.

Oh, and I tell all of ladies I train that if I catch them using the pink dumbbells they will be doing walking lunges for an hour

As for the training, I actually like to train, so I usually never have a problem with missing workouts...sticking to a diet in the offseason, however, is an entirely different story, LOL. I think it goes back to when I was a gymnast. In high school I trained (gymnastics) Mon-Sat, about 6 hours per day. And I loved going to practice. I guess i just have that type of personality, where I love the training as much as I love the competing

On to the workout...

Saturday 12/1/07

Biceps/Triceps---All supersets

Incline dumbbell curls- 15's x 15, 20's x 12, 25's x 10
with
Overhead Dumbell Extension- 45 x 15, 55 x 12, 65 x 10


Preacher Machine curls- 3 sets 10 at 50lbs
with
Straight bar pushdowns- 3 sets 10 at 80lbs


Straight Bar Curls- 3 sets of 10 at 45 lbs
with
Dips- 3 sets of 10 (body weight--going lower than 90 degree bend)

Abs--200 reps (various exercises)

Cardio--Treadmill

Training arms is like training back for me. It's kind of boring, and I'm not supposed to go super heavy. My arms are very thick to begin with, so they don't need to be any bigger.


On a side note, it was my dad's birthday (Happy Birthday Dad!!), so the whole family went out to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner. By whole family, that means my mom and dad, myself and Jeff (my bf), and my brother Sean and his girlfriend. It was really nice because we don't all get together very often because of everyone's busy schedules. And let me just tell you, if you have never eaten Italian food in the NYC area, you've never had good Italian food (and the same goes for pizza)
Then we came home and had some birthday cake and ice cream. I try to limit myself to a Sunday cheat day, and then one other cheat meal during the week, so I saved up for this dinner, LOL. I had shrimp parm with a side of baked ziti pasta, and it was yummy (although I did end up bringing about half of it home). The cake was excellent as well. It was a great night.....
except for the fact that my Tigers lost bad to OU

Oh well, today (Sunday) is my off-day, so I'm catching up on schoolwork, cleaning and laundry

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

It's okay my Eagles lost too. I'm feeling you there Erin!

Awesome workouts girl! Time to get an avatar up though babe!!! xoxo

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete
www.allifit.com
AllisonMoyer@allifit.com
allifit@tmo.blackberry.net

Hi Erin

yet another killer workout!

With your training dedication you are bound to win a pro show soon.

I think your decision to not push the weights with the Db presses is a smart one. The shoulder is a complex joint that is very easy to injure, and you can always go heavier with the safer exercises like the smith machine press.

200 lunges! Yikes. I think I am going to move up to the 'chrome weights' tonight. Wish me luck.

Best

Doug

Thanks so much again Doug. I would love to win a Pro show someday. I also know that the top girls in fitness right now are so good and so well established that it is extremely difficult to break into that group. I'm training really hard and really just looking to improve upon my 6th place finish this year, and also be able to bring a better physique and even better routines than last year.
Chrome dumbbells are a step in the right direction

Monday 12/3/07

Chest

Flat Bench Press (the real one, lol)
95 x 10
115 x 10
135 x 10
145 x 7
155 x 5

Incline Bench Press (smith)
45/side x 10
55/side x 7
55/side x 6

Incline Dumbell bench press
3 sets of 10 with 50's

Hammer Strength Incline press machine
90/side x 6
90/side x 6 with super slow negative on last rep...drop to 45/side x 5 with super slow negative on all 5 reps

Cable Flyes
2 sets 15 @45
superset with
bench push-ups--->man, I felt really wimpy doing these, I was struggling to get 15 (I can normally do like 3x that many push-ups, LOL)

Abs Circuit--3 x each
decline knee raises + BOSU crunches + Hanging straight leg lifts (toes all the way up to the bar)

cardio= elliptical

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete

<333333333 Hanging straight leg lifts. LOVE them. The amount of control needed to lfit and lower is insane. I especially love them because I remember when I couldn't do them and my previous trainer had to hold my waist to help stabalize in midair. AHHHH love looking back on your progress.

keep rocking it girl!

_________________
Team FigureRX Athlete
www.allifit.com
AllisonMoyer@allifit.com
allifit@tmo.blackberry.net

Hi Erin

Thank you for the encouragement. I just started on the chromes, but I hope to get to the end of the rack (about 20lbs) by this time next year.

Once again an amazing workout, and thank you (and all the other great athletes here who are doing the same) for posting. It is a great resource since there are few or no places on the web where actual workouts including weights, reps, and variations over time are consistently posted. The magazines are worse - sometimes the athlete does not even participate i the writing of the article.

I have made some changes in my workout based on the postings and any competitor or potential competitor who asks me where to find advice for training I am going to send here.

Best

Doug