Don't kid yourself. Us, right here... we are raising the bar. We are not pro-athletes, some of us are not yet pro physique competitors or elite military personnel. We are tough as hell, girls next door pushing ourselves far past what we once thought we could do.
How many girls from your office do you know that can do a pull-up? Have attempted a pull-up? Slim to none right? Go back a generation, any luck? We really are doing something that we should be proud of.
A year ago, I went to Kelly's bootcamp and tried a pull-up with an assistance band. I couldn't do it. I tried with all of my might but I just could not lift this booty of mine. When I started my training with Xavy, he accepted nothing but pure blood, sweat and tears. Day one, I was doing modified hanging pull-ups from the smith machine. After training about 4 months, I was doing maybe 10 pull-ups with the assistance band and 1 very labored dead hang. Brent's workout regimen pushed things even further. I am not sure what I expected being that every time I would look over, he was doing yet another set of pull-ups. Every single workout, I was working on my pull-ups. He taught me a kipping technique that just made me look like a bad ass. You know me, the better I think that I look, the harder that I am going to push myself. I watched as Donny did the same with Angela. Pushed, pushed, pushed! Recently, I have seen her bang out 10 unassisted kipping pull-ups in a row. Damn that girl is a beast. A few months into training with Brent and I am doing several sets of 12 assisted kipping pull-ups... in addition to my regular workouts. I can muster up 3 dead hangs and 40 second flexed arm hangs. Not too shabby. I have passed this on to Becca that is now kipping like a pro too. I owe it to the guys in the gym that don't let us wuss out. I owe it to the CrossFit WOD's that continue to push us to the limits and I owe it to the other hotties in the gym that make sure we know how awesome we are when we are doing them. It is a joint effort, no doubt. At the end of the day, we are the ones choosing to be hanging from the bar instead of sitting on a couch. It is women like us that are changing expectations for women. I read this morning that by 2014, the United States Marine Corps are changing women's P.F.T. standards to include pull-ups, not just flexed arm hangs.
Okay ladies, what are we going to tackle next?
http://www.inquisitr.com/414896/female-marines-will-have-to-perform-pull-ups-by-2014/
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
World wide
Momma Mud dun gone world wide!
I have created a Facebook group. The "private blog" was a good idea and I am not getting rid of it, but this is a bit of an easier way for us all to connect taking out the middle man.
Have at it!
Momma Mud: Motivated by Mud
I have created a Facebook group. The "private blog" was a good idea and I am not getting rid of it, but this is a bit of an easier way for us all to connect taking out the middle man.
Have at it!
Momma Mud: Motivated by Mud
Monday, November 26, 2012
Prepare for Battle
It's that time of year again. It is time to start training for the Warrior Dash. This morning, I took advantage of the Cyber Monday deals and hooked myself ups for $35.00. What a deal!
This is going to be the 3rd year doing this. I hope to see more of my friends on the starting line with me.
Let the training begin.
www.warriordash.com
This is going to be the 3rd year doing this. I hope to see more of my friends on the starting line with me.
Let the training begin.
www.warriordash.com
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Plan of attack
Last year, I handled Thanksgiving like a pro. I got up, and did a 10K with my buddy. I ate a decent breakfast and a healthy but light meal 20 minutes before I got to dinner. I plated my veggies and no carb food first. I filled up on that, and when I was done, I went back for the good stuff. That meant that I was already pretty full so I had to plate the yummy stuff in itsy bitsy piles. When I was done for the night, I headed back to the gym for a slow stroll on the treadmill. I didn't quite break a sweat, but I was moving.
This year, I plan to do the same. Possibly not the 10K, but something equally as grueling. It worked. I ate what I wanted, I offset the calories and fat, I didn't feel guilty. I finished up the holiday weeked on the scale having broke even. Perfect plan of attack.
Oh, one tip...
Skip the pie crust. No matter what kind of a pie it is, skip the crust. Just that tiny modification will help significantly.
Enjoy! See ya on the other side.
This year, I plan to do the same. Possibly not the 10K, but something equally as grueling. It worked. I ate what I wanted, I offset the calories and fat, I didn't feel guilty. I finished up the holiday weeked on the scale having broke even. Perfect plan of attack.
Oh, one tip...
Skip the pie crust. No matter what kind of a pie it is, skip the crust. Just that tiny modification will help significantly.
Enjoy! See ya on the other side.
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tomorrow is going to be an incredibly busy day, but I am just as thankful today as I would be tomorrow. So, you all get your well wishes now so be thankful. lol
On Facebook, I keep seeing all of the daily thanks posts from friends of mine. It is really neat reading some of the things that people come up with. I just love it. I missed the start of the month so I didn't end up ever starting. I figured that when today came around, I would compile it all. That starts my first, "Thanks". I am thankful that I have a followers that make my words feel significant.
Things that I am thankful for:
-My health.
-My courage to try new things.
-My strength to push forward. Longer, heavier, higher and further every day.
-My new found endurance.
-My blog and my followers.
-My new friends made by my blog.
-My few friends that have supported me along the way, understanding that my social life has needed to take a backseat to my wellness.
-My job.
-My gym and my gym family.
-My Uncle Pat. He is sadly no longer with us but he will never be forgotten. Uncle Pat always had a way of seeing through me. He always "got" me no matter what the circumstances were. He understood that this process was much bigger then simply slimming down.
-My knowledgeable friends who have had a hand in guiding me during this journey. Kelly G., Xavy, Tracy, Chris E., Chris W. and Brent.
-My family. Not just my blood family, the adopted family. I love you all.
Tomorrow is going to be an incredibly busy day, but I am just as thankful today as I would be tomorrow. So, you all get your well wishes now so be thankful. lol
On Facebook, I keep seeing all of the daily thanks posts from friends of mine. It is really neat reading some of the things that people come up with. I just love it. I missed the start of the month so I didn't end up ever starting. I figured that when today came around, I would compile it all. That starts my first, "Thanks". I am thankful that I have a followers that make my words feel significant.
Things that I am thankful for:
-My health.
-My courage to try new things.
-My strength to push forward. Longer, heavier, higher and further every day.
-My new found endurance.
-My blog and my followers.
-My new friends made by my blog.
-My few friends that have supported me along the way, understanding that my social life has needed to take a backseat to my wellness.
-My job.
-My gym and my gym family.
-My Uncle Pat. He is sadly no longer with us but he will never be forgotten. Uncle Pat always had a way of seeing through me. He always "got" me no matter what the circumstances were. He understood that this process was much bigger then simply slimming down.
-My knowledgeable friends who have had a hand in guiding me during this journey. Kelly G., Xavy, Tracy, Chris E., Chris W. and Brent.
-My family. Not just my blood family, the adopted family. I love you all.
Shower time
If you have been following the blog, you will remember that I made a post called Tubby time. The post was all about how much of an excruciating procedure simply getting a bath could be if you were over weight. It was pretty funny but unfortunately, no joke. This morning in the shower, I discovered that I had some new experiences that would make perfect material for a "Part 2".
I am just going to go out on a limb and call myself a "body builder". By definition, I suppose that I am, but as far as a competition division, ehhh... not so much. Anyway, that is besides the point. As a "body builder", as expected, my body has changed. We are no longer talking about leaning out and making my old body smaller, we are talking about tweaking select parts and changing its shape. I was always under the understanding that you get what you are given. Your shape is your shape. Well, that is not at all true. Your body is very moldable if you put in the effort. Building a wider back and wide shoulders, I am offsetting the proportions of my body. Making my butt a little less, "BAM!!". By building triceps, I am filling in the fly-away arm area. So on and so forth. I am single handedly molding certain parts into a shape that I like.
So here we go...
-My alarm goes off in the morning, I roll out of bed being careful not to strain a muscle. Last week, I pulled the covers over and pulled a tricep muscle of some sort. You guessed it, the morning after Chest and Tri day.
-I shuffle to the the shower passing the vanity where I habitually flex my biceps and check the progress of my abs. (Don't you dare even judge me, you know that you do the same thing.). In the morning is the best time of day, I'm all dried out from the 8 hours without water and everything is in its rightful place.
-As I climb in the shower, I do a quick reflection of the workout two nights before. Will I be able to lift my leg over the tub today? Without using my arms to hoist them over the edge? The day after leg day isn't such a big deal, its always the second day that kills ya.
-In the shower, the hot water feels fantastic. After a good 8 minutes of just letting the water run over me, my muscles now have the elasticity for me to bend over and pick up the rag at the bottom of the tub. Of course its not hung up, I did an upper body workout of some kind the day before. There was no way I was lifting my arms above my head twice. Washing my hair was challenging enough. I'll toss the rag, if it catches, great. If not, screw it.
-Let's just get the hellish part over with as soon as possible. Washing my hair is an effort most days. There is no lather, rinse, and repeat. Repeat-ha! I've even gone as far as buying a two-in-one shampoo and conditioner. Fingers crossed I don't get any soap in my eyes. If I did back the night before, reaching for the dry towel across the bathroom from the tub is going to hurt like hell.
-While the two-in-one rinses from my hair, its time to shave my legs. I plop my leg up on the ledge and am instantly distracted by my quads and hammys. I cross them off of my mental check list of things coming along pretty darn well. Then I put my leg back down to check out the difference between up and down, flexed and relaxed, turned and facing forward. The list goes on. Honestly, it's almost pathetic. Oh, I am not done yet, I have to give my calves the attention they deserve. I plop my foot back up on the ledge and start the process all over again. T.M.I. Alert- the inner thighs these days have tendons. Be very, very careful. They used to just be chub but now it's a bit of an obstacle course. Thank goodness I have lost weight, here I am 12 minutes into shaving my legs and have not picked up the razor. At least there is significantly less surface area to shave.
-So I have lost surface area on my legs but gained some on my back. It was bad enough to reach around to wash my middle upper back before, now with my new found lats, its damn near impossible. I've figured it out, but every single day, I do the same thing. I keep trying the whole, "reach across and under my arm", method to wash my back. Really, when will I learn? I even still try it again with the other hand. Alas, up and over the shoulder & behind and up the middle of my back are my only options. If I do the behind and up method, we might as well add another minute to the process. I love my Longissmus Thoracis and my Serratus Posterior. (Look who has been studying her Personal Training manual.). My spine is about an inch below my left and right side of my back. Kinda cool.
-Belly. This is a given. You gotta know that even though I checked out my abs before I got in the shower, I have to double check to see if they have changed in the last 20 minutes. Sad. Just sad.
-Last bit of shaving left is my under arms. Back in the day, 20 seconds and I was done. Lather them up, one stroke up, one stroke down and done. Haha. Oh how I miss those days. Recently, I have found that shaving my armpits might be the most challenging part of this whole process. No matter which direction I shave, how many times I try, there is that one spot that taunts me. There is a black hole within the crevisis of my armpits between the muscles. Where the hell did that come from. I need to do some research on this particular issue.
-Nearly done. All that I really have left is to wash my chest and my chest. Yes, both. Not both boobs, both sets of my chest. Every day, I am amazed that my chest has changed so much. I think that it is the single body part with the most significant difference from when I started. As I am feeling myself up in the very least sexual way, my opinions of the new parts go from one extreme to the next. Proud, disgusted, annoyed, excited, surprised, worried but I settle on... awesome. My plump (but saggy), double d's are a thing of the past. No matter how hard I squish and squeeze, where there used to be some fantastic cleavage is a gaping two inch wide valley. The separation in my pecs keep my boobies from even being in the same zip code. Naked, its not the sexiest thing to look at but in bra and shirt, my boobage stretches from one hairy armpit to the other. Not a bad set up at all. So, back the the concepts of two sets of chest. I have my pecs and my boobage, two separate entities. After chest day, I look like Mathew MacConauhay with those chicken cutlet bra inserts super glued to his chest. Again, naked... ehhh. In a bra, a pushup bra... Whoa baby! A pushup bra pushes those babies up on top of the pecs and viola!
-And..... Done! Finally. It only took me 40 minutes. No wonder I am late for work every day. I get out of the shower and reach for the lotion. I have to keep this skin moist and smelling fresh. Three pumps of lotion usually does the trick but I don't put it on quite yet. I head to the medicine cabinet to add a heafty dollop of Aspercream into the lotion. This concoction has been a life saver. Try it.
I am just going to go out on a limb and call myself a "body builder". By definition, I suppose that I am, but as far as a competition division, ehhh... not so much. Anyway, that is besides the point. As a "body builder", as expected, my body has changed. We are no longer talking about leaning out and making my old body smaller, we are talking about tweaking select parts and changing its shape. I was always under the understanding that you get what you are given. Your shape is your shape. Well, that is not at all true. Your body is very moldable if you put in the effort. Building a wider back and wide shoulders, I am offsetting the proportions of my body. Making my butt a little less, "BAM!!". By building triceps, I am filling in the fly-away arm area. So on and so forth. I am single handedly molding certain parts into a shape that I like.
So here we go...
-My alarm goes off in the morning, I roll out of bed being careful not to strain a muscle. Last week, I pulled the covers over and pulled a tricep muscle of some sort. You guessed it, the morning after Chest and Tri day.
-I shuffle to the the shower passing the vanity where I habitually flex my biceps and check the progress of my abs. (Don't you dare even judge me, you know that you do the same thing.). In the morning is the best time of day, I'm all dried out from the 8 hours without water and everything is in its rightful place.
-As I climb in the shower, I do a quick reflection of the workout two nights before. Will I be able to lift my leg over the tub today? Without using my arms to hoist them over the edge? The day after leg day isn't such a big deal, its always the second day that kills ya.
-In the shower, the hot water feels fantastic. After a good 8 minutes of just letting the water run over me, my muscles now have the elasticity for me to bend over and pick up the rag at the bottom of the tub. Of course its not hung up, I did an upper body workout of some kind the day before. There was no way I was lifting my arms above my head twice. Washing my hair was challenging enough. I'll toss the rag, if it catches, great. If not, screw it.
-Let's just get the hellish part over with as soon as possible. Washing my hair is an effort most days. There is no lather, rinse, and repeat. Repeat-ha! I've even gone as far as buying a two-in-one shampoo and conditioner. Fingers crossed I don't get any soap in my eyes. If I did back the night before, reaching for the dry towel across the bathroom from the tub is going to hurt like hell.
-While the two-in-one rinses from my hair, its time to shave my legs. I plop my leg up on the ledge and am instantly distracted by my quads and hammys. I cross them off of my mental check list of things coming along pretty darn well. Then I put my leg back down to check out the difference between up and down, flexed and relaxed, turned and facing forward. The list goes on. Honestly, it's almost pathetic. Oh, I am not done yet, I have to give my calves the attention they deserve. I plop my foot back up on the ledge and start the process all over again. T.M.I. Alert- the inner thighs these days have tendons. Be very, very careful. They used to just be chub but now it's a bit of an obstacle course. Thank goodness I have lost weight, here I am 12 minutes into shaving my legs and have not picked up the razor. At least there is significantly less surface area to shave.
-So I have lost surface area on my legs but gained some on my back. It was bad enough to reach around to wash my middle upper back before, now with my new found lats, its damn near impossible. I've figured it out, but every single day, I do the same thing. I keep trying the whole, "reach across and under my arm", method to wash my back. Really, when will I learn? I even still try it again with the other hand. Alas, up and over the shoulder & behind and up the middle of my back are my only options. If I do the behind and up method, we might as well add another minute to the process. I love my Longissmus Thoracis and my Serratus Posterior. (Look who has been studying her Personal Training manual.). My spine is about an inch below my left and right side of my back. Kinda cool.
-Belly. This is a given. You gotta know that even though I checked out my abs before I got in the shower, I have to double check to see if they have changed in the last 20 minutes. Sad. Just sad.
-Last bit of shaving left is my under arms. Back in the day, 20 seconds and I was done. Lather them up, one stroke up, one stroke down and done. Haha. Oh how I miss those days. Recently, I have found that shaving my armpits might be the most challenging part of this whole process. No matter which direction I shave, how many times I try, there is that one spot that taunts me. There is a black hole within the crevisis of my armpits between the muscles. Where the hell did that come from. I need to do some research on this particular issue.
-Nearly done. All that I really have left is to wash my chest and my chest. Yes, both. Not both boobs, both sets of my chest. Every day, I am amazed that my chest has changed so much. I think that it is the single body part with the most significant difference from when I started. As I am feeling myself up in the very least sexual way, my opinions of the new parts go from one extreme to the next. Proud, disgusted, annoyed, excited, surprised, worried but I settle on... awesome. My plump (but saggy), double d's are a thing of the past. No matter how hard I squish and squeeze, where there used to be some fantastic cleavage is a gaping two inch wide valley. The separation in my pecs keep my boobies from even being in the same zip code. Naked, its not the sexiest thing to look at but in bra and shirt, my boobage stretches from one hairy armpit to the other. Not a bad set up at all. So, back the the concepts of two sets of chest. I have my pecs and my boobage, two separate entities. After chest day, I look like Mathew MacConauhay with those chicken cutlet bra inserts super glued to his chest. Again, naked... ehhh. In a bra, a pushup bra... Whoa baby! A pushup bra pushes those babies up on top of the pecs and viola!
-And..... Done! Finally. It only took me 40 minutes. No wonder I am late for work every day. I get out of the shower and reach for the lotion. I have to keep this skin moist and smelling fresh. Three pumps of lotion usually does the trick but I don't put it on quite yet. I head to the medicine cabinet to add a heafty dollop of Aspercream into the lotion. This concoction has been a life saver. Try it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)