Ava Arm Workout

Today I worked out my arms, and I tried out something different. I read the latest Muscle Fitness & Hers with Ava Cowan on the cover and she had an arm workout that I thought looked pretty cool, something to change it up a bit.

Alot of the exercises were new to me so i started with light weight today just to see where I was at with it..

One Arm Cable Cross Overs 10x10-15x 3 per arm

Straight Bar Tricep Pushdowns 20X15X3

Underhand One arm Cable Curls SS with Overhand One Arm Cable Curls 5x15x3

One Arm Cable Tricep Extensions 5x10x3

I added two more exercises for Biceps

Seated Bicep Curls 5x15x2
10x15x2

One Arm Seated Bicep Curls 20x10x3


Once done with this I did 25 mins on the stepper...which was enough for me.

The arm workout I did like, I was able to see different parts of the arm and feel parts I never worked before, so looks like i may be incorporating into my plan we shall see.....

Post Typhoon...

Wow is all I can say, this typhoon was pretty nasty. We had about 3 with this being 4 this month, every weekend getting hit but this being the only time we lost power... My husband and I had to "caveman" it up with tuna packet and rice cakes for me, PBJ for him... amazing what you take for granted with no power... where is the connect 4, candyland lol... we was really BORED lol...It is back on but the roads are a mess, powerlines are jacked but we are safe...

In the meantime I had ALOT of down time, so i been thinking about change supplement for pre work out/ post workout protein...

Pre Workout I normally been doing Superpump but the flavors are ok, turns my mouth blue or red with the berry looking crazy and taste wise i dunno i think i am just burnt the hell out...

I went to BB.Com and saw an article out there with the list so I am debating between N.O. Explode, Amino Energy or a Beast Mode. I dunno, I am going to see if i can get sample packets to try each one out but i hate spending 50 dollars if i am not gonna use it all...I did that too many times with other stuff..

Protein Powders- I am thinking Dymatize Iso , Myofusion or Syn 6 so many choices out there....

I will get it figured out..when i get a chance to sit down and debate..

I got to go to work this morning... really dreading but its end of the Fiscal Year so we have to close our books..

Great Times...

Typhoon Craziness!

Well...

As previous post, I said we were prepping for typhoon and it is outside of our house as we speak and not even done yet till later....glad i managed to get workouts in all week mon-fri and resting today and tommorow...I actually slept like a baby today to the sound of rain and winds but I havent been resting well lately...

Looks like we will have a lot of cleanup outside of our house due to this thing but not so bad, we are blocked by other buildings and sort of uphill...

I filmed some of the wind and my husband got pics of the ocean (yes he is mentally ill for getting that close lol ) but he is talented photographer so...
Hopefully things will slow down soon....

Attached Thumbnail

Back in the swing of things!

---

Hey yall,

So back in the swing of things, hitting the gym every day this week, rain or shine....and apparently typhoon , the 3rd one this month!

I did my legs today, have not been tracking my strength really since I been out for 2 weeks so I kept it light...i havent been writing down the weight I lift but I need to so I can know where I have improved...here is what I have done from memory:

Narrow Leg Press- Warm up 100X15X4

Sumo 2 Leg Press- 200X15x2 failure
245x10x1 failure

1 Leg press 200x 7x 3 per leg

V- Squat 200x15x2 Failure
225x10x1 Failure


Leg extension 80X15x2 failure
100x 10x1 drop set

Glute Kickback 70x15x2
80x15x1

Hamstring Curl- I cant seem to get this exercise down or keep my butt down on the pad! I did light weight to get the technique...its frustrating

30x15x2
40x10x1

I work on my legs once a week and yesterday was the first time in 2 weeks
and I didnt want to overdo it...

This morning I am getting my insanity on....I love/hate the Shaun T workouts and I can avoid the gym somedays when getting out of bed feels like raising the dead...this being one of those mornings..

One of friends was telling me Shaun T made a new one Insanity Asylum, training like an athlete..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

..I hurt just looking at it...

I think I will stick with my regular insanity workouts

Another note is a typhoon coming to our island...and I work accounting so we have to close out the Fiscal Year so we will be hunkered down in our building trying close our books.... so if yall dont hear from me after the weekend send the calvary! lol...


I attached the satelitte pic...here they call the nasty ones, Super Typhoons. Winds gonna be about 150 Kts enough to pick me up and my puppy off the ground.... I think we will be ok tho...

 

Anyway..I am off to start my insanity pure cardio...

Its been awhile...

:popcorn: Well been a few weeks but I am able to get an entry in...
I really miss writing, it seemed to bring a sort of sense of venting, well actually it was venting for me. For the past few weeks, i have had some issues emotionally, for some reason I started to feel like I obsessed ov er food too much or care more about my workouts and maintaining then most "normal" people...just because sometimes its all I think about. But...
the reality is that I am trying to "develop different/better habits after 27 years of doing the same things" as my friends says. I felt like that because I am starting to care about what I actually put in body food wise...it makes me obsessive...no it makes me human and want to be healthy, on top of not wanting to have the same issues I had almost a year ago... I felt like as soon as the show was done i would gain all the weight back I lost because someone wasnt standing over me telling me it was a bad idea.....i.e. my coach and I did fall off the deep a little bit with my eating...it took much self control and developing a routine to get back on track... but I feel like I am better place because I am determining my way of thinking is normal! I care about what I put in my body, more than i did before because I understand/learned what the process is, how nutrition works... and its not always a bad thing... although on occasion folks still ask questions like "what now, another competition?" No! Well next year anway, Just living my life... better....I allow cheats, I dont overdo...shit I dont even like milk anymore! This comes from cereal eater for lunch dinner brunch...

This is the hardest part of all the change in any aspect, its acceptance....I have acceptance 100% who I am...and honestly it feels more normal then before...
I been putting off getting this tattoo... A) cuz I know its going to hurt B) I wasnt sure if I wanted to do it...
But I feel its necessary, I only put the tattoos with signifcants, most of the tattoos I have connect to me in someone... this will be my 9th tattoo...yea when the hell do you stop...shit i dunno ...when you run out of space on your body...
My tattoo guy, who is awesome drew this for me...so Im going for it...not saying the buzzing doesnt scare the shit out of me...but Im going for it now!

Other than that, I still go to the gym aka my sanctuary, where it all feels normal, feels right...I am the working goals, they fell to the waistside...
but this journal keeps me accountable most definitely! I missed writing here...and reading all the other journals out there..
I hope you all are doing well out there...:waving:

Leg Day and Wine Tasting

Hey yall...Sunday here on Okinawa...

Weekend eventful...

Saturday Morning I went to give my legs some love...

Walking DB Lunges
Sumo Leg Press
Narrow Leg Presses
Leg Extensions
Glute Kickbacks
Hamstring Curls

All the fabulousness I could get before I had to go into work..



Then Hubby and I went to do winetasting, unforutnately he could only tolerate it for so long... especially when you had 7 samplings at 6 different tables, we made sure to grab the ones we fell in love with but for the more part, we just were tasting to taste... We got 6 bottles overall but it got so crowded we had to wait in long lines just get a sip, not to mention my mobility was slowing down with the wine and heels i was wearing the potential to fall had increased ....it was decent time overall but with the humidity and the fact I CHOSE to wear heels after working my legs the idea didnt last long...

Today I woke up sore as shit...barely moving but always a sign things are going well..

I miss my trainer Anne, since she got pregnant her hours cut back and she moved to a gym further away.... I can workout on my own but I guess the companionship is what I miss most... there is a guy i work with who is also a personal trainer who i am considering but not sure if mixing that would be a good idea.. I believe he is very qualified ....we shall see...

Okinawa has a mass of personal trainers, however the experienced qualified trainers having waiting lists and are only open on days i have to work so we shall see..i made my own workout schedule involving some circuit training but i want to get the right progress for next year when competiton starts again..we shall see..

Leadership Reading

Hey yall,

so getting another post in, I had a goal to work on becoming a better leader in my organization... so I decided to get into some reading...right now I am really fascinated by this book

"360 degrees of Leadership" by John C Maxwell

It is pretty much telling you how to step out of your comfort, not to be afraid to take charge of the area you work.... in the military there is the rank structure-right now I am a staff sergeant E-5 and aspire to be a Chief E-9 someday. Even if I dont I want to make my influence, leave my mark.... be remembered for having an impact on others...making things better for the younger military as it has been laid for me...

One of the excerpts that stood out in this book was the 7 Myths from Leading from the middle of an organization:

Myth #1 can be referred to as the position myth, where people believe they must have a certain title to lead. In reality, there is no need to possess a specific title to exert influence and become a successful leader. These people might wait for a more senior leader to empower them with authority, instead of building relationships with others to influence naturally. These people will only follow within the boundaries of a leader’s job description. However, people can move beyond the boundaries of their position by building respectful relationships and valuing each person as a unique individual who gives something positive to the organization.


Myth # 2 involves the belief that people cannot lead until they get to the top, referred to as the destination myth. The thinking goes something like this: “When I’m a leader, then I’ll figure out how to influence others in a positive way,” rather than learning these principles in order to be a leader. Becoming a leader is a journey of learning. The beginning of the journey may require people to adopt new ways of thinking, new skills, and new habits. According to John Wooden, Hall of Fame basketball coach, “when opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare”.

Myth #3 is based on the belief that nobody will follow unless the manager is “on top”. People believe that just because they’re in a leadership position, that they automatically have the ability to be influential. This is not the case. Those who lack leadership experience often put the leadership title on a pedestal, overestimating its importance. No matter what position people hold, they must earn their level of influence over time.

Myth #4 is the mistaken belief that when people get to the top, they’ll automatically be in control. An example of this belief is the thinking that things would be different “if I were the boss”. When people believe they can improve the organization, they do what it takes to accomplish their
goals. On the other hand, it’s easy to overestimate how much control a manager can have at the top of an organization. Many factors control an organization, and a person’s high-level position is no guarantee of the ability to exert influence. Basically, life at the top is not easier.

Myth #5 states that once leaders make it to the top, their role is a ticket to freedom. Leaders at the top do not necessarily have it made. They cannot always do what they want. There will always be boundaries. As leaders rise to higher positions, they have increased responsibilities, more pressure, and higher expectations. These leaders make a great impact, but at the same time, many leaders have less freedom instead of more.

Myth #6 is based on the thinking that people cannot reach their potential unless they’re top leaders. The reality is that most people never get to the top of an organization as a leader. While people need to strive to do their best, they don’t necessarily need to aspire to be at the top of their organization. Often the greatest impact is made from the middle.

Myth #7 is the all-or-nothing belief that people won’t try to lead unless they can get to the top. Most people will never become CEO but they can still be effective leaders. CEOs aren’t the only ones who make a difference. While being a leader in the middle of an organization has its challenges, an effective 360-Degree Leader can learn to lead from the side, from above, and from below and influence people at every level.


I definitely see alot of these in different organizations even before I joined, the belief of some of these things discourages alot of great leaders from reaching full potential.....but you wont know until you try...

I work on a little bit everyday, just to get better...my weakness right now is emotional decision making..... versuses what is best for the situation even if I dont like it.... but i am reminding myself, its not whats best for me but for my unit as a whole...

This has been such a great read so far.... anyway talk to yall later