Mary Jo's Journal... Yo.

[KatiAuchinleck]

You're doing fantastic! So impressive and great dedication!

[Tipularia]

Mary Jo,

Hello witchy woman! All your talk about Strong made me curious, so I bought it. I'm planning on beginning next week....even though the read-through of those workouts made me blanch. Plank WITH row????? Holy Bananas!

My gym doesn't have suspension straps. I think I'll begin by using the balls and maybe buy some portable straps when I really get into it. Are you using straps?

[MaryJo]

Woo hoo! Strong has some good workouts that don't take forever or are very complex.

I got a cable system/rack thing. I'm lucky that it has a lower pully at the bottom to use. It's kinda awkward to use because I don't have a lot of room to plank and have tension, but also the plank with pulldown is freakin' hard. At least the side plank with pull isn't so bad.

I don't have any suspension straps. I'd like to but I don't have a place to anchor. At the moment, i'm still working on push ups. I'm able to do inclined ones but my floor ones are not happening. I'm lowering myself and trying to stay at bottom position to help work towards a push up.

I haven't read past Phase 2. I'm currently in Stage 3 and loving it. I dig that it's just a few lifts, but good lifts, and then some HIIT.

Have you looked at New Rules of Lifting books?

[MaryJo]

A couple days ago my husband made apple pie. How much calories are in that pie? Enough to make it tasty.

Next day, I brought out the heavier weights and nailed them and their big versions.

Certainly didn't get my cut in that day, but it felt good to have pie and lift heavy too!

BRB, gotta go eat some pie.

[AnitraSoto]

*leaves room to put apples on grocery list*

[Tipularia]

(06-16-2016 07:55 PM)MaryJo Wrote:  Have you looked at New Rules of Lifting books?

I did NROLFW as my introduction to lifting. That book taught me so much and I was a different person after finishing the program. I'm glad to try another Alwyn Cosgrove program, although I forget how much he loves the "non-traditional" lifts and strength stuff. It's definitely outside my comfort zone, but that's a good thing. I have a feeling that this program will be my next game-changer.

I'm with you on the push-ups. I can't do floor ones well, but I'm going to commit to progressing. I remember when other exercises (reverse crunches) were super hard and now I can whip out 20 without thinking. Push-ups have to be the same way...if we can just get out of our heads.

Thanks again for the recommendation!

[emma]

Hey Tip, I don't have a suspension system at home either. For the elevated feet core stuff, I use a ball. Otherwise I just don't use it... For example I think there is a "suspend touch and lunge" exercise. I just try and hold my back foot up and lunge without it. No pulley system either, I just use weights.

[Jc_wt]

Is the suspension the same as a TRX?

If so, I believe they sell one that goes over the back of a closed door. Hope that helps.

Plank and row sounds satanic to me lol. But I will have to try it!

[MaryJo]

02/13/2016: 176.7 2021.4 (cut 2: wk 9) T
02/20/2016: 175.8 2154.9 (cut 2: wk 10)
02/27/2016: 177.1 ?????? (cut 2: wk 11)
03/05/2016: 176.1
03/12/2016: 174.8 T
03/19/2016: 175.5
03/26/2016: 176.3
04/02/2016: 175.4 T
04/09/2016: 175.5
04/16/2016: 176.7
04/23/2016: 176.9
04/30/2016: 177.6 T
05/07/2016: 176.8 2106.3
05/14/2016: 177.5 2077.9
05/21/2016: 177.1
05/28/2016: 177.2 T
06/04/2016: 176.7 1947.9 (cut 3: wk 1)
06/11/2016: 177.2 2078.6 (cut 3: wk 2)
06/18/2016: 177.2 ??????

Well, life happened this past week. An sudden unfortunate lost of another love one made my calorie counting go out the door. I did get some great heavy lifting though. Oh, do I love lifting heavy.

I was hoping to get a session in today but my back has another idea, so now I'm working the kinks out instead. Dang back. Meh.

With softball season starting soon, I might not get my three days of lifting in.

So this next week I'm unsure if I want to keep on the cut. I'm just not into keeping track of my calories so closely. I rather just go all out on my weights and see where things go. I'm also of thinking of stop weighing daily. It's not that it bothers me to weigh myself everyday but I know that my waist seems slimmer in the past couple weeks. Recomp must be happening.

[MaryJo]

05/21/2016: 177.1
05/28/2016: 177.2 T
06/04/2016: 176.7 1947.9 (cut 3: wk 1)
06/11/2016: 177.2 2078.6 (cut 3: wk 2)
06/18/2016: 177.2 ??????
06/25/2016: 177.1


Well, I didn't do much calorie counting this week. I just didn't feel like it. I thought I would just use the food to do more in my workouts. I've been pushing my weights to be heavier and I'm feeling fabulous.

However, i've been really tight. I need to do more mobility / stretching. Luckily I had a massage this week which was freakin' painful but I feel SO much better.

With my lack of tracking calories and macros, I've been working on keeping the same MO on amounts and focusing on eating more protein. I know if I want to lean out that I'll have to get into those calories again.

It's been a year since I started on this journey. I'm back to original starting weight. I know my endurance and strength has increased. I've lately felt leaner and stronger. I need to take another set of pictures. I'm sure I'll see what progress I have gotten with them. I keep telling myself that the weight is only one measurement. My belt has gone from first loop to fourth loop.

Progress, not perfection!!