My Weekly Workouts.

I'm happy I got in some consistent workouts this week. Even though I didn't get in as much cardio as I'd like to. Just getting back into a routine with my busy schedule and this constant gloomy, rainy weather makes me feel good. My diet has been good too and overall I am happy with my figure and my strength. My goal is to get back into a consistent routine of a bodybuilding style strength training, incorporating plyometrics and/or HIIT cardio along with daily ab work and weekly stretching/foam rolling.

SHOULDERS/ABS
warmup shoulder rotation exercises with 2.5 lb plates (2x25)
superset
standing barbell press (3x12) 
mountain climbers (x25)
superset
single lateral db raise (3x12)
squat jumps (x12)
superset
single fwd db raise (3x12)
lateral jumps (x25)
superset
25# plate fwd shoulder raise (3x12)
side to side hops over bench (x25)
superset
seated rear delt db flyes (3x12) 
shoulder taps in pushup plank position (x25)
superset
roman chair leg raises (3x12)
sliding crunches (x25)
superset
bicycles (x25)
toe touchers (x12)ea

BACK/BICEPS/ABS
superset
lat pulldowns
seated single cable rows
superset
rope attachment seated high cable rows 
standing straight bar cable pulldowns
superset
bent over db reverse flyes
alternating db hammer curls
superset
Superman's on bench
barbell curls 
Stability ball concentration single db curls
200 reps total of 8 ab exercises done in sets of 25 repetitions

BICEPS/TRICEPS/ABS 
superset
barbell curls (3x15)
bench dips (3x15)
superset
ez bar 21's curls (3x21)
dumbbell overhead triceps press (3x15)
superset
alternating db curls (3x15)
single db tricep kickbacks (3x15)
superset
db concentration curls (3x15)
single db overhead tricep press (3x15)
superset
reverse grip single cable curls (3x15)
single overhead cable tricep press (3x15)
200 reps total of 8 ab exercises done in sets of 25 repetitions

LEGS/GLUTES/ABS
(First set is a warmup set with lighter weight and higher reps)
squats (1x15/3x8-12)
superset
leg press (1x15/3x8-12)
calf press on leg press (4x15-25)
leg extensions (1x15/3x8-12)
lying leg curls (1x15/3x8-12)
superset
alternating reverse lunges holding 10# plates (3x20) 
lateral bodyweight lunges (3x10)ea
200 reps total of 8 ab exercises done in sets of 25 repetitions
15 minutes of HIIT cardio

CHEST/CARDIO
Cardio: 20mins total
5 min warmup, 15mins of HIIT 30sec @ 10mph 60sec @ 4mph

Superset
Flat Smith Chest Press
65x15/75x12/80x10/80x8
Pushups
15reps/12reps/10reps/8reps
Incline Smith Chest Press
55x12/55x10/55x10
Standing Cable Cross Flyes
5x15/7.5x12/7.5x12/10x8
Seated Cable Flyes Machine
30x15/single arm 30x12ea for 3 sets
Flat Dumbbell Bench Press

20x10/20x10/20x10

Today's Fitness Tip! (Low energy at the gym?)

As a personal trainer I noticed a lot of my new clients get extremely fatigued within  just 10 minutes of a 50 minute workout session. In the beginning I asked each client multiple questions about their day to try and figure out why this was happening. Eventually I realized that 99% of the time it was due to their meal plan, or lack of... My clients that would experience this fatigue were coming to the gym and working out on empty stomachs. This is equivalent to a person attempting a high speed chase with an empty gas tank. Epic fail!

If you want to get the most from your monthly gym membership and see results from your hour plus invested in the gym each day then you need to realize how crucial it is to fuel your body in preparation and what to fuel it with as well! If you're like most newbie gym goers I have worked with then you might be skipping breakfast, eating some office junk like vending machine snacks, energy drinks and donuts, maybe even some 100 calorie snacks that are advertised as healthy.
You are excited to hit the gym and destroy your workout, get that body you've been dreaming of. You envision yourself smashing through your workout then you head to the gym, start to workout and instead feel like you’re just getting smashed to pieces. Not realizing you are completely dehydrated and have loaded up on nothing but empty calories for the day, leaving you fatigued before you even get into your workout.

Well, there is a simple solution. If you eat healthy, portioned meals throughout the day while staying hydrated you will not only have tons of energy to feel like wonder woman or superman in the  gym but you will start to rev up your metabolism, build more muscle mass and burn calories even while you're not in the gym. I can't type out a daily meal plan because what works one person won't work for the other but I can fill you in on the basics.

• Drinking 3-4 liters of water a day. Mixing it with your flavor of choice of BCAA powder will make it so much easier to drink and also benefit your workout activity/recovery. I try to drink 1 liter each before breakfast, lunch, and dinner to prevent over eating and aid in digestion. I then drink at least 1 more liter during my workout.
• Eating small, nutrient dense meals every 3-4 hours. This will prevent your blood sugars from dropping and then spiking and crashing once you finally do it. It will prevent you from resorting to an unhealthy quick fix and/or overeating later in the day. You will have plenty of fuel to bang out your workout.

If you are new to health and fitness or don’t know what to fuel up on to get the most from your workouts send me a message on my facebook and I can help you. Facebook.com/krystalbluefitness

Workout Of Day!

Today I worked out lower body followed by stretching and foam rolling. I don't post my weight used because the intensity can change day to day depending on factors such as soreness, strength, energy. Your optimal weight can be found through the intensity of a  set. You want it to be pretty challenging on your last rep or  two. If you're new to  lifting, record your weight used until you can determine about how much you will need.
Workout  key: (sets x reps), superset is two workouts back to back before taking a short rest for water, active rest is an ab exercise or a plyometric exercise where you use your body weight only.
Weights:
1) single leg lying legs curls (4x12) ea leg
2) single leg leg extensions (4x12)  ea leg
3) smith machine squats (4x12)
4) superset: side (lateral) lunges + bench stepups  (4x12) ea leg
5) bench scorpionados (4x12) ea leg
6) cable kickbacks (4x12) ea leg *put your foot through the cable handle with the handle  placed in  the middle/arch of  your foot. Flex your toes towards your shin  for this exercise.
Cardio:
Treadmill Intervals (15mins) walk/sprint for 90sec/30sec.
Stretch/Foam Roll:
Stretched mainly focusing on lower body, foam rolled upper body.
Trying to get rid of tension creating pain in my neck and back.
That was all I did today as I am somewhat limited due to a kink in my neck that is limiting my exercises to an extent.

Back To Blogging!

Wow! I took way too long of a break from blogging. This used to be one of my favorite things to do at the end of the day. I'd go to work, hit the gym, meal prep and then close my day by updating my blog with my thoughts, tips, motivation I had for that particular day.
I have had many life changes since my old days of blogging but my love for health and fitness has followed me along the way. I don't think I will ever be able to change that, nor would I want to! I feel like blogging about my passion is what helped to keep health and fitness top priority in my life. If it's outta sight outta mind then it can't continue to grow. I have decided to start sharing my passion with whoever would like to follow me on my journey and hopefully I can inspire some people. I am no longer in the fitness industry by employment but I do try to make it just as important as I did when I was personal training and motivating others to success. This time around you will see my journey from a new path. In my opinion it can be more motivating. I am in school, working, and making the time to continue living a healthy life. If you have a full schedule like me and feel like it is extremely hard to find the time for your health please follow me so that I can show you it CAN be done!