Sunday was spent recovering from all of my 13 hour nights at the shipyard. I got off work around 6:30am and decided to stay up until about 11:00pm in order to get back on my normal sleeping schedule. My body was incredibly achy from the first week of workouts and all of the running around at work. It was nice to sit at home and finally get some rest.
DAY 8
Phase 1 (Strength), Week 2
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| DAY 1, 178 lbs |
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| DAY 8, 178 lbs |
Today is my start of week 2 and man, what a day. My body is definitely still used to sleeping through the day and working at night. My hamstrings and abs were still really sore from last week's workouts and unfortunately, today was leg day. Just like several exercises on the last 3 workout days, I lowered the amount of weight I normally lift and made sure I was using perfect technique. Next week, I start a new 4-week strength workout routine. I'm incredibly happy to have these leg days behind me. I get them done, but I'm definitely not a fan of leg days! I always remember that if the workout hurts really bad then it must be working.
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| DAY 8 Workout |
You may see some improvements in my body since Day 1, but it is definitely a slow process. The fact that I was not able to eat enough food last week really set me back too. The good news is that I am getting groceries tomorrow. I'm also learning how to use Fit Day to record all of the food I eat each day. Soon, I will be able to give you insight on my daily nutrition too! Look for this within the next week.
Just some quick info on my workout spreadsheet: The tempo I use on each lift is very important. You may have heard of 'muscle confusion.' Your muscles get used to doing certain exercises, so you try to change them every few weeks to avoid plateauing. You can also change the amount of reps you do on each exercise. Doing more or less repetitions will force your body to recruit different muscles for the same task, thus keeping you from plateauing. So, I also vary the amount of reps for certain exercises at least every few weeks. So, about the tempo! The 3 digits provided give me the speed at which I complete each lift. Picture a bench press. With a tempo of 311 I would lower the barbell for 3 seconds, pause for 1 second, and raise it back up for 1 second. Got it? I vary my tempos just like my exercises and amount of reps to continue to 'confuse' my muscles. Lifting slower will allow more tear in your muscles while letting you to focus more on your technique. I advise using 311 when you are starting any exercise.
Let me know! How are you exercising this week? Do you hate leg days as much as me? Do you like to incorporate different tempos in your lifts?
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