Tuesday, January 31, 2012

DOMS - Don's Ongoing Muscle Strength....

DOMS baby is back! Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness - aka the Dons muscle strength.....  I haven't had a big leg weights session since before Christmas as my left quad has been so tight (thanks to my SI joint (pelvis/hip being out) so gradually getting the alignment back & working on muscle balance! Trying to be patient... trying... breathing in and out.

Sunday after I smashed myself in BODYJAM! Gosh I miss that class I trained chest/triceps & yesterday legs (bru).  Feeling very strong and in control. Concentrating on technique and form, to ensure I hit the target muscles and have reduced my weights (in legs), just a little so I can obviously still feel the burn but with less load.

Chest was great, smashed it up with my good mate Justin at Randwick FF. Dumbbell chest press, push ups, incline chest press, db flyes, cable press & flyes with some triceps dips, tricep overheads and extra pushups to smash me.  I love Randwick FF gym - they have dbells that increase in 1kg increments. Genius. I increased my chest flyes from 10kgs to 13kgs. Lots of leaning in doorways today.

Legs yesterday felt great, knee slightly pulling today, so lots of stretching and isolation work to ensure muscles fire in the right order (yes ass, talking to you)!  Started off with squats, nice and light at 50kgs - felt good, range was perfect and lots of stability in lower back and core, knee didn't pull.  Happy girl.  Mixed up squats with some plank holds and then did some front squats with the bar, 30kgs, again ensuring good form and stability in core/lower back, mixed it up with some lunges holding 20kg plate, alternating legs, that got the butt switched on even more - BOOM!  Finished off with some light deadlifts with 40kg bar and to smash me some tuck jumps - 2 x 12. They felt gooood. The stairs on the way down were slow, and the walk home wobbly - love LOVE LOVE that feeling!  

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Lane rage for session II

Planning is key I keep telling myself and others. Well I didn't plan well for my second swim in the #smashitup2012 challenge.  I went to the pool on a Monday night at 6pm.  MADNESS! What on earth was I thinking.  I work at the centre, I know Monday's have swim squad, school lane, walking lane AND aqua aerobics at 6:30pm.

The fast lane had at least 12 people in it at one stage, I rarely get lane rage, but I was getting super shitty about not being able to finish 50m without stopping for some slow coach who was doing breast-stroke or backstroke or in one case an older man doing the double back stroke across the lane (funny  now, not at the time)  So the first 20 laps took me 35mins!! I kept eyeing off the lifeguards and they eventually opened another lane and mumbled something about "safety", yeah safety for you from me I thought.... (deep breath in and out Dons).   So jumped lanes as soon as the squad was out and swam another 20 laps and then got out, was over it, my arms felt tired,  was hungry and had lots my mojo, so 2kms it was.  I will plan my other swimming sessions on days when I know traffic will be minimal, like Mondays at 6AM not PM!

So next time I will keep it cool in the pool!  And will swim 4km.

Monday, January 23, 2012

#Smashitup2012 - first swim completed....

The past weekend was a lazy one measuring against my normal standards. No weight training, no tabata training or double class at the gym.  Was feeling a big flat and just wanted to sleep and relax. It was girly time of the month and I just wanted to be a sloth - eat, sleep and repeat.  Didn't remotely feel any guilt, I knew I just had to give myself the downtime my body needed and enjoyed a few drinks, excellent company and some good food.

Sunday was a slow start to the day - started off with almond meal pancakes with blueberries and a coffee.. fuelling myself for the first swim of my 23kms challenge.  I was feeling pretty average, low back pain, stomach cramps and thinking I just want to curl up on the couch.  But I knew that once I got into the pool I would feel much better.  I walked to the Annette Kellerman Aquatic Centre and had the music pumping into my earphones on the way. It has been a long time since I have swam more than 30-40 laps in one session, think when I was training for the short course triathlons I would just do between 30-40 laps, that was at least 12-18 months ago.

The first 20 laps I felt like I was gliding in the water. Felt so good, I could feel the stretch in my lats and the power in the chest, I thought to myself, calm down and see how you go for the next 20... and then it was the next 20 and I had completed 60 laps/3kms and felt pretty damn good.  Took me around an hour with a couple minute rest in between the 20laps - timing went 1st 20 - 18mins, 2nd 20 - 20mins and last 20 22mins....   Traffic in the lane was minimal and I stuck to the medium lane and got a good pace up, no stopping for the entire 20laps.  

Nice and slow steady pace felt great. Am looking forward to getting into the pool tonight and upping the ante to 4kms! 


Friday, January 20, 2012

Loves a challenge.....

Being an impulsive person I tend to act and then think later.....  this was exactly what happened earlier this week when I saw a challenge on Facebook, on a friend's status it had something like "To help with my half-marathon training for 2012 I will run 1km in honour of everyone who clicks like".... I am not a runner, I don't get excited at the thought of running long distances (event though I did run my first C2S last year) my first thought was, wonder if I could do the same challenge swapping the 1km run for 500m swim.

So I put up the challenge. 46 likes equals 23kms. Bring it on. I have until the 18 February to complete this goal. 6kms a week which will be the most I have swam since i used to do squad training back when Lisa Curry was an Olympic swimmer (and a HUGE inspiration for me)!



So the goggles are ready, have ordered new togs/swimmers/bathers/cossie from YINGFA and am ready to Just Keep Swimming

I am excited!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Measurements are in....

Measured myself yesterday - starting point.  Ready to reduce cm's.  I was pretty happy that most of my measurement's hadn't increased:-


Weight 76kgs
Scales Bodyfat 26%
Bust 88cm
Waist 74cm
Hips 98cm
R Leg 52cm
L Leg 53cm
(left leg, always 1cm bigger than my right), the body isn't symmetrical but still find it entertains me.

So since end of October as my scales show it I have put on 3kgs and 2% bodyfat but measurements haven't changed.

Check in next Wednesday for the latest instalment of measurements, training & nutrition.

Monday, January 16, 2012

#Smashitup2012

My motto for this year - Smash it up! No excuses, just get in and get the job done. 
First full week back into training last week - am proud to report that I have been doing my glute & leg strengthening work to ensure my knees are ok (muscle imbalances are a biatch). My physio would be so proud.  Changing the way I train, making training all about ME and not others.  Being a little selfish to meet my expectations is key - think Bodyjam will be a now and then class for me for the next couple of months (I know... sad but true). 

I have my eyes on the prize (my body will be my trophy),  I am focused and can visualise the end result, I can feel it! I am tingling with excitement and a little fear. I am ready to eat cleaner, train smarter and get leaner than I have ever done before, taking my body & mind further.

Follow my progress, motivation, rants, training & nutrition on Facebook and also Twitter.... (keep an eye out for the #smashitup2012 hash tag).


This morning session was Dons #smashitup circuit - four rounds of 12 reps each:

20kg bar weighted straight leg step ups
Bodyweight single leg squats off step
12.5kg db upright rows
35kgs deadlifts
Full pushups on bench
Walking lunges with 20kgs plate

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Let the madness commence....

Happy New Year!  Year of the Dragon 2012 - auspicious symbol signifying success and happiness.   May the celestial Dragon bring great good luck to everyone.

And good luck to me!!  This year my goals have been kicked up a notch.  For years I have been tip-toeing around the idea of competing in a Bodybuilding/Figure competition. "One-day" has been the voice inside my head.  Well 2012 is the year to give it a good solid crack.

Letting barriers down last year about my fitness, self image and training I finally realised that I can achieve ANYTHING I set out to achieve. I don't have to be perfect at EVERYTHING, I just have to give it MY best at 110%. To stop comparing myself to others and worrying about how others perceive me is something I too have let go. So what if I am not the "best" on stage, or fall out of my ridiculous "high-heels", the only person I need to please is myself. My expectations are the only ones I will meet.  

So 2012 you are going to be a challenge, but as most of my friends know I love a challenge. I don't sit still (for very long), I am go go go. Energiser bunny, that is me, always have been and always will be, a leopard never changes into a tiger, right?

Planning and scheduling has commenced,  training sessions and nutrition are in the works, getting the diary organised for dexascans, massages, days off etc....   I have lots and LOTS of hardwork to SMASH. I am so glad that I have such supportive friends and family - god knows I am going to need you ALL in the next six months in one way or another! The simplest things will get me through! 

I will be blogging my training, nutrition, the ups/downs and things that are keeping me sane &/or motivated.  I am also on Twitter (@fitbydons) so check it out for some daily tweets/motivation about how things are travelling. Please leave your feedback on this blog too, would love to hear from you and you can give me ideas on what I need to blog down the track...... 

My goals - June deadline:-
Decrease bodyfat from 25% to 18%  (to lose approx 6-8kgs bodyfat) that is 4-6% of current bodyfat
Increase total muscle from 53kgs to at at least 58kg
Increase flexibility, core strength and muscle stabilisation
I won't be too focused on the scales, will do measurements, pictures, videos and also dexascan to show results.  My training sessions in the gym will also be a guide.  

The comp's that are coming up are:-
May 20 – ANB Sydney National Physique Titles, Castle Hill RSL
June 3 – INBA City National Champs, Castle Hill RSL
June 24 – INBA All Female Classic, Mooney Ponds VIC - this is my main goal