Turkey day training day

It's kickoff week of the holiday season, starting with the best holiday of them all!

So before I embark on my week-long hiatus from training (to be gloriously swapped with a week of shameless face-stuffing) I had to get in my training session for a preemptive strike to avoid turning into a blimp by the weekend

And J was ready for me. Quick warmup of walking lunge/inchworms, then off to find the 25lb kettlebells.

Today was actually really challenging (I mean, EVERY thing is challenging...yeah). We did a bunch of stuff with two bells at once.  just like regular kettlebell workouts, but with two at a time. So even though each arm is doing the same weight as it normaly would, it's essentially twice as much work. And my arms could feel it

We started with 10 each (3times): swings, cleans, press/jerks, and front squats. And man oh man I was not into it (By that i mean, mentally I was all for it. physically, not so much). And that's where J comes in, to talk me through it, especially for the next set

I only had to do this set one time, and one time was plenty, first with 2 bells, 20 jerks. I don't think I would have finished this if J wasn't there to pace me. Then 15 snatches on each arm, and I actually felt really great for the whole time! J thinks I could have done 20 each, but I think 15 was an excellent amount, haha. We ended our Kettlebell set with 15 long cycle (back to the 2 bells). And I surprisingly made it all the way with my arms still attached! It's a good day.

So, to give my arms a break we headed over to the squat rack. For squats. Obviously. As per usual we worked our way up through the weights, doing less reps for more weight. When you are dealing with the scenario of being a tiny girl squatting a massive amount of weight, be prepared for a few things to happen. First, men will be staring at you. Not for the usual reasons (maybe a little for the usual reasons), but out of sheer disbelief and amazement. Second, your trainer will have to tell you to walk the bar back further, to get behind a specific point on the rack because the circumference of the weight is SO LARGE, it won't clear past the weight holders. The weights are too big for the contraption designed to hold the weights, people!!! No wonder people are staring!

So when all was said and done, I was squatting the massive weights to the grand total of 160 pounds. One hundred and SIXTY pounds. I'd be staring at myself too, that's crazytalk.

So we leave the freeweight room in a blaze of glory, end with some jumps and stretch and then it was time for a special treat: I brought my pumpkin pie!! Actually I made both versions, the healthy one and the vegan healthy one (that one turned out more like banana-pumpkin pie, but it was still good)

And now I'm off to go gorge myself on Korean food for the next four days. Don't judge me.

It's training day!

It's training day already! The silver lining of having to push a session to a later day in the week is that the next week's session gets here so much sooner!

We started today with a very serious discussion about Movember, and the ideal amount of stubble for a guy to have (10 days in case you are wondering, it's science), but Jason was having none of it. "What about Decembeard?" I ask. ...  I've never seen a more perfectly incredulous look than the one he gave me at that moment. It was textbook. Then he tried to pawn me off to another trainer, and I was having none of THAT, thankyouverymuch.

So we moseyed over to the freeweight room, but actually no, we took a detour and J herded me into the workout area, while he gathered up the various weights we needed to begin.

New thing today! Barbell clean and Jerks! Yikes! We used a bare bar to do a few practice rounds so that I could practice the movements before trying the real deal. Basically the concept merges all of the various elements that I've learned between Kettlebell jerks and the front squats from last week.  You start with the bar at your feet, then hoist it up through adeadlift  into a clean, so that it ends up racked across the front of your shoulders, hands out, elbows up high and pointing in (yeah, that awkwardness from last week, same thing) Then, jerk the bar overhead, and bring it back down to the ground (controlled though, not like how I do it, hurling towards gravity).  I did the first round (2 sets of 5) with 60lbs and the second round with 80lbs (2 sets of 4).  and by the end I was making significantly less faces of shock and horror, so i think I did pretty well. high fives all around!

then we went IN the freeweight room for squats. but today was a little different (gotta keep it interesting!) instead of the usual 'let's see how much we can slap on here to make mayu's legs break' today was more of a 'let's see how many mayu can do before her legs break', so in total I did 3 sets of 8, starting at 90lbs and ending at 115 (I think). Still, nothing to sneeze at! J already has next week planned out with heavier weight.

Then it was time for J to finish me off with a few rounds on the Kettlebell, the 35lb bell to be exact, so we made our way back up front to do just 3 rounds of clean & squats followed by snatch. And that definitely got me fatigued. Not too much, but just enough to get me to start whining about my gimpy hand callous that hates me.

But by then it was time for V-ups to finish the day, 2 sets of 15. you know, whatevs. Whenever I have to do v-ups I still think of my first training session when I couldn't even do one! And now I can do so many! Progress!

It's training time!

It's that day again, you know that day! It's training day!! Hooray!

So I sneak out of work in the middle of the day, an hour later than usual and changed and even manage to be early for once! But where's j? He's not at the desk, he's not on the floor, and I awkwardly wimper around while the other trainers say 'he was here earlier' and 'does he know you have a session?' And yes he was very specific 'Thursday at 2' ...wait today is Thursday, right? Maybe I have the wrong day, what time is it? Where am I? Who am I?

'Maybe he sent you a message' yeah, I bet as soon as I go I to the locker room to check he'll show up and think that I'm not here! But of course, they were right when I fish my phone out from the bottom of my bag I see this:

Aw, he didn't forget!

So off to the rower I go, and row FOREVER*, until finally J turned the corner and came to gather me up

(*forever = 5 minutes in this scenario)

So many new things today! we started in the 'big boy' room to do deadlifts and front squats, but with the big bar instead of kettlebells like I'm used to doing. First the deadlifts. J has all kinds of handy pieces of knowledge, like how to hold the bar so that your grip doesn't get tired. brilliant! I had to stop myself from squatting so much, but like with all new things eventually I got the hang of it. And like all the usual things, J kept adding more and more weights and I ultimately did a set with 135lbs! I can deadlift myself! Myself and a small fluffy kitten, rawr

Then squats, but holding the bar in front, resting 'on your shoulders, NOT your throat'. very important. In order to do this you have to rest the bar across your shoulders, cradled on your hands (palms facing out) and your elbows lifted up high kind of pointing in towards each other. Sounds awkward, looks awkward, feels awkward. Now squat. Without choking yourself or tilting the weights off the bar. And add more weights. And repeat. 

But I survived, clavicle intact, and we wrapped it up in the free weight room and headed up front.

Then it was time for box jumps (squat, jump, land, squat, stand up, step down, repeat) and jerks with the 35lb Kettlebell. I don't do jerks often, and it's kind of J's area of expertise, so he tried to get me to do them correctly, but I still just don't 'get' them. Although by the last set I could start to feel a difference, and he seemed a bit more pleased with a few of them. Progress! At least they make me look skinny, unlike what I had next: V-ups. And backbridge pushups. 

Then it was stretching time! And oy, I need yoga. Badly. So much stretching needed. so so much. (My 3 days in a row of stair master probably didn't help)

I didn't take a selfie today, but here's one from earlier this week:

Sweaty. (and if you look closely, you'll see the evidence of that time I got my nails done! I can be a girly girl sometimes too, it's not all nerd with this one ::points thumbs at self::)

Tuesday day! It's training day!!

It's Tuesday, it's training day! And today we had a special treat, I had TWO trainers today! Well, kinda. There's a new trainer at the gym, and J had him tag along during my session. Which means I got to have two trainers, AND J had to narrate what we were doing and say all the nicest things about me (and show me off) and how fantastic I am and how I'm the perfect client and so strong and always bubbly and does everything amazing...hey I'm just awesome okay? Deal with it!

But first he also had to show the new guy how to take measurements. D'oh. I've been trying, TRYING to be good, and it's so so difficult. But even with as good/bad as I've been (and technically I didn't get any bigger or gain any weight) I'm still on the upswing of body fat. Boo. So this month I'm starting out at I think 28" waist, 134.5 lbs and 27% bodyfat. :( sadface. 

So, with that over with, and this month's calendar all set (whoo!), we got to the fun stuff. Specifically, we started with squats.

Workout:

Squat rack. As per usual, we started light, and with each set decreased the reps and increased the weight. And the most fun part was that with the new guy there, I had two people racking the weights for me, because i'm so special, hahahaha. I know by one of the middle sets we were at around 150lbs. Maybe more. But we ended the last set with more reps but a much lighter weight. And a high five. Oh yeah! And between sets I was doing reverse lunges while the guys added plates to the bar. Which J had to keep reminding me to do

Then it was back up front for an equally fun and impressive round of:

Red bell swings, 17.5lb dumbbell alternating overhead press (so fast!), renegade row, and tuck jumps (ah, he knows me so well)

 

And the new guy was duly impressed with my form. And said so multiple times. To which I gave Jason a well-deserved pat on the back. Hah

For abs I did a series of v-ups, front and each side. And I reminisced about that first session, so long ago, when my first attempt at a v-up (which I had never even heard of before) got me about an inch off the floor and nowhere near reaching my toes. And J was looking over those first workouts, back when I was swinging 25lbs (vs the, what, 55 lbs today?) and using the 12.5lb dumbbells, which I can't even recall the last time I used those! They sound so cute to me now! Haha

Then we sent off the new guy to write down notes or something (can't wait to bug J to tell me what he said) and stretched, my most favorite part!

And then I had to go back to work. My least favorite part.

SHAMELESS SELFIE: