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| My foot long scar appears to have shrunk... |
I know, I know. My blogging game is weak. It's true. Life is hectic and social media is just not a priority. But I will give you an update on how things are going right now. Let's start with my arms. The scar is coming along nicely on my left arm. My right isn't too bad either but it's still swollen in some areas. I apply the scar cream diligently and wear compression sleeves when I workout as per Dr. Patterson's instruction. My arm muscles are growing, but not as quickly as I'd like. I'm just impatient and want immediate results. Nothing works like that! I'll just keep plodding along. On a positive note, my arm scar has become invisible near the armpit. It used to be thick and hard and a foot long. It's only half that size now. So there is that.
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| Left pic: May 12th, 2015 (pre-Tony) Right pic: April 3rd, 2016 (post-Tony) |
So here is what's going on with my body. I've said that my ass and thighs have gotten huge. Here is the picture proof of that. On the left I'm wearing size 8 Aeropostale jeans. They no longer fit. Can't get my legs or bum into them. But on the right my waist is smaller. I'm getting more of an hourglass shape because my chest work has caused my boobs to get a touch bigger. I am actually be a full B cup now. I fit into La Vie en Rose bras wonderfully. But a 38B which is not always easy to find. I went up in my band size over the last year. I was a 36B but didn't fill out the cup properly. Now I'm a solid 38B. Gains!
There is a seven pound difference between those pics. I've gained seven pounds over the past 11 months and I'm not even remotely bothered by that. I still do have some annoying fat sticking around. Always the same fat in the same place. Outer thighs and abdomen above my c-section scar. So I've begun counting my macros and I'm not doing a great job of it. It will be a week tomorrow and I've only met my calorie goal once. I'm always under by 500 or more. My macro percentages are very close everyday, but I think the reason why I fail at calorie intake is because eating more than I'm used to fucks with my head. I subconsciously think I'm going to gain weight. But I need to trust the process here and see where this gets me. I've always said it and it's true, you have to eat to lose.
I am finally going to start boxing. I'm going to join the boxing gym at the gym that I train with Tony at. I'll do a couple classes a week and a one-on-one session with the boxing instructor once per week. Who thought that injuring my rotator cuff back in November would have set me back for so long. Once the pain was gone in January, I had to start building up the strength again because my right shoulder would just give out. It's still weaker than my left shoulder, but Tony says I'm ready to start training now. And I have built up my strength considerably over the past couple months. Still not back to where I was, but much improved.
And I want to start running again. Don't ask how I'm going to do all this stuff. Double workouts are likely in my future. Boxing classes and one-on-one instruction will all happen in the late afternoon/early evening because that's when Brodie's available. So even if I get a couple runs in a week, it's something. I was happiest when I ran.
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| The machines I use for my abs at the gym |
So I've been asked several times for my abdominal workout. I go to the gym five times per week and I work my abs each time. Sometimes it's just one exercise, sometimes it's a half hour worth of exercises. But they get worked at every gym visit. I've got loose skin (as highlighted in my last post) that I'm hoping to add more muscle to. It may or may not work. My loose skin has gotten more noticeable to me as I have gotten smaller in my abdomen.
Anywho, the machine on the top left is the back extension machine. I use it to work my glutes and use it facing downwards. You can also use it with your bum resting on the pads facing upwards and use your abs to lift yourself from an inverted position to sitting. But I really showed you that machine because I use it 4 times per week (4 sets of 10 reps with a 45 pound dumbbell) and it's how my booty grew. That and all the squats.
The machine on the top right is how I work my obliques. I rest my hip between the pads and hold a 25 pound plate. I'm not lifting the plate, I'm just holding it while I use my obliques to do side lifts. I do both sides before resting and I do 4 sets of 10 reps.
The machine on the bottom right is the inverted ab bench. I do two different exercises on that machine. One is simply holding a 25 pound plate to my chest and doing 4 sets of 10 reps of crunches. The other is holding a 10 pound plate in front of me, sitting up, then twisting on each side while still holding the plate at shoulder height. That works the abs and the obliques. I repeat 10 times and do 4 sets.
The pic on the bottom right is from the Internet (obviously) and is called the Captain's Chair. You hold yourself up with your shoulders and crunch your knees in. When Tony first had me do these, I could barely hold myself up because my shoulders were so weak. Now I do them easily and I don't crunch anymore. I do the harder version with my legs straight out.
There's also floor exercises I do. I use an ab roller (bought at Winners for $7) and do stuff like frog sit-ups, pull over crunches with a 10 pound weight, windshield wipers, and Tony has me do stuff with a yoga ball once in a while. He tries to switch it up so things are never the same.
So there you have it. My ab workout. I do 30 mins of abs twice per week and just one or two ab exercises the other three times that I go to the gym. Although you shouldn't be in pain when you go to the gym, I always like when my abs are sore. Makes me feel like I really worked them.
So now you're all caught up on my fitness news. Dull, dull, dull. Until I have something exciting to share about boxing training, farewell friends...
