As an Exercise Science major and athlete you learn that for strength and conditioning in order to get stronger you have to switch up your training. Another way is to work close to your 100% but that's not the point here. If you always go in and do the same thing over and over again you will get better at it but your body will plateau. Say someone wants to run a half marathon, so they start training. At first it's really hard to even run for 3min straight and then after a couple weeks that 3min becomes a piece of cake and they become better at running. But they seem to stick with the same pace no matter how much they run. Well in order to improve their run time they would have to do some interval training and maybe add in some trail runs instead of just running on the treadmill or outside on the pavement. I'm not going to lie, I'm a fan of treadmill training because I run faster on it than I do outdoors. And that eventually leads to me running faster outside. I used to run at a leisurely 8:30ish/mi pace. I push the speed so when I do get outdoors for a run or a race (like that will happen anytime soon) I end up being faster than I think I actually run. But the same goes for strength training, if you constantly do the same weights and reps you're body adapts to it and it becomes too easy. If you never move from what has become easy, your comfort zone, and add some freakin weight then you won't get stronger like you are wanting. And no ladies, like you have read so many times before, you won't get bulky from lifting weights and being able to lift heavy! So constantly changing up your workouts is important which is why I love CrossFit. Every time you go in it's always something different. It can be lifting weights or just your own bodyweight, a full day of cardio or a lot of gymnastics movements!
So why did I just type all that, because I recently decided to switch up my training. I had a goal of an Oly (olympic lifting) meet on April 16th but I waited too late to register and I'm now on the waiting list which at this point I'm very hesitant that I'm going to get to compete. And also, my numbers have sucked lately with my lifts. But I am hopefully that one day my maxes will change so I keep training and fixing my lifts as I feel them. I have used a program from a company called Catalyst Athletics before and had some really good success with them, so I added them back into my programming. I was using The Outlaw Way for several months and I was hesitant to deviate from them because I loved their conditioning and their accessory work. I did accessory work when I first moved here but have deviated my programming and eventually it disappeared. I hadn't done weighted pull ups since I started CrossFit at South Charlotte CrossFit over 5 years ago. Catalyst has a lot of different programs. They focus on Oly lifts (snatches and clean & jerks - C&J) to squat cycles and can be as short as 4 weeks to as long as 12 weeks. So when I decided to start training for the Oly meet I went with the Quick and Classic cycle which is only 4 weeks long, but since I have finished that one I decided to start on a new one, Classic cycle. I also have switched up the order in which I train.
Before:
Strength work - Gym Jones/Wendler
BB work (snatches and/or C&J) - The Outlaw Way
Accessory work - The Outlaw Way
Conditioning - The Outlaw away
How my workouts look now:
 |
| Strength - Conditioning - Oly work |
And to think I squeeze all this in at 0500 in an hour and a half! Yes, that early in the morning and yes I'm moving through my workout. Guess I really don't have time to talk to someone when I'm in the gym which I've told makes me intimidating but it's funny how many people I know in the gym. I'm actually a pretty cool person, I'd like to think anyway. I know one thing from switching my training around is that I chug more H2O throughout the day. I try to drink 1c of water every hour because I've been trying to drink more water throughout the day. Not sure how well it's working but I usually get in 9-10 cups/day. I use to have everything timed out from when I started drinking when I get to work even to what water bottle I drink from. Yes, I have some OCD but that's what makes me me right! I'm loving how I've switched up my programming and feel like I get a lot accomplished with throwing my conditioning in the middle of my workout and then doing my Catalyst work at the end. It makes me feel stronger since my body is already tired or maybe it's warming my body up nice and extra like, haha. It usually takes me a while to warm-up and I'm not a person that actually takes the time for a warm-up before I start working out.
 |
| Fueled by Faith Driven by Desire Pushed by Passion |
I've also been trying to get back into running more. Most of the week I only get to run once, but this past week I've had the ability to run twice. Monday was just a quick 2 miles because the weather was just too gorgeous not get outside and take advantage of. And I have honestly been sore since Monday because of the strength work I did and then running. I didn't eat before I went out and ran so it definitely effected me. I was slower than normal on what was suppose to be a quick 2 miles. So my next run was Thursday afternoon with Fidget. His plan 4 miles; mine, not so much! I was dreading just the fact that it was 4 miles because I haven't ran 4 miles in about a year. My running is usually shorter lengths these days. I used to love longer runs. My distance of choice, a half marathon. The only other thing I was not looking forward to on Thursday was that it was suppose to be pouring down rain. So I was going to suck it up and run the 4 miles. And my assumption was it was like our last run together and would be on pavement. Boy was I wrong! I would have some entertainment along the way because Fidget always makes runs fun and he's always fun to be around so I could hang in there for 4 miles. Little was I aware that it was going to be a trail run and basically the whole thing was uphill. It started out down a small hill and next thing I know I'm tippy toeing trying not to get my feet wet with water running over a sandbag bridge, attempt unsuccessful! But that was okay because they would dry quick since we had just gotten started. Next obstacle, soft sand. Step and sink, step and sink. It reminds me of when I was in gymnastics and we had to do 1min of high knees on our landing mats. He told me to stick toward the edge of the trail on the sand, which I did but I still sunk a little bit but the plus side to running in soft sand/dirt, stronger legs! And I've started to love my big quads. Well, big for my size anyway. After we got through the soft sand it was a slow ride for me up that hill. But I was bound and determined not to stop my slow poke jog up that hill. I don't even want to know how long that hill actually was, and it's a tricky one. I thought I was at the top and sure enough there was more! Coming back down was easier but it always is right, just let the desert carry you down. As much as I hate that hill right now and I think it completely sucked I'll got out and do it more. I don't want that run to suck that bad anymore. Hey maybe even next time I'll take a picture at the top like Rocky! You have to practice even the things that suck to get better at them. You can't always stick to what you know.
Black Sheep Black Sheep
 |
| My tattoo the shows how much my faith in God means to me. |
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve
what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will."
- Romans 12:2
I have also come to realize that having colors in your hair that are not natural (brunette, blonde, red) are also a sign of confidence in yourself. You are not worried about what someone else thinks of you. Some people may just do just little streaks throughout or underneath but to do an all over color is pretty courageous in my opinion. You don't mind standing out and it can even give you confidence in yourself. Having recently colored by hair (burgundy + purple) and having 5 tattoos has made me stand out in my family. I just have realized that I am not going to be like anyone else in my family and I don't mind standing out in my family, but it does sometimes does bother me. My mom and grandparents are more reserved. My grandpa asked me at his birthday party last September to not get anymore tattoos, saying that if I did no one would hire more for a job. My mom always asks me not to get more tattoos, but they are something that I love and don't mind decorating my body with to tell stories about myself that someone would not normally know about me unless they ask or think about me. Do I really consider myself that different from my
family and a black
sheep, not in the least little bit. But I wasn't born to blend in, I was born to stand out. Just like everyone else is, we are made to be different. It doesn't make you who you are if you want to be like someone else. We always have bits and pieces of us we wish were a little different, like that I wish I was a little more fashion forward and was a little more creative when it came to hair styles (curled by hair and braid it), but it's that part of me that makes me who I am. From my tattoos, lack of somewhat fashion sense, my passion for working out and my faith in God, my colored hair I was born to stand out. It is all through experiences and appearance that I can relate to different people in my life. We all have a different purpose in this life and are born to stand out in our own individual way, don't be afraid of that!
family and a black
I may have tattoos and dyed hair but I'm still just a normal girl/woman. I love going hiking, camping, fishing, hanging out watching football and eating pizza, going out to a restaurant and just relaxing and listening to a band play, love baseball, going on day trips to the mountains or the beach, and working out. Just cause my appearance is different doesn't mean I'm completely different for other people around me.
"For just as each of us has one body with many members,
and these members do not all have the same function,
so in Christ we, though many, form one body,
and each member belongs to all the others.
We have different gifts, according to the grace
that was given to each of us. I
f you gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;
if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;
if it is to encourage; then give encouragement;
if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, then do it diligently;
if it is to show mercy; do it cheerfully."
Romans 12:4-8
~God Bless
"Training strength and endurance mentally, physically, and spiritually."
No comments:
Post a Comment