Progress - going slow

So in the past 2 months, I've dropped my body fat percentage down to 28.3% from 30%. I weigh.... exactly the same but at least my body composition is changing. I was at 150 lbs this morning when I weighed myself. booo.

My daily activity has picked up since I started this job, the unfortunate part is that I'm usually beat when it's time for my own personal workouts. My weight training routine has been mediocre at best.

My leg routine consists of:

3 set of squats with 110lb barbell
3 sets of lunges with 90lb barbell
3 sets of stepups with 100 lb barbell
3 sets of wide leg squats with 110lb barbell
2 sets of deadlifts with 100lb barbell
2 sets of stiff leg deadlifts with 100lb barbell

My arm routine consists of:
3 sets of bicep curls starting with 12 reps of 10lbs, 12 reps of 15lbs and
2 reps of 20lbs back to back.
3 sets of pulldowns for my triceps: 50lbs

My back routine consists of:
3 sets of rows on each arm: 35lbs
3 sets of pulldowns: 70lbs

My Abs routine blows and consists of:
V's: 60 total
Obliques side to side with 10lb medicine ball: 2 minutes
Obliques on the floor wipers: 30 side to side
yeap.... that's it.

Cardio:
Jumping Jacks: 30 seconds between weight sets
Mountain Climbers: 30 seconds between wieght sets
Bear Crawls: 30 seconds between weight sets

Shadow Boxing: 30 minutes twice a week.

What I need to do:
My resistance routine 3 times a week
My Cardio needs huge improvement and I need to get that to 3 times a week too

Dieting: Need to stop eating out - period. It's killing me. I need to continue to pack my breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks for work and make sure I weigh everything out before the week starts.

Other than that.... I should be good. just gotta keep with the routine and be more disciplined.

My Plan

So after going through an assessment. My body fat is currently at 30% and I need to ideally lose 18lbs to get to 21%. so my personal goal was close. As for Cardiovascular fitness, I'm at excellent which was surprising... my Muscular fitness was above average... and flexibility is above average, so I want to both of those categories into excellent.

As for working out.... it's nice to be working at the gym and having the flexibility to go workout throughout the day. Work's not been extremely busy yet so it's an easy schedule so far... I'm sure that might change soon.

As for workout itself, I am doing every other day weight training with 12-15lb dumbells, focusing on the major muscle groups and then adding more stability/core training and smaller muscle groups towards the end of the workout. I'm also going to be running about 5-6 times a week. I finally made a mile without stopping and my cardio has been jogging either outside or on a treadmill for 5 miles everyday and keeping the miles under 12.5 minutes (slow.... I know, but I'll get better...)

So as I'm learning more, I'm going to apply it to my workout routine. I'm still holding steady at 150 so I think I need to shock my muscles very very very soon to get me out of this plateau.

more to come...

The Beginning

It was a wake up call after attending this weekend's personal trainer workshop. Yes... I am going to become a personal trainer... a not so in shape to begin with personal trainer. I have good stability and strength. However.... what I'm lacking is the "look" and the "non Smoker" status.

By accepting this job last week, I have committed myself to quit smoking and my first client is going to be me. I greatly realize that even with my resistance workout and cardio - I haven't pushed myself nearly hard enough. (this... is a sucky realization - I do give what I thought was my all at the gym). My current cardio workout of doing 30 minute high intensity intervals is conceptually great - however, the intensity level is still low for what my body requires to get to EPOC. I like my resistance training - but got some new workouts and learned a million new ways to make it more challenging so I continue to progress and not remain stagnant.

I think my favorite part of the workshop was learning how smoking is really really really hindering my ability to do the cardio training I need or even to progress my resistance training.

I'll admit... for the first time in my life, I sat there and learned how smoking is affecting my body and I can directly relate that to exactly how I feel at the gym. I guess knowing the anatomy and reactions really help to seal the deal on quitting.

I start my new role on Thursday as a personal trainer - my new goal is to 1.5 lbs a week, quit smoking, and live by healthier guidelines for myself and also for my new clients. I am going to put together a personal trainer program based on my composition and add them to this blog and track my progress. Stay tuned for more updates!