[Clare]

Another busy one for me today! Really happy with this morning’s upper session. Finally got 80kg on the High incline machine press for a solid 8 reps and the rest of the workout followed suit feeling nice and strong. I’m really busy atm and have a lot on my mind, so completely shutting off during training is very difficult, but very important to enable me to focus. Phone off, music on, PREpare in and get lost in the session.

Lying cable cuff side raise– 3 sets of 12-15 reps
High incline machine press – 3 sets, 12 reps – increase the weight a go for 8 reps , then 15 reps
Cable cuff standing – 3 sets, 12 reps – increase the weight a go for 8 reps, stay on that weight
Z bar skull – 2 sets, 12 reps – increase the weight a go for 8 reps
Low incline DB fly – 1 rp
Single arm rope pushdown– 1 rp
STRETCH
Banded chin – 2 sets of 15-20 reps
Single arm lat row – 2 sets of 15-20 reps
Rear delts on seated cable – 3 sets of 15-20 reps
STRETCH
Dual machine bicep curl – 4 sets of 10-12 reps
STRETCH
Ab roll outs 3 sets of 12

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[Clare]

This can certainly happen, especially if you train close to your bed time. The key is to get yourself into a calm, parasympathetic state as soon as you can once you’ve finished training. Taking a dose of Halcyon post workout as Haider has suggested will help and also taking a second dose pre bed.
Some pre workout drinks are very highly stimmed, so could still be in your system if you train late. Some can also give you a nasty crash afterwards, so just be aware of this if you’re using one.
You may also need to assess your training volume as you may be doing too much to be able to recover from adequately.

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[Clare]

Just preference I guess. No firm reason as to why. If you prefer to weigh everything uncooked, then ask the coach you’re working with for uncooked amounts or convert them yourself. The important thing to remember is that which ever way you choose to weigh and cook your food, keep it consistent, then your data and feedback will always be true with no obscure fluctuations.

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[Clare]

I would go and see a sports therapist for some soft tissue treatment on days you don’t train legs. Foam rolling won’t do much before and activation work will only further tighten the muscle. Some mobility exercises prior to training may help and I don’t see a problem stretching afterwards, but it sounds like you need to get it looked at properly and get someone who is able to get deep into the tissue.

_________________________________________

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Hi @clare

Thank you for your reply.

In the activation work I do normally tend to add some mobility work, like you said there is a tightness there that needs to be addressed professionally, I will contact one, thank you.

In the meantime, shall I continue with those lifts in that rotation? This time with increased focused on mobility before and maybe reduce loading? I stick to one heavy set(5-9) and a back off (10-15) on the compounds lifts[/quote]

I’d wait and get to the route cause before switching up your training. Find out what’s going on and follow the advice of the professional.

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[Clare]

I would go and see a sports therapist for some soft tissue treatment on days you don’t train legs. Foam rolling won’t do much before and activation work will only further tighten the muscle. Some mobility exercises prior to training may help and I don’t see a problem stretching afterwards, but it sounds like you need to get it looked at properly and get someone who is able to get deep into the tissue.

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[Clare]

Manic ‘Rest’ Day.. Don’t feel like I’ve stopped at all, but hey ho, all done now. I have a busy week ahead too, lots of clients booked in and life jobs to sort, filming on Thursday for the site and finishing with the JP Christmas Party at the weekend! Whoop!

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[Clare]

In terms of diet, just focus on a wide range of nutritious foods. Pregnancy isn’t a time to restrict herself of calories or worry about losing her body shape, but it also shouldn’t be excuse to eat anything and everything in the belief she should ‘Eat for two’. Generally she’ll only need a surplus of 2-300 extra calories a day during the later stages of pregnancy. Cravings and nausea can obviously be a factor, so just do the best she can in terms of getting in nutritious foods. There are supplements available to cover vitamin and mineral bases, but I would opt for more whole food based ones from a reputable brand which specifically state they are suitable during pregnancy.
She should also stay as active as possible, but also pay attention to quality rest and sleep. If she was weight training before, she can continue, but hold back on intensity and doing anything to failure. Getting in plenty of walks outdoors will also be beneficial.
Body moisturising with a body butter or oil can help keep the skin supple, although I think stretch marks are generally genetic. I believe a quality, healthy diet alongside exercise can help with minimising this too.
Obviously always follow the guidelines of the professional looking after her and if you have any more questions I may be able to help with as I’ve been through two pregnancies myself, just let me know.

_________________________________________

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Thanks everyone for your replies. Clare, are there any particular brands/products you can recommend for covering vitamin and mineral bases? She’s also vegetarian. Did you take any yourself?

Gym wise shes just trains as and when, never really taken it very seriously so will just carry on like that I think, I’ll encourage her to be a little more active with going for walks though. [/quote]

—–
I personally use Supplement Needs Multi Vits and Mins, but you’d need to check with her doctor/midwife whether these would be suitable during pregnancy. I like ATP Science Multi Food too which may be safer during pregnancy which you can buy online at Shapeshifter Nutrition.

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[Clare]

In terms of diet, just focus on a wide range of nutritious foods. Pregnancy isn’t a time to restrict herself of calories or worry about losing her body shape, but it also shouldn’t be excuse to eat anything and everything in the belief she should ‘Eat for two’. Generally she’ll only need a surplus of 2-300 extra calories a day during the later stages of pregnancy. Cravings and nausea can obviously be a factor, so just do the best she can in terms of getting in nutritious foods. There are supplements available to cover vitamin and mineral bases, but I would opt for more whole food based ones from a reputable brand which specifically state they are suitable during pregnancy.

She should also stay as active as possible, but also pay attention to quality rest and sleep. If she was weight training before, she can continue, but hold back on intensity and doing anything to failure. Getting in plenty of walks outdoors will also be beneficial.
Body moisturising with a body butter or oil can help keep the skin supple, although I think stretch marks are generally genetic. I believe a quality, healthy diet alongside exercise can help with minimising this too.

Obviously always follow the guidelines of the professional looking after her and if you have any more questions I may be able to help with as I’ve been through two pregnancies myself, just let me know.

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[Clare]

Thanks!
Well..I m always in sore added a rest day as my upper is in need! Try my best about intensity, I m sure that it will be never enough! I make sure to give all when I train…

Do you include a warm up set before to go heavy?

Pushing more harder so… thank you!
I ll be guided soon!

————-
Yes I’ll always perform warm up or ‘feeder’ sets prior to my working set. For bigger compound movements and movements at the beginning of a workout, I may do more warm up sets than smaller isolation exercises and those at the latter end of a workout. The idea is to warm the target muscle, get a connection and feel the weight, without causing any fatigue.

So going back to your initial question, where I stated above 1 set of Dumbbell hamstring curls as my first exercise, I did 20kg for 8 reps, 22.5kg for 4 reps, 25kg for 2 reps and then went into my working set of 27.5kg for 13 reps to failure.

The Belt squat, which is a bigger compound exercise. I did 80kg for 8 reps, 100kg for 5 reps, 140kg for 2 reps, then 180kg for 12 reps to failure and then for my second working set I added 20kg and went straight into 200kg for 8 reps to failure.

Then later in the workout when I did a rest pause set on the abductor machine, I went straight into the set at my top weight with no warm up sets. I was already warm by this time and didn’t want to exhaust the muscle any further prior.

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[Clare]

100% comes down to execution and finding a position and exercise you connect with well. I’ve never got much from a dumbbell lateral raise and had many frustrated sessions trying to make them work for me. Might just be me, but I find the movement very awkward. Then I got introduced to the cable cuff lateral raise and it felt completely different. I stick with these now, either seated, lying or on an incline bench. I like some side lateral machines too, but find these to be hit and miss in terms of the correct positioning for me personally.

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[Clare]

Lower Load Day.. Although still no deadlifts. I’m progressing well with Legs atm and don’t want to jump back in too soon on deadlifts after my recent injury and risk re-injuring and putting myself back. I performed the movement with an empty bar at the beginning of my workout and can still feel a slight ache in the area, so quit whilst I was ahead. I did this session below the week before last and progressed all lifts today. I got 200kg for 11 on the belt squat too, which is an increase of 3 reps on my pb, so happy happy 🙂

Hamstring curl – 1 x 10
Belt squat – 1 x 11, 1 x 16
Single Leg press – 1 x 21 each leg
Weighted GHR – 1 x 18 – hold at peak contraction for the count of 1,2, then very controlled eccentric
Weighted Walking lunges 2 x 24
Abductor – 1 r/p
Leg raises – 2 x 15 BW
STRETCH
Seated Toe press – 3 x 13, 11, 12

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[Clare]

J K wrote:

Lower Load day.. adapted again because deadlifts are still out. I may attempt them again next week, but we’ll see. Today was a good one though! Another pb on the Belt squat hitting 200kg for 8 today, so super happy with that. This machine is excellent for really loading the legs with no lower back pressure or strain, so highly recommend it if you have one available and have any kind of back issues.

The rest of the day will be spent in my pjs recovering now 

Lying Db hamstring curl – 1 set of 13

Leg ext – 1 set of 10

Belt squat – 1 x 12, 1 x 8

Leg press – 1 x 20

Barbell Glute bridge – 2 sets of 12, 10

Reverse hyper machine – 1 set of 16 reps – hold at peak contraction for 2 secs with a controlled eccentric

Abductor – 1 r/p

Hanging Leg raises for abs – 2 x 15 BW

STRETCH

Calf raise – 3 x 12, 11, 10

Hi Clare, just wanted to ask .. you are doing just 1 set on same exercise!…off season intensity matter? Maybe you are hitting legs frequently? …so 1set is enough apparently? Ahhh curious! Currently I am performing 2 sets at least! Thanks!

—–

Intensity doesn’t equate to volume. I can put enough intensity into one working set and go all out to failure if needs be. I hit Legs twice a week, but you need to look at what else I’m doing within that session. There are only so many working sets I can perform effectively throughout a session before my recovery takes a hit. Adding in volume for the sake will only result in less effective sets being performed and poor recovery going into my next session.

Does that make sense?[/quote]

Thanks for your reply! Well it is make sense in a full program long term! So maybe I m over training them or your intensity is far from mine… feeling always like dead after legs but I guess it is “normal” …

Thanks, it’s interesting! Have a great weekend!

[/quote]

———

Gauge your volume on how well you recover. If you aren’t recovering enough between workouts, then your volume may be too high. If you feel recovered enough to train every day, then I’d question whether your intensity is high enough.

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[Clare]

Hi I have my sights set on pca Manchester and finals. Potentially a couple of natural federations too.

Awesome.. I agree with the guys above. Obviously it’s your choice, but I would get as far as you can as a natural first. Get some more training years and experience under your belt and educate yourself as much as you can. I look forward to following along 🙂

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[Clare]

I think the decline can sometimes be more favourable in terms of not being able to use the rest of your body as much to shift the weight and it puts less stress on the shoulder joint, so if you get on well with the movement I’d run with it for a while until you stall and need to rotate out. It can be very tricky and dodgy to rerack the bar though, so like advised above, use a spotter to help!

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[Clare]

Hey Jonny. Good to see you logging on here. Well done on your achievements so far. Do you have a show in mind for your next comp and what federation do you compete in?

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