[Clare]

Should have been a rest day today, but I have quite a disjointed busy week ahead of work, appointments and seeing my sisters, so I’m going to have to fit training in where I can. Therefore today I went straight into Legs to free up a busy day tomorrow to take as a rest. Such is life.

Session was good, but evident as to why we want to programme a rest either side of Legs. Went for a belt squat instead of a Hack to avoid too much back loading after training Pull yesterday.

I still managed to eek out some progression, but more in extra reps than load. Progress is progress though, so all good. (Although not looking forward to walking later to get the rest of my steps in!)

LEGS 1

Lying hamstring curl – 2 sets of 8-10
Belt squat – 2 sets of 8-10 
Leg press – 1 set of 8-10
Leg extension – 1 set of 8-10
Single leg seated ham curl – 2 sets of 8-10 
Dual GHR  – 1 set bodyweight 
Leg raises for abs – 2 bodyweight sets 
Adductor –1 quad drop, 15 on the first
Seated calf raise – 3 sets of 10-12, 1 min rest in between, last set into a stretch

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[Clare]

I’m a big fan of Vibrams. I wear mine for every workout.

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[Clare]

Remember that you won’t always necessarily be able to continuously add load to lifts every week. For example you say you got 255 for 5 last week on deadlifts, but failed the 260. You may, however have got 255 for 6, in which case you’d have progressed. Maybe stick with a weight until you reach your upper rep range before adding any more or try micro loading 0.5, 1kg etc. instead of making bigger jumps.

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[Clare]

Pull today and another good session (Thankyou elbow!). Strength is feeling at it’s best at the moment, so need to try and keep hold of this as I move deeper into prep. Workout is outlined below. Still no glimpse of a bicep curl, but it is what it is. We’ve just got to do what we can with the parts of us that aren’t broken at the time!
Rest of the day is chilling with the family. I’ve just got in from a very blustery walk to get the remainder of my steps in, so can relax now. Hope you’re all having a fantastic weekend so far 🙂

PULL 1

Wide grip Lat pull down – 1 set of 10-12, stay on the same weight for another set 
T-bar row – 2 sets of 8-10
Bodyweight chins – 2 sets of 11. 10
Seated cable row (narrow attachment) – 2 sets of 10-12
Single leg DB RDL – 1 set of 15 
Abductor – 1 set of 20 
High cable for rear delts – 3 sets of 10-12 
Standing calves – 3 sets of 8-10 – 1 min rest between sets, last set straight into a stretch

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[Clare]

Isn’t Lymphatic drainage basically just getting a massage? I’d be wary of doing this close to a show as it can promote inflammation which in turn can cause some water retention. It will also release toxins and potentially make you feel worse at a time when your immunity is already quite vulnerable. I always stop having massages before I’m a week out.

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[Clare]

Agree with above, do the less stable exercise first and then move onto the machine hammer incline. Alternatively there’s nothing wrong with trying a smith press post hammer incline if this works for you and you can progress from it. Just a case of committing to what ever you decide to try for a while and seeing how you go.

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[Clare]

My initial thought would be to ask your coach. For me personally if I had free reign and just a calorie target to hit, I’d simply opt for something I fancied, but typically choose a higher carb based meal. You may not get another ‘refeed’ for a while, so make sure you enjoy it!

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[Clare]

I would personally try and find movements I could still do without pain and work around the issue, but if this is impossible then maybe best to go and see a specialist who can advise you on what it actually is you’re dealing with. It may be a case that you need to completely rest on your upper body days, in which case I’d still run your rest day diet and obviously carry on training legs if you can. Pay attention to warming up and recovery too. Massaging the area with Kwan Loong oil is something I’ve found beneficial for my tennis elbow and icing post training, as well as controlling inflammation with Supps like Boswellia Serrata, Omega 3s and Curcumin etc.

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[Clare]

Hello! Rest day for me today and busy with Client work. Checked in with Jordan this morning (12 weeks out!) My weight was 58.4kg on wake, so a minimal loss in this first week, but heading in the right direction at least! We’ve made slight adjustments to my rest day meals which I’ve outlined below, but other than that, no other changes. Steps have stayed the same and still no cardio… or visible abs 😉

Rest Day Meals

Meal 1 – 2 whole eggs, 7 egg whites, 3g coconut oil
Meal 2 – 20g p from ISO whey, 200g fat free Greek yoghurt, 6c from berries, 40g oats
Meal 3 – 200g chicken breast, 40g jasmine rice
Meal 4 – 200g 5% fat beef, 35g avocado
Meal 5 – 200g chicken breast, 150g sweet potato
Meal 6 – 25g ISO whey, 200g fat free Greek yoghurt, 30g Almond butter 

*All weights are uncooked and green veg is added to some meals. Pink salt added to all meals.

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[Clare]

I would stick to an Isolate and mix it with either Greek yoghurt or Cottage cheese as mentioned above. Adding something like nut butter or cocoa nibs works as a nice topping if overall calories/macros allow.

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[Clare]

So today should have been a rest day following Legs yesterday, but due to work commitments tomorrow I went straight into Push today and will take tomorrow as a day off instead. Really good session and progressed nicely on Dumbbell shoulder press, which I’m SOOO pleased with! I feel I’m getting somewhere now with my tennis elbow situ as upper body workouts are becoming far more enjoyable and much less painful. I’m still managing to progress too which tells me everything I’m doing in terms of rehab and recovery seems to be working.
For anyone interested or suffering with the same problem, these are the protocols I’ve been implementing which have helped:

Working with a decent physio for soft tissue work and ultrasound
Massaging with kwan Loong oil pre training and stretching the forearm
Wearing neoprene elbow sleeves during all upper body days
Avoiding or switching any exercises that aggravate or cause too much pain
Using straps or hook grips for pulling exercises
Icing for 20 minutes post training and first thing in the morning
Taping with kinseotape (Specifically applied for tennis elbow) and leaving that on at all other times away from training (This is really helping)
Supplementing with Supplement Needs Boswellia Serrata, Liposomal Curcumin and Omega 3, alongside 20% CBD oil drops.

Today’s workout went as follows:

PUSH 1

DB shoulder press – 2 sets of 8-10 
High inc DB Press – 2 sets of 8-10
Narrow smith Tricep press – 2 sets of 8-10 
Pec dec – 1 set of 15
Lying cuff lateral raises – 3 sets of 15
Plate front raise – 1 set of 12 
Tricep rope pushdown – 3 sets of 12  
Abs – 4 sets of Ab roll outs, 1 min rest in between, all sets 15 reps

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[Clare]

I always keep some intra carbs in during a prep personally and take away from meals away from my workouts where possible (Obviously amounts will inevitably drop at some point). Holding onto muscle tissue is obviously always the aim during a cut, so maximising my training sessions through my daily set up, recovery protocols and nutrition will always be a priority.

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[Clare]

I’m no expert, but sounds like it could possibly be an exertion headache. Dehydration or overheating sometimes play a role, but I’d get yourself checked out by a professional to be on the safe side.

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[Clare]

I’m very similar to Matt. I will ‘Switch’ just before I’m about to do a set and then switch back afterwards. I don’t need angry music or anything, I just get within myself and shut everything else off. That moment I’m in the set, that final rep will come down to me wanting to be my absolute best. I’ll tell myself I won’t win unless I get another rep. Placings are out of our control, but giving everything I possibly can is.

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[Clare]

Today was one of those sessions where writing out my Log book prior to training made me very nervous! I evidently had a good day on this last Leg rotation and hadn’t remembered what numbers I had previously hit, so needless to say I was a little apprehensive. I know that if I overthink needing to beat my log book, then things don’t go well, so I tend to put it out of my head on the journey to the gym and put on a podcast to distract myself and only amp myself up once I’m there and about to hit my first set. Anyhow, today was a good day (Phew!). Really good progressive session and surprised myself on some exercises, so super happy. The only downside is when this rotation comes around again!

LEGS 3

DB lying hamstring curl – 2 sets of 8-10
V squat – 2 sets of 8-10  
Narrow smith squat – 1 set of 8-10
Leg extension – 1 set of 8-10
Single leg standing ham curl – 2 sets of 8-10 
Single leg hyper – 1 set of bodyweight 
Adductor –1 quad drop, 15 on the first 
Leg raises for abs – 2 bodyweight sets 
Toe press – 3 sets of 10-12, 1 min rest in between, last set into a stretch

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