No Appetite For Destruction

I'm still a little sick... I can't break myself from the gym though. So I have the gross mucus and flem thing going on now. Constantly coughing and hacking it up. It also gives me a yucky stomach, and if my stomach is yucky I don't want to eat. Btw, that's a BAD thing when your trying to put on muscle. If I do eat it's been carbs because I can keep it down without vomiting it back up. None the less, I still made it to the gym yesterday for a back and biceps workout. Pull up, 5 sets 10 reps. Single Arm Row, 4 sets 8 reps each arm. Seated cable row Superset with seated behind the neck pull down, 3 sets 12 reps each exercise. Leaning bilateral biceps curl on cable machine Superset with varied grip cable bicep curl using straight bar (12 reps first exercise, failure on second exercise. 3 total sets). Did a lot of running around with errands yesterday and then went to the UFC Clinic and Meet the Fighters at the gym to see Clay Guida, Urijah Faber, and Brittany (UFC Ring Girl). Pictures to follow.

No rest for the weary...

As I said in my previous post I was sick. Well... It got worse. I left for Germany Early Thursday morning at 4am from my house, traveled all morning, and didn't actually get into my hotel room till 9ish. Friday we shopped literally all day and we didn't get back to the room till 10pm. All this time I'm still fighting a cold (runny nose, sore throat, congestion). I wake up Saturday really feeling horrible, like now I'm going to vomit. And what do you know I do! And I vomit all day! Sad thing was I thought I could fight this flu so I ventured out to Heidelburg to see the castle and shop the markets. It was absolutely horrible. Sunday I felt better, but weak. We spent the afternoon and evening traveling. Didn't land back home till 11 and I hit the sack at midnight. Mike says that I did too much and that's why a two day cold turned into a week long cold and stomach flu ordeal. I guess my immune system is down because no one else caught my bug. Sad thing though is when a mommy takes off on a four day vacation she comes home to a bucketload of work. I had so much laundry that I took it all to the laundromat (about 8 loads on the big washers). And of course there were no groceries nor was the house clean. So I didn't get to even "rest" on Monday. Tuesday I had much more energy so I wanted to hit the gym. Just one hour I know would lift my spirits and refuel my inner sense of calm. Sound weird? I use exercise as "me" time. I release stress, I reenergize, and most of the time its my break from being a mommy and wife. Everyone needs a break once in awhile. Mine is that one hour I get in the gym usually 3-4 times a week. Yesterday I did shoulders and triceps and today I hit back. Here's the workouts. Yesterday: standing barbell shoulder press. 1 warm up set of 16. 3 sets 6. Seated hammer strength shoulder press, 3 sets 8 reps. Seated Arnold press superset with standing lateral side raises, 3 sets 10 reps each exercise. Cable press down superset with reverse grip cable press down, first exercise 12 reps then second performed till failure. Modified skull crushers to keep constant tension on the triceps, 3 sets 12 reps. Lying lateral raises on bench with constant tension on the medial delt, no rest in between sets, 15 reps each arm. And as for today: pull ups, 5 sets 10 reps. Seated row superset with lat pull down, 4 sets 15 reps each exercise, no rest in between sets. Standing t-bar row, 10, 8, 6. Seated hammer strength alternating lat pull down with stretch, 3 sets 10 reps each arm. Bent over rear delt fly, 3 sets 12 reps. No rest for the weary. ;)

Protein Powder Free Breakfast Bars

For those of you who do not bake with protein powder. A protein filled delicious breakfast bar.1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1 cup pumpkin purée, 1/2 cup egg whites, 1/2 cup agave syrup (or honey), 1 cup oats, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp baking powder. Put all into a blender on low and blend until just barely smooth. Pour contents into a bowl and add an additional 1 cup regular oats (this makes the texture chewy). Pour into 8x8 bar pan and bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes. Let cool and cut into bars. Back and biceps workout today. 4 sets pull ups till failure. Seated hammer strength lat pull down, 10, 8, 6, and 10 with two drop sets for the last one. Seated unilateral cable row, 15 reps each arm, no rest, 8 sets total for each arm. That one was killer! Bilateral bicep curl with cable machine superset with close grip barbell bicep curl (12 reps on first exercise, second exercise till failure, 3 rounds total).