Long Lost Leg Day Returns
I designated today as my leg day. Hopefully I can keep Thursdays as legs with Friday as rest day. I have been terribly remiss in working legs and man did I feel that today.
My plan for legs is not to necessarily add a lot of bulk (and yes, I know this is not an easy task, most definitely not one of those "too scared to lift heavy" girls I assure you), but I do want to gain more muscle mass and focus on evening out any imbalances - so more single-leg exercises along with the traditional squats, deadlifts, lunges.
I know that some of my piriformis issues are related to weak hamstrings, so that is going to be a new focus for me as well. I also plan on incorporating in a second leg day (perhaps on Sundays after upper weights) that will be more plyo to hit the fast-twitch, explosive muscles. I'm hoping that will help me increase my speed for running. And of course I'm totally making this up on my own, so suggestions are welcome please.
Today I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical then moved along to legs and triceps. I did the workout as trisets of 3x8 unless noted:
Squats - warmup set of 10
TS#1
Barbell squats
Barbell plie squats
Double-arm overhead triceps extension
TS#2
Alternating front lunges with dumbbells
Single-leg deadlifts with dumbbell
Lying triceps extension
TS#3
Side lunge with hip extension (single dumbbell held at chest level)
Calf raises (3x15)
Double-arm triceps kickbacks
Hamstring roll-ins on stability ball - 12
I didn't go heavy with barbell. I didn't want to just kill my legs today. After the 3rd set of the squat/plie squats, I thought my legs were doing good. I almost regretting not having gone a little heavier. However, after my very first lunge, I was thankful I had not gone heavier.
Holy wow. My legs were quivering immediately with the lunges. And by the time I got to the side lunges, everything was on fire. I definitely lost strength along with definition. Going to use this as a lesson learned, and going to use it as a fire under my butt to get me seriously motivated.
Legs have never been my favorite muscle group. When I danced, I really didn't have to worry about lifting for legs. I had amazing calves and definition - except in my terribly deficient hams. And while running and spin do work legs, they do not work legs the same as weights.
Leftovers for Dinner
So after that long drawn-on bit about my gym workout (I know you guys were riveted), I will leave you empty-handed with dinner. Because I hit the gym at lunch (then my car battery died...again), I worked a bit later to make up the time.
It's turned cold today with insane winds, so something warm and comforting sounded appealing. Oh, and perhaps something that didn't require me to make any more messes in the kitchen or risk any additional mishaps with knives or heat.
I had some leftover chili in the freezer. So that's what I went with. Sometimes it's nice to do yourself a favor and take the easy way out for dinner.
Don't forget to enter my Blooming Platter of Vegan Recipes Cookbook Giveaway - you have until TONIGHT night to enter! I will announce the winner tomorrow.
Daily To-Enjoy List:
I designated today as my leg day. Hopefully I can keep Thursdays as legs with Friday as rest day. I have been terribly remiss in working legs and man did I feel that today.
My plan for legs is not to necessarily add a lot of bulk (and yes, I know this is not an easy task, most definitely not one of those "too scared to lift heavy" girls I assure you), but I do want to gain more muscle mass and focus on evening out any imbalances - so more single-leg exercises along with the traditional squats, deadlifts, lunges.
I know that some of my piriformis issues are related to weak hamstrings, so that is going to be a new focus for me as well. I also plan on incorporating in a second leg day (perhaps on Sundays after upper weights) that will be more plyo to hit the fast-twitch, explosive muscles. I'm hoping that will help me increase my speed for running. And of course I'm totally making this up on my own, so suggestions are welcome please.
Today I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical then moved along to legs and triceps. I did the workout as trisets of 3x8 unless noted:
Squats - warmup set of 10
TS#1
Barbell squats
Barbell plie squats
Double-arm overhead triceps extension
TS#2
Alternating front lunges with dumbbells
Single-leg deadlifts with dumbbell
Lying triceps extension
TS#3
Side lunge with hip extension (single dumbbell held at chest level)
Calf raises (3x15)
Double-arm triceps kickbacks
Hamstring roll-ins on stability ball - 12
I didn't go heavy with barbell. I didn't want to just kill my legs today. After the 3rd set of the squat/plie squats, I thought my legs were doing good. I almost regretting not having gone a little heavier. However, after my very first lunge, I was thankful I had not gone heavier.
Holy wow. My legs were quivering immediately with the lunges. And by the time I got to the side lunges, everything was on fire. I definitely lost strength along with definition. Going to use this as a lesson learned, and going to use it as a fire under my butt to get me seriously motivated.
Legs have never been my favorite muscle group. When I danced, I really didn't have to worry about lifting for legs. I had amazing calves and definition - except in my terribly deficient hams. And while running and spin do work legs, they do not work legs the same as weights.
Leftovers for Dinner
So after that long drawn-on bit about my gym workout (I know you guys were riveted), I will leave you empty-handed with dinner. Because I hit the gym at lunch (then my car battery died...again), I worked a bit later to make up the time.
It's turned cold today with insane winds, so something warm and comforting sounded appealing. Oh, and perhaps something that didn't require me to make any more messes in the kitchen or risk any additional mishaps with knives or heat.
I had some leftover chili in the freezer. So that's what I went with. Sometimes it's nice to do yourself a favor and take the easy way out for dinner.
Don't forget to enter my Blooming Platter of Vegan Recipes Cookbook Giveaway - you have until TONIGHT night to enter! I will announce the winner tomorrow.
Daily To-Enjoy List:
- Weight workout (oddly satisfying)
- No-fuss dinner
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