Don't be jealous when I'm at Zealous

I love going to ZN to lift. When I go back to grappling, I have to figure out how to do machines there too!

8,6,4

Front press 65#
Mid row 100#
Shoulder press 65#
Pull ups 60# assisted 3 x 5
Dips 50# assisted 3 x 5
Bicep curls 20# (one hand - 8,6,4)
Swing 30# (12, 8, 6)

100 crunches
30 pushups

Back at the gym

Yay! I am back at ZN. Two more weeks 'til grappling. Meanwhile...

8,6,4

Front press 65#
Mid row 95#
Shoulder press 65# (8, 5+1, 2+2)
Pullup 60# assisted 3 x 5
Dips 50# assisted 3 x 5
Bicep curls 20# (one hand - 8,6,4)
Swing 30# (12, 8, 6)

100 crunches
20 pushups

Making due

So, I am at the hotel. There is this weird machine with pulleys. I made the best of it and tried to work my entire body with a lot of resistance. I also rode the bike for 25 minutes.

Snap

Worked from home. Had to do a quick workout.

8,6,4

Clean 55#
Press 55#
Bench 65#

100 crunch
5 jumping pull ups

Before the trip

Ugh. I will be working away from the office for a week and a half. Well, I'd better work out NOW.

8,6,4

Clean 60#
Press 60#
Squat 45#- legs need work
Bench 70#

100 crunches

Weights at ZN

8,6,4
Front press 60# - can increase next time
Mid row 90#
Shoulder press 60#


Pull up - assisted - 5 x 3 at 60# - tough
Dips - assisted - 5 each 80#, 70#, 60#, 50#

Biceps 20# each arm - 8,6,4
Swing 30# - 12, 8, 6

100 crunches

Don't get me down

I never realized how badly a sprained ankle can mess up your workout routine and motivation. My parents were visiting, but I usually squeeze in some workouts. I didn't do anything since last Tuesday.

Well, let's try again.

I was home today - slight stomach bug last night. So, I did some weights at home. Tried to lighten my usual and skip squats because my ankle is still not 100%.

8,6,4

Clean 55#
Press (standing) 55#
Bench 65#

100 crunches
5 jumping pull ups
4.2 miles bike (20 min, #2)

Keeping it going with the bum ankle

I still can't grapple. It sucks. Yes, it does.

Did weights at the gym.

8,6,4

Front press 60#
Mid row 80#
Weight assisted pullups 70# -10, 60# - 5,4,3
Dips 90# - 30
Bicep curls 20# one hand 7+1, 3+3, 4 on left; right was fine.
Swings 30# 12,8,6

Great Urban Race - Philly

Did the Great Urban Race in Philly with Judy. I was the motor booty.

4 hours of walking with only 15 minutes of total on and off rest!!!!!

Gym girl

Went to ZN again. Upped some of the weights:

8,6,4
Mid row 70# - can up
Shoulder press 60# 8, 4+2, 3+1
Pullups weighted 10 x 90,# 80#, 70#
Dips 3 x 10 x 90#
Bicep curl single hand 20# each
Dumbbell swing 25# 12, 8, 6

100 crunches

Weight machines

I need to get back into the habit of going to the gym. If I do heavy weight on the machines, it will be as good as my previous workouts. So here's what I did.

8,6,4

Front press 60# tough
Mid row/lat pull 60# too easy
Shoulder press 60# deadly (7,1; 3,3; 2,2)
Weight-assisted pull ups - messed up. Didn't know that more weight is easier! 120#x10, 140#x10, 160#x10 too easy
Dips - sames as pull ups - too easy
20# single hand bicep curls - perfect

12,8,6
25# dumbell swings

100 crunches

Felt pretty good!

Lifting before a fight

Tonight I am going to watch the M-1 Global fights in AC. Gotta get buff - those fighters are in such great shape. They inspire me.

Still limited by my foot. Doctor says 3-5 more weeks until I am healed.

16, 12, 8 single hand 25# kettle bell swings

8, 6, 4:
seated military press 50#
curls 50#
bench press 50#

100 crunches

Time for a quickie

My ankle has been killing me, but after a long day at the computer, and before my son's Back to School night, I fit in a quickie workout:

16, 12, 8 single hand 25# kettle bell swings

8, 6, 4:
seated military press 50#
curls 50#
bench press 50#

100 crunches

...and the quickie was good!

Skinny Fat

My trainer read me the riot act. I went to the gym to lift with my friend Dana. She was once married to a personal trainer. So, we did 4 sets of 15 on various machines. Trainer said, NO!!!! You will become skinny fat. Lift heavy for less reps. Will try that next time.

Did my workout:

16,12,8 kettle bell swings 25#
8,6,4 seated military press 45# bar
8,6,4 curls 45# bar

15 min bike on setting 1
100 crunches

Ankle is getting better!

Let's try this again

My ankle has been killing me all week. It's swollen and it hurts. So, I stayed home on Thursday and yesterday. In return, I alllowed myself to work out today. I am so much happier. Let's see what the ankle thinks.

16,12,8 kettle bell swings 25#
8,6,4 seated military press 45# bar
8,6,4 curls 45# bar


10 minute bike ride on setting 1 - my foot hurts a little, but I need to ease in to get a work out for legs and cardio.

I need to get up to 4-5 x/week work out. Otherwise, I turn into a bitch!

Starting over

So now I have to do some makeshift routines. The doctor says that I did sprain my ankle but that I also tore some ligaments. I can't do MMA, run, hike, do elliptical for 3-5 weeks. I can lift (carefully and less weight), bike, and swim.

So today, I started my lighter routine.

8,6,4

Single arm kettlebell swings - 25#
Seated military press - 45#
Standing curls - 45#

100 crunches

I will start adding more exercises and increase weight if necessary. This is just a start to get things moving.

NO! NO! NO!

After a week of not feeling so great, I FINALLY went back to MMA class. Well, after 10 minutes, Alex hit me with a scissor kick, took me down, and I sprained my right ankle. NO! NO! NO! How am I gonna work out? I am already dreaming up ways to do upper body and core without standing. I am so pissed at myself!

Will keep you posted on my makeshift workouts!

Back to business

My son and I have been sick this week. Resting took center stage. Finally, I felt human again today. So, I decided to lift instead of going to MMA. Alec is away, and Boris is teaching. Boris is sexist - he told me that MMA is for guys and that I should be doing judo. F*ck that!

So today:

8,6,4 x

Clean 75# Still lifting unevenly
Press 65# Need to keep wrists straight
Squat 70# Leaning forward just a touch
Bench 75# Kept wrists straight

Tomorrow is the Creed concert - backstage passes. It's gonna be great.

Whew!

I grappled last night. You should see my legs. I am BRUISED. I look like someone has beaten me. Add that to my sunburn (wore cropped pants with sneakers, so I just have a red band 6 inches thick on each leg), and I am looking sexy!!!!!

Real MMA

Went to MMA last night. Most of the guys forgot their gloves, so it was the normal grappling class.

On Tuesday, Alec announced that Tuesdays and Thursdays are going to be real MMA - striking and groundwork. He had been teaching only the groundwork. I am psyched. You may not think that striking is a workout, but let me tell you, I am more sore after his striking workouts than straight grappling.

So, now I will get the best of both worlds.

Last night I partnered with Andrew. 175 pounds of SOLID muscle. Well, let me tell you...my chest hurts. We did setups for arm bars. Mama mia!

That's the price you have to pay!

VACATION!!!!

I went to Berlin for a week. I thought that I could fit in some crossfit. I didn't. No pushups, no situps....You would think - wow, she was lazy. WRONG! We walked for a week. Miles every day. I cheated a little on Paleo. You would think that I gained weight. WRONG! I felt fine. The food in Berlin is better quality than here. I never got sick in Berling. The day after I got back here, my stomach felt funny and I was bloated. So, vacation + walking + good food = success!

Now, back to business. Went back to MMA class yesterday. Found out that Tuesday and Thursday classes will be MMA (includes striking) and not just grappling. This should be fun. My body hurts like hell!

Welcome back! :)

De-stress

What a terrible night it was last night. The IT department totally screwed up my computer - no MS Office, no admin rights for me to install it, couldn't log into the Mac "side"....I could barely sleep. Luckily, I had lifted right before this happened, so it helped me deal. I truly believe that working out helps with stress and depression. Many of my friends are on Prozac. I work out instead. Natural high - Ahhhhh!

8,6,4 x

Clean 75# Still lifting unevenly
Press 65#
Squat 70# Blew through them, but was leaning forward just a touch
Bench 75#

Easing back

My neck still hurts, so I skipped MMA on Thursday and Friday. This is really rare for me, but I have a big trip coming up soon, and I don't want to be in pain during the entire trip. I did, however, lift yesterday.

8,6,4 x

Clean 70# Decent form
Press 65#
Squat 65# Blew through again - I STILL hate squats though!
Bench press 75#

P.S. My weight is still 4-5 # high, BUT I fund out that Sarah Kaufman walks around at 153#, is younger than me, and is shorter than me. She is muscular and not fat at all. So, maybe I really am gaining muscle mass?

Hurt - Nonsense!

OMG...My neck hurts. I sucked it up and did my weights. Blew through everything except cleans. Wanted to be careful. I clean unevenly. I drop my right arm. Need to work on that!

8,6,4 x

Cleans 70#
Press 65#
Front squat 60#
Bench press 70#

Dropped on my head

Oh yes. It hasn't happened in a year, but it happened last night. I got dropped on my head. Will was doing a throw and boom. I screamed F-CK! It was like someone knocked me. Hard. After 10 minutes, I recovered enough to work with Eric. Hey, what are the choices? Don't work out, get out of shape and unhealthy? Or tough it out, get stronger, and be a little ditzier...er, I mean dizzier...than usual?

Dizzy is fine!

Movin' up!

Lifted today. Form was so-so, but I made it through all sets, so I can keep movin' up on weight!!!!

8,6,4 x

Cleans 65# Need to keep right elbow in
Press 60#
Front squat 55# BLEW THOUGH THEM!!!!
Bench press 65#

Next time, 5 # more on each!!!! :)

Never do MMA when you are being watched

Last night, my family came to watch me do MMA. I couldn't even do my crawls across the mat correctly! I don't like being watched when I do MMA. Weird, I thought that I do a pretty good job of zoning out. That being said, I was the only one who Alec told was doing a good job. So, I guess that I wasn't too bad...although I should have done better.

Have to do my weight lifting tomorrow. The day got away from me. I know, shame, shame!!!!

Sheer exhaustion

Well, I think that I am going to lift twice per week and do MMA three times per week. I have been EXHAUSTED!!! Came home from MMA last night and passed out. Worked from home today and passed out again during lunch.

Lots of guys showed up last night. It was great. We learned some sweeps and some new ways to break the guard. I fought Will again, and of course, none of the moves worked. His damn long legs! I think that his legs are as long as my entire body! LOL

We'll see how class goes tonight!

Just another day of MMA

Today we focused on rolling leg lock and some submissions from the bottom in guard. Tough stuff! I got it down, and then I grappled with Alex and Will. Guess what? I tried the moves, and they didn't work. Why? Is it because I didn't do them right? Noooooo. It is because these bad boys are bigger/stronger than I am. Well, at least Alex didn't submit me and I got out of a bunch of Will's triangles (although he did ultimately submit me). Let's see if the weightlifting helps.

Oh yeah, my weight is still up....

Weight is just a number

I gained four pounds over these past few days. I am so frustrated. I started lifting and my weight went up. Maybe I am eating more, but I eat if I am hungry. I don't eat crap, only Paleo, so it shouldn't be a problem. So, I started thinking (uh-oh, smoky smell)...does my actual weight mean anything?

My friend Marthe is 15 years older than me, 2-3 inches taller than me, and 5 pounds less than me. She does crossfit. She looks great. She freaked out when I told her how much I weigh (which is usually 140, and I'm 5'6"+). I wear a size 6; she wears a size 10. So then, isn't weight just a number?

I am usually pretty rational, but I have to say that the number on the scale sets my mood for the day....Must be a chick thing.

Ok, so I will only worry about lifting weight:

Today
8,6,4 reps

Clean 65# I need to stop resting in the middle of the sets. I can definitely lift more. FOCUS!
Press 55#
Squat 50#
Bench 60#

I hate squats

Man, do I hate squats. I wish that I didn't. I mean, what's the big deal? All I'm doing is picking up something that weighs less than my 7 year old son a few times! My legs shake, I grunt, my elbows flail. UGH!!!!

Ok. so yesterday, I stayed with the light weights and worked on form. Added a little more weight than last time...

8,6,4 reps

Clean 65#
Press 50#
Squats 45# - Yes, I blew through them easily. My trainer made fun of my and will increase the weight on Monday.
Bench press 55#

I've also been good with Paleo except for cheating here and there with the dark chocolate. Hey, a woman has to have her chocolate because the consequences of not having it can be BAD!!!!!

Two days of grappling

Well, I grappled yesterday and today. It was great. Class was relatively full and we did a lot of throwing and groundwork. I grappled with a number of people. Tom really made me work hard. The coolest thing is that it was hard for Will to submit me. He is young and lanky. Can't wait until I can kick his ass! :) LOL

Ouch

I hurt my left arm. It feels like it is coming apart at the socket. Couldn't sleep last night.

Still grappled. Did a light session.

Man, do I wish that I was 25 again.

Beach baby

I wore a bikini at the beach today...and I looked better than the 20-somethings!!!!!

This is my reward! I friggin' love MMA, weight lifting, and Paleo!!!!

Did weights when I got home. Again, light to work on form.

8.6.4

Power clean 60#
Press 45#
Front squat 45#
Bench press 50#

Gotta work on sticking my ass out on squats....

Happy birthday America

I had the all-American workout today to celebrate the 4th.

Hiked for 50 minutes.
Went to the movies.
Ate in an all-American restaurant (although I had a tuna nicoise salad to keep with Paleo).

Tomorrow, I will go to the beach for the first time since I moved here. Wonder how long I'll last. The good thing is that I am bikini ready.

Lift me up

On Thursday and yesterday, Alec kicked our asses, both in heavy duty cardio warmups and throws during class. I partnered with Will and Peter, both of whom have bruised ribs. Well, after these two major workouts, my right elbow is completely bruised, and my legs look like someone beat me senseless. Ya know what that means, right? Yup. Great grappling!

So, in order for me to submit these guys rather than just be excited that they didn't submit me, I have started lifting again. I started light to make sure that my technique is ok. I will now do MMA 3x/week and lift 3x/week. This is gonna be crazy.

Today:

8, 6, 4 sets

Clean 60#

Press 45#

Front squat 45#

Bench press 50#

Gotta get the weights up. Wanna be ready to kick the guys' asses. LOL!

Ass kickin'

Well, yesterday the class was full. Lots of new people. Alec kicked our asses starting with the warm up. Lunges, cardio, a shit ton of situps. I love it, but man, do I wish that I was younger. Actually, I like being my age - I just wish that my body was younger and could heal more quickly.

I have been cheating on Paleo. A little dark chocolate here and there. I need to stop it. I need another ass kickin'.

Grapplemeister

Last night Alec was in AC getting ready for the M1 Global fights. We had open mat. At first, I wasn't too happy. After a while, I realized that I was getting a hell of a workout. Everyone was really good about rotating people through matches. Steve gave me pointers about getting up and shrimping. Man, how I love this gym.

It's officially summer. Bikini time!!!!

Back to crossfit

Yes, I still try to grapple 3x/week. This week, I only grappled twice, and next week, I will only grapple once because I have to go out of town. I feel like a lazy ass. So, back to crossfit I go. Did Grace - 30 clean and jerks for time. 60#. 9 min 43 sec. Not bad for not having done it in forever. My goal is to grapple 3x/week an do crossfit 2x/week. Couple this with my Paleo diet. I don't wanna look my age!

Getting better with age

I just saw my friend Marthe, who is about 15 years older than me. She is buff! She does crossfit. I swear, she has the bod of a 25 year old. Seeing her calmed me down. Your bod can still be awesome at any age. I am f-in ready to grapple tonight. I am motivated!

5 minutes of survival

Today I was ready to grapple Jay. Jay is super fit and can kick my ass in 5 seconds or less. Oh yeah. I was psyched. Oleg didn't pair me with him. I had to go into the ring with Chris, a skilled kid in high school. Last time he submitted me three times. Well, this time, he submitted me at the end of our grappling -5 minutes or so? I survived for 5 min - I am ready to grapple Jay. Come and get me stud.

Nothin's gonna stop me

I have a herniated disc in my neck. Sometimes it is so bad that I can't feel my hands. So, what am I gonna do? Whine? Stop grappling? HELL NO! Actually, the past few times I've gone, I have picked up the throws and moves faster than some of the guys. Oleg said, "All the other girls/women just show up once - they are posers. Bonnie is the real deal." Damn, that's a major compliment from Oleg! So, as I age, things will hurt more. Will I stop doing MMA? Never. Nothin's gonna stop me....

The chick fits in

Grappling class was full today. I could tell that some of the guys were thinking, "why is there a chick in this class?" Oleg paired me up with Steve, a solid tall guy who knows how to throw and grapple. I had a blast. Andrew asked me to demonstrate a throw that he said that I was doing well. Man, I love it when the chick fits in....

I am exhausted. Going to grapple on Thursday and Friday. I hope I can do at least one crossfit workout this weekend.

Hey, I'm alive!!!!

So, I haven't blogged in almost a year! No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth. No, I didn't stop working out. In fact, I have kept up with my MMA three times a week (2 during travel weeks) AND I've gone Paleo. I have had little time to do Crossfit (boo!), BUT the MMA workout is so intense that it is like doing Crossfit. I will post pictures as proof!

So, maybe I'll get off my ass and start blogging again....