There have been a few exciting and daunting changes going on here in the last few weeks. I’ll be sharing more about it in a different blog post.
First I wish to announce the official opening of Myomytv’s first apparel shop. It’s only taken me 6 years to finally put my stamp on something and I really hope you will enjoy wearing my logo and training poetry 😉 Check them out below!
Men’s T-shirts can be accessed by clicking on the women’s T-shirt.
The workout today is purely upper body and core. I had hip pain when I filmed this and I decided, rather than not move at all, I could still do upper body exercises. It turned out well that I launch my tops on the day I did an upper body workout 🙂 The workout is a full version (well, two of 3 rounds) with instructions throughout. Round 1 has more coaching than the final one, so those who need more direction can get what they need. Remember to warm up and cool down!
The workout
Complete 3 Rounds:
Band Press: x 8-12 reps
Single Arm Row: x 8-12 reps (each side)
Diagonal Knee Tuck: x 16-24 total reps
T Push-Up: x 8-12 reps
Long Lever/RKC Plank: x near max
Bench Dips: x 8-12 reps
You will see in the video some suggestions of how to modify/substitute or regress the exercises.
This was a tough workout for me as my upper body strength is much less than it used to be. But I always enjoyed training upper body, so maybe I can include more ideas as I sometimes have to leave my lower body training.
This week I made sure I didn’t go to the gym on the same day I filmed a workout… instead, I filmed only enough to show what the workout would look like as I couldn’t quite perform it like I wanted. It’s quite amazing how some days you are perfectly fine and on other days you feel too much pain and restriction to move “well enough”.
I can’t perform Deadlifts from the floor at the minute (only from platforms), but I didn’t remember that would apply even to my Kbs as they are relatively light compared to the Barbell. However, they are closer to the ground and therefore require a greater range of movement… a range that is not doable for me right now.
It’s easy to get disheartened when things that used to be taken for granted (like single leg exercises and full range squats and DLs) are too difficult. But, had I not gone through the extremes of physical challenges I did for the majority of last year, I think I’d struggle to see any “up-side” to this. In reality this is a very minor blip on the radar and I am WAY better off than I was. The amount of material I collected for real growth is pretty impressive … maybe I should quit with the theory and go all out on the practice of it haha!! Full-on application of WIZZDOM! But, truth be told, there are some moments that I see myself and think “what has happened to me?!” as I fill with panic that I’m not what I used to be (funny how we create these arbitrary standards for ourselves) and this somehow reflects on who I am. It can be hard to always successfully choose to remember how I am actually better off for the lessons I have learned. Look, I am all too aware that I talk a good talk on my blog, but as I talked (lol) about last time on “Learning Again and Again“, it’s a dailyaction to let go of the self-obsession of trying to be something I am not, and instead focus on who I am and be grateful for even the smallest things in life. I just have to get myself out of my own way!
So if you too are struggling with dealing “what your body has become”, I completely understand and it is a miserable existence. But you have a choice, too. You can let it take over (which it wants to!) or you can observe its coming and going, remembering it only lingers when you entertain it. It’s very hard to just stop doing something by focusing on not doing it, I get that, but it is very easy to say to yourself “oh look, that thought has come by for a visit again. I’d rather it didn’t stay this time so I’ll just get on with things and it will pass on through”. I believe that we can focus on small steps toward being accepting and loving toward ourselves and others by deliberately speaking (out loud) things that are calm and things that are TRUE.
I need this lesson more than I care to admit sometimes but what I do know is I see how it is a trap. I’d much rather follow the still and quiet voice inside that draws me closer to setting deep *secure* roots, so I’m really walkin’ the walk and not just writing about what I want to be: Free from myself. Ultimately, I think that’s who holds me captive. Something tells me I’m not the only one.
Anywho, I guess I should tell you about this week’s workout 😀
The Workout
1. Sumo Deadlift: 3×8-12 or 3×5-7
2a. Hand-Release Push-Up: 3×8
2b. Cursty Drop Lunge: 3×8 (each side)
3a. Thruster: 3×8 (each side)
3b. Two-Handed Swing: 3×8-12
3c. Shoulder Tap Plank: 3×10-16 (total taps)
Hope you enjoy the workout, with or without modifications as suggested in the video.
As I was getting a drink of water between rounds of my workout, I realised how reluctantly I had got changed and stepped into the cold garage ( in a semi huff with a matching face) and begun lifting the FREEZING steel. Can I really be a fitness professional? LOL
When I got back from the USA after getting engaged, i was feeling great! I was motivated to start lifting heavier again and try to be super fit for the wedding. Even last week I was talking about “making the most” of my garage gym before I move away. But very cold weather has crept in, my hamstring pain has returned and I am beginning to see a frustrating trend in my mood about training which ends up a self-made trap. The day always starts with great intentions and ends in a great compromise.
After grumbling to myself all morning and afternoon, I decided to give myself a kick up the butt and to do a short workout. I think a plan to do short workouts every day *might* be a great way to adapt things to help me stay consistent and maintain my fitness over the next 6 weeks.
Honestly, I feel far more motivated when I train *with* people, but I have no longer got a gym membership and that means I must break through my daily attack of excuses. Usually i go into the garage and start with some KB Snatches which gets me to then do some Goblet Squats and Hip Thrusts… which then turns into a workout. Today, I thought I would film my short 15-20min strength workout to show you what I mean.
While I could easily throw together a HIIT workout, I am just not in the mood for them right now and I like choosing 4 exercises for the main workout and keeping the reps low(ish). My goal is just to maintain a decent level of strength and move well. I don’t have any desire to be breaking strength records – just as well 😉
The thing that always seems to get me off my butt is the fact that my job requires me to help others and I recognise that familiar echo in my head… “I can’t be bothered”. Knowing what that lead to in the past, I have the chance to maintain a health lifestyle NOW.
What do I imagine is going to happen to me? Why would I rather sit in a chair than walk 10 metres into my fully equipped garage? Perhaps I am overwhelmed by the amount of filming I have to do for the new site and feel I am just biting off more than I can chew.
Regardless of the excuses, the reasoning and the decision to put something off another day, I *will* do what I set out to do: staying strong, healthy and productive.
After a weekend in Munich, spending time with my Family and my good friend Annika, I realise that laziness is very much a culture here in Northern Ireland. Annika and I spent several hours hiking through the snow in the German Alps and then having bite to eat in a mountain restaurant. Loved it! An active and productive life 🙂
When I move to Saudi Arabia, I will have to temporarily give up my heavy KBs 🙁 The gym in the compound only has a max of 16kg, which kind of sucks. But, I’ll be able to adapt my workouts and continue to post.
I will also be without my beloved beverage – Cheers 😐
No wine for me in Saudi
Though I will miss my home gym and everything I have bought recently, it won’t be wasted as it will be there waiting for me when I do come home.
For the next 6 weeks, I will be making the most of things as I film a whole load of new material for my website re-launch. Yesterday, I had new photos taken and they look amazing 😀 So excited to finally make this site into what I always dreamed. Not just about how it looks, but how it feels and what it delivers. It’s more than just a fitness site – it’s about finding and sharing my sources of strength, peace, and lessons in life. It’s about bringing you something you don’t expect to find.
I think we often sell ourselves short. You all know I do. But I try to recognise when I do it and talk about it. I often think, rather than cover up my weakness with something else or pretend they aren’t there, that I am often more free when I am unapologetically weak (sorry, Jen Sinkler for reversing your saying). No matter how strong I may appear, it is my weaknesses that keeps me grounded and keeps me anchored in truth. Otherwise, I do tend to feel I know best or that i’ve “got things sussed” – and that is what so often distances me from the truth.
You may be the same way, or you may not. The point is that each of us have a “danger zone” that indicates when we have been pulled away. This might be: becoming too religious, feeling sorry for ourselves, obsessing about our appearance, wondering what others think or seeking other types of self-absorption. The things we think of as good can just as easily become bad when we become secure in it, or feel approved because of it. When things pull us away from being humble and present (even just that fleeting thought: “oh, I am pretty humble”) is a sign that you’ve gone too far in the wrong direction. Perhaps we live in the future a lot, always wondering how things will all work out or wishing things were different? That is no way to live.
I think we all know we should try to remain in the now, but the world pushes us on to keep thinking around the next corner. Don’t let it! If you think about why people feel their most peaceful and joyful when they see beauty, hear music, stand in awe at nature, it is likely because, at those moments, time no longer exists and we feel most connected with God – who exists outside of time. The world is a busy place with lots of distractions, lots of things to worry about. If I don’t have a Kettlebell, a Gym or even a nice glass of wine in the evening, I will be perfectly happy anyway, so long as I remain close to the Truth continuously submitting to God’s will, no matter what that might entail – for only He knows what will keep me close to Him, just as the evil one knows what might make me stray.
Even if it means a life of anguish, I’d rather that, than a life separated from God.
BTW – If you want to know more about what I am talking about, I highly recommend buying C.S Lewis’s “Screwtape Letters” – it provides amazing insight into the things we don’t know are actually bad for us. People often curse God because bad things happen, but this audiobook gives another perspective to why things happen the way they do.
Seems that I can’t help but talk about deep stuff LOL
Now, on with a wee workout I did the other day 🙂
The Workout
There was a time when I would obsess about getting every workout completely symmetrical. I still balance my
The highly professional Dr Jonathan Fass, DPT
program, but it is more tailored to my needs now, considering my history of LBP.
My favourite training design these days: supersets of 4-5 exercises. This type of training seems to be helping keep my back pain at bay 🙂 All thanks to THIS GUY –>
Someone just pointed out the rather funny title i chose … oops haha!!
In recent months, i have become increasingly “meh” about my strength training. It started as a way to stay pain-free, but that has gradually become an excuse to skip workouts or put in minimal effort. However, several things have changed: I am getting married, we are going to paradise for our honeymoon and … I am meant to practice what i preach! Ok, that last one is hardly new, but you know what i mean. It can all easily spiral downward and i don’t want that.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not chasing some silly ideal of looking perfect, but i want to put a little more effort in to look my best for my soon-to-be-husband 🙂 And there is nothing wrong with that! However, I want to stress that being “in shape” is about fulfilling my body’s intended purpose. And, these days, I believe my body should reflect the care I have for my spirit and soul. It’s not about being sexy or more attractive (because that is about way more than looks), it’s about honouring my maker in everything I do and in who i am. He kindly gave me a body to live in and he led me to a path in the health fitness industry – the least i could do is make sure i am making the most of it. Not only am I to respect my body by being fit and healthy, but I love to look my best 😀 And, as it happens, i love being physically strong. I’d just like to be a bit more consistent and focused 🙂 And i know that I can motivate others much better when I am at my best.
While I don’t believe that i only need to do this for my wedding in the vanity-sense, I quite like having a goal orientated around fitness when two fitness professionals are getting hitched. There’s something quite nice about chatting to Jonathan about my workouts and how we are both progressing in the lead up to our wedding. I even have him critique my form sometimes. It’s something we share and we both respect each other for placing a value on physical fitness. It’s even better that we both love each other even when we are not at our best, but that we always support one another where ever we are at.
Then, of course, there is the aesthetic element. While I know Jonathan loves me just as I am, and i am very comfortable in my body these days, i want to maintain that and not slip into my usual winter/Christmas mode of eating way too much and being lazier about my training.
It’s certainly not about one day, but it is about thinking of the bigger picture and being aware of tendencies to fall off the wagon at certain times. I never want to become complacent about my health or fitness, since i just love training and i love coaching others.
And there is no harm in wanting to fill out the bikini in all the right places, too 😉
Which reminds me: check out the Get Glutes Tank Tops –> Sweet Buns 😉
Anyone want to hazard a guess at our honeymoon destination?
This workout was awesome! I felt pretty strong for a change. I seriously have felt weak for months. That mind-set has switched and I refuse to tell myself i am anything but doing the best I can with what i have been given.
Far too often we hold ourselves back by seeing a block in the road and just turning back instead of just going around it. Sometimes the diversion takes us some place even better!
