Beat Your Personal Best!

In my first blog entry I touched on my current workout program.  I see my lovely trainer Kim twice a week (though this may need to be increased to three times.) I also work out at least 1-2 days a week on my own.
 


The workouts are structured into three programs as follows
 


• Day One: Arms
Day 
• Two: Legs
Day 
• Three: Core

Each program has a number of exercises for various muscles in those groups, and I usually do 3 sets of 12 reps for each exercise. My weight training is always followed by 20 minutes of cardio, which helps to burn fat and keep me trim. I do each of the three programs twice, then Kim creates a new set of programs for me. This  allows my body to never get used to the same thing.


For example, today is my Core day. Here is my program:

 


She may change/add things during a session to make it harder

 Those leg raises…..so hard! But I will push myself,  because as the saying goes, “No pain, no gain.” Pain will definitely be a part of this, but don’t confuse this with bad pain. It’s all gooood.
 





We finish each session with stretching. Now I know that when I was in school, we always stretched before a workout. But many studies suggest stretching afterwards (though it depends on your trainer/health professional, some suggest stretching both before and after a workout.) After you spend any amount of time working on a specific muscle it gets tight and sore, but if you stretch after the workout you allow that muscle to relax. Proper stretching will reduce soreness, improve circulation and reduce the risk of injury. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do any type of movement before you start working out. I usually walk around the track for a few laps to help warm up my muscles. 


I have only done this program once; this will be my second time today. I always try to push myself further then I did the last time. As Kim always reminds me, “Beat your personal best.”. And that’s all I think, over and over, while I am doing this. I find the best person to compete with is yourself. The you from last time, the you that keeps saying “I’m tired”, “I’m sore” or “I want to give up.” And when you do beat your personal best, it feels awesome and TOTALLY WORTH ALL THE PAIN!!!



This morning I beat my personal best! I weighed myself at 124.2!!! YAY gooo me. Now to go even harder!

Please note that I am not a trainer nor a health or fitness professional. You should always consult a professional before beginning any health regimen.  I am only relating my own personal experiences.