Robin's Fitness Journey...
 

Well - I've put off starting a gym log long enough. I'm doing my first BFL challenge after about 7 years of inactivity. I'm currently on W3D1 and am enjoying it very much. The only drawback is that I don't get to do my workouts until at least 8pm every night and sometimes as late as 10pm. I make sure not to eat anything after 3pm so that my stomach is empty. Also, I RARELY get much more than about 6 hours of sleep at night. I'm going to post my last three workouts and hope to enter them daily from now on. I welcome and appreciate any suggestions on how I could improve my workouts.

C1W2D5
UBWO

BB Press
12 x 40 lbs
10 x 40 lbs
8 x 50 lbs
6 x 60 lbs
12 x 40 lbs

DB Flyes
12 x 27.5 lbs


Seated DB Press
12 x 12.5 lbs
10 x 15 lbs
8 x 15 lbs
6 x 20 lbs
12 x 20 lbs (10)

Bent Over Raises
12 x 20 lbs (10)


DB Pullovers
12 x 10 lbs
10 x 12.5 lbs
8 x 12.5 lbs
6 x 15 lbs
12 x 15 lbs (9)

One Arm DB Rows
12 x 15 lbs (9)


DB Extension
12 x 5 lbs
10 x 10 lbs
8 x 12.5 lbs
6 x 15 lbs
12 x 12.5 lbs

Lying DB Extension
12 x 12.5 lbs (9)


Seated DB Curls
12 x 10 lbs
10 x 15 lbs
8 x 17.5 lbs
11 x 20 lbs (10 - too much weight)

Incline DB Curls
6 x 20 lbs (10 - too much weight)

C1W2D6

20 MAS on Treadmill
Went basically like this:

1.5 Incline
3.3 mph
3.5
3.8
4.0
5.0
5.5
3.5
4.0
5.0
5.5
3.5
3.8
4.0
5.0
3.5
3.8
4.0
5.0
6.0
3.0

C1W3D1
LBWO

DB Squats
12 x 12.5 lbs
10 x 15 lbs
8 x 17.5 lbs
6 x 20 lbs
12 x 15 lbs (8)

Leg Extensions
12 x 45 lbs (10 - OUCH)


DB Lunges - These things kick my butt!
12 x 0 lbs
10 x 5 lbs
8 x 7.5 lbs
6 x 10 lbs
12 x 5 lbs (9)

Straight Leg Deadlifts
12 x 20 lbs (9)


Angled Calf Raises
12 x 15 lbs
10 x 17.5 lbs
8 x 25 lbs
6 x 30 lbs
12 x 30 lbs (8)

1 Leg Calf Raises
12 x 10 lbs (9)

Abs

Floor Crunches
Did all required sets

Bent Knee Leg Raises
One set of twelve

Weeks 4 & 5
 

I've got to start keeping this gym log updated. Past few days workouts are as follows:

Week 4/Day 25
LBWO

DB Squats

12 x 15 lbs
10 x 20 lbs
8 x 25 lbs
6 x 30 lbs
12 x 20 lbs (10)

Leg Extensions
12 x 35 lbs (8)


Lying Leg Lifts

12 x 10 lbs
10 x 20 lbs
8 x 25 lbs
6 x 25 lbs
12 x 15 lbs (9)

Straight Leg Dead Lifts

12 x 20 lbs (9)


Angled Calf Raises

12 x 20 lbs
10 x 20 lbs
8 x 25 lbs
6 x 30 lbs
12 x 30 lbs

1 Leg Calf Raises

12 x 15 lbs (9)


Floor Crunches & Bent Knee Leg Raises


Week 4/Day 26
20 MAS on Treadmill

3.3
3.3
3.6
3.9
4.5
5.5
3.5
3.8
4.5
5.5
3.5
3.8
4.5
5.5
3.5
3.9
4.5
5.5
6
3.5 x 5 minutes


Missed UBWO Day 27 (but got plenty of exercise ;) )
Night out with hubby for 7th wedding anniversary
Did approximately 1.5 hours walking at approx. 3 mph


Day 28 - Free Day


Week 5/Day 29
UBWO

BB Press

12 x 50 lbs
10 x 60 lbs
8 x 60 lbs
6 x 70 lbs
12 x 60 lbs

DB Flyes

12 x 25 lbs (9)


Seated DB Press

12 x 12.5 lbs
10 x 15 lbs
8 x 20 lbs
6 x 25 lbs
12 x 15 lbs

Bent Over Raises

12 x 15 lbs (9)


DB Pullovers

12 x 10 lbs
10 x 12.5 lbs
8 x 15 lbs
6 x 17.5 lbs
12 x 15 lbs

1 Arm Rows

12 x 15 lbs (8)


DB Extensions

12 x 5 lbs
10 x 7.5 lbs
8 x 10 lbs
6 x 15 lbs
12 x 10 lbs

Lying DB Extensions

12 x 10 lbs


Seated DB Curls

12 x 10 lbs
10 x 12.5 lbs
8 x 15 lbs
6 x 15 lbs
12 x 10 lbs

Incline DB Curls

12 x 10 lbs


Week 5/Day 30
20 MAS on Treadmill
Basically the same as Day 26

I'm past the first 4 weeks and need to change up the exercises, but don't know what exercises to switch to. If anyone comes across this and has any ideas, please let me know. I only have access to free weights so they must be exercises I can do with either a barbell or dumbbells. My weight bench does have that thing on the end that allows you to do leg lifts, etc.

Hi Robin! I can't remember if I ever posted before but I've been lurking for a week or 2. :)

Here's some ideas... I apologize in advance if you already do or have done them.

Lower Body:
1) Quads- How about some standing lunges or even better walking lunges?
2) Calves- If you have a bench, put one leg up and one leg back. Your leg on the bench has it's knee directly above the ankle. The leg on the floor is only as far back as your heel can safely touch all the way to the floor. Hold some dumbbells on your sides or on your shoulders. Lift up the heel and mindfully press it all the way to the floor. Can be a killer!
3) Hamstrings- Plies' are a nice variation. Wide stance, toes and ankles pointed to the corners of the room. Dumbells are held in front or on your shoulders. Be sure to squeeze through your hammies and inner thigh on the way up.

Upper Body
1)Back- Rhomboid Flyes, Weighted Shrugs, Back Extensions, pullovers on the ball (the extra balance adds intensity).
2) Chest- Do the chest presses or flyes on a ball or at an incline. Should feel differents. Good old fashioned pushups should add a little pizazz as your 2nd exercise.
3)Shoulders- Overhead presses, clean and press, Arnolds (my fav), frontal raises, rear delt flyes, side laterals, upright rows, and many more. I love shoulders!!!
4) Biceps- Instead of doing a bicep curl, keep your elbows planted by the sides and angle your forearms to the corners of the room (like you would carry a bunch of grocery bags). This is called a Q curl and is more beneficial for women because of our shape. Also, hammer curls, rotating hammer curls, and any exercises on balancing on the ball or on an incline.
5) Triceps- Skull crushers, Bench Dips (with own body weight or you could add some in your lap), tricep kickbacks (make sure you're leaning over far enough to make gravity work against your tricep), and pushups with your fingers facing forward and your palms a little narrower than shoulder-width apart.

I hope this helps. Great pics by the way!!! You are doing fantastic. One of my favorite websites with some great dumbbell exercises is at KristaSmash . Check it out.

Re: Weeks 4 & 5
 

I'd switch the chest press and flyes for incline presses and flyes. And if you've been doing the chest press with dumbbells move to a barbell or vise versa.

Arnold presses are great for the shoulders, and lateral raises will give you a great burn - wonderful finishing exercise.

Try wide grip bent over barbell rows and good mornings for the back.

Skull crushers (aka french press) or close grip barbell presses are the exercise for hitting all the heads of the tricep and one armed tricep extensions are a killer to finish off!

21's for biceps followed by concentration curls should leave you wondering if you can lift your water bottle afterward.

Lunges for the quads are a must - they will hurt, so be warned! You can keep the extensions as your secondary exercise for a good burn.

Deadlifts should be your primary exercise, so just switch hamstring exercises around and you'll notice a big difference.

Same goes for the calves, try the one legged ones first then do the others, but try them with a barbell if you've been using dumbbells.

www.fitsite.com and www.exrx.net all have exercise demos so you can get the form down right. Expect some major DOMS after switching things around!

Enjoy those next 4 weeks!
Nat