Ahhh! Feeling like a Beast! Soviet Strength Training

It’s only the beginning of week 2 of my Soviet routine, however I FEEL like it is kicking in already. Today felt like the best day of all. Today’s routine was 6 sets of 4 reps. I of course added abs to the routine. Here is what I did:

Bench Press 6×4 at 175. I really struggled to get through the full sets, but was able to complete the 24 reps.

Back Squat 6×4 at 245. This is the first time I really felt as though I was working my legs. I completed all the reps but really felt the burn on this one.

Weighted Chin-ups 3×4 at 55 and 3×4 at 45. Chins have been by far the hardest of the three exercises and this day was no different. I focused on holding the last rep at the top for as long as possible. I wanted to add a little something to the exercise since I had to drop my weight. Also, dropping the weight is key. Hitting 4 reps is more important than maintaining the heavier weight. Push your muscles to their burning point and also, dropping the weight means more total weight. If I had stayed at my 65 lbs original weight I would have done 2×65=130. Instead I was able to do the 4 reps, so 4×45=180. I got more work in by dropping the weight.

I then finished with an abdominal routine.

3 sets of 8 standing ab crunches at 100 lbs.

2 sets of tri-set crunches on a decline bench. 10 lbs at 6 reps, 25 lbs at 6 reps and then 45 lbs at 15 reps.

1 set per side of barbell ab rotations. 10 reps per side at 45 lbs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After completing my workout this is how I felt-

And of course I finished up with some AdvoCare Protein.

 

 

As the workout catches up to me…

So, I mentioned that Friday was a day of 6 sets of 3 reps, and that it felt a little difficult towards the end. Well Saturday proved that the system is working and it has only been one week.

I have been supplementing the main work of the soviet routine with crossfit, running and rest. And Saturday was no different. I decided that Saturday was a good time to repeat the Supplemental workout from Tuesday. I made a few slight changes. Instead of shoulder press I did clean and presses. I added a set of 25 seated rows at half my max, and I completely skipped calves.

I found out that as much as I felt like I was working small groups of muscles with my soviet routine, I am hitting my entire body. My calves still need supplemental work, but they work during squats as well. So that three times a week, plus the crossfit and other workouts, I needed a break. And every person who works out knows, you have to take some breaks, and you as your workouts catch up to you, your body will ask for recovery time. As short as the Soviet routine is, you are moving insane percentages of weight, and your body needs to get its nutrients and recovery time.

I have taken many supplements in the past, and I have spent tons of money on the “best” products, or the most expensive, but I am so thankful that Danielle and John Butler introduced me to the AdvoCare family. I have never had a product help me achieve my goals like this. I have more energy, despite the fact I have a child at home who likes to wake me up for an hour at 1 or 130 every morning, I increased my strength while losing weight (a feat that is hard to do when you aren’t a sedentary individual) and I watched fat melt away. Here is a list of what I take and why. Click on the product name for a direct link to the product:

Spark– I take this every morning as a coffee replacement and an energy booster. I have one a day and I have energy until well into the late night.Probiotic Restore Ultra– Probiotic to help boost my immune system and promote intestinal health.

Rehydrate– Low calorie, healthy alternative to gatorade and intra workout mixes. Keeps me hydrated and alert during my workout.

 

Omega-Plex– Omega fatty acids. A side note, my best friend has a bad reaction to most omega pills and I offered her my Omega Plex and she loves it. She had purchased 3 bottle so far.

 

Meal Replacement Shake– I do not take this everyday, but it is delicious and whenever I am short on my calorie count for the day, or in a hurry I grab some chocalate Meal Replacers. It has an even ratio of carbs and protein, 24 grams of each.

 

 

Muscle Gain Protein Mix– Post workout for recovery and muscle mass. 

 

Night time recovery– This helps me fall into a deep sleep and feel rested in the morning. The supplement promote growth hormone production and contains HMB. Without Night time recovery I struggle to fall asleep and to stay asleep.

These products are huge part of why I was able to drop 17 pounds in 12 weeks and shred, over 6% of body fat! Even if you like what you are taking now, give these a try!

Working at Meyer Fitness, Norfolk Fitness Center

Sorry all! This has been a busy week, and I haven’t posted daily like I wanted. So lets catch up.

The reason I have struggled with getting everything done this week, despite being on spring break, is because I have begun to get hours at Meyer Fitness in Norfolk, VA. This summer I will be completing a 400 hour internship, and to make things easier, I am grabbing some hours now and getting ahead. I was able to 12 hours this week. So I am now 3% down with my internship! LOL. I love Meyer Fitness and truly believe I picked the right place to work this summer. If you are in the Norfolk, VA area, stop by!

I started the muscle and strength routine on Monday, I did get to post that! On Tuesday I dd a supplemental routine to help me hit the muscle groups not worked during the Soviet Strength routine. That workout looked like this:

3 sets of 5 Snatches, 135lb

3 sets of 8 face pulls

3 sets of 8 reverse pec deck machine

4 sets of 4 Heavy shoulder press

3 sets of 8 seated leg curl

4 sets of 4 heavy one arm row

2 sets of 10 standing calves

2 sets of 10 seated calves

This was followed by 25 per side of 35# turkish get ups, 100 pushups, and 100 situps.

My Turkish Get Up goal

On Wednesday I did 6 sets of 3 for my soviet routine. The takeaway from Wednesday was: Bench is going to be hard when doing sets of 5 and 6, Squats feel really good, but we will see what 6×6 is like, and chin-ups are the exercise that gets you. The only way to finish my 3 reps, was to drop the weight a little after 3 sets. If you are following along, whenever you cannot reach your rep count, drop some weight. Do not simply to lower reps for more sets. Keep the rep scheme the same and go lighter.

Thursday was another day to focus on other movements. I chose to follow Crossfit Challenge’s 13.2:

5 shoulder to overhead press with 115

10 deadlifts with 115

15 , 25″ box jumps

repeat as many times as possible for 10 minutes. I completed 6 rounds for a score of 182, I got the two from 2 presses in unfinished round 7.

And back to today- Soviet routine, 6 sets of 3. I followed the same routine as on wednesday and felt much better about my performance.

Ok, so I am all caught up! Don’t forget- Do Not Waste a Workout, Finish with proper nutrition!

Week 1 Day 1

Today was the first day of the Soviet routine. I chose to use 60 seconds as my rest time. Since day one is light compared to some of the days to follow I wanted to minimize rest today, and later in the routine work up to taking 2 minutes of rest in between sets. Here is the routine for today:

175 pound Bench Press, 6 sets of 2 reps

245 pound Back Squat, 6 sets of 2 reps

80 pound Weighted Chin-ups, 6 sets of 2 reps

3 sets of 20 reps reverse V-up, hands on floor, feet on ball

6 sets of 8 reps of Sledge Hammer slams

3 sets of tri-set crunches, 6 crunches holding 15 pounds, 6 with 25 pounds and 15 with 45 pounds

 

My take away is from the day is that proper nutrition will be key to getting through these workouts. Since this is a strength routine and not a cutting routine, my calorie intake went up, and I can tell I used every bit of the energy in my Advocare Spark, and Advocare Catalyst. By the end of the workout I was exhausted. I really believe the supplements from Advocare have helped me push harder and get through some of the tougher workouts. They helped me get to my goal weight, and they will help me add strength and muscle.

Today was a light day, sort of a “Hey get your feet wet and learn about what is coming in the next few weeks”. However, I can honestly say that I felt the second reps of every exercise when I was on set 5 or 6. Tonight however I do not feel too bad, and am ready to do my supplemental exercises tomorrow.

Give it a try. I will post day two tomorrow!

 

Calorie Intake and Black Bean Pizza

So  I promised everyone an update on how to adjust calories once you reach a goal weight.  The easiest way is to use an online calculator. I have found this one to be a good source.

I however have been monitoring my calories for the entire time I have been working on my program. So I was able to calculate my needs based on the previous week. Last week I lost 2.8 pounds. At 3500 calories per pound, I had a deficit of 9800 calories that week. This over the 7 day week, that means I need 1400 calories a day to sustain and stop losing weight.

If you are thinking wow, that’s a lot, you are right. However with the HIIT, and crossfit style workouts I have been doing, that makes sense. But nonetheless I had the same reaction. So how do you go from 2200 to 3600 calories a day? Take it slow, and monitor your weight.

On Sunday I only adding 300 calories to my day. This allowed me to eat a little more but not gorge myself. This morning I weighed myself. Today I did my first workout of the new program, and at 5 pm I had eaten 2200 calories and was still hungry. with 300 left, compared to yesterday, I knew 2500 was too low. I bumped my number to 2700. I will eat 2700 calories today and weigh myself tomorrow. I will continue to eat 2700 calories a day for the rest of the week, and I will weigh myself every morning. If over the course of this week I maintain my weight, I will stop increasing and eat 2700 a day. However if I lose weight I will add another 200 calories and continue the process.

The reason this is a better method than just looking at a calculator, or just adding the 1400 calories to my day, is because it allows for my new workout to burn a different amount than the last, and it helps me avoid eating way too much before my body is ready for the extra food.

 

So After getting my calories sorted out, I my pizza. Super healthy Black Bean and Salsa pizza! One slice is 183 calories. Have a glass of wine and two slices and you are looking at a 466 calorie meal, with tons of protein and even some veggies. Here is a step by step recipe for you to follow:

Place your pizza stone on the grill and turn on grill as high as possible. Let warm-up for an hour. My grill reached about 600 degrees.

First spread your dough over a pizza peel and pour 1 cup of salsa on the dough. Spread evenly.

Next take a cup of shredded mozzarella and spread it evenly over  the dough and salsa.

After adding the cheese, take a fully drained can of black beans and top the cheese with the beans. Thinly slice a single red pepper and spread the pepper over the beans.

Next chop 3 scallions into 1 inch segments and place on top.

The final step before baking is to take about 1/4 cup of mozzarella and create a top layer of cheese.

Place on the pizza stone inside the grill and bake for 6 minutes. Enjoy!