bodybuilding

Leg Day + Lunges vs Squats

07.16.2014

Leg workout of the day:

-Front & reverse lunge (one movement, one leg at a time)
superset with jumping lunges 3×15

-Leg press 3×15

-Sprint on treadmill- 10 mins

-Glute kickbacks on cables 3×10

-Standing hip adduction on cables 3×10

-Box step ups- 3×20

-Sprint on treadmill (incline) 10 mins

-Cool down (walking)

REST & STRETCH!

(If you are unsure of what an exercise looks like, search bodybuilding.com for images and how-to’s)

Do you prefer squats or lunges?

Personally, I love lunges. You will rarely find me doing squats. Here’s my thought process:

I feel like my muscles are more engaged and I’m getting more effective movement in my glutes.
Lunges are more fun (in my opinion). There’s much more variety with lunges. Where a squats a squat.
Less strain on my back.
It’s easier to get the movement right! Form can’t be sacrificed as easily. It’s not easy getting correct form for a squat.
Unilateral movements (movement on one side of the body) is much easier for me to focus on and feel that mind/body connection.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments! xo

Fit Gal Feature: Ashley Nordman “Passion2befit”

01.29.2014

This post hits close to home. Ashley is one of the most motivational and inspiring women who I follow and met through Instagram. Who would have thought that social media would have such a big impact on my life! Ashley’s daily posts are one of the most influential things that pushed me to dig deeper into fitness and really find my passion. After a few emails back and forth, starting with questions I had for her about Cellucor (she is an affiliate), then leading to her giving me a complete meal plan, I could not be more grateful to know her. Not only beautiful on the outside, Ashley is so passionate about what she does and truly finds motivation in helping others with their goals. With that said, I had to get her on the blog for an interview, hoping she can have as much of an impact on you as she has me. So here she is: Fit Gal Ashley Nordman.

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your fitness lifestyle.

My name is Ashley Nordman and I am a 21 year old women’s figure competitor. I was born and raised in a small town in Illinois, where I grew up in the country. I was constantly outside playing games, rollerblading, riding bikes, and playing sports. When I reached high school, I fell in love with running. I was the caption of our Cross Country team, and I always played an important role on the Track team as well. When college came around, I was burned out from 4 years of running, and I was also extremely lean. I was uncomfortable with my tiny physique, so I started researching some new types of exercise. I looked on Bodybuilding.com, fell in love with Jamie Eason’s body, and told myself that I was going to do whatever it took to look like her! I started weightlifting and focusing more on my nutrition, and I quickly fell in love. The weights were a new challenge for me, and they helped me put on some much-needed muscle! Throughout college, I grew even more passionate about this new lifestyle, and I was a huge advocate for healthy living. I joined a private gym during the summer of my Sophomore year of college, and this is where I fell into the sport of bodybuilding. I met a personal trainer who was a professional bodybuilder, and he recommended that I pursue it. I loved the idea of a new challenge, so I started working with him right away. In just 12 weeks, I prepped for my first competition, the OCB Midwest States in November of 2012, where I won 1^st place and Overall in Women’s Figure Novice! From then on, I knew that bodybuilding was my new sport. Since then, I have competed just one more time, in the NPC USA Coastal in August of 2013, where I prepped by myself and won 1^st place and Overall in Women’s Figure Open, which qualified me for Nationals! This year, I plan to compete in Nationals, as well as two other competitions, and I also plan to do my own prep. Along this journey, where my lifestyle involves eating healthy, weight training, and finding inner happiness, I am focusing on being as selfless as possible and to help others reach their health and wellness goals!

2. What are your goals and how are you working towards them?

My current goals are to compete in Nationals this year with the best physique I’ve ever had, to inspire others to work towards their own fitness goals, and to become an IFBB Pro. Each and every day I work towards these goals by being disciplined, putting others before myself, having patience, working as hard as I can, and staying positive!

3. What is your biggest accomplishment so far?

My biggest accomplishment is that I have been able to inspire women to change their lives for the better, and all through social media! I mainly use Instagram and I absolutely love each and every one of my followers!

4. What do your eating habits consist of? Walk us through your average day.

I eat ALL the time! I eat every three hours, and I eat 99% whole foods! Typically, I wake up, eat some egg whites and cream of wheat with a little fruit, and drink a small cup of coffee. A few hours later, I will have egg whites or a protein shake with a serving of almonds and vegetables. For lunch, I typically eat 4 oz grilled chicken with spinach and vegetables, and I also have a sweet potato with cinnamon on top! My afternoon snack is always a Cellucor protein shake (protein, ice, almond milk, and a banana!), and my dinner is usually 4oz ground turkey with oats or brown rice, and more vegetables! Before bed, I often have plain greek yogurt with almond butter.

5. What’s your favorite form of exercise?

My favorite form of exercise is weightlifting! I LOVE lifting heavy weights and really pushing myself out of my comfort zone!

6. What motivates you?

My Instagram followers motivate me, my next competition motivates me, and my friends and family motivate me as well.

7. What piece of advice can you give others who are looking to get fit?

I have two important pieces of advice. The first is to learn and research as much as you can when it comes to healthy eating, working out, and the lifestyle changes that are involved. Read blogs, see what fitness icons do to reach their goals, read forums on Bodybuilding.com, or even ask a friend or personal trainer in the area. Secondly, be patient and persistent! NEVER give up on your goals, and realize that the changes you want are going to take some time. We live in a society where we want things to happen now! But with fitness, that’s not the way it works. We must work for what we want, and we must be patient and let our body slowly get into the shape we want. 🙂

Ashley, thank you so much for all your help and constant support! I seriously can’t thank you enough.

You can find Ashley on Instagram: Passion2befit

Counting Macros

01.27.2014

Counting macros. Who does it? Who is against it? Who has no idea what that is?

I have officially gone crazy and am on my first week of counting macros. Macros including how many grams of proteins, carbs, and fats my meals consist of. Wow, this is harder than I thought, requires a lot of brain power and prep time! I just purchased my first food scale and have officially gone off the deep end. 😉 Just kidding, but seriously wondering if any of you count protein, carbs, fats etc? It is not an easy task, but so far so good. This is my first week testing the waters, and I’m not 100% sure I’m doing it right, but I’m sure it will get easier with time. Hopefully in no time, I can just know exactly what to eat and when without having to think about it.

I’m not competing, nor am I obsessing, I’ve just been very curious and want to see how my body reacts. I love the whole learning process of it all, and actually paying detailed attention to what I eat. The prep time is more tedious, but if we want the body of our dreams, we have to work for it! Not only am I wanting to see what physical changes I see, but also how this affects my training runs for the marathon. Food is power, and so far I feel like it may be the key to getting me through grueling 15/20 mile runs. I’m in the muscle growing stages, and to gain muscle I eat, eat, eat. (Turns out this isnt so bad after all) 😉

I’ve been following a truly inspiring instagram account called “Passion2befit”. Ashley (passion2befit) and I have been emailing back and forth and I’ve grown to get to know her through social media. She is an amazing athlete who shares her bodybuilding life through pictures and sets out to help as many people as possible. (I am very excited to have her featured on the blog soon!) Ashley created a meal plan for me, taking in about 1900 calories/day. Here are some pictures that capture my meals (a few snacks not pictured):

(4 eggs white with spinach; oatmeal with cinnamon; non fat greek yogurt; chicken, broccoli and quinoa; stuffed pepper from Trader Joes with salad; rice cake with cake batter protein powder and blueberries)

I’m sure some of you are thinking, why the heck is she doing that? My intention is to take a peek into a life of a competitor/athlete and learn how to nourish my body, get to know my needs and watch the positive changes that may occur. This is all a learning process for me and so far, I’m loving the journey! Really excited to update you guys on my progress.

Don’t forget to enter the Michelle Bridges program giveaway. (She doesn’t count macros, but gets you on track with a delicious meal plan!)

Dream BIG and start NOW!

08.23.2013

I know I talk about sets, super-sets, to failure and all these terms I’m sure you haven’t heard of, right? Thing is, I just learned what they are myself, so I hope you’re not reading this feeling discouraged because you don’t know what a tricep extension super-set with a bench tricep kickback is. Everyone starts as a beginner, including myself about a year or so ago. Heck, I still don’t know a lot of different terms or the perfect way to do this or that. Its been a long process for me and I wish that I had more time to study and get certified. The more you read, research and practice the more it will make sense, I promise!

I remember the first time I stepped foot in the weight room, I was terrified! Had no idea what to do, didn’t want to look like a total nerd for bringing in a notebook full of exercises and hated the fact that every boy stares at the girl in the weight room. As time went on, you kind of get used to it. Gain confidence in your workouts, get ideas from watching other people do exercises and get comfortable with it. I assure you, if you are feeling like I did in the beginning, it gets better! Keep at it, get in there and lift with the boys! You will be kicking major a$$ in no time! 🙂

Since we’re talking about different levels of fitness, another thing I mention a lot is 100% clean eating and exercising 6 days a week. I know this is not a normal routine for the average person, so make if fit into your lifestyle. For those starting out, try exercising 3-4 days a week and see how you feel. Take baby steps. No need to start off full force. If you are on the quest to eating healthier, try eating 2-3 sweets a week or cutting back your favorite junk food. If that seems like a lot, try to limit to once a day. Work your way towards the 100% clean eating. Make that your goal. I have slowly progressed to the stage I am at now and would have never imagined I would be running the full marathon (literally). Your metabolism will speed up with time and nutrition will become a cinch the more you practice. My biggest advice is to research. Use google, use the internet, there are tons of millions of articles out there about fitness and nutrition. Even magazines have helped me learn a new exercise or what or what not to eat when. No matter what fitness level you’re at, do your research! (bodybuilding.com has been my go-to resource)

Bottom line, all fitness levels welcome here!! We all start somewhere. Don’t get discouraged by your level of commitment or knowledge. Every expert was once a beginner! Make fitness FIT into your lifestyle. Set small goals and work towards the larger ones. Start NOW, so you can look back and see how far you’ve come. 🙂

FITzee Meals Arrived / Chest & Tris Workout

07.12.2013

Woohooo it was a good week! My workouts have been on point and my FITzee meals came in the mail! (THANK YOU SO MUCH FITzee!) I’m seriously obsessed with FITzee foods. If you don’t have time to meal prep, you just throw one of their meals on the stove and bam there it is, a healthy and delicious meal. FITzee is gluten-free, non-processed food with extra attention given to fitness peeps and their nutritional needs. Tons of protein, veggies, and complex carbs. NO JUNK! They are so engaged with the fitness community and even host yoga classes near their store in San Diego.

Here’s what my box consisted of this time:

Black bean breakfast bowl (LOVE)
Breakfast pita pizza (can’t wait to try)
Paleo Thai Coconut Curry Chicken (delish)
Red Mole Chicken (yum)
Paleo BBQ Salmon with steamed brocoli and carrots (can’t wait to try)
Red Chicken Enchiladas (one of my faves)
Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Bake (another fave)
Shredded Chicken mac n’ cheese (can’t wait to try)
(and I’m missing a bunch because they have already been eaten!)

If you order anything from www.fitzeefoods.com make sure to tell them Jenna sent you!! 🙂

Now for my chest and triceps workout:

Remember to lift heavy! I am using 15lbs in the pic, but the weight depends on your strength. Some days I do more, some less. You can also use more weight, less reps on the last set to give you an extra pump. But don’t compare, set your own goals!

Enjoy your week!

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