Hannah\’s Blog

This morning I posed and that went well with Simon.  Good start to the day.  I have a sore throat, so I am starting to bring in Glutamine and BCAA’s into my diet.  Glutamine is an essential amino acid that is freely formed in the body, it is broken down by at least 50% due to stress and exercise so by taking a dose 4 x day (5g) it will stop the breakdown on my muslce tissure whilst dieting but will also help boost my immune system (sort out my throat).

I trained clients all morning and also worked a shift as site manager.  Trained ARMS this afternoon and I had a really good workout.  Dean spotted me through close grip bench press on the bench press downstairs, it was 2 sets of 8/8/8 reps drop sets.  I hit 8.75kg/5kg/2.75kg so it was good, then i took the rest of the workout on my own.  I felt really strong, it was barbell curls drop 8/8/8 x 2 sets, I stayed with the 35kg/25kg/20kg (last week I stayed with 15kg, but decided it was too easy).  Pushdowns and incline dumbell hammer curls were good too.  My arms got a realy pump, I also did the plank and 30 mins treadmill.

I saved calves for my client Rich and we did 3 sets of 30 40 reps on the seated calf machine, good end to the day!

Brian has set up an ARTICLE button on my ABOUT page.  It is where I have put an article from the current issue of the Winning Times (Winners 2000 bi-monthly newlsetter) that Helen and I wrote together.  I will add to this as time goes on.  My gallery page has now been set up more clearly, it now highlights all my albums and sub-albums.

Enjoy!!!

Yesterday was 3 weeks to go to my first appearance in the UK’s Body Fitness with the UKBFF.  I am 9 stone 5lb and looking good.  Everything is on course, just got to keep my calories up a little to make sure I don’t lean out any more.  I was starving on Saturday which is why I am a pound lighter.  3 weeks today and counting…………

Yesterday was a busy day, I did early morning cardio and abs routine with posing which went well.  Trained clients all morning and had Sarah back for a challenging programme upgrade (well it was what she wanted!) and she has just text me to say that she is feeling it today.  that’s good as its 12 weeks before she is going to be a bridesmaid at her sisters wedding.  I designed lots of supersets to get her heart rate up and to give her plenty of time to do cardio at the end.

Lunch and then back to train BACK and CHEST.  I used my versa-gripps for my back training today and it was great, my baa ck is feeling a little sore this morning.  I was very strong through the routine and Jon coached me throughout.  I started with reverse grip pulldowns, 12/10/8/6 starting at 40 - 55kg and then into reverse grip bent over rows with the olympic bar 12/10/8 from 7.5kg u0 to 10kg either side, wide seated rows 3 x12 from 45 -50kg and then incline db flyes at 10kg for 12/10/8, calves (donkey) and 30 mins treadmill incline.

Rest day today…

Yesterday was a busy day and I am starting to feel tired.  I worked on shift through the morning and then went back in the evening for clients and PUMP and clients.  I am not doing bad at all under the circumstances, 3 weeks to go on Sunday.

This morning I trained Rebekah and she hit her personal best with dumbell shoulder press 10kg for 8 reps.  Good job Rebekah!  Good luck with your dissertation on thursday!

Today Helen and I are experimenting with PRO TAN, it is another body building tan.  I need to know if this colour will look better on stage for me than the Jan Tana.  so far I look a nice colour but it is not dark enough, so I will put on another 2 coats and see what it is like in the morning.

Trained SHOULDERS today.  Simon coached me through standing military shoulder press, it was 12/10/8/6.  It was hard and I got a personal best for this year with 10kg a side for 8 reps.  He reckons I don’t push myself hard enough on shoulders and that I should and can lift heavier.  I was really pleased that I lifted that weight today and well, he is always right, so roll on next Shoulder session.  Then it was back on my own for drop set single arm lateral db raises, 8/8/8, with 10kg to 8kg to 6kg, bearing in mind what Simon had said, I did feel really strong on these today.  I finished off the session with rope cable upright rows, standing calf raises and the planks. 30 mins on the treadmill watching the Jenny Lynn training dvd.  Felt a bit sick after the treadmill, maybe cos I took 2 creatine before the workout instead of 1! Ooops!

I have been hungry all day today, fish, half carbs of potato and asparagus for tea, yum!   Cardio and abs tomorrow in the morning and then back and chest tomorrow afternoon.

Trained a couple of clients this morning.  Congrtulations Gordon on your half stone weight loss, not bad for 6 weeks and you didn’t think you had lost any.  I am really pleased with how his stamina has built up and today we were able to put in resistance machines to help build more lean muscle. 

This afternoon I trained LEGS and CALVES, again under a new 30 min workout regime, it was good and I enjoyed it.  Helen was free so she was able to spot and make sure I kept good form.  It was smith machine squats on a 12/10/8/6, I increased my weight from 20kg up to 25kg for the last 6 reps, so I was really pleased.  Again it was a slow negative phase down and a real strong push back up to standing, to help keep my muscle mass, as I don’t want at this stage to lose any at all.  Lying ham curls were next and I was really strong on this exercise, it was 3 drop sets of 8 reps twice, usually I have gone from seated leg curl to this exercise but to have it first meant I had more in my legs, I found it easier from 40kg/30kg/20kg, reckon next time I will drop to 25 kg as my last set.  Then it was onto seated leg curls, one set of 8 reps in full contraction phase, to middle contraction for 8 reps to stretch and small contraction, then we worked on 8 real strict reps with a pause at the bottom and stretch at the top for 8 reps, that was hard and my legs were so wobble getting off the machine, like jelly, this was done at 40kg.  I did 3 sets of standing calves for 50 reps and did it with 3 plates to get a good squeeze and superset with the plank.  15 mins stairclimber and 15 mins treadmill incline.  Ate my lovely oats and fish and then trained a couple more clients.  Back on the cardio for 30 mins.  Writing this as quick as I can as I am ready for food and chill, no food prepping tonight thank goodness, already done! 

3 weeks to go on Sunday……

Sunday we are going to watch Tony Turners NABBA show in Exteter.  One of our members Scott Leeson is in the Juniors.  He placed 3rd in the UKBFF earlier in the month and apparently there are 8 women in this show, so should be interesting to see their physiques.

My training plan has changed again, each workout no more than 30 mins.  Yesterdays workout was ARMS!  It was really good, I started with close grip bench and did 2 sets of 3 drop sets at 8 reps each.  Dean gave me a spot and I started with 10kg either side on the smith machine, to 5kg to 2.5kg.  It was hard but great feeling in my tricpes!  Barbell curls drop sets again next, felt very strong in my first set, I started with 30kg to 15kg, the second set was much harder, but Dean made me do it all on my own!  Pressdowns for triceps and then incline hammer curls.  My arms got a great pump and I was able to do 30 mins cardio after too before my clients again in the evening. 

Dot, Bernie and Gill are 3 ladies I train on a tuesday evening worked really hard today, we did a tri-rset leg pres, lunges and incline hack squats, they are so great, I don’t think they even realise how advanced their training has become, we are into our second years training now and they are avid supporters of of my PUMP.   Rich was my last client of the evening and we finished off on calf raises, 4 plates aside for 50 reps - lovely, just what my calves needed and his!!!

This morning I did 30 mins cardio before my first client Chantel who is now back in the training zone and then I took Lesley and Corinna out into the car park for sprints and dumbell work (whilst Dean was jig sawing off the padlock to muscle hill as someone has lost the key!)  Outdoor work is great, the fresh air and the sun is great motivation, clients again and then back to site manage the gym later on, will try to squeeze in my 30 mins cardio again later on this evening.

I have changed my pictures around on my gallery a little bit, so I hope they are easier to see.

30 mins cardio on the stairclimber first thing this morning with abs, breakfast, e mails and clients in the gym all morning.  Trained Alison this morning and her body shape is really changing again, she is due for a holiday break in Rome in a couple of weeks, so she has a really good workout head on.  Home for lunch and rest and then back in for a big workout of shoulders, back and chest! 

What a workout it was, I felt really sick on the 30 mins treadmill at the end.  The workout was really hard, but due to eating those extra carbs yesterday I looked huge when training shoulders.  That was worth training shoulders to see that, it excites me as that mean when I get carb depleted before show and then have my carb meal, I should retain some size, I am a pound heavier today when I weighed, so all in all not bad day at all.

Shoulders was interesting as I haven’t done standing military press for a couple of weeks, I wish I had started heavier as the last set for 8 reps was with 7.5kg either side and I could have done the 8 3/4 kg with ease today.  So have put notes in for next week to go heavier.  Single arm db lateral raises was great 8 reps with 10kg, 8 reps with 7kg and 20 reps with 5kg, I would say this was a personal best for me.  Upright rows were incrdibly hard and so were the cable fron raises (forearms were blown).  Reverse grip pulldown for back was next, I used my versa gripps again for this workout and was able to pull with ease the 50kg down for 8 reps, feeling strong, then it was 2 more drop sets, repeated all over again.  Wide seated rows, pec dec and vertical chest press and calves.  The workout was great but it was too long for me, so Simon is goi9ng to have a look at cutting it down.  The idea behind is to change my fibres to fast twitch, so that I can burn calories and get more shape.

No food prep tonight thank goodness, I can do meals tomorrow, going to chill…………………

Yesterday went to Jodes and had my microdermbrasion on the last few skin patches I have left, so that was good (www.jodes.org).  I worked a shift in the morning as site manager and the gymk was nice and busy, back in the afternoon for cardio, PUMP and my client Lisa who has come back after having a baby and is getting back in shape (despite drinking 5 diet cokes this wee!, not in my food plan I can tell you!) still next week will be even better, won’t it Lisa?

This morning I trained Rebekah on her B programme which was legs, back and biceps.  She worked really hard on her dumbell alternate leg lunges and her romanian deadlifts with perfect form, but best of all was her seated supination curls with 7.5kg, working with 15 reps, personal best for her, so well done!

Back in the afternoon for training LEGS!  Now I weighed myself this morning and I have lost 4lb since wednesday, that is too much too fast again, what with cutting down on my carbs and increasing my cardio, this way I will be under 9 stone for my competiton and I don’t want that.  so Simon advised me to put my carbs back in my evening meal and to have a cheat meal at lunchtime, I did and it was a lasagne (for more calories) it was lovely and gave me what I needed for this new workout. 

It started with a tri-set of barbell step ups with a 20kg (will go heavier next time) into alternate dumbell lunges, 20 reps with 10kg and then into jump squats with a 10kg plate!  legs wobbly!  Seated leg curl, which I really got a great squeeze today, 3 sets of 8 reps drop set repeated twice.  Then stiff leg deadlifts, drop set 8 reps from 4okg to 30kg, want to go even heavier next time to the 45kg as it was only 1 set.  Simon gave me a spot with lying leg curls, 1 set with drop set of 8 reps.  Now for the end, smith machine squats working with 15/10/8 reps, I got 15 reps out of my first set with 15kg a side, the idea is to keep some size in my legs as we don’t want them getting too long and lean.  I had to go down with a slow negative and then push up fast and hard, not resting at the top and straight back down.  The 10 reps was with 20 kg and the 8 reps was with 22.5kg.  Good session, I really think my legs enjoyed it as they were quite shaky when I came off the incline 30 mins treadmill. 

Steak for dinner tonight, yum!  Back, shoulders and chest tomorrow with Jon, can’t wait!

Hope you all like my new front page with pics?  I am very pleased with it, should have the rest of my new pics from last weekend on my gallery by the weekend!

ARMS - today, the first of my new programme.  It was great, my arms were really pumped and I looked bigger, not bad for 30 days away.  I started with pressdowns, drop sets 8/8/8 and then it was onto db incline supination curls, my biceps loved this and I was really strong, 10kg, 7.5kg and 5kg, 3 sets of 8 reps in a drop set and repeated again, can’t wait for this next week, want to do the 12.5kg to start!  Helen gave me a spot for the singe arm db extensions, started with 10kg to 5kg to sets of 8 reps, next week may do the 7.5kg instead, felt really strong here too (must have been the steak for lunch?!?)  Concentration curls to peak my biceps and then it was a tri-set to finish dips (still going strong 12 reps) into bench dips (getting harder) into close grip push ups, 2 sets!  Felt great after workout, felt strong and pumped, so very happy.  Treadmill to finish for 30 on incline uphill walk.

This morning was early morning cardio for 30 mins with my ab routine and then posing, better session today, my waist looks like it is getting smaller.

Diet: Starting to get hungry now that my half avocado and corn crackers with peanut butter has been taken out.  Also not having any carbs in my last meal makes me feel hungry, but it will all be worth it. 

Waiting to see if Pro Tan arrives in time or the weekend to see how my skin looks with the colouring, so maybe testing it out this weekend.

Great day with clients, took Lesley and Corinna out again after their workout to muscle hill for sprints up the stairs.  They are both so much fitter than last year, I set them up to race each other at the end which was great and they loved it.

Busy evening training clients.  Rich did a great shoulders, calf and ab workout.  A little personal best on standing military shoulder presses, getting ready for his holiday!