Hannah\’s Blog

My pics from the Dartmoor shoot taken in Oct 09 are up on my site.  They are taken by Chris W.  I hope you like them!

Today I trained ARMS in the Newton Abbot gym with Simon.  It was a good session and my triceps got most of the workout, they were really pumped.  I think my arms are starting to grow - just a little!  But, it doesn’t take just a few workouts, it will take a lot to make the change, but I am definately already feeling stronger!

We started with Neutral chins into tricep dips 3/4 sets including a rest pause just to get the reps out.  There is a decline bench at this gym so we used it for close trip press 3 x 6-8 reps, then we lay on the floor and did medicine ball push ups 3 x 6 to really explosively work the triceps.  Incline bicep curls were up next, 12 each arm and I pushed the weigh up to 12.5kg which was great.  I felt strong.  We superset triceps with pushdowns into overhead rope extensions and then superset biceps from cable curls into reverse cable curls.  Job done!!!

Shoulders and back is up next, but I am already waiting and ready to train!

I hope you all had a nice Christmas, some of my clients are back training hard after having a few days off.  I had Christmas Day off training and went to help out with the Salvation Army in Exeter which was really great.  Helping those out and helping make someones day special.  Boxing day ran over to Paignton to watch the Boxing day dip in the sea and ran back.  About 10-11km run.

Sunday early morning beach sprints and then trained with Dave and Jon, back to Shoulders and Arms which was fun.  Heavy and hard.  Heavy military shoulder presses, heavy db lateral raises and cable rear delts with rope into smith machine shruggs.  Arms was close grip press on smith machine into incline db bicep curls.  Pushsdowns into cable curls.  Brilliant.  Shoulders sore once again!!!

Yesterday I trained Legs with Simon and Jon.  We started off with squats (haven’t done these since June before I started dieting) I did 25kg a side for 8 reps and was really happy with my strict form.  Single leg presses on the machine 8 reps each leg and we superset bench springs (20 reps!).  Upstairs for superset leg extensions into leg curls.  Seated calves and abs.

Nice!

Then an hour of cardio - surfing -  in the afternoon.  Must get big shoulders!!!

Trained Back this afternoon with Jon and Dave. We then decided to add in Chest. We started with flat bench press and I went straight in heavy with 10 kg a side for 3 x 8 reps straight into neural grip chins 3 x sets.  Bent over row witht he olympic bar 3 x sets.  3 x sets incline db flyes and pullovers.  real good!

What a great session today!  Legs with Dave.  We started with leg extensions 12/10/8 /8 then downstairs to the incline leg press 10/8/8.  The incline hack squat was up next, we did these with feet on the bosu ball, really hard and really hard on the quads.  Upstairs again for 2 sets single standing hamstring curl machine and then 3 sets on the lying leg curl.  I really enjoyed the session and it was good just to concentrate on legs.  I finished off with abs- hanging reverse crunches superset with fitball crunch.  No cardio!  Got to try and save my calories for training, not fat burning!  But, did some great outdoor beach sprints with Jon yesterday in the fresh air which was awesome, blue sky, freezing cold but beats the cardio in the gym.

I hope you are all getting quietly ready for Christmas!

Trained with Jon and Dave yesterday SHOULDERS AND ARMS.  Brilliant session.  Felt really good.  We started with Military shoulder press 3 x 8 reps, heavy db raises 3 x 8 (all of the workout sets ended with a drop set).  Reverse cable flyes for the rear delts.  Then it was onto Triceps.  Close grip press on smith machine superset incline db supination curls.  Tricep pushdowns into cable curls.  Felt really sick after the workout which was nice to feel as felt I really pushed myself. 

Did beach sprints on Saturday with Jon, felt physically sick again at the end.  working hard at the moment, hill sprints and beach sprints!  Lovely.

Its been a good week of training and my cold has almost gone.  I have trained 3 days in a row and now taking a couple of days off for rest and growth. 

Wednesday I trained Arms.  I started with cable curls 12/10/8 and went into heavy pushdowns same reps.  Incline db curls 3 x 8 into free tricep dips (felt really strong despite shoulders being sore) 3 x 15 reps.  S.A  D.b extensions 2 x 12 and 2 x 12 db hammer curls.

Yesterday I trained Chest and Back, I started with 4 x sets of neutral grip chins, bent over bb rows 3 x 8 and wide grip pulldowns 12/10/8.  Incline db press with 15kg (3 x 12) and incline db flyes.

Good week, good nutrition and shakes with mct oil.  Got to grow!

Well done to all my clients who trained real hard whilst I was away last week.  We have had some really good results, despite Christmas parties in full swing!

I had a great break away in London and trained at the YMCA off Tottenham Court Road and a Virgin Health Club in West London.  My best workouts were in the YMCA.  a good range of dumbells and barbells and a good vibe to training hard.  Not so good at the Virgin (leisure) club, but I have also come down with a cold, so thats maybe why.  I did the usual chest and back, legs and shoulders and arms.

I ran around Hyde Park for a 10km run for 50 mins (better than my summer time). 

I tried Bikram Yoga (a room that is 40 degree heat and humidity).  I enjoyed the dynamic side of the class but was ready to pass out exactly 1 hour and 10 mins into the class (had to wait another 20 before I could bolt out!!!)  Tried it again a couple of days later and wanted to bolt out exactly the same time again.  I didn’t.  I stuck through it, but it was really challenging to work out in that kind of heat.  Muscles felt great for all the flexibility stretching and mind was exhausted ‘being right here, right now!’.

Back to work now, my pictures have arrived and I hopefully will get them on site by the end of the week.  They were taken a few weeks after my finals up in the fresh air on Dartmoor.

Trained Legs and shoulders with James this morning.  It was really good to shake this cold!  We did incline legs press superset with plyometric jump lunges.  Stiff leg deadlifts into jump squats.  Bench hops, to load up and warm the shoulders (both hands on the bench  and loading the body weight onto the hands and shoulders to jump/hop both legs over to the other side and as soon as you have landed, straight over to the other side).  Next up was standing military shoulder press superset with cable lateral raises and a couple of sets of handstand push ups.  Then a combine boso ball/fit ball plank to challenge what core we had left.  A brilliant workout! 

Trained an A/B this week.  Yesterday was Chest, Back and Biceps and today was Leg, Shoulders and Triceps.

I superset Back and Chest with neutral grip chins and incline chest press, flyes and db bent over rows.  Pullovers and then incline bicep supination curls and db hammer curls.  All aching today!

This morning was alternate db lunges, in plyometric split jump lunges, into jump squats x 3 and then 3 x sets of lying hamstring curls.  Shoulders was seated shoulder press db, machine standing shoulder press, drop set lateral raises and then rear cable delts.  Pushdowns and then single arm dumbell extensions.  Can’t wait for the ache tomorrow. 

All clients doing well.  Gym is busy and the ‘free to member classes’ are doing great.

Just need time away to give myself a timeline to train in the states next year and to line up 2 shows and get some more muscle mass on.  My break is nearly here and hopefully I will be committed with dates when I am back.

Really looking forward to 2010!