Building back up and the Numbers that DO Matter

Day: 35
Workouts: 24

Remember when I said I'd be patient and build my gimpy left arm back up slowly?

I lied. At the time, I really meant it and had full intentions of doing that, but after a few really good days of pounding my upper body, I've decided that I can go back to mostly full capacity. Honestly, it feels better lately! It helps that I haven't blocked any kicks with that arm in a couple of weeks... and it's true, there are some things that that arm just won't do. But it's official: I am done with avoiding upper body all together. Hooray!!

 I celebrated this morning with a fun shoulder workout, and I am dedicating it to Nia Shanks because not only is she straight-up awesome (she is the SPF Push-Pull world record holder for her body weight), but her website is a refreshing gold mine of common sense where training is concerned, especially if you have two 'X' chromosomes. She also has an unhealthy addiction to bacon, which I appreciate. Whenever I feel my interest lagging I head on over to her website, Lift Like a Girl, to see what she is up to. She is the one who inspired me to send out the challenge at the bottom of this post, so make sure you stick around to the bitter end!

Sweet-Ass Delt Workout
1. Military Press - start with a weight where you can do about 8 reps. Do as many as you can with good form, until you have one rep left. Pause for 45 seconds (no less, no more). Repeat 4 more times.
2. Front Dumbell Raises - 4-6 reps, S L O W L Y. 3 sets.
3. Seated Arnie Presses - same protocol as the Military Press.
4. Cable Lateral Raises - 10-12 reps, 3 sets
5. Reverse Cable Crossovers - 10-12 reps, 3 sets
6. 1-arm Rear Flye with stretch band, 15 reps, 3 sets
Finished with some high-intensity intervals on the rowing machine. Fun!

 I have another public service announcement to make quickly before we get to the important stuff: I have found a green tea that doesn't taste like the bulls' balls!

 Anyone who has ever made an effort to pursue a higher level of health and fitness has read over and over again about green tea's superpowers. And that's great. What none of that literature has the grace to mention, though, is that green tea tastes like pond water...only with less risk of E. coli poisoning. So I have tried for years to find a way to make green tea palatable, and the only way I have succeeded is to use cold green tea in smoothies with lots of other goodies so that you can't taste it at all. But today, my friends, I have found a variety that I can enjoy! Here's the story: I ordered Splash from David's Tea because it sounded interesting...and healthy (and if you know me you know that I am willing to gag down just about anything if there are health benefits attached) but when it arrived and I opened it up, the smell alone put me off so thoroughly that I sealed it up and pushed it to the back of my tea cupboard. (Yes, I have a separate cupboard for tea - it's a problem.) Anyway today, after a month of putting it off, I squared my shoulders, firmly gripped my gag reflex, and made some...and amazingly enough, it's really good! The ginger and cardamom are strong enough to kill the taste of the foul green tea and sea lettuce. And hey - it's really, really good for you!

 My last post was all about our unhealthy obsession with numbers - particularly the one that blinks out of the scale when you step on it. And I'd like to re-iterate that once again:

 WHAT YOU WEIGH DOESN'T MATTER! 

The scale is like that person at the party who doesn't know anything and think they know everything, so they talk more and at a higher volume than anyone else in the room without letting anyone else get a word in edgewise. The scale doesn't know what your fluid balance is that day, how sore you are from yesterday's workout, what your body composition is, or even if you're male or female. So why on earth would you bother with it? Unfortunately for most of us, the idiot at the party will usually say something stupid and offensive that we take home and stew over for days, and the scale seems to have that same niggly day-ruining power...but I have a solution for that problem. Ready?

 Forget about the scale. Stick it in, or under, the bathroom cupboard or somewhere the sun doesn't shine, and focus instead on the numbers that are much more fun and actually DO matter: your workout stats. How much can you deadlift right now? How many push ups can you do? How fast can you walk a mile? It doesn't matter which exercise you choose at all, but I challenge you to choose ONE of them and for the next six weeks, check THAT number once a week instead of getting on the scale. It'll be fun, I promise. And don't forget to work on that skill a few times during the week as well, because here it is again:
WHAT YOU WEIGH DOESNT MATTER. WHATS IMPORTANT IS WHAT YOU CAN DO.