Back From The Dead...

Well hello there everyone!! I'm so sorry that I have not been keeping up with my posts...this week has just been beyond crazzyy. But I'm back and ready to blog! Hope you guys didn't miss me too much ;)

I just got done an awesome bicep/trap workout and am feelin' really good. What did everyone do in the gym today? Anybody start my new workout? I am really LOVING this new workout I've made...the "figure model workout." It's been awhile since I've committed to a brand new workout routine and I'm really feeling good after my workouts with this new routine I've made. I've been pretty sore every day from my workouts - I love doing high intensity workouts it gives me such a good burn for the next day or two.

Oh, before I get you guys all caught up...has anyone read 50 Shades of Grey ? I just finished it today..it was really, realy good..I haven't been able to put it down the past 3 days (yes, it only took me 3 days to finish the 500-something paged book). If you have not read it yet, I definitely advice you read it. I got lost in the relationship between Christian and Anastasia and can't wait to find out how the next book is!

ANYWAYS....The last time I blogged was ...Sunday (wow, it really has been awhile, sorry :/ ).
Monday, Tuesday, Wed and today's challenges all consisted of my new workout...so I will fill you guys in on the workouts below. I know a reader had asked for pictures, and I will put them up ASAP. I was able to get pictures for today's workout, and will get caught up on the other workout pictures as soon as I can. I've been working out alone the past few days and haven't had anyone to take pics for me until tonight. So, I'll get on that as soon as I can!!

Okay, so..Day 2 of the workout is Back, Triceps and Abs

Felicia's Figure Model Workout: Day 2

Reverse Lat Pulldowns - 3 sets - 15-20 reps

superset with

Wide Grip Lat Pulldown - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Seated Cable Rows - 3 sets - 12-15 reps

superset with 

Barbell Bent-over Row - 3 sets - 12-15 reps 

Cable Bent-over Row - 3 sets - 15-20 reps

drop set the last set 

Triceps Pushdowns - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

superset with

Overhead Cable Extension - 15-20 reps 

E-Z Bar Skullcrushers - 3 sets - 12-15 reps 

superset with

Overhead Dumbbell Extension 3 sets 12-15 reps

drop set last set of overhead dumb. ext

(you can find a bunch of pictures for these triceps exercises on one of my previous posts)

Finish the workout with 15 minutes of Ab exercises of your choosing :) 

Day 3: Lower Body and Cardio

Warm up with 12-15 minutes of cardio of your choice 

I did HIIT training for 15 minutes on the treadmill 

Barbell Squats - 3 sets - 12-15 reps 

superset with

Sumo Dumbbell Squats - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Romanian (Stiff Legged) Deadlifts - 3 sets - 15-20 reps

superset with

Sumo Deadlifts - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Single-Legged Dumbbell Squats - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

superset with

Cable Kickbacks - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Seated Leg Extensions - 25

drop set last set 

Seated Calf Raises - 3 sets - 20-25

superset with  

Standing Dumbbell Calf Raises - 3 sets - 20-25

Seated Leg Curls - 25

drop set last set 

Complete Workout with 25-30 minutes of cardio

I did more HIIT training on the treadmill (that's my favorite)

(You can also find a lot of pictures for most of these exercises on one of my previous posts)

***I switched day 4 and day 5 up..it used to be:

Day 4: Traps and Biceps

Day 5: Cardio and Abs

I just switched them around to get an extra cardio day in there..so day 4 is Cardio now, day 5 is traps and bis***

Day 4: Cardio and Abs

45 minutes to 1 hour of cardio 

You can decide what type of cardio you want to do. 

I started with a fast-paced walk of 3.8 on the treadmill at an incline of 15.0

I did that for the first 30 minutes of my cardio workout

The last 30 minutes of my cardio I did sprint HIIT training

Sprint for 1 minute, jog for 2 

Conclude your workout with ab exercises of your choosing

I always switch up my ab routine, that's why I never really put ab exercise pictures on here, but if you guys would like to know some exercises and get some pics, let me know and I'd be happy to put some up :) 

Day 5: Biceps and Traps

Standing Dumbbell Curls - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Superset with 

Dumbbell Shurgs (I didn't get a picture of that one, sorry) 3 sets - 15-20 reps

standing dumbbell curls

Reverse E-Z Bar Curls - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

superset with 

E-Z Bar Upright Rows - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Reverse EZ Bar Curls

EZ Bar Upright Rows

E-Z Bar Preacher Curls - 3 sets - 15-20 reps

superset with

Resistance Band Biceps Curls - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

EZ Bar Preacher Curls

Resistance Band Bicep Curls

Concentration Curls - 3 sets - 15-20

drop set last set 

PHEW! Okay! So now we are alllllllll caught up, right?! I promise to add pictures for the rest of the workouts as soon as I can! I'll be going away this weekend, so keep your eye out for a new post in a couple of days. Until then, try this new workout plan out and let me know how you all feel! I've also been trying out a few new recipes that I'll put on here later on.. 

I hope everyone has been having a wonderful week so far! Mine has been hectic, but well. My new job is going pretty good - still getting used to a 45 hour work week, but I guess that wil take some time. I also got a new client that I start training next week which I am very excited about! 

Talk to you guys in a couple days :)

XXOOO

Fitness Felicia 

It's Been 1 Week..!

Well hello everyone! I've reached my 1 week mark for my 365 day challenge. I'd like to reflect upon the last week for a quick minute. This first week of my challenge has certainly been interesting. I've really enjoyed blogging about my daily challenges, it gives me something to look forward to everyday.

  What do you guys think so far? I still haven't recieved any challenges from you guys! Challenge me to push myself, I DARE YOU! 

Regardless if people are enjoying my blog or not (I don't really know because I HAVENT REALLY RECEIVED MUCH FEED BACK...hint hint!), I AM enjoying what I am doing, and am glad that I'm writing about everything so that I can look back on my progress and the things I've achieved. A year is a really long time, and by the end of the year, heck, by the end of 1 month even, I will have learned and tried so many new things, and that really excites me.

Anyways..onto today's events...
I made up my own little fitness challenge today. My workout today was for back and biceps, so I wanted to incorporate a little fitness challenge incorporating both back and bicep exercises.

The challenge is this: 

3 exercises, 60 seconds on (20 sec each exercise), 30 seconds off, repeat 3 times - see how many reps for each exercise you can get for each round. 

I did this challenge at the end of my workout, so my back and bi's were already pretty fatigued. Obviously I would have gotten up to more reps if I had done this at the beginning of my workout. I purposely did this challenge at the end of my workout so I wouldn't fatigue my muscles before I even started the bulk of my workout. The video below is of my first set of this challenge. I only taped one set of it, I didn't want to bore everyone with a whole 4 minute long video. (see? I'm always keeping my readers in mind!!) 

The exercises for this challenge are:

Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curls (20 sec)

One-Legged Bent Over Dumbbell Row (20 sec)

Hammer Dumbbell Curls (20 sec) 

Total time: 4 1/2 minutes 

I did give myself 3 seconds to switch weights, I didn't factor that into the whole 4/12 minutes

My Results:

1st Set:

7 reps of alternating bicep curls (both arms) (15 lbs)

10 reps of one-legged dumbbell rows (10 lbs)

11 reps of hammer curls (3 15 lbs, finished with 10 lbs)

2nd Set:

8 reps alt. bicep curls (15 lbs)

9 reps one-legged dumbbell rows (15 lbs)

8 reps hammer curls (10 lbs)

3rd Set:

15 reps alt bicep curls (10 lbs)

10 reps one-legged dumbbell rows (10 lbs)

10 reps hammer curls (10 lbs)

You should all definitely try this challenge out, it gets your heart rate up and is a great way to pump out a few more reps of exercises before finishing up your workout!

Don't be discouraged if you are not using much weight for this challenge. It is a fast-paced challenge, so your muscles will become fatigued quicker, your heart rate will be higher than when doing your regular sets. Keep all of that in mind, and try starting out with a lower weight that you usually would do. For example, when I am doing dumbbell curls, I usually use 20-25 lb dumbbells depending on what I am doing (based on my rep range - sometimes more, sometimes less). Because for most workouts I use 20-25 lbs, I dropped my weight down to 15 lb dumbbells for this challenge..catch my drift?!

I am challenging you to challenge yourself. Let me know how you did! Did you beat my scores?!
If you are a beginner to workout out, change up this challenge a bit. You could add more time to your rest period and less time to exercise. GIVE IT A TRY!

I did promise you guys a "Big Booty" Workout today, so I will post that later tonight, so check back!!!

Good luck, challenge yourself!!!!

Love,
Fitness Felicia <3