How is May Already Over?!?!

Is it just me, or did this past month go by super quickly?!? Before I know it, the summer will be over and I’ll be starting my final semester of university. I’m going to attempt to hold on to every inch of summer I can!

This past month was interesting, as it saw the rehab of knee, which meant no half-marathon. This made me kind of sad, because this is something that I worked really hard towards and it flopped. That being said, I know what I did wrong and what to fix going forward. Enough about my knee…below is what my month looked like!

Total Mileage This Month: 14. Not much I can do about this unfortunately. Though I feel that June will definitely be higher.

Best Performing Blog Post: Ironically enough, the best performing blog post this month was April is Done! I guess you guys like to read about how the month has looked as a whole.

How was the Strength Training this Month: Like I said on Monday, I wish I made more strides in the strength-training department but everyone’s bound to have off-cycles. I’m looking to make crazy gains in June so watch out!

Cool Products I Tried this Month: I posted this on Instagram a bit ago, but I’ve fallen in love with Clif’s Nut Butter Filled Bars. I’ll probably be doing a review on them in the near future, so keep your eyes pealed.

The coconut almond butter is my favourite flavour, but they have a hazelnut one that tastes like Nutella. Mmmmmm 

Cool Things I did: Treetop Trekking hands down. Read my review for it here.

So much green space! The actual area where the treetop trekking takes place is just beyond the trees. This photo doesn’t do it justice, it’s huge!

What cool products did you guys try this month? Anything I should try/do a review on?

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

 

 

 

 

End of 6 (?) Week Workout Cycle

So I kind of dropped the ball on this. I have a calendar that I write all my workouts in and when my workout cycles start/stop. I totally didn’t pay attention to the fact that my current cycle ended three and a half weeks ago…woops. On the upside, I get to cycle in pre-workout again! Anyways, without further ado, here’s what I’ve been up to the past while strength training wise. Keep in mind my knee is still healing, so my stats aren’t nearly as high as I would like them to be.

 Leg & Shoulder Day

Name of Exercise	Start	Finish	Increase
V-Squat (legs)	140lbs	160lbs	20lbs
Standing Calf Press (legs)	75lbs	140lbs	65lbs
Hip Adduction	190lbs	210lbs	20lbs
Hip Abduction	210lbs	220lbs	10lbs
Dumbbell Shoulder Press	30lbs	45lbs	15lbs
Standing Shoulder Press	55lbs	80lbs	25lbs
Dumbbell Lateral Raise	20lbs	45lbs	25lbs

Leg Day was tricky due to my knee. Half way through the cycle, I had to change up my workout in order to accommodate my injury. Also, with some of the shoulder exercises, they felt kind of awkward on my rotator cuff so I couldn’t cover as much ground. I also learned that doing dumbbell shoulder press and standing shoulder press in the same day REALLY tires out your shoulders…probably won’t do that again.

Back & Bicep Day

Name of Exercise	Start	Finish	Increase
Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown	75lbs	140lbs	65lbs
Concentrated Bicep Curls	20lbs	30lbs	10lbs
Barbell Deadlift	90lbs	100lbs	10lbs
Barbell Preacher Curls	35lbs	50lbs	15lbs
Low Row	70lbs	140lbs	70lbs

My deadlift had next to no improvement because of my knee.

Chest & Tricep Day

Name of Exercise	Start	Finish	Increase
Incline Bench Press	40lbs	55lbs	15lbs
Assisted Dips	70lbs	30lbs	-40lbs
Cable Flyes	17.5lbs	29lbs	11.5lbs
Tricep Kickbacks	15lbs	30lbs	15lbs
Dumbbell Bench Press	25lbs	35lbs	10lbs
Tricep Press	100lbs	120lbs	20lbs

 

Totally underestimated how hard incline bench is.

I’m really proud of how far my dips have come! I think I could definitely do one unassisted; I just question how many I could do. I had the same issues with the tricep kickbacks as I did with some of the other shoulder exercises. It feels really funky on my rotator cuff for some reason. As a side note, the weight on the cable flyes is per arm and not cumulative.

This next cycle, you guys will see me do a bit of a switch up. Rather than do a 5 x 5 style, I’m doing a 3 sets of 10-15 reps and different exercises. I only plan on hitting each muscle group twice rather than three times, because some of my gym sessions take way too long and with summer schools starting soon, I need to conserve time.

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

End of Week Check-In (Week 8)

This week was an interesting one, haha. On Monday, I decided to take my interval workout to the track at my gym. Mid-interval, I felt a breeze on my right mid-thigh. Once I stopped that particular interval, I looked down and noticed that there was a tear about two and a half inches long along the inner seem of my leggings. Reluctant to stop and go home due to my wardrobe malfunction, I continued to run which caused EXTREME chafe on my thigh. I literally thought I was going to die from the pain. Since walking was extremely painful as the chafed area would rub against the fabric of my shorts/pants, I had to rearrange my workouts until it healed. I’m fine now, (it actually scarred), but here’s what I managed to squeeze in this week:

Monday

Interval Run (Chafe Day): 3mi with an average pace of 10:25/mi and a moving time of 31:14.

Tuesday

Rest Day.

Wednesday

With the help of some gauze and medical tape, I was able to get in a leg/shoulder day:

-5 min warm up

-V-Squat: 140lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 30lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Standing Calf Press: 75lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Standing Shoulder Press: 55lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Hip Adductor: 190lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 20lbs @ 16 reps (1 min rest between sets)

*I talked about this briefly on Instagram, but after having issues lifting the barbell over my head for my standing shoulder press, it suddenly dawned on me that I should use a squat rack. A huge world of a difference! I also wanted to use the hip abductor machine, however it was in use and wasn’t in the mood to set in with someone.

Thursday

Back & Biceps:

-5 min warm-up

-Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown: 75lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Concentrated Bicep Curls: 20lbs @ 25 reps (1 min rest between sets)

-Deadlift: 90lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Barbell Preacher Curls: 35lbs @ 20 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Seated Row: 70lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Bicep Curls (machine): 50lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

Friday

Rest Day.

Saturday

Rest Day.

Sunday

Chest & Triceps:

-5 min warm-up

-Incline Bench Press: 40lbs @ 10 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Assisted Dips: 70lbs @ 25 reps (1 min rest between sets)

-Cable Flyes: 17.5lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Tricep Kickbacks: 15lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Dumbbell Bench Press: 25lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Tricep Press: 100lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

3mi Run: average pace of 10:17/mi with a moving time of 30:51.

Since my thigh’s feeling good, I’m pumped to go hard this week. Like I said last week, I decided to combine my leg day with my shoulder day since they were both relatively short and would buy me an extra rest day. I really want to up my mileage this month, so I might try to get out there and run a couple extra miles, even if it’s on the treadmill.

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

March is a Wrap!

How is winter done already? That rattles me for sure. That being said, I question if winter’s actually over; we got quite a bit of snow yesterday in Toronto! Ugh.

The month of March was decent for me. I had to skip a race, (read this to see why), and missed about a week of training following that. Missing training sucks, (as I’m sure you guys will agree), and the longer I can’t train, the worse I feel. Anyways, this is what I’ve been up to this month:

Total Miles: 46.7

Not as high as I would like. I didn’t have a goal for the year in terms of mileage, but crushing last year would be nice, (and is definitely doable). I think that I might try to up the mileage in April and see how it feels.

Favourite Strength Training Exercise: I actually just started a new cycle which haven’t logged on here yet, but my favourite exercise is probably Incline Barbell Bench Press. I actually started doing this by fluke: my boyfriend and I were going to do just a normal barbell bench press, but there were no benches available except for the incline one.

Stuff to Look Forward to In April: Warmer Temperatures!

New Things I Tried This Month: Clif Shot Energy Gels (super tasty – review to come)

Like I’ve said before, super delicious and pretty much tastes like jam.

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

Checking In – 5k Race/End of Six Week Cycle

A lot has happened since my last post, and not all of it has been good. Since this post encompasses a few different points, I’ll start with the 5k that I had planned.

Achilles St. Patrick’s Day 5k

This is the first race that I signed up for and didn’t run…ever. It sucked. Why didn’t I run? Two reasons: one, I’m just getting over a stomach bug in which the onset started Saturday night and two, I went to see Cirque Éloize – Cirkopolis with my parents/boyfriend which resulted in a late night. The two of those together made for a bad combination, causing me to feel pretty crappy by the time I woke up on Sunday. I feel pretty bad…almost like I just gave up. That being said, I probably would’ve been in a lot worst shape after the race if I’d showed up and ran it, so it was probably best that I stayed home.

End of Six Week Cycle

I said in a previous post that I would show you guys how far I’ve come in my strength training, (I do the same exercises for six weeks and then change it up), so here it is!

Exercise	Starting Weight/Reps	Ending Weight/Reps
Dumbell External Rotation (shoulders)	10lbs @ 25 reps total	30lbs @ 25 reps total
Shoulder Press (shoulders)	40lbs @ 25 reps total	65lbs @ 22 reps total
Rear Deltoid (shoulders)	60lbs @ 25 reps total	120lbs @ 25 reps total
One Arm Bicep Curls (bicep)	25lbs @ 25 reps total	40lbs @ 23 reps total
Back Extension (back)	135lbs @ 25 reps total	205lbs @ 25 reps total
Standing Barbell Curl (bicep)	40lbs @ 25 reps total	60lbs @ 20 reps total
Roman Chair (back)	25lbs @ 25 reps total	65lbs @ 25 reps total
Hammer Curls (bicep)	20lbs @ 25 reps total	35lbs @ 25 reps total
Lat Pulldown (back)	35lbs @ 25 reps total	85lbs @ 25 reps total
Calf Press (legs)	160lbs @ 25 reps total	215lbs @ 25 reps total
Barbell Squats (legs)	90lbs @ 25 reps total	120lbs @ 25 reps total
Hip Adductor (legs)	135lbs @ 25 reps total	205lbs @ 25 reps total
Hip Abductor (legs)	145lbs @ 25 reps total	190lbs @ 25 reps total
Assisted Dips (triceps)	100lbs @ 25 reps total	70lbs @ 25 reps total
Bench Press (chest)	20lbs @ 25 reps total	50lbs @ 17 reps total
Tricep Press (triceps)	60lbs @ 25 reps total	120lbs @ 25 reps total
Pec Fly (chest)	80lbs @ 25 reps total	90lbs @ 25 reps total
Dumbbell Tricep Extension (Triceps)	35lbs @ 25 reps total	45lbs @ 25 reps total
Chest Press (chest)	65lbs @ 25 reps total	95lbs @ 23 reps total

I’m pretty happy with this! I think my chest could’ve used a little more work, but it is what it is. I’m starting to feel like my normal self again, so I’m hoping in a day or two I’ll be able to hit up the gym.

Have you guys ever had to drop out of a race? If so, what was the context?

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

Mid-Week Check In (Week 6 of Half-Marathon Training)

This week has probably been one of the laziest starts ever! A mixture of homework and scheduling issues has caused me to push my two rest days to the front of the week. Is it just me, or am I the only one that hates starting the week on a rest day? I feel like it gets me off to a lazy start for the week. Seeing as I really have only done one workout thus far this week, I’ll just outline it below:

Monday

Rest Day

Tuesday

Rest Day

 Wednesday

Legs/Shoulders:

-5 min warm up

-Dumbbell External Rotation: 30lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between reps)

-Calf Press: 215lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between reps)

-Shoulder Press: 65lbs @ 22 reps total (1 min rest between reps)

-Barbell Squats: 120lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between reps)*

-Hip Adductor: 205lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between reps)

-Rear Deltoid: 90lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between reps)

-Hip Abductor: 190lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between reps)

*I should note (as per usual) that the weight of my barbell squats doesn’t include the bar.

Shoulder Press is probably THE MOST frustrating exercise this cycle next to bench press. I’ve been doing a machine shoulder press, but I feel like I haven’t made huge strides and I just find it an overall difficult exercise to execute. Maybe I have weak shoulders? Maybe my form’s not great? I’m not too sure. I plan doing a comparison post so you can see how far I’ve come from week one to now. I change up my workouts to keep my muscles guessing, so next week is the start of a new cycle. Stay tuned!

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

 

End of Week Check-In (a month into half-marathon training)!

As the weeks go by, one thing that I notice is that my interval days feel 10x harder than they did when I was training for a 10k. Obviously, that’s because the difficulty scales with the distance, but it can get really challenging some days! That being said, I had a pretty good week and was able to complete all my workouts despite having some pretty sore legs towards the end of the week. Here’s what I was up to:

Monday

6mi Run – 10:57/mi avg pace with a moving time of 1:05:50.

Tuesday

Shoulders:

-5 min warm up

-Dumbbell External Rotation: 20lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Shoulder Press: 65lbs @ 16 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Rear Deltoid: 90lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

Back & Biceps:

-5 min warm up

-One Arm Bicep Curls: 35lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Back Extension: 190lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Standing Barbell Curl: 60lbs @ 20 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Roman Chair: 55lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Hammer Curls: 35lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Lat Pulldown: 85lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

Wednesday

Intervals (Tempo) – 3.7 mi with an average pace of 10:54/mi and a moving time of 40:22.

Thursday

Legs:

-5 min warm up

-Calf Press: 200lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Squats: 120lbs @ 21 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Hip Adductor: 175lbs @ 25 reps (1 min rest between sets)

-Hip Abductor: 175lbs @ 25 reps (1 min rest between sets)

*this workout was probably the hardest leg day I’ve ever had. My legs just felt like spaghetti…it was brutal.

Chest & Triceps:

-5min warm up

-Assisted Dips: 70lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Bench Press: 50lbs @ 17 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Tricep Press: 120lbs @ 25 reps (1 min rest between sets)

-Pec Fly: N/A

-Dumbbell Tricep Extension: 45lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Chest Press: 95lbs @ 23 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

Friday

Rest Day.

Saturday

Rest Day.

Sunday

Intervals – 2.3 mi with an average pace of 10:11/mi and a moving time of 23:25.

*I got to try out the indoor track at my new gym! I love it. It’s rubberized, so it reduces some of the impact. It wasn’t too busy either since I went just after 11:00pm. It was perfect!

I have a lot going on this week, so I’m really hoping that I can maintain my schedule, however it might be a challenge. Stay tuned!

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

 

 

 

Product Review: Vega Sport Performance Protein

Price: $49.99 CAD

Remember when I said that I went to GNC and they had a BOGO sale? This is what I went to purchase. As you can tell from some of my other product reviews/my Instagram, I’m definitely a fan of Vega and use their products often. While I’ve had their all-in-one shakes before, I’ve never tried their Performance Protein. My usual criteria when purchasing a protein powder are flavour, (I usually buy chocolate or vanilla, I never get too fancy), calories/serving and what’s actually in the powder itself. If you’ve ever used Vega before, I’m sure you can attest to the fact that they always load their products up with a variety of beneficial things. The Performance Protein is no different. Here’s what I thought of it:

-I got the chocolate flavour and the container says that the protein powder has tart cherries in it so I expected more of a dark chocolate flavour, however it resembles milk chocolate more so (not a complaint, just an observation).

-It has 6g of BCAAs per serving which is AMAZING for runners and weightlifters alike.

-It tastes good in shakes, milk, and water as well. This is important to me, because I wouldn’t want to buy a protein powder if I can only mix it in one thing.

-Mixes really well, (no clumps).

Verdict? Another pat on the back for Vega. This stuff is delicious. I never would’ve thought that I would love a vegan protein powder as much as I love Vega’s.

 

Running Fast, Lifting Heavy Approved: Yes

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

 

P.S. Have something you want me to review? Write it in the comments!

End of Week Check-In (Week 3 of Mississauga Half-Marathon training)

I got some pretty exciting news as a logged into my WordPress account earlier…I have 100 followers! I never would’ve thought that when I started this blog last October that 100 people would care about what I have to say. So thank you guys!

Training this week definitely wasn’t as great as the previous two weeks, but still not too shabby. I missed both of my interval workouts which bums me out, but I still got my long run in, so I’m happy about that. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m using the Nike Half-Marathon Training Plan to train for my half. I’ve used it for my last two races and have had great results. Here’s what I did this past week:

Monday

Rest Day.

Tuesday

4mi run – 10:37/mi avg pace and a moving time of 42:42. My average pace was three seconds slower this week than it was last week, but I’m not sweating it.

Shoulders:

-5 min warm up

-Dumbbell External Rotation: 15lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Shoulder Press: 55lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Rear Deltoid: 75lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

Wednesday

Back & Biceps:

-5 min warm up

-One Arm Bicep Curls: 30lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Back Extension: 170lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Standing Barbell Curl: 60lbs @ 15 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Roman Chair: 45lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Hammer Curls: 30lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Lat Pulldown: 70lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

Legs:

-5 min warm up

-Calf Press: 185lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Barbell Squats: 110lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Hip Adductor: 160lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Hip Abductor: 160lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

I should probably note that for my barbell squats, the weight that I have listed here is the weight not including the bar.

Thursday

Rest Day.

Friday

Rest Day.

Saturday

Chest & Triceps:

-5 min warm up

-Assisted Dips: 85lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Bench Press: 50lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Tricep Press: 105lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Pec Fly: N/A

-Dumbbell Tricep Extension: 40lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

-Chest Press: 80lbs @ 25 reps total (1 min rest between sets)

Similar to the barbell squats, the weight for my bench is the weight without the bar.

Sunday

Rest Day.

Towards the end of my week, I just got super swamped and hence why the intervals didn’t happen. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this week is a little different.

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

 

 

 

 

Product Review: Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0

Price: $39.99

I’ve been posting pictures of this product on Instagram a lot recently…I can’t get enough of it! I stumbled across Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0, (a creatine-free pre-workout powder), while at GNC. GNC usually has some sort of BOGO deal on, and since my boyfriend and I were about to purchase something, I figured we should take advantage of the offer. I approached one of the employees for her recommendation for a creatine-free pre-workout and she showed me this one. There were a couple different flavours, but the watermelon flavour was at the front so I just picked that one.

I find pre-workouts to be tricky, because they generally come in smaller containers and are pricey. This one’s well worth it though. Here’s what I thought of it:

-The watermelon flavour is AMAZING!! It’s honestly so delicious. It reminds me of the watermelon flavour Jolly Rancher, (literally).

-Creatine-free, (a plus if you don’t want to hold onto the extra 3-5lbs of water weight)

-The container says it takes 30-60mins to kick in, but it actually only takes 20-30mins to start feeling it

-The “itchiness factor” of most pre-workouts isn’t nearly as strong in this one

-Only 10 calories/serving

I’ve tried other pre-workouts in the past, but this one is 100% the yummiest. Not only does it taste good, it’s effective and fast acting. I think I’m going to be a regular user of this product from now on…it’s just too good NOT to use!

Running Fast, Lifting Heavy Approved: 100% YES. This stuff is amazing.

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy