Turn It Up Tuesday!

Happy first day of summer! :) I decided to celebrate the official arrival of summer with an early morning scoop of SuperPump Max and an intense 25 minute run through the streets with music blasting in my ears. After finishing my run, I fueled up my body with a cup of egg whites with Mrs. Dash seasoning, Oatmeal with some cinnamon added, an orange, and a big glass of milk. Like the old saying goes, breakfast honestly is the most important meal of the day. Unfortunately, I am not much of a breakfast person, but I know that if I want to build muscle and feel great throughout the day I have to force myself to eat a big breakfast. It is difficult for me to eat a lot in the morning, but on the days where I don't have a big breakfast I can definitely notice a difference in myself; without a big breakfast I find myself more tired during the day and I get much hungrier and just don't feel like my normal bubbly, high energy self. So do yourself a favor and fuel that body as much as you can when you wake up! :)

Later today I am going to lift and my workout is going to be somewhat of a total upper body circuit. I like to alternate doing days of isolated muscle group workouts (i.e. shoulder workout one day and back the next, etc.) with days of multiple muscle group workouts because it keeps my body guessing and keeps my mind interested and engaged. Also, for me personally, my upper body is what I have the most difficulty building up and toning, and I found that my muscles are responding better by keeping my workout routines new and by doing fewer reps with heavier weights. Every person's muscles are going to respond differently to workout routines. What works really well for one person may not be the best option for another. The only way to really find out is by trial and error. It takes time to figure out, but if you love fitness like I do, then figuring out what works best for you will be a fun experience as you learn more about your body and how you can manipulate and change the way it looks. That is what keeps me so intrigued with lifting weights: I am in complete control of how my body looks and I can change the shape of muscles exactly the way I want with time and effort. 

Here is how my workout is gonna go today:

Triceps: Skull Crushers

Biceps: 21's

Shoulders: Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Back: Romanian Deadlift

----- After Romanian Deadlift I will do 15 minutes of HIIT cardio. I like to split up my workout with cardio in the middle sometimes because my upper body, particularly my arms, are my weak points. By giving them a quick rest and doing cardio, I can finish the second half of my workout with the same intensity and heavy weights as in the first half of my workout. I am also giong to finish my workout with a super set for each body part I am working. A superset is when upon completing one set of an exercise, you immediately begin a set of another exercise. Again, this is just what works for my body, so it may not work for you.-------

Triceps: Bench Dips super-setted with Cable Overhead Extensions

Biceps: Hammer Curls super-setted with Overhead Cable Curl (I will do one arm at a time)

Shoulders: DB Incline Shoulder Raise super-setted with DB Lateral Raise

Back: Lat Pulldown super-setted with Back Extensions

And there you have it! Make every workout count. Your mind is just as important in a workout as your body. If your mind is not 100% focused and engaged, then you will just be going through the motions of your workout and not getting anything out of your workout. Stay enthusiastic and stay engaged! If you find it hard to get pumped up about your workout, switch things up: change your routine, add new music to your workout playlist, change the time of day you workout, or go to the gym with someone you haven't gone with before. 

<3 Health and Happiness