Lean Muscle Challenge Week 2 and 3. RIP Kobe :(

Good evening everyone. I hope you are all doing great. I am starting to figure out my weights for strength training again for the Lean Muscle Challenge. Some are lighter than I want to be, but that is expected from some time off. I am sorry for the delayed post. Last weekend was a busy weekned, and with the holiday and the extra time off had me confusing the days of the work (plus I got a couple of snow days off of work). I have also been completely sad today with the unexpected loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter. Here's my past two training weeks in review:

Lean Muscle Challenge Week 2:

Monday 1/13/20: Legs, Calves, Abs, and Cardio

Strength Training:

Smith Machine Squats
3 x 20 reps
40lb, 70lb, 80lb

Walking Barbell Lunges
3 x 20 reps
50lb

Seated Leg Presses
3 x 20 reps
160lb, 260lb, 260lb

Lying Hamstring Curls
3 x 20 reps
30lb, 40lb, 50lb

Standing Calf Raises
3 x 20 reps
60lb, 80lb, 80lb

Ab Rollouts
3 x Failure

Lying Leg Raises
3 x Failure

Morning Cardio:

Elliptical

Afternoon Cardio:

Elliptical

Tuesday 1/14/20: Back and OrangeTheory

Morning Cardio:

OrangeTheory

Strength:

Lat Pull Downs
3 x 15 reps


Chin Ups
3 x Failure


Bent Over Dumbell Rows
3 x 15 reps


Machine Deadlift
3 x 15 reps


Close-grip Pulldown
3 x 15 reps

Evening Cardio:

Run

Wednesday 1/15/20: Chest, Abs, and Cardio

Strength:

Incline Dumbbell Press
3 x 20 reps


Decline Dumbbell Flyes
3 x 20 reps


Seated Machine Chest
3 x 15 reps


Bent Over Cable Flyes
3 x 15 reps


Lying Crunches
1 x 40 reps

Twisting Crunches 
1 x 40 reps

Sit Ups
1 x 40 reps

Bicycle Crunches
1 x 20 reps

Morning Cardio:

Elliptical

Thursday 1/16/20: Shoulder, Calves, and OrangeTheory

Strength:

Rear Delts Dumbbell Raises
3 x 20 reps


Arnold Presses
3 x 15 reps


Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raises
3 x 10 reps


Machine Unilateral Shoulder Press
3 x 20 reps


Bilateral Dumbbell Front Raise
3 x 20 reps


Barbell Upright Rows
3 x 20 reps


Seated Calf Raises
3 x 30 reps


Morning Cardio:

Stairclimber

Afternoon Cardio:

OrangeTheory

I am very good at forgetting my OrangeTheory HR monitor 😂

Evening Cardio:

Mega Circuit

Friday 1/17/20: Arms, Abs, and Cardio

Morning Cardio:

Run

Strength:

Tricep Pushdown
3 x 15 reps


Overhead Tricep Extension
3 x 15 reps


Close-grip Pushups
3 x Failure


Bench Dips
3 x Failure

Cable Curls
3 x 12


Barbell Curls
3 x 12


Bilateral to Unilateral Dumbbell Bicep Curls
3 x 15 + Failure

Medicine Ball Crunches
3 x 20 + 10 reps

Lying Leg Raises + butt Raise Variation
3 x 20 + 10 reps


Afternoon Cardio:

Run

Saturday 1/18/20: Cardio


Morning Cardio:

Elliptical

Acupuncture and Massage

This felt great. I was really tight and acupuncture and massage helped. It also always relaxes me mentally. Such a great stress relief!

Sunday 1/19/20: Rest

Measurements for Lean Muscle Challenge:

Measurements taken 1/19/20:

Weight: 124.6lbs
Neck: 12in
Chest: 32.5in
Waist: 28in
Hip: 35.25in
Left Thigh: 21.5in
Right Thigh: 22in
Left Calf: 13in
Right Calf: 13in
Left Bicep: 10in
Right Bicep: 10.25in
Left Forearm: 9.25in
Right Forearm: 9.25in
Wrist: 6.125in

Body Fat w/tape measurements: 25.56%

Body Fat w/caliper: 20.39%

-Abs: 23mm

-Suprailiac: 25mm

-Tricep: 10mm

-Thigh: 10mm

Average Body Fat: 22.93%

Scale Body Fat: 25.3%

Average of the 3: 23.72%

Lean Muscle Challenge Week 3:

Monday 1/20/20: Legs, Calves, and Cardio

Strength Training:

Leg Extensions
3 x 20 reps

Walking Lunges
3 x 20 reps

Machine Squats
4 x 20 reps

Leg Presses
4 x 20 reps

Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlifts
3 x 20 reps

Single-Leg Standing Calf Raises
3 x 20 reps

Afternoon Cardio:

OrangeTheory

Tuesday 1/21/20: Back, Traps, Abs and Cardio

Morning Cardio:

Treadmill

Strength:

Reverse-Grip Lat Pull Downs
3 x 15 reps


Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows
3 x 15


Lat Pulldowns
3 x 15 reps


Seated Cable Rows
3 x 15 reps


Straight-Arm Cable Pulldown
3 x 15 reps


Dumbbell Shrugs
3 x 15 reps


Sit-Ups
3 x Failure

Hanging Leg Raises
3 x 15

Afternoon Cardio:

Elliptical

Wednesday 1/22/20: Chest, and Cardio

Strength:

Flat Bench Press
3 x 6/6 reps


Dumbbell Bench Press
3 x 15 reps


Cable Crossover Presses
3 x 15 reps


Unilateral Incline Chest Press
3 x 10 reps


Peck Deck Flyes
3 x 12 reps


Morning Cardio:

Elliptical

Thursday 1/23/20: Shoulder, Calves, and OrangeTheory

Strength:

Barbell Front Raises
3 x 15 reps


Standing Barbell Presses
3 x 15 reps


Standing Dumbbell Lateral-Front Raises
3 x 12 reps


Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
3 x 15 reps


Reverse Cable Crossover
3 x 15 reps


Seated Calf Raises
3 x 30 reps


Morning Cardio:

Elliptical

Afternoon Cardio:

OrangeTheory

Evening Cardio:

Mega Circuit

Friday 1/24/20: Arms, Abs, and Cardio

Strength:

Barbell Curls
4 x 30/20/10/(10-10-10) reps


Seated Cable Curls
3 x 10/10 reps


Tricep Cable Pushdown
4 x 30/20/10/(10-10-10) reps


Incline Barbell Extension
3 Sets - 20/20/(10-10-10)


Bench Dips
3 x Failure


Elevetaed Sit Ups
3 x Failure


Reverse Crunches
3 x 20 reps

Saturday 1/25/20: Cardio


Morning Cardio:

Run

I was able to go 10 miles and my knee held up! Yay! It was way slower than I would want, but I am really trying to focus on just adding distance again. Once I can manage that with no knee pain, I will work towards speed once again.

Sunday 1/26/20: Rest

Massage

Measurements for Lean Muscle Challenge:

Uhhh I weighed myself and it was terrible. I have gained 20lbs since my InBody scan 😢. I am just going downhill. Some of it is water retention from all of my water consumption, too much sodium, and way too many carbs.

Diet:

I am going to be changing up my diet to something I have never tried before. It is going to be so hard, but I need to try something new. I am going to be trying out a low carb diet. In order to make this work, I am going to be following the whole life challenge kickstart (although for a lot of categories I am still going to aim for lifestyle or performance). My macronutrients will are as follows: For training days, they are 1443 calories: 54g Carbs (15%), 102g Protein (25%), and 91g Fats (60%). For rest days, they are 1254 calories: 47g Carbs (15%), 102g Protein (30%), and 73g Fats (55%).

With this, I will not really be focusing on the MIND diet as much and will eat a little more lean protein (besides fish).

Whole Life Challenge

The hardest part of the Whole Life Challenge so far is the nutrition, and I knew it would be. It is going to be even harder now with the low-carb diet. I am going to do my best and hopefully be able to stick with it for the rest of this challenge (my own personal version of the nutrition for the whole life challenge).

I am still struggling with my nutrition overall. That is why I am trying out low carb. It is good for fat loss, and honestly, I need to do something different to kickstart a positive change. I have been in these slumps before and have had negative and no progress before. These periods are incredibly frustrating, but just gotta mkeep on trekking and I will get through it. Changing it up has always helped in the past. It presents a new challenge to me, so I think that helps.

I am absolutely devastated about the loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi. I have been a fan of Kobe for as long as I can remember. I remember sitting in front of the TV with my dad and watching him play. I was always in awe and mesmerized by him. I was inspired by him and his work ethic. I was a Kobe fan and through that, I became a Laker fan. I was beyond ecstatic the first time I was able to watch him play. On TV, it was incredible, but in person, it was like magic. Seeing him on the court was mesmerizing. I was so sad when he tired, but you knew it was time. I am completely devastated now, and it was not time for him and his daughter. They were gone too soon just doing something that was routine to them. Cherish your loved ones. Don't forget to tell the people you care about how much you love them. I am going to cry and be sad because my childhood hero is gone. A wife lost her husband. A mother lost her daughter. My condolences go out to Vanessa and his family.

I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I'm like, 'My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don't have it. I just want to chill' We all have self-doubt. You don't deny it, but you also don't capitulate to it. You embrace it."-Kobe Bryant

Until next time,
Ari