Mini Rant....

I am so sick of hearing that women + heavy weights = bulky!  My husband keeps asking why I need a 'gym' and why I need to lift weights.  My mom friends keep telling me that they have to do low weights and high reps or they get to bulky.  I've been told that deadlifts, squats, and Olympic lifting are going to blow out my back and ruin me.  And I'm SICK of it....

Ladies, if you are overweight, sick of exercising and not losing, can't lift your kid over your head, and think that your Pepsi bottle is heavy then get your head out of your behind!  Weights, heavy ones, will solve your woes!  And here's why:

The female body does not contain the same hormones as the male.  Both sexes have estrogens and androgens but in vastly differing amounts.  Men produce 6-8 mg of testosterone per DAY.  It takes a woman 12-16 days to make that much!  Men have nowhere near as much estrogen because it is produced in the ovaries.  Because of the higher lean mass to fat ratio men have (thanks to that high testosterone!) they lose weight easily and build muscle quickly.  Ever wonder why your husband and you choose to diet together and he loses more despite doing everything wrong?  You eat right, exercise, and drink your water and at the end you've lost 2 lbs and he's lost 20.  Well this is the answer!

So why do you NEED higher weight?  Because you have two types of muscle fiber, myogenic and neurogenic.  Myogenic refers to your muscle tone at rest.  So if you want to look good lounging by the pool in that new bikini you need to work those weights.  Higher reps with lower weights causes micro-tears which results in fluid build up.  You temporarily appear more muscular but your muscle is softer and fades quickly while your strength gains are minimal.  The neurogenic muscle refers to your muscle tone during work.  Heavier weights increase your neurogenic sensitivity so you become more efficient with every movement from walking to driving to picking up your baby.  THIS is why you need those power lifts!

Finally, those isolation movements: bicep curls, leg extensions, etc. are useless.  Know why?  Because you can't use enough weight to cause them to respond and you can't burn enough calories to lose the fat to show them off!  Multi-joint, compound movements with a lot of weight are the only way to get your metabolism to behave like your husband's. 

You know you want to walk into your gym and load up a 45lb. bar in the rack with an additional 50lbs and then squat it for 5 reps and then repeat and repeat again!  That Barbie on the treadmill's eyes will bulge out of her head.  Every guy in the gym will think you are the hottest thing since sliced bread.  And finally you will look and feel sexy and confident.

I'll just leave you with cases in point:

Bulky? NO! Sexy? Yes! 

See you at the gym, by the weight rack!

Madness....

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars." - Jack Kerouac

Madness is a staple in my life.  It should be my middle name or my profession or something.  From 70 hour work weeks to trying to train for an (ultra)marathon to pursuing a degree I have little to no actual interest in to taper madness (25 days to marathon! EEK!).  Oh, and don't forget volunteering to RD for a race to benefit the trail council I'm part of!

By the grace of some mystical power the race director thing actually went pretty well.  In fact, I'll even say it was spectacular!  My husband, daughters, and mother-in-law all took part in the 5k while my father-in-law and I worked the set-up, start, aid stations, and finish.  My husband took home second in his age group, my older daughter got first in hers, and my mother-in-law took first in her age group as well!  We Brunazzis are all about domination!  HAHA! 

My hubby finishing for a PR and an AG award:

Me, announcing awards, and being thrilled to give one to my big girl!

My mother-in-law pushing that stroller like she's racing in Chariots of Fire!

I just have to say that despite our insanity and hectic schedules and penchant for dumb stunts, I love my family!

Thankfully I've hit a slow period.  Work has hit the summer lull so I'm taking some time off, I have one more project for school and then I get two weeks off, getting ready for tapering means less time running (and/or thinking about running), and my in-laws are taking the baby to North Carolina with them for eight days.  I'm going to miss her like crazy but I won't miss late nights, early mornings, and lugging a diaper bag and 40 pound carseat everywhere!

So, when the madness dies down what do I do?  Add more, of course!  First off I signed up for a(nother) ultra.  But not just any old ultra, the Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Run!  Oh yeah!  Second I recognized that I'm barely in marathon shape, let alone 100M shape.  So I joined CrossFit!  I ran with the Misfits (their chosen name, not an insult!) in a thunderstorm with hail and a raging downpour a couple weeks ago. That was all I needed to convince me they're as mad as I am so I joined up this week!  I've worked out (gotten my azz kicked) twice now and I love it!

The first workout was 5 rounds for time, consisting of 400m run, 30 box jumps (14"), and 30 wall balls.  I finished in an unimpressive 37:30.  The second workout went a little better.  This one was 5 rounds for time, consisting of 250m row, 20 squats, 15 sit ups, and 20 box jumps (14").  I finished in (still pathetic) 22:34.  At least I have some new goals though!  Sub-35 for workout 1 and sub-20 for workout two!  Oh, and don't die on that 100 mile race I jumped into!

Tomorrow is my weights class.  Deadlifts, thrusters, cleans, snatches, etc.  So as the wall at CrossFit says, "Real women play with barbells (not Barbies)".  Oh and:

Stay crazy yinz!