Lower Body/Back Workout & Update!!!

Good morning!!!!

Hope you're all having a lovely week so far :)))

I have been getting a lot of e-mails and messages asking me to post a lower body workout/what do i do for glutes/legs etc... So here is my response!

I just got back from the gym.. i had an amazing lower-body/back/core workout and a bomb post-workout meal! So I'm in a great mood. I decided to post what I did a few hours ago at the gym... Feel free to give this a try. I will suggest one thing, make sure you are well nourished before you go in to train 2 major muscle groups; this is an intense and grueling workout, so complex carbs and protein are a must before you head to the gym to tackle this challenge!!!

4 sets 20-25 reps for ALL lower body moves & 4 sets 12-15 reps for ALL upper back exercises:

• Stiff Legged Barbell Deadlifts
• Wide grip lat pull-downs or Chin-ups
• High/Close stance Leg Press
• Straight Arm Lat pulldown (with Rope)
• Barbell Squats (Medium Stance)
• T-Bar Rows
• Lying Hamstring Curls (Feet together)
• Leg Extensions (toes pointed out)
• Seated Cable Rows (Close-grip)
• Standing Calf Raises

I performed all of these moves as a circuit (giant-sets style) no rest until the whole circuit was finished. I did a core workout as an intermission... Mixture of Leg Raises/Vaccums/Broomstick Twists/Crunches etc... By the end of this workout i was sweating buckets and my heart felt like it was going to explode :D

I hope you guys find this info useful. I like to use the heaviest weights possible with the best possible form!!! I used to train with very light weights because it was embedded in my head that when you do high reps you should use b!tch weights too... this was until my coach talked some sense into me and made me realize that if i keep going for the b!tch weights my legs won't get any harder. They will stay the same size but softer! so the choice was EASY: hard quads/glutes/hams OR soft @ the same exact size... LOL obviously i wanted the tighter lower body option! and it happened... each workout my lower body gets tighter and tigher and the whole shape of it is changing/lifting and totally leaning out! I LOVE IT!!! 

I must admit though, since i love being honest and outspoken, i caused a scene this week on my BBM!!! i was constantly b%tching and complaining about how gross and bulky i felt... what happened was last Saturday I had my scheduled cheat meal... i went to mcDonalds after my workout and had 2 mcdoubles & a jr. mc.chicken stacked ontop of eachother with 12 enveloppes of ketchup (my brother calls this burger trio the MC GANG BANG!!! LOL) i think i blew a load in my pants after this, seriously... party in my mouth!! HAHAHA ... then i went to Dairy Queen and got a large or maybe xtra large (don't remember) cookies and cream/smarties/double fudge cookie blizzard!!! :D:D:D:D:D: yummmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! OMG im dying just thinking about how good this was! Now, this is totally acceptable and actually encouraged by most because it will speed up your metabolism and provide a mental diet break so long as you resume clean eating immediately post-cheat meal... the problem was I WAS ON MY MOTHER F&CKING PERIOD when i did this sh*t!!!!!! So the next day and following few days i felt like a jersey cow!!! i felt like the fattest person on Earth! i tried on a pair of black TNA leggings and my whole lower body looked like i belonged in a music video for some low budget rapper! :/ I did something terrible, i started cutting all my carbs and fats out of guilt until my coach realized i was having an emotional diet crisis based on my retarded BBM panic updates!! i think everyone on my BBM list thought i was gonna commit suicide via excess cardio and extreme dieting!! LOL... anyways the good news is my mind is back to normal and i am back on track!!! i LOVE my legs and @ss allover again :) :) especially after today's workout!!! 

So, don't be like me, don't be a retard! Use logic, don't deplete yourself on impulse and start restricting calories because you're a little bit bloated. Especially females! when that time of the month comes around; EXPECT THE WATER RETENTION!!! just cope with it... after all we have no choice but to accept it! Eventually some lucky man will be fortunate to spend every special 6 days of the month hearing me complain about how overweight and gross i am and how life sucks because im a woman!! HAAAAAAAAAAAAA! :D

Well, that is all for now guys!! Thanks for stopping by my site to see what's new and exciting in the crazy world of Miiss Alex :')))) Also, in case you don't have me on facebook, here is the link to the recipe for my deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelicious HEALTHY HIGH PROTEIN BROWNIES!! Enjoy!! xoxo

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=202384566495666

Post-Competition Review and What's Next for me...

Hello!!!! Thank you for stopping by my site ;)
Soooo it's about 2-3 weeks after the WBFF show... I competed on the 27th of August... the prep was intense, very exciting and i'm truly pleased with the package i presented on stage and my conditioning! Had a blast meeting new people backstage, pumping up and enjoying lots of sugary treats!!! LOL... Every time i compete i learn something new about myself, both mental and physical... one thing i love about this sport is there is NO limit to what you can achieve and you can just continue to raise the bar with workouts/diet! The body adapts to training/nutrition so quickly that it's a constant challenge to keep a few steps ahead and shock your body!!!
The class i competed in was fairly large i think about 12-15 girls or so, i placed 5th... I can't say i was pleased with that... but then again, you NEVER KNOW what or who the judges are looking for... especially since i usually compete w/ a different organization... However, i won't cry over spilled milk... no use in b*tching about "unfair judging" ... life goes on and i am thankful for the extensive learning curve i got to experience while dialing in for this show... I owe a HUGE thank you to my amazing contest prep coach, Kevin Tierney!!! Honestly i started working w/ him towards the END of my prep (last month) where i had hit a major mental barrier... i was a complete carbo-phobic and cardio-addict!!!! Luckily he somehow got through my thick skull and talked some sense/scientific knowledge into me and sh*t started to click... it made sense WHY i needed "the right types of carbs" at the right times in order to achieve the look i wanted... if i have any regrets it's not having had Kevin train me the FULL 12 weeks... or i would have came in more dialed in/tighter... but this is why there are OTHER shows to train for... hahaha... NEXT on the agenda is the OPA London show in November... We've already pretty much mapped out a nutritional outline/training plan for the next while which is my main focus at this moment... I had a lot of fears to overcome... 
1)Fear of carbs 
2)Not Over-training(i was used to living on the cardio equipment) 
3)Lifting super heavy for lower reps for a period of time 
4)Giant Sets 
5)Eating more in general...
6)Etc ... Etc... LOL
I was sooooo scared to eat more i honestly thought i was going to pack on so much size, the girl in me formed an emotional attachment to dieting.. so by taking myself out of the equation and just following the nutrition plan   my coach gave me i didn't question anything, just had faith and i'm right back on track ;) I even got to enjoy an awesome post-comp week of "no boundaries eating" LOL i crammed thousands upon thousands of crap calories, like literally shoveled food down my throat by the hour... FEARLESS!!!!! As expected i retained a sh*t ton of WATER after this but it's ALL coming off! Focus, hard work, sweat/tears etc etc.... and the results are starting to show! I faced my fears of consuming clean carbs w/ more than 3 meals a day and eating wayyyy more protein and to my surprise the numbers on the scale are slowly decreasing... :)
If there is one thing i am learning is that it helps to be more objective and have an open mind when it comes to food/exercise... You may know your body best, but somebody may know what the next step for you is when you hit a plateau/barrier so although we have to stand on stage alone and this may be seen as a "one man sport" it takes a whole lot more input/opinions and expertise to truly master "dialing in" for a show!!!
My creativity is booming in the kitchen, i'm putting together so many new concoctions that fit into my new nutrition plan, it's really exciting and i'm eager to share some recipes with you all!!!!
Anyhow, here are a few pics that some very talented photographers took of me at the show... hope you like'em! ;) I will be posting another update and some recipes soon, so stay tuned :))))

xo,
Alex L. :)