Day 2 - Arm & Shoulders

Today I woke up with major allergies. I have seasonal allergies that is sometimes debilitating. I tried to sleep and rest as much as I could. I finally picked myself up around 3pm and decided to head to the gym to focus on my arms and shoulders. When training for a marathon, you should not run every day and on my "off" days I like to focus on strength training. Today it was focusing on my arms (biceps, triceps) and my shoulders and back. I used to hate working out arms, well, anything that was not cardio or legs. Over the last 6 months of working out, my upper body strength has really shown me that for a healthy body you need to focus on all your muscle groups.

I started out with 20 minutes of the elliptical. Something low impact and easy on my knees. I find its good to get my heart rate up. Its like an extra pump! Who needs pre-workout? :) I grabbed a 20lb barbell and I did a circuit of workouts.

3 sets of 15-20 reps each (do a min of at least 15)
Barbell bench press
Bent over barbell row
One-arm dumbbell row (3 sets on EACH arm)
Barbell, bent over wide grip row
Barbell good mornings
Lying press
Laying pullover
Tricep pulldowns on a cable machine

My new favorite workout is:

Barbell curl at an incline

You have to find a bench that allows you to have it on a slight incline. This helps you to not swing and use standing momentum to get the barbell up. You'll get a really good burn. Lower the weight if you just want to get the motion down.

I have very slim arms, especially compared to my lower body. I am trying to get my arms to gain some much needed muscle. My goal for this upcoming year is to be able to do an unassisted pull up. Maybe 5?! We'll see!

I want to share my delicious lunch with you! Homemade Greek salad.

Ingredients: 
Lettuce - 2 cups
3 oz of roasted chicken breast
2 oz of tomatoes
3 oz of cucumbers
sliced red onion
2 oz of feta cheese
pitted greek olives
2 tablespoons of low-cal greek dressing

Optional:
1 oz of sun-dried tomatoes

SO GOOD. When you are trying to cut down on calories you will want to eat food for volume. That's why salads are great! Add in cucumbers and lots of other vegetables. You'll be feeling super full and satisfied.

See you on Day 3!