Chest and Back Workout

Keywords: chest, back, workout, fitness, healthy, healthy recipes, goals, power set

This week I want to share some of my favorite workouts. I’ve really been focusing on strengthening my back and chest. For the last three weeks I have been doing chest and back on Mondays and Fridays.

A few of my favorite chest and back workouts include power rows with dumbbells, assisted pull-ups, and a power set of incline chest press and incline chest fly.

I like to mix my workouts up each week so my body doesn't become accustomed to them. I also don’t want to get bored with my workouts. An example of a chest and back workout I would do is:

Assisted pull-ups – 3 sets of 12

Power set:

• Incline chest press – 20 pounds x 15, 20x12, 20x8, 20x8
• Incline dumbbell fly – 15 pounds x 10, 15x8, 15x8, 15x6

Power set:

• Lat pull-downs – 4 sets of 12
• Machine w-rows – 90 pounds 4x15

Power set:

• Dumbbell power rows – 30 pound dumbbells, 4x10 each arm
• Bench press – bar x 20, 5 pounds on each side 3x12

Assisted pull-ups – 2 sets of 12, one set to failure

A set to failure is when you do the exercise until you physically can’t do it anymore.

A power set means you do two workouts consecutively. For example, I would do a set of incline chest presses immediately followed by a set of incline dumbbell flies. That counts as “one power set.” I would then repeat with a set of chest presses followed by a set of flies until I was done with that exercise. Then I move on to the next power set.

Week 3 goals:

This week my goal is to continue with cardio and full workouts. I can already see my body making progress. I just need to keep it up!

Recipe of the week:

Egg whites are a lifesaver when it comes to eating healthy! I could eat egg whites for every meal. You’re probably thinking egg whites are not very flavorful, but there are so many ways to spice them up so I never get bored! You can eat them plain, with spinach, hot sauce, cherry tomatoes, or mozzarella cheese. The list goes on and on. My favorite egg white concoction just needs a few things.

Ingredients:    

• egg whites
• baby spinach
• cherry tomatoes
• chopped onion
• veggie or mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Spray skillet with Olive Oil cooking spray.
2. Pour egg whites into skillet.
3. Add in the chopped spinach, onions and tomatoes.
4. Sprinkle in a little cheese.
5. Mix it all up, and enjoy your scrambled egg whites! 

Fitness Encouragement

keywords: fitness, healthy, healthy recipe, competition, lifestyle, cardio, metabolic damage, progress

It can be really hard to stay focused and I have to remind myself that this lifestyle is worth it. This week I thought I would share a few things that I often have to tell myself, and also try to keep you all encouraged to keep going!

A healthy lifestyle is very rewarding. Sometimes, however, it can be very discouraging. Progress takes time and patience. It’s not going to be easy. Just remember as you are embracing your healthy lifestyle that progress is progress no matter how small!

It takes 21 days to develop a habit. It takes two weeks to see progress. Don’t give up on going to the gym or eating healthy after a week because you haven’t seen results. Keep up the hard work and you will start to notice!

Make small weekly goals to keep yourself focused. Once you’ve achieved one goal, set another. No matter how hard it is at first, developing a healthy lifestyle is something you will never regret!

Week 2 goals:

This week my goal is to get back into a cardio routine. I have been nervous to do daily cardio ever since I damaged my metabolism last semester. I learned a lot about cardio and metabolic damage from BioLayne. I now feel like I am ready to get back on track. This week I am going to do 20 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill every morning.

Recipe of the week:

I said it last week and I’ll say it again. Breakfast is important! Fueling your body correctly is crucial to achieving a successful healthy lifestyle. I am going to be starting cardio in the mornings. It is important for me to give my body the energy it needs. Before my cardio sessions, I will enjoy this chai green smoothie inspired by The Body Fuel System

Ingredients:

picture credit:http://essentialsurvival.org/post-holiday-detox/green-smoothie/  

• 5 large strawberries
• 1 apple
• 1/2 orange
• 1 1/2 cups kale - about 4-5 stalks
• 1 1/2 teaspoon spice blend (see below)
• 1 inch fresh ginger peeled
• 1 scoop vanilla chai protein powder (plain vanilla works too)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup water

Spice Blend:

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 2 teaspoons cacaco powder (specialty item found in health food section of Hy-Vee)

Directions:

1. Blend strawberries, apple, orange, water and almond milk in a blender.
2. Blend in kale.
3. Blend in spice blend, ginger and protein powder.
4. Enjoy your smoothie! :) 

My Fitness Journey Introduction!

My Fitness Journey: Steps to the Stage

Keywords: fitness, nutrition, healthy, lifestyle, fitness competition, bikini 

My name is Kayla Zumbach. I’m a junior at Iowa State University and I’m a fitness freak! I have always been an athlete and have kept myself in pretty good shape. It wasn’t until college, though, that I started getting serious about nutrition and working out. 

In March of 2013 I decided I wanted to become a fitness bikini competitor. I hired a trainer, cracked down on my diet, and got really serious about my weight training. I had planned on competing in a show on June 1, 2013.

Everything was going great until I ran into some issues with my metabolism. My cardio had been too monotonous and excessive, which caused my body to store all the fat it consumed. I could no longer drop fat.

I took some time off at the beginning of the summer to allow my metabolism to rebuild. My body is finally ready to start prepping for competition again! I plan to start competing in April of 2014. I probably won’t use a trainer or coach until closer to show time.

Please join me in fitness journey! In the weeks to come, I will be posting my goals and progress reports along with workouts, healthy recipes, and fitness facts!

Week 1 goals:

This week my goal is to complete my full workouts every day. With classes just starting up, it’s really easy to make excuses on why I should shorten or skip a workout. This week I will complete all of my workouts to their entirety!

Recipe of the week:

Breakfast is very important, never skip it! This week I’m going to share one of my favorite healthy breakfasts: Ezekiel French Toast, inspired by The Body Fuel System.

 Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 2 Tablespoons egg whites
• 3 Tablespoons almond milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Ezekiel bread 

Directions:

1. Beat egg, egg whites and almond milk together.
2. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.
3. Soak Ezekiel bread pieces in the mixture for a few minutes.
4. Cook evenly on each side on a sprayed skillet. I like to spray my skillet with Olive Oil cooking spray!
5. Serve and enjoy! :) I like to eat mine with all natural honey and fresh berries on top.