IrishPiratess

do you use gloves at all? I used to use plain non-padded gloves for a long time. And they were great for traction, but after dislocating my elbow last December, I've found that having a pair of padded gloves actually helps me and my elbow. It allows me to get lower in my push ups, and gripe barbells and straps much easier. (in addition to warming up, and all the other things that @Sahaja mentioned)

our gym is loaded with TRX setup, and I LOVE it. In fact, I won a halloween costume workout-contest yesterday and the prize was a new TRX set up for home. I'm STOKED! I'm 170 pounds, sweat like a bandshide, and have no issues with the straps slipping. I use the TRX as a "supplemental" position/alternate when training depending on how my body is feeling. and I agree with @Grog Swiftbear that if your cinches are slipping, they aren't attached correctly. I see some pretty big dudes in our gym using them with no issues (and I really and truly mean BIG. We train some of the NFL players at our gym)

yeah, I'm with @RisenPhoenix on this one. You just have to keep trying until you find one that sticks. I'm the same way, in that I'll try anything once. And much like RisenPhoenix, it was kind of dumb luck that I happened upon my sport. I always liked horses, but never really had the chance to be around them. Last summer, my husband's coworker invited me over for a Ride in late July/Beginning of August. And I took to it like a duck on water. A month later at the beginning of September, I competed and tied for 4th in my first 25 mile endurance race, and in October I took 3rd in my class for Horse Mounted Archery. Haven't looked back since. It's the thing that drives me now. Being stronger, and able to "endure" those long hard competitive trail rides, and improving my upper body strength for shooting from the saddle. (that and I want to do a figure competition within the next 3 years...) So just keep trying!!!!!!!!

yeah, I'm going to second that you aren't eating enough. Do you have a heartrate monitor? If not, I recommend getting one. You are probably burning way more calories in your workouts than you realize. If you try to eat 1300 as your baseline, and then burn 500 calories in your workout, you should be working towards eating 1800 calories. (this is something I have been working on myself in the past month). and cut back on the alcohol. Those sugars aren't helping. And trust me, as my screen name suggests, I can drink with the best of them..... but I try to keep it in check, because my waistline and workouts don't feel the same way about a good drink that I do.

Yeah I keep chicken, eggs and TVP on hand for the times I need more protein. (and TVP is great for adding protein and carb without adding fat)

ahhhhhhh yes yes yes!!!!!!! The multi compartments make it sooooooo much better!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd DIE without them! (ok not really, but I would be a hot mess)

So, if this is not the proper section, I apologize, but this is one of the highlights of my career. I don't usually talk about my work life in an online setting for many reasons, but especially since I work for a high profile company, I tend to keep even quieter about it. But I just had to share a great shot that shows one of the many Olympians wearing a uniform that I had a hand in: See, I'm one of TWO people for the entire company who handles the allocation, execution and color approval for prints. And needless to say, it's been a crazy year and a half prior to the start of the games. So, I'm gonna take a second and WOOT my own horn, and show you guys something I did. I'm pretty damn proud.

He really and truly is! He did in fact, make me do more today... I'm SPENT! haven't had DOMS this bad since I came back to lifting in April. LOL BURNS SO GOOD!!!!!!! I'm fortunately to have a fabulous trainer with a sense of humor, determination, push, and know how. I was stalking his IG page, and was watching some videos from his training sessions with some NFL players and realized that he makes me do the SAME things he has them doing..... it explained why I've gotten ripped so quick!!! LOL

again, I was dumb enough to tell my trainer that this week was woodchoppers....... I think he done chopped my arms off.... thank the Gods that tomorrow is legs day..... but i KNOW he will make me do more woodchoppers for ya'll

It really does help! Thank you! She and my trainer are working towards both short term and long term goals for me. The LONG term goal is that within the next three years I do either an NPC Bikini or Figure competition. We haven't decided which, as I have some serious work to do to even get within a range to decide (we have only been working on this since April). So while I do workout like a beast, she had me get the heart rate monitor to track the calories I'm burning, since MFP and other similar apps drastically underestimate the amount you burn. So now we are trying to get me to a consistent calorie goal to make sure that I'm eating enough. Which has been difficult in and or itself since I eat so clean. (Problem was, for as much as I workout, I wasn't losing any weight. Inches I lost a lot, but even that has plateaued now)

I do a 30 min training session or a 60 min cardio before work most days. And on days I can't go before hand, I do workout at lunch. Granted- our showers are great, but since you asked, here's what I keep in my duffle Right side pocket: Talc spray for me or my sneakers (i'm a seriously sweaty monkey and some days, it smells like something died in my bag. This helps my gear and me!) a traveling tens unit (I dislocated my elbow in December from a riding accident. Some days my elbow hurts more, or I over work a part, I can sit at my desk and get some therapy) Sunscreen (some days my trainer has us outside, and I'm the quintessential pasty white Irish girl with red hair) Left side pocket: BCAA's Heart Rate Monitor Protein Powder Lifting gloves Inside/Main compartment: (these things are ALWAYS in there. my clothing just rotates around) Shower Safe toiletry bag with the following: Body wash mini, Face Wash Mini, shower cap (I have dreadlocks and cannot wash my hair and dry it after each session) Deodorant, and extra rubber bands and headband Small makeup bag with only my makeup brushes,and some individually wrapped face wipes by Murad. Small makeup bag with my makeup in it. Like I said, those things listed are ALWAYS in my bag. This way, when I am packing the night before, I can either toss clean office clothes in there for post clean up, or clean workout clothes if I am working out during my lunch. The ONE other thing I have in there is this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E5O801W/ref=twister_B01E5O7P54?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 It makes a HUGE difference with packing, or changing. I always have extra socks and undies in it, and obviously my bra. (and if I workout at lunch, I make sure to put my bra inside it) because I can just grab the whole thing, take it with me to the shower, and put on my bra and undies in there. Not that I personally care about being naked, but since it's the gym at work, I figure most people don't need or want that image in their brain while we're sitting through high level meetings. LOL

some of you guys may remember that I started seeing a Dietician about a month ago. She's awesome! I'm down a solid two pounds after some fluctuation due to figuring out what I burn and what I need for intake, as well as I drank a LOT of hard cider the week after my wedding. (Don't judge! We had four 1/2 kegs of beer left over. I can't drink the beer due to allergies, and my hubby doesn't drink cider, so I couldn't let it go to waste!!!!!) I don't see her (the Dietician) again until the end of the month. And while I absolutely could email her, I wanted to see what you guys had to say first! How do you plan your macros ahead of time??? Right now, she has me just counting calories, (which I hadn't really and truly done until I started seeing her). And I have my macros adjusted on MFP to what she recommends. She told me to NOT worry about them yet, and to just work on hitting my calorie goals because I was DRASTICALLY under-eating without realizing it. I ask because after putting in my breakfast, what I packed for my lunch, and what I'm making for dinner tonight, I am already OVER goal on my protein, but still have 400+ calories to hit, which leaves me trying to figure out how to hit goal for carbs, fat and calories WITHOUT touching my protein!!! Again, this isn't because I'm "worried" about my macros now, but I want to educate myself, so when the time comes, i can flip that switch and get on it!

my trainer and I use medicine balls of varying weights during our sessions on the regular. I have a love/hate relationship with them! They are great for getting my arms and core warmed up, woken up, moving, getting definition, but dang if I'm not sore when we're done! We do various slams with them, use them for wall sits, do burpees on them, carry them around on long distance shuttles/lunges/etc. I don't know as though any one is more beneficial than the other, but they definitely get the job done.

why in Hades do I keep telling my Trainer/Coach what the challenges are?!?!?!?! I'm pretty sure that I'll be sleeping on the floor of my office tonight, because I can't move my arms or legs after that workout......'''''zxcfzx/['p;p;asfol[ (that was my head hitting my keyboard)

thanks @Rinna !!!! I totally take that as a compliment!! That was just from this morning's workout. I'm hoping to add to the numbers tonight by getting some target practice in.

So, just to prove that I'm not all Redtail Hawks, Horses, Archery and Badass- apparently, when I leave the gym, my hair decides it wants to do a Simpons impersonation

@Raincloak nailed it. People write down their routines in little notebooks and log stuff all the time. If you don't want to use old fashioned pen and paper, use your phone. I see plenty of people logging stuff on their phones in the gym. if you don't want to ask someone in the gym, ask a staff member. That's part of what they are getting paid to do. I know the staff in my gym are more than happy to help and show someone how to use the equipment and lift properly. if you get injured from doing it wrong, you can't go to the gym, can't work out, and then they lose your membership. (An extreme example, I know...but making my point here, lol), and then they don't get paid.

awwwwwwwwwwww yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!! it's MY week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! I'm killin' it for the Alliance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (also, I just finished my workout, so I'm totally pumped and riding the endorphin rush..)

https://www.amazon.com/LaCuisineTM-18oz-Tornado-Portable-Mixer/dp/B0036QVWB6 that's the one I have. It won't chop anything, but it mixes my powders up just fine! No complaints about it

Do you have a certain amount of time you are trying to squeeze your routine into? Your workout seems very upper body oriented. So, here's a typical routine I run with my Trainer/Coach. We average 30-35 mins: Warmup: 500 meters rowing machine Medicine Ball slams (in front) 10x or clean and press the Viper log 5x, then carrying the ball/log lunge to the next line (about 5 yards) and repeat all the way to the end (about 40 yards. Then drop to the ground and do regular sit ups for 30 seconds. Get up, and do a slight modification back to the start line. The modification might be, medicine ball slams to the sides doing 5 slams each side (so working the arms and obliques now) repeat the lunges. This will happen 4x total (to the end and back again. That's round 1 round two- dumbell presses x15 reps tricep presses with dumbells x15 flies x15 or bench pressx15 then run up the stairwell to the 4th floor and back down (have to be under a minute....My Trainer is a slave driver) do this round 3x total round three:(increase weight each time) barbell squats x15 leg presses x15 step ups on the bench for 30 seconds then oblique work repeat three times total then "the Finisher" we usually do a sled push with a shuttle run, so I push the sled to the line, then run back to the start and run back to the sled to push to the next line. Wash, rinse repeat, and when I get to the end, I push it all the way back to the beginning. Repeat this three times. we will alternate some of those exercises with rope work, kettle bells, wall sits, man-makers, TRX work, pushups, etc. Just depends on if we are meeting one time a week or twice. Above is my one training session in a week full body workout. Otherwise, if we meet 2x/week we will separate and focus one day more on arms, and one day more on lower body. and just to throw it out there, I also do two days of just cardio, one dance class and one Barre class in the week (plus twice with my trainer)

ok, here's one of me holding the Redtail Hawk Hubby was blown away and surprised that I pulled off having large birds of prey fly into the reception to me and deliver the speech

how do we tally the bonus quest into our numbers? or is that just a personal thing??

OK, here's one- his boutineer and my bouquet are both handmade wrought iron by a friend of ours whom is a Blacksmith. I made my dress and hat. Trying to see if I can get two more pics to load (one with the Redtail Hawk, and one of us and our parents all dressed up)

So just a quick check in! I got hitched on Saturday and it was badass. Surprised folks by riding in on a horse, surprised my groom with a display of Hawks, everyone came in steampunk and old timey costumes.... So much awesome . I'll have to upload some pix from the computer once I get them! And tomorrow I'll try to catch up on the new challenge

Well, I made the awesome-mistake of texting my trainer last night to tell him that lunges were on the table for the challenge...... That jerk/God (haven't decided if I love him or hate him yet....HA! J/K! I totally love this guy!) and well, he made me do lunges... I'm about to go enter them into the sheet... but short version total: 62 lunges while holding a 12 pound viper log........ pretty sure I hate him right now... lol