I had planned to talk about foam rolling in this post, but midway through the superset in yesterday’s leg workout I was reminded of something equally important. <\/p>\n
Namely, if you’re going to lift weights, you have to eat. <\/p>\n
I’ve never been a particularly big eater. Partly that’s because I was always a picky eater as a kid. And partly because left to my own devices, I have a tendency to just not get around to it. If food is easily at hand, I’ll eat it, but if I have to remember to actually get up and make something? Yeah, not so much. There’s a reason Chad does all the cooking at our house. <\/p>\n
When I first started lifting weights, the trainer I had at the time, Brandon, had to constantly nag me to eat. That’s because during one workout I got so nauseated that I had to run to the ladies room. After that, our workouts started with Brandon quizzing me about what I’d eaten that day and nagging me if it wasn’t enough. They ended with him telling me to go home and eat something.<\/p>\n
I did get better about it, but now that Brandon’s off at grad school and Chad & I aren’t lifting with a personal trainer every session, I slip back into my old not-eating-much habits sometimes. Yesterday was one of those times. I had an English muffin\/egg white\/turkey sausage\/cheese sandwich and a cup of green tea for breakfast (no, not from McDonald’s). Lunch was Gatorade and a PB&J. Normally I have a Kashi bar a half hour before working out, for the extra energy boost, but yesterday I just didn’t get around to it. <\/p>\n
After the second set of exercises in yesterday’s superset, I started to feel sick. I could hear Brandon’s voice in my head. “You’re not eating enough to do this.” <\/p>\n
I only had three sets to go, and I’m way too stubborn to give up that close to the finish. Luckily I had a sports drink with me (not Gatorade, one specifically for weightlifting), so I had a little of that between each exercise and pushed on to the end. <\/p>\n
When we got home, before I even took a shower, I ate a Kashi bar, and that made me feel a little better. After eating a banana, too, I felt a lot better. And once I got dinner in me an hour later, I felt perfectly fine. <\/p>\n
The thing is, when you’re lifting weights, especially heavy weights, you’re doing a lot of work. You need energy – calories – to do that work. Which isn’t to say you should eat a lot of crap. You still need to eat healthy. But if you skimp on food and then push yourself hard lifting, your body will remind you why that’s a bad idea. <\/p>\n
FitNotes Workout – Friday 4th September 2015<\/p>\n
** Barbell Squat **
\n– 65.0 lbs x 8 reps
\n– 95.0 lbs x 8 reps
\n– 95.0 lbs x 8 reps
\n– 95.0 lbs x 8 reps
\n– 95.0 lbs x 8 reps
\n– 95.0 lbs x 8 reps
\n– 100.0 lbs x 8 reps [PR]
\n– 100.0 lbs x 8 reps<\/p>\n
** Deadlift **
\n– 95.0 lbs x 4 reps
\n– 115.0 lbs x 4 reps
\n– 120.0 lbs x 4 reps [PR]<\/p>\n
** Dumbbell Lunge **
\n– 40.0 lbs x 4 reps
\n– 40.0 lbs x 4 reps
\n– 40.0 lbs x 4 reps
\n– 40.0 lbs x 4 reps<\/p>\n
** Seated Leg Curl Machine ** (Leg Day 1 SS1)
\n– 40.0 lbs x 20 reps
\n– 40.0 lbs x 20 reps
\n– 40.0 lbs x 20 reps
\n– 40.0 lbs x 20 reps
\n– 40.0 lbs x 20 reps<\/p>\n
** Leg Extension Machine ** (Leg Day 1 SS1)
\n– 40.0 lbs x 20 reps
\n– 40.0 lbs x 20 reps
\n– 40.0 lbs x 20 reps
\n– 40.0 lbs x 20 reps
\n– 40.0 lbs x 20 reps<\/p>\n
** Seated Calf Raise Machine ** (Leg Day 1 SS1)
\n– 25.0 lbs x 20 reps
\n– 25.0 lbs x 20 reps
\n– 25.0 lbs x 20 reps
\n– 25.0 lbs x 20 reps
\n– 25.0 lbs x 20 reps<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I had planned to talk about foam rolling in this post, but midway through the superset in yesterday’s leg workout I was reminded of something equally important. Namely, if you’re going to lift weights, you have to eat. I’ve never been a particularly big eater. Partly that’s because I was… Continue reading