My Journey Toward Becoming A Fitness Model - Entry 6

Greetings Everyone! Today I had my 5th or 6th training session with Peter Gordon. I am kinda loosing track of the number of sessions. I had a session on last Thursday that I did not up-date you guys on. So, I will talk about that session first.

Thursday's session focused on shoulders. I was very fatigued. My body was just tired, and I did not get enough meals in before my session. Peter definitely got on me about that. I have been getting up around 7:30 AM every morning in the effort to get my meals in, but it's not early enough. He said, I have to get into bed earlier, so that I can get up earlier. Not having enough food in my system, and my body not having enough rest really effected my workout. He pushed me as much as he could, but I know he would have pushed me more if my body wasn't in a fatigued state. At the end of the day, I have to do whatever it takes to maximize my training sessions. Peter is a great trainer, and I don't want to waste his time, or slow down my progress by having sub par sessions. Lesson Learned Last Thursday: Meals and rest are vital for training with MAX. Without it you will be doing yourself a disservice.

Today's training session I thought went really well. I felt stronger, and my muscles were really pushed to the MAX. Peter trained my legs today. The session went something like below:

1. Leg Extensions - Quads - 3 sets (15-20 reps)
2. Seated Leg Press - Quads / Gluts - 3 sets (15-20 reps)
3. Plate Loaded Hack Squat - Quads / Gluts - 3 sets (15-20 reps)
4. Weighted One-Leg Step-Ups - Quads / Gluts - 3 sets (20 reps each leg) (There maybe a different name for this exercise. I made this name up.)
5. Prone Leg Curls - Hamstrings - 3 sets (15-20 reps) - Alternating Walking lunges in between sets.
6. Dead Lifts with Pelvis Press - 3 sets (15-20 reps)
7. Seated Leg Curls - Hamstrings - 2 Super Sets (15-20 reps)
8. 45 minutes of cardio (20 minutes as interval training)

My body was rested today, and I was able to get in more meals, which allowed me to have a successful training session. Today I learned that I've been stretching my lower back incorrectly for years. I always thought by rounding the back the lower back is stretched, but it's the total opposite. "Arching the lower back releases the tension in the lower back. Rounding the lower back continues to apply tension to the lower back." That was a revolutionary lesson today. I've been dancing for 10+ years, and I have always been taught to round the back and reach for the toes to stretch out the lower back. 

Training with Peter is less about how much I can do, but rather learning the correct way to train. 2nd Lesson Learned Today: "You have to rest between sets in order to allow the glycogen to be restored to the muscles." I was kinda rushing between sets, and Peter got on me about that. 3rd Lesson Learned Today: "It's not good to run a race when doing reps. It is more imperative that you take your time, and contract the muscle you are working."Thank you Peter for all the great lessons you are teaching me, which will help me reach my goal. I will leave you with this quote:

"Mental toughness and sticking to the plan is very important as cliched as it might sound to some"