End of Week Five

OK guys, I decided that there wasn't much of a change during the third and fourth week for me to blog about. Well, this is definitely not the case for the end of week 5!

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Nutrition: I'm so focused on my goals that my daily diet is really simple to keep up, and the good thing is that my body is responding in a very positive way! I'm finally understanding what it means to eat clean and how your body reacts to giving it the proper nutrition and rest.

Workouts: I know that this may be a shock for many, but I've only been using my kettlebells for swings and side bends! That's right, I've committed to using bodyweight exercises as my main staple of exercises. I know that there are many folks out there who say that bodyweight exercises are not difficult enough to build a ripped body. Well, they're wrong! Take one look at the physique of this male gymnasts. His body does not have overdeveloped muscles or "C" cup pecs, but I can guarantee that he is solid as a rock. I still love using KBs and I'll incorporate them back into my routine later this year, but I'm now approaching my workouts with this motto: "If I have not mastered my own bodyweight, I have no business lifting weights!".

So, to add to my bodyweight arsenal, I've picked up a set of Xtreme fitness rings from Coach Sommer at gynmasticbodies.com. Also, his book, Building the Gymnastic Body, will be available on his site soon. For an idea of his writing style, you can check out articles that he's written about building the physique of a gymnast through using bodyweight exercises. I can tell you that I've been humbled using these rings. I never knew doing a simple dip could be so challenging.

I've also decided to pre-order a Universal Strength Apparatus (USA) from bodyweightculture.com. I can't wait to get it as it will let me do more exercises, such as climbing the ladders, than the rings; however, I'm happy that I decided to purchase both.

I'm still working on my hand-balancing that I mentioned in my last update, and I'm happy to report that I can hold a headstand for two minutes and a handstand against the wall for one minute!!!! Unless you've mastered or have attempted to master these two holds, you probably won't understand why I'm so happy to have improved my handstand time by only a mere 30 seconds. I've also added doing "assisted" neck bridges using the rings. I'll tell you what, from doing headstands and neck bridges, my upper back and shoulders have noticeably grown!

Overall Feelings: Well, unlike my last post, I'm not feeling as if I'm overtraining, and I'm well into this challenge. I can't believe the transformation that has taken place after only 5 weeks. I can only imagine how I'm going to look at week 10 and of course at the end of week 12. I'm really excited and feeling even more determined about reaching my goal. The Spring semester has started for me, so I'm off to being a college writing professor again; nevertheless, I'm still getting up at 5am to workout before going to work. And since I'm starting to really see the veins in my arms, it motivates me that much more.

Stay tuned . . .