Monday, December 19, 2011

LiveFit Trainer - Phase 2 Recap

Hello all! It's almost Christmas, where on earth did this YEAR go...I honestly have no idea.  I'm still sort of struggling to post regularly on this blog post marathon but just be aware that I really want to, so don't leave me :). 

I'm still doing Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer and in fact I just finished Phase 2.  I followed the weight training portion of the program almost to a T but usually did not do two days of legs.  I found it really hard to be at the gym 1.5 hours/ 6 days a week so I just considered my extra activities like 5K's and indoor soccer my 6th day of working out and called it good.  I don't remember a time in my life when I wasn't sore since starting this program but definitely in a good way. 
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Some things I LOVE about this trainer:

1. VARIETY! Every two weeks the exercises are changed up completely.  You never have time to get bored with any exercise, number of reps/sets, etc.  I have learned how to use so many different machines at my gym I would have just stared at in confusion otherwise.  For example check out the Arms/Abs workout one week and then two weeks later you change it up to this

2. SUPPORT! Bodybuilding.com is so comprehensive and FREE.  This entire program including what you should eat and what supplements you should take for FREE.  There are videos for every exercise so you can see the proper form before you head to the gym.  One of my new favorite moves I learned was the Straight Arm Pulldown...I could only do like 15lbs..it was much harder than it looks!

3. RESULTS! I immediately noticed at the end of Phase 1 how much stronger I was and could even notice it in the mirror a little.  Now after Phase 2 I'm down about 6 pounds and my jeans are all a little loose.  My arms/shoulders/back actually look muscular! 

There really isn't anything I don't like about the program but I'm not doing it 100%.  I'm not following the nutrition program or supplementation plan.  I did, however make Jamie's Chocolate Protein Bars and they are pretty amazing, I would highly recommend for someone with a severe sweet tooth like myself! 
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What's next?  Well Phase 3 of course, that focuses on getting super lean with lots of cardio type intervals and sprints along with weight lifting.  I'm not planning on starting this phase until after the holidays since I can't get the time in at the gym with the travel to my parents and all.  I also need to start training for half marathon season soon so I need to figure out how to fit it all in.  Just check out this workout from Phase 3...yikes...it's super long and then you have to sprint for 30 minutes at the end of it.

Question: How do you runners out there fit in weight training? I definitely don't want to loose the muscle I've gained but I'm itching to get back into training mode for races!

2 comments:

Coy Martinez said...

I use to lift weights with my legs but it left my legs feeling super drained and tired for my runs. I have no idea why, that's just my body telling me it hates me. What I did do though was start cycling and that for some reason strengthened my legs, made them look amazing but also allowed me to run still. Go figure.

Sounds like what you're doing is working well tho :)

Marathon Lar said...

Yeah lifting with legs always leaves my legs drained too so I go light on those weights and lift heavier for arms and stuff...makes me look cuter in running tank tops...hehe :)