Posted by Marianne in Articles, FAQs, Other, Questions About Training, Strength Workouts, Workouts | 16 Comments
Training Update and Video | Chin-Ups, Glute Bridges, Front Squats
Girls Gone Strong T-Shirts coming soon
Hi everyone,
Some of you have been asking me to show more videos of my gym training. I love my gym training days more and more at the minute; it gets me out of the house (for a blogger, this is important!), it nurtures my competitive side (because when I am training near other people, I have to imagine I am competing with them – in a friendly way of course!), and it is good to have a little “me time”.
From time to time I will try and film some of my training for you. I think it helps to see what other people do to give you some ideas, some motivation and an understanding of the volume that I do. I don’t consider the amount of training I do as a lot. For example I have 3 rest days per week (sometimes 4) and I never train longer than 1 hour with weights and the most “boring” cardio I ever do is 30 mins. When I train more, think I start looking worse, like my body is stressed. Plus anytime I start to actively train more, it’s usually because I am wanting to get a bit leaner – this also makes me stressed. Marianne + Stress = less strength + more body fat/fluid retention + low mood/with more body hang-ups. It happens almost over night, especially the body hang-ups. When I am relaxed, I look and feel soooo much better.
Does this happen only to me? Or do any of you notice this in your own lives? I think I posted a link to an study about this phenomenon on one of my workouts. It’s amazing what the mind can do.
Anywho, I digress – here is my training breakdown from yesterday
Chin-Ups:
- Set 1 x MAX reps (9.5)
- Set 2 x 5 reps
- Set 3 x 3 reps
Glute Bridges:
- Warm Up Set 70kg x 15 reps
- Set 1 100kg x 10 reps
- Set 2 110kg x 8 reps
- Set 3 100kg x 15 reps
Front Squats:
- Set 1 40kg x 8 reps (high box)
- Set 2 40kg x 7 reps (lower box)
- Set 3 45kg x 6 reps
- Set 4 50kg x 3 reps
- Set 5 55kg x 2 reps
Dips:
- Set 1 x 12 reps
- Set 2 x 8 reps
- Set 3 x 6 reps
In the video I have only shown some of these exercises as I was unable to obtain footage of the other sets due to other gym members.
That’s all my training talk for today but other news is that Girls Gone Strong have some Charms on Sale 
If you are interested head other to Julia Ladewski’s blog for the link. There is only a limited supply at the minute.
Next, I am being interviewed on a radio show on Wednesday evening (eek). Natural Way Radio on KBRX.com at 6:15pm Central, if you are interested feel free to tune in!
Finally, NEW WORKOUT ON THE WAY 
Cheers
Marianne
Intermittent Fasting:
Learn and Train:
Oh I totally agree. The mind is a huge factor in my training, and you’re right that when your head’s not in it you start to get angsty about other areas of yourself, like your body etc. I had a very tetchy day at work recently and this imacted big time on my training, then I didn’t eat sensibly like I usually do and so I started seeing things in myself that weren’t there – if that makes any sense!
I had my best road races when my head was completely clear and empty (my mates would say that’s all the time LOL!) and the same is true when I train nowadays. Recently when I’ve been trying these “Survival Challenges” the added pressure of filming has made me a little nervous, like the old days before a race.
So thanks again for sharing your thoughts, a great insight into what goes on in the life of an “expert”! Shows that you have the same trials in your training like the rest of us and the fact that you power through them and improve is an inspiration and a motivation. Forgive my gushing, but there it is! LOL Right, must get back to lambing!
Hey Marianne, I totally get what you said about when you want to get leaner and add more training you feel more stressed and thus feel and look worse. It feels counterintuitive but I think our bodies are trying to let us know when to not obsess so much and let the body do its thing.
I have a similar experience when I get on the scale too often and start obsessing. If I may I’d like to relate an experiment I conducted on myself. I’ve never been a counter of calories. I’ve always thought it was too stressful of an undertaking and I don’t like having to think about food etc. 24/7. I have other more important things to worry about. But I figured I’d give it a go to see how much I was taking in. So for about 3 weeks I ‘tried’ to make sure that I kept my calories between 1800-2000 (keep in mind that I’m 5’11” and on the sturdy side). It was horrible! I was constantly hungry and therefore grumpy and I was anticipating every meal obsessively. I even gained a couple pounds. Then I decided to loosen up a little and bump up my limit to 2400 calories. Huge difference. I was satiated, happier and even with the additional calories I dropped a couple pounds. So it is very true that if we FEED our bodies properly and don’t obsess too much our bodies find that happy balance. Like you say rightly so often the body is constantly seeking equilibrium and balance in all things.
So if you start worrying again Marianne just remember your own advice and that we all think you look great and don’t worry.
Thanks,
Andrea
The mind doesn’t half mess things up LOL! Your experiment is very interesting and one a lot of people should observe, especially if they are training regularly.
Thanks for this reminder
absolutely lovvvvvve the wee foot dance!!
haha! Funny aren’t they. When I was editing the video and I increased the speed, I was laughing so hard at this habit to move my feet EVERY SINGLE REP!
hi marianne grt video good luck on radio interview, just a quickie when counting weight lifted do u include the weight of the bar or plates only ?
Thanks Bug
Always include the weight of the bar, because it is part of the weight you are lifting.
Nice work. I wish they would let people do workouts like these at the gym I workout at (parks and recreation) looks like I need to find another place if I want to keep up with you.
I am also spending way too much time at home and am trying to figure out new ways to get outside or to be around people with the same desire to get strong and healthy.
That’s a really pity that you can’t do this sort of training in your gym. What’s annoying is getting tied into a contract, but if you are planning on getting serious with the barbell, then go for it!
Are you no longer sailing these days?
Pity I didn’t have all my readers to come and take part! Imagine how much fun we would all have.
It’s kind of ironic that I am “in fitness”, yet most of the time I am sat at my computer LOL! I might need to start taking a Kettlebell Class or bootcamp
thanks marianne think we all especially the ladies have hangups with bodyparts.i have FM and have been told alot of stomach(lower intestines really) problems is IBS which comes with FM.
I suffer v bad bloating and pains (in addition to FM flareups(which have become more frequent and painful as im realy pushing to increase weights). like u im having great difficulty with hip tightness and pain and am v v unhappy with lack of progress on increasing weight on various exercises esp squats SLDLs.
anyway im at the stage where im trying so hard to find out which foods are triggering my problems, veg and alot of fruits & foods ive always eaten appear to have added drastically to my problems according to food research in this area .
as i began to eat more and more healthy”good foods”(to get my 6pack) my symptoms had become tenfold.
ive been advised to follow a LOW FODMAP Diet and on discussing my eating with consultant etc i was told i was “trying to be too healthy”.i used to eat a stack of veggies (im still a work in progress figuring it all out)
i cannot go near a weighin scales last time i did i had lost 4lbs and i went on a binge that lasted a week. i am a sugar addict and from research have discovered that excess sugar in diet can lead to food malabsorptions (not to mention the withdrawl symptoms
)
i believed for a long time it was just mindless eating from boredom, but since posting on ur forum b4 christmas, i realised its not, i am truly a sugar junkie.
my hangups: ive managed, i think to remain at 81/2 stone, (ive not checked) i used to be 8 back then when i worked out; i did not train. I was obsessed that if i got to 8stone my 4 pack would become a 6 pack, this of course never happened and by obsessing more i achieved less i didnt realise the effects over healthy eating was having on my body.
i am much happier at my current weight, im so much warmer, not hungry and ive increased size of quads back and arms.When i see my big blaoated belly in gymn mirror i immediately look to my arms(used to b a stickperson) and my new olympic weights and saw to myself look how far uve come.( i had been at the stage where I walked with a bad limp and chronic pain in right hip & glute, my weights running etc where abondoned i just could not do it for the pain until i was diagnosed with fm and advised to exercise)
i will be 40 in june have 3 kids and am in best shape i believe of my life i look and focus on my strengths when the “what ive not achieved” brings me down, some days i leave my vest gathered about my waist(wen its too hot in gymn to wear it fully) so i dont see my belly in mirror, its the one bodypart that ive not been able to better, and it stings so so hard knowing this.
but im learning to relax and not look at it in mirror each time i go to the bathroom. inspecting “the bloat” used began first time each morning. sad i know i hate failure and thats wat i saw.
ive switched my focus to controlling my sugar addiction and ive not binged for almost 4 wks this for me is a major achievement and im feeling good, downside is i have to eat more foods to keep my weight up but which foods. i tried a bowl of oats yes ive not had it for months and im doing ok so far this morning
so for today healthy, positive thoughts we are all on our own journey and everyone has thier own “isms”..
sorry for long book
You can write a long book anytime Bug
It’s a real battle sometimes to overcome these insecurities, but you seem to be going the right direction. And great work in overcoming the sugar addiction. I need to do what you have done and cut sugar out! Easier said :/
Thank you for sharing your story!
Hey Marianne!
But no wonder since your lifting those weights and doing those interesting moves! Would be really fun to see more from the gym, cos looks like you’r doing alot of not so ordinary but fun stuff that i would be keen to know more about! 
First i would like to thank you for a wonderful blog! It is really a inspiration for me! And “my o my” what an ass you got!
And over to your post… Yeah i totally agree! Im actually at exactly that position in my life right now. Me and my boyfriend are going to Thailand in two weeks and for about one month i have been working out hard to loose some extra weight (to look good in a bikini) But I have started to get all kinds of flues, sore trouth and i feel alot more shitty from when I first started.. And now that you pointed it out im sure its caused from the stress that I am feeling.. “I NEED TO GET IN SHAPE”!!.. Well well.. keeping that in minde perhaps i just would take it easy today….
Keep up the good work! love “the finn Johanna”
Thanks Johanna. Hope you have a great time away and you don’t get any more flu etc.
Hi Marianne,
If you don’t mind, can you share your gym wourkout plan for every week ? I am not asking for videos of each of them, but of your written breakdown, like you did in this post. I would really like to see how ALL your workouts look like over a period of time.
Like a workout log? I might be able to include a quick write-up with my workouts, of what I did in the gym each week.
Yes, something like that, if it’s not too much trouble for you.