Days 55 and 56

Saturday February 26, Day 55

Meal Description	Ashley	Gerard
Breakfast/snack	- coffee - gluten free pancakes with berries and sugar free syrup - 2 scrambled eggs	- coffee - gluten free pancakes with berries and sugar free syrup - 3 scrambled eggs - 3 pieces of turkey bacon
Lunch		- tortilla chips, cheese, chicken, salsa, yogurt
Snack	- tortilla chips, cheese, chicken, salsa, yogurt	- tortilla chips, cheese, chicken, salsa, yogurt
Dinner	- quesadillas	- quesadillas
Out	- 2 6oz bud lights - 1 harpoon cider - 1 corona light - 1 chicken finger - fries with ketchup	- 4 6oz bud lights - 1 harpoon cider - 2 miller lights - chicken fingers - fries with ketchup

Exercise	Ashley	Gerard
Warm up	- walked for 1 hour with Ajax - dynamic stretching - 10 walking lunges	- jogged
Workout	5 rounds (not timed) 30 GHD sit ups 400 meter run rest 3 min 5 rounds 25 GHD back extensions 400 meter run 13 min few hours later 3 person team workout 200 squats 150 push ups 200 sit ups 150 burpees 23 minutes	3 person team workout 200 squats 150 push ups 200 sit ups 150 burpees
Post Workout

Sunday February 27, Day 56

Meal Description	Ashley	Gerard
Breakfast/snack	- coffee - 3 eggs 1 egg white - 1 piece turkey bacon - sweet potato chips	- diet ginger ale - 3 eggs 1 egg white - 3 pieces turkey bacon - sweet potato chips
Lunch	- chicken, peppers and salsa in two romaine lettuce leaves	- sweet potato chips, chicken, peppers, yogurt and salsa
Snack	- sweet potato chips	- sweet potato chips
Dinner	- 6 oz hamburger with cheese, and avocado - sweet potato fries	- 6 oz hamburger with cheese, avocado, egg, turkey bacon - sweet potato fries

Exercise	Ashley	Gerard
Warm up	Rolled, 10 air squats, 10 walking lunges…already pretty warm	Washed car and dog
Workout	Box squats – worked to a heavy set of 3 3x75, 85, 95, 105, 115, 125 with either 10 sit ups, GHD sit ups or KTE in between sets Then 18 – 15 – 12 – 9 SDHP 35# Push ups Jumping squats Sit ups	Worked on snatches 1 snatch, 1 hang snatch - 115 - 125 - 135 - 145 Then 18 – 15 – 12 – 9 SHDP 95# Pull ups Jumping squats Sit ups
Post Workout

Let me just say...you really don't need a bun when you make burgers as good as I do :)

Day 54

Friday February 25, Day 54

Meal Description	Ashley	Gerard
Breakfast/snack	- 3 eggs - 2 pieces turkey bacon - spoonful almond butter - coffee	- 4 eggs 2 egg whites - 3 pieces turkey bacon - 1.5 oz almonds - almond butter - coffee
Lunch	- chicken - cheese - coffee	-9.5 oz chicken - broccoli - peppers
Snack	- tortilla chips - salsa	-  1.5 oz almonds - tortilla chips and salsa
Dinner	-paleo chicken quesadillas with peppers and black olives - wine - ice cream with mixed berries	- paleo chicken quesadillas with peppers - corona lights - ice cream with mixed berries

Exercise	Ashley	Gerard
Warm up	Dynamic stretching, foam rolled, 10 walking lunges, 10 air squats, PBC pipe pass-throughs Then 20 -10 – 5 GHD sit ups 10# 4-count flutter kicks 3 clean and jerks with 45# 1 clean and jerk with 65#	dynamic warmup, foam rolling
Workout	3 rounds for time of: 3 x Cindy (5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 air squats) 10 Clean and Jerks Time: 18:07 UGH	hang cleans-abs 5 sets of 2/5 sets of 10 170-175-180-185-190 back squats 4x3 165-180-200-225 ass to grass 4x4e 35lb goblet split squat 4x10 abs .one set of each... then repeat power pull-abs 4x5 and 3x10 140-145-155
Post Workout	3x10 lunges 45# Unilateral step ups 25# (5 each leg) GHD back extentions

Day 53

Thursday February 24, Day 53

Gerard found this link to a post from T-Nation about carb cycling to build muscle.  It's a really great article even if you aren't trying to be a body builder.  We've been following a heavy protein diet Monday - Thursday, eating little to no carbs during those days and carb loading on Friday and Saturday with things like tortilla chips, fruit, sweet potatoes and occasionally gluten free pancakes (with sugar free syrup...sorry, I refuse to eat pancakes without syrup).  The article talks about how these eating habits are efficient in weight loss they may also cause the body to break down the protein in our muscles for fuel, and could lead to strength loss, instead of gain and lack of energy during workouts.  

The article has a more accurate (in our opinion) BMI calculator than others we've come across, and gives a breakdown of what your carb intake should be based on that and your activity level.  It also suggests optimum times for carb consumption - early morning and after workouts and how many and which days to eat them.  Obviously the quality of carbohydrates counts as well.  The article suggests things like sweet potatoes, grits, mushrooms, tomatoes, and some fruit (ahem, fuits and veggies that are allowed on the paleo diet...).  No, our pancakes don't fall in any of those categories, but we don't eat them regularly, or with the intention of gaining strength...we just like them.

Anyway, the main point this guy is trying to make is that his strength and muscle building success came from carb cycling rather than carb deprivation and loading, or bulking and cutting (eating a lot of food for a few weeks to bulk up then cutting calories drastically to lean out).  We thought it was worth sharing.  

Have a great weekend!

- Ashley

P.S. Ladies, you're not going to develop huge, Ms. Universe muscles doing any of the things we talk about on this site.  Period.  Unless you spend hours in the gym each day isolating muscle groups through weight training, and consuming an obscene amount of calories, and it is still VERY difficult to build that kind of muscle.  You will get toned and fit and feel fantastic though.  

Meal Description	Ashley	Gerard
Breakfast/snack	- 3 eggs - 2 pieces turkey bacon - coffee - 2 pieces turkey bacon	- 4 eggs 2 egg whites - 3 pieces turkey bacon - coffee - 1.5 oz nuts
Lunch	- 6 oz chicken - peppers - 4 romaine lettuce leaves - coffee	- 9 oz chicken - peppers - cheese
Snack	- boiled egg	1.5 oz nuts
Dinner	- spoonful of almond butter at 8:00…couldn’t resist	9 oz chicken - 3 oz chicken - almond butter

Exercise	Ashley	Gerard
Warm up	Rest day	Rest day
Workout
Post Workout

Day 52

Wednesday February 23, day 52

Meal Description	Ashley	Gerard
Breakfast/snack	- 3 eggs -2 pieces turkey bacon - coffee	- 4 eggs 2 egg whites - 3 pieces turkey bacon - coffee - 1.5 oz almonds
Lunch	Late lunch @ 3:30 - hard boiled egg (starving!!!) - 4 egg white omelet with spinach and 2 pieces turkey bacon, hot sauce (ok, lots of eggs today.)	- 10 oz chicken - broccoli
Snack	- .75 oz nuts	- diet root beer - clif builders bar
Dinner		- 9 oz chicken - peppers - 1/3 avocado - cheese - diet ginger ale

Exercise	Ashley	Gerard
Warm up	Dynamic stretching, rolled, pass throughs with pbc pipe, 10 push ups, 10 walking lunges, 10 air squats, 10 OHS with pbc, 2x10 GHD sit ups 15#, 2x30 second handstand holds, Gerard’s core warm up	jogged, dynamic stretching, rolled out
Workout	21-18-15-12-9-6-3 Over head squats 45# Diamond push ups Time 13:02	4 rounds 3 reps power pull and clean, 10 k2e box squat-push press-abs 4 sets of 3 175-185-195-205-215 hex deadlift, pistols, abs 4 sets of 3 on dl, 3x5 p, 3x15 abs 275-315-335
Post Workout	3x10 with 85# RDL to CR HT

Day 51

Tuesday February 21, Day 51

Meal Description	Ashley	Gerard
Breakfast/snack	- 2 eggs 2 egg whites - 2 pieces turkey bacon - coffee	- 4 eggs 2 egg whites - 3 pieces turkey bacon - coffee - 1.5 oz almonds
Lunch	- 3 egg white omelet with spinach and chicken	- 10 oz chicken - curry broccoli and peppers
Snack(s)	- ½ can tuna with spices on 3 lettuce leaves - water - 2 boiled eggs - 2 pieces turkey bacon - water	- 1.5 oz almonds after class - 2 pieces turkey bacon - 4 oz chicken
Dinner		- 10 oz chicken

Exercise	Ashley	Gerard
Warm up	Dynamic Stretching, rolled, 10 walking lunges, 10 air squats, 10 push ups, Gerard’s core warm up Then 3 rounds 10 GHD sit ups 15# run 200 meters	Rest Day
Workout	AMRAP in 10 minutes 2 HSPU 6 Pull ups 8 Push ups 12 Jumping squats 8 full rounds
Post Workout	3 rounds 10 lunges 45# farmers walk from back of garage to mailbox 25# overhead