Bouldah Shouldahs: A Newfound Love

Prepare yourselves for the geekiest fitness talk from an over-enthused gym lover, 'cuz this topic is a big one: SHOULDER DAY (I always feel like I'm opening for Girl Code when I write like that..). Anywho...

You're probably thinking "alright Lynds, you're going crazy girl. Shoulders? Who cares?" because that's exactly what I was thinking when I started my research on shoulder training. When most people in our society think of working out or strength training, the typical image that floats into our minds is a huge man flexing through a bicep curl. 

Classic Arnold. 

I mean, really: think about it. Most women, at least, picture men with huge arms or ripped abs. But ladies, come on! What about those shoulders?!

Clearly, shoulders make up for a HUGE portion of aesthetics.

My topic here isn't targetting societal misunderstandings or gorgeous men. My topic is to prove to you why working different parts of your body are essential when it comes to having overall ... sexyness. Bicep curls and bench press are NOT going to make you look like either of the photos above, which I feel is a common misunderstanding for those who aren't so much involved in the fitness world (and that's completely fine!). I much too often run into people who just have an arm and a leg day. No chest. No back. No shoulders. COME ON. Maintaining a balanced body comes from hard work and dedication - not just sporadic 9pm workout sessions after you just blared Eminem, remembered how many cheese fries you ate last night, or reminsced on your ex. 

That's why I'm here to help: I had to learn this lesson the hard way, as I would see improvements in my arms and legs, but none in my back, chest, shoulders, etc. And why was that? 

Because I wasn't working them!

Simple. 

Soooo, hence the post title: a newfound love of mine is training my shoulders. I feel so powerful. I know it may seem strange right now...I know, because I was at that same point about 2 months ago. Shoulders? Like come on, who cares. 

look how badass this chick is

Please understand that I am in no way trying to dictate what you do/how you do it. I'm simply making suggestions and trying to help you realize why a balanced body is a healthy body. I truly wish someone would have told me this when I started my regime two years ago. 

So ladies & gentlemen...I present to you: Lyndsey's Super Swole Shoulder Workout 

Warm-up: forwards & backwards arm circles

1: Shoulder Press (dumbbells or barbell) *go heavy! WORK.

2: Lateral Raise (dumbbells or cable machine)

3: Explosive Lateral Raise (dumbbells)

4: Front Raise (dumbbells or cable machine)

5: Upright Row (cable machine) 

6: Rear Delts (machine or resistance band)

7: BURNOUT - barbell shoulder press & front raise combo

If you don't know what these exercises are (psh, I sure didn't), definitely Google them to find out the proper form and how to do the movement. We don't want any dislocations! Just for an idea on weight range and sets/reps, I usually do 20's for shoulder press for 3 sets of 12, then go to 25's for as many as I can get. For lateral and front raises, I usually use 15 lb dumbbells. Try the exercise out first, using light weight, and once you're comfortable with your form, work up in weight. These are just some suggestions - there are thousands of more exercises that will help those pretty shoulders!

If you have any questions or comments (I LOVE feedback!), feel free to contact me via any social media to the right. I would love to help!

Until next time...

Lynds 

couldn't leave ya without a selfie 

Survival Guide 101: Holidays.

        Hello, all, and welcome to Lyndsey's Declassified Holiday Survival Guide (just trying to be clever here, guys.) So, it's November 2nd, aka day 3 of recovering from candy-coma. The Milky Ways, the candy corn, the vampire punch...oh, the joys of holiday feasts. It's all fun and games until Monday comes around and you sadly realize that you basically ate your weight in sugar over the weekend. Although they say this is the "best time of the year", fitness freaks claims it's the worst as temptation is at its highest. So - do you eat that spooky pumpkin cupcake or do you stare at it?

You eat it, dummy.

       If there's one thing I can't stand hearing girls say, it's "OMG I can't eat that there's like soooo many carbs in that and I'm on a diet." Yes, I fully understand that this is a mentality and that  living a healthy lifestyle is perfectly fine. However, I am opposed to the girls (or guys, too) that discourage eachother from eating or drinking certain things. Ladies & gents, listen up: that 3 Musketeers fun size candy won't make you gain 30 lbs overnight. That piece of cheesecake post-Thanksgiving feast won't turn you into a blob of fat. That hot apple cider? Guess what - it won't kill you. Many people don't realize that 1 huge meal or 2 days of "unhealthy eating" will not make you a 300 lb sumo wrestler. So here's where the idea of a flexible lifestyle comes into play.

         Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas; whatever it is that you like to celebrate, you should enjoy celebrating. Forcing yourself to resist that fudgy chocolate cake while all of your other family members stuff their faces will, I promise you, be absolute torture hell. It's all about moderation. Yes, if you were to eat swiss rolls and ice cream everyday you probably gain weight. But that's the point of a holiday; it only comes once a year, So you should definitely have that snickerdoodle cookie. You will burn off those 300 calories just by the snooze you'll take that evening. The resentment you suffer through will do more harm to you than those 5g of fat. Trust me.

        So what's my take on this? Eat. Please. For the sake of all of us, eat your heart out. There was once a time, about a year ago, where I restricted myself in all aspects of food. Oh, we had donuts in class one day? Those donuts were poison to me. It's my best friends birthday? Cake was out of my picture. And do you know what happened to me? I became very sad. My mind and my tummy became weak. Yeah, sure, chicken and vegetables are good, but every once in a while, we need a little something to keep us going. Holidays are a time to enjoy life and be with family and friends. You shouldn't be burdened with caloric intake during these lovely times. As long as you don't gorge in 5 pies and 16 cookies, I promise that you won't turn in to Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory overnight. Yeah, ok, you may gain like .3 of a lb. But do you know how easily that will come off? Spend a weekend enjoying yourself, and then get back to keeping yourself healthy the following week. We all need a little break. You deserve it.

perhaps i'm a bit too excited for these sights...

It's a lifestyle, not a diet. Live like it.

Until next time...
Lynds