Too Many Slices of Cheesecake… | Project Comeback Ep.3
Hello, hello!
It’s been almost a month since my last one of these Project Comeback installments, and I figured it was about time for me to update you on my progress in and out of the gym. As of now, I’ve been back in the gym for almost a solid 2 months, and in those 2 months, I’ve seen my body transform in so many amazing ways.
As you can recall from my last Project Comeback is that my strength was almost non-existent after that 3-month hiatus from the gym. It was pretty darn discouraging, to say the least. Not only was my strength gone, but my overall conditioning sucked. I was out of breath after walking up a flight of stairs, I could barely make it through three exercises of my leg day, and the smallest thing would wear me out.
First Thing’s First: The Positives
I mean I’m back in the gym full-time, and I will forever be grateful for that.
My strength is back to how it was before the whole mono situation, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s so nice to be able to throw on 2 plates onto the leg press machine and be able to do 10-12 reps. Ugh, it feels amazing.
I’m feeling happier, healthier, and more like myself. I’m also super stoked because I’ve recruited some of my friends here at USC to go to the gym with me on a weekly basis, and it’s fun to write workouts that are a bit different than my norm. They’re full body workouts which I’ve made available to all of you! You can find them through this link and they’re always linked in my Instagram bio.
Focusing on Strength
Strength has been a pretty big focus of mine for 2018.
The two areas where I’m trying to gain strength is my deadlift and my squat.
My squat is absolutely pathetic, and to be completely honest, I don’t like barbell squats. But, they’re great for overall strength development so I guess I should work on them LOL. Before I start squatting again, I’m working on my hip mobility because my hips are so tight and squatting is low key painful. Not a good sign.
Deadlifts are my absolute favorite, so I don’t see increasing the weight to be that much of a challenge.
Glutes & Hammies Need to Grow
Fun fact, the picture on the left was taken in March of 2017 and the picture on the right was taken February 2018. There’s literally no difference 😂
So yeah. Needless to say, I’m working on growing the glutes and hammies because a year without any growth is kinda sad LOL
I’m planning an upcoming leg day post because the glute & hammie focused leg day I did this week was KILLER and I want to share my pain with all of you, haha.
…My Diet
Yeah so here’s the thing. I started dating someone, we go out to eat a decent amount, and I’ve consumed a lot of cheesecake and dessert in the past month and a half. Needless to say, my diet has SUCKED and my body has definitely reflected that.
I’ve gotten a tad bit fluffy, and for me, I’m not a big fan of that. I still have a little sliver of upper abs so if I wear high-waisted leggings, it sucks everything in and makes me look a lot better than I actually do. HAHA. And by the way, that’s a huge secret for all those Instagram fitness models you see. High waisted leggings are a saint for hiding that little bit of lower belly fat that literally every girl has.
Moving forward, I’m focusing on eating more fruits and veggies in general. I have a protein smoothie every day with a serving of fruit and as much spinach as I can shove into the blender without the blender exploding. For dinners, I make sure half my plate is veggies. Green beans and zucchini, I love you. Eating healthier doesn’t have to mean eating salads 24/7. I’m just focusing on cleaning up my diet a bit. Nothing super crazy.
(But don’t think that I’m not indulging in my daily popcorn cravings or my Trader Joe’s dark chocolate covered caramels…)
Well, that’s it for another #projectcomeback episode! How are your fitness and health goals going for the year? We’re almost at another month which means it’s another month to keep killing your goals 🙂 Also, don’t forget to tag all of your healthy living posts with #GrayLifeFitLife so I can keep up with all the amazing things you’re doing!!! See ya next time!
~abigail gray
