Upper Body & HIIT Workout

First off, I'd like to point out that this is my sixth post since last Friday which is a big deal haha since I've been terrible at blogging consistently the past couple months! Secondly, I'd like to point out that THE PENS ARE GOING TO THE STANLEY CUP FINALS. Amanda and I were joking around that it was so stressful (but, really, it was ha) that either way, win or lose, we might not be able to sleep since we were pumped up on adrenaline. It's also a big deal that I stayed awake for all of game 7 because I haven't been able to do that for awhile! I think I'd be better if the breaks between the periods weren't 20 minutes or if the games started earlier than 8 because this grandma is usually asleep around 9:30. 

So I was up until around 11:30 but it was totally worth it, and I even thought to myself "maybe I'll be able to sleep in tomorrow morning" well wrong! I was up at 7 which just proves to me that I honestly can't sleep in anymore. I'm happy if I can sleep in til 7:30 because usually I'm up around 6:30-7 naturally.

I didn't feel like going to the gym so I did another workout at home this morning. It's also probably safest for me right now because when I head to the gym I'm always tempted to go for heavier weights, and I don't want to risk anything right now with my back. It's definitely better but leave it to me to get carried away and mess it up again! I wanted to do another upper body workout so I added on to my last one since I liked it so much.

UPRDF = upright rear delt flies but you can just substitute regular rear delt flies!

Some quick form tips:

1. During bicep curls, keep those elbows pinned to your side and slightly to the front of your ribs. 

2. Face pulls: keep those elbows high and parallel to the ground or else your lats will take over. 

3. For the band pull aparts, focus on moving your scapulae (shoulder blades) and don't let the motion come from your arms. I love using bands for this because it really enables me to just keep the movement coming from my shoulder blades rather than giving my biceps a second workout. I keep my arms straight, the band loose in my grip, and really concentrate on scapular motion instead of letting my arms do the work.

4. A helpful cue for doing lying chest flyes is imagine like you're hugging a tree. You want to keep your arms slightly bent the whole range of motion. 

I did a quick HIIT circuit at the end and figure I'd try out using a jump rope. I got one super cheap at Five Below for maybe a couple dollars and it's a great investment! I kept forgetting about it but today I wanted to test out a HIIT circuit like I often do with sprinting stairs: 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off.

This was KILLER! Jump rope is no joke! I mean it seems like an innocent toy for kids but man it's a workout. I was dripping sweat after only 10 minutes. For the final minute (9-10) I did it for a solid minute just to give myself a good final burnout. It was insane.

I refueled after breakfast with the usual blueberry zoats! 

Also, quick plug-in here but these BCAAs are amazing! I had been debating which ones to get next after my last batch and I was eyeing up PEScience's new mango flavor. Well, Vitamin Shoppe had been having a sale earlier in the week, and I needed to get my fish oil. So I figured I'd look and see what BCAAs they had as they were having a buy one get one half off sale. The flavor is absolutely delicious and I think I might have found my new brand of BCAAs. The price is also nice and reasonable, too!

Stay tuned for a crockpot recipe coming your way soon :)