That looks good, but it can’t be any better than chocolate made by Mars, Nestlé and Hershey.
It’s like the sweet taste of child labor with every bite!
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eerr gross, no thanks
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Super dark chocolate is definitely an acquired taste. It’ll be downright gross if you’re used to the brands you mentioned. So, in a way you’re right!
Those who love the darkest stuff can’t stand milk chocolate and vice versa.
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This log should be renamed, “Unrelatable injuries and medical mysteries Dani has to solve while continuing to work out as regularly as possible” or something succinct like that.
Upper Body Day
High hamstring is re-irritated, so this was another skipped lower body session. I did different exercises than Monday’s upper body workout though.
Superset
• Rear Delt Cable Fly Dropset
• Arnold Press
• Machine Lateral Raise Dropset
• Dumbbell Incline Bench
Superset
• Straight Arm Cable Pulldown
• Tricep Pushdown
Maybe this situation calls for more of a bro-split: Chest and Tri’s, Back and Bi’s, Delts. That would give me three days of training in a row, take a day off, then start over with chest and triceps.
To most lifters, skipping legs is a mortal sin and you might as well just throw in the towel.
But I’ve actually been through this before. I went over a year without training lower body because of a chronic hip injury.
And in 2014 my figure coach had me stop training legs for the entirety of competition prep because she believed my legs were disproportionately large. So while it seems like an unacceptable thing to do, it’s possible to stop training half your body and still win a physique-style competition.
Orange is the new flesh when you’re on stage.
All I’m saying is, train around things and don’t freak out if you can’t hit what you believe to be a “probem area” or a stubborn body part. We’re good at maintaining and regaining muscle, even when we have to take time off.
Off Topic: Elder Millennials and Fashion
I’m not ready to shop at Chicos, guys.
But a few months ago I had this ugly realization in the middle of Altard State: I’m not their target market.
And then it hit me how weird it is to shop for clothing in the same place as teens and sorority girls preparing for rush week. If you dress too young, you’re a try-hard. If you dress like your mom, it ages you.
So buying clothes requires a level of strategizing I hadn’t considered up till now. Maybe this is a non-issue that’s only on my mind because I’m about to turn 40 in a few weeks, but I’m not loving the thought process.
Anyone else get hit with an age-related reality check?
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Tell me more!
Constantly. You’re still killing it - no worries!
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The “never skip leg day” bros are liars! Skip whatever you need to skip. Come back to it when you can… or just wear pants.
Aw thank you!! Worrying about stupid stuff is my number one hobby.
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The added salt from their tears are what makes the chocolate so tasty.
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I’m 49 in a couple weeks. Let’s see what I’ve done in the last few years to try to delay Father Time (he’s a real jerk).
- TRT that has turned into a little bit more than replacement, but no abuse. Best thing I’ve ever done for my mental and physical health.
- A zillion supplements per day. I’ve likely paid for several feet of Tim Patterson’s yacht lol.
- Everything possible to save my hair from packing its bags and exiting my dome.
- Blew up my personal life (for the better).
- Stopped caring about all the nonsense that was adding no value to my life.
- Focusing 99.9% of my energy on my kids and my physical and mental health.
It was an awakening to realize I was sleep walking through a lot of my life and focusing on things that I thought mattered, but really didn’t. Some painful moments coming to this realization for sure, but glad I was able to shake myself and figure some things out.
It’s liberating waking up every morning and not giving a F about anything except what I want to focus on that particular day. I’m lucky/blessed to be in a position to do that. I decided I’m no longer wasting another second of my life on taking on other people’s behavior and letting it impact me.
There’s a guy named Sadhguru I’ve been following. He said - you have the choice to be joyful or miserable every day. What are you choosing?
I realized I was choosing to be miserable every day because I thought I was just supposed to suck it up and deal with all the choices I had made in my life that were eating me up. I started choosing joy (for sure have to lie to myself some days) and it has completely changed my mindset.
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YES!! I totally relate to this! I’m tiny and refuse to wear “old people clothes”, so I do most of my shopping in the “juniors” section. Sometimes I see another person my age and think to myself, “I’m not the only one”, and then realize that that other person my age is just the mom of the girl that’s actually shopping in the department…
Getting old is hard, but there’s this… 
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HAHAHA I hadn’t seen that! I needed that video on Friday. Really bad day. No f-cks to give.
LOL that’s awesome! Maybe we need to start a fit women fashion thread – clothing outside the gym. Then name where it came from and normalize shopping in the junior’s section, or wherever the heck we please.
And I’m with you; they have such cute things! When I buy dresses or shirts from “age appropriate” stores, I usually have to take them to a seamstress to remove several inches from the waist. Because apparently once you hit middle age, you’re a potato. (According to retailers.) So alterations are almost always required.
Also, can we talk about how the trendy, middle-age places jack the price up on the cheapest, most average looking crap all the time?
EXAMPLE: This boring T-shirt is $90. Sorry, Evereve, that’s insane. And I can find something cuter for free in my husband’s side of the closet.
Upper Body
Completely forgot about my new bro-split! Today should’ve been chest and triceps, but instead it was a lot of shoulder work, plus chest, biceps, and back.
Superset
T Bar Row - 5 x 15, 15, 8, 8, 6
Lateral Raise - 5 x 10-15
Superset
Seated Chest Press - 4 x 20, 15, 10, 8
Bicep Curl 4x10 slow and controlled - 40 lb
Rear Delt Flye: 4 x dropsets to failure
Friday Leg Session
So there are two options with a nagging injury:
- Minimize activity.
- Do targeted/strategic activity.
This high ham strain is not wanting to heal. And trying to avoid using it is not making things better, so I’m going to cautiously use the muscles that are pissed off and all the adjacent body parts. Here’s what I did last week.
Leg Extension: 4 x 15
Abductor booty machine: 4 x 15
Ham Curl on Ball: 4 x 8-10
This was tricky. But I actually pumped some blood into my hammies with direct work. The key was not holding the isometric in the lengthened position, and instead doing even, pumping reps. So no super slow eccentric here.
This is the position where I normally pause and make the glutes/hams suffer a bit. But I needed to keep tension a bit lower in the hams. You can do this if you have a good mind-muscle connection. Weird how some lifters can’t comprehend placing tension in different areas of a muscle group.
That was it. Super short workout but the leggies actually felt great. High ham is feeling like it’s recovering, so maybe some direct (but very careful) work is the answer.
Weekend Funsies
Chris and I had a fun day-date at our range. We warmed up with our first target and then played “pool.” If you’re into shooting, these game targets are so much fun. Last time we played battleship and Chris beat me soundly.
But you’ll never guess who won this time around! 
Then Chris Babysat for this floofer.
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Firearms and changing diapers on a puppy. I lead a balanced life. 
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Jack of all trades
It is hilarious EVERY SINGLE TIME, but so spot on. lol
Yes! I love this idea!! I’m a big “comfort before beauty” fan - so, my wardrobe is basically sweats and “dress sweats”. LOL. Of late, I’ve found quite a bit of good and reasonably (low) priced stuff on Jane.com. It’s like a liquidation center for boutiques.
It’s funny, because my mom is in her 70’s and she still doesn’t like shopping in the “old lady section” - we are not the only ones. lol
Right??? I can get a 3-pack of Hanes t-shirts for $12 that look exactly like the $55 ones they’re trying to sell as “premium”. It’s RIDICULOUS.
Maybe we need to start a fit-chick fashion online warehouse company. I feel like we are not the minority in our plight here… It could be our ticket to early retirement! lol
HAHA dress sweats! I’m generally a jeans or athletic wear gal. Confession: Sometimes I just keep on whatever I wore to the gym… and then the stink amplifies until I shower sometime in the afternoon. #workfromhomelife
That’s a great website! Thank you so much for sharing it!
I love to see women going bold and taking fashion risks. My friend Debbie is in her mid 70s and she sports the most patriotic leggings and tank tops at the gym. It’s so fun! She does NOT hide her cute figure and her clothing is just as expressive as she is.
Agreed. Fran Denim did it with jeans, and Athleta does an okay job on occasion, but they’re still mostly athlesure. So there needs to be a brand for meat-heads that’s outside-the-gym (casual, business, and dressy) clothing, which flatters/accentuates bodies with muscle.
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What have you tried? I have a couple family members taking minoxidil and having really good results. They talked to their doctors about it before going on it, but they’re middle-aged/older women, so I don’t know if young people/men would be given the same green light?
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Ok when’s your B-day? Let’s see if we’re birthday twinsies. 
That’s so great to hear!
Samesies. What are your two most important supplements?
For me it’s Flameout because of the mood and mental benefits, and Metabolic Drive because you can basically get lean on cake, brownies, cookies, and shakes.
Again we’re in the same boat! Minoxidil has been the biggest game-changer, which is what @jshaving mentioned too. I use the pill version and get a RX from the dermatologist.
But keep in mind, bald men are dashing! Wasn’t there a study a few years ago that showed that male baldness is seen as highly masculine? So if yours happens to go, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
What!? How did you do this?! That sounds amazing.
I crave relationships that feel like brothers and sisters. And the older I get, the more I equate personal success with the amount and quality of my friendships. I don’t have enough yet. lol.
Social media is a great way to see what people are up to, but there’s nothing like real, in-person connections where you can actually hear someone’s tone of voice, see their emotions and reactions in real time, and relate on a deeper level.
Got any advice or examples on this? I’ll be taking notes!
This is fantastic! Your kiddos are so lucky to have a great dad.
Oh wow. You dropped some serious wisdom here. Thank you so much for swinging by!
It works for you too? I might need to look into this. I’m young and am definitely not anywhere near balding, but just have noticed a little bit on thinning on the top, so if I can catch it early, I’d like to do so. If I go bald, I go bald, but I’ve got hair down my back (more cultural than aesthetic) so I’d like to avoid that change if I can.
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Me too, but I feel we may be talking different origins
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I think it makes your shedding cycles shorter and less severe. So it’s not like a miracle drug or anything, but you just lose less every time you go through the shedding phases. And after several months, people can tell a difference if they haven’t seen you in a long time.
At one point I was shedding so much, I was basically Gollum.
So here’s my before.
And my after.
Still thin! So even though it’s a tiny bit better now, I’ll never have enough to be able to grow it long. As a kid I couldn’t either. It’s always been genetically thin. And the longer it gets the worse it looks.
I’m betting your hair is exquisite, and I kinda want to see pictures of it. 
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