# Sara V's journal



## Sara Valentine (Oct 30, 2006)

Well, after surviving the worst year of my life and I'm still here to tell the tale, I figure an online journal will be a good thing. Feel free to critique and add any helpful advice. Even during my worst year I still managed to hit the gym 3 times a week but not the way I  used to train. My focus isn't on loosing weight but building muscle (especially my arms) they have always been my weakest link.

Not sure if I'll report in each w/o day or once a week but this is a start to a new year and hopefully better luck.

Yesterday (Oct 29) was Back and Cardio my w/o went like this.

Lat pull downs:

1st set 45lbsx20
2nd"  " 60lbs x 15
3rd"   " 75lbs x 12
4th"   " 90lbs x 10   no more than a min inbetween sets

deadlifts:

1st set just the bar (I believe it's 45lbs) 20x's
2nd set put a 25lbs plate each side for 15 reps
3rd "   " 35lbs plate each side for 12
4th "                                     " 13
5th "   " 45lbs plate each side for 12

bent over rows

1st set 50 lbs barbell for 15
2nd "  " 60 "                " 15
3rd "     80"                 " 10
4th "     70"                 " 12

Row's cable

1st set 60lbs for 15
2nd "  " 75lbs for 12 
3rd "                "14
4th "   " 90lbs for 8

Row T-bar

1st set 25lb plate for 14
2nd"  "  35lb plate for 12
3rd "  "  45lb plate for 10
waited a 1 1/2 min then did
another set with 45lb plate for 11

Did 45 min high intensity cardio on the bike. Love my Ipod and played all my fav house tracks to keep me peddling lol.

Am feeling it today and was busy getting the kids ready for halloween. Will be in the gym tomorrow morning and will try to post my workout in the pm. I have chest and shoulders tomorrow.


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## gwcaton (Oct 30, 2006)

Hi Sara, I remember you from aways back. 

What are your goals ? wo's look pretty strong


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## A.J (Oct 30, 2006)

You sound like a fighter!! ...I have no clue about your misfortune over the last year but I wish you all the best for the years to come!! 

AJ


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## Burner02 (Oct 30, 2006)

Hi Sara- welcome back. Glad you overcame and are going ahead.
If you don't mind, you have a single 'vertical' movement: lat pull downs, and three horizontals: Bent Over Rows, Cable Rows and T-Bar Rows.
You re a bit imbalanced there.

just a thought, but dead lifts are a major, whole body exercise...maybe put them first in the workout, while body is fresh?

Good luck, glad to see ya back.


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## CowPimp (Oct 30, 2006)

Good to see some old faces popping up around the way.  Good luck on your goals.  Sounds like you're pretty tough, and not just with the iron.


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## Sara Valentine (Oct 31, 2006)

Well hello Gw and Burner, nice to see some old names are still here. Thanks for stopping by. CP and AJ I look forward to getting to know you.

Well today being halloween I stuck to my schedule and trained right after work anyways. The family wasn't to impressed but right now I need to focus on me.

Chest:

bench press:
just the bar for 20
2nd 65lbs for 12
3rd 85 for 8
4th 65 for 10

Incline Fly

1st set 10lbsX 15
2nd 10lbs for 13
3rd 15lbs for 10
4th 10lbs for 10

cable crossovers

1st set 20x15
2nd  30x10
3rd 20x 11

Biceps

incline bi curls
10lbsx15
12lbsx15
12lbsx11
10lbsx11

Preacher curl machine
40lbsx10
30x12
30x10
30x8

I don't really have a set number of reps, I just try to do each set until I just can't do another one.


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## Double D (Oct 31, 2006)

Nice workouts, I look forward to seeing the progress. I may not be an old face, but new ones arent all that bad huh....


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## gwcaton (Nov 1, 2006)

old face !!! I resemble that remark . LOL

looks like you  on track and looking strong. I don't know how much you use to do but ...nice bench .


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## Burner02 (Nov 1, 2006)

Double D said:


> Nice workouts, I look forward to seeing the progress. I may not be an old face, but new ones arent all that bad huh....


um...just HOW many faces do you have????


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## Burner02 (Nov 1, 2006)

Sara Valentine said:


> Well hello Gw and Burner, nice to see some old names are still here. Thanks for stopping by. CP and AJ I look forward to getting to know you.
> 
> Well today being halloween I stuck to my schedule and trained right after work anyways. The family wasn't to impressed but right now I need to focus on me.
> 
> ...


Hi sara! Good to see ya! AND! You do the same workout! (chest and bis)
good stuff!


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## Double D (Nov 1, 2006)

Burner02 said:


> um...just HOW many faces do you have????



Leave it up to you to come up with something like that....


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## Triple Threat (Nov 1, 2006)

Burner02 said:


> You do the same workout! (chest and bis)
> good stuff!



C'mon Burner.  You know you don't workout.   


 

 Sara


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## Sara Valentine (Nov 9, 2006)

Thank you all for peaking, it's very appreciated. As you can see some things have happened over the past week and I am a couple of workouts behind. GRRR! I hate when that happens. What I can say is on the days I'm MIA at the gym I am doing an hr of cardio and 20mins if abs at home so at least I'm doing something.

11/07/06  chest and bi's

Chest:

Bench press:

45lbs bar for 15
55lbs x 12
60lbsx 9
60lbsx 8
55lbsx 11

Incline DB fly's

15lb x 12
15lb x 12
15lb x 9
10lb x 15

Cable crossover's

20lbs x 15
30 x 11
30 x 10
20 x 12

Biceps

incline bi curls  ( I love these!!!)

10 lbs x 15
12 x 12
12 x 10
10 x 15

Preacher curl machine

40lbs x 12
40 x 9 
30 x 10
25 x 16

finished off with 45 min high intensity cardio (bike)


11/09/06  Shoulder's and Triceps

shoulder press machine

50lbs for 15
60 x 12
65 x 9
55 x 11

side raise DB

12 lbs x 12
12 x 8
10 x 10
10 x 9

upright row cable

50 lbs x 12
60 x 10
60 x 9
50 x 10

Tri's

skull crusher's ( at least once a month I have a huge bump on the forhead lol)

45lbs bar x 15
55 x 12
65 x 7
55 x 9

Cable Pressdown

40 lbs x 10
35 x 10
30 x 9
30 x 7

Finished with 45 min of cardio on the bike again.
Drove home really fast today as I was starving after and needed to eat!!!


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## Seanp156 (Nov 9, 2006)

Sara Valentine said:


> Drove home really fast today as I was starving after and needed to eat!!!



Hehe, that happens to me a lot.


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## Double D (Nov 10, 2006)

Strong skulls. I have seen some guys do some weights like that.


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## Sara Valentine (Nov 17, 2006)

Double D said:


> Strong skulls. I have seen some guys do some weights like that.




Awww thanks DD. I'm hopeful that if I can really train super hard for the next 2-3 yrs I'd like to try bodybuilding. At least that's what I'm thinking for now. I got a loooooong way to go though. I've done the fitness stuff and am toying with the notion of doing a local figure show this coming spring. We shall see what happens.


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## Sara Valentine (Nov 17, 2006)

Ok, so I've been in the gym all week but haven't posted. So here it is.

Monday nov. 13  ( had to go to the gym really early and really wasn't fully awake, not my best w/o)

Back:

Lat pull down.

1st set 50 lbsx20
2nd  60x15
3rd 65x 12
4th 70x9

bent over rows

1st   40lbs x 15
2nd   50 x 15
3rd   60 x 12
4th   70 x 12

deadlifts :

1st  45lbs bar for 15
2nd bar +35lb plate each side x 12
3rd bar+45lb   "                 " x 12
4th bar +45+25 plate each side x 10

Row machine

1st 40lb x 12
2nd 60 x 12
3rd 60 x 10
4th 50 x 12

bb shrugs

1st bar+50lbs x 20
2nd bar+70 x 15
3rd bar+90 x 11
4th bar+70 x 12

I was starting to feel a little more awake so I added some dips at the end
I did 3 sets with my bw till I just couldn't do anymore


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## Sara Valentine (Nov 17, 2006)

Tuesday nov 14/06

Chest 

incline press- bb

1st set 45lb bar for 15
2nd 65 x 12
3rd 85 x 9
4th 65x 10

incline fly- db

1st set 15lb db x 13
2nd 15 x 11
3rd 15 x 12
4th 10lb db x 15

bench press 

just the bar for 12
65lb x 10
75 x 8
65 x 8

finished with 45 min high intensity cardio on the bike


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## Sara Valentine (Nov 17, 2006)

Thursday nov15/06

Shoulders 

standing bb shoulder press

1st set 40lb x 15
2nd 50 lb x 11
3rd 50x 10
4th 40 x 12

side raise db

12lb x 12
12lbs x11
10x 9 
10x 8

upright row cable

50lb x 15
60lb x 12
65 x 10 
50x3
40x 3

I did incline bi db curls and instead of resting I went right into skulls no rest inbetween.

curls 

12lb x 12                   skulls 45lb bar for 15
12 x 13                              55 x 12
12 x 9                                65 x 8
10 x 10                              65 x 8

preacher curl machine

40 lbs for 11
35x 8
30 x 8


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## gwcaton (Nov 18, 2006)

wow Sara !!

looking strong !!! Nice wo's !


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## Triple Threat (Nov 18, 2006)

Sara Valentine said:


> I was starting to feel a little more awake so I added some dips at the end
> I did 3 sets with my bw till I just couldn't do anymore



Good workouts, although doing 3 sets of dips to failure the day before doing chest may not have been the best idea.


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## Double D (Nov 18, 2006)

Hey Sara how are ya?

Yeah I agree with TT, like so many other times that I have. Did you know we are the same person, or so it seems!?!?!


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## Burner02 (Nov 26, 2006)

Double D said:


> Hey Sara how are ya?
> 
> Yeah I agree with TT, like so many other times that I have. Did you know we are the same person, or so it seems!?!?!


um...D...don't EVER compare yourself to Sara again...I just saw her pics in the gallery. (VERY hubba Hubba..if I do say)
and I don't wanna have that interrupted with..well...you, sir...


Hi Sara! Lookin' strong!


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## Seanp156 (Nov 26, 2006)

Nice, you're deadlifting 185lbs x 10?


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## Double D (Nov 28, 2006)

Burner02 said:


> um...D...don't EVER compare yourself to Sara again...I just saw her pics in the gallery. (VERY hubba Hubba..if I do say)
> and I don't wanna have that interrupted with..well...you, sir...
> 
> 
> Hi Sara! Lookin' strong!



I was meaning me and TT...

Oh and never ever say Hubba hubba again.


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## Sara Valentine (Dec 28, 2006)

Thank you to all for stopping by, once again life has thrown another curve ball but in the midst of it all I have been in the gym, just no time to post my w/o.  DD and Burner, thanks for making me laugh, i actually have espresso coming out of my nose (and it hurts lol) Triple T, I will take your advice and thanks for coming on in to my little journal here. 

The whole basis for this journal is to really make me commited to me and my gym time. So much crap has happened over the last year that in short of having a meltdown I needed to focus on what made me happy before 2 years ago. My gym time was a huge happy Me time, something I kind of forgot about over the last year. But I'm trying and thank you for coming on in and kind of making me feel bad for not staying the course and coming online more. But I am in the gym each week although I don't know if I'll compete this year ( just got informed I'll be having more surgery on Feb 1st grrr) but I'll see what I can do. That's all anyone can really do right?

Anyway, Merry Christmas all of you and Happy New Year's too!!!

Now I gotta run and get to the gym so I can post my w/o lol


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## Burner02 (Dec 28, 2006)

Hey Sara!
Glad to see you back!
Well...not kowing what you've been thru...hope your 2007 is much, much better!
The surgury..it isn't serious?
If u don't get back on here before then...have a Happy New Year!


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## Double D (Dec 28, 2006)

Check this out. Being here always brings my spirits up. Whether I am having a bad day or a bad week or what have you. Do stick around post things that are going on with your life. Things always seem to look up whenever I am here. And I am sure you will get the same feelings. I know me, Burner, and TT have gotten to know each other pretty well (along with some others). One day I hope to meet up with these fellas and have one hell of a blow out. Hopefully you can get out of this place what we all do. 

Best of luck with your surgery. You are in my prayers.


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## Sara Valentine (Mar 13, 2007)

Double D said:


> Check this out. Being here always brings my spirits up. Whether I am having a bad day or a bad week or what have you. Do stick around post things that are going on with your life. Things always seem to look up whenever I am here. And I am sure you will get the same feelings. I know me, Burner, and TT have gotten to know each other pretty well (along with some others). One day I hope to meet up with these fellas and have one hell of a blow out. Hopefully you can get out of this place what we all do.
> 
> Best of luck with your surgery. You are in my prayers.




Thanks DD,

You just totally made me cry. Seems I've been doing a lot of that lately. 
So I've been gone for  a while. Had more surgery in feb and am home on bed rest for 2 more weeks. I dont think I can look at my white walls for too much longer.(my new project as soon as I can is to paint!!!) lol

But just wanted to say "thanks" and I'll try to visit this place a little more often. There's only so much of myself I can take before you need outside help lol.


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## Sara Valentine (Mar 27, 2007)

Ok, so things are really messed up these days. It seems like the jerks always end up screwing over the nice one's. Havent been in the gym in ages, my doc has prescribed anti-depressants (don't work i still cry all the time) and now sleeping pills, can't sleep anymore. My surgery was supposed to fix what wasn't done 3 yrs ago. It didn't work, now it's worse and to top it all off, my ex has pretty much made sure my children and I are on our way to being homeless.

Every time I start to think things can't get worse they do. But will try to get to the gym tomorrow. I haven't left the house in days. I'll check in if I make it


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## Double D (Mar 29, 2007)

I woupdnt focus on the bad things, just focus that you are healthy, children are healthy and god knows they love ya. And you know you have plenty others who love you and that they love. Best of luck sweetheart, hope all works out well for ya.


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## JerseyDevil (Mar 29, 2007)

Sorry to hear this Sara. Look ahead, don't look back.  The past is behind you now, focus on the future.


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