Wednesday, March 7, 2012

the ESSENTIALS

My first month of Contest Prep has been a learning experience (to say the least) and although I'm really just starting off on my Clean-Eating, Intense Training journey, I've picked up a few little tricks along the way...

So here are a few of my CAN'T-TRAIN-WITHOUT-IT favs...

#1 Polar FT40 Heart Rate Monitor
Ol' Faithful has been by my side (well, on my wrist, technically) for every single grueling training session. I cannot stress enough the importance of monitoring your HR during cardio, lifting, and circuit training. Heart Rate Monitors are great training tools and are a great way to gauge how effective and productive each session is. I compare my calories burned between my Polar FT40 and the cardio equipment at the gym and for the record, I burn roughly 50MORE calories per hour (according to my FT40) than I do on the machine counters. I personally recommend HRM's with chest straps for the most accurate readings.

#2 Food Scale(s)


So...I have a couple of these bad boys and I would be absolutely LOST without them. The top one (Taylor Digital Black Glass Food Scale) is my at-home scale. The surface area is great--I can see the measurement with just about any size plate on it. It has an 11 lb. weight capacity (although I rarely ever weigh anything over 4 oz. at a time) and tare capabilities (essential for weighing food in order to subtract the weight of plates/bowls). The little guy (Taylor Mechanical Food Scale) is my travel buddy and fits right into my purse or cooler for measuring on-the-go. Bonus: the white container on top doubles as storage for the scale itself (awesome!).

#3 SmartShake(s)


In case you didn't already figure it out, the Black/Gold Jay Cutler version is D's, the Pink is mine ;) These SmartShakes are awesome for packing shakes/supps to take to the gym, work, trips, shopping--you name it! The bottom portions twist off for protein/supp storage. Just add water into the shaker, twist and pour in your protein and shake! Comes with a funnel that mixes protein perfectly as well as a carabiner that you can clip to your purse/cooler or even attach your keys to at the gym!

#4 1/2 Gallon Water Jug


So, I know most "normal" bodybuilders carry around full gallon jugs, but this cute little 64 oz. jug is perfect for me! It's nice and compact, easy to refill and WAY easier to drink from than those huge ones. May not be for everyone, but I'm definitely a fan! ;)

#5 6-Pack Bag


6-Pack Bags are a bodybuilder's DREAM and mine was a Valentine's Day present from my love <3. These coolers are perfectly constructed to carry all 6 meals for travel. The tupperware containers that come with the 6-pack snap on all 4 sides for a tight seal. The side compartments are insulated and have PLENTY of room for shakers and I usually keep my ziplocks of dry foods (oatmeal, flax, nuts, etc.) in there too.

LOVE all this stuff and I'm sure I'll come across more in the future so I'll keep adding on :)

No comments:

Post a Comment