Just Call Me ‘Muscles’
Something crazy happened at Body Pump tonight: I increased my weight on biceps to 23 pounds!!! 
Ok, this probably doesn’t blow your mind at all, but this is a huge deal for me. I’ve been taking Body Pump classes, 2-3 times per week, for nearly 7 months now, but I have yet to increase my weight on biceps. It’s the only muscle group where I haven’t made progress.
Before the biceps track started, Mal saw me add the extra weight to my bar and gave me a funny look. He only lifts 5 pounds more, so I think he was a bit surprised that I was attempting more weight. I ended up only missing 3 or 4 reps during the entire track, which is pretty good, considering I went up in weight for the first time.
All of this Body Pump talk probably sounds kind of dorky, but I was really happy when I completed the track. Mal said he was routing for me the whole time and gave me a big high-5 when the song ended. He also called me “Muscles” a few times tonight. It was awesome! 
Lunch
Lunch was great today! I love summer salads!
In the mix: lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, red pepper, a ton of feta, and Goddess dressing. It was a fantastic combination of ingredients. Feta rules!
Snack
After lunch, I snacked on two Sandwich Thins with Barney Butter spread on top.
Dinner
For dinner, I whipped up some cheese tortellini with grated Parmesan cheese and kale chips on the side. Quick and easy.
While dinner cooked, I shared a chocolate protein shake with Mal.
I also enjoyed a small glass of white wine with dinner. Great meal.
For “dessert,” I had a ripe, sweet peach. Mmm!
More Jersey Shore! We’re almost caught up with Season 1!
Good night, folks!
Tags: Athenos, Barney Butter, Body Pump, kale chips
Courtney (Delightful Devours) — July 27, 2010 @ 8:37 pm
That tortellini looks fantastic and just happens to be my favorite!
Which brand do you buy?
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) — July 27, 2010 @ 8:43 pm
Congrats on the weight increase. It always feels good when you go over a milestone! Enjoy your show!
Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine — July 27, 2010 @ 8:43 pm
Great job in body pump!! Ahhh so funny that you’re hooked on Jersey Shore. I can’t wait for season 2 to start!! Hope you have a great night
Teri [a foodie stays fit] — July 27, 2010 @ 8:44 pm
that is AWESOME on the biceps track!! I’ve tried going up to 23 pounds a couple times and it’s always a disaster. Good work!!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is — July 27, 2010 @ 8:52 pm
Good for you for the increase in weight! That is awesome!
Nicole — July 27, 2010 @ 8:57 pm
Congrats on upping the weight on your biceps! Seriously, why are arm weights so hard to increase? My arms seem like they’ll always be fairly limp noodles, with baby muscles inside.
LOVE peaches.
Have a great week!
Hannah — July 27, 2010 @ 9:00 pm
That’s it – I’m buying feta today. Not only keep raving about it,but my doctor has told me to increase my salt intake. Wins all round!
Mandy A — July 27, 2010 @ 9:05 pm
Woohoo girl! Congrats on increasing your weights! That’s awesome! I know you’ve got to feel strong!
I work out with my hubby, too… it feels good when he realizes I’m not lifting much lighter than he is
Autumn @ Good Eats Girl — July 27, 2010 @ 9:05 pm
Way to go adding weight!
bobbi — July 27, 2010 @ 9:07 pm
I wish we had a body bump class near me!
Michelle — July 27, 2010 @ 9:12 pm
Nice job on the workout! You’re creeping up on your hubby!
TanyasDailyProductReviews — July 27, 2010 @ 9:12 pm
peaches are my favorite summer fruit
Jill@MySoCalledHealthLife — July 27, 2010 @ 9:13 pm
I know I’m late on commenting on your Jersey Shore addiction, but it is CRACKING my sh*t up!! I freaking love you and your blog
holly @ couchpotatoathlete — July 27, 2010 @ 9:15 pm
Congrats on the upping the biceps — that is awesome! I love reading about your body pump classes, I haven’t been able to take it yet (schedule conflicts) but you really make me want to do it!
I think Mal was totally intimidated by your super beefy arms.
I wonder if he’ll up his weights next time!
Krystina — July 27, 2010 @ 9:15 pm
Wow, that’s awesome! I can’t wait until I can increase my weight.
Red Head, Yellow Dog — July 27, 2010 @ 9:15 pm
that’s awesome!!! I always feel accomplished when I add weight too
My calves are still KILLING me from taking bodypump on Monday – the new lunge track is killer!
Katie @ Healthy Heddleston — July 27, 2010 @ 9:22 pm
Awww I loved that story between you and Mal tonight at Body Pump — super cute!
Maren @ Simply Maren — July 27, 2010 @ 9:34 pm
congrats on adding more weight. I totally know your glee!
Estela @ Weekly Bite — July 27, 2010 @ 9:37 pm
Way to go on the biceps!!! That has to feel so great
Heather @ Side of Sneakers — July 27, 2010 @ 9:42 pm
That’s awesome!! I think my biceps are my weakest muscle haha.
Allie — July 27, 2010 @ 9:48 pm
Woo, go muscles! Haha Mal cracks me up. And I love that you guys watch the Jersey Shore. I am ashamed to say I’m from NJ, but luckily, I am from south Jersey, which is another world compared to the north!
ashleigh — July 27, 2010 @ 9:50 pm
Congrats on upping your weights! you and mal sound so freaking cute at the gym!! It’s great that he’s so supportive of you!
Lisa (bakebikeblog) — July 27, 2010 @ 9:57 pm
oooh congrats on increasing your weights! What an achievement
Lynn (The Actors Diet) — July 27, 2010 @ 9:59 pm
great eats! i haven’t had cheese tortellini in forever and am now craving it…
The Wife of a Dairyman — July 27, 2010 @ 9:59 pm
A great accomplishment on your wieght increase!
Mary @ Bites and Bliss — July 27, 2010 @ 10:12 pm
Way to go, Muscles!!!
That’s a HUGE deal! I used to take Body Pump and know how intense those tracks are. There’s no way I could do the entire thing with 23 lbs- good job! 
Emilyeatsclean — July 27, 2010 @ 10:12 pm
23 pounds….that’s awesome!! You earned the name Muscles!!
Tyffanie — July 27, 2010 @ 10:29 pm
Congrats on increasing your weight!
I’ve been going to my gym for almost 2 months now and I have been eying the Body Pump class, but I have been too afraid to take it. I wanted to make sure to start slowly at the gym in order to prevent injuries and I feel like I have done just that. So this Saturday, fingers crossed, I plan on taking my first Body Pump class. Thanks for your inspiration and writing about it on your blog. I am excited to see how it goes!!!
Tina — July 27, 2010 @ 10:35 pm
I LOVE the feeling of progress on weights I lift. Congrats on busting through that plateau. I certainly think it is something to be happy about.
Staceyhttp://stacey-healthylife.blogspot.com/ — July 27, 2010 @ 10:35 pm
That’s awesome what a great feeling, congrats.
Bridget — July 27, 2010 @ 10:38 pm
That’s awesome!!! Biceps are my weakest track usually!! I have a hard time with 7lbs on each side! Go Tina!!
Courtney @ Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life — July 27, 2010 @ 10:39 pm
Nice work on the biceps increase! I find them to be one of the hardest tracks for me every time – definitely my lowest weight. Must be the “Boom Boom POW” that got you through!
Lynna — July 27, 2010 @ 10:43 pm
congrats on increasing your weight! it’s so reassuring to see progress. they don’t have body pump at my gym but you talk about it so much i wish i could see what it was all about.
Corinne (breathe and savor) — July 27, 2010 @ 10:52 pm
TINA! wooooooohoooooooo! Color me impressed. The bicep track is by FAR the hardest track to increase weight. Like you, I have been progressing nicely for the past 9 months or so but still have yet to increase my weight on biceps (the only one!). I am so proud of you! Aw I love that Mal gave you high fives after!
Dorry — July 27, 2010 @ 10:58 pm
Sometimes all I need is a piece of fruit for dessert! Especially in the summertime.
Danielle — July 27, 2010 @ 11:00 pm
That is awesome that you were able to go up in weight! I’ve been going off and on to the Body Pump at my gym and LOVE how it makes me feel! Congrats!
Megan @ The Daily Sweat — July 27, 2010 @ 11:10 pm
I’m so jealous you get to do body pump 3 times a week! I visited my friends gym and took the class and LOVED it. Unfortunately, my gym doesn’t have it. Boo. Way to go on challenging yourself with more weight! PUMP THAT IRON!
Janna @ Janna's Keeping it Real — July 27, 2010 @ 11:37 pm
awesome job on the bicep track! Don’t get too crazy with your “fist pumps” tonight! ;0)
i love that it is peach season, my faaaavorite!
Erin @ A Girl & Her Mutt — July 27, 2010 @ 11:42 pm
23 lbs?! That is nuts! I just can’t seem to up my weights on that track yet. You encourage me!
Hillary [Nutrition Nut on the Run] — July 28, 2010 @ 12:19 am
You must feel so good about yourself – congrats! It’s always fun to see improvement =]
Amy H — July 28, 2010 @ 12:45 am
It’s often the mind that will hold a girl back, thinking she can’t lift what the big boys lift. Good for you for doing your thang, girl! And I love love love that you and Mal go to body pump together!!!
Mimi — July 28, 2010 @ 1:32 am
There is nothing more perfect than fresh summer fruit!
Congrats on the weights, muscles.
Amy @ Amy Starts To Run — July 28, 2010 @ 1:34 am
Congratulations on increasing your weights! I love fitness milestones, they always make me feel like a machine
Oh Jersey Shore. I’m afraid the Situation’s ego is getting to big, it won’t be able to fit on the boardwalk, hah!
Wei-Wei — July 28, 2010 @ 1:49 am
Yay for increasing the weights! Doesn’t it feel so good to physically see signs of progress?
Wei-Wei
Kendel @ Eating Abroad — July 28, 2010 @ 5:44 am
I think it’s a big deal to increase your weights. There’s no reason anyone should feel unimpressed by the progress which has come as a result of hard work. Way to go!
Duchess of Fork — July 28, 2010 @ 7:24 am
Good for you! I know that 23 lbs is hard for Body Pump! I’m pretty sure I only do 17 on biceps. Go you!
whitney — July 28, 2010 @ 7:49 am
that is a HUGE accomplishment with the weight increase. I would be jumping up and down with excitement. Dinner looked highly enjoyable as well.
Dana — July 28, 2010 @ 8:02 am
Yay for more weight! It is a big deal..Youve been working hard.. you should be PROUD
Dana xo
http://happinessiswithin.wordpress.com/
Sarah (Running to Slow Things Down) — July 28, 2010 @ 8:12 am
Awesome job on the weight lifting!! 23 lbs is a LOT, and you should totally be proud of all your hard work (and seeing it pay off!!
)
It’s fun to see progress in the gym.
Heather — July 28, 2010 @ 8:27 am
congrats! any little progress is great…especially if you weren’t really feeling a workout anyway!
Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday — July 28, 2010 @ 8:31 am
Are your barbells in lbs? Here they are in kgs.
Annie@stronghealthyfit — July 28, 2010 @ 8:31 am
Congrats! Weight training can be so empowering, don’t you think?
Kelly @ Healthy Living With Kelly — July 28, 2010 @ 8:40 am
YAY for the weight increase on the bicep track! That is awesome honey!!!
Elina — July 28, 2010 @ 8:44 am
Haha, all my friends used to call me muscles in college. 23 lbs for biceps is insane – I totally know why you’re so excited. I used to do it but had to get down 5lbs last year and can’t go back now. Something to work towards. Hopefully my new weight lifting routine will get me there.
Tina — July 28, 2010 @ 8:51 am
@Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday: Yes, in pounds.
Hope — July 28, 2010 @ 9:20 am
That’s not dorky, that’s something to be proud of! Biceps are still my lightest weight at BP too, I have to use a Medium and a Small weight, and sometimes still have to stop, so GO YOU!
Heather @ The Single Dish — July 28, 2010 @ 9:44 am
Wow you are muscles! Go Tina! Great job!
Sami — July 28, 2010 @ 10:12 am
way to go, muscles!
that’s awesome. your kale chips look SO much better than mine! what’s your trick? i just spray mine with pam and sprinkle garlic gold on them!
Michelle @ Turning Over a New Leaf — July 28, 2010 @ 10:19 am
Wahoo, muscles! I think it’s cool that Mal joins you in Body Pump! I’m going to the Y tonight with my husband and we’ll be hitting the weight machines. I hope I can get a real workout out of them. While I know how the machines work, I don’t know how to make a workout out of them. We’ll see how it goes!
stephanie@Avocado Nation — July 28, 2010 @ 10:31 am
Nice job on the weights!! You’re machine! My BF and I are doing P90X together and he is super encouraging too.
Megan (Braise The Roof) — July 28, 2010 @ 10:46 am
That salad looks awesome- did you use a flavored feta?
Sarah — July 28, 2010 @ 11:23 am
That’s awesome, Muscles:-)!
I took a Body Pump class on Monday for the first time in probably a couple of years. It still kind of hurts to walk!
Laura J. — July 28, 2010 @ 11:27 am
That’s impressive girl!! The bicep track is so challenging!! I went up a few pounds yesterday and I was dying! The lunges track is a toughie too! I’m feeling the hurt today!
Barbara(Blood, Sweat and Heels) — July 28, 2010 @ 11:30 am
Tina!!!!!
Congrats, that is a BIG deal! I remember when all
I could use were those dinky 5lb weights and now…curling the 60lb bar. It happens..just takes time and motivation:)
B
Ananda — July 28, 2010 @ 11:41 am
It’s pretty cool that you have a class (Body Pump) that you can take with your husband and both be challenged. I feel like I would be more motivated if my bf would work out with me but he has no desire. It’s really frustrating.
Mary (A Merry Life) — July 28, 2010 @ 12:15 pm
You are a Body Pump champion! Hehe.
Danielle (Runs on Green) — July 28, 2010 @ 12:31 pm
You should be proud of your pumpin’ body! Arms are the hardest muscle group for me too
katie — July 28, 2010 @ 12:46 pm
You’re so buff! I need to try one of those classes.
Holly — July 28, 2010 @ 12:47 pm
Ok. You have inspired me. I have looked up BodyPump classes at my gym and have created a monthly schedule. Cant wait to check it out!
Ellen — July 28, 2010 @ 1:19 pm
I’ve been going to Body Pump for two months, because of your recommendations! I don’t think I would have tried it otherwise! I love it!
Katie — July 28, 2010 @ 1:42 pm
That is awesome!! I can’t imagine 23 lbs on the biceps. I think I mistakenly put that much on the very first time I did body pump and I thought my arms were going to be ripped off my body. Do you bring something in to jot your wts down on? I can never remember.
Tina — July 28, 2010 @ 1:46 pm
@Katie: I just use my noodle and remember them.
Jean — July 28, 2010 @ 1:57 pm
Congrats on the weights. I just started body pump last week and I can’t imagine getting to the weights you are at…but just reading that gave me some motivation.
Wendy (Give Love Create Happiness) — July 28, 2010 @ 2:20 pm
I loved the name of this post! It made me laugh
Thanks! Go Tina, I’m proud of you!
Shannon's Food Runs — July 28, 2010 @ 2:26 pm
Haha, “Muscles” can be your Jersey Shore nickname. Or maybe “biceps!” Great job upping the weight – that’s a lot for a tough track! I love watching Jersey Shore btw – I grew up right across the bridge from there in Toms River (where the jail is), so I get kind of nostalgic for the boardwalk while watching the train wreck that is Jersey Shore
Shannon's Food Runs — July 28, 2010 @ 2:30 pm
@Allie: Whoa whoa whoa – SH is Central-Shore! It’s the people who come down from the North that bring down the trash every summer, haha. I went to school there and we were in the “South Jersey” district for orchestra. And now everyone knows that I’m an orchestra dork who defends her sleazy hometown, haha.
Chelsea (Chelsea's Chew and Run Fun) — July 28, 2010 @ 2:33 pm
Congrats on the weight increase! I’ve seriously slacked off in the weight training department (not haivng a gym membership anymore might have a bit to do with it), so reading about your Body Pump triumphs is a real inspiration.
That tortellini looks delicious, Muscles!
Melanie — July 28, 2010 @ 2:41 pm
Great job on the increase! I feel like such a wimp when I read your body pump weights
but it inspires me to keep working harder.
Love your blog.
Alexa@Running the Road to Recovery — July 28, 2010 @ 2:42 pm
You make Body Pump sound so cool! I wish someone in Anchorage would offer the class so I could try! But alas, we up here in the frozen North have limited options
Maria — July 28, 2010 @ 2:53 pm
Congrats on the weight increase! I am obsessed with Body Pump so I understand the proud feeling:)
Stacey @ Tipping the (Kitchen!) Scales — July 28, 2010 @ 2:56 pm
Good job at Body Pump. It’s not dorky at all – you should celebrate your acheivements!!
Michelle @ Give Me the Almond Butter — July 28, 2010 @ 3:11 pm
Congrats on increasing your weight. That’s really exciting.
Ali @ Redhead Reports — July 28, 2010 @ 3:37 pm
Great job on your strength training – it’s always fun to notice your improvements!
amanda — July 28, 2010 @ 4:14 pm
Awesome job with moving up in weights!! BTW, I have been enjoying peaches too. delicious!
Jasmine @ Eat Move Write — July 28, 2010 @ 4:44 pm
It cracks me up you love Jersey Shore. I have to admit though, we watch the Kardashians :p
shelly@campinggirlchronicals — July 28, 2010 @ 7:53 pm
Those are serious weights!! I have not been feeling “noodleish” lately when leaving pump so I know that it is time to up my weights.
Jennifer — July 28, 2010 @ 8:48 pm
@Shannon’s Food Runs: @Allie: The cast of Jersey Shore are not from New Jersey…. They are all from NY except for Sammi…
Jennifer — July 28, 2010 @ 8:49 pm
When you say 23 pounds does that mean per bicep or total?
Tina — July 28, 2010 @ 8:51 pm
@Jennifer: Total. For 5 minutes straight without stopping.
Tina — July 28, 2010 @ 8:59 pm
@Jennifer: And Pauly D, who is from Rhode Island.
Jennifer — July 28, 2010 @ 11:02 pm
@Tina: Yup! Not NJ
MB — July 28, 2010 @ 11:14 pm
Hey Muscles – Great Job!
chandra — July 29, 2010 @ 10:23 pm
Ah! Congrats on upping your bicep weight!! I’ve been tempted to up mine lately on bis and tris (I’m not lifting as much as you though!) but I’m SO nervous that I won’t be able to finish the reps and I can’t do that as an instructor!
You’ve inspired me though, maybe one of these days I’ll try it!
Lauren — July 30, 2010 @ 6:04 pm
Hey Tina, I have been reading your blog for quite a while, but have been a silent reader..until now. I have a question about your body pump class. They offer it at my gym and I’m afraid to try it. Do you have to build up before you take the class? I’m afraid I won’t be able to complete the tracks or will be too sore for the next few days to do anything. What do you think? Do you have any tips for a newbie? Thanks!
Tina — July 31, 2010 @ 9:02 am
@Lauren: Anyone can take Body Pump! Just let the instructor know that you’re new to class before you start. It’s a great workout!