Wednesday, February 28, 2007

card deck

Did a card deck on my own. It took me 30 minutes:
pushups, no weight
body rows, 90 degrees
swings 32k
jump lunges

Then some HEY kneeling table and prone mountain cooldown.

Later today I'd like to do some sprints, or perhaps stairs. I just can't decide which . . .

Short and sweet

Just what I needed today. I'm feeling tired from two intense workouts Mon and Tues, so today was perfect. A bunch of pilates stuff for about 20-30 minutes, then 75 wall ball and 75 burpees for time. I picked up a 10 lb ball for wall ball, but Adam gave me a 15 lb ball instead...evil... I finished the wall ball and burpees in 8:34. Then we did an 800 m run. My legs had NOTHING left, but I pushed through it.

After some recovery time, I messed around with the KB's again. I did some warm up snatches with the 16...then the 20....then snatched the 24 a few times. I can do consecutive reps with the right hand, but I was doing singles (quick singles - but still singles) with the left. I just need to keep working with it.

Funny story...a dear friend sent me a gift, which arrive by FedEx yesterday. The delivery guy went to hand me the package, and I reached out to take it, but then he stopped and got a weird look on his face, and looked like he wanted to say something to me. I had no idea what that was about, so I took that package and said, "Thanks! Have a great day!" A couple minutes later, I realized I have these nice big kettlebell bruises on both arms...maybe that's what it was about. Actually, I wonder if I am getting these bruises because my form is bad. Any thoughts on this?

Have a great day! Be strong!!!

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Couple of strong workouts

Well, yesterday was the final step of my boards exam before graduation. So no workout, because the exam took all day and driving back to Madison from Chicago took the rest of the afternoon!

But Sunday I did a double workout to make up for it:
5X5 of:
Dball cleans (80#)
KB presses (16k)
KB overhead squats (20k)
KB snatches (24k)

Then I took a couple of hours off, and did the Sunday FIT class:
30 minutes to do:
3000 revolutions JR
300 yds PW crawl

I was too tired to keep count, so I did 15 minutes of each exercise. On JR I got somewhere past 2000, and PW crawling I have no idea. But I was wiped by the end, which is what counts!

Foggy morning run

Ran 3 miles this morning with DH at a super hard pace. DH only stayed with me for about the first 1/3 of the run. I had nothing left by the end.

Be strong!

Monday, February 26, 2007

Tough Monday

So I was inspired by burpees to try going really heavy with the kbs today...I tried to do a 5x5, but it ended up being a 4x5.

I did 4 sets of:
5 reps 2x20kg cleans
5 reps 2x20kg swings (except set 3, when I did 5 swings with 1x20kg on each arm)
5 snatches on each arm with the 20kg
5 push presses on each arm with the 20kg
10 overhead squats (holding 1x20kg in one hand for 5, then switching hands)

Then I played around and did single snatches with the 24 kg. So I can snatch the 24, but there's a heck of a lot of swing in it, so I feel like its cheating...using momentum to get it up there...I think I am going to keep doing snatches with the 20 and the 24 when I get a chance though...

What kills me are the double swings. Is it that my legs are too short, or are double swings really that hard? They were killing me! The overhead squats were pretty hard too...actually, they were REALLY hard. That's it for now. Hope you all are warm and safe! Be strong!

Saturday, February 24, 2007

You have to try this workout

I went to the track/football field today and did this workout. It was nice.

1/4 mile jog

Line drills (~10 min)

Goalpost to goalpost on the football field of 10 traveling burpees alternating with crawling 10 steps (counted one hand only while crawling).

10x100m sprints

One more time of goalpost to goalpost traveling burpees and crawling.

The end. :D


The burpees and crawls ended up being 4 sets each to cross the field (I had to go past the goal post by about 7 yards). So the second time I did the traveling burpees and crawling, I did each set of crawls in a different direction - forward, backwards, and sideways on each side. My quads are burning. Now I am trying to resist the siren song of my pullup bar... I think tomorrow will really be a rest day. :)

Be strong!!

Friday, February 23, 2007

back to pullups again too!

Today's 5X5:
presses, 16k's
pullups, no weight (haven't done them in awhile, so I was pleasantly surprised that I could still do them with some semblance of style)
foot up lunges, 16k's
one leg deadlifts, 16k's

My arms felt very tired at the end, but good. I need to do some core tonight; perhaps some knees to elbows and PW rollouts. We'll see.

Wow....spent!

So yesterday I did my first full pullup from a dead hang EVER. It was an underhand grip, but it was still a pullup... So I was excited that I finally got it, so I did singles throughout the day. My back and arms were SO freakin' tired this morning...I could feel it as soon as we started the warm up.

So today's workout - 3 or 4 times through of 12 squat-pulls, 12 push presses, and 24 jump chins. I used 2x30lb and was toast...pretty pathetic. I have no idea if I went through 3 or 4 times, but I don't care - my upper body needs a break. I may workout tomorrow if I feel good, but if I'm still tired, I'll probably go for a short run.

Now I need to work on those overhand pullups. :D

I hope you girls have a wonderful weekend! Be strong!

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Invigorating morning run

Ran 4 miles this morning at Town Lake. Took a break half-way through at the water station. Kept up a pretty decent pace, so I was pretty spent at the end. Felt great...I think that's it for today. :) Be strong!!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

traveling workout :)

Today's workout:

80 yd handstand walk (I did without wall)
100 yd rope climb (I have huge rope burns to prove it, too!)
80 yd lunges with 16k's
100 yd broad jumps

Then I played with the kb's to see how much weight I could clean, snatch, etc. The answer: not as much as I should be able to! I'm going to work on heavy kb exercises at least a couple of times a week, to try and improve on that.

I cleaned the 24s!!

This morning we did three times through: 15 swings, 10 snatches, 10 1-leg deadlifts, and 15 lunges. I used the 16 for the snatches, the 24 for the swings and lunges, and the 32 for the deadlifts.

So before class started, I decided I wanted to do a 1-arm clean with the 24kg KB. So I did, and it wasn't too hard...then Adam said I could clean both 24s. I didn't think I could...I tried and failed a few times, and then I finally got it. Sweet! I wouldn't have tried that if he didn't tell me I could do it. Its nice to have someone to push you.

At home I did some pushups and then left to train SIL...however, when I got to her place, she said she's sick. I'm really worried about her. I'm worried that she's not eating enough and not getting enough sleep...I'll talk to her about it when she calls me later. Planning on more pushups, chins, and situps tonight. Be strong!

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Great website

This is a very good resource for nutritional questions...take a look at it!

Linus Pauling Micronutrient Information Center

Complete and accurate information all in one place! I love it!

Tuesday

Ran 3x10 min on the treadmill while training SIL. I averaged 7 mph for each segment, so in all covered a hair under 3.5 miles. I'm still "practicing" pullups...doing singles with an underhand grip throughout the day...now I'm adding in overhand grip negatives. I need to sit down and map out a plan for getting to full overhand pullups. Any advice on this would be great. :)

SIL's workout for the day: 5 rounds of: 5 minutes on a cardio machine (treadmill, elliptical, or stairclimber), HEY series (prone mountain, supine mountain, down dog, supine bridge), 12 squats, 10 shoulder presses, 10 knee pushups. At the end we did more HEY together and worked on incline plane. And, just so you know, I hate ellipticals and stairclimbers...I told her I preferred her doing the treadmill but that she could do what she wanted...whatever it takes to keep her going for now.

That's it for now. I'm very excited about Burpees coming to visit in May!!! Whoooo hoooooo!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!

Be strong!

Monday, February 19, 2007

Awesome workout this morning

Yesterday I volunteered at the Austin Marathon all day and by evening, I did not feel well. I didn't feel like eating, and went to bed by 9 pm. This morning, I still didn't feel quite right, however, I had an awesome workout anyway.

400 m run
walking lunges (I would estimate around 50 yards? I have no idea.)
400 m run
50 burpees
400 m run
50 swings (used 24kg...wonder if I should've used 32kg.)
400 m run
50 pushups
400 m run
Finished in 20:39, I think.

Then I played with KBs a while...did a few snatches and a couple double cleans with the 20s.

Then I did another 60 pushups and 120 situps. My year to date total for pushups is 1500. Exactly 10% of my year-end goal. I'm a little behind schedule, but I'm not worried. They're beginning to feel easier.

Be strong!!

Sunday, February 18, 2007

good old 100's workout

Tonights WOD:
100's each of sprints (10yd), jumping jacks, burpees, skaters, russian twists and MB throwbacks. All done in under 30 minutes (JUST under 30 minutes!). I did all sets of 100 before moving on to the next exercise. And sprints made me want to puke!

Rounded out with balance work, to try to cut down on foot cramping (stopped happening during running, now only happens during burpees, of all things!). I think balance work is helping, so I do that several times a week.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Saturday fun

I taught classes this morning, so did not workout until this afternoon/evening. I did go to the men's bball game, which was a great time! We killed Penn State and looked pretty good doing it.

Workout (at the Shell):
Run 2miles
Row 1000 yd
Run 2miles
Row 1000 yd

Then I played with the stability balls, doing situps, russian twists on them, leg lifts and leg curls, pikeups and tucks, and thinkers (prone + sides) with my legs on them. 20 reps/20 seconds of each, once through. Mostly for fun.

Saturday

Went to a community workout this morning... 4 times through a circuit of KB high pulls, wall ball, DB push press, and med ball lunges with diagonal chops. 20 sec on/10 sec off. Next 3 rounds of 5 burpees + 10 pushups with a partner, and we had to clap hands with our partner between each pushup. Last 3 rounds of 15 overhead KB swings, while partner holds at the bottom of an overhead squat - each person did 3 rounds of swings and 3 holds.

Then SIL came over and wanted a hard workout, so I set up a card deck for her and DH. I had SIL doing pushups on hearts, chins and rows on diamonds (depending on even or odd number), KB dead lifts and situps on spades and clubs. DH did PW curls instead of DLs, v-ups instead of situps, and his exercises were assigned to different suits so that they weren't using the jungle gym at the same time. DH made it a little over half-way through the workout, and SIL made it 3/4 through. At one point, SIL said, "Whoever told you that you weren't hugged enough as a child was right!" referring to a comment a client made to me after a FIT class at MBG last year. :D

After they finished I did 75 pushups to bring me up to 125 for the day, and 120 situps (4x30). I made some discoveries this week...I can do plyo alligator pushups...they're not nearly as graceful as D's at the MBG, but its a start. I can also finally do full divebombers instead of hindu PUs. Now I'm practicing for full pullups.

Hope you are having a great weekend! Be strong!

Friday, February 16, 2007

Turning into a Texan

I AM SO COLD!! Its only 28...but I am FREEZING!!! How did I survive in Wisconsin? I used to LOVE cold weather.

OK, so this morning, I did 12 minutes of a 15/15 alternating between pushups and 90 degree chins. I hit 126 pushups and 93 chins. Then, my right knee felt really tight, so I did 4x50 hindu squats (I may run later if I workout with SIL, so I didn't want to fry my legs anyway). Last I did 4x30 situps.

I went to workout at Crossfit Austin this morning, but Adam asked me to lead the workout, so I didn't actually workout. He is a very cool guy and an awesome trainer...if you ever end up in Austin, make sure you go work out with him.

This week has been extraordinarily stressful for me on the employment side of things, but my training and nutrition has been really good, so I am feeling GREAT in spite of the stress. Of course, I do have a wonderful support network. :) I just have to have faith and take it one day at a time.

Be strong!!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Chilly Wednesday

This morning: 4 rounds of 12 snatches on each arm (used 16kg), 24 overhead lunges (used 12kg first round, 16kg 2-4), and 12 clean and press (2x12kg). Finished a second under 19 minutes.

Tonight: 100 pushups, practiced pullups, and 120 situps.

Be strong!

Monday, February 12, 2007

WOW

I'm impressed...I went over to SIL's apartment today to train her. I didn't work out with her because I worked out this morning and had plans to test myself tonight...more on that later. SIL worked her butt off. Her legs were super sore from Saturday's workout, and I expected as much, so I had planned on an intense upper body workout for her. I had her do 50 reps of each cable press, pushups, chins, and body rows. She used a pink cable, I used the PPU to assist her pushups, and she was between 60 and 90 degrees for chins and body rows. She did GREAT. She split the reps up into 5 sets of 10, and did it like a circuit. Afterwards she did touchdowns, a few situps, and a little HEY. Her posture is still improving, and she hasn't felt the pinched nerve acting up in the last few days. Tomorrow I think I'll have her walk on the treadmill while I run on the other. Maybe we'll throw in a little leg work, we'll see. I can tell that my challenge will be to keep her from overtraining...

OK, as for my workouts today. This morning we did 3 rounds of 25 burpees, 50 mountain climers, 50 jumping jacks, 25 situps, and 50 squats. I was totally not awake this morning, and so I thought that I was supposed to do 100 jumping jacks and 100 squats. I have no idea how many mountain climbers I did in the first round - I think I at least got that right...they're different than the way we do them at MBG though - we had to plant our both our feet each side of each rep. The squats weren't quite like hindu squats, but close...we had to touch the sides of our heels each time. After I finished, I did a couple extra sets of situps. I finished pretty fast, but I had to keep stopping to pull my pants up...they felt like they were about to fall off. I think its time to buy new pants.

Tonight, I ran through a workout from the MBG website that I did last October to compare my reps. I did one minute each of hang cleans, military presses, renegade rows, push presses, squat cleans, pushups, snatches, front squats, swings, PW crawls, PW curls, mountain climbers, situps, and thinker, with 1 min rest between each. The only thing that I did not get a better number in was situps, and I was off by 3 reps (55 last time, 52 this time). I also did not take any extra breaks this time - the only extra break time was to move my coffee table and put the PW on. I'm happy...but I also wish there was more improvement. I want to be stronger. I think I may really be my worst critic. :)

Be strong!

Nice snowy Monday

Well, its turning into a typical Wisconsin winter after all. Its been below average highs for several weeks, and now its closer to normal temps (20's during the day). It snowed today; light fluffy stuff that would have been fun to sled in, if I could find anyone to go with!

Instead I did a body power workout on my own, because I'm busy during all of the class times. I did 4 sets, 20 reps, to 15 reps, to 10 reps, to 5 reps of each:
down dogs (started on the floor, ended on a medium box)
body rows (started on floor, ended on a medium box)
vertical jumps (I was probably hitting average of 12-15 inches of vertical height, no resistance)
stability ball pikeups
stability ball curls (done with arms across chest, tougher than I anticipated!)

Then I did 60 yards of bear crawl, with 3 snatches on each side every 5 yds (all with 12k's). That was just to get me used to snatching again, and using the KB's. I've been avoiding them because of my shoulder but need to restart, so I can work toward cleaning and snatching heavy weights again!

Too much of a good thing...

I DID go swimming, finally, and it was wonderful. I think the last time I had been swimming was about 10 years ago. I felt good! I'm not super fast, I don't know how to do the flip turns, but I felt like I got a good workout, and I did a lot better and went a lot faster than I ever did before, which I attribute to much more strength in my arms, shoulders, and back. Then I went for an easy 5 mile run last night, in celebration of the temperature moving up into a balmy enough range for snow to fall. It felt great. This morning, I'm dealing with some sore muscles, especially in my legs from the flutter kicking, which I worked on for a while. Anyway, I'm planning to sign up for a class the next time it's offered so that I can learn how to do flip turns. I realize that in the past I didn't have a sense of how intense I need to make my workouts so that I could progress. Now that I do, I'm looking forward to seeing how hard I can go with the swimming/running combination for a while. I think I will need to start doing HEY with more discipline, just to prevent overuse injuries. Keep movin!

Saturday, February 10, 2007

You are a weird bug

So today was pretty good. I worked out a bit with Adam at Crossfit Austin this morning. We did some HEY and then we ran through a circuit of JR 100f/100b, 15 divebombers, 30 burpees, 15 body rows, 400m run, PW crawl.It was a nice circuit - definitely worth running through 3-5 times sometime. He really knows his stuff, so it was pretty cool to hear his analysis of HEY and his comparisons to Egoscue and Pilates stuff.

Tonight SIL came over to work out. I taught her how to do cleans, and she picked it up fast. She looked great. She used a 10 lb sandbag, and I used 2x12kg KBs, and we did 45 clean-squat-press together. We broke it down into sets of 13, 10, 10, 12, and between each set, we did prone mountain. Afterwards we did touchdowns (which she renamed to pussy cats, because she was doing them without weight and felt like a cat playing the way she was touching her hands down on either side), sit-up-and-reach, and incline plane. I was really pumped up because SIL did so well. She has gone from saying, "I don't want to die" during the workout to "COME ON, SLACKER!!!" when I started to slow down. Very cool. :)

Yesterdays workout was 1000 m on the Concept II rower, 50 thrusters with 45lb bar, and 50 jump chins. It felt OK yesterday...intense, but not too taxing...but today my calves are killing me! I can't even stand up on my toes.

As for weather...a cold front came through, so we're back to our wimpy Texas winter...not cold enough to be a real winter, not warm enough to be pleasant. Oh well. I still see freaks walking around in parkas and earmuffs.

So I was talking to my Mom on the phone today, and I told her that I felt odd, but not quite sick, but that I thought perhaps I just caught a weird bug. Her response: "You are a weird bug."

Alright...be strong!

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Still taking it light

Yesterday was another card deck workout. Capoeiras, leg curls, down dog push-ups, V-ups. I felt good about it, and I'm thinking I'm ready to start to step things up a little. I really miss being able to go for a run. It's still brutal. I saw some people running yesterday afternoon. I just don't want the weather to add a layer of stress to my body on top of the workout. I'm going to try going for a swim this weekend. Haven't done that for ages. Be strong! Keep those spines alive with energy and light!

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Probably shouldn't mention that it was 74 today...?

A couple good workouts today...

First thing in the morning was 5 rounds of 15 overhead squats (used 45lb bar), 12 renegade rows (2x12kg), and 1/4 mile run. I did it in about 24 minutes.

Next was the workout with SIL. We spent A LOT of time with prone mountain. That pose really clicked with her, and she found some of the activations already. The difference in her posture after she did it the first few times was nothing short of amazing. She's desperate for progress, so I brought a cable, chinup bar, jungle gym, and PPU with me to her place. We did 90 deg. chins, cable punches, body rows, and pushups. I used the PPU, and then I made her do full pushups while assisting her with the PPU under her hips. She's been doing knee PUs, so I decided perhaps I should give her something a little new. We did prone mountain throughout the workout, and her form looked great compared to last time she tried them. We spent so much time in that pose, that I didn't bother with any others today. It made a huge difference. I'll be anxious to hear how she felt at work tonight. This weekend I think we'll add in kneeling table and kneeling mountain.

After that SIL and I made lunch together...she's been low on energy lately and craving liver, so I suspect she may be anemic. We made liver and onions for lunch, along with salad. It wasn't bad...with a lot of onions. :)

So I made this awesome smoothie this morning...you guys have to try it. It was so good.
2 handfuls ice cubes
1 cup frozen mixed berries
1 cup water
1 heaping teaspoon ground flax seed
1 scoop whey protein powder
2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach

Sooooooooo good!

I'm home now and have a few hours free time before DH gets home. I think I'll relax a bit, and then spend some time doing HEY myself. Be strong!

killer workout

Today's Body Power was tough and fun. It is more like a Power60 workout of old:
80 yards each of: overhead KB carry, run, racked KB carry, run, lunges, run, broad jumps, run
Then repeat each exercise at 60 yards.
Then repeat each with 40 yards.
Then, finally, repeat each with 20 yards.

I used 12k's. I was very tired by the end, and I could definitely tell I worked out!

why I love my gym

Because when you're having an off day, there's always someone there to push you through it.

Yesterday one of my favorite CNT's (who I will call C) worked out at 4pm FIT with me. Just having him there egging me on and working hard alongside me was motivation enough for me to finally push hard through a FIT workout! We did 10 min. jump rope, 30 on/30 off. I mixed it up every time, even hitting doubles and crossovers! Then on to 10 minutes of AMAP burpees. I lost count, but I was somewhere between 160 and 175 total. Then 10 min of agility ladder, although I have to admit my body was pretty wiped by that point and I was slowing down. Then core, 30 on/ 15 off of PW crawl, pikes and tucks. I made it two times through each exercise and called it a day, because I wanted to quit before the workout did me in!

Diet has picked up significantly (yay!). I've been doing granola with rice milk for breakfast, along with chai tea. Lunch was a veggie burrito with tomatoes, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, onions and beans. Dinner was stuffed portabellas: portabellas filled with zucchini, yellow squash, onions, bread crumbs, parmesean cheese and a bit of water/olive oil to hold that mixture together. Baked at 350 for about 10 min. I had it with a side of steamed broccoli, and it was delicious!

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Maybe y'all should move to Austin

Its 9 pm and 58 degrees...it got up to 70 today and was BEAUTIFUL. Tomorrow its supposed to get up to 75. I heard about all the school closings, and the beltline and 90 being closed up there. Sounds awful!

I worked out with the sister-in-law again today. I made her walk on the treadmill while I ran on another one. I did three 10 minute segments, all at a medium to fast pace...it was a great workout for me, actually. In between those segments, I worked with SIL on kneeling table, down dog, and forward flexion. We worked on squats, deadlifts, and some rows. Everything is super light weight, just trying to get her to feel the activation and learn correct form.

So I have a question for you guys...SIL has a pinched nerve in her neck...it bothers her a lot, especially a few hours after working out. She's had it for at least a year, maybe longer. Any ideas on how to address this?

Stay safe! Stay warm!!!

So far, So good

Haven't been able to post for a few days, but things have been going well, in spite of the weather. I've been doing some fun card deck workouts the last few days, light and fun. Push-ups, foot-up lunges, sit-ups, and stability ball leg-curls on Saturday and then burpees, skaters, leg curls, and sit-ups on Sunday. Took yesterday off. Will probably do jump-rope tonight after class. Diet has been more manageable since my breakthrough last week. Still staying with the soy milk and cereal for breakfast, salads for lunch, some sort of healthy thing for dinner. Had one meal last week that was an indulgence in things Italian. I loved it and felt fine!

I did have one moment over the weekend when I thought about trying to create a more intense workout, but backed off in the interest of keeping my energy level high and not tapping into my frustration at not being where I was at a year ago. It worked too. Keep that good energy going!

Monday, February 05, 2007

when do i get to be strong?

So everyone's posting their incredible feats, and I only have mediocre workouts that don't hold a candle to my standard workouts. Today my shoulder felt twingy when I did clean warmups, so I skipped the written workout and did my own version:

5 minutes of pushups (did 30 down dog and 40 regular)
2 minutes of jump rope
5 minutes of pulling (did 40 assisted chins and 30 body rows)
2 minutes of box steps
5 minutes of one leg squats (did 35 on each side)
2 minutes of jump rope
5 minutes of leg extensions (did 30 one leg deadlifts and 40 swings with 28k)
2 minutes box steps

It was a good workout, and at the end I felt exhausted. Nothing felt strong throughout. I guess its just one of those days. As T put it "there's no records you're trying to break today." But I wish I felt like my strength was at least at its AVERAGE; its lower than its been in awhile. When am I going to feel strong again?

On a side note, after I tutor my renal students tonight, I will be doing a short run (indoors). Probably 2 or 3 miles, perhaps with some pushups thrown in at 1/4 mile intervals. I need to grease the groove with those pushups if I'm ever going to keep pace with you ladies :)

A good start to the week

Its supposed to get up to 65 degrees here today. I know you guys in Mad Town are experiencing some really nasty cold weather. Stay safe!!!

So I had a great workout at Crossfit Austin this morning. We did 5x5 with KB clean and jerks, 5x5 KB clean and front squat, and 5x15 KB swings. I used 2x16kg for the jerks and squats and 1x32 for the swings. Felt good. Front squats have always killed me, so I was happy with be able to be strong throughout the workout. I really want to get to the point of using 24s for all the stuff I use 12s and 16s for now.

I don't feel too sore from the pushups yesterday. I don't feel too bad about the Superbowl either...I'm heart-broken, sure, but you can't listen to Tony Dungy and not have tremendous respect for him and his team.

So I made my own corn tortillas this weekend. They turned out great, and I baked some of them to make chips for the game. I made them with masa, ground flax seed, and water. Pretty easy...a bit time-consuming, but worth it. Let me know if you want the recipe, and I'll post it. Stay warm!!! Be strong!

Sunday, February 04, 2007

0 to 300 in 2 years

OK, if that was a car, it would suck...and be very scary. But no, that's referring to my pushups. When I joined the Monkey Bar in November 2004, I couldn't do a single pushup. I could cheat and do a couple pretend pushups, but no real, solid pushups.

Today I did 300. I could've done more maybe, but I was a little sore and decided that 300 would be a good goal for my first attempt at this sort of workout. I'll go for more next time. I was inspired by Guns training to do 500 in an hour. I decided to try it and do a set of 10 each minute. I did 300 in 33 minutes 40 seconds. Then I did 60 situps.

In other news, I am beyond depressed. I don't know what the hell the Bears are doing. They're not playing football...

Be strong.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Luckily there are more good days than bad days

Today was good day...very good day.

3 rounds (for time):
24 sumo high pulls
12 push presses on each arm
12 rows on each arm
24 burpees
12 single-arm thrusters (squat to press) on each side

Break for a couple hours...then 4.1 mile run. Felt great.

I've been doing more HEY lately...not a ton, but more, and I am really feeling good. I love that stuff... Be strong!

Friday, February 02, 2007

Bad days happen....and then they get worse

I'm laughing about it now...but you know how I was saying I felt "off" and weak on Wednesday? Yeah, well, that's because I was coming down with a stomach flu. I should have seen it coming...I had all the classic symptoms that my family has when we get sick. Tuesday I was starving all day...Wednesday morning I felt tired and weak, and started to feel achy. I should know when I get that bizarre hunger that I am getting sick, and I should just stay in bed. Oh well.

So Thursday my sister-in-law really wanted to work out with me, so I went with her over to her apartment's tiny workout room. I ran for 15 minutes on the treadmill at a satisfyingly fast pace, but the rest of the time turned into me working with her on form for squats and pushups and teaching her some HEY. She has a lot of imbalances, so we started with bridge, front warrior, and incline plane. We'll add more as time goes on.

Today was a nice circuit (for time - get it done as fast as possible) 3 times through of 6 clean and press on each arm, 12 bent-over rows with each arm, and 24 swings. I used the 16 kg for the clean-press and rows, and the 24kg for the swings. I know I can swing more than that, but it was actually a good weight to do 24 reps in a row.

I was going to work out again when I got home tonight. I was doing office work all day...but I got home, ate a salad, and passed out. I'm going to have some tea, and then go back to bed. Be strong!!

Thursday, February 01, 2007

on the road again

I'm doing some more traveling (as if I haven't gotten enough!). I was in Nashville earlier this week, and now I'm in Ann Arbor. Tomorrow I head to Indianapolis.

I've still been working out, although not to the extent I do at the gym. Yesterday was a card deck: pushups, burpees, capoira (sp?) lunges, and situps. Today my butt is sore, probably from lunges.

Today I am in a hotel with a tiny fitness room. I think I will do sprint 1/4 mile, walk 1/4 mile, hopefully 3-4 miles worth. Then I need to do some PW pikeups and curls. And perhaps some jumprope as well. I think it will be a rather free-form workout!

I was at home visiting my parents between trips, so you can imagine that my diet is less than ideal. But I had egg whites with veggies this morning, a Wendy's frosty (so delicious, even though it is loaded with sugar) and salad for lunch, and I'm headed out here in Ann Arbor to find dinner (eek!)

Taking it lightly

Light workout this morning: leg curls w/stability ball, knee push-ups, pike-ups with stability ball 5 sets of 10 reps. Then an easy 2 mile run. Nutrition was good yesterday---protien crunch back to nature cereal, soy milk, strawberries for breakfast, steamed veggies, blanched almonds, and rice with tofu for lunch, chicken breast and salad for dinner. I'm drinking a lot of hot tea these days. It's bitterly cold. That's all I have! Stay warm! Be strong!!