Thursday, August 30, 2007

Rebound!

Well, had a nice walk/run last night and then did a FIT workout this morning: Jump rope again 100s f and b X 10. Did a little crawling but my wrists and hands were hurting in a bad way. I think the j-rope from the other day, and more time at a computer, is stressing my wrists and hands in a different way. Anyway, it was good to notice that. I finished the workout with 50 sit ups and then a few HEY poses just to cool down and reset my alignment. Feels good!! And, I finally slept well for the first time in almost a week. Sleep!! It's my favorite medicine, next to pedialyte and water!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

New training partner

So I met with that trainer today - the one that lives in Austin and went to the CNT course at the Monkey Bar. It was really fun working out together, and WOW, it is so great to do HEY and get FEEDBACK!

So we did 12 sets of 3 reps of a kettlebell complex: pushup on the KBs, renegade row on both sides, jump feet in, stand up and clean, and press. It was pretty intense. I used the 16s.

Then we did about 45 minutes to an hour of yoga. We're going to meet again on Friday. I am totally excited. This is great. Be strong!

Afternoon FIT

Was able to get to the gym for FIT yesterday afternoon. It was a running workout, but because I don't bring shoes and had blisters on my feet (my own fault, why do I have to be so vain?!!), I stayed indoors, barefoot and did a jump rope workout. 10 sets of 100 forward and backward in 25 minutes. It felt so good!! Then we did 20 minutes of Turkish get ups with partners. One would do one get up, then rest while the other did theirs. I used a 16 K. I don't feel it as much this morning as I did a week ago when I did them for the first time in a long while. I'll probably go for a run tonight, provided it isn't raining.

Nutrition is good. Not really cooking much with the heat and humidity when I get home. Looking forward to this weekend!!

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Lunar Eclipse

Saw the lunar eclipse this morning on the way in to work. Very cool.

Today's workout: warm up with 800m run.
60 situps as fast as possible, a few sets of 24kg KB snatches, and 10 pushups with 25lbs on my back.

Then several rounds of:
10 pushups with 35lb plate on my back
30 situps with 25lb plate on my chest
10 assisted pullups (overhand grip)

I think I did about 5 rounds. I was going to sprint tonight but I didn't get done with work until 8 pm, and I need to be back at work at 6 am, so I decided to come home instead. Be strong!

End of summer...

I'm really feeling the change of season, even though it's really hot and humid today. I guess almost two weeks of clouds and rain will do that, along with less daylight. Yesterday's BP workout was a 5 X 5 for four exercises:

Push ups--off low box
Chins---no resistance
Front squats---used 20Ks
Deadlifts---2 sets with 40ks, then dropped to just 1 40K.

Really worked on form for my push-ups, and I tried to get back to not touching the floor between chins, but I'm not there yet. The front squats felt good. I think I could have gone heavier, but I want to feel confident about cleaning the 20s before I do that. Now, I do it, but it's not pretty. For the deadlifts, I've used the 40s before, so I thought with the low reps I would again, but the front squats were intense, and I had to struggle too much on the form so I dropped down and really worked with a good range of motion with only the 40 k for resistance.

Last night my sister called to see if she could come for two weekends in september to get some personal training to prep for a Taekwondo black belt test in October. I'm thinking we'll do an intense workout in the morning, and a long HEY session in the afternoon on both days. We'll walk a lot too. Wanted to go in for a FIT workout this morning, but couldn't fall asleep last night, so gave myself a break this morning. I'll probably go for a run tonight. Be strong!!!

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Too hot to handle...

Today DH and I headed over to the track to run through my test. He decided that he'd run through it too. That turned out to be a very bad idea. More on that in a bit.

I went into the practice test today knowing that I would not be going at it 100% because I was still sore, still a bit tired, and it was SCORCHING hot on the track. I still scored well. Plenty of points to pass, plus a significant cushion. So I feel more confident than I have been.

DH did the situps, pushups, and the sprint, and then decided to call it quits, which I thought was a good idea. I started the run, and was almost finished with one lap to go, when I saw DH kneeling on the ground, bent over. I cut my run short one lap to get him out of the heat... Luckily DH felt much better once I got him home and got some fluids in him. Whew!

Be strong!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

To train or not to train....

....that is the question for the day. I was ready to force myself out on my favorite 4 mile route, but DH convinced me that I need another day of rest. I was super sore yesterday (no workout yesterday), and woke up this morning feeling better, but still a bit tender in my quads, upper hammies, and glutes...and I felt a bit cranky, which has turned out to be my telltale sign of over-training.

Tomorrow morning, DH and I are going to drag ourselves out of bed and head to the track for an early morning workout with one of the guys from the gym. We're going to the track, so I'm going to run through my test, and then run some flat sprints and some hill sprints, and do some extra situps and pushups.

So yesterday another trainer from Austin stopped by the gym to meet me. She got my info from Jon when she went to the CNT cert course earlier this month. It turns out that we work a couple blocks away from each other, so we're going to start getting together for workouts, and especially to do HEY together! WHOOOOO-HOOOOO! She seems VERY cool, and I am excited to do some partner work.

I hope you are having a great weekend! Be strong!

Friday, August 24, 2007

Did someone say FBI workout?

That's what we did this a.m. As many sets as possible in 30 minutes of:

Push-ups (20 reps, no resistance)
Chin ups (20 reps, no resistance)
Sit-n-reach (4 k med ball)
Jump rope 100 f and b

I made it through 3 times, did jump chins instead of full. Actually the jump rope would have been better as a run around the building, but it's so wet outside, and I never bring shoes, so jump rope it was.

I can really feel my abs from the turkish get ups yesterday. Haven't slept very well the last week. I keep waking up really early. I know they season change, loss of daylight always affects me, and I've been using a SAD lamp in the mornings. Maybe I should add some St. John's Wort to my routine. Work has been sort of stressful, but no more than it's been for the last 6 months, so I'm thinking it's a sort of physical/anxiety reaction to the season. Stay strong!!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Good times!

Still taking it easy and and at stability/strength level.
Wed. workout:
4 X 6
One armed clean-squat-press (16 K)
Swings (38 k)
Body rows

Felt good.

Thurs: Jump n get up.
6 X
Jump rope 100 f and b
2 turkish get ups each side.

I didnt' do the jump rope. Instead I did the stability version of box step ups 50 total, switch leading leg after 25. Used a higher box (just over knee level).

Wednesday night I subbed yoga. It is so good to direct my energy that way. I like to believe that it helps people feel better not just in a physical way, but also mentally more ready to accept their bodies and lives as they are. Beautiful...Oh yes. And brilliant.

Up to the challenge

So I accepted Adam's challenge. He told me to use a 15 lb med ball and try to beat his time (he used a 20 lb ball). He did 150 wall ball in 8:30 yesterday, and today I did 150 in 8:16. He said he'll do it again next week and shave a minute off his time. I'm sure he can, but not so sure that I could keep up with that pace. I'm going to have to do 150 burpees again sometime soon and set a time for him to beat.

Anyway, after my 150 wall ball, I did single clean-and-presses with the 24 kg KB. I don't have any idea how many I did...probably around 10. Not that many.

I'm freaking out about whether or not I would be able to pass the PFT right now, if they called and wanted me to take it again. Hopefully, if that happens, it won't be for another couple weeks. I think I should definitely be ready by my self-imposed deadline of October, but I'm nervous that they'll call for me to take it earlier than that.

Alrighty....be strong!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

HOT!!!!

Jeez! I went for a four mile run today and it was HOT! I went about 2 pm, because that was the only time that would fit in my schedule and I needed to get it in. It was in the lower 90's, but the humidity was about 55% and the sun was BLAZING!!! I had to take a couple breaks to walk circles in the shade, and when I was near a water fountain, I splashed water all over myself. I decided to weight myself before and after the run to see how much water I would lose...the difference was 1.7 lbs. I also took my temperature when I got home...my temperature is normally about 97.6, but when I got back it was up to 99.6. I felt much better after a cold shower...

Anyway, that's it for today. Adam challenged me to try to beat his 150 wall ball time, so I may try that tomorrow. He also wants me to set a time for 150 burpees for him to try and beat. What a nut. Be strong!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

6 week countdown began Monday

No, I don't have a date yet...but I am forcing myself to be ready in 6 weeks, which is the first possible date. If a spot opens up, I want to be able to say, "Of course I'm ready to go!"

Yesterday I did three rounds of 10 barbell cleans (95 lbs), 10 barbell snatches (65 lbs), and 10 overhead squats (75 lbs). I also rowed for 5 sets of 30/30 each round. I think that was it. I can't remember exactly.

Today I did five rounds of: 10 pushups with 15 lbs on my back, 10 pushups with no added weight, 10 90-degree pullups (but using an overhand grip on a stationary bar instead of the rings), and a whole bunch of situps each round. I did about 30 un-anchored situps with my hands behind my head, and then 10 to 20 with a 12kg KB on my chest, and then 10 with a 5 or 10lb plate held behind my head. By the end I probably did about 200 situps. After my first round, I also did a set of flutter kicks, and after my last round, I did a set of a pilates exercise I learned from Adam.

Sunday I took off. I was going to go for a run in the evening, but DH said I should take another recovery day, so I did. Good thing I did - I'm already tired and its only Tuesday! Luckily I get to go into work an hour later tomorrow morning, so that should help. I could go in at my normal time and participate in the workout, but maybe an extra hour of sleep would be better. Be strong!

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Tanked!!

I knew I should have stayed in bed this morning. I wanted to start a routine of testing myself every Saturday morning, and maybe meeting other people at the track to train and run through the test. Well, this morning, I tanked! I could tell that I was exhausted by the end of the week because I was getting really cranky last night, and I was cranky this morning.

I ran through some agility ladder stuff and felt like a big sand bag. Then I ran a quarter mile to warm up. Then I did 80 situps, and then the 300 m sprint. Then I did 20 pushups, got even more ticked off, and left the track.

I think I need to talk to my boss about my schedule. I work about 6 hours a day, but the sessions are scattered between 6 am and 6:30 p.m. Its not working. Not when I have to train for my PFT too. Ugh. Something has to change. I need to figure out a way to make this work. Well, have a great weekend!

Friday, August 17, 2007

Cool workout

So my boss has hired another person to start leading some of the Crossfit classes. His background is in boxing and BJJ, so he threw a little boxing into the mix as well. The class was split up into two groups, so first we did a circuit of wall ball, burpees, and running (320m). The second half of the class, we did 3 sets of 1 minute rounds of pushups, KB swings, and punching a heavy bag. It was a great workout. The warmup consisted of various random exercises, and we got some pushups and burpees in there, along with a bunch of ab work.

Last night I did a very short workout. I warmed up with the jump rope, then did 10 minutes of 30/30 on the rowing machine. Then I messed around with the KB's and did cleans and front squats. I threw in a few swings and renegade rows, and finished with a couple sets of knees to elbows and pike-ups on a belt run through the rings.

Feeling pretty tired right now...planning on another track workout tomorrow morning if its not storming. I hurt my shoulder this week...not working out, but running into a wall in the dark. Long story, but it had to do with a Persian rug and a puking cat. You can imagine. Be strong!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Morning run

I got my run out of the way this morning when I had an hour free between sessions. It sure was nice getting it out of the way early in the day. I ran for about 30 minutes: 15 minutes out from the gym, then turned around and headed back. It was hard, but it felt good. Be strong!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

I'm feeling hot, hot, hot!

Texas summer is here! Hittin' the century mark! I am spiking my water with unflavored Pedialyte, and I definitely feel a difference.

This morning I did a very short jump rope warmup, then 2x400 m on the rower, 2x60 situps, 3x5 pushups with 25lbs on my back, 3x5 pushups with 35lbs on my back, and a few pathetic attempts at pullups. Bleh! I can't decide if that was a sufficient workout for today or not. I would've done more but I ran out of time. I may or may not do a few more pushups, pullups, and situps this afternoon between sessions.

Be strong!

I'll Just Say It...

I'm in a bad mood. PMS. Too sore to workout this morning, but will take a bikeride tonight. Yesterday's workout was intense...

4 sets of 15 reps, as fast as possible.

Clean, squat, press (16 ks.)
Kip ups
Jump rope (100s f and b)

I made it through 3 times in about 35 minutes. Finished with 4 sets of 10 reps PW rollouts.

It would be fun to do the FIT class today. 30/30 circuit workout, which I haven't done in ages. I like those. But, I need to maintain a little balance, so I'll proabably bikeride.

Nutrition has been pretty good, but right now I'm eating shrek sized peanut m&ms. For medicinal purposes only. The comments about the gym, how wonderful it is and how lucky I am to be able to benefit from it are dead on. But I'm still in an evil mood. So, I don't feel it in my heart right now. Be strong! Don't hit anyone!

I'll just say it.

PMS. I'm in an evil mood. BP yesterday was intense. 4 sets, 15 reps each of:

clean, squat, press

Kip ups

Jump rope (100s f and b).

I only made it through 3 sets and then stopped. Did 4 sets of 10 reps PW rollouts. I'm really feeling it today. Will probably just bikeride tonight instead of FIT which is a 30/30 circuit workout.

I read your comments about how wonderful the gym is, and I feel so lucky (in my head) but I'm in such a bad mood I don't feel it in my heart today. Be strong! Don't hit anybody!

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Training without the Monkey Bar STINKS!!!!!!

I like the gym I'm at...Adam's a great trainer, and the people there are super cool. But when its time to dig deep and see what I can pull out of myself, I still really miss the Monkey Bar.

Anyway, I'm coming along. Today's workout kicked my butt. I met up with our newest trainer at a local track. We did our own thing most of the time, but it was still motivating to work out with another trainer. There was a hill there - not as big as Elver. Still respectable, but more manageable. Today is my test day. I decided to run through the events for quality and not freak myself out with time, so I didn't even bring my stop watch. I warmed up with a half mile jog. Then I did 60 situps. Then J and I did a 300 m sprint together. Then we did 120 yards of 10 traveling burpees and 10 crawling steps alternating. Back to our own thing - I did pushups (30 in a row!!) and a 1.5 mile run. Last I did 3 sprints up the hill.

Yesterday morning: 30 minutes of 20 pushups, 10-15 90 degree chins, 20 situps, 400 m run. J was leading class so most of the 400's he made me finish with a sprint. Very nice.

Yesterday afternoon: short and sweet KB workout: cleans, squats, presses, snatches, renegade rows, and a few sots presses. Started light and worked up to my maxes. Nothing too intense, low reps, just getting back into the KB stuff again.

Thursday: I took the day off.

Wednesday: I ran a bit under 4 miles. The last third of the run was super difficult.

Feeling good right now, although a bit tired...I have a feeling I will be sore tomorrow. Here's a little gecko that I caught in the gym. Once it got used to me, I got it to actually sit in my hand...and then when I took it outside, it didn't want to leave my hand!

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Time to get serious...again

Well, I heard from my future employer this week and it looks like I will find out my start date soon. The earliest I could start would be in 7 weeks, so I need to be prepared.

This is my plan:
1. Train specifically for my PFT every week.
2. Commit myself to getting 8 hours of sleep a night.
3. Go back to a very strict nutrient-rich diet balanced between protein, carbs, and fats...I'll allow myself a beer on the weekend if I have accomplished all my weekly goals...
4. Take a vitamin and an iron supplement every day.

My weekly training plan, for now is:
Mondays: Cross train (any combo of exercises not related to the PFT)
Tuesday: Pushups, situps, pullups, run.
Wednesday: Run
Thursday: Cross train
Friday: Pushups, situps, pullups, run.
Saturday and Sunday: Rest one day, and the other day run through the test and afterwards do a few extra sprints.

I need to work some long runs in too, but I'm not sure where I'm going to do that.

So far this week:
Monday:
4 x 20 wall ball with the 20lb med ball
4 x 20 burpees
2 x 320 m run
2 x 400m row

Tuesday:
7 x 5 pushups with 25 lbs on my back
4 pullups from my tip-toes
3 x 60 situps
4 x 400 m row

Today the plan is to run in the evening when I get home for about 30 to 40 minutes. Hopefully it will be cooler by then. Then I need to go to bed by 9. I went to bed about 9 on Monday, and at 10 last night.

If you have any suggestions about my training, let me know. I need to be ready by October!

Be strong!

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Re-entry is hard!

Back to work yesterday and today. Ugh. Had a good workout Monday morning and it was the best part of my day...

2 sets of 20 reps:

push-ups
renegade rows (10 each side w/ 16 ks)
foot up lunges (10 each side w/ 16 ks)
box step ups (no resistance, 20 each side)
PW pike ups
PW leg curls

Lots of meetings today, need to take a bike ride or a run after work...Be strong!

Re-entry sucks

Hard day back yesterday...Had a good workout in the morning... Went through 2 x 20 reps each set:

push-ups
renegade rows (10 each side) (16 ks)
foot-up lunges (10 each side) (16 ks)
step ups (10 each side) (no resistance)
pike ups
leg curls

It was the best part of my day.

Made a delicious rattaouille with fresh tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, chick peas, green olives, and garlic. Soooo good.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Vacation over...

Hey! I'm back to work tomorrow, and back to the gym in the morning. I worked out Friday and that was fun---a prison workout starting with 10s of:

D-ball clean, walking lunges or front squats, push-presses. I used the 55# d-ball and felt pretty good by the end. Did some power wheel rollouts for core at the end.

Saturday I did the fit class which was 100s of:

mountain climbers
skaters
hindus
chest-pass
snowboarders
burpees
touchdowns

I broke it into 4 sets of 25 which worked for everything except the burpees on the last two sets. So, those I split with around the touchdowns.

Then had yoga class after that, and it was the BEST yoga class I have ever had. Ali is such a good teacher! And I'm becoming a better student. I'm really working with not forcing any pose and really paying attention to the feeling of where I'm in contact with the floor and working from there. I was really worn out the rest of the day, and am taking today off. I've been eating a lot of food I normally don't permit myself (e.g., cake and pasta). But it's been delicious and I feel like that itch has been scratched. That's about it...I hope I get to see you in class soon, Burpees! Be strong!

Friday, August 03, 2007

Whatever!

So, the day after my last post, all sunny and upbeat, I went for a bikeride and had a collision with a bee. It got trapped between the strap of my bike helmet and my jaw. Much stinging and swearing ensued. Oh, I was flying down a hill, so at the bottom, I was able to brake and rip off my helmet and gently find and remove the stinger. Remember what I said about my allergies last year being so much worse? Good thing I take all those antihistamines! I usually don't have an immediate reaction to bee stings (I've been stung twice before). Instead, wherever I've been stung hurts like hell for about 12 hours, then begins to itch, and then about a day and a half to 2 days later, heaving swelling sets in. By the end of the day on Tuesday the rights side of my face from the top of my cheek to 1/3 of my neck was swollen and itched like crazy. Yes, I was using ice. Yes, I was taking every antihistamine I had a prescription for including the ones I had been able to stop months ago. Finally a couple hits of prednisone and I'm out of the freakishly deformed face zone and back in the puffy but presentable zone. The main swelling happened on the anniversary of my divorce (2 years and counting) so I'm just assuming that stress had something to do with the reaction. I need to start doing yoga daily, not just for my overall fitness, but because I need some way of processing the stress that journaling, talking, breathing, doesn't seem to get to.

On the bright side, I've had a few lovely, easygoing workouts this past week made up of bike rides without bee stings and a slow run for about 4 miles. Today I'm going to the noon workout and I'll let you know how it went. Be strong ladies!!!