Under the bar on a bench is a great place to be...
is it because I get to lie down?
Perhaps...but is there really anything wrong with that? OK, so I will be working towards lying down with big weights in my hands but hey there really is nothing wrong with that!!
warm up:
45 x 5
55 x 5
65 x 5
work sets:
70 x 5
75 x 5
80x 15
*whew! the last 4 were hard getting up!
65 x 10 x 5
assistance work:
Pull ups. 50 reps needed to be completed. I did just that.
5 x 10
*Currently I can only do 1-2 reps with no assistance. Obviously that would take me a bit of time to get to 50. So I helped my self by using a green (medium thick) jump stretch band that helps me up towards the bar by unloading approximately 30% of my body weight. It took 10 sets but I got the job done.
Later on this morning...I ran those intervals...that's right...20 sets of sprints...40 seconds at my mile run of 9:41 and 20 seconds at a sprint (mile pace 6:41)...non stop...no breaks...and then I cooled down with a 20 minute brisk walk at a 10% incline...ah good times...now if only this weather would break so I can at least torture my self outdoors somewhere...interestingly enough...my legs still feel like jello!
Tonight a soak in the tub is needed :)
Thursday, April 30, 2009
workout log April 29th, 2009
Day 2, Deadlifts...I love doing deadlifts...I want my deadlift to be so much stronger...I have to start somewhere....
warm up:
67lbs x 5reps
67 x 5
77 x 3
work sets:
87 x 5
92 x 5
100 x 10
82 x 5 x10
assistance work:
Bent Over Rows (a favorite of mine that hits upper and lower back strength while making you feel a bit like a bad ass for being able to pull a big bar off the floor to your chest!)
77 x 5 x 10
Keeping it simple. No Frills. Just the basics. Trust me, I will be adding more in the next week and the next week...besides, I have to do another round of intervals on the elliptical today...tomorrow, I am running these intervals...it is so much more engaging...
my legs still hurt...now so does my butt...I will not win this one...
warm up:
67lbs x 5reps
67 x 5
77 x 3
work sets:
87 x 5
92 x 5
100 x 10
82 x 5 x10
assistance work:
Bent Over Rows (a favorite of mine that hits upper and lower back strength while making you feel a bit like a bad ass for being able to pull a big bar off the floor to your chest!)
77 x 5 x 10
Keeping it simple. No Frills. Just the basics. Trust me, I will be adding more in the next week and the next week...besides, I have to do another round of intervals on the elliptical today...tomorrow, I am running these intervals...it is so much more engaging...
my legs still hurt...now so does my butt...I will not win this one...
Monday, April 27, 2009
workout log, April 27th, 2009
It is time to take the 1RMs I have found in all my lifts and put them to use. Time to get stronger. I am working on a 4 week rotation and will change it every 4 weeks till I have hit my goals. The first day of the week my lift focus is the military press. Typically this is done with a barbell but I am hell-bent on pressing the 20kg kettle bells over my head again so I am tweaking the protocol of what I am following and doing it with kettle bells. I will get to the bar...in due time. The second day of lifting will focus on the deadlift followed by the bench and last but not least my squat. Today was day 1 and military pressing
warm up:
15lb bells x 10reps
18lb bells x 10reps
20lb bells x 10reps
work sets:
22.5lb bells x 5reps*
26lb bells x 5reps
28.5lb bells x 5reps*
*there is no such thing as this size bell. I created it by adding a 2.5 magnet to each bell.
assistance work sets:
Please note the the following: immediately after this work out I needed to hop on the elliptical machine to do my least favorite activity, cardio. I have goals so I must do this...but I want to stress that today my legs were fried due to an excellent squat workout Saturday! I thought, seeing as the weather here in Chicago was actually pleasant and sunny, I would wander out to the back alley of our gym and push the prowler to loosen the legs up a bit. If you do not know what a prowler is, I suggest you look it up! It is a fantastic conditioning tool and should be respected, used and abused often!
Military Press with the kettlebells, pyramid:
28.5 x 5reps
26 x 5reps
26 x 5reps
22.5 x 5reps
In between, I walked the prowler 500 yards down the alley and back with a 25lbs plate on either side. Not too bad for a leg "loosener" and the first prowler trip of the year. I will say that it only gets better ;)
Push ups Body Weight 5x10reps
Interval work on the elliptical for 40 minutes; 5 minutes of warmup. 45 seconds at a steady pace, 15 seconds all out sprint, repeat 20x. Followed this up with 20 minutes steady state cool down. (I am really looking forward to doing this kind of work on the treadmill or a track again. Or even on my bike! I just needed that time for my legs to not feel like rubber following the River to River Relay...oh yeah, and my squat workout this weekend!)
Whew! That was close to and hour and 40 minutes of work...and my legs are the only thing tired....go figure...
warm up:
15lb bells x 10reps
18lb bells x 10reps
20lb bells x 10reps
work sets:
22.5lb bells x 5reps*
26lb bells x 5reps
28.5lb bells x 5reps*
*there is no such thing as this size bell. I created it by adding a 2.5 magnet to each bell.
assistance work sets:
Please note the the following: immediately after this work out I needed to hop on the elliptical machine to do my least favorite activity, cardio. I have goals so I must do this...but I want to stress that today my legs were fried due to an excellent squat workout Saturday! I thought, seeing as the weather here in Chicago was actually pleasant and sunny, I would wander out to the back alley of our gym and push the prowler to loosen the legs up a bit. If you do not know what a prowler is, I suggest you look it up! It is a fantastic conditioning tool and should be respected, used and abused often!
Military Press with the kettlebells, pyramid:
28.5 x 5reps
26 x 5reps
26 x 5reps
22.5 x 5reps
In between, I walked the prowler 500 yards down the alley and back with a 25lbs plate on either side. Not too bad for a leg "loosener" and the first prowler trip of the year. I will say that it only gets better ;)
Push ups Body Weight 5x10reps
Interval work on the elliptical for 40 minutes; 5 minutes of warmup. 45 seconds at a steady pace, 15 seconds all out sprint, repeat 20x. Followed this up with 20 minutes steady state cool down. (I am really looking forward to doing this kind of work on the treadmill or a track again. Or even on my bike! I just needed that time for my legs to not feel like rubber following the River to River Relay...oh yeah, and my squat workout this weekend!)
Whew! That was close to and hour and 40 minutes of work...and my legs are the only thing tired....go figure...
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
River To River Relay Recap
WOW!!!
That is one word to sum up the experience I had during this relay. What an adventure!! 80 miles were covered in one day by 8 amazing teammates (myself included :) We each ran 3 legs a piece. We had one minor setback but as a team, we made a great decision and we finished the race with pride and determination, never once getting down or giving up just because the hand we were dealt was a bit poor! Talk about spirit!
My personal experience was one of shock, surprise and pride. (All in that order too!) I had the 5th leg of the race. My distances were 3.35 miles, 3.4 miles and 3.45 miles. The first of the 3 was my hardest. It contained the toughest uphill for my part of the run...it was humbling! I thought I had prepared for this but really, it was tougher than it looked. I never stopped moving and I did not give up. I finished strong but slower than I wanted to. I was almost convinced at that point, I was the weak link on the team and that I had really over stepped my capabilities. The next leg came and I was determined not to give up. The weather had shifted (as we were further south) and it was the kind of weather that really feels great to run in. Warm, slight breeze and misty droplets of rain. I popped my earphones in for this leg and just let it rip! I found my pace and actually was faster than I had been the last leg and in my own training! I think I averaged a 9:11 mile that run...not my fastest time ever but faster than the 9:41 I was averaging in practice runs! I finished that leg with strong sprint, my head high and my spirits higher! I can do this! That was all I could think. I was not going to let my team down or let my perfectionism get the best of me. It didn't matter that I wasn't the strongest runner. What mattered is that I gave it my all. And I did.
The last leg was brutal. Not because of the hills, not even because my legs were done (cause they weren't, not yet) but because mid run, around mile two, my stomach began to cramp. Badly. I thought I was either going to vomit or worse! It is at a moment like this where you make the decision to either hang your head and stop and walk it out or push through, knowing that the human body is resilient and that no matter what, your mind is going to win this one! I pushed through. My pace did not slow. I did not give up. Going through my head was a quote from Goethe; 'life without pain has no meaning'. I just kept thinking that. I ran through the pain and thought, if I can do this, run a race that seemed impossible for me to even consider and finish without stopping, then I can do anything. I was not going to let the team down. I was not going to let me down. My body is stronger than I have given it credit for! I may be a perfectionist but I have been selling myself short since I have been back from my year off. I have the resiliency to give more and achieve more. I have what it takes to finish this run. And do more. If I put my mind to it I can do anything. That is something I haven't believed in a while. This relay has brought me, and that thought, back to life!
I finished that last leg just as strong as I did the first two, if not stronger. Again, I averaged about a 9:11. Not fast but consistent. And with a cramp in my gut that felt like some one had sucker-punched me with brass knuckles! The team at the exchange point every time, really makes the difference. They were my rock and my inspiration. I ran with the best group of people a girl could run with. I had the honor of being part of a team that was actually two teams, Psycho Geezers and Psycho Geezers 2, 16 people on the same road. These people are amazing! It is an experience I will draw on for years to come. It is an experience I am looking forward to having again, since we have already reserved rooms for next year at the resort we stayed in following the race! I will be ready to take on a new leg, a new challenge and succeed again at striving to be the best I can be; for my team and for me!
GO PSYCHO GEEZERS!
That is one word to sum up the experience I had during this relay. What an adventure!! 80 miles were covered in one day by 8 amazing teammates (myself included :) We each ran 3 legs a piece. We had one minor setback but as a team, we made a great decision and we finished the race with pride and determination, never once getting down or giving up just because the hand we were dealt was a bit poor! Talk about spirit!
My personal experience was one of shock, surprise and pride. (All in that order too!) I had the 5th leg of the race. My distances were 3.35 miles, 3.4 miles and 3.45 miles. The first of the 3 was my hardest. It contained the toughest uphill for my part of the run...it was humbling! I thought I had prepared for this but really, it was tougher than it looked. I never stopped moving and I did not give up. I finished strong but slower than I wanted to. I was almost convinced at that point, I was the weak link on the team and that I had really over stepped my capabilities. The next leg came and I was determined not to give up. The weather had shifted (as we were further south) and it was the kind of weather that really feels great to run in. Warm, slight breeze and misty droplets of rain. I popped my earphones in for this leg and just let it rip! I found my pace and actually was faster than I had been the last leg and in my own training! I think I averaged a 9:11 mile that run...not my fastest time ever but faster than the 9:41 I was averaging in practice runs! I finished that leg with strong sprint, my head high and my spirits higher! I can do this! That was all I could think. I was not going to let my team down or let my perfectionism get the best of me. It didn't matter that I wasn't the strongest runner. What mattered is that I gave it my all. And I did.
The last leg was brutal. Not because of the hills, not even because my legs were done (cause they weren't, not yet) but because mid run, around mile two, my stomach began to cramp. Badly. I thought I was either going to vomit or worse! It is at a moment like this where you make the decision to either hang your head and stop and walk it out or push through, knowing that the human body is resilient and that no matter what, your mind is going to win this one! I pushed through. My pace did not slow. I did not give up. Going through my head was a quote from Goethe; 'life without pain has no meaning'. I just kept thinking that. I ran through the pain and thought, if I can do this, run a race that seemed impossible for me to even consider and finish without stopping, then I can do anything. I was not going to let the team down. I was not going to let me down. My body is stronger than I have given it credit for! I may be a perfectionist but I have been selling myself short since I have been back from my year off. I have the resiliency to give more and achieve more. I have what it takes to finish this run. And do more. If I put my mind to it I can do anything. That is something I haven't believed in a while. This relay has brought me, and that thought, back to life!
I finished that last leg just as strong as I did the first two, if not stronger. Again, I averaged about a 9:11. Not fast but consistent. And with a cramp in my gut that felt like some one had sucker-punched me with brass knuckles! The team at the exchange point every time, really makes the difference. They were my rock and my inspiration. I ran with the best group of people a girl could run with. I had the honor of being part of a team that was actually two teams, Psycho Geezers and Psycho Geezers 2, 16 people on the same road. These people are amazing! It is an experience I will draw on for years to come. It is an experience I am looking forward to having again, since we have already reserved rooms for next year at the resort we stayed in following the race! I will be ready to take on a new leg, a new challenge and succeed again at striving to be the best I can be; for my team and for me!
GO PSYCHO GEEZERS!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
workout log, April 8th 2009 or PR by ART
...or maybe it was just the adrenaline of getting under the weight!
Today was a squat workout. And yes, I hit a PR, or personal record. My goal has been to squat my body weight again. I have had some near hits but they all still fell short of where I wanted to be. Not today!
Let's travel back in time to yesterday. Yesterday, I went in to see my ART guy to get some work done on my QL. For clarification; ART is active release technique. It is soft tissue work done on an area of the body where there is a lot of scar tissue build up or extreme muscle tightness, inhibiting mobility. The QL or quadriatous lumbarous, is a group of muscles in the lower back are that I tend to lock up in on the right side only. This causes me to move inefficiently at my hips. As it goes in the body, everything is connected and chain reacts with eachother. So if one are of the body is showing signs of inefficiency, the rest of the body has a way of making up for it....and not always in a good way!
This being said, my squat workout would have been adversly affected if I did not go in and have my QL worked on like I did. I NEED my hips to move correctly for squat work
Back to today. My workout went as follows:
Squats
texas bar (55lbs)x15
75lbsx15
95lbsx10
105lbsx8
115lbsx6
125lbsx5
135lbsx3
145lbsx3
150lbsx1x4
4 singles....the first one felt great. The second one I had a spot watch form. Not low enough. The last two I felt like I hit my depth! It was a little slow coming up! I did it. Go me.
Accessary work was simple:
Circuit: 5x
Dumb Bell bench with 22.5lb dbx15
Walking lunges BWx200 meters (down our hall and back)
Finished with Tricep pressdowns with the rope 35lbsx20x5
Foam rolled it all out and I am eating breakfast telling you all about it! The moral of the story being, get your body taken care of
Today was a squat workout. And yes, I hit a PR, or personal record. My goal has been to squat my body weight again. I have had some near hits but they all still fell short of where I wanted to be. Not today!
Let's travel back in time to yesterday. Yesterday, I went in to see my ART guy to get some work done on my QL. For clarification; ART is active release technique. It is soft tissue work done on an area of the body where there is a lot of scar tissue build up or extreme muscle tightness, inhibiting mobility. The QL or quadriatous lumbarous, is a group of muscles in the lower back are that I tend to lock up in on the right side only. This causes me to move inefficiently at my hips. As it goes in the body, everything is connected and chain reacts with eachother. So if one are of the body is showing signs of inefficiency, the rest of the body has a way of making up for it....and not always in a good way!
This being said, my squat workout would have been adversly affected if I did not go in and have my QL worked on like I did. I NEED my hips to move correctly for squat work
Back to today. My workout went as follows:
Squats
texas bar (55lbs)x15
75lbsx15
95lbsx10
105lbsx8
115lbsx6
125lbsx5
135lbsx3
145lbsx3
150lbsx1x4
4 singles....the first one felt great. The second one I had a spot watch form. Not low enough. The last two I felt like I hit my depth! It was a little slow coming up! I did it. Go me.
Accessary work was simple:
Circuit: 5x
Dumb Bell bench with 22.5lb dbx15
Walking lunges BWx200 meters (down our hall and back)
Finished with Tricep pressdowns with the rope 35lbsx20x5
Foam rolled it all out and I am eating breakfast telling you all about it! The moral of the story being, get your body taken care of
Monday, April 6, 2009
workout log, April 6th 2009
Deadlifts:
I am trying to get back to being able to lift 200 off the floor. Of course then I will go for more but I have to start somewhere...
The Workout:
Deadlifts from the floor:
65x10
85x10
105x8
115x8x4
:) That is a PR to date, in both reps and speed of the bar. I am quite pleased with myself!
The rest of the workout went as follows:
Workset A:
Bent rows 80x10x5
Double Kettl Bell swings 16KGx15x5
Workset B:
Seated rows with long 2 inch bar 80x10x5
Glute Ham Raises BWx10x5
Workset C:
Biceps curls 15x15x4
Band pullaparts with a red miniband x20x4
Finished it all off with an uphill walk on the treadmill. 15% grade incline, 3.0speed for 30 minutes. Man my glutes were sore but I sure do fell like a million bucks!!
I am trying to get back to being able to lift 200 off the floor. Of course then I will go for more but I have to start somewhere...
The Workout:
Deadlifts from the floor:
65x10
85x10
105x8
115x8x4
:) That is a PR to date, in both reps and speed of the bar. I am quite pleased with myself!
The rest of the workout went as follows:
Workset A:
Bent rows 80x10x5
Double Kettl Bell swings 16KGx15x5
Workset B:
Seated rows with long 2 inch bar 80x10x5
Glute Ham Raises BWx10x5
Workset C:
Biceps curls 15x15x4
Band pullaparts with a red miniband x20x4
Finished it all off with an uphill walk on the treadmill. 15% grade incline, 3.0speed for 30 minutes. Man my glutes were sore but I sure do fell like a million bucks!!
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