Off and Running

OHP fatigue

2012-02-16T06:20:00.003-06:00

Not much time, but here was my workout:
Mobility
Standing overhead press - 5x45#, 6x55#, 6x65#, 9x60#, 7x55#, I get fatigued on these very quickly
Suspended push-up - on JGXT - 6x6, lowered the handles more for the last two, these are getting really stable
Neutral Grip Chin-up - using JGXT, feet on ground - 6x6
Farmer's walks - 16kg in one hand gripped with fingers, 3x80ft

Working on KB stuff and squats

2012-02-15T06:07:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, I decided to work on my shoulder strength and my finger grip strength. Last time I did a lot of 1-handed swings, I got some blisters on the base of my fingers, including one blood blister. That looks gross! The blister is gone now, but the blood is still there.

The blisters formed because my grip was not correct during the switch off between hands. I would grip it too tightly and in the process, pinch skin in between my hand and the handle.

So, I did some farmer's carries to work on finger strength. I also worked on shoulder strength with arm bars and TGUs.

Yesterday's WO:
5L5R 20# arm bar with press
TGU 20# 4L4R3L3R2L3R2L2R1L1R
5LR alternating arm bar with press 12kg
Farmer's walk with one KB using finger hook grip 16kg LRLR ~200ft (10 laps of my weight room)
2-arm swings - 16kg - 210, 10, 10
1-arm swings - 12kg - 2xladder 5L5R -> 1L1R

Today was the Beautiful Badass Simple Strength 1 Week 2 Day 3. I watched the squat section of Rippetoe's Starting Strength video during my workout. Such a good video!

Mobility using A&C Desk Jockey 1
Squat - 6x45#, 4x55#, 4x65#, 9x75#, 9x85#
Reverse Lunge - 3x6x65#, 6x70, 6x65#, 6x70#
Hanging Knee Raise - 6x6

Floor presses and points

2012-02-13T08:32:00.001-06:00

I did my regularly scheduled Beautiful Baddass Simple Strength 1 workout and followed up with some bodyweight stuff for Fitocracy quests :)

Yes, I never wanted to do burpees or squat thrusts again, but I guess I'll make an execption for the chance to get closer to the hub's points! Ha!

mobilityand foam rolling
arm bars, 5x20# arm bar presses
Floor Press - 8x45#, 5x70#, 9x85#, 9x90#
Diamond Push-ups - 6x6
Palms Up Inverted Row - 6x6
Then some Fitocracy point stuff:
1-arm DB row - 3x45# each side
BW squat - 15, 15
BW lunge - 10, 10
BW jump squat - 10
Burpee - 10, 15, 15, 15, 20 ,25
Push-up - 5, 5, 10 (because the diamond style push-ups didn't count for the quest, apparently!)

Getting heavier

2012-02-11T10:06:00.002-06:00

I'm working my deadlifts weights back up. Feels good!

I took my time resting between sets. It's nice not to have to rush on weekends. The RDLs were giving me a bit of grip strength challenge. I only used a mixed grip on the last set, though. I used Lynx grips for the hanging knee raises and focussed on keeping my lats tight, like the start of a pull-up.

What a great way to start the day!

BB Simple Strength 1
Mobility & foam rolling
DL - 4x135#, 9x145#, 9x155#
RDL - 2x6x145#, 2c6x150#, 6x155#, 6x160#
Hanging knee raise - 6x6

Gentle Hatha Yoga

2012-02-10T06:25:00.000-06:00

I did a 70 minute hatha yoga class from yogadownload.com this morning. I really needed the stretch and slow movement. Perfect!

Pressing matters

2012-02-09T06:55:00.001-06:00

This morning was another good lift. I watched Rippetoe's Starting Strength video for the overhead press during this. That was nice because I don't have a whole lot of experience with the BB press.

EC mobility Desk Jockey 2
arm bars
Standing Overhead Press - 3x45#, 3x55#, 7x65#, 9x60#, 7x60#
Suspended Push-up - arms raised ~2ft on JGXT - 6x6
Neutral Grip Chin-up - using JGXT with feet on floor - 6x6
Then 3x45# bench press for a Fitocracy quest :)

I think I found my 9RM (if there is such a thing) on the OH Press!

Squats and swings

2012-02-08T06:47:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was a good squat workout.

Squats - 20x45#, 9x65#, 9x75#
Reverse Lunge - 6x6x65#
Hanging Knee Raise - 6x6
Plus a bunch of stuff to get points on Fitocracy.

Today, I did the 2nd workout from Mastering the Hardstyle Kettlebell Swing. Good stuff. I could follow along a little better with this one. Still not sure I like follow-along videos for kettlebells. I get annoyed when I'm not in synch with them. But, it was great to have the cues and the programming ideas.

All together I did:
230 2-handed swings with the 16kg bell
150 1-handed with the 12kg bell
90 1-handed with the 16kg bell

1-handed swings, in particular, are giving me issues with grip. I have a hard time gripping properly so as not to cause callouses. Hmmm....

I also did some silly stuff for Fitocracy quests:
BP 3x45#
Seated DB Press 10x15#ea
DB Chest Flyes 15x15#ea
DB biceps Curl 15x10#ea
Cable Face Pull 10x20#
Dance 10 minutes

Kettlebells!

2012-02-05T07:40:00.002-06:00

I made up a kettlebell workout today. I wanted to work on the basics. I think I acheived that. The snatches went better than usual. I think working on single arm swings helped that. I hit my arm a little, but not too bad. That's a fear I have. That fear can make me overthink the move. I that will get better with practice. This took about 40 minutes.

Foam rolling
TGUs - 20# - 5R, 5L, 4R, 4L, 3R, 3L, 2R, 2L, 1R, 1L
Cleans and Presses - 12kg - 5R, 5L, 4R, 4L, 3R, 3L, 2R, 2L, 1R, 1L
Snatches - 20# - 3R, 3L - 12kg - 3R, 3L, 2R, 2L, 1R, 1L
2-arm Swings - 16kg - 7x 30s/30s (20 per set)

Floor Presses!

2012-02-04T21:24:00.000-06:00

The snow has started! It's not clear how much we'll get, since we are on the edge of a system, but it's coming down thickly right now. Maybe the ski hill with get a reprieve from snow making!

This morning was a good lift. I'm liking the shorter routines. That leaves me more time to get in a little bit of pre-hab work, like foam rolling and arm bars.

Beautiful Badass Simple Strength Wk1D2
Desk Jockey 2 warmup/mobility, arm bars
Floor Press - 8x45#, 6x45#, 4x65#, 9x85#, 9x85#
Diamond Push-ups - (subbed for dips) 6x6
Palms Up Inverted Row - 6x6

I'm baaaack!

2012-02-02T06:28:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I finished up Body of Fire. It felt great to be done. It was a tough program. There wasn't much heavy lifting, but it was still hard. I definitely improved my push-up capacity. All in all, I did 1740 push-ups, not including ones that were included in the combos.

Now, I'm on to Beautiful Badass, using the Simple Strength program. I also warmed up with the Desk Jockey Option 1 warm up from Assess & Correct. I miss Eric Cressey's mobility work, so this was welcome.

The program was shorter than I've been doing, so I had more time to do some soft tissue work afterward. That will be helpful. I think I will call this day my grip strength day.

Here is is:
SS1
DJ1 Warm-up
Deadlift - 9x135#, 9x145#
RDL - 4x6x135#, 6x145#, 6x150#
Hanging Knee Raise - 6x6
Foam rolling and soft tissue work

I'm still here!

2012-01-09T06:57:00.000-06:00

I see it was before Christmas that I last posted. I'm still working out. I just don't have much need to record everything on Body of Fire, since I'm not focussed on increasing weights. I worked out a few times over break, went for a couple walks, played playground tag, and went skiing. Not bad. Not as good as I had wanted, but the little bit of weight I gained came right off when I went back to eating normally and stopped scarfing down chips and chocolate! Ha!

Today, I did the 3rd Workout of the 10th week of Body of Fire, which is in the 3rd Phase. That means I have only 9 workouts left, since I probably won't do the "bonus" phase. I have changed things up a little, so I guess I haven't really done BOF as written. For example, I can't get my head around AMAP sets most days, and they don't work very well when the weight increments available for a lot of the exercies go from "I can do a ton of these" to "I can't do a single one of these" in one step. So, I get as close as possible and stop at the rep goal if I can get there. Also, I've stopped jumping rope for a warmup, since I just can't jump rope worth a flip. I tried and tried. It ends up not being much of a warm up if I have to stop all the time. So, I've been doing kettlbell swings. With the 16kg bell, I get a MUCH better warm up. Almost too good! Also, it is just too difficult to get outside to do sprint at the end of the even numbered workouts and I have a (justified, I think) fear of falling on the sidewalk when sprinting. Excuses, I know. For a while, I subbed high knees. Recently, I've started doing more kettlebell swings, since I am preparing for the HKC cert later this year.

When I'm done with this program, I'm probably going to do the big lifts again, so I'll be posting more at that time!

Are you kidding me?!?

2011-12-23T08:33:00.000-06:00

That is what I was thinking this morning when I started the push-ups on a Swiss ball. Oh my! After a set or two, I got the hang of it. but, at first, I thought there was no way I was going to be able to do all 55 on the ball. I would definitely not recommend trying these without all the lead-up of other push-up practice.

I subbed 7x40/20 kettlebell swings with my 16kg bell for the jump rope. I'm glad, because there was so much other jumping in this workout. (Body of Fire, Phase 3, Workout 2, by the way.) I also subbed high knees for the sprinting. Great workout!

Yesterday was the first workout of this phase. I had to cut off about half the sets to fit it into my time slot. I still managed to come away with a sore glute. I'm not sure why it's just on one side, though!

Mental Strength

2011-12-20T06:30:00.000-06:00

Phase 2 of Body of Fire is complete! One more Phase left before I have to decide if I'll do the "Bonus" Phase. Right now, sources say that is unlikely. I've had to shorten some of the workouts and I've modified others, but in general, I've stuck to the plan pretty well. The results have been great, too.

I did all of today's workout. I did sub KB swings for the the jumprope and high knees for the sprints. Otherwise, it was as written. There is one section Chad calls "Cardio Strength". Today, this was a 1-13 ladder of wideout drops and judo push-ups. I really think this should be called the "Mental Strength" section. The first 9 sets go by fairly quickly. Then I get to the sets of 10 and more and I realize that I'm not even half done. I'm glad I have a log because I mark off every set of wideout drops and every set of pushups. Between sets, I'm not supposed to rest, but I find myself getting severely distracted. Then I think about myself getting distracted. Then I think about myself thinking about getting distracted, etc. After all that, I have to look back at my log to check where I am. I don't think these space-outs last very long, but they are annoying.

I had to cut yesterday's BOF in half due to time constraints. It was still a great workout. I probably won't be doing the dips on the bench again, though. I'll go back to the hands-together pushups.

Right on time

2011-12-13T06:06:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I mentioned I wanted to limit my workouts to an hour. Guess how long today's workout was? An hour! Without modification, too. (Well, I did modify a tad by replacing the jumproping with kettlebell swings and the sprinting with high knees, but both of those were timed sections. Actually, it would have been longer with sprints because I would have had to get ready to go outside.) After the workout, I did foam roll, which I haven't been doing as much since it isn't written into the program. My muscles are rather sore, so I think tomorrow might be a yoga day. The high knees are working out very well. I can go all out without fearing falling flat on my face. I really feel my core bracing. One of these days, I'll go outside and see how well they carry over to actual sprinting.

BOF Ph2/Wk7/WO4 (mod)
1:00
Warm up: Golf ball roll, cat/camel, wall squats
KB swings: 6 alt sets of L/R swing 12kg and 2h swing 16kg timed 40s/20s
Cardio I: Split jack 4x22, squat thrust with jump 4x12
Cardio Strength: pyramid 1-12 of wideout drops and judo push-ups (first half of movement)
Cardio II: high knees 9x 20s/40s
Stretching

Cutting it short

2011-12-12T06:59:00.001-06:00

Today was another Body of Fire workout. I limited the workout to an hour, though. It probably would have ended at almost an hour and a half otherwise. Still, it was a good workout. I subbed 6 rounds of 40/20 kettlebell swings for the jumprope. Also, I did that after the other warm-up work. Why, you may ask? Partly because I suck at jumproping, but mostly because I signed up to do a HKC kettlebell certification in the spring. I need a lot more time with the kettlebell before then.

I also recently did a kettlebell TGU workout recently that I didn't report. I worked on some clean&press drills along with some snatch drills for that.

BOF Phase 2/Week 7/ Workout 3
1:05
Warm up: golf ball roll, cat/camel, wall squats, 6x40/20 kb swings (alt. 12kg and 16kg for rounds)
Cardio: 5 sets of 14 jumping jacks, 7 squat thrusts, 14 mountain climbers
Strength:
hands together pushups (6,4,4,4)
upright row w/ ext rotation (16.25# 8,8,8,8)
deadlift (140# 8,8,8,8)
side plank (40s/side 4x)
Cardio strength: 1 set of 15 (squat thrust, core row, shoulder press)
Stretches

A bit of an ego check

2011-12-02T08:46:00.001-06:00

Today I completed Phase 2/ Week 6 / Workout 3 from Body of Fire.
I didn't have a dip station or any parallel bars this time, so I did pushups with my hands touching. Those are hard! I knocked the deadlift weight down to #140 because last time I did this workout, I felt like I overdid it. I did #155 DLs that time. Also, this time, the combo goes up to 3 rounds. So, I dropped to #10 DBs. Still plenty hard. I checked the manual and the combo goes up to 5 rounds by the end of this phase. Holy cow! That is going to be tough, even with 10# DBs!!

Recovering from turkey day(s)

2011-11-29T06:28:00.001-06:00

This weekend, I got in a yoga session and a walk, but was overall lazy.
Yesterday, I got in Phase 2, Week 6, Workout 2 of Body of Fire. Those judo push-ups were tough. I don't reverse them, just do them the easy way.

Today, I was going to do the next BOF, but I dilly-dallied and didn't have enough time to do it justice. I technically was supposed to leave a rest day, anyway. So, I made up my own workout. I started with the BOF warm up and then did 20 rounds of 30s on/ 15s off with every other work session being kettlebell swings with my 16kg bell. The other sessions were with my JungleGym XT: pull-ups, push-ups, mountain climbers, and a few other things I made up on the spot. Definitely not the rest day BOF calls for. Oh well!

Week 5

2011-11-23T06:41:00.001-06:00

Today, I did the start of week 6, which is the second week in Phase 2 of Body of Fire.
The workouts keep getting sets added on, so they are getting longer. I didn't time today's workout, but it was over an hour, for sure.

Today, I did everything by the book, except I did 8 reps rather than AMAP with an 8 rep goal. I just couldn't get my mind around AMAP today. Here are the weights I used:
Bent over row - 80# BB
Push press - 25#ea
Front squat (KB goblet squat) - 16kg
Single leg plank - 30sec each side
Combo 3 - 15#ea

Yesterday, I did the last workout in week 5. I subbed high knees for the sprinting. I think I'll do that more often because I don't have to worry about falling down outside in the cold on the hard conrete!

A week or so before that, I did 2/5/3. I actually had a dip station, so I used -40# on that, 20#ea on the upright row w/ external rotation, 155# on the deadlift, and side planks of 40sec each side. Afterward, I swam easy laps of the hotel pool for quite a while. I think I overdid it, because I was feeling sickly the next couple days.

More fires!

2011-11-08T10:27:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I started the second phase of Body of Fire. The first day presented a combo that was harder than I had expected. I did increase the weight, so maybe that explains things. Overall, a good workout.

Today, I did the second workout in Phase 2. This workout introduced the judo pushup. I'm not 100% sure I was doing these with good form. I did the easier version, where I didn't reverse the move on the way back up, but I did do them on the floor. The sprints were interesting, since it was raining outside and only 40F. That was an interesting combination with the new 20s run, which I felt I should go harder on, since it was shorter. Also, adding the jump to the squat thrusts in the cardio section definitely took it up a notch.

Great stuff!

Push ups on the floor and food success!

2011-11-04T06:49:00.001-05:00

First off, I want to mention that I have been having great success following the Paleo way of eating. I started off following the 30-day Whole30 plan, now I have things that are off plan every now and then (like once or twice a week) but I NO LONGER have the cravings for sweets that I used to. (That was especially nice during Halloween.) I am eating almost no grains. (I did indulge in a few pieces of bread total over the last month and I had a helping of rice at a Thai restaurant - both totally worth it.) I am consuming almost no dairy. (I did have some yummy cheeses one day and have had a little pastured butter.) I have had almost no legumes besides green beans since I started, which was almost 2 months ago. I am definitely leaning out. I see hubby changing, too. But, it's common that when I pay more attention to food, he loses weight. In fact, he does faster than I do, the jerk. :) (just kidding, sweetie!)

As a result, I get to cross off one more goal that I made for myself toward the beginning of the year. I got back to the weight I had originally declared with Weight Watchers back when I was doing that plan. This time, I feel better, don't count ANYTHING and I have a butt.

This morning, I finished the last Phase 1 Body of Fire workout. I did ALL the pushups on the floor!! WOOT! Of course, they were not banged out, one after the other. I had to pause a lot in the last sets. But, they got done with good form, full range of motion (chest hitting floor) and arms in. Wow. I surprised myself. That's 91 pushups, by the way! It was cold out for the sprints. 23F. But, it was only six minutes, so I survived.

BOF Ph1/Wk4/WO4
Warm up - Jump rope 4.5 min, golf ball roll 30s, cat/camel x10, wall squat x10
Split jack - 4x23
Squat thrust - 4x13
Wideout drop and push-up - 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13 (on the floor, arms in, full range!)
Sprint intervals - 6x30s run + 30s walk
Stretch - 20s ea - hip flexors, calf, chest, T-spine

Combo!

2011-11-02T07:02:00.000-05:00

Today's workout was tough. The combo at the end was especially hard. I had to use some mental trick to get through that! Great workout. Great start to the day!

For some reason, my right grip was giving out on the RDLs.

BOF Ph1/Wk4/Wo3
Warm up - Jump rope 4.5 min, golf ball roll 30s, cat/camel x10, wall squat x10
Jumping jack - 5x16
Mountain climber - 5x16 (8ea leg)
Upright row with external rotation - 15# - 11-9-9-9-10-10
Plank triceps extension - 7-7-9-7-11-10
Romanian deadlift - 145# - 8-10-9-7-7-10 (right grip weak link)
Side plank - 6x30s/side
Combo 2 - squat thrust/power clean/push press - 5x20/10#ea
Stretches - 20s ea - hip flexors, calf, chest, T-spine

Back home

2011-10-31T09:50:00.001-05:00

This week I was on a business trip. I took Body of Fire with me to do at the hotel gym. I completed Phase 1/ Week 4/ Workout 1 at the packed hotel gym. The next day, I had planned on the next BOF workout, but I got sick and had to skip. I did that workout (1/4/2) this morning. I'm still doing the pushups with elevated hands. I tried the first couple on the floor and couldn't see how I'd ever get through all 85 on the floor. Maybe I'm being a weenie. The sprints went well outside, even though it was 31F. Since I was already warmed up and it wasn't too long, only 6 minutes all together, the cold didn't bother me.

Sunday, I got out for a longish run. I went 5.28 miles. Felt good!

Behind in posting

2011-10-24T07:10:00.000-05:00

I might come back and post old workouts, but for now, I did Body of Fire Phase 1, Week 3, Workout 4 today. I've done all the ones in between this one and the previous one I posted. I promise.
I've also run a few times, including a 5k Monster Madness Run. That was fun. I got in at under 32 minutes with almost no practice, so I feel good about that. I've also done a few kettlebell workouts, but not a ton.
That's all for now!

TGU semi-fail, 5k run, and BOF

2011-10-11T06:28:00.000-05:00

First off was Sunday's workout. I did the Turkish Getup (TGU) workout. I started off with the normal warm up and proceeded to try TGUs (during the 5 minute limit) with the 12kg kettlebell. No way. So, switched to the 20# bell and it was still harder than it should have been. Just one of those days! I ended up with 4 on the left and 3 on the right. After that, I went out to run. I signed up for a fun 5k next weekend, so I wanted to make sure I could still actually run! I could, of course. I averaged 10:37 miles, which is respectable for me, especially considering how much I've been running... which is not much!

Today, I got the next Body of Fire workout in. It ended in sprints, which isn't bad for the other running I'm doing. There were lots of push ups in today's workout.. 66! I did them slightly elevated. My hands were roughly a foot off the ground. I had to throw in a few pauses. One time I collapsed on the way up and came close a couple other times. I was definitely working at my limit! Running the sprints outside in the fog was strange. Felt great, though!

BOF Ph1/Wk2/Wo2
32min
Warm up - Jump rope 3.5 min, golf ball roll 30s, cat/camel x10, wall squat x10
Split jack - 5x11
Squat thrust - 5x6
Wideout drop and push-up - 11/10/9/8/7/6/5/4/3/2/1
Sprint intervals - 4x30s run + 30s walk
Stretch - 20s ea - hip flexors, calf, chest, T-spine

2nd week of BOF - sweaty mess!

2011-10-08T09:01:00.001-05:00

The kids joined me for this workout, so I wasn't as efficient with my time as I would normally be. But, it was worth it to see the kids pull off some excellent inverted rows on the Jungle Gym XT!

My heart rat got up over 170 several times. Wow! My weight selection for the row was much better this time.

BOF Ph1/Wk2/Wo1
65min (with distractions)
Warm up - Jump rope 3 min, golf ball roll 30s, cat/camel x10, wall squat x10
Jumping jack - 5x12
Mountain climber - 5x12 (6ea leg)
One-arm row - 35# -11,10,10,10,8,7
One-arm shoulder press - 20# - 13,10,10,10,7,7
Split squat - 20#ea - 12,15,11,10,10,10
Plank - arms on swiss ball, foam roller held between legs - 6x30s
Power clean/Push press - 15#ea - 3x20
Stretches - 20s ea - hip flexors, calf, chest, T-spine

KB swings!

2011-10-07T06:00:00.001-05:00

This KB workout went up in reps on the swings. This was definitely working my limits, especially at the end. If there were any more reps, I would have had to go to my lighter KB!

Warm up - 2 rounds of (10x wall squats, 10x halos, 10x pumps)
Workout - 12minutes (5 sets) of 30 swings using the 16kg kettlebell with 1 minute of active rest in between
Active rest betwen KB swings - 1.25 rounds of 4 exercises for 1 minute each: jumping jacks, mountain climbers, squat thrust with pushup, foam roll

Should have run!

2011-10-05T06:10:00.000-05:00

Today was the next Body of Fire workout, the last of week 1. It was fun and short. The sprints at the end ruined it, though. They showed me how nice it is outside! It's 51F, no wind, not too humid. Perfect! Now, I wish I had scheduled a run! Ha!

I did the first 3 rounds of the push-ups on the floor before switching to pushups with my hands on an Oly bar set on my squat safeties. I just wasn't getting the range of motion in the down position that I wanted on the floor. On the bar, I got complete range of motion. Next time, I think I will go a little lower, though.

BOF Ph1/Wk1/WO4
33min
Warm up - Jump rope 3 min, golf ball roll 30s, cat/camel x10, wall squat x10
Split jack - 5x10
Squat thrust - 5x5
Wideout drop and push-up - 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10
Sprint intervals - 3x30s run + 30s walk
Stretch - 20s ea - hip flexors, calf, chest, T-spine

3rd fire

2011-10-04T07:15:00.000-05:00

Here's today's workout. Body of Fire!
I'm still trying to zero in on weights, this time for the RDLs.

BOF Ph1/Wk1/Wo3
1:03
Warm up - Jump rope 3 min, golf ball roll 30s, cat/camel x10, wall squat x10
Jumping jack - 5x10
Mountain climber - 5x10 (5ea leg)
Upright row with external rotation - 20# - 11,10,9,5,6,6
Plank triceps extension - 12,10,10,10,10,10
Romanian deadlift - 95# - 15,15,15,15,15,15 (need heavier weight)
Side plank - 6x30s/side
Combo 2 - squat thrust/power clean/push press - 2x20/10#ea (1:39 for second round)
Stretches - 20s ea - hip flexors, calf, chest, T-spine

On fire - with company

2011-10-01T07:29:00.002-05:00

Today was the second Body of Fire workout. During the Wideout set, my son came downstairs and joined me for the rest of the workout, including the running and stretching! We both enjoyed it.

BOF Ph1/Wk1/Wo2
33min
Warm up - Jump rope 3 min, golf ball roll 30s, cat/camel x10, wall squat x10
Split jack - 5x10
Squat thrust - 5x5
Wideout drop and push-up - 10/9/8/7/6/5/4/3/2/1
Sprint intervals - 3x30s run + 30s walk
Stretch - 20s ea - hip flexors, calf, chest, T-spine

Starting Body of Fire!

2011-09-30T07:20:00.001-05:00

Today is the first day of Body of Fire. It went well. I'm not a big fan of AMAP reps sets, but I survived.

BOF Ph1/Wk1/Wo1
55min
Warm up - Jump rope 3 min, golf ball roll 30s, cat/camel x10, wall squat x10
Jumping jack - 5x10
Mountain climber - 5x10 (5ea leg)
One-arm row - 25# - 20L18R, 16, 13, 17, 14, 13
One-arm shoulder press - 20# - 12L13R, 5x10
Split squat - 20#ea - 12L/11R, 10, 10, 11, 12, 10
Plank - arms on swiss ball - 6x30s
Power clean/Push press - 15#ea - 2x20
Stretches - 20s ea - hip flexors, calf, chest, T-spine

Done with FBB!!!

2011-09-29T06:18:00.001-05:00

I finally "fine-tuned" and finished Female Body Breakthrough! It feels like a good accomplishment. I did the vast majority as planned, even the high-rep stuff! I did give up on the warm-up during the past week or two. Also, I mixed in other stuff for the met con days, like kettlebell workouts and met cons from other sources. I think my goal of increased single-leg work was a good one and I think it did help things. Yes, I'm not hitting the numbers I would have with SnG, but I knew I wouldn't.

I'm still annoyed at how this day has two barbell exercises with drastically different weights in the same superset. I do have two bars, but if I didn't (as many commercial and home gyms would be) I would either have to deviate from plan or waste a LOT of time swapping plates. (That wouldn't happen in a 30s break!)
Now, it's on to Body of Fire. This will also be a non-heavy workout. But, it's a killer from what I hear. I hope I survive!

Fine Tune B6
0:58
Foam rolling and 3 min rope skipping
Swiss Ball Crunch - 2x10/10# (slow!)
Complex - High Pull, Front Squat with Push Press, Back Squat 4/8x45#
Deadlift - 2x15/135#
Dumbell Rotational Overhead Press - 2x15ea/15#ea
Single-Leg Squat - 2x15 to bench
Bent-Over Row - 2x15/65#

Last A workout of FBB!

2011-09-27T06:34:00.000-05:00

Here is the last A workout of Female Body Breakthrough Fine Tune. Woo hoo!
I did have to fight some mental resistance to get it done, but the draw of finishing the program was great enough.

Fine Tune A6
~1:15
Foam rolling and a few minute minutes of rope skipping
Plank with Alternate Arm Reach - 2x10
Complex (Deadlift, High Pull, Push Press, Reverse Lunge) - 4x8/45#
Bulgarian Split Deadlift - 3x10ea/20#ea
Single-Arm Dumbbell Chest Press on Swiss Ball -10ea/30#, 2x10ea/31.25#
Back Squat - 3x10/65#
Chinup - 6/JG, 2x8/JG

Yoga and TGUs

2011-09-26T06:40:00.001-05:00

Today, I got up and did a 30 minute Qi yoga class from YogaDownload.com. Great class. Then I did my Turkish Get Up workout. I didn't do the warm up, since I was warm and twisted from yoga. Then I did 5 minutes of TGUs with my 20# kettlebell. I did better this time and got 5 on the left and 4 on the right. Nice start to the day!

Deadlifts!

2011-09-25T08:24:00.000-05:00

I didn't get a PR today in deadlifts, but they were still good. This is more than I've lifted in a long time. I was getting annoyed with the complex and was going to shorten the number of sets for that and the rest of the workout, but my son came down during the 3rd round and somehow that encouraged me to complete the workout as planned.

Fine Tune B5
1:25
Foam rolling and 5 min rope skipping
Swiss Ball Crunch - 2x10/10# (slow!)
Complex - High Pull, Front Squat with Push Press, Back Squat 4/8x45#
Deadlift - 5/155#, 2x5/160#, 5/165#
Dumbell Rotational Overhead Press - 5/20#, 3x5/25#
Single-Leg Squat - 4x5 to 6 risers
Bent-Over Row - 5/65#, 3x5/75#

Three workouts to report

2011-09-23T06:30:00.001-05:00

While travelling on business, I did get two workouts in:

Tuesday
Warm up - 2 rounds of (10x wall squats, 10x halos, 10x pumps)
Workout - TGUs for 5 minutes, alternating sides, did 4 left and 3 right with 20# KB
After - laps in the hotel pool

Wednesday
Warm up - 2 rounds of (10x wall squats, 10x halos, 10x pumps)
Workout - 12minutes (7 sets) of 20 swings (~30seconds) using the 16kg kettlebell with 1 minute of active rest in between
Active rest betwen KB swings - 1.5 rounds of 4 exercises for 1 minute each: jumping jacks, mountain climbers, squat thrust with pushup, high knees

Today was another high-rep squat workout. I still dislike high-rep workouts, but I made it through. The one good thing about it is that it's relatively shorter than the ones with more sets. I couldn't stand the thought of the same warm-up again, so I skipped rope for 4 minutes instead.

Fine Tune A5
~1:03
Foam rolling and 4 minutes of rope skipping
Plank with Alternate Arm Reach - 2x10
Complex (Deadlift, High Pull, Push Press, Reverse Lunge) - 4x8/45#
Bulgarian Split Deadlift - 2x15ea/15#ea
Single-Arm Dumbbell Chest Press on Swiss Ball -2x15ea/25#
Back Squat - 2x15/60#
Chinup - 2x10/JG

Split up

2011-09-19T09:21:00.001-05:00

I got up later than normal today. I had to cut the first part of my workout short, so I could help get the kiddos ready for school. I'll be travelling starting in a couple hours, so I wanted to finish the workout. Hours in the car go better if I've had movement in the morning! The order of my exercises weren't normal, but I got them all in! I did sub a couple minutes of jump rope for the regular FBB warm up, in the interest of time and my sanity. (I'm soooo tired of that warm up!!) I have a new jump rope. I don't know why it took me this long to cough up the $5 for it. It is sooooo much easier to jump with this cable rope as opposed to the other rope jump rope. (Ha!) The only problem is that it HURTS when it hits my feet! I'm going to have to leave some shoes downstairs to wear when using the jump rope.
Less than two weeks and I'll be on to my next program! (4 workouts left)
Fine Tune B4
1:10
Foam rolling and rope skipping
Swiss Ball Crunch - 2x10/10# (slow!)
Complex - High Pull, Front Squat with Push Press, Back Squat 4/8x45#
Deadlift - 10/145#, 10/150#, 10/155#
Dumbell Rotational Overhead Press - 3x10/15#
Single-Leg Squat - 3x10 to bench
Bent-Over Row - 3x10/70#

Squat PR!

2011-09-17T16:09:00.000-05:00

Today marks the halfway point in this FBB phase. I wasn't super excited about the length of the workout, but I did like the low reps during the second half. I managed to pull out a PR for back squats and probably could have gone up a bit more.

For the chinups, I used the JG and tried to put minimal weight on my legs and even pull myself off the floor. Toward the end of the sets, I wouldn't get my legs lifted much. They still feel very effective.

Fine Tune A4
~1:30
Foam rolling and warm up
Plank with Alternate Arm Reach - 2x10
Complex (Deadlift, High Pull, Push Press, Reverse Lunge) - 4x8/45#
Bulgarian Split Deadlift - 5ea/20#ea, 3x5ea/25#ea
Single-Arm Dumbbell Chest Press on Swiss Ball -5ea/35#, 5ea/36.25#, 5ea/37.5#
Back Squat - 5/75#, 5/80#, 5/85#, 5/90#
Chinup - 4x6/JG with feet out front on floor, lifting up the first few reps

Swinging some more kettlebells!

2011-09-16T06:17:00.003-05:00

I meant to lift this morning, but I misread my logs and did the next KB workout instead. That's ok, because I didn't have enough time to lift. Tomorrow I will have more time. I just realized I way overstated what I did last time I did swings. By 2x! I'll correct that to 12 sets. This time, I actually held to the 12 mintues for swings. I also increased to my 16kg kettlebell. My heart rate kept getting up to the 170s during the swings. Good work out!

Warm up - 1/2 FBB warm up, 2 rounds of (10x wall squats, 10x halos, 10x pumps)
Workout - 12minutes (6 sets) of 20 swings (~30seconds) using the 16kg kettlebell with 1 minute of active rest in between, then 5 minutes of skipping rope
Active rest betwen KB swings - 1.5 rounds of 4 exercises for 1 minute each: jumping jacks, mountain climbers, squat thrust with pushup, rope skipping

During the active rests and rope skipping, I kept feeling like I was in aerobics class. I had Lady Gaga playing and the beat was so strong, it was impossible not to keep with it!

TGUs and a little running

2011-09-13T05:48:00.000-05:00

This morning was my TGU workout. It was short, so I added on a fast (for me) mile. I wanted to get out and run a mile as fast as I could. Considering I haven't run in a while, it went well.

Warm up - 2 rounds of 10x wall squats, 10x halos, 10x pumps
Workout - TGUs for 5 minutes, alternating sides, did 4 left and 3 right with 20# KB
Finisher - 1 mile, 9:27, lots of sweat

High reps again

2011-09-12T06:12:00.005-05:00

Normally, I don't like high rep workouts. Today's lift called for 2 sets of 15 reps. I often dread these. However, today something clicked and it was fine. I even enjoyed the feel of the speedy deadlifts. They felt strong. I remembered this time to wear longer pants and my long socks for the deadlifts. Even with loads of Eco Ball on my legs, bare-legged deadlifts are not a good idea. It only takes a slight rub with the bar and I've got bar burn on my legs. It's not the knurled part that hits my legs, it's the smooth, shiny part. It sticks and pulls my skin with it.

I had to take a couple mini-rests in the middle of some of the reps, but overall, it went very well. I almost talked myself out of lifting this morning, since I didn't sleep very well last night. With only two sets, it was slightly on the short side of the FBB workouts rather than the long side. 6 workouts left in FBB!

Fine Tune B3
1:10
Foam rolling and warm up.
Swiss Ball Crunch - 2x10/10#
Complex - High Pull, Front Squat with Push Press, Back Squat 4/8x45#
Deadlift - 2x15/135#
Dumbell Rotational Overhead Press - 3x15/15#
Single-Leg Squat - 2x15 to bench (niggle in the knee, so I didn't do the last two sets)
Bent-Over Row - 2x15/65#

Kettlebell swings!

2011-09-11T11:20:00.001-05:00

I started a new kettlebell program today. It starts with just swings on one day and Turkish Get Ups on the next. That said, it was still a great workout, although I realized I did the program wrong. I did all rounds instead of stopping at 12 minutes. So, I did 26 minutes instead of 12. Oops. Today was swings and the whole thing took about 36 minutes with warm up. It was a LOT of swings. 240 swings, to be exact. I did feel like that type of volume helped me feel when I was getting it right and when I wasn't. It helped me start adjusting. It felt great and I felt strong, a lot more snappy than last time. I did much better jumping rope this time. I actually jumped more than 4 times in a row. Oh, and I got a blister on the ring finger of my left hand. I think it will just dissolve into a callous.

Warm up - 2 rounds of 10x wall squats, 10x halos, 10x pumps
Workout - 12 sets of 20 swings (~30seconds) with 1 minute of active rest in between
Active rest - 3 rounds of 4 exercises for 1 minute each: jumping jacks, mountain climbers, squat thrust with pushup, rope skipping

Then, I rode about 5.5 miles with the kiddos, pulling the Trail-a-bike. We had some nice hills. Beautiful day!

Lifting and kicking

2011-09-10T21:07:00.000-05:00

This fall, I am helping coach my daughter's soccer team. So, during my lift this morning, I had a coach training video on. I learned a little. I learned a lot more during our first game today, though!

I really love the chin ups using the Jungle Gym XT. Here is the lift:

Fine Tune A3
Foam rolling and warm up
Plank with Alternate Arm Reach - 2x10
Complex (Deadlift, High Pull, Push Press, Reverse Lunge) - 4x8/45#
Bulgarian Split Deadlift - 3x10ea/15#ea
Single-Arm Dumbbell Chest Press on Swiss Ball -10ea/25#, 10ea/27.5#, 10ea/30#
Back Squat - 3x10/65#
Chinup - 3x8/JG with feet out front on floor

Another circuit

2011-09-06T06:37:00.003-05:00

Today I put together a circuit for myself. I did 20s off, 1:10 on for 4 rounds:
KB swings (16kg, 16kg, 12kg, 12kg)\
JG pull up
jumprope
KB L/R clean (12kg, 20#, 20#, 20#)
JG push up

I don't know what was up, but I couldn't jump rope for anything. The Jungle Gym XT (JG) push ups were hard. Really hard. By the 3rd and 4th round, I was kind of getting them. The JG pull ups are great. I can see them really helping my regular pull ups.
Here is Saturday's FBB workout:

Fine Tune B2
1:22
Foam rolling and warm up.
Swiss Ball Crunch - 10/10#, 10/10#
Complex - High Pull, Front Squat with Push Press, Back Squat 4/8x45#
Deadlift - 3x5/155#, 5/160#
Dumbell Rotational Overhead Press - 2x5/20#, 2x5/25#
Single-Leg Squat - 2x5 to bench (niggle in the knee, so I didn't do the last two sets)
Bent-Over Row - 4x5/75#

New kettlebells and a lift!

2011-08-31T06:23:00.003-05:00

First off, the serious stuff. I really don't like 15-rep sets, but I did today's workout fine. Light weights.

Fine Tune A2
1:05
Foam rolling and warm up
Plank with Alternate Arm Reach - 2x10
Complex (Deadlift, High Pull, Push Press, Reverse Lunge) - 4x8/45#
Bulgarian Split Deadlift - 2x15ea/10#ea
Single-Arm Dumbbell Chest Press on Swiss Ball -2x15ea/20#
Back Squat - 2x15/55#
Chinup - 2x10/red band

Now to the fun stuff... more equipment! Two kettlebells, to be precise. They are so nice. Much nicer than my 20# Walmart Gold's Gym kettlebell. That one is not bad for what it is, but these are simply higher quality. I got them from KettlebellsUSA.com. I can't wait to take them for a spin... or a swing! I can definitely see how these can multiply.

Gold's Gym 20#, KettlebellsUSA.com Metrixx 12kg and 16kg

Darn allergies! Lifted anyway.

2011-08-27T23:33:00.000-05:00

Today was Female Body Breakthrough Fine Tune B1. I was determined to finish the whole thing, regardless of how long it would take. The kids joined me for a while. They were doing deadlifts and farmer carries.

Fine Tune B1
1:22
Foam rolling and warm up.
Swiss Ball Crunch - 10/15#, 10/10#
Complex - High Pull, Front Squat with Push Press, Back Squat 4/8x45#
Deadlift - 3x10/135#
Dumbell Rotational Overhead Press - 3x10/15#
Single-Leg Squat - 3x10 to bench
Bent-Over Row - 3x10/65#

Starting to fine tune it!

2011-08-25T06:42:00.000-05:00

Now comes the last stage of Female Body Breakthrough. I did the whole thing even though it was longer than I wanted it to be. My daughter came downstairs and did some lifting. She did some deadlifts with a little bar I have. She wanted to do yoga, though! I timed the rests to make sure I wasn't goofing off too much.

Fine Tune A1
1:17
Foam rolling and warm up
Plank with Alternate Arm Reach - 2x10
Complex (Deadlift, High Pull, Push Press, Reverse Lunge) - 4x8/45#
Bulgarian Split Deadlift - 5/15#ea, 3x5/20#ea
Single-Arm Dumbbell Chest Press on Swiss Ball - 5ea/30#, 3x5ea/35#
Back Squat - 5/65#, 5/75#, 2x5/80#
Chinup - 4x4/red band

Done dialing it in!

2011-08-23T06:34:00.000-05:00

Today I finished off the last A and last workout overall in Female Body Breakthrough, Dial it In phase. Before I broke the workouts up. Today I did the whole thing in 1:30. Two round of each, except the finisher, of course. I mistakenly added a 90s prone cobra at the beginning. That shows I shouldn't try to remember the workout on my own! This was the first time doing this finisher after the whole workout. I only added 30 seconds on to my lowest time, so I'm happy with that!

Dial It In A4
1:30
Warm up and foam rolling
Plank on a Swiss Ball - 2x90s (hard!!)
Upper-Body Core Stability Russian Twist - 2x10/20# (legs in the air)
Deadlift - (warm up 6/115#) 6/145#, 6/155# (good speeed)
Military Press - 2x 6/30#ea (oops, thought I was going lighter than this!)
Forward and Back Stepover - 8+8ea/BW (8 forward and 8 backward on each side)
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 2x15/30#ea
Single-Leg SHELC - 2x15ea (nice and slow = HARD!!)
One-Point Dumbbell Row - 2x15ea/35#
Finisher A: Squat thrusts + tuck jump - 3+1, 6+2, 9+3, 12+4, 9+3, 6+2, 3+1 (4:32)

B4 Part 2

2011-08-16T06:47:00.001-05:00

Today was the second half of FBB Dial It In B4. This past weekend, we rented kayaks and spent several hours Saturday and Sunday out on the water. One kayak was horrible and would spin out without notice. So, it was a struggle to keep it going straight. So, I ended up with a sore right lower back. Yesterday, I had planned on doing this workout, but the back was still sore, more so than I wanted to work out with. So, I did laundry instead.

This morning, I could feel the soreness a bit, but it was subdued enough to continue with my lift.

FBB Dial It In B4 Part 2
Foam rolling and warm up
~0:55
Romanian Deadlift - 15/95#, 15/100#
Dumbbell Push Press - 2x15/27.5#ea
Barbell Split Squat - 15/45#, 15/50#
Split-Stance Single-Arm Cable Row - 15ea/25#, 15ea/30#
Finisher B - ~5:00
20 body-weight squats
20 body-weight dynamic lunges alternating
20 lunge jumps
20 jump squats

Dial it in B4 part 1

2011-08-12T06:08:00.000-05:00

Not much time today. I did the first half of the workout again, 3 rounds, with some added jumproping.
I need to work on my chin ups more. My front squat push press is sooo much better than it was the first time I did them.

Dial It In B4 part 10:58
Foam rolling and Warmup
Prone Cobra - 3x90s
Front Squat Push Press - 2x6/60#, 3/65#
Chinup - 1/BW + 3/red, 1/BW + 2/red, 5/red
5 rounds of jumproping 20s off, 45s on

Beautiful clouds

2011-08-10T06:37:00.000-05:00

I really didn't want to get up. I almost fell asleep getting ready to go. I dilly dallied way too much. BUT I still got out for a run. I had been talking about how my favorite temperature to run in is about 55F. Well, it was 56F this morning, so I just had to take advantage of it. I was treated with a beautiful dawn. There was a large group of striated clouds right were the sun was coming up. The effect was red and blue stripes across the sky. Beautiful!

I ended up at 2.13 miles at an average 10:48 pace. Not bad for not having run in ages.

4 bunnies

A tired met circuit

2011-08-09T06:20:00.000-05:00

I guess I should be glad I even got up to work out this morning. I did get to bed late and probably should have slept in. But, I need to kick this bad cycle in the rear and get back to good eating. Getting a good workout in helps with the eating motivation.

I had planned on lifting, but my mojo wasn't there. So, I foam rolled and did the FBB warm up. Then I put together a new FBB met circuit. I still didn't have much "umph" but I got through it and MOVED, at least.

2 rounds, 10s off, 45s on

Lateral ski jump
Lunge jumps
Prone cross toe touch
KB swing

Lateral step-out squat
Crossbehind step up and over
Spiderman
Box jump

Second half

2011-08-05T06:51:00.000-05:00

... of FBB Dial it In A3. No time to fit it all in last time. Even so, this took 35 minutes not counting foam rolling and warm-up. Usually I do count those, so it would have been around 50 minutes. And I only did 2 rounds, not 3. It felt good, though. The finisher got my heart rate up into the 170s. I won't be able to do early morning lifts this weekend, so I wanted to get this one in today.

Dial it In A3 part 2
Foam rolling and 1/2 FBB warm-up
Forward and Back Stepover - 2x8+8ea/BW (8 forward and 8 backward on each side)
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 15/28.75#ea, 15/30#ea
Single-Leg SHELC - 2x15ea
One-Point Dumbbell Row - 15ea/32.5#, 15ea/35#
Squat thrusts + tuck jump - 3+1, 6+2, 9+3, 12+4, 9+3, 6+2, 3+1 (4:02)

Met circuit switchout

2011-08-03T06:11:00.000-05:00

I had planned on finishing up yesterday's workout, but I just didn't have much energy this morning. I think I'm coming down with something. So, I did a met circuit.

Here it is:
foam rolling and warm up
10s off/45s on
2 rounds

Hop scotch
Single leg squat thrust
Mountain climber
KB swing (20#)

Rope jump
Explosive step up
Prone step off on Swiss ball
Squat jump

More cautious DLs

2011-08-02T06:23:00.001-05:00

We were out for a few days sailing. What fun! Now, back to lifting.

I didn't have enough time to finish, so I just did the first two alternating groups, but did 3 sets of each. Then, I followed up with jump roping. During the DLs, I could feel some tightness in my right hamstring. I assume this is all part of my messed up right side. Hmmm... I played around a bit with how it would feel if I raised my left heel a bit. I might try that in the future.

Dial It In A3 (part 1)
~0:58
Warm up and foam rolling
Plank on a Swiss Ball - 3x90s
Upper-Body Core Stability Russian Twist - 3x10/20# (legs in the air)
Deadlift - (warm up 68/115#) 6/135#, 6/145#, 6/150#
Military Press - 6/25#ea, 6/27.5#ea, 6/28.75#ea
Jumproping - 6x(20s off, 45s on)

Lifting before sitting

2011-07-27T05:58:00.000-05:00

Busy day today, but I did get my lift in! I love to make sure I workout before a long day of sitting in meetings. I had to cut the met section short again, but I did get the finisher in.

Dial It In B3
0:58
Foam rolling and Warmup
Prone Cobra - 2x90s
Front Squat Push Press - 2x6/60#
Chinup - 5/red 1" band, 4/red 1" band
Romanian Deadlift - 15/95#
Dumbbell Push Press - 15/27.5#ea
Barbell Split Squat - 15/45#
Split-Stance Single-Arm Cable Row - 15ea/25#
Finisher B - 4:06
20 body-weight squats
20 body-weight dynamic lunges alternating
20 lunge jumps
20 jump squats

Unfinished business

2011-07-25T10:25:00.001-05:00

This morning I finished off what I didn't get to yesterday. I figured out that if I had finished yesterday's workout, it would have approached 2 hours for 2 sets and if I had done 3 sets (2-3 are prescribed) it would have been well over 2 hours. Uh, no. So much for quick workouts.

As it is, I did 2 more rounds of the met work, the finisher, and jumprope. I'm still not very good at jumproping. It ends up like short interval work, random, like a fartlek.

Forward and Back Stepover - 2x8+8ea/BW (8 forward and 8 backward on each side)
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 2x15/27.5#ea
Single-Leg SHELC - 2x15ea
One-Point Dumbbell Row - 2x15ea/32.5#
Squat thrusts + tuck jump - 3+1, 6+2, 9+3, 12+4, 9+3, 6+2, 3+1 (5 minutes)
Jumprope - 5 minutes

A week later...

2011-07-24T10:19:00.003-05:00

No, I haven't been totally gone this past week. "Life" changed up my schedule a bit. Although working out is important to me, there are more important things.

Wednesday, July 20
I accidently repeated the B workout from Dial it In. That kind of annoyed me because I was looking forward to deadlifts. But, maybe it was a good thing. After the last A workout, I felt some of the funniness in my hip (sacroilliac) again. So, this gave me a little more rest. My chinups were rather week. But, I had some sleep issues over the past few days, so I should expect some weaknesses.
Here it was:
Dial It In B2
Foam rolling and Warmup
Prone Cobra - 2x90s
Front Squat Push Press - 6/55#, 6/60#
Chinup - 2x4/red 1" band
Romanian Deadlift - 15/95#
Dumbbell Push Press - 15/25#ea
Barbell Split Squat - 15/45#
Split-Stance Single-Arm Cable Row - 15ea/25#
Finisher B - 4:42
20 body-weight squats
20 body-weight dynamic lunges alternating
20 lunge jumps
20 jump squats

Friday, July 22
I did a metabolic circuit from FBB. The timing was 10s rest, 45s work, two rounds. Good stuff.
Exercises were:
Hop scotch
Single leg squat thrust
Mountain climber
KB cleans
Rope jump
Explosive step up
Prone step off Swiss ball
KB swing
Then I did 3 minutes of jump roping.

Sunday, July 24 (Today!)
Today, I went back to workout A. I'll just continue from here and finish with A rather than B. It was a good workout, but again, way too long. I only got through 1 round of the superset and didn't have time for the Finisher. It worked well to do that the next day last time, so I'll do that again. After feeling the SI wierdness after my last DL session, I decided to take a big reset and start back at 135# for my working sets. I was basically doing speed deadlifts. That's ok. I don't want to aggravate this any more. I've read it takes a long time for these things to heal.

Dial It In A2
1:23
Warm up and foam rolling
Plank on a Swiss Ball - 2x90s (hard!!)
Upper-Body Core Stability Russian Twist - 2x10/20# (legs in the air)
Deadlift - (warm up 8/115#) 6/135#, 6/145#
Military Press - 2x 6/25#ea
Forward and Back Stepover - 8+8ea/BW (8 forward and 8 backward on each side)
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 15/27.5#ea
Single-Leg SHELC - 15ea (nice and slow = HARD!!)
One-Point Dumbbell Row - 15ea/30#

Dialing it in with little ones

2011-07-16T10:08:00.001-05:00

The little ones are my kids and a neighbor kid. They are only allowed in the basement when I am there, so they get to mess around with some of the weights. They are a bit annoying, though. At one point, my son wanted me to get a couple bins of toys down from up high. He tried to convince me by saying it was exercise and I could add a box to my logs that said toys! Ha!

There was some confusion as to whether to do the Front Squat Push Press or just the Front Squat. Since I didn't get the FSPP down very well when I did New Rules of Lifting for Women, I thought I'd give it another try. This time, I was able to move smoothly from the front squat to the push press. I think I'll continue with them. At the end, I even did the finisher. My time was pretty bad. I hope to reduce that next time!

Dial It In B1
1:33
Foam rolling and Warmup
Prone Cobra - 2x90s
Front Squat Push Press - 6/45#, 6/55#
Chinup - 6/red 1" band, 5/red 1" band
Romanian Deadlift - 2x15/95#
Dumbbell Push Press - 2x15/25#ea
Barbell Split Squat - 2x15/45#
Split-Stance Single-Arm Cable Row - 15ea/20#, 15ea/25#
Finisher B - 5:00
20 body-weight squats
20 body-weight dynamic lunges alternating
20 lunge jumps
20 jump squats

Not much energy

2011-07-15T14:05:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I didn't feel full of energy, but I got up to work out. I finished off the second set of the metabolic-type exercises from the lift the day before. I also did the finisher (wow, that was hard!!) and jumproping intervals of 20s off, 40 s on for 6 rounds. With a short warmup and foam rolling, it took about 45 minutes.

Forward and Back Stepover - 8+8ea/BW (8 forward and 8 backward on each side)
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 15/25#ea
Single-Leg SHELC - 15ea (did them too fast)
One-Point Dumbbell Row - 15ea/30#

3+1, 6+2, 9+3, 12+4, 9+3, 6+2, 3+1 ladder of Squat Thrusts + Tuck Jumps. Wow.

Jumproping.

Deadlifting again!

2011-07-13T08:09:00.001-05:00

Today's workout included deadlifting for the first time in a long time! Yay! I did feel a slight oddness like I did before in my hip. Not a pain or even a twinge. Just a stiffness, maybe that I know I will need to keep close track of. The workout was very long, so I didn't even finish the 2nd set and I didn't get to the finisher. Maybe I'll do the rest of set 2 and the finisher for my workout tomorrow.

Last night, I couldn't find my clipboard with my logs. I had the sneaking suspicion that my daughter absconded with them, but I couldn't find them anywhere. Not even in her room. So, I printed out another log for this morning. When she got up, I asked her and she showed me to them... slid under our chest of drawers! I would have never found them there. Never. She thought it was funny.

Dial It In A1
Warm up and abbreviated foam rolling
Plank on a Swiss Ball - 2x90s (hard!!)
Upper-Body Core Stability Russian Twist - 2x10/20# (legs in the air)
Deadlift - (warm up 8/115#, 3/135#) 6/155#, 6/165#
Military Press - 6/20#ea, 6/25#ea
Forward and Back Stepover - 8+8ea/BW (8 forward and 8 backward on each side)
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press - 15/25#ea
Single-Leg SHELC - 15ea (did them too fast)
One-Point Dumbbell Row - 15ea/30#

Intervals!

2011-07-12T06:08:00.000-05:00

This morning, I did a quick interval run workout. I set my Garmin for 10 rounds of 0:45 run fast, 0:30 recovery jog. In total, I went 1.59 miles in 16:22 with an average pace of 10:16, including the 30 seconds of walking at the end.

Looking at only the ten run portions, I averaged a pace of 8:23min/mile. I even got under 8:00 for four of the run sections.

I should do more of these short, but sweet, workouts!

I've defined myself

2011-07-11T21:21:00.001-05:00

... by completing the Define Yourelf phase of Female Body Breakthrough!

I've got my logs all made up for the next phase, Dial It In.

Today's workout ended up in the afternoon, thanks to some strong storms last night. The storms plus the extra squirmy kids in bed didn't make for enough restful sleep to get up early.
I felt strong. I upped the weights used and the intensity. I'm ready to move on, though.

Define Yourself B4
0:57
Foam rolling and warm up
Reverse Wood Chop - 8ea/32.5#, 8ea/35# (rope attachment)
Prone Jackknife - 2x8 (rolled farther out in plank so that arms were out and not perpendicular to the ground... this really increased the intensity!)
Stepup - 2x8ea/20#ea (7 risers)
T Pushup - 2x4ea/8#ea (much better form and ability than in recent past)
Single-Leg Squat - 8ea with 7 risers, 8ea with 6 risers (!)
Alternating Lateral Raise - 2x8ea/10#ea
Supinated Hip Extention with Leg Curl (SHELC) - 2x8
Inverted Row - 2x8

Finishing up?

2011-07-08T06:32:00.001-05:00

I'll have to check, but I think I might be finishing up this Define Yourself stage. I started the fourth round today. I feel ready to move on. Things felt strong today.

Today was the last day using the log my daughter decorated for me. I might have to commision her for future workout logs!

Define Yourself A4
Foam rolling and FBB warmup
Wood Chop - 2x8ea/45#
Plank - 2x90s
Dumbbell Squat with Offset Load - 2x8ea/30#ea
Dumbbell Alternating Overhead Press - 2x8ea/25#ea
Single-Leg Bent-Knee Deadlift - 8ea/8#ea, 8ea/10#ea
Chinup with Band - 2x8 with 1/2" and 3/4" bands together
Alternating Lateral Lunge - 2x8ea/20#ea
Two-Point Dumbbell Row - 2x8ea/45#

A bit faster!

2011-07-07T06:17:00.000-05:00

Today's run was shortish... 1.5 miles. At first, I didn't feel like running at all. But, I got into it and sped up. The last half was almost all under a 10 min/mile pace. That's fast for me. Overall, I averaged about 10:10. An overall nice run to a 165bpm Podrunner podcast called Breezy. It wasn't breezy here, though. It was still and 68F with high humidity.

~5 bunnies

Various

2011-07-06T13:02:00.002-05:00

There are are few more things to report.
At my hotel last week, I had access to an excellent fitness center. Having a real cable station was soooo nice. I wish I had the means to buy one without guilt. So, I was able to fully complete my next FBB workout: (I will have to verify the numbers later.)

Define Yourself A3
Foam rolling and FBB warmup
Wood Chop - 8ea/40#, 8ea/42.5#
Plank - 2x90s
Dumbbell Squat with Offset Load - 2x8ea/12kg (used kettlebells)
Dumbbell Alternating Overhead Press - 2x8ea/25#ea
Single-Leg Bent-Knee Deadlift - 8ea/5#ea, 8ea/7.5#ea
Chinup with Band - 2x8 with 1/2" and 3/4" bands together
Alternating Lateral Lunge - 8ea/15#ea, 8ea/20#ea
Two-Point Dumbbell Row - 2x8ea/45#

Then, over the holiday weekend, I got up early and worked out with my friend. It was great to have the mutual encouragement to workout and not be completely slothful! The first day, we jogged. At mile intervals, we stopped and did other stuff, like push-ups or squats. I wasn't wearing my jogging shorts, though, so at about 3.3 miles in, I had to walk, otherwise I would have some raw skin. That kinda sucked, but at least we got out and got moving. The next day, we did a timed circuit. 30s each of 6 stations for about 25 minutes. Then, we went for a walk and took the stairs to the 7th floor. I think that helped counteract to some degree my poor eating for the weekend.

This morning, I got up for my lift. It felt great! Not much else to say about that.

Define Yourself B3
Foam rolling and warm up
Reverse Wood Chop - 8ea/30#, 8ea/32.5# (rope attachment)
Prone Jackknife - 2x8
Stepup - 2x8ea/17.5#ea (7 risers)
T Pushup - 2x4ea/8#ea
Single-Leg Squat - 2x8ea (to bench, then to step with 7 risers)
Alternating Lateral Raise - 2x8ea/10#ea
Supinated Hip Extention with Leg Curl (SHELC) - 2x8
Inverted Row - 2x8

Circuit time!

2011-06-28T06:51:00.000-05:00

Foam rolling and FBB warm-up
30 second per each exercise then 30-60 rest
KB swings
plank
KB TGU (1 side then other side)
jump rope
push-up
walking lunges

I'm a little shaky now! Woot!

Some outdoor fun and another lift

2011-06-27T06:42:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the sun broke through for a while. Before lunch, we decided it would be a good time to get in a quick walk/bike ride. The kids would rather ride their bikes, but I need to be on foot, ready to help my daughter. So, we set off with my son noting how slow we were going and my daughter working on getting over that initial terror. (She's very afraid at first, but wants to ride so bad, she does it anyway. Plenty of screams and maybe even some tears.) She's only four, but she's doing great riding a regular 16" bike with no training wheels. About a block down the road, we stopped to talk to some neighbors, the family of a friend of my son. During this time, my daughter got VERY impatient. We said we were going to ride bikes, so LET'S RIDE BIKES! We ended up leaving my son to play and my daughter and I continued on. After a while, she mostly forgets she's afraid and I have a nice walk/jog while we talk. Before too long, she's zooming along and I'm barely keeping up! At this point, I no longer have to keep my finger on her back. When she's scared, she likes the reassurance of my finger/hand lightly touching (i.e. not helping) on her back. It's funny. Anyway, I got in over a mile of jogging!

This morning, I got in my lift. Felt good! I was able to increase some loads. Nice. These workouts may not use the heaviest weights, but I can tell they are beneficial.

Define Yourself B2
Foam rolling and warm up
Reverse Wood Chop - 2x8ea/30# (rope attachment)
Prone Jackknife - 2x8
Stepup - 8ea/15#ea, 8ea/17.5#ea (7 risers)
T Pushup - 4ea/5#ea, 4ea/8#ea
Single-Leg Squat - 2x8ea (to bench)
Alternating Lateral Raise - 2x8ea/10#ea
Supinated Hip Extention with Leg Curl (SHELC) - 2x8
Inverted Row - 2x8

Lifting to TMBG

2011-06-25T12:51:00.001-05:00

Today, the kids were downstairs with me. As a bit of fun, I put There Might Be Giant's DVD for Here Come the ABCs. We enjoyed it as usual. Not my normal workout entertainment!

My right elbow felt a bit sore right toward the end of the last set of rows. I hope that goes away.

For the woodchops, I tried something new. Because of the way my cable is set up, when I pull from the high pulley at an angle away from the front of the cage, the cable scrapes along the opening where the cable comes out of the tubing. That leaves plastic shavings and can only happen for so long before I've ruined the cable. So, today, I stood behind the cage and pulled back. There wasn't a lot of room, but there was just enough room for me to do the move. Much better!
Define Yourself A2
Foam rolling and FBB warmup
Wood Chop - 8ea/35#, 8ea/40#
Plank - 2x90s
Dumbbell Squat with Offset Load - 8ea/15#, 8ea/20#
Dumbbell Alternating Overhead Press - 8ea/20#ea, 8ea/25#ea
Single-Leg Bent-Knee Deadlift - 8ea/10#ea, 8ea/5#ea
Chinup with Band - 2x6 with 1/2" and 3/4" bands together
Alternating Lateral Lunge - 2x8ea/15#ea
Two-Point Dumbbell Row - 2x8ea/45#

Defining B

2011-06-22T06:58:00.001-05:00

This workout didn't seem as intentense, but that is just fine!

I got less sleep than I wanted thanks to loud raccoons outside last night!

It's nice to see I could do the jackknives without much problem. It has been a LONG time since I did those!

Female Body Breakthrough
Define Yourself B1
0:57
Foam rolling and warm up
Reverse Wood Chop - 2x8ea/30#
Prone Jackknife - 2x8
Stepup - 8ea/10#ea, 8ea/15#ea
T Pushup - 2x4ea/5#ea
Single-Leg Squat - 2x8ea
Alternating Lateral Raise - 8ea/8#ea, 8ea/10#ea (window worked nicely as a mirror for form check!)
Supinated Hip Extention with Leg Curl (SHELC) - 2x8 (ooops, bent hips on first set)
Inverted Row - 2x8

Defining myself

2011-06-20T13:18:00.000-05:00

This morning saw the begining of the next phase of Female Body Breakthrough, Define Yourself.

I got my logs edited and printed last night so I could get up this morning to lift! I was still sore from Saturday.

I'm not sure about the single-leg DL. It doesn't feel right. I'll still do it, but it is hard to know what the form should be for this.
I used both of my new Superbands to assist the chinups. I can still do one, but not 6-8 in the latter half of a workout!

Define Yourself A1
Foam rolling and FBB warmup
Wood Chop - 8ea/30#, 8ea/35#
Plank - 2x90s (squeezing everything)
Dumbbell Squat with Offset Load - 8ea/15#, 8ea/20#
Dumbbell Alternating Overhead Press - 8ea/15#ea, 8ea/20#ea
Single-Leg Bent-Knee Deadlift - 8ea/15#ea, 8ea/10#ea
Chinup with Band - 4,6 with 1/2" and 3/4" bands together
Alternating Lateral Lunge - 2x8ea/15#ea
Two-Point Dumbbell Row - 2x8ea/45#

Done with the Base phase!

2011-06-18T11:53:00.000-05:00

Although there was a long hiatus before the final two workouts of this phase, I'm calling it done. I would love to do more OH squats, but I need to move on.

This workout is so darn long that I did 3 sets of the first 4 exercises and 2 sets of the last 4. I'm not super excited about BSS at the end of a workout, anyway. Two sets of those are enough when my rear is already blasted.

I got two SPRI Superbands in the mail yesterday. I got the 1/2" and the 1". They are thicker than I expected. Pretty sturdy. The next phase of FBB has assisted pull-ups, so I wanted to have them on hand. (I can't yet do ~8 pull-ups!)

I don't normally do smoothies for post-workout, but I'm out of Greek yogurt. So, some frozen mango, milk, and a scoop of my vanilla caramel swirl blended together.... yum!!

Female Body Breakthrough Base B8

1:28
Foam rolling from SnG and warm-up from FBB
Upper-Body Core Stability Russian Twist - 3x10/20# (feet off floor)
Prone Cobra - 3x90s
Overhead Squat - (wu 5/15#) 2x10/30#, 7/35#
Lateral Raise with External Rotation - 3x10/10#ea
Single-Leg, Single-Arm Romanian Deadlift - 2x10/50#
Split-Stance Cable Single-Arm Lat Pullover - 2x10/12.5#
Bulgarian Split Squat - 2x10ea/10#ea
Split-Stance Cable Row - 2x10/50# (low pulley)

Back to lifting... ugh to the push-ups!

2011-06-16T06:57:00.000-05:00

The tent came down last night and I got my lift in this morning! Woot!

A couple things to note. I dropped my rows back down a bit because I was trying to finish off the last 2-3 reps of the set with back rotation. For a lower rep set, I would be fine with 50#, but I need to complete all reps with good form. Also, I was very disappointed with my push-ups. I would think I should be able to bang out push-ups no problem, but I'm still struggling with more than a few reps. Frustrating. I should probably go to an incline to fix them.

FBB Base Phase A81:08
Foam rolling (from SnG), warm-up (did all jumping moves)
Bird dog - 3x10
Forward Ab Roll - 3x10 (subbed ab roller for ball)
Stepup - 3x10/15#ea hand
Three-point Dumbbell Row - 1x10/50#, 2x10/45#
Partial Co-contraction Lunge - 3x10
Pushup - 2x10, 1x4 (some pauses, booooo)
Hip-Thigh Extension - 3x10 with knee pulled in
Bent-Over Reverse Fly - 3x10/8#

Catching up!

2011-06-15T12:01:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I haven't updated lately. I have been dealing with a mild case of achilles tendonitis. (According to the doctor, it's probably this rather than plantar fasciitis, but they are closely related.) I was taking it easy and not running much to save myself for the Dam to Dam 20k. So, I didn't get nearly as much training in for the run as I had hoped. I did finish the Dam to Dam, but not as well as last year. I had to take a potty break a couple miles before the end. Also, it was so much warmer than I'm used to, I was exhausted by the end and had to walk a bit. Nonetheless, completing 12.4 miles is nothing to sneeze at and it's something I wouldn't have been able to do a few years ago. I finished in 2:32:38 compared to 2:25:24 last year.

Less than a week after the 20k, I was off with my family on a ~130 mile fully self-supported bike trip along the Katy Trail State Park in central Missouri. We did over 35 miles on each of the first three days, then 19 miles on the last day. Normally, that wouldn't be a whole lot of riding, but considering it was on crushed gravel (sometimes not firmly packed), we had all our camping supplies, clothes, and food with us, as well as our two young kids, this was not a leisurely ride! (It didn't help that I was still recovering from the 20k, I'm sure, and it was in the 90s the first couple days.) It was a great trip that went off seamlessly. We did a lot of planning ahead of time, considering it was the longest tour ever, especially with kids. A great experience.

Now, it's time for me to get back in the rhythm of daily workouts. This morning, I got up to lift, only to find the tent set up in the basement. This almost made me give up working out for the morning, but I decided I had woken up so early to work out, by golly I was going to work out! So, I pulled out a BodyRock.tv workout, Tik Tok Challenge, and got a good workout in. In fact, I was very surpised to see that my times for the challenge were considerably better than the other three times I did this workout! And I was 8 pounds lighter at the time. (Oops!! Time to nip that in the bud.)

My times today were: 2:30, 2:46, 2:54
My previous times were:
3:25, 3:34, 3:26
3:37, 4:06, 3:43
4:21, 4:05, 3:48
So, the plan is to lift tomorrow morning and I'll make up a plan to stick to for the long term soon. (The tent is coming down tonight!)

Less than two weeks!

2011-05-24T06:33:00.001-05:00

Yikes! There may be some walking during the 20k :)

I did get out for a good run this morning. It's so nice to have the light earlier in the morning!

I did a 160bpm-180bpm interval mix from Podrunner called Driving Spikes. I've done this one before and I still like it!

I started getting a side stitch, which hasn't happened in a long time. I worked it out, though. I think that might be because I was tensing my upper body a bit.

The stats are that I went a total of 3.33 miles in 35:50, for an average pace of 10:45 min/mile.

My heel felt a tad funny at first, but that went away. Now, a half hour later, I'm starting to feel a little funniness again. I will do a little more stretching and probably ice it just in case.

12 bunnies today!

A short trial run

2011-05-16T12:55:00.000-05:00

I must have been pretty worried about today's run. From about 1am on, I kept half waking up debating on whether I should run this morning or not. When the alarm clock finally went off, I pressed snooze, and when it went off again, I popped out of bed and got ready to head out.

I put on a 165bpm podcast called Stentorian. I wanted something faster with the thought that I would hit with my heel less. I think that did help. I did 2 miles with an average 10:30min/mile pace. Not bad for me.

I've been icing and stretching and taking some ibuprofen. Seems to be okay for now, a little tender, but not worse, at least.

I didn't count bunnies, but I should have. They were all over the place!

Little visitors

2011-05-13T12:35:00.000-05:00

I had to cut today's workout a little short. I was surprised it was taking so long, but now that I look back at the other times I did this workouts with three sets, it took a similar amount of time. I stopped at one set of BSS and cable row, so I got most of the way through. The outside of my right hip (TFL??) was sore through most of the workout, so I was even less motivated to finish the BSS at the end of the workout than normal!

Little visitors:
Soon after I got to the basement and turned on the light, I heard a sound and saw movement. A little field mouse appeared from the under the door to the utility room. He ran around for a second then scurried back under the door. I'll have to "take care" of him later. Toward the end of the workout, my kids made their way downstairs. That's another sign that the workout was going longer than intended. The kids didn't scurry away. They stuck around until I went back upstairs!

Female Body Breakthrough Base B7
1:26 (!!?)
Foam rolling and warm-up (no jumping moves, still trying to rest my heel)
Upper-Body Core Stability Russian Twist - 3x10/25# (feet off floor)
Prone Cobra - 3x90s
Overhead Squat - (wu 5/15#) 10/25#, 10/30#,10/35# ( Feeling great!)
Lateral Raise with External Rotation - 1x10/15#ea, 2x10/10#ea (should do a wt in the middle)
Single-Leg, Single-Arm Romanian Deadlift - 10/45#, 2x10/50#
Split-Stance Cable Single-Arm Lat Pullover - 3x10/12.5# (focus on keeping shoulder down, arm straight)
Bulgarian Split Squat - 6/15#ea, 4/10#ea
Split-Stance Cable Row - 10/50# (low pulley)

More FBB

2011-05-11T07:17:00.000-05:00

Just a quick report on a great workout!I listened to TheFitCast podcasts during my workout. I don't know why I didn't realize the great use of my cute little Netbook to do this before. Great stuff.

FBB Base Phase A7
1:03
Foam rolling (from SnG), warm-up (skipped jumping moves)
Bird dog - 3x10
Forward Ab Roll - 3x10 (subbed ab roller for ball)
Stepup - 3x10/15#ea hand
Three-point Dumbbell Row - 3x10/50#
Partial Co-contraction Lunge - 3x10
Pushup - 3x10 (some pauses)
Hip-Thigh Extension - 3x10 with knee pulled in
Bent-Over Reverse Fly - 3x10/10#

Weekend

2011-05-09T12:38:00.000-05:00

Saturday, I got a nice bike ride in with family and friends. Saturday and Sunday, I also got in a lot of gardening work, too.

Sunday morning, I got to use my new aluminum Oly bar, which weighs only 15 pounds. It is soooo much nicer to use that than what I had before, since I can hold my hands farther out. With the narrower hold, I couldn't get my arms behind my head. That is required to keep balance when the back angles forward on the decent.

Now, on Monday, I'm feeling some DOMS. Not bad, but enough to know I worked!

Female Body Breakthrough Base B6
Foam rolling and warm-up (no jumping moves, still trying to rest my heel)
Upper-Body Core Stability Russian Twist - 3x10/25# (feet off floor)
Prone Cobra - 3x90s
Overhead Squat - 10/15#, 10/20#,10/25# (Yay for new bar! Almost lost balance during one rep in 2nd set.)
Lateral Raise with External Rotation - 3x10/10#ea (maybe ready to go back up in weight, maybe not all the way to 15#?)
Single-Leg, Single-Arm Romanian Deadlift - 10/45#, 2x10/50#
Split-Stance Cable Single-Arm Lat Pullover - 3x10/12.5# (focus on keeping shoulder down, arm straight)
Bulgarian Split Squat - 3x10/10# each hand (proably ready to increase)
Split-Stance Cable Row - 3x10/50#

New Toy!

2011-05-06T13:00:00.002-05:00

I got my aluminum Oly bar in the mail yesterday! It's 15 pounds. I'm anxious to give it a try. It seems well made. It only has a weight limit of around 150#, so I will only use it up to the point when I could use the 45# Oly bar. The sleeves seem to move fine, which was my biggest worry.

My heel is still getting sore, so I skipped the jumping moves in the warm-up. Otherwise, I did everything. My heel did feel sore afterward, but I took some ibuprofen and iced it on my way to work. So far, it's not getting worse, but I would like it to actually get better! Patience, patience.

I didn't increase any of my weights today, but I still felt like I got a good workout in.

FBB Base Phase A6
1:02
Foam rolling (from SnG), warm-up (skipped jumping moves)
Bird dog - 3x10
Forward Ab Roll - 3x10 (subbed ab roller for ball)
Stepup - 3x10/15#ea hand
Three-point Dumbbell Row - 3x10/50#
Partial Co-contraction Lunge - 3x10
Pushup - 3x10 (some pauses)
Hip-Thigh Extension - 3x10 with knee pulled in
Bent-Over Reverse Fly - 3x10/8#

Quick run, testing the heel

2011-05-04T06:14:00.000-05:00

So, a bit of self diagnosis and I'm suspecting tendonitis or a trigger point in my calf. We'll see. I've stretched and rolled and massaged.

This morning, I went for a short run to give it a test. I felt a slight soreness, but not much. I only went 1.5 miles and tried to keep my foot turnover up so that I wasn't striking with my heel. I'm going to stretch a bit and maybe ice it.

The pain really isn't extreme. But, I believe if I'm feeling pain, that's telling me I need to take care of something. I like to take care of it rather than make it worse and have even more down time.

What's up with my heel?

2011-05-03T06:35:00.000-05:00

It seems like it is coming from tightness in my leg, but my left heel is sore. This started right after finishing my 7 mile run on Sunday. It was a nice run. I think I averaged about 11:18, which isn't bad for me, especially for a windy day. I had a few niggles during the run, in particular, the right hip returned at about mile 6, but it didn't bother me much. It's this heel. I haven't had this before. And it's on the other side. Hmmm. So, I've been rolling that leg.

Today, instead of lifting like would have been the plan, I did a yoga program, hoping that would help stretch. The program I chose ended up not being the most stretchy program, but it was still good. That's when I really could tell I have some tightness in that left leg. I felt it in the calf and in the hamstring. I did "Yoga for Buns" from YogaDownload. It really is a great program. I even start sweating during it.

We'll see where this leads!

Strong!

2011-04-28T09:50:00.003-05:00

I'm very glad I took the last few weeks to take a step back and focus on form. The workouts didn't seem very demanding overall, but I could tell I needed the form improvements. I'm definitely more stabile during the unilateral exercises. This week, I've started doing three sets of each exercise, so the work has been ramping up. I definitely feel it. It feels goooooood!

I'm seriously considering springing for a lightweight Oly bar. The bar I'm using for overhead squats right now is too short, so I can't get my arms back far enough. So, I either have to bend my elbows (bad) or hold the bar too far forward (bad) which I can only do with light weights, anyway. Both ways are bad form and I hate that I am using bad for. There, I've talked myself into it. It won't break the bank :) The one I'm looking at is aluminum and only 15#. It can handle enough to use 45# plates for lighter, full height deadlifts. That's a plus for speed deadlifts and the like that call for lighter weights.

Female Body Breakthrough Base B5
1:20
Foam rolling and warm-up
Upper-Body Core Stability Russian Twist - 3x10/25# (feet off floor)
Prone Cobra - 3x90s
Overhead Squat - 3x10/~15# (A longer bar would be nice!)
Lateral Raise with External Rotation - 3x10/10#ea (dropped back from 15# because form wasn't good)
Single-Leg, Single-Arm Romanian Deadlift - 10/40#, 10/45#, 10/50# (much more stabile, feels strong!)
Split-Stance Cable Single-Arm Lat Pullover - 3x10/12.5# (focus on keeping shoulder down, arm straight)
Bulgarian Split Squat - 3x10/10# each hand (very hard at the end of this program!)
Split-Stance Cable Row - 3x10/50#

Increasing the sets

2011-04-26T22:35:00.002-05:00

Before, I only did two sets of each exercise. This time I moved it up to three. Because of that, I didn't really increase my weights. Same weights, more volume!

FBB Base Phase A5
1:09
Foam rolling (from SnG), warm-up
Bird dog - 3x10
Forward Ab Roll - 3x10 (subbed ab roller for ball)
Stepup - 3x10/15#ea hand (getting better)
Three-point Dumbbell Row - 3x10/50# (still concentrating on form before increasing, left side making big improvements)
Partial Co-contraction Lunge - 3x10
Pushup - 3x10
Hip-Thigh Extension - 3x10 with leg straight
Bent-Over Reverse Fly - 3x10/8#

Oh bunnies, where art thou?

2011-04-24T12:58:00.000-05:00

Oh, that's right. It's Easter. They must have all been hard at work, because over more than an hour, I only saw 3 bunnies, and they were all in one spot.

It was 34F this morning, but it was still a beautiful day for a run. No wind at all. I bundled up and headed out. I wanted to try for 6 miles and I was aiming for 11 min/mile. Although I make my distance goal, which was my main goal, I was not able to keep an 11 minute pace. I kept trying, but couldn't. Oh, well. I ran without music. I figured it was a good day to do that, since there was no wind. When it gets really windy, I like to have my headphones on. They help block the wind.

I noticed even before I set out that my right quad was still sore from squats on Friday. During the last mile or two, I noticed that the outside of my hip starting to ache a little, too. I think it might be because I was doing something different because of my quad. I did manage to finish and now I don't notice either issue.

Good workouts, two of them!

2011-04-22T10:08:00.001-05:00

Ok, the second wasn't anything too hard, but it was fun!

The first was FBB Base B. This felt strong and I felt rather wiped at the end. I've been through the rotation four times now. I think the book says four weeks, though. That means two more weeks. I'm good with that. I'd like to improve a bit more before continuing, anyway.

Female Body Breakthrough Base Workout B4
~1:03
Foam rolling and warm-up
Upper-Body Core Stability Russian Twist - 10/20#, 10/25# (feet off floor)
Prone Cobra - 2x90s
Overhead Squat - 2x10/~15# (tough toward the end)
Lateral Raise with External Rotation - 10/10#ea, 10/15#ea (very hard!)
Single-Leg, Single-Arm Romanian Deadlift - 10/30#, 10/35#
Split-Stance Cable Single-Arm Lat Pullover - 2x10/12.5#
Bulgarian Split Squat - 2x10/10# each hand (still working on perfection of left leg before increasing)
Split-Stance Cable Row - 2x10/50#

The second "workout" was a 25 minute "Yoga for Kids" program from YogaDownload.com with my daughter. It was fun for both of us. Of course, it wasn't as demanding as the programs I normally do, but being able to share yoga with my daughter was wonderful!

"Tempo" Run

2011-04-21T09:34:00.000-05:00

I decided to do a faster pace run this morning, or a tempo run. As I was preparing, I just couldn't get my mind around 3 miles at a faster pace. My brain started trying to talk me out of running. But I was up early and there was no wind (but it was 32F), so I told myself I had to do it. So, I conceded a little and decided 2 miles was enough for my first tempo run of the season. After foam rolling, I set my FR305 Virtual Partner for 2 miles at a 10:30min/mile pace, which is about 30 seconds faster than I've been averaging for long runs, and set out. The run went great. I think it was the right distance for this time. I find the VP motivational. The only problem is, in the dark or twilight, it's hard to read the distance between me and my VP. I can see if I am ahead (clear) or behind (black), though.

I need to see if I can use VP with a warmup and cooldown...

4 bunnies today!

Monday's workout

2011-04-20T06:06:00.001-05:00

No, I wasn't a slacker. I got my workout in. I just didn't have time to post it!

Female Body Breakthrough Base Workout B3
~1:05
Foam rolling and warm-up
Upper-Body Core Stability Russian Twist - 10/15#, 10/20# (feet off floor)
Prone Cobra - 2x90s
Overhead Squat - 10/~10#, 10/~15# (don't know how much the little bar weighs... not much)
Lateral Raise with External Rotation - 2x10/10#ea
Single-Leg, Single-Arm Romanian Deadlift - 10/20#, 10/25#
Split-Stance Cable Single-Arm Lat Pullover - 2x10/12.5#
Bulgarian Split Squat - 2x10/10# each hand
Split-Stance Cable Row - 10/40#, 10/40#

Bootay workout

2011-04-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

Yes, this workout is definitely gear to work the rear. I can feel it.

Again, I felt a twinge on the side of my left knee right after the side lunges in the warm-up.

FBB Base Phase A4
58 minutes
Foam rolling (from SnG), warm-up
Bird dog - 2x10
Forward Ball Roll - 2x10
Stepup - 2x10/15#ea hand (not ready to increase on left side)
Three-point Dumbbell Row - 2x10/50# (concentrating on form before increasing)
Partial Co-contraction Lunge - 2x10
Pushup - 2x10
Hip-Thigh Extension - 2x10 with leg straight
Bent-Over Reverse Fly - 2x10/8#

Intervals - woot!

2011-04-19T06:14:00.000-05:00

I thought I wasn't going to want to get out and run today. The forecast was calling for 36F and rain. It wasn't much bettre than that, but it was acceptable. It was 38F, windy (10-20mph) and 90% humidity. Although, I think it might have been even more humid. The air was thick. It may not have been raining, but water was at least condensing out of the air, because I was getting misted. The wind alternately fogged my glasses and unfogged them. How annoying! At least I was on striaght sidewalks!

In the end, I went 2.94 miles in 32:23. Not horrible. Better than my recent runs. That makes for a 11:01/mile pace.

As usual, I was reluctant to get out, but I'm glad I did.

5 miles!

2011-04-17T16:18:00.000-05:00

It was a beautiful morning... just cold! (32F) I got into my stride, slower than I would like, but I got there, nonetheless. I listened to a 160bpm Podrunner podcast called Mass Transit. It was a fun mix, except for the sounds that seemed to be dog tags jingling. I kept having to look around to see if a dog was chasing me!

5 miles of running plus a bit of walking.

Knees again?

2011-04-15T13:59:00.001-05:00

Went well this morning. My daughter got up early and joined me in push-ups, rows, rev fly, lunges, and hip-thigh extensions!

During the warm up, I felt a pain on the medial side of my left knee. It felt a bit lower than the issue that I had a couple years ago that landed me in physical therapy. I worked through it and foam rolled a bit. It seemed to go away. I felt something similar but milder on the right leg, too. Weird! I just want to keep a record of this in case it comes back later.

FBB Base Phase A3
56 minutes
Foam rolling (from SnG), warm-up
Bird dog - 2x10
Forward Ball Roll - 2x10
Stepup - 2x10/10#ea hand
Three-point Dumbbell Row - 2x10/50#
Partial Co-contraction Lunge - 2x10
Pushup - 2x10
Hip-Thigh Extension - 2x10 with leg straight
Bent-Over Reverse Fly - 2x10/8#

Lots o' bunnies

2011-04-14T09:20:00.000-05:00

10 of them!
I got in my 30 minute run this morning. No music. Rather slow. It was only 49F and somewhat windy (~12mph) and I was slightly underdressed. I wore shorts and a lightweight wicking T-shirt. By the end, I wished I had listened to music because the earbuds keep the wind out of my ears. Otherwise, it was a good run. I need to pick up the pace, though!

My adductors were rather sore this morning. I think that might be thanks to the overhead squats yesterday. I think my adductors tend to be tight and squatting stretches them.

Base B again

2011-04-13T06:53:00.002-05:00

Not much to say. Good workout. I didn't feel as strong as normal, but that happens! The left side of the BSS is definitely my weak side. No surprise there. I started adding a tiny bit of weight to the OH squat.

Female Body Breakthrough Base Workout B
~1:10
Foam rolling and warm-up
Upper-Body Core Stability Russian Twist - 2x10/15# (feet off floor)
Prone Cobra - 2x90s
Overhead Squat - 10/BW, 10/~5#
Lateral Raise with External Rotation - 2x10/10#ea
Single-Leg, Single-Arm Romanian Deadlift - 10/15#, 10/20#
Split-Stance Cable Single-Arm Lat Pullover - 10/10#, 10/12.5#
Bulgarian Split Squat - 2x10/10# each hand
Split-Stance Cable Row - 10/35#, 10/37.5#

Informal intervals

2011-04-12T21:37:00.000-05:00

Since I didn't get out this morning, I made up my run by going out this evening. It was a beautiful evening. Only a slight breeze and low 60s. Wonderful. I ran without music, so I decided to do informal intervals. I would run at a comfortable pace for a block or two then run fast for a block, run to that street lamp up there, then to that corner, etc. I was out for 30 minutes and averaged 10.9 min/mile or 5.5mph.

FBB Base A2

2011-04-08T06:11:00.001-05:00

So far, I've managed to not get was my son has. I kept feeling like something was coming, but it hasn't arrived yet. I hope it can stay away for good!

I think I'm already feeling some benefit from the single-leg training. I did a reset on the step-ups and started last time with bodyweight. I feel like my form is much better than a year or so ago. Now, I'm loading them back up slowly. I'm not 100% sure I feel the muscle deactivation called from in the partial co-contraction lunge. It is a good exercise, though. I didn't burn all that many calories during today's workout, but it was still worthwhile.

FBB Base Phase A
54 minutes
Foam rolling (from SnG), warm-up
Bird dog - 2x10
Forward Ball Roll - 2x10
Stepup - 10/bw, 10/5#ea hand
Three-point Dumbbell Row - 2x10/45#
Partial Co-contraction Lunge - 2x10
Pushup - 2x10
Hip-Thigh Extension - 2x10 with leg straight
Bent-Over Reverse Fly - 2x10/8#

Got it done...

2011-04-07T06:43:00.000-05:00

Not a fast day. I just didn't feel it. But, I met my goal, which was to run for 30 minutes. I guess I should be happy that I got out! I ended up at about 2.7 miles in 31 minutes.

Bunnies: 1

I forgot the bunnies from Tuesday. There were 5 that day!

FBB Base B

2011-04-06T09:02:00.000-05:00

Another great workout this morning. The single leg work is doing me good.

Female Body Breakthrough Base Workout B
1:04
Foam rolling and warm-up
Upper-Body Core Stability Russian Twist - 10/10#, 10/15#
Prone Cobra - 2x90s
Overhead Squat - 2x10/BW (will keep these at BW while my imbalance remains)
Lateral Raise with External Rotation - 2x10/10#ea
Single-Leg, Single-Arm Romanian Deadlift - 2x10/10#
Split-Stance Cable Single-Arm Lat Pullover - 2x10/10#
Bulgarian Split Squat - 2x10/BW
Split-Stance Cable Row - 2x10/30#

Interval Podrunner

2011-04-05T06:18:00.000-05:00

Yes, I got out in 28F weather this morning to get my run in. At least there wasn't much wind! It was rather cold, but I warmed up with my interval podcast today called Driving Spikes. I really liked this podcast. I would have probably made the intervals shorter and more plentiful, but who am I to complain.

The podcast warms up at 150bpm, then does 160bpm with three faster periods of 180bpm at 1, 1.5, and 2 min. The 180bpm seemed fast, but I adjusted. I felt like I was soaring!

Only 2.7miles, but that's ok.

Starting FBB

2011-04-04T06:34:00.000-05:00

After looking around for a routine that focussed on single-leg work, I decided that Female Body Breakthrough looked like it at least starts out like I want it to. So, I'm starting the base phase. I may or may not sub for the overhead squats. We'll see. I've had this book since it came out and have never actually followed it. Although, I have used it's warmup in the past.

Today's workout felt great. I like and probably need all the glute work.

FBB Base Phase A
~1hour
Foam rolling (from SnG), warm-up
Bird dog - 2x10
Forward Ball Roll - 2x10
Stepup - 2x10/bw
Three-point Dumbbell Row - 2x10/40#
Partial Co-contraction Lunge - 2x10
Pushup - 2x5+5 (5 pushups, short rest and back stretch, 5 pushups)
Hip-Thigh Extension - 2x10 with leg straight
Bent-Over Reverse Fly - 2x10/5#

A not-so-long run that felt like a long run

2011-04-03T19:13:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I took advantage of a busy kid and nice weather and ran while my son was at a birthday party on campus. Since I don't get back to campus much, I decided to run around campus. It was a tad strange, because there were groups of people doing the stuff groups of people do on university campuses. I was about the only jogger out and about, which was a little strange for having so many people around. It was a very enjoyable run, though. I ran about 4.5 miles, the longest I've run in a long time. I know I have to increase my distance, though. This felt like a long run, but in the scheme of things, it wasn't very long at all. I have a 12.4 mile run to prepare for in June. So, I have a lot of work cut out for me!