The only problem with good weather is that I overdressed for it! I wore my new jacket and long pants. As the sun rose, the temperature when from 50F to 58.5F. I should have worn shorts.
At least I got out. I ran 4.74 miles including two short walking breaks and a stop at a traffic light. That's not bad, though, I wasn't feeling it this morning. I'm just getting back into things after not running for weeks, so that's fine. I got my coffee and walked the 0.63 miles home.
I fine run. I'm glad I got out despite not getting up early enough.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Not my best day ever
I could tell as soon as I got to the gym that this wasn't going to be the best day ever. My squats were not feeling good. I struggled to find a position where my knee wouldn't click and my legs were wobbly. Everything seemed harder than it should. I did manage to stick with the higher weights from my last workouts and not drop back at all, but I didn't increase. I guess I should remember that getting out on a Saturday morning is itself an achievement.
In total, I took 56 minutes. Several times I had to stop to pause. I kept getting a bit light headed on the squats, so the pauses were necessary. For some of the sets, I had to break up my counting to thee mini-sets of 5 to get through it. Sometimes I would pause between mini-sets, sometimes I wouldn't. I think part of the difficulty with this stage is mental. It's hard to imagine 15 reps and on top of that, it's hard to imagine holding out for 4 rounds of those 15 rep sets.
Today's workout was Stage 7 Workout 4 of New Rules of Lifting for Women.
Squat - 2x6@55# (didn't go deep enough on some reps)
DB Squat, heals raised - 4x15@15#ea (heals on 2# DBs)
DB Shoulder press - 4x15@20#ea
Step-up - 4x15@12#ea (on padded bench, better with not pushing off)
Underhand lat pulldown - 4x15@87# (hard, hard, very hard, extremely hard!)
In total, I took 56 minutes. Several times I had to stop to pause. I kept getting a bit light headed on the squats, so the pauses were necessary. For some of the sets, I had to break up my counting to thee mini-sets of 5 to get through it. Sometimes I would pause between mini-sets, sometimes I wouldn't. I think part of the difficulty with this stage is mental. It's hard to imagine 15 reps and on top of that, it's hard to imagine holding out for 4 rounds of those 15 rep sets.
Today's workout was Stage 7 Workout 4 of New Rules of Lifting for Women.
Squat - 2x6@55# (didn't go deep enough on some reps)
DB Squat, heals raised - 4x15@15#ea (heals on 2# DBs)
DB Shoulder press - 4x15@20#ea
Step-up - 4x15@12#ea (on padded bench, better with not pushing off)
Underhand lat pulldown - 4x15@87# (hard, hard, very hard, extremely hard!)
Thursday, November 5, 2009
My turn to hog the power cage
Today was a quick lifting session, but VERY hard! I sped out of bed and to the gym so I could be the first one there. I wanted the power cage for my deadlifts. I guess I could do them with dumbbells, but I have been waiting to do regular deadlifts again for so long, I would have been disappointed. Since I also used the barbell for Romanian deadlifts, I used the cage for the entire half hour. The guy I knew would come in and probably want the cage, came right after I started my lifts.
This was stage 7 workout 3 from New Rules of Lifting for Women. It was a killer! It only lasted 32 minutes after a quick warm-up, but that was plenty! I'm getting really close to the big girl plates on my deadlifts!! (Those are the full-sized 45# plates. I used 35# plates plus 5# plates today.)
Warm-up - 1x2@45# deadlift, 1x4@95# deadlift
Deadlift - 1x8@115#, 1x8@125#
Static lunge, rear foot on step - 4x15@20#each hand
Push-up - 4x15 in power cage, 4th hook from bottom (arms mostly in, did better this time, helps to go fast)
Romanian deadlift - 4x15@105# (wow! huffing and puffing!)
Dumbbell bent-over row - 1x15@30#ea, 1x9+@30#ea, 2x15@25#ea
This was stage 7 workout 3 from New Rules of Lifting for Women. It was a killer! It only lasted 32 minutes after a quick warm-up, but that was plenty! I'm getting really close to the big girl plates on my deadlifts!! (Those are the full-sized 45# plates. I used 35# plates plus 5# plates today.)
Warm-up - 1x2@45# deadlift, 1x4@95# deadlift
Deadlift - 1x8@115#, 1x8@125#
Static lunge, rear foot on step - 4x15@20#each hand
Push-up - 4x15 in power cage, 4th hook from bottom (arms mostly in, did better this time, helps to go fast)
Romanian deadlift - 4x15@105# (wow! huffing and puffing!)
Dumbbell bent-over row - 1x15@30#ea, 1x9+@30#ea, 2x15@25#ea
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
My new running gear went running!
Yahoo, after a few intended running days that fell through, I finally got out to run. Last night, I went to the store and bought some nice cold weather running gear. Of course, I HAD to try it out this morning. (Well, that was part of the point of buying new running gear, anyway.)
I got out of bed at 4:30am and hit the road at a little after 5am. I had on my new Saucony DryLete XPT tights, an older thin running shirt, SmartWool running socks, my new Moving Comfort No Chill Hoodie jacket, and my new original Buff. (See below for pictures.) I wore the Buff around my neck for a while. Very nice to keep out the wind. I also tried it in a few other positions. It's amazingly convertible. It wouldn't stay around my mouth without also going over my head, kind of like a balaclava. So, maybe I'll wear it that way. Or, I have some fleece, maybe I'll make something similar to go along with it. After the run, I wore it as a headband to keep my sweaty hear out of my face. Nice!
At first I was a little worried that the jacket wouldn't be warm enough. But, after a bit it was fine. In fact towards the end, my forearms were too warm. Strange. Also, the hood was too loose and kept falling down. The tights were perfect. These are the lighter of the two I bought. My booty got a bit chilly, but nothing too bad. They move nicely. They aren't tight enough to be compression tights, but they don't flop around like pants would. They are a great length. I was worried about that, because although I'm an average height, I sometimes struggle with pants being too short.
The run went well. It would have been even better if DJ Steve Boyett had been spinning the tunes for me, but my phone was about out of juice, so I had to plug it in during my run. It was 38F with a chilly 7-8mph NW wind. 3.13 miles running for 3.22 miles total in a little over 37 minutes. My heart rate graph was crazy high. I was up around 190bpm for a good deal of the run. It really didn't seem that hard, but I was huffing and puffing, I guess. It was a definitely not a flat route, so maybe that contributed. I'll try to remember to add the graph later.
I saw only four bunnies, but I also saw a dog with his walker and 2 (count them) TWO runners!
I got out of bed at 4:30am and hit the road at a little after 5am. I had on my new Saucony DryLete XPT tights, an older thin running shirt, SmartWool running socks, my new Moving Comfort No Chill Hoodie jacket, and my new original Buff. (See below for pictures.) I wore the Buff around my neck for a while. Very nice to keep out the wind. I also tried it in a few other positions. It's amazingly convertible. It wouldn't stay around my mouth without also going over my head, kind of like a balaclava. So, maybe I'll wear it that way. Or, I have some fleece, maybe I'll make something similar to go along with it. After the run, I wore it as a headband to keep my sweaty hear out of my face. Nice!
At first I was a little worried that the jacket wouldn't be warm enough. But, after a bit it was fine. In fact towards the end, my forearms were too warm. Strange. Also, the hood was too loose and kept falling down. The tights were perfect. These are the lighter of the two I bought. My booty got a bit chilly, but nothing too bad. They move nicely. They aren't tight enough to be compression tights, but they don't flop around like pants would. They are a great length. I was worried about that, because although I'm an average height, I sometimes struggle with pants being too short.
The run went well. It would have been even better if DJ Steve Boyett had been spinning the tunes for me, but my phone was about out of juice, so I had to plug it in during my run. It was 38F with a chilly 7-8mph NW wind. 3.13 miles running for 3.22 miles total in a little over 37 minutes. My heart rate graph was crazy high. I was up around 190bpm for a good deal of the run. It really didn't seem that hard, but I was huffing and puffing, I guess. It was a definitely not a flat route, so maybe that contributed. I'll try to remember to add the graph later.
I saw only four bunnies, but I also saw a dog with his walker and 2 (count them) TWO runners!
Saucony DryLete XPT Tight
Moving Comfort No Chill Hoodie
Update: added my heart rate graph below... wow, that's high! Is it because I hadn't run in more than 3 weeks?
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Barbell bench press!
Well, I managed to do the incline barbell bench press without killing myself! There were a crazy number of people there this morning, so someone would have been able to call 911 for me if I had crushed my windpipe with the bar. I didn't get to do it right away as it is written in the plan, so I was pre-fatigued and maybe would have attempted a bit more.
I was pretty disheartened when I arrived at the gym. I had gotten out to my car, which was not in the garage for various reasons, and the windshield was covered with frost. I'm so spoiled with my garage! So, I dug around in my car in a useless attempt to find a scraper. Then, I remembered I had taken them out in the garage when the possibility for frost seemed a lot way off. Anyway, when I made it to the gym, there was a guy there I knew would be using my power cage a lot, and he was. (I should write my name on it. Maybe that would help.) So, I started with the second group of exercises first. About half way through those, I saw an opening and jumped in to do the bench press and seated row group before continuing with the second group. I didn't want to wait until after the second set, because it is so high rep, I'd be exhausted. I didn't want to make my first attempt at a barbell incline bench press while exhausted!
All in all, things turned out fine. I was at it for about 47 minutes. Not bad. I got there around 4:50 (having wasted a lot of time finding a scraper!) and by the time I left, I counted 8 or 9 people at the gym. That's a lot for so early in the morning. I wonder why? I understand Friday, when people are trying to get in the workout early so they can have fun in the evening, but Tuesday? It's not January 2, either. hmmm...
By the way, my glutes are speaking to me... I think tomorrow is going to be interesting...
There is pretty much no way I can only rest 30secs, so I stopped trying and just went to the next exercise without pausing. Usually, that ended up at 45-60 seconds.
Incline bb bench press - 1x6x45#, 1x6x60# (30deg incline on bench, started after second? set of squats)
Seated row - 1x8@71#, 1x8@77#
DB squat, heals raised - 2x15@20#each (second set last few reps weak), 1x15@15#ea, 1x15@12#ea (heels on 2# dbs, a good use for Barbie-bells!)
DB shoulder press - 1x15@20#ea, 1x15@20#ea, 1x13@20#ea, 1x15@20#ea (had to use some pauses during sets)
Step-up - 4x15@12#ea (this time, stepping forward rather than sideward, much easier! I might still be pushing off a tad, though)
Underhand lat pulldown - 3x15@87#, 1x13@87#
I was pretty disheartened when I arrived at the gym. I had gotten out to my car, which was not in the garage for various reasons, and the windshield was covered with frost. I'm so spoiled with my garage! So, I dug around in my car in a useless attempt to find a scraper. Then, I remembered I had taken them out in the garage when the possibility for frost seemed a lot way off. Anyway, when I made it to the gym, there was a guy there I knew would be using my power cage a lot, and he was. (I should write my name on it. Maybe that would help.) So, I started with the second group of exercises first. About half way through those, I saw an opening and jumped in to do the bench press and seated row group before continuing with the second group. I didn't want to wait until after the second set, because it is so high rep, I'd be exhausted. I didn't want to make my first attempt at a barbell incline bench press while exhausted!
All in all, things turned out fine. I was at it for about 47 minutes. Not bad. I got there around 4:50 (having wasted a lot of time finding a scraper!) and by the time I left, I counted 8 or 9 people at the gym. That's a lot for so early in the morning. I wonder why? I understand Friday, when people are trying to get in the workout early so they can have fun in the evening, but Tuesday? It's not January 2, either. hmmm...
By the way, my glutes are speaking to me... I think tomorrow is going to be interesting...
There is pretty much no way I can only rest 30secs, so I stopped trying and just went to the next exercise without pausing. Usually, that ended up at 45-60 seconds.
Incline bb bench press - 1x6x45#, 1x6x60# (30deg incline on bench, started after second? set of squats)
Seated row - 1x8@71#, 1x8@77#
DB squat, heals raised - 2x15@20#each (second set last few reps weak), 1x15@15#ea, 1x15@12#ea (heels on 2# dbs, a good use for Barbie-bells!)
DB shoulder press - 1x15@20#ea, 1x15@20#ea, 1x13@20#ea, 1x15@20#ea (had to use some pauses during sets)
Step-up - 4x15@12#ea (this time, stepping forward rather than sideward, much easier! I might still be pushing off a tad, though)
Underhand lat pulldown - 3x15@87#, 1x13@87#
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