Using It - October 1 to 7

[Shadow]

Hat's off to everyone last week for some awesome workouts!

Not sure what this week may bring. I might take an extra rest day as I've been fighting fatigue, but we shall see ;). I think I'll focus more on endurance than strength for the next two weeks.

Sunday - Total body and abs
Monday - Step cardio
Tuesday - Total body and abs/core
Wednesday - Circuit
Thursday - Total body and abs/core

Week complete :thumbsup:!

[LisaS]

Sun: Lower body resistance
SDLHP; goblet squats; lunges; step ups; sq fig-8s; planks; bridges.

[Mitra]

I'll be doing the same as last week: a basic yoga session with twists for the first half of the week and backbends for the second half.

[banshee]

I'm feeling really proud of myself for my Saturday workout. DH and I went out for a late breakfast with friends and the plan was to go workout afterwords. I was feeling really sleepy all through breakfast, and I actually sat in my car for about 10 minutes after the meal and thought about going home and taking a nap instead. But then I decided to drive over to the gym and see how much I could do. I was a strength day, and I figured if I was too tired after a couple exercises, at least I could say I tried.

I ended up lifting weights for an hour and a half!! :eek: Then stretched for half an hour, for a total 2 hour workout. :thumbsup: This is why I like having one of my strength days be on the weekend. I don't have to worry about rushing out afterwards for dinner, or meeting with friends, or whatever else I have planned during the week. I can spend as much time on my workout as I want, and while it's a physically demanding workout, I find it mentally relaxing.

I did bicep curls to arnold press, assisted pullups, assisted dips, abdomen twists, ab vacuums, chest press, low rows, leg press, leg curls, abduction machine, leg raises with & without ball, and lat hyperextensions.

Today I have at least 45 minutes of biking planned to start the week.

[LisaS]

Mon: upper body weights

[banshee]

Monday: exceeded plan - 55 minutes biking - and increased tension level :thumbsup:
Tuesday: planned, at least 45 minutes biking

[Mitra]

I'm finding my somewhat lighter than usual programme a bit frustrating. I know I need to take my time and move on very gradually, but I don't like having to hold back when I feel ok :(.

[banshee]

I know what you mean Mitra - I'm having to do the same thing for my cardio. My trainer wants me to keep my cardio very low intensity because of my asthma, but I keep wanting to push to a high intensity. I know he's right, but I still feel like I'm not working hard enough during my cardio. I finally increased this week to Level 2 resistance with my bicycling, after an entire month at no resistance!

[Shadow]

Mitra - No, it's not fun holding back when you're raring to go. But you certainly don't want to re-aggravate that back and be back at the beginning with it, either ;). Patience is a virtue - or so they say :p!

Mary - Just keep repeating to yourself that you are building a good base now, so you can really go to town later on ;).

[banshee]

Tuesday - exceeded plan, 55 minutes biking Level 2 resistance
Wednesday - 30 mins strength training with trainer planned, plus additional 30-45 minutes without trainer

I decided to get the "stage" set for when I'm at even higher intensities with the biking. I started out with 5 minutes at no resistance (Level 1) for a warm up and ended with 5 minutes at Level 1 for a cool down. Right now there's not much of a difference between Level 1 and Level 2, but I figure when I get to higher levels in the months to come that the warm up and cool down are going to be important. I also was able to go a bit faster than on Monday, and got in an extra .3 miles in the same amount of time.

[Mitra]

Patience is a virtue - or so they say :p!

I wonder if clenching my jaw would count as resistance exercise? More likely, though, it would just land me back a the dentists with a broken tooth :rolleyes:

Where's Randy this week?

[Shadow]

Mitra - Trust me, clenching the teeth leads to jaw pain which leads to neck pain which... ;). As for Randy, I think he's probably catching up from vacation - if he's even back yet. I sure do miss his posts, though, so hopefully he'll get back soon :)!

[hawk]

Checking in.
Today 1/2 hour cardio.1/2 hour lifting weights
whewww!!

[LisaS]

wed: HIIT (elliptical) + active recovery (balance & stretching)

[banshee]

I had a really good strength workout yesterday. I think I've found a schedule for my strength workouts that I like. My trainer had a tough time fitting me into his evening schedule, and Wed at 6:30 was the time I had to "settle" for. I could only afford the 1/2 hour sessions, and I'm finding that when I work out on my own on Saturdays, I tend to go for 1.5 hours. I like working out Wednesdays, because that gives me a good recovery before the Saturday workout. And I like my Saturday workout, because I can exercise without feeling like I have to rush off to something else. I had been struggling with the Wed 6:30 time because that means that I don't get to my Wed night get together until close to 8:30 and a lot of my friends have left by then. :(

It finally occurred to me that I didn't have to wait to start my workout until my appt with the trainer. Last night I went in early and got in a half hour on my own before our appt. Then did 1/2 hour with the trainer, then my 20-30 minutes of stretching. I got to my get together just before 8, still late, but not as late as it could have been. And I've finally accepted that while seeing my friends is fun, I really have to make the exercise a higher priority, so they'll just have to deal. One couple made the comment last night that maybe they'll get there later, too, so we could visit longer. :)

Anyway, last night I did:

Leg balance/ankle strengthening 2x60s
Bicep curl to arnold press 1x15, 1x10
Abduction 1x20, 1x16
Low Row 1x20, 1x15
Leg Press 1x18, 1x15
Adduction 1x16, 1x14
Assisted Dips 1x16, 1x12
Chest Press 1x14, 1x10
Stability Ball Leg Curls 1x20, 1x18
Resistance Band Ab Rotation 1x14, 1x10
Leg Raise, with ball 1x12
Leg Raise without ball 1x14
Lat hyperextension 1x20
Plank 1, held for 33 seconds

[Shadow]

Lynn - It's great to see you here again :D!

[daisy]

Sunday

I didn't post wed/fri exercise but i did do it :(

free weights:

chest press - 6kg - 3 x 15
fly - 4kg - 3 x 15
triceps - 4kg - 3 x 15

resistance weights:

obliques - 22.5kg - 6 x 12
bicep curls - 15kg - 3 x 15
tricep pulldowns - 22.5kg - 3 x 15
tricep stretch outs - 22.5kg - 3 x 15

crosstrainer/level 12/20 mins/fat burn
stairmaster/level 10/20 mins/fat burn

phew i'm tired just typing it :rolleyes:

[Shadow]

Daisy - Good to have you posting here again :D! Great workout!

[banshee]

Finished off the week well, although I was so busy I didn't post. Friday I did 55 minutes bicycling, mostly at level 2 although I tried 10 minutes at level 3. I was able to do it ok, but the next day my knee was twinging a bit, so I think I'll keep it at just level 2 for a while before trying to up the tension again.

Saturday was a resistance workout. It was tough! We had gone out the night before for hubby's bday, and I had about 1/3 glass of plum wine. This was the first time I've had anything alcoholic since I started my new routine. Apparently it was enough to mess me up, because while I got through the entire workout and was able to do the same weights/reps, I felt very tired and shaky the entire time I was working out. I had to really struggle to get through it, and I didn't like that feeling! Anyway, I did:

Leg balance/ankle strengthening
Bicep curl to arnold press
Abduction
Adduction
Low Row
Leg Press
Assisted Pullups
Assisted Dips
Chest Press
Stability Ball Leg Curls
Resistance Band Ab Rotation
Leg Raise, with ball
Leg Raise without ball
Lat hyperextension
Plank 1 held for 45 seconds, 1 held for 30 seconds