Huuuump daaaaaay. But more importantly, it is my darling mother's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I adore birthdays, it is the one day where you celebrate everything that is wonderful about yourself/your friend/your family member. I wish I could be in Denver to help celebrate, but for now this shoutout will have to suffice. I bought my tix home for summer vacation yesterday, I am so excited to spend 11 glorious days in the most wonderful state on earth [June 24 - July 5 for whoever is around]. We will have to have a belated birthday celebration then!
It is an amazing time to be a sports fan right now. NBA playoffs? Check. NHL playoffs? Check. Baseball season well underway? Check. There is nothing that I love better than playoff hockey. As if the intensity of the sport wasn't already enough, playoff hockey brings more intensity and passion than any other sporting event [in my humble opinion]. Last night's Bruins game was awesome. Lucic's hit was unreal, just pure testosterone. I honestly can't believe he got ejected for that, it was just a great hit. Not his fault Spacek's face hit the glass at an unfortunate angle, gotta strengthen those neck muscles or something. Anyway, unreasonable reaction to a fairly standard [and incredibly strong] hockey hit. I was impressed. Unfortunately the Bruins came up short, 1-2 final score, so tonight will be GAME 7. I am so excited. Playoff hockey AND game 7 AND the home team?!? YESSSS. [Sidenote: the Avs are god awful and were nowhere close to making the playoffs this year, so I am on the Bruins wagon for now].
Great quote from the Montreal Gazette regarding the hit: Spacek had moved the puck, but his No. 6 must have been misinterpreted by Lucic as a bull's-eye, given the latter's full-speed, freighttrain contact that left the Canadien semi-fetal on the ice, bleeding from his eyebrow.
Sucks to be Spacek.
After beer and fries for dinner last night [I don't really feel bad about that, it is bound to happen on occasion], it was time for some butt-kicking this morning.
Lower body extravaganza
Warmup 5-10 minutes on treadmill
Split squat & reverse lunge superset [with dumbells]-
3 x 10 each split squat
3 x 10 each reverse lunge
Back squat -
x 8, x 6, x 6
Heavy weight, squat to parallel
Physioball hamstring isolation curls -
3 x 15
Keep your hips up throughout the motion, really squeeze glutes and hammys
Donkey kicks -
4 x 20 each
Focus on the glute squeeze for every rep
Enjoy!!!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Spin for stress!
Happy Tuesday! It looks like early morning in San Francisco today, fog galore. I actually like fog, it seems very Halloween-ish to me. The only difference is that the fog in San Francisco burns off and sun arrives, whereas the forecast for Boston this afternoon is rain. Lovely! I didn't even attempt to do my hair this morning, I pulled a 'wet hair pulled back into a ballerina bun' look for work today. Feel great about it.
I talk about spinning ALL the this in this blog. Like at least once a week. And every time I talk about it, I think of another reason why I love spin class. Today's reason: stress relief. While most exercise is a form of stress relief for me [the whole endorphin kick effect + sweating really does it for me personally], spin class is especially effective. I think part of it is that you are strapped onto the bike, I use spin shoes so technically I am clipped onto the bike, and can crank as hard as your legs will go. You can focus all of your energy, and stress, into simply turning over the pedals, as smoothly and strongly as possible. You can close your eyes, listen to your breathing, and feel every muscle in your glutes and thighs pushing and pulling on the pedals. The sweat drips all over your handbar, the bike frame, pooling on the floor. The music pumps through your veins and you synchronize your cadence with the beat. All you have to do is listen to the instructor, keep your legs moving, and you get an amazing workout. It is easy to focus on yourself, even in a group setting, with the dimmed room, checking your form in the mirrors in front of you.
I occasionally pretend I am riding the Tour in the mountain stages and get a scary look of intensity on my face. Does that mean I am crazy? Probably, but I am not alone. The great thing about spin class is that you are surrounded by people who are as motivated as yourself [with the exception of a couple middle aged women who don't break a sweat but still come every week...what is UP WITH THAT]. The combination of hot beats, dimmed room, sweat, legs cranking, instructor yelling at you to GO = amazing stress relief. I had a tough day emotionally yesterday so spin class was the perfect solution to letting go and moving on. The workout this morning was focused on hill climbs and endurance, which was the perfect combination to really get all the stress out of my body and mind. Next time you are feeling stressed, down, or simply unhappy, get yourself to a spin class, I give you my personal guarantee that it will improve your mood!
I talk about spinning ALL the this in this blog. Like at least once a week. And every time I talk about it, I think of another reason why I love spin class. Today's reason: stress relief. While most exercise is a form of stress relief for me [the whole endorphin kick effect + sweating really does it for me personally], spin class is especially effective. I think part of it is that you are strapped onto the bike, I use spin shoes so technically I am clipped onto the bike, and can crank as hard as your legs will go. You can focus all of your energy, and stress, into simply turning over the pedals, as smoothly and strongly as possible. You can close your eyes, listen to your breathing, and feel every muscle in your glutes and thighs pushing and pulling on the pedals. The sweat drips all over your handbar, the bike frame, pooling on the floor. The music pumps through your veins and you synchronize your cadence with the beat. All you have to do is listen to the instructor, keep your legs moving, and you get an amazing workout. It is easy to focus on yourself, even in a group setting, with the dimmed room, checking your form in the mirrors in front of you.
I occasionally pretend I am riding the Tour in the mountain stages and get a scary look of intensity on my face. Does that mean I am crazy? Probably, but I am not alone. The great thing about spin class is that you are surrounded by people who are as motivated as yourself [with the exception of a couple middle aged women who don't break a sweat but still come every week...what is UP WITH THAT]. The combination of hot beats, dimmed room, sweat, legs cranking, instructor yelling at you to GO = amazing stress relief. I had a tough day emotionally yesterday so spin class was the perfect solution to letting go and moving on. The workout this morning was focused on hill climbs and endurance, which was the perfect combination to really get all the stress out of my body and mind. Next time you are feeling stressed, down, or simply unhappy, get yourself to a spin class, I give you my personal guarantee that it will improve your mood!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Weekend Catch-up and Monday Muscle Beach
Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great Easter [or no Easter] weekend. I had a wonderful time with my family and was sad to see them go last night. Mom and Dad came into Boston on Friday and we started at Miracle of Science for a beer so Dad could surround himself with fellow engineering nerd types [successful, who knew every structure in that place was a 30/60/90 triangle...] followed by Dali for dinner [Spanish tapas place in Cambridge], it was a great night to catch up and have fun with my parents.
Saturday was game day for Colby men's lax. We woke up to pouring rain and packed the car with as much waterproof gear we could get our hands on. The game was scheduled at 1pm at Conn College in New London, CT. We arrived promptly and the field was flooded. Completely flooded. A few minutes later we got a text from Derrik that the game had been moved to Trinity College [Hartford, CT] at 3pm, where there was an open turf field that didn't need an arc to stay afloat. It was really cool that the other schools in the league were willing to host a game for Colby and Conn College, +1 for the NESCAC league. The game was totally worth the wait [and extra drive]. Somehow the skys stopped raining and it wasn't miserably cold. Derrik played really well and Colby won in overtime 7-6. Derrik scored the 6th goal to put Colby ahead with 59 seconds left with a beautiful shot. The OT goal came off of a counterattack. It was a really exciting game and we were one happy Flahive clan on the way home!
After dinner at John Harvard's, several microbrews, an amazing Bruins OT win, and 8 hours of sleep, the family was all geared up for a Flahive style Easter Sunday. My heaven? The track. Somehow I convinced my family to exchange church for a family workout at Harvard's track and stadium. I don't know how I did it, but I'm really glad everyone agreed. It turned out to be a perfect spring day, 70's and sunny. We all laced up the sneaks and kicked ass as a family. Mom, Dad and Derrik worked the stadium stairs. Derrik won the badass prize for the day for doing an entire stadium [37 sections] with no rest, after having 3 games this week and never having run our stadium stairs before. I was entirely impressed, that is not an easy feat. I love having an athletic family. I did a little combo event day, starting on the track with 200's and heading to the stadium for normal stadium stairs and jump squats. Jump squats up stadium stairs are pretty awesome, give them a try sometime. Thank you Harvard track and field for giving me all sorts of creative stadium workouts. I feel good today, tightness in my calves and hamstrings but otherwise great. It was so fun to be able to workout with my family in beautiful Spring weather, the best of all worlds.
After family fun at the track/stadium, Mom prepared a delicious brunch in my very own apartment! We had rosemary chicken, almond wild rice, salad with avocado and strawberries, and fresh pineapple. I was in food heaven AND lots of leftovers for the week. WINNER! We hung out and walked around Cambridge until the family had to leave. It is always sad to be alone after spending so much quality time with the family. Luckily I had dinner and movie night planned with the girls, we saw Water For Elephants, which was a good Sunday night flick. Overall an amazing weekend, and it was hard to get up this morning to a dreary rainy Monday.
Today's gym workout was Muscle Beach - bis and tris!
10 min warmup on the treadmill @ 7.0mph to get everything loose
Biceps:
Alternating dumbell curls - 3 x 12 each
Isolation curls - 3 x 10 each
Wide grip barbell curls - 3 x 10
Triceps:
Skull crushers - 3 x 10
Weighted bench dips - 3 x 12
*** This workout is great if you really push yourself with heavier weights. I went really heavy on the skull crushers so I could condense my tricep workout into two exercises. For weighted bench dips, place a plate [weight of choice] on your lap. Enjoy!
Saturday was game day for Colby men's lax. We woke up to pouring rain and packed the car with as much waterproof gear we could get our hands on. The game was scheduled at 1pm at Conn College in New London, CT. We arrived promptly and the field was flooded. Completely flooded. A few minutes later we got a text from Derrik that the game had been moved to Trinity College [Hartford, CT] at 3pm, where there was an open turf field that didn't need an arc to stay afloat. It was really cool that the other schools in the league were willing to host a game for Colby and Conn College, +1 for the NESCAC league. The game was totally worth the wait [and extra drive]. Somehow the skys stopped raining and it wasn't miserably cold. Derrik played really well and Colby won in overtime 7-6. Derrik scored the 6th goal to put Colby ahead with 59 seconds left with a beautiful shot. The OT goal came off of a counterattack. It was a really exciting game and we were one happy Flahive clan on the way home!
After dinner at John Harvard's, several microbrews, an amazing Bruins OT win, and 8 hours of sleep, the family was all geared up for a Flahive style Easter Sunday. My heaven? The track. Somehow I convinced my family to exchange church for a family workout at Harvard's track and stadium. I don't know how I did it, but I'm really glad everyone agreed. It turned out to be a perfect spring day, 70's and sunny. We all laced up the sneaks and kicked ass as a family. Mom, Dad and Derrik worked the stadium stairs. Derrik won the badass prize for the day for doing an entire stadium [37 sections] with no rest, after having 3 games this week and never having run our stadium stairs before. I was entirely impressed, that is not an easy feat. I love having an athletic family. I did a little combo event day, starting on the track with 200's and heading to the stadium for normal stadium stairs and jump squats. Jump squats up stadium stairs are pretty awesome, give them a try sometime. Thank you Harvard track and field for giving me all sorts of creative stadium workouts. I feel good today, tightness in my calves and hamstrings but otherwise great. It was so fun to be able to workout with my family in beautiful Spring weather, the best of all worlds.
After family fun at the track/stadium, Mom prepared a delicious brunch in my very own apartment! We had rosemary chicken, almond wild rice, salad with avocado and strawberries, and fresh pineapple. I was in food heaven AND lots of leftovers for the week. WINNER! We hung out and walked around Cambridge until the family had to leave. It is always sad to be alone after spending so much quality time with the family. Luckily I had dinner and movie night planned with the girls, we saw Water For Elephants, which was a good Sunday night flick. Overall an amazing weekend, and it was hard to get up this morning to a dreary rainy Monday.
Today's gym workout was Muscle Beach - bis and tris!
10 min warmup on the treadmill @ 7.0mph to get everything loose
Biceps:
Alternating dumbell curls - 3 x 12 each
Isolation curls - 3 x 10 each
Wide grip barbell curls - 3 x 10
Triceps:
Skull crushers - 3 x 10
Weighted bench dips - 3 x 12
*** This workout is great if you really push yourself with heavier weights. I went really heavy on the skull crushers so I could condense my tricep workout into two exercises. For weighted bench dips, place a plate [weight of choice] on your lap. Enjoy!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Happy [Good] Friday!
Happy Friday too all! I don't personally celebrate Good Friday [I'm not sure what people do except go to church] but Friday is always good in my opinion. Today is an exciting day...my parents get into town this afternoon and I moved desks at work. Always good to switch it up at the office a bit, my view is less awesome [I used to get to watch planes fly into Logan and had a view of South Station] but having a window seat is good enough for me. I like change, in general it excites me. I have spent the morning setting up my pretty little cube, I want some plants though...that is on my to-do list.
Getting to work this morning was quite the challenge. Day started off well with a good interval workout + core, nice relaxing shower, and delicious breakfast. When I got to the T station, I missed the first train [hate that!] and patiently waited for the second. And waited. And waited. 20 minutes later there was no train, and the station was jam packed with hundreds of people. The T didn't get the memo that today was 'good' Friday. At 9:10am I made the executive decision to take a cab. I saw a cabbie walking out of Dunkin Donuts and ran up to him and asked for a ride downtown, bless his soul he was on duty all night and was on his way home but decided to give me a ride anyway. $25 later and 30 minutes late, I arrived at work. Blessing of the morning? EARTH DAY! In honor of Earth Day, Starbucks is giving free coffee and tea to anyone who brings in their own mugs [including iced coffee]. Starbucks makes me happy, and free coffee makes me REALLY happy, so overall the morning was a draw. But seriously....me and public trans really don't get along.
I decided to run intervals this morning to help loosen up my legs from yesterday. My quads are on fiaaaaa. Tis a great feeling, but I want to be able to walk tomorrow [day 2 lactic acid is a killer].
Good Friday interval workout:
5 minutes warmup
5 x :
1 minute @ 9.0 mph
1 minute walk
5 x:
1 minute @ 9.5 mph
1 minute walk
5 x:
30 seconds @ 10.5 - 11.0 mph
1 minute walk
5 minutes cooldown
It is a good workout to shake out the legs. Just to clarify, the 1 minute walks end up being like 30 seconds walk after slowing the treadmill down and cranking it back up 15 seconds before the official interval timing starts. Don't CHEAT, do the full minute of running! I finished the day with 5 sets of 20 medball bench crunches [my fave] with a 4 kg medball. Not the most creative workout of my life, but it did the job!
Everyone have a fabulous Good Friday and celebrate in your own way!!!
Getting to work this morning was quite the challenge. Day started off well with a good interval workout + core, nice relaxing shower, and delicious breakfast. When I got to the T station, I missed the first train [hate that!] and patiently waited for the second. And waited. And waited. 20 minutes later there was no train, and the station was jam packed with hundreds of people. The T didn't get the memo that today was 'good' Friday. At 9:10am I made the executive decision to take a cab. I saw a cabbie walking out of Dunkin Donuts and ran up to him and asked for a ride downtown, bless his soul he was on duty all night and was on his way home but decided to give me a ride anyway. $25 later and 30 minutes late, I arrived at work. Blessing of the morning? EARTH DAY! In honor of Earth Day, Starbucks is giving free coffee and tea to anyone who brings in their own mugs [including iced coffee]. Starbucks makes me happy, and free coffee makes me REALLY happy, so overall the morning was a draw. But seriously....me and public trans really don't get along.
I decided to run intervals this morning to help loosen up my legs from yesterday. My quads are on fiaaaaa. Tis a great feeling, but I want to be able to walk tomorrow [day 2 lactic acid is a killer].
Good Friday interval workout:
5 minutes warmup
5 x :
1 minute @ 9.0 mph
1 minute walk
5 x:
1 minute @ 9.5 mph
1 minute walk
5 x:
30 seconds @ 10.5 - 11.0 mph
1 minute walk
5 minutes cooldown
It is a good workout to shake out the legs. Just to clarify, the 1 minute walks end up being like 30 seconds walk after slowing the treadmill down and cranking it back up 15 seconds before the official interval timing starts. Don't CHEAT, do the full minute of running! I finished the day with 5 sets of 20 medball bench crunches [my fave] with a 4 kg medball. Not the most creative workout of my life, but it did the job!
Everyone have a fabulous Good Friday and celebrate in your own way!!!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Thursday's ass blasting workout
I am happy to report that today's workout is the hardest workout my legs/butt have ever experienced. Perfect for a sunny Thursday, helps to wake you up and get you through the rest of the week. All you need are some good jams and tolerance for pain. This workout originated from my brief stint with a trainer this past December. I asked him to create the most difficult workouts he could think of while we were working together, because frankly I'm good at working myself out. You ask and you shall receive. After several days off of lower body lifting, this felt awesome.
Before we get to the workout goodness, I spent last night cleaning....my oven. I have yet to experience something LESS fun in my life. The entire upper half of my body was shoved in this oven, with a flashlight in my mouth, trying to clean every greasy nook and cranny. I found all sorts of goodies, including pecans that I baked for my holiday party...in December. Who knew you even had to clean ovens, I thought there was a button that did it for you. Unfortunately this is a manual cleaning oven, and I haven't been able to use it since 2010 because every time I turned it on my apartment would fill with smoke and the fire alarm would go off. My domestic skills are building slowly over time. Now I can check 'cleaning nasty ass oven with my bare hands' off the list! Long story short...I had to shower after this experience. Even my braid was covered in black grease [unclear how that happened].
Thursday's ass blasting workout
Every exercise in this workout is 24 reps, no rest between exercises, and 2 minutes rest between sets. The burn is felt immediately, after finishing the first set I SWEAR I won't be able to continue, but somehow your body allows for it if you just suck it up mentally. Goal: 5 sets. Today I only did 4, but I'm pretty sure I still won't be able to walk comfortably tomorrow. Add weight as you are able. The first time I did this workout, I only used bodyweight. Now I use kettlebells for all the exercises for an additional challenge. This can get as hard as you want it to be!
Front lunges - 12 x each leg [w/ kettlebells]
Step-ups - 12 x each leg [w/ kettebells]
Jump squats - x 24
Leg press - x 24 [2 plates each side]
Squats - x 24 [w/ kettlebells]
When you are feeling particularly ambitious, hold the final squat of each set for 30 seconds. I opted out this time around since it has been 3 months since I did this workout last, but be tougher than me and hold that final squat!
I promise that you have never experienced a leg/glute workout this awesome before. Give it a shot, results will be worth it!
Before we get to the workout goodness, I spent last night cleaning....my oven. I have yet to experience something LESS fun in my life. The entire upper half of my body was shoved in this oven, with a flashlight in my mouth, trying to clean every greasy nook and cranny. I found all sorts of goodies, including pecans that I baked for my holiday party...in December. Who knew you even had to clean ovens, I thought there was a button that did it for you. Unfortunately this is a manual cleaning oven, and I haven't been able to use it since 2010 because every time I turned it on my apartment would fill with smoke and the fire alarm would go off. My domestic skills are building slowly over time. Now I can check 'cleaning nasty ass oven with my bare hands' off the list! Long story short...I had to shower after this experience. Even my braid was covered in black grease [unclear how that happened].
Thursday's ass blasting workout
Every exercise in this workout is 24 reps, no rest between exercises, and 2 minutes rest between sets. The burn is felt immediately, after finishing the first set I SWEAR I won't be able to continue, but somehow your body allows for it if you just suck it up mentally. Goal: 5 sets. Today I only did 4, but I'm pretty sure I still won't be able to walk comfortably tomorrow. Add weight as you are able. The first time I did this workout, I only used bodyweight. Now I use kettlebells for all the exercises for an additional challenge. This can get as hard as you want it to be!
Front lunges - 12 x each leg [w/ kettlebells]
Step-ups - 12 x each leg [w/ kettebells]
Jump squats - x 24
Leg press - x 24 [2 plates each side]
Squats - x 24 [w/ kettlebells]
When you are feeling particularly ambitious, hold the final squat of each set for 30 seconds. I opted out this time around since it has been 3 months since I did this workout last, but be tougher than me and hold that final squat!
I promise that you have never experienced a leg/glute workout this awesome before. Give it a shot, results will be worth it!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Back to the iron
Hump day, hump day, hump day. Getting closer and closer to Friday, which I am thrilled about 1. because I love Fridays and 2. because my family will be in town! Easter weekend with the fam, I couldn't be happier. Derrik has a lax game on Saturday vs. Conn College so we will trek to New London, CT for the day which will be awesome, I love to watch him play. I missed out on so many of his games since I was away at college when he played high school lax, so being able to catch his college games is really great. I win the award for the loudest cheerleader at any Colby lax game, so bring earplugs if you want to join.
Daily anecdote: I am a public transportation retard. I have lived in Boston for 6 years, taken public transportation hundreds of times, and I still freak out a couple times a week. My issues largely have to do with being claustrophic in the whole 'if I need to escape I can't' way. It really doesn't help that the T decides to stop moving between stops almost every time I am on the train, at which point my mind wanders to a place I would rather not go. I have a very vivid imagination when it comes to potential disasters, and once I get going I am at a point of no return. I freak out, I start sweating, and I need to get the f*** off the train. Anyway this whole process totally happened to me this morning on the T. I got on at Central Sq and had to get off 2 stops later. After 5 minutes of chilling out, I got back on, and got off 1 stop later. I finally just walked my ass to work. GOODNESS. I had a similar freakout this weekend in NYC getting on a jam packed shuttle. Andrew witnessed the wonders of Shannon's anxiety attacks. It was a really special bonding experience, sweat and all. If anyone figures out how to rid me of my issues, please let me know!
After 4 days off of lifting, I was back to the iron this morning. Felt great.
Warmed up with running intervals:
1 min walk
30 secs @ 7.5mph
30 secs @ 8.0mph
30 secs @ 8.5mph
30 secs @ 9.0mph
Repeat x 7
'Back to the iron' lifting session:
Incline dumbell press & pushup superset -
8 x incline db press @ 35lb dumbells
10 x pushups
Upright barbell row - 3 x 12 @ 60lb barbell
Two arm cable bicep curl - 3 x 10 @ 25lbs each [set each side of the cable machine at shoulder height and curl toward your head]
Cable lateral raise - 3 x 10 each @ 15lbs
Front dumbell press - 3 x 8 @ 25lb dumbells [dumbells parallel to feet, same motion as military press, starting at your shoulder with full extension up]
This workout will lead to delts that will be the cause of much jealousy. Enjoy!
Daily anecdote: I am a public transportation retard. I have lived in Boston for 6 years, taken public transportation hundreds of times, and I still freak out a couple times a week. My issues largely have to do with being claustrophic in the whole 'if I need to escape I can't' way. It really doesn't help that the T decides to stop moving between stops almost every time I am on the train, at which point my mind wanders to a place I would rather not go. I have a very vivid imagination when it comes to potential disasters, and once I get going I am at a point of no return. I freak out, I start sweating, and I need to get the f*** off the train. Anyway this whole process totally happened to me this morning on the T. I got on at Central Sq and had to get off 2 stops later. After 5 minutes of chilling out, I got back on, and got off 1 stop later. I finally just walked my ass to work. GOODNESS. I had a similar freakout this weekend in NYC getting on a jam packed shuttle. Andrew witnessed the wonders of Shannon's anxiety attacks. It was a really special bonding experience, sweat and all. If anyone figures out how to rid me of my issues, please let me know!
After 4 days off of lifting, I was back to the iron this morning. Felt great.
Warmed up with running intervals:
1 min walk
30 secs @ 7.5mph
30 secs @ 8.0mph
30 secs @ 8.5mph
30 secs @ 9.0mph
Repeat x 7
'Back to the iron' lifting session:
Incline dumbell press & pushup superset -
8 x incline db press @ 35lb dumbells
10 x pushups
Upright barbell row - 3 x 12 @ 60lb barbell
Two arm cable bicep curl - 3 x 10 @ 25lbs each [set each side of the cable machine at shoulder height and curl toward your head]
Cable lateral raise - 3 x 10 each @ 15lbs
Front dumbell press - 3 x 8 @ 25lb dumbells [dumbells parallel to feet, same motion as military press, starting at your shoulder with full extension up]
This workout will lead to delts that will be the cause of much jealousy. Enjoy!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Marathon Monday is...amazing.
Happy Tuesday to all! After 8 hours of sleep last night I'm well on my way to normalcy. I was sort of a zombie yesterday, but I took a half day at work to go watch the marathon, so at least I was zombie-esque outside of work. The entire experience was amazing. I had seen the marathon once before, during my senior year of college, when I ran 8 miles round trip [that was it's own adventure, had never done that before] with the mid-distance/distance girls to watch our assistant distance coach run. We watched near BC so the runners still had awhile to go, and the atmosphere was a lot different. This time around, we were watching at the 25 mile mark so all the runners could taste the finish. It was so interesting to watch how different runners reacted to being so close to the finish. Some were very relaxed, keeping their jaws relaxed and pumping their arms and legs as smoothly as possible. Some were grimacing with all their might, just trying to put one foot in front of the other. Some were laughing and cheering, others were crying. It was quite possibly the most emotional athletic moment I have ever experienced, I basically wanted to start crying for all the runners. All the hard work and long runs were finally culminating in completing one of the most impressive marathons in the world.
It didn't hurt that the #1 male finisher yesterday set a NEW WORLD RECORD. 2:03:03. Holy crap. So impressive. Joan Benoit Samuelson finished her gazillionith marathon, and did so in an impressive fashion at the age of 53. For me personally, it was most fun to watch the 'common folk' accomplish this feat. I was so amazed watching this time around that I think I want to run this marathon. There is something about the Boston marathon that is really special, whether it be the course, the city, or the thousands of supporters that come out for the race to cheer on all the athletes. Anyway, I left totally impressed and motivated. I'm so glad I went out to watch!
I followed marathon watching with a little interval workout of my own. Of course any workout after watching the Boston marathon seems pretty pathetic in comparison, but I have to work up to superstar status. The intervals were challenging, and I was literally telling myself [out loud, but quietly] 'you are doing great!' to keep my legs going. Sometimes you have to look a bit crazy to push yourself through exhaustion.
Marathon Monday interval workout:
1 min walk
1 min @ 7.0 mph
1 min @ 7.5 mph
1 min @ 8.0 mph
1 min @ 8.5 mph
Repeat the 5 minutes x 6. Topped it off with some core: 3 x 20 situps, 20 cruches, 20 russian twists, 30 secs side plank each side.
This morning I did spin with Derek, who ran the marathon yesterday. What a rockstar, he re-qualified for the marathon next year and still managed to spin with us this AM. This was one of his best classes, and also a workout you can do on your own so I thought I would share:
Derek's post marathon spin workout:
5 mins warmup
8 x the following sprint intervals:
45 seconds sprint, 15 seconds rest, 20 seconds sprint, 2:40 rest
* We did the first 3 intervals sitting, next 4 standing [sitting during rest], final interval sitting. My legs have never burned this much on a bike, these are awesome.
Tempo ride x 5 minutes
Cool down and stretch!
Cardio cardio cardio Monday and Tuesday, back to hitting the weights hard tomorrow! Until then...everyone have a fabulous day!
It didn't hurt that the #1 male finisher yesterday set a NEW WORLD RECORD. 2:03:03. Holy crap. So impressive. Joan Benoit Samuelson finished her gazillionith marathon, and did so in an impressive fashion at the age of 53. For me personally, it was most fun to watch the 'common folk' accomplish this feat. I was so amazed watching this time around that I think I want to run this marathon. There is something about the Boston marathon that is really special, whether it be the course, the city, or the thousands of supporters that come out for the race to cheer on all the athletes. Anyway, I left totally impressed and motivated. I'm so glad I went out to watch!
I followed marathon watching with a little interval workout of my own. Of course any workout after watching the Boston marathon seems pretty pathetic in comparison, but I have to work up to superstar status. The intervals were challenging, and I was literally telling myself [out loud, but quietly] 'you are doing great!' to keep my legs going. Sometimes you have to look a bit crazy to push yourself through exhaustion.
Marathon Monday interval workout:
1 min walk
1 min @ 7.0 mph
1 min @ 7.5 mph
1 min @ 8.0 mph
1 min @ 8.5 mph
Repeat the 5 minutes x 6. Topped it off with some core: 3 x 20 situps, 20 cruches, 20 russian twists, 30 secs side plank each side.
This morning I did spin with Derek, who ran the marathon yesterday. What a rockstar, he re-qualified for the marathon next year and still managed to spin with us this AM. This was one of his best classes, and also a workout you can do on your own so I thought I would share:
Derek's post marathon spin workout:
5 mins warmup
8 x the following sprint intervals:
45 seconds sprint, 15 seconds rest, 20 seconds sprint, 2:40 rest
* We did the first 3 intervals sitting, next 4 standing [sitting during rest], final interval sitting. My legs have never burned this much on a bike, these are awesome.
Tempo ride x 5 minutes
Cool down and stretch!
Cardio cardio cardio Monday and Tuesday, back to hitting the weights hard tomorrow! Until then...everyone have a fabulous day!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Get your zzzz's!
Happy Marathon Monday! Great day for the runners of Boston, forecast is 60 and sunny. I am always happy to see that the weather gods are looking out for the marathoners, after so much time and effort spent training, weather cooperation must be much appreciated. The T was empty this morning, a lot of companies give their employees the day off and those less fortunate just take the day off anyway. I hope everyone [including myself] can scoot out of work a bit early to enjoy the festitivites! It is really a cool atmosphere around Boston on Marathon Monday. Feels like a giant international track meet to me.
I spent the weekend in NYC and it was amazing. The city impresses me more every time I go, there are endless things to experience, and it is the best place in the world to people watch [one of my favorite past times]. Sunday was perfect 60 and sunny weather [after torrential downpours and tornado winds on Saturday], so I spent hours walking around Manhattan. Walking for hours is pretty decent exercise, and also good for upping my pain tolerance. Frye boots are great. Walking around NYC in Frye boots 2 days in a row is not great. Footwear fail. Besides massive blisters it was an amazing weekend with amazing people.
One aspect of NYC I'm not sure I could deal with long term: sleep deprivation. Going to bed at 4am doesn't work too well for me. I am a 23 year old grandma and get 8 hrs of sleep a night, without fail. Me without 8 hrs of sleep is not a pretty sight. My body has always required a lot of sleep, and now that I work full time and get morning workouts in every day, it can't really be compromised. Well, joke was on me this weekend with 4 hrs of sleep two nights in a row. It is hard to convince yourself to lay in bed when NYC is outside your window waiting to be explored. Alas, I caffeinated myself and managed to have a great time until sleepy Shannon arrived late Sunday afternoon.
I set my alarm clock for 6am this morning with the honest intention of getting up to work out. It didn't happen. I struggled to get out bed at 7:30am. This was my first morning of no workout in....many many months. MANY MONTHS. Sometimes you need sleep more than you need exercise. I generally make my life work in a way where both are possible and no compromise needs to be made, but when sleep deprivation is a result of meaningful life experiences, I feel ok with sleep winning out. I can't stress enough how important sleep is to the human body and health. You can read millions [quite literally] of studies correlating lack of sleep with awful health problems, early aging, heart failure, depression, obesity, and the list goes on and on. Experts suggest that 7 hours of sleep or more is sufficient for good health. I know my body well enough to know that I need a bit more, and some people need a bit less. I encourage everyone to try and get a few more zzz's a night, the payoff is enormous.
Don't you worry, I brought workout clothes to work so I can get my workout in after I leave the office. After a weekend without exercise [but a ton of walking around], I am looking forward to sweating my booty off at the gym. Nothing like the Boston Marathon in the city today to help motivate people to get moving!
I spent the weekend in NYC and it was amazing. The city impresses me more every time I go, there are endless things to experience, and it is the best place in the world to people watch [one of my favorite past times]. Sunday was perfect 60 and sunny weather [after torrential downpours and tornado winds on Saturday], so I spent hours walking around Manhattan. Walking for hours is pretty decent exercise, and also good for upping my pain tolerance. Frye boots are great. Walking around NYC in Frye boots 2 days in a row is not great. Footwear fail. Besides massive blisters it was an amazing weekend with amazing people.
One aspect of NYC I'm not sure I could deal with long term: sleep deprivation. Going to bed at 4am doesn't work too well for me. I am a 23 year old grandma and get 8 hrs of sleep a night, without fail. Me without 8 hrs of sleep is not a pretty sight. My body has always required a lot of sleep, and now that I work full time and get morning workouts in every day, it can't really be compromised. Well, joke was on me this weekend with 4 hrs of sleep two nights in a row. It is hard to convince yourself to lay in bed when NYC is outside your window waiting to be explored. Alas, I caffeinated myself and managed to have a great time until sleepy Shannon arrived late Sunday afternoon.
I set my alarm clock for 6am this morning with the honest intention of getting up to work out. It didn't happen. I struggled to get out bed at 7:30am. This was my first morning of no workout in....many many months. MANY MONTHS. Sometimes you need sleep more than you need exercise. I generally make my life work in a way where both are possible and no compromise needs to be made, but when sleep deprivation is a result of meaningful life experiences, I feel ok with sleep winning out. I can't stress enough how important sleep is to the human body and health. You can read millions [quite literally] of studies correlating lack of sleep with awful health problems, early aging, heart failure, depression, obesity, and the list goes on and on. Experts suggest that 7 hours of sleep or more is sufficient for good health. I know my body well enough to know that I need a bit more, and some people need a bit less. I encourage everyone to try and get a few more zzz's a night, the payoff is enormous.
Don't you worry, I brought workout clothes to work so I can get my workout in after I leave the office. After a weekend without exercise [but a ton of walking around], I am looking forward to sweating my booty off at the gym. Nothing like the Boston Marathon in the city today to help motivate people to get moving!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Friday: delts and back
I came home to the best mail delivery of the month last night...the new issue of Oxygen! I wish this magazine was published on a weekly basis, it is such an amazing resource for motivation and workouts. Anytime I am having a hard time getting my workouts together, I glance through a couple of old issues and it gets me right back on track. I don't read other magazines, I can't handle the emphasis on skinny models, fashion trends and beauty tips, just not my thing. Oxygen is filled with very muscular, fit female models, articles on nutrition and motivational columns. The general sentiment of the mag is "you are doing great, but push yourself to do better." I love it, pick up a copy next time you are traveling or looking for a light read. Men - great resource for you too, but understandable if you aren't willing to purchase an issue, steal one from someone else.
The workouts in each issue of Oxygen always have a focus, May is delts and back [always some other workouts as well! Good bootcamp workout this month which I am psyched to try]. Conveniently, my Friday workouts are delts/back/chest so I was able to implement a couple of new exercises this morning. New exercises and music are the two things that get me really excited about workouts. Given I haven't downloaded any new music since January...I'm keeping things real with new and exciting exercises.
I started the morning with an interval workout on the treadmill. Still can't work my foot too hard, but I increased the intensity a bit today. I did 30 minutes of 2 minutes walk, 3 minutes run, starting the runs at 7.5mph and increasing by .5mph every 30 seconds, ending at 10.0mph. Everything felt great! I'm proud of my foot for recovering so well for me, it must know my patience is limited.
Deltoid circuit x 3:
Upright dumbell row 12 @ 25lb dumbells
Front overhead dumbell press 10 @ 25lb dumbells [like military press but dbs are held parallel to your feet, not perpendicular like normal military press]
Reverse dumbell fly 10 @ 15lb dumbells [these are really hard with any sort of weight...I have a feeling I will be feeling my delts tomorrow]
Rest 90 - 120 seconds between sets.
Back:
One arm bent over dumbell row 3 x 10 each @ 35lb dumbell
Wide grip lat pulldown 3 x 10 @ 70lbs
Seated cable row 3 x 8 @ 80lbs
Finished off the workout with medball crunches [on a bench] holding a 12 lb medball between my knees, 4 sets of 15.
Overall awesome workout [until nausea hit me and rendered me useless for the next several hours, but not an effect of the workout I promise].
TGIF! Have a fabulous Friday
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Squats. How I love thee!
Happy Thurday! One more day till Friday...and NYC! I'm excited to hit up the big apple for the weekend and play with friends, old and new. Bottomless mimosa brunch? Well ok! Also very excited for a Saturday full of surprises. Woke up to beautiful sunshine after 8 glorious hours of uninterrupted sleep, totally new person today. Soaking wet pants are a distant memory. Random thought of the day: iced coffee is dangerous. It doesn't really taste like coffee, it is much more thirst quenching. If I don't pinch the straw when I drink, a venti goes down in appx 10 minutes. Jitteryyyyyy. I'm trying to stop myself from chugging currently. I'll let you know how that goes.
I decided to skip spin class this morning and do my own thing. Since I will be in NYC this weekend, I assume that I won't be working out [although I wouldn't put it past me to find a NYSC somewhere]. It is really important to me to get all my lifts in for the week, otherwise I feel athletically incomplete [cardio is sort of extra points]. Today was squat day! Yay! I found myself doing one legged squats when I was brushing my teeth last night. Normal? I think not, but since when have I claimed to be normal. Squats are the perfect exercise, they strengthen lower back, core, glutes, hammys and quads. You can do them with a bar, with dumbells, with kettlebells, with bands, with body weight! You can do them with both legs, one leg, split legs, or no legs[kidding don't try that last one]! You can do them under a rack, on a box, on the gym floor, using a cable machine, or in your apartment! You can do them anywhere, anytime, with anyone! They are amazing for total body strength and SO versatile.
Squat day fun
Kickass warmup/sweat inducing circuit x 3:
10 each split squats @ 25lb dumbells [back leg on an elevated surface]
10 jump squats [get your butt below parallel and jump as high as possible for each rep, no rest in between, touch down and explode up]
10 each side lunges @ 25lb dumbells
BACK SQUATS!
6 x 175lb
4 x 195lb
4 x 205lb
3 x 215lb
It feels like a long journey back to regaining squat strength, but little steps are being taken every week. Feels awesome to get my lower back and legs loaded up with some weight. Brings me back to the good old days...
Hamstring/glute circuit x 3:
10 x physioball hamstring curls [make sure to keep hips level through extension, squeeze the glutes!]
20 each x donkey kicks [as fun as they sound? maybe...not. but awesome for your glutes]
This is a seriously ass-kicking workout. Implement 1x a week and you will have butt of steel. Or at least closer to steel than not steel. Enjoy and happy almost Friday!!!
I decided to skip spin class this morning and do my own thing. Since I will be in NYC this weekend, I assume that I won't be working out [although I wouldn't put it past me to find a NYSC somewhere]. It is really important to me to get all my lifts in for the week, otherwise I feel athletically incomplete [cardio is sort of extra points]. Today was squat day! Yay! I found myself doing one legged squats when I was brushing my teeth last night. Normal? I think not, but since when have I claimed to be normal. Squats are the perfect exercise, they strengthen lower back, core, glutes, hammys and quads. You can do them with a bar, with dumbells, with kettlebells, with bands, with body weight! You can do them with both legs, one leg, split legs, or no legs[kidding don't try that last one]! You can do them under a rack, on a box, on the gym floor, using a cable machine, or in your apartment! You can do them anywhere, anytime, with anyone! They are amazing for total body strength and SO versatile.
Squat day fun
Kickass warmup/sweat inducing circuit x 3:
10 each split squats @ 25lb dumbells [back leg on an elevated surface]
10 jump squats [get your butt below parallel and jump as high as possible for each rep, no rest in between, touch down and explode up]
10 each side lunges @ 25lb dumbells
BACK SQUATS!
6 x 175lb
4 x 195lb
4 x 205lb
3 x 215lb
It feels like a long journey back to regaining squat strength, but little steps are being taken every week. Feels awesome to get my lower back and legs loaded up with some weight. Brings me back to the good old days...
Hamstring/glute circuit x 3:
10 x physioball hamstring curls [make sure to keep hips level through extension, squeeze the glutes!]
20 each x donkey kicks [as fun as they sound? maybe...not. but awesome for your glutes]
This is a seriously ass-kicking workout. Implement 1x a week and you will have butt of steel. Or at least closer to steel than not steel. Enjoy and happy almost Friday!!!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Cure to the hump day blues? Muscle beach workout
Happy hump day...? It is thundering and pouring rain outside. My pants are soaked from butt to foot. My once perfectly straightened hair is now cowlicked. I'm just that much bitchier this morning due to 'April showers'. Showers are supposed to be lovely and fun, these are not showers. These are nature's way of informing me that I'm only allowed to have a little sun and happiness in my life. Ok I'm being a little dramatic but seriously, I think I am the most weather-affected person I know. As mom says 'you have to be the sunshine!' Mission for today: be my own sunshine.
Started out the day with a good little muscle beach workout. My track intervals on Sunday gave me the confidence to run at a speed faster than a jog [which is awesome, I hate jogging], so this morning I was able to test my foot out a bit more. I did 25 minutes of intervals, fastest speed 8.5mph. Slowly getting there...but it certainly does feel slow! I don't want to push too hard and risk re-injury. I have vowed to never wear a boot again, how crippling and miserable. Regardless, got a good sweat going in time for muscle beach workout, hump day style!
Muscle beach workout
Triceps:
Skullcrushers - 3 x 10 @ 50lb barbell
Bodyweight dips - 3 x 10, slow on the way down and explode up [using bench]
Overhead dumbell tricep extensions - 3 x 10 @ 35lb dumbell
Biceps:
Alternating dumbell curls - 4 sets till exhaustion @ 30lb dumbells
Concentration curls - 4 x 10 each @ 20lb dumbell, sitting at the end of a bench, rest your elbow on your thigh and curl with full extension [a truely meathead looking lift]
If you do these exercises at a heavy weight, they will hurt badly [in a good way]. If you get through the workout and can lift your arms, challenge yourself to use heavier weights. Bicep and tricep strength can be built relatively quickly if you push yourself to increase weight past your comfort zone. If you have time to fit in core at the end I encourage you to do so!
Most importantly, when you finish muscle beach workout, close your eyes and imagine yourself on a warm, sunny, perfectly pristine beach. Don't open your eyes and look outside...you will be sorely disappointed and end up curled up on the couch all day long.
Happy hump day!
Started out the day with a good little muscle beach workout. My track intervals on Sunday gave me the confidence to run at a speed faster than a jog [which is awesome, I hate jogging], so this morning I was able to test my foot out a bit more. I did 25 minutes of intervals, fastest speed 8.5mph. Slowly getting there...but it certainly does feel slow! I don't want to push too hard and risk re-injury. I have vowed to never wear a boot again, how crippling and miserable. Regardless, got a good sweat going in time for muscle beach workout, hump day style!
Muscle beach workout
Triceps:
Skullcrushers - 3 x 10 @ 50lb barbell
Bodyweight dips - 3 x 10, slow on the way down and explode up [using bench]
Overhead dumbell tricep extensions - 3 x 10 @ 35lb dumbell
Biceps:
Alternating dumbell curls - 4 sets till exhaustion @ 30lb dumbells
Concentration curls - 4 x 10 each @ 20lb dumbell, sitting at the end of a bench, rest your elbow on your thigh and curl with full extension [a truely meathead looking lift]
If you do these exercises at a heavy weight, they will hurt badly [in a good way]. If you get through the workout and can lift your arms, challenge yourself to use heavier weights. Bicep and tricep strength can be built relatively quickly if you push yourself to increase weight past your comfort zone. If you have time to fit in core at the end I encourage you to do so!
Most importantly, when you finish muscle beach workout, close your eyes and imagine yourself on a warm, sunny, perfectly pristine beach. Don't open your eyes and look outside...you will be sorely disappointed and end up curled up on the couch all day long.
Happy hump day!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Jump around, jump around!
So the title of this post is supposed to refer to the lyrics to House of Pain's Jump Around. It has been in my head all morning. I actually just looked at the lyrics and they are a lot more involved than I remembered, I was pretty sure 'jump' was just repeated over and over again, but alas that is not the case [if you now are interested here is the link to the lyrics: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/onehitwonders/jumparoundlyrics.html].
Ok so the theme for this Tuesday is jumping. No, I didn't spend my morning jumping, I did Derek's spin class per usual. The workout was great and he is running the marathon on Monday so we talked about that for awhile. As always, a couple people in class did the whole "GASP YOU ARE RUNNING 26.2 MILES?!?!" routine and I loved his response. He goes "running is relative, once you run 1, you run 5, once you run 5, 15 comes easily, and from there you just end up finishing 26.2 miles. Running is natural for the human body." I knew I liked him. Anyway, best of luck to him! I love Marathon Monday, such an accomplishment for those who participate and fun for the whole city of Boston.
During spin class I was thinking a lot about different exercises that I can add to my routine [I should have been focusing but we all have those moments]. My body is used to a lot of variety, including running, spinning, stairs, lifting etc.. Being a heptathlete in college made me crave variety in terms of life-long exercise, thus why my bout for distance running was rather brief. Once your body is accustomed to so many types of exercise, it can be difficult to get results from your workout routine. You have to constantly keep your body guessing and stimulate different muscle groups to continue to achieve the results you want. My opinion is that you should be sore after every workout, if you aren't sore, you need to change it up and increase the intensity. Having said that, the better in shape you are, the harder it is to work yourself to the point of soreness every workout.
My solution? JUMPING! I use the term 'jump' rather liberally, I think this can include jumprope, squat jumps, mini hurdle drills, burpees, and the list continues. The point is, get your body moving in a ballistic motion. It will challenge you in a way that running or cycling cannot, and if you are looking for fat loss this can definitely do the trick. Add in some agility and you are money, lateral movement does the body wonders. My favorite agility drills use ladders, but if you don't have access you can do any of these movements without a ladder or mini hurdles and use your imagination a bit more.
Now that my foot is well on its way to being 100% healthy, I am psyched to start jumping again! I have done a few bouts of jumproping, but I am really looking forward to a variety of jump squats/split squats in the gym and using the stadium stairs, in addition to any sort of agility exercise I can get my hands on. I really just want to be part of football preseason for awhile, I feel like that would do the trick [without the pads and the hitting]. It is supposed to be great weather on Thursday so if I can get out of work on time I am hoping to make it over to the Harvard facilities and get on the track or the stadiums stairs. You can find loads of jumping/agility routines on the internet, so if you need some ideas just visit our good friend google.
Jump!!!
Ok so the theme for this Tuesday is jumping. No, I didn't spend my morning jumping, I did Derek's spin class per usual. The workout was great and he is running the marathon on Monday so we talked about that for awhile. As always, a couple people in class did the whole "GASP YOU ARE RUNNING 26.2 MILES?!?!" routine and I loved his response. He goes "running is relative, once you run 1, you run 5, once you run 5, 15 comes easily, and from there you just end up finishing 26.2 miles. Running is natural for the human body." I knew I liked him. Anyway, best of luck to him! I love Marathon Monday, such an accomplishment for those who participate and fun for the whole city of Boston.
During spin class I was thinking a lot about different exercises that I can add to my routine [I should have been focusing but we all have those moments]. My body is used to a lot of variety, including running, spinning, stairs, lifting etc.. Being a heptathlete in college made me crave variety in terms of life-long exercise, thus why my bout for distance running was rather brief. Once your body is accustomed to so many types of exercise, it can be difficult to get results from your workout routine. You have to constantly keep your body guessing and stimulate different muscle groups to continue to achieve the results you want. My opinion is that you should be sore after every workout, if you aren't sore, you need to change it up and increase the intensity. Having said that, the better in shape you are, the harder it is to work yourself to the point of soreness every workout.
My solution? JUMPING! I use the term 'jump' rather liberally, I think this can include jumprope, squat jumps, mini hurdle drills, burpees, and the list continues. The point is, get your body moving in a ballistic motion. It will challenge you in a way that running or cycling cannot, and if you are looking for fat loss this can definitely do the trick. Add in some agility and you are money, lateral movement does the body wonders. My favorite agility drills use ladders, but if you don't have access you can do any of these movements without a ladder or mini hurdles and use your imagination a bit more.
Now that my foot is well on its way to being 100% healthy, I am psyched to start jumping again! I have done a few bouts of jumproping, but I am really looking forward to a variety of jump squats/split squats in the gym and using the stadium stairs, in addition to any sort of agility exercise I can get my hands on. I really just want to be part of football preseason for awhile, I feel like that would do the trick [without the pads and the hitting]. It is supposed to be great weather on Thursday so if I can get out of work on time I am hoping to make it over to the Harvard facilities and get on the track or the stadiums stairs. You can find loads of jumping/agility routines on the internet, so if you need some ideas just visit our good friend google.
Jump!!!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Once a trackie, always a trackie
Happy Monday! I hope everyone had an awesome weekend. With 65 degree sunny days, how could it not have been a great weekend?! Gorgeous weekends always make Monday morning a little more painful, but it is definitely worth it. It is fun to see Boston awaken when the spring weather arrives, all the sudden I pass hundreds of people running along the Charles, biking through Cambridge and going on long walks where the paths and streets were empty a week ago. Exercise and activity make me happy, especially when I see an entire city participating!
In honor of spring time, I had a picnic lunch on the river on Saturday, followed by listening to the Sox game on the radio while laying out in the sun. Perfect? Yes. Sunday was even better...I finally pumped up my bike tires, rode to the track and did my first track workout since college. It. Was. Awesome. I had no idea how much I missed the track until I got there. I'm sure my love for the track yesterday was intensified since I am thrilled to be back running after months off of my foot, but a lot of emotions came flooding back with every 200 I ran. I thought about my first college coach, Paul, and being a freshman on the team. I thought about that stupid barking dog on the porch of the apartments across the street. I thought about my first Harvard/Yale where I competed in 7 events and broke down sobbing when I was asked to run the 4x4. I thought about the amazing teammates I got to know so well over the years. I thought about finally winning Heps and how good that felt. I thought about 4 years of traumatized hamstrings and learning how to compete, and win, injured. All emotions, good and bittersweet, ran through my body as my arms and legs pumped around the track. 12 200's later, my foot felt great and I felt completely rejuvinated.
Gyms are great. Tracks are better. There is nothing that makes you feel like more of an athlete than stepping on a track and running intervals. Once you are introduced to the world of track and field, it is really hard to tear yourself away. For some it is easier than others, but I am clearly still in love. I can watch hours of meets where I only know a few athletes, I can spend 3 hrs on a Sunday running intervals and messing around with hurdles, and that is what makes me happy. I am so thankful to live a couple miles away from my college track, it is pretty great to be able to bike over and relive the memories whenever I can find an hour or two. If anyone wants to come play at the Harvard track with me, let me know! I missed having my girls there...
After such a high yesterday running 200's and doing a bunch of hurdle drills on my foot [no pain...God is good!], it was back in the gym this morning. I am looking forward to many more days and evenings at the track over the next several months. I didn't get a lift in this weekend because I couldn't get myself to go inside, so I did my power lifting day this morning.
On the menu...
Power Clean Progression
5 x high pull, 5 x power clean @ 115lb
5 x high pull, 5 x power clean @ 125lb
5 x power clean @ 135lb
2 x power clean @ 145lb
Deadlift
3 x 8 @ 155lb barbell
*Had to go a bit easy on the weight with a sore back, but load it up!
Step-ups
3 x 6 each with 45lb barbell
Reverse Lunges
3 x 10 each with 45lb barbell
Atomic Crunches
3 x 20 with medball
Great workout, body feels powerful and explosive.
I am incredibly sunburned from spending so long as the track yesterday [first sports bra tan line of the season, YES], so my temperature regulation is more off than usual [Andrew, stop snickering]. I woke up appx 10 times last night because I was freezing, burning up, freezing, sweating, repeat ALL NIGHT LONG. Should be an interesting day at the office... I'm pretty sure I will never learn to wear sunscreen. I'm ok with that.
In honor of spring time, I had a picnic lunch on the river on Saturday, followed by listening to the Sox game on the radio while laying out in the sun. Perfect? Yes. Sunday was even better...I finally pumped up my bike tires, rode to the track and did my first track workout since college. It. Was. Awesome. I had no idea how much I missed the track until I got there. I'm sure my love for the track yesterday was intensified since I am thrilled to be back running after months off of my foot, but a lot of emotions came flooding back with every 200 I ran. I thought about my first college coach, Paul, and being a freshman on the team. I thought about that stupid barking dog on the porch of the apartments across the street. I thought about my first Harvard/Yale where I competed in 7 events and broke down sobbing when I was asked to run the 4x4. I thought about the amazing teammates I got to know so well over the years. I thought about finally winning Heps and how good that felt. I thought about 4 years of traumatized hamstrings and learning how to compete, and win, injured. All emotions, good and bittersweet, ran through my body as my arms and legs pumped around the track. 12 200's later, my foot felt great and I felt completely rejuvinated.
Gyms are great. Tracks are better. There is nothing that makes you feel like more of an athlete than stepping on a track and running intervals. Once you are introduced to the world of track and field, it is really hard to tear yourself away. For some it is easier than others, but I am clearly still in love. I can watch hours of meets where I only know a few athletes, I can spend 3 hrs on a Sunday running intervals and messing around with hurdles, and that is what makes me happy. I am so thankful to live a couple miles away from my college track, it is pretty great to be able to bike over and relive the memories whenever I can find an hour or two. If anyone wants to come play at the Harvard track with me, let me know! I missed having my girls there...
After such a high yesterday running 200's and doing a bunch of hurdle drills on my foot [no pain...God is good!], it was back in the gym this morning. I am looking forward to many more days and evenings at the track over the next several months. I didn't get a lift in this weekend because I couldn't get myself to go inside, so I did my power lifting day this morning.
On the menu...
Power Clean Progression
5 x high pull, 5 x power clean @ 115lb
5 x high pull, 5 x power clean @ 125lb
5 x power clean @ 135lb
2 x power clean @ 145lb
Deadlift
3 x 8 @ 155lb barbell
*Had to go a bit easy on the weight with a sore back, but load it up!
Step-ups
3 x 6 each with 45lb barbell
Reverse Lunges
3 x 10 each with 45lb barbell
Atomic Crunches
3 x 20 with medball
Great workout, body feels powerful and explosive.
I am incredibly sunburned from spending so long as the track yesterday [first sports bra tan line of the season, YES], so my temperature regulation is more off than usual [Andrew, stop snickering]. I woke up appx 10 times last night because I was freezing, burning up, freezing, sweating, repeat ALL NIGHT LONG. Should be an interesting day at the office... I'm pretty sure I will never learn to wear sunscreen. I'm ok with that.
Friday, April 8, 2011
TGIF!
Happy happy Friday! Beautiful, sunny, happy Friday. Thank you Boston for making me smile. Iced coffee in hand, aviators still on my head, I think spring has officially arrived. Doesn't hurt that Sox home opener is this afternoon [vs Yanks] and I had my first Sams Summer Ale last night. Happy Shannon.
Grilling last night was awesome, reminded me of fun summer nights. Menu: filet mignon, grilled asparagus and roasted purple potatoes. Divine. Finished off with a really delicious red wine and a healthier version of strawberry shortcake [strawberries, whipped cream and a couple bites of angelfood cake]. Overall great company, great conversation, and great night. I woke up extra early this morning to get both cardio and lifting in the same session, for some reason 5:30am feels a lot earlier than 6am. Funny how that works. I am progressing in my running, 2 minutes walk and 3 minutes run [repeat]. Soon enough I will be running the whole time! How exciting. Everything still feels great and I can't wait to start up sprint intervals again, although probably a couple more weeks until I get to that point. I stare with envy at all the runners in the gym wearing vibrams, I can't wait to get my feet back into those dorky shoes when my bones are able to handle the pressure.
Daily anecdote: my ipod apparently died last night. HUGE Apple design flaw with the new nanos, as there is no 'off' switch or lock button. I hate turning on my ipod only to find out it has no battery juice left. Alas, I was left to my iphone for music which is fine except it is huge compared to my little clip-on nano. For 90 minutes I was struggling with trying to fit my giant iphone into my tiny lululemon pants pocket. I had an awkward bulge. Oh well....better than no music
Friday lifts are chest/back/shoulders. Today's was a killer, I encourage you to give it a try!
Superset: Incline dumbell press & pushups
10 x 30lb dumbells, 10 pushups
8 x 35lb dumbells, 10 pushups
6 x 40lb dumbells, 10 pushups
* Pushup tip for women - pushups on your knees [done correctly] are still 90% of the effort of regular pushups. Challenge yourself to do real pushups and do a few less reps! All women should be able to do a set of 20 pushups, so get started! It is easy to build up pushup strength if you do them 2x a week
Superset: Barbell upright row & dumbell bent over row
3 sets:
10 x 70lb barbell upright row
8 each x 40lb dumbell bent over row
Superset: Barbell military press & cable lateral raise
3 sets:
6 x 65lb barbell military press
10 each x 15lb cable lateral raise
My shoulders are already sore and blowdrying my hair was a challenge this morning. Overall very successful start to my Friday! What are you going to do for your health today?!?
Grilling last night was awesome, reminded me of fun summer nights. Menu: filet mignon, grilled asparagus and roasted purple potatoes. Divine. Finished off with a really delicious red wine and a healthier version of strawberry shortcake [strawberries, whipped cream and a couple bites of angelfood cake]. Overall great company, great conversation, and great night. I woke up extra early this morning to get both cardio and lifting in the same session, for some reason 5:30am feels a lot earlier than 6am. Funny how that works. I am progressing in my running, 2 minutes walk and 3 minutes run [repeat]. Soon enough I will be running the whole time! How exciting. Everything still feels great and I can't wait to start up sprint intervals again, although probably a couple more weeks until I get to that point. I stare with envy at all the runners in the gym wearing vibrams, I can't wait to get my feet back into those dorky shoes when my bones are able to handle the pressure.
Daily anecdote: my ipod apparently died last night. HUGE Apple design flaw with the new nanos, as there is no 'off' switch or lock button. I hate turning on my ipod only to find out it has no battery juice left. Alas, I was left to my iphone for music which is fine except it is huge compared to my little clip-on nano. For 90 minutes I was struggling with trying to fit my giant iphone into my tiny lululemon pants pocket. I had an awkward bulge. Oh well....better than no music
Friday lifts are chest/back/shoulders. Today's was a killer, I encourage you to give it a try!
Superset: Incline dumbell press & pushups
10 x 30lb dumbells, 10 pushups
8 x 35lb dumbells, 10 pushups
6 x 40lb dumbells, 10 pushups
* Pushup tip for women - pushups on your knees [done correctly] are still 90% of the effort of regular pushups. Challenge yourself to do real pushups and do a few less reps! All women should be able to do a set of 20 pushups, so get started! It is easy to build up pushup strength if you do them 2x a week
Superset: Barbell upright row & dumbell bent over row
3 sets:
10 x 70lb barbell upright row
8 each x 40lb dumbell bent over row
Superset: Barbell military press & cable lateral raise
3 sets:
6 x 65lb barbell military press
10 each x 15lb cable lateral raise
My shoulders are already sore and blowdrying my hair was a challenge this morning. Overall very successful start to my Friday! What are you going to do for your health today?!?
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Thursday thoughts and bio lows
Another beautiful day in the neighborhood. The only unfortunate aspect of sunny mornings is that my desk temperature reaches appx 85 degrees due to sun angle in the am. It is SMOKING hot in here. Tough. Loving the nice weather though, it looks to be a beautiful weekend so hopefully I can get outside to play outside for a bit. Maybe even...gasp...go for a jog! Last night was my second running experience since the foot fracture and everything felt great. Knee/ankle a little creaky at the ripe age of 23, but foot felt awesome so I was a happy camper. I had to hold myself back from going faster than 7.5 mph on the treadmill, I already feel the need for speed. I need someone to control my treadmill speed during rehab or it might get a little crazy.
Random thought #1 of the day: I eat weird [but delicious] food. For breakfast I had dinner: salmon, garlic broccoli and black beans. It was tasty and I have no problem with eating veggies for breakfast. For lunch I brought 1/2 of a spaghetti squash [still raw...going to need to figure out a way to cook it] with elk marinara. That just isn't a typical menu for breakfast and lunch, but I'm okay with that. I imagine the spaghetti squash will get a few funny looks.
Random thought #2 of the day: since Sunday I have done 7 workouts. My body is really tired, walking up the stairs of the T caused a few grimaces this morning. I am grilling with one of my girlfriends tonight [celebrating the 55 degree weather] and am really excited to chill out and have a little bit of a thirsty Thursday after a week off ass-kicking. I watched Beer Wars this week [thank you Netflix] and it was an awesome documentary on the beer industry, the big 3 vs. the smaller boutique brewerys. Not sure I will ever buy another Miller, Bud or Coors product again after the documentary, plus all microbrews are exponentially better tasting. I love the Boulder Beer microbrews, and also a big fan of Magic Hat and of course Sam Adams has become a regular since living in Boston [summer ale is out! YES!]. Anyway, plan tonight of grilling and fine beer is pretty appealing. Woohoo! Is it 6 yet...?
Bio lows. I am a firm believer that your body goes through natural cycles of bio highs and bio lows. Some days you wake up ready to take on the world and plow over anything in your path. Other days you wake up, would be just fine being rolled over, and wish to be physically carried anywhere you need to go in the forseeable future. I think these highs and lows exist for many aspects of your livelihood, including physical energy, emotional wellbeing, spirituality, and sexuality. It is important to understand that not all days can be bio highs, your body's energy is cyclical and you need the lows to balance the highs. I think that awareness of your highs and lows is key to living a balanced and healthy life.
This morning was definitely a bio low for me in the physical energy department. Luckily it is habit to wake up at 6 and get my butt to Katie's spin class every Thursday, so that wasn't the difficult part. Once I was on the bike I was like 'uggg I HAVE NO ENERGY!'. Yes, it even happens to me. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to find the energy to make it through spin class, lifting, a run etc. Whenever I hit these physical lows, I step back and focus on how blessed I am to have an able, athletic body. I grew up with a grandpa with a prosthetic leg [motorcycle accident in his 20's after a successful college basketball career]. Watching him get around always made me feel so lucky that I had two legs that allowed to me walk, run, swim, bike etc... at my leisure. While he certainly did the best he could given his circumstances, his disability continued to remind me how blessed I was to be given a fully functional body. To this day, I think about my grandpa every time I have a bio low. I may not always feel like I can take on the world, but I am incredibly blessed with a healthy, physical self. Soreness and exhaustion are only temporary, pushing myself to the limit every chance I get is my gift to my grandpa and a promise to myself to never take my body for granted.
So...thought #3 for the day: you have no excuse, push yourself to the limit. KICK ASS!
Random thought #1 of the day: I eat weird [but delicious] food. For breakfast I had dinner: salmon, garlic broccoli and black beans. It was tasty and I have no problem with eating veggies for breakfast. For lunch I brought 1/2 of a spaghetti squash [still raw...going to need to figure out a way to cook it] with elk marinara. That just isn't a typical menu for breakfast and lunch, but I'm okay with that. I imagine the spaghetti squash will get a few funny looks.
Random thought #2 of the day: since Sunday I have done 7 workouts. My body is really tired, walking up the stairs of the T caused a few grimaces this morning. I am grilling with one of my girlfriends tonight [celebrating the 55 degree weather] and am really excited to chill out and have a little bit of a thirsty Thursday after a week off ass-kicking. I watched Beer Wars this week [thank you Netflix] and it was an awesome documentary on the beer industry, the big 3 vs. the smaller boutique brewerys. Not sure I will ever buy another Miller, Bud or Coors product again after the documentary, plus all microbrews are exponentially better tasting. I love the Boulder Beer microbrews, and also a big fan of Magic Hat and of course Sam Adams has become a regular since living in Boston [summer ale is out! YES!]. Anyway, plan tonight of grilling and fine beer is pretty appealing. Woohoo! Is it 6 yet...?
Bio lows. I am a firm believer that your body goes through natural cycles of bio highs and bio lows. Some days you wake up ready to take on the world and plow over anything in your path. Other days you wake up, would be just fine being rolled over, and wish to be physically carried anywhere you need to go in the forseeable future. I think these highs and lows exist for many aspects of your livelihood, including physical energy, emotional wellbeing, spirituality, and sexuality. It is important to understand that not all days can be bio highs, your body's energy is cyclical and you need the lows to balance the highs. I think that awareness of your highs and lows is key to living a balanced and healthy life.
This morning was definitely a bio low for me in the physical energy department. Luckily it is habit to wake up at 6 and get my butt to Katie's spin class every Thursday, so that wasn't the difficult part. Once I was on the bike I was like 'uggg I HAVE NO ENERGY!'. Yes, it even happens to me. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to find the energy to make it through spin class, lifting, a run etc. Whenever I hit these physical lows, I step back and focus on how blessed I am to have an able, athletic body. I grew up with a grandpa with a prosthetic leg [motorcycle accident in his 20's after a successful college basketball career]. Watching him get around always made me feel so lucky that I had two legs that allowed to me walk, run, swim, bike etc... at my leisure. While he certainly did the best he could given his circumstances, his disability continued to remind me how blessed I was to be given a fully functional body. To this day, I think about my grandpa every time I have a bio low. I may not always feel like I can take on the world, but I am incredibly blessed with a healthy, physical self. Soreness and exhaustion are only temporary, pushing myself to the limit every chance I get is my gift to my grandpa and a promise to myself to never take my body for granted.
So...thought #3 for the day: you have no excuse, push yourself to the limit. KICK ASS!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Bribes are encouraged!
SUN TODAY! YAY! It is amazing what a little sunshine can do to your mood. Well...and it was squat day which always makes me happy. Yes, I realize that is not a normal comment and I am totally comfortable with being special. Looking forward to 5 solid days of 50's and sun in the forecast. I swear I was a weatherwoman in my past life, I watch the weather forecast about 15x a day. Maybe it was 4 years of spring track on the east coast that made me obsessive, but whatever the reason, if you ever want to know the weather hit me up.
Before getting to today's [awesome] workout, I want to officially give everybody full authority to bribe themselves to get their daily workout in. I spoke with a friend yesterday who confessed she was NOT looking forward to having to get a morning workout in tomorrow [since she has evening plans]. After the standard motivational chat, I encouraged her to treat herself to a latte if she got up and had a great workout. This particular friends LOVES coffee, and I figured that a $3 treat is well worth the health benefit of getting a workout in. She loved the idea, I loved the idea, and that made me realize that bribing yourself to make healthy decisions is 100% morally allowed.
Bribes can be creative...whether it be a [low cal] treat from sbux, a glass of wine with dinner, a great summer beach read, a trashy magazine, pedicure, etc... Next time you can't manage to get yourself to the gym in a highly motivated state of mind, allow yourself to think of an effective bribe. As long as you are bribing yourself to do good, and not evil, I think it can be a useful tool! Eventually you won't need a bribe, but until the day comes when you wake up and can't wait to step into the gym, it is totally okay to use a bit of added motivation.
Today's workout
Instead of back squatting first today, I used split squats and side lunges as a warmup which was highly effective. My legs were ready to squat and I felt stronger than ever under the bar! Thanks for the suggestion, Jack.
Split squats 3 x 10 each with 25lb dumbells
Side lunges 3 x 10 each with 25lb dumbells
Back Squat x 8 at 155lb, x 6 at 175lb, x 6 at 195lb, x 4 at 205lb
Physio ball hamstring curls 4 x 10
Hip circuit 3 x circuit
Overall great workout, squats felt really strong. Time is quickly approaching for 2 plates on each side! Thrilling. I will be going back tonight for my walk/jog rehab running routine and a new core workout, courtesy of Mr. Anderson.
Enjoy hump day, all!
Before getting to today's [awesome] workout, I want to officially give everybody full authority to bribe themselves to get their daily workout in. I spoke with a friend yesterday who confessed she was NOT looking forward to having to get a morning workout in tomorrow [since she has evening plans]. After the standard motivational chat, I encouraged her to treat herself to a latte if she got up and had a great workout. This particular friends LOVES coffee, and I figured that a $3 treat is well worth the health benefit of getting a workout in. She loved the idea, I loved the idea, and that made me realize that bribing yourself to make healthy decisions is 100% morally allowed.
Bribes can be creative...whether it be a [low cal] treat from sbux, a glass of wine with dinner, a great summer beach read, a trashy magazine, pedicure, etc... Next time you can't manage to get yourself to the gym in a highly motivated state of mind, allow yourself to think of an effective bribe. As long as you are bribing yourself to do good, and not evil, I think it can be a useful tool! Eventually you won't need a bribe, but until the day comes when you wake up and can't wait to step into the gym, it is totally okay to use a bit of added motivation.
Today's workout
Instead of back squatting first today, I used split squats and side lunges as a warmup which was highly effective. My legs were ready to squat and I felt stronger than ever under the bar! Thanks for the suggestion, Jack.
Split squats 3 x 10 each with 25lb dumbells
Side lunges 3 x 10 each with 25lb dumbells
Back Squat x 8 at 155lb, x 6 at 175lb, x 6 at 195lb, x 4 at 205lb
Physio ball hamstring curls 4 x 10
Hip circuit 3 x circuit
Overall great workout, squats felt really strong. Time is quickly approaching for 2 plates on each side! Thrilling. I will be going back tonight for my walk/jog rehab running routine and a new core workout, courtesy of Mr. Anderson.
Enjoy hump day, all!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Cardio? Lifting? Strike the right balance
Day 2 of rain this week. Thrilling. Is anyone else ready to escape to Mexico for a little bit? Let's get a group together and make it happen. Bikinis, sun, pina coladas....paradise. Unfortunately my reality is 10 hours in the office looking out onto rainy downtown Boston. Oh well! Must find joy from other aspects of life outside of weather.
Daily workout anecdote: this morning was spin class with Derek. In general his classes are awesome but his music is never loud enough. If I can hear the man next to me clearing his throat every 15 seconds [um GROSS] then turn up the dang music. Anyway he loves to do tempo rides, so basically long bouts of high cadence at moderately heavy resistance. SWEATYYY. This morning I looked in my drawer and realized I had no spandex capris/pants left, which is what I generally wear to spin. I can't wear running shorts on a spinning bike, and I don't pull out the booty spandex very often post-graduation [acceptable on the track...debatable in a normal gym with people unaccustomed to track booty in tiny shorts]. Soooo I end up putting on a pair of orange booty spandex. It really was my best option. It was all fun and games until I started spinning and realized that booty shorts quickly become underwear on a spinner. I couldn't win this battle, I had to accept that I was going to be spinning in spandex underwear for 45 minutes and that the inside of my legs were going to chafe. Badly. It was not enjoyable in the slightest but Derek taught a kick-ass class and I will make myself do laundry tonight.
I have been having multiple discussions with friends and family about the cardio/lifting balance of workout routines so I thought I would discuss a bit here as well. In general, men tend to do mostly lifting while women tend to do mostly cardio. In my opinion men have it a bit more right, the happy medium is 4 days of lifting and 3 days of cardio each week. I think lifting should dominate your workout routine as lifting increases muscle mass, which in turn increases your metabolism on a sustainable basis. The more muscle fibers you have, the harder your body works and the more calories and fat you burn minute to minute. Cardio is great for getting your heart-rate up temporarily, but lifting has an exponentially more significant long-term calorie burning effect. Lifting also offers quite a bit more variety to your workout compared to the 3 or 4 machines that are available [and worth your time] at the gym. Of course when summer comes around, I am much more cardio driven in my free time as there are endless cardio opportunities when it is nice enough to be outside. However, when it comes to the gym, you are better off focusing >50% of your time on the weights!
For weight maintenance, I suggest 4 days lifting and 3 days of cardio [>30 mins] a week in any combination. If you are trying to lose a couple, increasing cardio to 5 days a week should do the trick, but don't skimp on the weight workouts. Right now I am pushing for beach body 2011, so I am getting in 4 to 5 days of cardio by doing spin class Tuesday, Thursday, and coupling 2 or 3 weight workouts a week with cardio as a second workout for the day. For example, yesterday I focused on biceps/triceps for 60 minutes in the morning, and was back at the gym right after work for a 30 minute aerobic stairmaster workout. A lot of people don't like the 2-a-day lifestyle, so you can obviously fit in both cardio and weights during the same workout. I think there are HUGE benefits to 2-a-days because they spike your metabolism twice in 24 hours, which keeps your calorie burning as high as possible over the course of the day. Give it a shot, you might like it more than expected! Plus it makes you feel sort of intense...
Daily workout anecdote: this morning was spin class with Derek. In general his classes are awesome but his music is never loud enough. If I can hear the man next to me clearing his throat every 15 seconds [um GROSS] then turn up the dang music. Anyway he loves to do tempo rides, so basically long bouts of high cadence at moderately heavy resistance. SWEATYYY. This morning I looked in my drawer and realized I had no spandex capris/pants left, which is what I generally wear to spin. I can't wear running shorts on a spinning bike, and I don't pull out the booty spandex very often post-graduation [acceptable on the track...debatable in a normal gym with people unaccustomed to track booty in tiny shorts]. Soooo I end up putting on a pair of orange booty spandex. It really was my best option. It was all fun and games until I started spinning and realized that booty shorts quickly become underwear on a spinner. I couldn't win this battle, I had to accept that I was going to be spinning in spandex underwear for 45 minutes and that the inside of my legs were going to chafe. Badly. It was not enjoyable in the slightest but Derek taught a kick-ass class and I will make myself do laundry tonight.
I have been having multiple discussions with friends and family about the cardio/lifting balance of workout routines so I thought I would discuss a bit here as well. In general, men tend to do mostly lifting while women tend to do mostly cardio. In my opinion men have it a bit more right, the happy medium is 4 days of lifting and 3 days of cardio each week. I think lifting should dominate your workout routine as lifting increases muscle mass, which in turn increases your metabolism on a sustainable basis. The more muscle fibers you have, the harder your body works and the more calories and fat you burn minute to minute. Cardio is great for getting your heart-rate up temporarily, but lifting has an exponentially more significant long-term calorie burning effect. Lifting also offers quite a bit more variety to your workout compared to the 3 or 4 machines that are available [and worth your time] at the gym. Of course when summer comes around, I am much more cardio driven in my free time as there are endless cardio opportunities when it is nice enough to be outside. However, when it comes to the gym, you are better off focusing >50% of your time on the weights!
For weight maintenance, I suggest 4 days lifting and 3 days of cardio [>30 mins] a week in any combination. If you are trying to lose a couple, increasing cardio to 5 days a week should do the trick, but don't skimp on the weight workouts. Right now I am pushing for beach body 2011, so I am getting in 4 to 5 days of cardio by doing spin class Tuesday, Thursday, and coupling 2 or 3 weight workouts a week with cardio as a second workout for the day. For example, yesterday I focused on biceps/triceps for 60 minutes in the morning, and was back at the gym right after work for a 30 minute aerobic stairmaster workout. A lot of people don't like the 2-a-day lifestyle, so you can obviously fit in both cardio and weights during the same workout. I think there are HUGE benefits to 2-a-days because they spike your metabolism twice in 24 hours, which keeps your calorie burning as high as possible over the course of the day. Give it a shot, you might like it more than expected! Plus it makes you feel sort of intense...
Monday, April 4, 2011
Weekend goodness and barefoot running
Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a restful, relaxing, and fun weekend. One of my closest friends had a big birthday so it was a weekend of celebration on my end, can't complain! Lots of rain in the forecast for the week [of course, Boston couldn't possibly make its residents happy with spring-like weather], while it was 80 and sunny back at home in Denver this weekend. So jealous. Played some lawn games yesterday when it hit a WHOLE 55 degrees. Tropical. In other news it was sort of a big sports weekend. The Nuggets beat the Lakers, I am thrilled. Trading Melo was the best possible outcome for the team, we have been kicking ass. The Final Four games went down, not that I have anything invested at this point since all my teams were out like two rounds ago. I'm rooting for Butler tonight, underdog victories are my jam. First weekend of baseball, Sox are winless, Rockies are 1-1.
Saturday's workout was awesome. My back feels like it has gone through minor trauma, but that just tells me I need to get stronger. It is amazing how your body is designed to give you feedback. Pain = muscular weakness! I put big plates on the bar for power cleans for the first time since college and it felt great. I said a little prayer hoping my back didn't seize up and give out, and someone was listening...I survived and live to tell about it.
Saturday's workout
Power clean progression: 3 x 5 each shrug, high pull, power clean. 1 x 3 power clean. 1 x 2 power clean. I felt good on cleans so I added two extra short sets at 135lb to get some more explosive work in.
Barbell deadlift: 3 x 6 reps at 185lb. I used the trap bar last week which is actually a lot easier on my grip and more conducive to piling on weight. I put 185lb on the normal bar and it was a lot harder! Doing both types of deadlifts will be good for me, I suggest alternating.
Step-ups: 3 x 10 each. I used a 25lb barbell, but you can use dumbells or kettlebells for a similar effect. Technique is really important or you don't get a lot of the benefit of step-ups. Keep the foot on the ground as close to the box as possible to isolate the working leg. Step down completely with both legs between reps. My legs are generally exhausted by the time I get to step-ups but I need to increase weight to at least a 45lb bar next time around. Time to do work.
Reverse lunges: 4 x 10 each. I used 12kg kettlebells, I think they work great for the exercise. Alternate legs and lunge back as far as possible while mantaining balance. I time 1 minute rest between sets to exhaust my legs.
Bench medball crunches: 5 x 20 reps. I maintain that this is the best core exercise I have ever done. Sitting at the end of a bench, hold a medball between your knees [I used 4kg medball], extend upper and lower body completely and crunch together. Hold the sides of the bench for balance. If anyone has killer core exercises, send them my way please!!!
This workout left my back VERY worked out, between the heavier cleans and deadlifts. Make sure that your form is on point, no one wants any pulled back muscles, that is very un-fun.
Sunday's workout
Sunday was my 1 month anniversary out of the boot! For those of you that didn't know, I fractured my left foot at the end of January. I was given vibrams for Christmas [google if you don't know what these are] and they are the most amazing running shoes I have ever put on. The shoe company warns you not to do too much too soon, but I couldn't help myself. When you run in vibrams you feel weightless, amazing, and like you were born to run. Within a couple of weeks I found myself doing sprint intervals 45 minutes at a time. Needless to say, I fractured my foot, as it isn't use to the stress of barefoot running. This was 100% user error. I fully endorse vibrams and can't wait to run in them again, but you have to be really careful. I tend to think I am invincible but this experience taught me otherwise!
So anyway...8 weeks after my initial fracture [Sunday] I was allowed to jog! I WAS SO EXCITED! I miss running so so much, and honestly it is hard to be in tip top shape if you can't run. There is simply no substitute. So I got my gimp workout from Gary, my college trainer, which was 3 mins walk, 2 mins run x 5. I was really nervous because I was going to be devastated if my foot hurt when I jogged, I am so ready to be back into it. All I have to say is that bodies are amazing. ZERO pain during my gimpy workout. Not having run in over 2 months, I didn't exactly feel like an olympic athlete on the treadmill, but the natural feeling of running is coming back slowly but surely. It is unreal that I can push my body hard enough to fracture my foot, wear a boot for a month, and a month after that my bone has calcified enough to run again. Thank God for the healing process!
The road to recovery from stress fractures is slow, but it has been a good lesson for me in patience with my body and creativity in my workouts. I was running 5 times a week before I fractured my foot, so it has certainly been a good challenge keeping myself happy, healthy, and occupied without running. I still believe whole-heartedly in the concept of barefoot running and am eager to get back into as my foot continues to heal. For those of you who don't know much about barefoot running, check out the book "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. Life changing, seriously. Just be careful and give your body time to adjust to a motion which is COMPLETELY natural, but foreign in the Westernized world of 'supportive' shoes and orthodics.
Happy Monday, make it a great one!
Saturday's workout was awesome. My back feels like it has gone through minor trauma, but that just tells me I need to get stronger. It is amazing how your body is designed to give you feedback. Pain = muscular weakness! I put big plates on the bar for power cleans for the first time since college and it felt great. I said a little prayer hoping my back didn't seize up and give out, and someone was listening...I survived and live to tell about it.
Saturday's workout
Power clean progression: 3 x 5 each shrug, high pull, power clean. 1 x 3 power clean. 1 x 2 power clean. I felt good on cleans so I added two extra short sets at 135lb to get some more explosive work in.
Barbell deadlift: 3 x 6 reps at 185lb. I used the trap bar last week which is actually a lot easier on my grip and more conducive to piling on weight. I put 185lb on the normal bar and it was a lot harder! Doing both types of deadlifts will be good for me, I suggest alternating.
Step-ups: 3 x 10 each. I used a 25lb barbell, but you can use dumbells or kettlebells for a similar effect. Technique is really important or you don't get a lot of the benefit of step-ups. Keep the foot on the ground as close to the box as possible to isolate the working leg. Step down completely with both legs between reps. My legs are generally exhausted by the time I get to step-ups but I need to increase weight to at least a 45lb bar next time around. Time to do work.
Reverse lunges: 4 x 10 each. I used 12kg kettlebells, I think they work great for the exercise. Alternate legs and lunge back as far as possible while mantaining balance. I time 1 minute rest between sets to exhaust my legs.
Bench medball crunches: 5 x 20 reps. I maintain that this is the best core exercise I have ever done. Sitting at the end of a bench, hold a medball between your knees [I used 4kg medball], extend upper and lower body completely and crunch together. Hold the sides of the bench for balance. If anyone has killer core exercises, send them my way please!!!
This workout left my back VERY worked out, between the heavier cleans and deadlifts. Make sure that your form is on point, no one wants any pulled back muscles, that is very un-fun.
Sunday's workout
Sunday was my 1 month anniversary out of the boot! For those of you that didn't know, I fractured my left foot at the end of January. I was given vibrams for Christmas [google if you don't know what these are] and they are the most amazing running shoes I have ever put on. The shoe company warns you not to do too much too soon, but I couldn't help myself. When you run in vibrams you feel weightless, amazing, and like you were born to run. Within a couple of weeks I found myself doing sprint intervals 45 minutes at a time. Needless to say, I fractured my foot, as it isn't use to the stress of barefoot running. This was 100% user error. I fully endorse vibrams and can't wait to run in them again, but you have to be really careful. I tend to think I am invincible but this experience taught me otherwise!
So anyway...8 weeks after my initial fracture [Sunday] I was allowed to jog! I WAS SO EXCITED! I miss running so so much, and honestly it is hard to be in tip top shape if you can't run. There is simply no substitute. So I got my gimp workout from Gary, my college trainer, which was 3 mins walk, 2 mins run x 5. I was really nervous because I was going to be devastated if my foot hurt when I jogged, I am so ready to be back into it. All I have to say is that bodies are amazing. ZERO pain during my gimpy workout. Not having run in over 2 months, I didn't exactly feel like an olympic athlete on the treadmill, but the natural feeling of running is coming back slowly but surely. It is unreal that I can push my body hard enough to fracture my foot, wear a boot for a month, and a month after that my bone has calcified enough to run again. Thank God for the healing process!
The road to recovery from stress fractures is slow, but it has been a good lesson for me in patience with my body and creativity in my workouts. I was running 5 times a week before I fractured my foot, so it has certainly been a good challenge keeping myself happy, healthy, and occupied without running. I still believe whole-heartedly in the concept of barefoot running and am eager to get back into as my foot continues to heal. For those of you who don't know much about barefoot running, check out the book "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. Life changing, seriously. Just be careful and give your body time to adjust to a motion which is COMPLETELY natural, but foreign in the Westernized world of 'supportive' shoes and orthodics.
Happy Monday, make it a great one!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Boost your mood!
TGIF! I am thankful for every single Friday that has existed in my life. Even this Friday... I am not a fan of April Fool's Day, if you know me I don't really take pranks well, and it is snowing. April snow. Not my favorite. Well, to be more specific we are experiencing a northeastern phenomenon called 'wintry mix.' Wintry mix sounds lovely and festive, when really it is the most disgusting weather I have seen on this earth. Rain/slow/sleet/wind/slush/spitting. I don't know what weather god is responsible for this, but I really don't appreciate it. I made the mistake of leaving my apartment this morning in my gym shoes. I thought my boot days were over for the year, what a poor decision. I look like one of those incompetent unprepared women trying to avoid the puddles treking through downtown Boston. At least I'm not wearing Sperry's, I saw two unfortunate souls donning those this morning.
What is the perfect way to get over April wintry mix blues? Exercise! Laying in bed at 6am, watching the snow/sleet/rain come down, it was a little hard to want to jump out of bed and put my trainers on. However, I have done this enough times over the past two winters to know that the moment I got in the gym, my mood would be exponentially improved. One of the best parts of exercise is the endorphin effect! Who doesn't love endorphins...I think of them as little happy molecules that float around in your brain, waiting to be stimulated by various activities, one of which is exercise [science people, don't judge me for how I think about endorphins, it works for me]. It can be really hard to get yourself up and to the gym, but once you are there the biology of exercise makes you happy. Literally.
Next time you look outside and the weather makes you never want to leave home again, do the exact opposite. Put on boots, jacket, plug in your music and get your butt to the gym. Not only will exercise stimulate endorphin release in your body, but you will feel good about doing something productive with your time and the rest of your day will follow suit. As my mom likes to say "your body doesn't get a vote." When your body tells you no, you tell it to be quiet and suck it up. It will be happy once it gets moving! Mind over matter, especially when it comes to combating April wintry mix.
I, for one, will be doing a 2-a-day today to combat the crappy weather. Twice the endorphins? Sign me up. Morning workout focused on back, chest and shoulders. Evening will be cardio!
Today's workout
Superset: Barbell incline press & pushups
10 x 65lb, 10 pushups
8 x 75lb, 10 pushups
6 x 85lb, 10 pushups
4 x 95lb [for the first time I asked a random dude to spot me at the gym. I highly encourage this, you can push yourself a lot harder!]
Superset: Lat pulldown & dumbell bent over row
3 sets: 10 x 80 lbs lat pulldown, 10 each bent over row x 40lb db
Superset: Barbell military press & single-arm cable fly [thanks Miles!]
3 sets: 10 x 55lb military press, 10 each x 30lb single-arm cable fly
Single-arm cable fly - set cable machine at shoulder height, grab with one hand and pull so you start with tension, pull cable across your body at chest level with a slightly bent arm and return to starting position. Repeat.
For all you on the east coast, get to the gym to fight the shitty weather blues! For all you NOT on the east coast....I'm just jealous.
What is the perfect way to get over April wintry mix blues? Exercise! Laying in bed at 6am, watching the snow/sleet/rain come down, it was a little hard to want to jump out of bed and put my trainers on. However, I have done this enough times over the past two winters to know that the moment I got in the gym, my mood would be exponentially improved. One of the best parts of exercise is the endorphin effect! Who doesn't love endorphins...I think of them as little happy molecules that float around in your brain, waiting to be stimulated by various activities, one of which is exercise [science people, don't judge me for how I think about endorphins, it works for me]. It can be really hard to get yourself up and to the gym, but once you are there the biology of exercise makes you happy. Literally.
Next time you look outside and the weather makes you never want to leave home again, do the exact opposite. Put on boots, jacket, plug in your music and get your butt to the gym. Not only will exercise stimulate endorphin release in your body, but you will feel good about doing something productive with your time and the rest of your day will follow suit. As my mom likes to say "your body doesn't get a vote." When your body tells you no, you tell it to be quiet and suck it up. It will be happy once it gets moving! Mind over matter, especially when it comes to combating April wintry mix.
I, for one, will be doing a 2-a-day today to combat the crappy weather. Twice the endorphins? Sign me up. Morning workout focused on back, chest and shoulders. Evening will be cardio!
Today's workout
Superset: Barbell incline press & pushups
10 x 65lb, 10 pushups
8 x 75lb, 10 pushups
6 x 85lb, 10 pushups
4 x 95lb [for the first time I asked a random dude to spot me at the gym. I highly encourage this, you can push yourself a lot harder!]
Superset: Lat pulldown & dumbell bent over row
3 sets: 10 x 80 lbs lat pulldown, 10 each bent over row x 40lb db
Superset: Barbell military press & single-arm cable fly [thanks Miles!]
3 sets: 10 x 55lb military press, 10 each x 30lb single-arm cable fly
Single-arm cable fly - set cable machine at shoulder height, grab with one hand and pull so you start with tension, pull cable across your body at chest level with a slightly bent arm and return to starting position. Repeat.
For all you on the east coast, get to the gym to fight the shitty weather blues! For all you NOT on the east coast....I'm just jealous.
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