Is it Friday yet??

NOPE!! I wish! Although my Friday and Saturday is still busy with teaching!
I am subbing A LOT this week. First up was today- 9- minute Extreme Intensity Spin. Woah! It was kind of fun. The best part was that I was able to train within my specific heart rate parameters. I felt as if I had a real goal in class. The bad part was that only people showed up! One did not have a HR monitor and the other one forgot his!! There was 1 extra and the guy that did not have one? I think he could have cared less! Oh well..... They seemed to have enjoyed the class. It was Loooong!

I also had my new mom's class today....I took it easy on myself and let the ladies loose in the gym. Well, they had some specifics and I supervised. We then moved it into the studio for core and ball work. No weights today, but you would have thought I was killing those gals! They are funny, but most of them worked really hard today and had lots of questions. I love questions-especially when I know the answer!

Cardio Sculpt was later. I was beat by the time this class started. Green tea does nothing for me in terms of a caffeine kick. Nope. I pulled it together and did a nice circuit style mash-up. It went something like this:

Cardio:
squat jumps R (8)
jabbing sequence
squat jumps L (8)
upper cuts
3 times total

Sculpt:
Shoulder Press
Hammer curls
(lots of each!)

Cardio:
high low punches (r)
repeat (l)
kicks
3 times total

Scuplt:
15Wood chop (ball)/side
Crunches on ball-15 slow

Cardio:
ski hops (r) 4
repeat (l)
1 Burpee ( set 3 = 6 burpees)
fast alt ski hops
3 times total

Sculpt:
plank hold + alt punches (8)
Plank toe taps (8)
2 sets

Cardio:
hooks (r) 8
repeat l
jump rope sequence/ and jump jacks
3 times total

Sculpt:
triceps kickbacks
side lunge + knee lift (lots)
Lots!

I added more cardio, hamstring curls on the ball and roll ups... and then repeated all the abs again. Whew. Squat jumps always make me hurt immediately.

After class i had to go grocery shopping-- I am so glad I remembered to pack clean clothes to change into because I was a sweaty beast.

Sun Salutations and I ran again.

My PC has a virus and I should not even be on it..but I am.

Sunday~ Yoga class for 45 while minutes!! YAY! Finally........ It was a Sun Salutations class....it basically went like this:
down dog
plank
forward fold
monkey
mountain pose
swan dive
plank
crocodile
plank
repeat for 45 minutes!

She threw in a few shoulder stretches for good measure
this was freakin; hard! I am sure I have mentioned once or twice ( or a million times), how much I need to take yoga regularly?? Well, I do. I really, really hope to be able to add this in on Sunday (my "off" day from exercise).

Monday~ 5 am here I am. Ugh. I could not sleep, so why not head to the gym ( sounds like a problem to me). I am glad I got up though. I had 61 minutes to do for my HR training and I did it all on the treadmill. Almost 6 miles worth of intervals. My avg. HR was 157. It went well. I miss running. Officially.

After that I did a short and sweet weight circuit:
3x8
plank to shoulder press
bent over rows
front squats
biceps curls
( I almost puked after set 2, but could not stop..too many witnesses)

Core for 15 minutes straight
3x15
crunches
toe dips
plank hold( 30 seconds)
My abs were on fire. I know I was engaging all the right things and taking my time this morning...I hate working abs directly. That's probably why it burns so much cuz I don't do it enough. Lesson learned? Probably not.

Spin class was at 10 am-- intervals today. I think they went well. I need to start trying to teach off the bike. I do a lot of activity and find myself kind of fatigued all week. The only time I taught off the bike was when I was 8 months preggo and my belly touched the handle bars ( true story). I know I am still an effective instructor off the bike-I just need to get used to doing that again.
That's it.

Spin and hanging from the ceiling.....

Friday~

Early Spin. I am liking how packed my Friday class has been for the past 3 weeks! It's very motivating, especially when I am as tired as I was (Miles strikes again). I did a repeat of Monday's tough strength interval. I just changed the music and it seemed like a brand new ride. I was able to push myself more today-- most likely because I did not ride 60 miles the day before.

After class I was able to try out the TRX System we have at our gym. You can do so much cool stuff with these..the bands hang from the ceiling and you are more or less using your body weight and balance at the same time. It is tricky, but I am sure very effective once you get the hang of it. I did abs, rows, biceps, triceps, chest and deltoids on this contraption! Hopefully I will be able to incorporate this system in my workout--which I plan on revamping next month! Story of my life.....

Thursdays--Jam Packed!

Thursday~

I went to the gym to do my speed workout. It was to be (8) 400m at 1:37.
This is how it went:

1. 1:49

2. 1:39

3. 1:37

4. 1:37

5. 1:36

6. 138

7. 136

8. 1:34

I was able to recover fully between sprints. It's not the same doing this on the treadmill vs. going outside, but at 5 AM, by myself I had no other choice.

I did an abbreviated warm up and cool down. I then hopped on the elliptical for 30 minutes so I could read an atricle or 2 in the latest's Runner's World.

I went back to the gym to get my weight workout in with my friend.

3x8:

Negative Pull-Ups

Walking Lunges

Push ups

Plank Rows

Leg Press

I just stated teaching a new group exercise class on Thursdays as well. 3*2*1 is the name. After the 6 minute warm up: 3 minutes of cardio, 2 minutes of "toning"with weights/bars/body-weight, and 1 minute of core and then you repeat it all! I am a stickler for time, so when said minutes are up- we move it on to the next thing. I explain the exercises as we jump right into them. It was a good group. There were some familiar faces and some new ones too. I was a bit nervous myself. It has been over a year I think since I have had a regular (non-Spin!) cardio class. I guess it's just like riding a bike. I did fine. I did not trip or anything and my rhythm has not left me. Whew!

Thursday-Long Run(treadmill style)

I hate the treadmill. Yet, I am thankful I can use it to get what I need done-done. I made it to the gym a little later than planned. I think I started watching The Olympics or something and lost track of time. Ooops!
I actually felt really strong and good during most of the run. I added some inclines and varying speed along the way. At about mile 4 or so the treadmill I was on started misbehaving. It was unbalanced all of a sudden! Total bummer. There are a lot of treadmills at my gym, ,but I did not want to waste time looking for "the perfect" one -Again! I liked the one I was on..it did not make too much noise and the TV was already on Closed Captioned! I like that so I can "read" the news and listen to my iPod at the same time. Multi-tasker is my middle name (actually It's Dawn!)
So that leads me to my new treadmill. The closed caption was not on (boo!) besides that all went well....well besides my iPod ear phones acting up. They stopped working in the unit, but worked in the TV. Ugh. So annoying! I got through it. What was I talking about? Oh right..running! I tried to stop and drink every 30 minutes or so, just as I would have done if I was running outdoors. It's always harder to start up when you are by yourself I think. I kept about a 9 minute pace since I threw in a few 7:45 pace (not for a whole mile though). I was a sweaty mess. My hips have been kind of tight lately as well, not liking that feeling. I almost stopped my run with less then 3 miles left. I was kind of late starting and I did not want to be late getting home so Matt could leave for work. I texted him to let him know I had 1 mile left and did not hear back from him...so I just took that as he was OK with it. I guess it could have meant he never got the message since he was busy with the kids too. Oooops. He seemed fine when i got home so I will still assume he got my message.
I did go back to the gym fr core work. I am not sure if that is dedication or stupidity. I got the kids dressed. Changed my clothes and ate quickly and was back at the gym. I was there less than 1 hour before! I am glad I went back. I did not stretch enough after the run so I used the next hour to stretch and do core. I would write what I did, but I don't know the proper names of a few of the exercises! So here is some of what I did!
Hip circles
planks (variations)
Roll ups
weighted obliques
cat and cow
2 more!
Repeat everything!
Lots of stretching before, between and after all sets were done.
It was a great day!

Tired Tuesday!!

I did not want to lift weights today! I had a 5 AM client and I was tired. Not just my body but my brain too! I realized I have not taken a day off in 2.5 months from lifting consistently twice a week. So it was a great day to just do core. Ugh. So that is what I did.

crunches on ball (30)
hyper extensions on ball (15)
oblique twists w/ball ( 20)
ball pass ( 10)
side leg lifts on ball (15/side)
cat and cow (10)
plank (50 seconds)
repeat backwards --start with plank.
---------------------------------------------
balance quad ( 8 seconds per side x4)
pelvic lifts from floor ( 60 seconds)
balance/ right arm left leg alt. ( 10/side)

So that was it!
I also did 3 ( 1 minute) rounds on the kickboxing game. That thing is tiring.

Running Club- Speed Session- Hills x 10!
1.5 mile warm up
10 hills ( accelerate up the hill)
1.5 mile cool down.
short and sweet and very effective!

I was not sure how I would feel doing these and I felt great! It was hard, but not the kind that I wanted to stop at hill 5!
It turned out to be a great day!

Sunday and Monday..resting and racing!

Sunday- Off day. It was not going to be one, but now I am glad it was!
I woke up with a sore body. All from the 5k ( or 3.2 mile..haha) on Saturday. My abs were (and still are) sore.
Monday- Since it's the last Monday of the month it was Race Day in spin today. I am surprised that I was not recovered from Saturday. My legs felt like logs when the race started. I am glad I extended the warm up to 7 minutes. It probably had something to do with my lack of stretching and warm down after the race (doh!)
We did 2 minute segments ( flat road, standing run, standing climb, flat road..and then we turned around-- flat road, standing climb, standing run, flat road) 30 seconds standing sprint into a regular standing climb for 2 minutes. WHEW!! The rest was in 1 minute segments with 1 more sprint and a 1 minute race to the finish line on a flat road with resistance. It was a doozy. My HR maxed out at 180 bpm, while my average was in the mid 160's! CRAZY. It was fun though. I am getting better at giving more Race Day visuals for the riders. That's not my usual thing or style so I hope they don't think I am weird or something!
Totally Toned was at noon. My visuals for today's class was Tank Tops and Bikinis! We did lots of shoulders and abs/core work!
Today was a great day!
Running tomorrow!

Saturday---

My legs are TIRED!! I made it to the 60 minute spin today. Before that started I did a quick warm up on the bike and then did about 10-15 minutes of core work ( go me!). I did some pilates roll ups, hip circles, leg lifts and plank holds. I did about 3 sets I think.
I also took my time getting into the spin ride today. I extended the warm up on my own to make sure I was actually ready! It was a good endurance ride, but I still took it down a notch. I was still a sweaty mess, but only half as usual.
I stretched for a good 10 minutes afterwards. It feels good to have it all done. It was 4* this morning and a windchill of something stupid. I am now feeling really good that I was unable to find a sitter so I could do the long run outside. Whew.
Tomorrow is my first race of the season! EEEEK!

Monday- Spinning Race Day- Sweat Fest.

Today was the day!
The last Monday of the month = Race Day. I feel kind of sorry for the new people that came to class today. Today is not a typical class due to the intensity. I did tell them that and chatted with them afterwards to make sure they were OK and understood......they seemed to, so I hope to see them again. All the bikes were utilized this morning so it was even warmer then normal-we have the fans going-thank goodness. It was hot up in there!
It was a pretty good ride today. I gave more visual cues today the I normally do. We had a few times where I had them "see" a person they wanted to pass and then we sped it up even more for 15-20 seconds. All the hills I had in the race today were short and too the point. Some were steep and some were at a fast pace, but challenging nonetheless. Good stuff.
Totally Toned was in the afternoon. Lots of core again. They seem to
hate/love it--so they say. I just give the people what they want!

Thursday!

Today was full body circuits. It was the same workout as I posted Tuesday, but I did 3x12. I also changed up a few things.
Instead of a basic split squat I did alternating reverse lunges. Instead of a BB row, I did a DB row. And instead of standard dead lifts, I did a wide stance dead. Those small changes can make a big difference in how the muscles are "worked" and it just makes it more interesting I think! I have a workout buddy as well. He ( yes, I said he!) makes lifting a lot more fun and he pushes me to lift heavier when I normally might have chosen a lighter weight. It's the whole competitive side that I can't tame! He needs guidance and accountability and I need the consistency, so things are working out for both of us. We have been pretty consistent ( one time I skipped due to who knows what, but he said he still lifted) for about 5 weeks now. I hope we can keep at it!
After lifting we do about 15 minutes of core. Today that included hip circles, leg lifts,and cat and cows. I threw in some stretching and yoga at the end that he was not too sure about, but did it because I told him to! HA!
I did not really feel like or have enough time to do my cardio at this time.
The kids and i went back later and I was able to do my HILL workout on the treadmill. It was not at all like taking on Manhattan Hill last Tuesday, but I still did it. 10 times up .10 of a mile and then back "down". Ugh. It was good though. Ugh. That took me roughly 35 minutes including the warm up and cool down.
I was able to make it to my beloved kickboxing class. I had not been to this gym or this class since before Christmas. The instructor as well as many participants made a big deal about seeing me again! How nice to be missed. I am officially a gym rat! So funny. I think they missed my kids more though! It was a great workout and I am sure my back will be letting me know just how great in the morning! I think I will try and make it back to this class next week too. I miss it and the peeps!

Sunday and Monday stuff!

I was a busy gal on Sunday so I waited until today when I was not as busy...cuz I am still busy as usual!

Sunday was all cardio!! Sometimes I just can't get enough. Or I just needed to be out of the house..yea. I started with a 5 minute warm up on the rowing machine and then hopped on the elliptical for some shorter intervals ( 30 seconds on 30 seconds off). They were pretty intense. All 15 minutes of em'! I then went on the horrid stair climbing machine. 10 minutes of logerish intervals ( 1 minute on 1 minute off). And then I went on a different style elliptical for 15 minutes of longerishish ( this should be a word) intervals ( 2 minutes on 2 minutes off). Lastly ( yep, there is more) I walked on the tread for 10 minutes on a varying incline at a constant speed of 3.8. I wanted to cool down on the rower for 5 minutes, but I guess it was a pretty popular item on this day. All 6 of them were taken. Boooo!
I did utilize my extra time well and stretched. 13 whole minutes again. I am on a frickin' roll with this stretching business. HA!

Monday~ Spin day. We have a new sign up system at our gym. Today was the first day it was used and there was only one snafu. Sadly, I had to make a dude leave my class as he did not sign up properly and "stole" someone elses bike. He was not happy, but I just enforce the rules not make them! Sorry Charlie! Needless to say, the class was packed! It was a strength/endurance day. Oh boy. We did 1 set of strength intervals for 9 minutes, followed by 9 minutes of endurance intervals. We did that twice. I added in one more 9 minute hill and a 6 minute more difficult then the first 2 endurance interval. It was really tough. I was looking like a drowned rat by the 20 minute mark!
I taught Totally Toned at noon and from the sounds of it I killed some core today. I know I killed mine! I get to run tomorrow! Yay!

Spin sub and new circuit Thursday

I subbed a spin class this morning at 5:30 AM. It was hard to get up!!!
Class was really tough. I was told to teach a muscle endurance class. These type of classes are way hard!! you basically do not get a recovery at all. The point is to really tax your system and to keep your heart rate at a moderate pace. Sounds not too hard, but once you actually do it and do it correctly, you will see (feel) what I mean. The early morning bunch is a bit different than my mid morning gang. The morning people are actually morning people. They come in with coffee 20 minutes early and are very social at a time when I would rather not be. They motivate me! Lots of yelps from my front row girl. Lots of grunts from the dudes. At the end I even got a fist pump. It was funny.
A few hours later I headed back to the gym for my full body circuit. I changed things up a bit as my workout partner was getting bored! Here's what it looked like:
These were in supersetted groups.

3x10

Split Squat
Bent over rows

Incline chest press
Chin- ups

Dead lifts
Up right rows

I kind of skipped core today. I was not feeling it and I felt tired from my early morning as well as the weight workout. Even though I skipped that I felt today was a great day!

Tuesday-- Run for the Hills!

Tonight (6 PM) was the first speed session for my running club--RunGR.com. Even though I knew what the workouts would be you are really never ready for it! It was HARD.

We were told to run the hill 4-8 times. That is pretty wide open. I was set to do 6, but of course my competitive nature took right over and I had to do 8. I was totally spent at 4.5 though! I feel so good when it's over and done with. During I kind of feel like keeling over. For real. Hills are the worst/best thing in training. The good thing is that it makes the workout literally fly by. 8 hills came out to be about 2 miles total. Warm up and cool down were 1.5 miles each way. Not too many today, but that was not the point of today's workout. Hill sprints build leg strength and speed. Bring it!! I need that!!! I even stretched today after running. It was the peer pressure I tell yea! I don't mind stretching while gossiping. It's distracting. I might have stretched for a solid 10-12 minutes. YAY!

This morning I made it to the gym for my usual full body circuit. I might change this up this week or next for sure. It was fun while it lasted.

Core today was planks (3 sets) and some one legged roll ups (3 sets). They hurt.

Today was a good day!

Back at it...running that is! Weights and core too.

I woke up early to run on the treadmill today. I am not a big fan of treadmill running, but I don't like running in the dark and cold morning alone even more! I had to break in my new shoes. Mizuno- Wave Inspire 6. I called them pink, but Matt assured me they were indeed a salmon ( he is a fly fisherman!)
I was able to get in 5 good miles on the mill. Good enough for me. I then pretended to stretch for almost 10 whole minutes! I am just so impatient to take the time to stretch. I keep saying I need to do yoga--and it's true. I need to do it already!
I went home and got the kids ready an then went back to the gym to lift.
Today was:
4 sets of 8 reps

Squats (115#)
Pull ups

Bent over flyes (12# DBs)
Shoulder press ( 2x15#--2x20#)

Step ups ( 20#DBs)
Chest Press ( 2x20#--2x25#)

It went really well and fast too. I was about sick of the step ups today. I think it was holding the weights irritated my wrist/hands more than my legs hurting!

Core was next.
Hip series in reps of 15- 3 exercises
Plank circles on stability ball- 3 sets
Lower back series reps of 15- 3 sets with isometric holds at the end( ouchie)
Cat and Cow-- 5

Today was a great day!

Tuesday: weights, core and a lil bit of cardio

Today my focus was more on my full body circuit then it was with cardio. What up with that?!?! Sooo unlike me!
It did not take me that long to do, but with the time I had left I could not really get a worth while cardio session in.
Weights 3x10

DB Bent over flyes
Shoulder Press

Squats
DB chest press

Pull ups
Step ups

Core
Pilates roll ups 3x10 with one set holding a 3lb weight! (it was hard)

Bosu planks 3x 30seconds

Cat and Cow 1 set of 12 ( I loathe these)

Before my workout I did the stair stepper for 5 minutes to warm up
After the workout I got on the arch trainer for a quick 15 minutes of fun.

I even stretched!!

Sunday.....motivation????

I was not in the mood to go to the gym today. I was really tired and really full of sugar! Since more sleep was out of the question ( kids!) I sucked it up and went to the gym. I had to keep in mind that tomorrow's spin class will be a race day so I kept the cardio light and did not get my HR up to crazy high.
I began with a quick circuit:
3x10

Lat pull down (underhand grip)
Leg Extension
Chest Press
Lying ham curl

Short and sweet!

I ventured upstairs and actually used the rowing machine! I have not gotten on this thing in YEARS. It was fun and different. I might make a habit of it. I am not exactly sure how long I was on it. I did a program to travel 1000 meters I think. It might have taken me a bit over 10 minutes total. I did my own intervals on it. 10 strokes fast to 10 slow....a few times I upped the fast strokes ( 30x), but kept the slower ones at 10 no matter what. It was a nice change of pace.
I then found one of my running buddies and we got on the Arch Trainer next to each other for about 30 minutes. I lost track since we were yapping the whole time! I did not mind the chatting at all today since I had no intention of pushing myself too hard. It was nice to take it easy too. We talked about the upcoming race season and our goals and stuff. After that I did a bit of core work.

Pilates roll ups (10)
Planks on the stability ball ( 20 seconds x 4)
Pilates roll up holding the stability ball (10)]
Leg pushes ( 10/side)
Slow crunches ( 10)

That's all!

For a day that started out with not much motivation, I think I still got a dedcent workout in.

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Tuesday-weights-cardio and core

Today I totally had no clue what to do, but sometimes those days I crank out my best workouts!
I started with my weight workout to make sure I got that in without feeling rushed.

3x8 including a warm up set of 10-12 reps

Lat pull down 75#
Leg Ext. machine 65 and 75#
Chest Press machine --??
Glute machine-- 75 and 85#
DB seated shoulder press-- 20#
DB step ups-- 20#

Arch Trainer- 8 minutes
( had to go a meet a client quick to give her something!)
Elliptical- 10 minutes increasing resistance

CORE-
2 sets
Hip Circles Right leg( both directions)
Fire Hydrant lifts
Plank Hold
Repeat on left side

2 sets
5 roll ups
lower body ext.
upper body ext.
full superman's
15 each
5 roll ups

Stretching for about 5 full minutes! ( that's good for me!)
I still plan on running later and will report back after the run.

I'm Baaack....for now!

Yea, so the Internet was out again last night! Ugh! So far we are back. For now!

Quick wrap up of last week of the things I actually remember.
Last week:
Tuesday: Uuuuh....
Wednesday: Spin and maybe something else...I can't recall. Oh..Totally Toned
Thursday: Spin (sub) Core and Yoga in my living room.
Friday: Canceled Totally Toned due to weather and went to the gym for cardio.
Saturday: 12 mile run! Woohoo..out in the cold. Loved mostly every minute of it too.
Sunday: OFF ( I know this for a fact--Booo!)
This week~
Monday: Spin/Totally Toned
Tuesday: Upper Body super sets ( ouch!!) Spin for 30 minutes.
Wednesday: Spin (AGAIN)
Thursday: Spin... sub. hmmmm

Ok, so it look like I did LOTS of Spin and little of anything else. I have not had time...... I love Spin and everything, but come on! I have slacked on my weight training for sure. Not sure my problem. I need to change up my routine I think. I kind of did with the core only days that included lots of hip stuff, pull-ups, planks and pilate-ab type movements. I was sore for 2 straight days. NICE.

Tuesday.. lower body, plyos and cardio. Oh my!

Today was lower body since I punked out last night!
I just did a quick 5 minute bike warm up and quick stretch.

3x10
squat (105#)
Plie squat (95#)
*really went slow and concentrated on form on both squat variations..OUCH!
DB Romanian deadlifts (30#)
Step ups (30#)
I forgot to do my alternating lunges....oooops!

Plyometrics:
Box Jumps 15 reps
Jump switch lunges 15/per leg
Box Jumps 15 reps

Core:
planks 3x30 seconds
sided planks 3x 30 seconds.

Cardio:
Elliptical for 20 minutes.
Easy intervals that pushed my HR for a little bit and then brought it back down.

Short and sweet. I would say like me, but I am tall and not so sweet!

Friday Fitness Fun!

Today's fun fitness test is all about core strength! Your core muscles not only include your abdominal, but also your back, pelvic, and hips. Strong core muscles help keep your back healthy, hold your body upright, and improve your balance. It's easy to see why core strength is so important, not just for people into fitness, but for everyone.

Performing a plank( also called a hover) is a great way to test your core strength. I know that my core strength went down the drain after I had my kids and the plank is still difficult for me to do.

Get in a plank position with your elbows on the floor directly below your shoulders. Hold your body straight. Butt down with a flat back. No arching please!! You also want to engage your abs now. Think about bringing your bellybutton up towards the ceiling and keeping it there.

Wishful: 20 to 44 seconds

Sturdy: 45 to 59 seconds

Strong: 60 seconds +

How did you do? Let me know, I would love to hear from you!