Didn't get to work out yesterday because I was at EMT class all day, then there was Family Day at the training center, then I had a study group for next weekend's tests, then I went to dinner with my mom, who was on vacation all week. But I did walk River in the morning, so at least there was a little exercise in my day.
This morning I took River to the park, had my coffee, and did my Bodyrock. It was one of those workouts where some of the moves were so hard as to be impossible to do with good form, and others were easy enough that I was modifying them to make them harder.
Here's the workout: Sexy Time Abs workout
12 minutes of 10:50 second intervals, 4-exercise circuit.
Here are my reps:
Split squats - 8-7-8
Kettlebell plank hip thrust - 9-13-14
3way plank jumps - 14-16-held
Kettlebell situps - 19-21-22
The split squats were ridic, probably because instead of an 8lb Ugi I was holding my 20lb kettlebell. I could barely do more than a few in each set. Then the plank hip thrusts were kinda boring and not really working for me, so I changed them to a kettlebell swing and incorporated a side swing on each pass to really work the core. The 3 way plank jumps were... again, not easy, per se, just kind of not working for me. I mean, if it's a Sexy Time Abs workout, I want my core to be burning, not my quads. I did two sets and then just held the plank for the third set because I really wanted to feel my abs. The kettlebell situps were great, very hard but also doable.
Today I've eaten very little, which is kinda bad, but then again I had a couple cheese fries and a beer yesterday at the study session (hanging out with fire rescue people virtually guarantees bad food choices). I've had three HB eggs, some roast turkey, some grape tomatoes and the last bit of my container of cacao nibs from Trader Joes. Hopefully we'll do something not terrible, like Boston Market or Chipotle, for shift dinner tonight so I can continue my good eating choices.
Tomorrow I'm going to try something new that is aimed more at training for Tough Mudder. I'll leave you hanging on that incredibly exciting cliffhanger.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Bodyrock - Let It Go
Here's the thing about Bodyrock: getting back into it requires serious recovery time. After two days of workouts, yesterday I was in a world of pain. I hobbled around all day and went to bed early. I think I'll have to keep Bodyrock to a 2 day on, 1 day off schedule until my body catches back up to the general brutality of the workouts.
Today I woke up feeling refreshed and still sore but able to work out. So, I had my coffee, then tackled Let It Go. It's a reposted workout from August, so it was all Zuzana. I have a serious straight girl crush on her.
Here's the workout: Let It Go
24 rounds of 10:20 intervals, 4-exercise circuit. Here were my reps:
SIDE JUMP LUNGE -19-20-23-26-22-25
PENDULUM -19-13-26-29-30-34
SANDBAG CLEAN (vertical leaps)-5-3-8-9-9-11
UGI SQUEEZE -31-32-24-30-33-35
I did everything the modified way that she shows in the video because I don't have the equipment. The first couple of sets of vertical leaps were actually pullup and chinup negatives, because I want to keep working those into my days until I can actually do pullups and chinups.
Hard workout, but this was the first time it felt hard in a good way, not hard in a I'm-gonna-barf way. I'm taking that as a good sign.
Today I have clinicals at Lansdowne till 5, so I'm about to scarf some HB eggs and roasted turkey, maybe some cottage cheese, before I jet out.
Today I woke up feeling refreshed and still sore but able to work out. So, I had my coffee, then tackled Let It Go. It's a reposted workout from August, so it was all Zuzana. I have a serious straight girl crush on her.
Here's the workout: Let It Go
24 rounds of 10:20 intervals, 4-exercise circuit. Here were my reps:
SIDE JUMP LUNGE -19-20-23-26-22-25
PENDULUM -19-13-26-29-30-34
SANDBAG CLEAN (vertical leaps)-5-3-8-9-9-11
UGI SQUEEZE -31-32-24-30-33-35
I did everything the modified way that she shows in the video because I don't have the equipment. The first couple of sets of vertical leaps were actually pullup and chinup negatives, because I want to keep working those into my days until I can actually do pullups and chinups.
Hard workout, but this was the first time it felt hard in a good way, not hard in a I'm-gonna-barf way. I'm taking that as a good sign.
Today I have clinicals at Lansdowne till 5, so I'm about to scarf some HB eggs and roasted turkey, maybe some cottage cheese, before I jet out.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Bodyrock - Hot Beastie
This morning featured Trader Joe's Winter Blend, which has finally returned to the coffee aisle and is my favorite part of the winter season; an extended playtime session with River since I didn't feel like going to the dog park; and my workout, courtesy of Bodyrock.
Zuzana was back for the before-and-after, with Sean (Freddy's brother) doing the actual workout. This one was hard and required a lot of modification since I don't have half the equipment they were using. That's one of the things I like about the site, though; their workouts are easily modified and they even offer suggestions for around-the-house items to use as equipment.
Here is the workout: Hot Beastie
15 minutes of 10:50 intervals; a five-exercise circuit done three times. Here were my reps:
FRONT SQUAT - 32-34-27
REVERSE PUSH UPs - 9-9-9
PUSHUP-SQUAT-PRESSUP - 7-6-6
DIPS - 14-16-16
SANDBAG SIT UP - 12-13-13
I used two 5-lb weights in lieu of the sandbag for the three moves requiring a sandbag, and did pullup negatives on my pullup bar instead of the reverse pushups, since I don't have a dip station. Otherwise I did things pretty much as prescribed. I think I need to either bite the bullet and get a sandbag (I've tried using a duffel filled with weighs and towels, but it's really the handles and sturdiness of the sandbag that's the most important part, so it just doesn't work well), or get seem heavier dumbbells to use instead because the 5lb ones are too easy by far.
I followed up my workout with more coffee and a quick smoothie made with blueberries, spinach, whey protein, an egg, and peanut butter. For lunch I plan to pack some HB eggs, chicken breast, and some grape tomatoes. I have EMT class tonight and Thursday has been designated goin' out night, so I'll surely be having something bad for me later, whether it be beer or something else like fries, so I'm saving some caloric space (I know, it's not about the calories but about WHAT you eat, but I like to be cautious anyway when I know there will be temptation later).
Hasta.
Zuzana was back for the before-and-after, with Sean (Freddy's brother) doing the actual workout. This one was hard and required a lot of modification since I don't have half the equipment they were using. That's one of the things I like about the site, though; their workouts are easily modified and they even offer suggestions for around-the-house items to use as equipment.
Here is the workout: Hot Beastie
15 minutes of 10:50 intervals; a five-exercise circuit done three times. Here were my reps:
FRONT SQUAT - 32-34-27
REVERSE PUSH UPs - 9-9-9
PUSHUP-SQUAT-PRESSUP - 7-6-6
DIPS - 14-16-16
SANDBAG SIT UP - 12-13-13
I used two 5-lb weights in lieu of the sandbag for the three moves requiring a sandbag, and did pullup negatives on my pullup bar instead of the reverse pushups, since I don't have a dip station. Otherwise I did things pretty much as prescribed. I think I need to either bite the bullet and get a sandbag (I've tried using a duffel filled with weighs and towels, but it's really the handles and sturdiness of the sandbag that's the most important part, so it just doesn't work well), or get seem heavier dumbbells to use instead because the 5lb ones are too easy by far.
I followed up my workout with more coffee and a quick smoothie made with blueberries, spinach, whey protein, an egg, and peanut butter. For lunch I plan to pack some HB eggs, chicken breast, and some grape tomatoes. I have EMT class tonight and Thursday has been designated goin' out night, so I'll surely be having something bad for me later, whether it be beer or something else like fries, so I'm saving some caloric space (I know, it's not about the calories but about WHAT you eat, but I like to be cautious anyway when I know there will be temptation later).
Hasta.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Bodyrock - Good Feeling
One of the things I said consistently while training for the marathon was how much I missed doing Bodyrock all the time. I had to take a long hiatus from Zuzana, Freddy, and all the bodyrockers on the site, because all the mileage I was doing was exhausting me, and Bodyrock on top of it would have really veered me into overtraining territory. So, I was off the site for a good six weeks, and this past week post-marathon, when I didn't allow myself to do any working out at all besides yoga and walking River.
Imagine my shock when I finally logged back yesterday, all ready to jump right back into the workouts and the awesome community, only to see a ton of changes, like a new workout video host named Jess. A little poking around through past posts to the site, and I discovered what the rest of the Bodyrock community found out just last week: Freddy and Zu have decided to split up, Freddy has moved out and back to Canada, and Zu has decided to take a break from hosting the workouts, hence the hiring of the new workout chick.
Why did this bother me so much? I've really been trying to examine my immediate reaction of shock and devastation, and my prolonged reaction of dread that the site is basically over. I mean, I don't actually KNOW these people. It's not like they're actually my friends. They certainly don't know me from Adam. But for some reason, the idea that the seemingly rock-solid partnership that made Bodyrock so special, was ultimately as shaky and ephemeral as anything else, really cut me to the core. It's not at all on the same level, obviously, but it reminded me of my feelings immediately after my parents divorced, that somehow the fact that they were splitting up de-legitimized my entire childhood. Those feelings were reactionary and I don't feel that way anymore, but at the time I remember feeling that something fundamental about my identity had been ripped away. The way I feel about Bodyrock is kind of like that--something fundamental about the site has been changed irreparably.
I know, I know, it's just a website run by strangers who make fun, mildly porntastic workout videos. I shouldn't take it so seriously. But thinking about it, I've basically been working out with Freddy and Zuzana four or five days a week, for a year and a half. I start my day with coffee and Bodyrock. It's definitely more a part of my life than just some blog I happen to read.
(Part of me is also irrationally angry at myself, like a sorts fan who didn't wear a lucky jersey on game day and then their team lost--like, I turn away for ONE SECOND, or okay six weeks, and Freddy and Zu's whole world falls apart?! Dangit!)
No real conclusions to be drawn from this long spew of word vomit--I just wanted to introduce some of the changes to Bodyrock. Jess seems really cool, and she's really fit and great at the workouts. I enjoyed the first one she did, the Good Feeling workout, which I did tonight!
Returning to Bodyrock after a six-week hiatus? Um, yeah. Ow. Sweat. Felt like puking. I actually had to pause my gymboss at one point because I honestly thought I would barf. Breathed through it until it went away, and started back up.
This was the workout: Good Feeling
Twelve minutes of 10:50 second intervals. Here were my reps:
Ugi punch - 29/24
Frog burpee - 17/20
Side forward lunge R - 11/9
Side forward lunge L - 10/10
Sumo pushup - 19/18
Hanging Side knee raises - 13/16
Hard. I really flagged on the Ugi punch and the Frog burpees, which were a one-two punch of lethal quad burning. I don't have an Ugi or a sandbag, so I used my sledgehammer for the Ugi punch and the lunges.
All in all, I liked the workout, although it was bittersweet doing it without Zuzana talking me through it.
Imagine my shock when I finally logged back yesterday, all ready to jump right back into the workouts and the awesome community, only to see a ton of changes, like a new workout video host named Jess. A little poking around through past posts to the site, and I discovered what the rest of the Bodyrock community found out just last week: Freddy and Zu have decided to split up, Freddy has moved out and back to Canada, and Zu has decided to take a break from hosting the workouts, hence the hiring of the new workout chick.
Why did this bother me so much? I've really been trying to examine my immediate reaction of shock and devastation, and my prolonged reaction of dread that the site is basically over. I mean, I don't actually KNOW these people. It's not like they're actually my friends. They certainly don't know me from Adam. But for some reason, the idea that the seemingly rock-solid partnership that made Bodyrock so special, was ultimately as shaky and ephemeral as anything else, really cut me to the core. It's not at all on the same level, obviously, but it reminded me of my feelings immediately after my parents divorced, that somehow the fact that they were splitting up de-legitimized my entire childhood. Those feelings were reactionary and I don't feel that way anymore, but at the time I remember feeling that something fundamental about my identity had been ripped away. The way I feel about Bodyrock is kind of like that--something fundamental about the site has been changed irreparably.
I know, I know, it's just a website run by strangers who make fun, mildly porntastic workout videos. I shouldn't take it so seriously. But thinking about it, I've basically been working out with Freddy and Zuzana four or five days a week, for a year and a half. I start my day with coffee and Bodyrock. It's definitely more a part of my life than just some blog I happen to read.
(Part of me is also irrationally angry at myself, like a sorts fan who didn't wear a lucky jersey on game day and then their team lost--like, I turn away for ONE SECOND, or okay six weeks, and Freddy and Zu's whole world falls apart?! Dangit!)
No real conclusions to be drawn from this long spew of word vomit--I just wanted to introduce some of the changes to Bodyrock. Jess seems really cool, and she's really fit and great at the workouts. I enjoyed the first one she did, the Good Feeling workout, which I did tonight!
Returning to Bodyrock after a six-week hiatus? Um, yeah. Ow. Sweat. Felt like puking. I actually had to pause my gymboss at one point because I honestly thought I would barf. Breathed through it until it went away, and started back up.
This was the workout: Good Feeling
Twelve minutes of 10:50 second intervals. Here were my reps:
Ugi punch - 29/24
Frog burpee - 17/20
Side forward lunge R - 11/9
Side forward lunge L - 10/10
Sumo pushup - 19/18
Hanging Side knee raises - 13/16
Hard. I really flagged on the Ugi punch and the Frog burpees, which were a one-two punch of lethal quad burning. I don't have an Ugi or a sandbag, so I used my sledgehammer for the Ugi punch and the lunges.
All in all, I liked the workout, although it was bittersweet doing it without Zuzana talking me through it.
Back in time for the holidays!
SUP MOTHERS. So, yeah. I disappeared there for a while, to be sure. This was due to basically being so busy I barely had time for sleep, let alone blogging.
What did I do while AWOL? Well, I've been going to EMT class two nights a week and all day Sunday, plus another class Wednesday, plus doing my Moksha correspondence course, plus my full-time job, plus--oh yeah--training for a marathon. It definitely got ridiculous for a while there.
Did I run the marathon, you ask? Indeed I did! It was difficult, long, and painful, but ultimately really fun and rewarding, with a crowd of spectators that made it an incredible, memorable experience. Somewhere around Mile 20 I told myself I would never, ever run one again, but then when I finished I felt the sort of motivation one gets after a dress rehearsal--namely, now that I've done sort of a "practice" marathon, I know so much more about training and racing strategy that I want to do another one just because I think I can improve by about a million percent. But we'll see. It's the training, not the race itself, that makes me hesitate. I honestly do not believe that the training was healthy for my body and I'm wary of undergoing that kind of physical stress--not to mention the time commitment--again.
Right now the only thing on my radar is the April 2012 Tough Mudder in PA. My firefighter friends talked me into joining their team, and I am simultaneously enthused and terrified. I mean, there is FIRE. Walls to scale. Tunnels to crawl through. An ELECTRIFIED FENCE. It's all so extreme. The plus side is, training for it requires less in the way of boring, cortisol-jacking long miles of running, and much more in the way of... sprints, intervals and strength, i.e. Crossfit and Bodyrock, my two loves! So I'm looking forward to training far more than I was for the marathon (by the end of marathon training I was so goddamn bored of the miles, so exhausted, and had actually gained weight because of the cortisol + necessary carb increase, that in desperation I just did intervals on the treadmill for the last two weeks of training).
Food-wise, I've been slowly bringing myself back to normal after the three or so weeks of carb-loading I did pre-marathon. My version of carb-loading was pretty Primal-friendly, but I did let it all go a few days before and after, eating tons of white rice, rice noodles, sweet potatoes, bananas, chocolate, etc. I still managed to stay off the wheat pretty well, but it was definitely binge city. The day after the marathon was the worst. I woke up STARVING to the extent where my bran was actually fuzzy and disoriented. I went to Silver Diner and ordered the thing on the menu that seemed to have the most calories, scarfed it all, and felt much better. Then three hours later I was starving again. The cycle continued with giant meals periodically throughout the day, and me feeling like I just could NOT get enough food. I think I probably ate around 4,000 calories, all told. It was insane.
After a few days of wonkyness my eating has returned pretty much to normal. There has been a lot of pie around the fire station lately, though (part of a long-standing tradition when a probie becomes a full-fledged EMT) which has been bad for my willpower.
That's where things are, in a nutshell. I'm thrilled to be getting back to interval training and good eating. I'm scared as shit about Tough Mudder. I still have very little free time, but the marathon being done has freed up some blogging time.
(Also, I got an iPad, which makes blogging that much more fun. That might be factoring into my renewed efforts.)
The end.
What did I do while AWOL? Well, I've been going to EMT class two nights a week and all day Sunday, plus another class Wednesday, plus doing my Moksha correspondence course, plus my full-time job, plus--oh yeah--training for a marathon. It definitely got ridiculous for a while there.
Did I run the marathon, you ask? Indeed I did! It was difficult, long, and painful, but ultimately really fun and rewarding, with a crowd of spectators that made it an incredible, memorable experience. Somewhere around Mile 20 I told myself I would never, ever run one again, but then when I finished I felt the sort of motivation one gets after a dress rehearsal--namely, now that I've done sort of a "practice" marathon, I know so much more about training and racing strategy that I want to do another one just because I think I can improve by about a million percent. But we'll see. It's the training, not the race itself, that makes me hesitate. I honestly do not believe that the training was healthy for my body and I'm wary of undergoing that kind of physical stress--not to mention the time commitment--again.
Right now the only thing on my radar is the April 2012 Tough Mudder in PA. My firefighter friends talked me into joining their team, and I am simultaneously enthused and terrified. I mean, there is FIRE. Walls to scale. Tunnels to crawl through. An ELECTRIFIED FENCE. It's all so extreme. The plus side is, training for it requires less in the way of boring, cortisol-jacking long miles of running, and much more in the way of... sprints, intervals and strength, i.e. Crossfit and Bodyrock, my two loves! So I'm looking forward to training far more than I was for the marathon (by the end of marathon training I was so goddamn bored of the miles, so exhausted, and had actually gained weight because of the cortisol + necessary carb increase, that in desperation I just did intervals on the treadmill for the last two weeks of training).
Food-wise, I've been slowly bringing myself back to normal after the three or so weeks of carb-loading I did pre-marathon. My version of carb-loading was pretty Primal-friendly, but I did let it all go a few days before and after, eating tons of white rice, rice noodles, sweet potatoes, bananas, chocolate, etc. I still managed to stay off the wheat pretty well, but it was definitely binge city. The day after the marathon was the worst. I woke up STARVING to the extent where my bran was actually fuzzy and disoriented. I went to Silver Diner and ordered the thing on the menu that seemed to have the most calories, scarfed it all, and felt much better. Then three hours later I was starving again. The cycle continued with giant meals periodically throughout the day, and me feeling like I just could NOT get enough food. I think I probably ate around 4,000 calories, all told. It was insane.
After a few days of wonkyness my eating has returned pretty much to normal. There has been a lot of pie around the fire station lately, though (part of a long-standing tradition when a probie becomes a full-fledged EMT) which has been bad for my willpower.
That's where things are, in a nutshell. I'm thrilled to be getting back to interval training and good eating. I'm scared as shit about Tough Mudder. I still have very little free time, but the marathon being done has freed up some blogging time.
(Also, I got an iPad, which makes blogging that much more fun. That might be factoring into my renewed efforts.)
The end.
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