20:00 Jump Rope + Total-Body Circut

So apparently, when I don't write down what I'm doing, I tend to do the same workouts over and over. I can't tell you how many times I've done my two standard stationary bike/treadmill workouts these past weeks, but it's waaay too many. Yes, they're tried and true and I know they get the job done, but they also make me Bored. And when I get Bored, I resent having to go to the gym at all and end up eyeing the ellipticals because if I use those, I can probably take out a good chunk of my book while 'working out' and it still counts because something >> nothing, right? ...right?

So I'm trying to find more workout inspiration between the holidays. I'd love to find more entertaining things to do at my gym that don't require much planning on my part, but my Gold's is fairly bare-bones and I can't stand the cheerleader that runs 'Body Aerobics'. Yes, I could get up at 5 AM the one day a week they offer Zumba, but let's be honest, that's not going to happen. Instead I'm turning to the interwebz to motivate me. I'm hoping I can change it up enough to keep myself entertained and not-fat through the dark hours of winter [true story: sunset at 4:47, approximately 73 minutes before I'm allowed out of my cage].

This workout was inspired by this one by the Fitnessista. I kept her idea of the jump rope/circuit combo, but I'm putting a jump rope session between each circuit instead of just after the first one - it should go jump rope [8 minutes], circuit 1, jump rope [6 minutes], circuit 2, jump rope [6 minutes], circuit 3(, jump rope [6 minutes]? Maybe if I'm not dead). I also changed up the exercises a bit to hit more muscle groups.

Here's to hoping there will be enough floor space today to use the jump rope!

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 4

Sore Areas: none. 

Yesterday: No alcohol. No exercise. Lots of sitting on an airplane.

Environment: Indoors.

Workout
Equipment: kettlebell - 20lb; dumbbell - 20lb, 15lb; jump rope
Work Time: 20:00+

	Goal	Actual*
Exercise Name	Reps - Weight [type]	Set 1: Reps - Weight [type]	Set 2: Reps - Weight [type]	Set 3: Reps - Weight [type]
Jump Rope	:15/:15 x16/12/12 rounds	:20/:10 x 16	:20/:10 x 12	:20/:10 x 12
1. Kettlebell Swings	15 - 20lbs [KB]	15 - 25lbs	15 - 25lbs	15 - 25lbs
1. DB Squat + Overhead Press	12 - 20lbs [DB]	12 - 20lbs	12 - 20lbs	12 - 20lbs
1. Standing Oblique 'Crunch'	20 - 15lbs [DB]	20 - 20lbs	20 - 20lbs	20 - 20lbs
2. DB Row	15 - 20lbs [DB]	15 - 20lbs	15 - 20lbs	15 - 20lbs
2. 1-Leg DB Deadlift	12/side - 15lbs [DB]	12 - 15lbs	12 - 15lbs	Standing Deadlift 15 - 20lbs
2. Overhead Tricep Press	12/side - 15lbs [DB]	12 - 15lbs	12 - 15lbs	12 - 15lbs
3. Pushups	12	12	12	12
3. V-up Situps	15	12	12	12
3. Opposite Weight Lunges	10/side - 15lbs [DB]	10/side - 15lbs	10/side - 15lbs	10/side - 15lbs

*Color key: green = accomplished goal, blue = exceeded goal, yellow = did not meet goal

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]:
Sore Areas: 

Comments

26:00 Row + My Triumphant Return

Well, it's been one hell of a few weeks. Had a fairly successful move over Labor Day weekend -- if the current state of shambles the house is still in today counts as 'successful'. Ran my fall triathlon just over a week ago -- set a personal best time! 3 hours and 3 minutes (and some seconds. Probably). I compared my splits this year against years past and found that most of my time gains were during the transitions and not actually during the swim/bike/run, but I'll take what I can get. Considering that my 'prep' the week and a half before the race consisted of exercising once (one time. 1. uno. In 2 weeks. Might be some sort of personal anti-record) and eating nothing but take-out because all my food/cooking implements were still boxed up, I'm pretty pleased. And boyfriend even finished without drowning! Took him about 4 hours, but he's using it as an 'unfit' baseline. He promises to do better next time.

I took a week to recover -- spent an hour leisurely biking at the gym last Wednesday and went for a very short run last Thursday to work out some of the kinks, but that was about it. This week I'm back at it full-force.

Because I don't really have anything to train for anymore, I'm likely going to change up my workouts more. Dog still enjoys our runs, but I might lift more weights than I was. Perhaps take a class or two, even if I'm not wholly convinced they're burning any of ze calories.

Today I'm going to keep it short because Boyfriend and I have decided to tackle the last few (many) boxes taking up space in the living room today. Rowing machine + some ab work because my core desperately needs some attention.

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: 4

Sore Areas: none

Yesterday: Wedding -- wine, beer, cake, chocolate, etc. etc.

Environment: Indoors - finally fall!

Workout
Equipment: rowing machine
Work Time: 31:00
Level: 8

Row:

Minutes	Intensity [min / 500m]	Distance Traveled [m]
0:00 - 3:00	~2:30
3:00 - 5:00	~2:15
5:00 - 6:00	~2:00
6:00 - 6:30	1:50-	+ 0 = 1490
6:30 - 9:30	~2:30
9:30 - 11:30	~2:15
11:30 - 12:30	~2:00
12:30 - 13:00	1:50-	+ 1450 = 2940
13:00 - 16:00	~2:30
16:00 - 18:00	~2:15
18:00 - 19:00	~2:00
19:00 - 19:30	1:50-	+ 1490 = 4430
19:30 - 22:30	~2:30
22:30 - 24:30	~2:15
24:30 - 25:30	~2:00
25:30 - 26:00	1:50-	+ 1420 = 5850

Core:

Time	Exercise
0:00 - 0:50	Plank + Leg Lift
1:00 - 1:50	T-Plank - R
2:00 - 2:50	Plank
3:00 - 3:50	T-Plank - L
4:00 - 4:50	Spider Pushups [x16]

Post
Energy Level [1-5]: 4
Stretch Time:8:00
Total Time: 60:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 2
Sore Areas: Back, Legs

Comments
A good first step to get back on the bandwagon! A little sore, but that's to be expected since I haven't done much recently. Plus I don't think sitting at my desk for hours at a time is doing me any favors -- need to look up ways to fix that...

Spartacus Workout

I apologize that this workout has monopolized my lifting routine for the past few weeks. Things have just been crazy busy so I don't have a lot of time to devote to lifting, but with the race looming I don't want to skimp out on things either. After moving finishes this weekend, and the tri next weekend, I should get back to mixing things up again. Expect more 15-minute workouts and maybe more jump roping. Until then... here's the usual. I've upped my goals for a few of the exercises -- here's to hoping I'm stronger than I was when I started!

Workout
Equipment: dumbbell: 30lb [x1], 15 lb, 12 lb [hex]; 18lb medicine ball
Work Time: 30:00

	Goal	Actual*
Exercise Name	Reps - Weight [type]	Set 1: Reps - Weight [type]	Set 2: Reps - Weight [type]	Set 3: Reps - Weight [type]
Plie Goblet Squat	20 - 30lbs [DB]	22 - 25lbs	24 - 25lbs
Mountain Climber	110
Single Arm DB Swing	15/side - 18lb med. ball
T-pushup	12 - 12lbs [hex DB]
Split Jumps	52
DB Row	35 -15lbs [DB]
DB Side Lunge	10/side - 15lbs [DB]
Plank Row	13/side - 15lbs [DB]
Standing Oblique 'Crunch'	12/side - 8lb med. ball
Explosive Overhead Press	22 - 15lbs [DB]

*Color key: green = accomplished goal, blue = exceeded goal, yellow = did not meet goal

Ab bonus!

Time	Exercise
0:00 - 0:50	Plank + Leg Lift
1:00 - 1:50	T-Plank - R
2:00 - 2:50	Plank
3:00 - 3:50	T-Plank - L
4:00 - 4:50	Half-Laying Leg Circles

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]:
Sore Areas: 

Comments

35:00 Bike

Epically bad day today. Found out that I got passed over for a promotion I was assured I had earned. And mostly due to the fact that I'm intimidating. So upsetting. Guess I have to try to up the sunshine and rainbow output of my cube.

And then I realized I forgot a sports bra once I got to the gym. Fail. So much for the running workout I had planned.Well, I was there already and if I went home there was bound to be a bottle of wine or two involved, so I switched everything up to a biking workout.

Pre

Energy Level [1-5]: -100

Sore Areas: none. 

Yesterday: No alcohol. No exercise.

Environment: Indoors - warm.

Workout
Equipment: stationary bike
Work Time: 35:00
Program: Manual 
Level: 14

Minutes	Intensity [RPM]	Distance Traveled [mi]
0:00 - 3:00	75
3:00 - 5:00	90
5:00 - 6:00	100
6:00 - 6:30	110+	2.06
6:30 - 9:30	75
9:30 - 11:30	90
11:30 - 12:30	100
12:30 - 13:00	110+	+ ? = ?
13:00 - 16:00	75
16:00 - 18:00	90
18:00 - 19:00	100
19:00 - 19:30	110+	+ ? = ?
19:30 - 22:30	75
22:30 - 24:30	90
24:30 - 25:30	100
25:30 - 26:00	110+	+ ? = 8.15
26:00 - 29:00	75
29:00 - 31:00	90
31:00 - 32:00	100
32:00 - 32:30	110+	+ 2.0 = 10.15
32:30 - 35:00	~70	+ .65 = 10.80

Post
Energy Level [1-5]:0
Stretch Time: 5:00
Total Time: 40:00

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 1
Sore Areas: Legs, Back

Comments
Still depressed. But at least I burned off some of the wine I consumed. And I packed THREE boxes. Nine million more to go. Progress.

Soccer + Errand Running = Workouts

After the Spartacus on Tuesday, my aching obliques and I chose to go play soccer on Wednesday. It was 'playoff' week, so we were playing a pretty good team. We lost, but I think I got in a solid 40:00 of sprinting around, so that kind of counts as a workout? Add in the 7 mile round trip bike ride (I might have gotten lost on the way there...), and it totally counts!

Thursday I took a rest day, but today (Friday) was kind of crazy. As I've mentioned, I'm moving at the end of the month. Finally found a place (yay!) and they were willing to hand over the keys a week early (double yay!), but I had to get them from a far-away not-metro-able part of the city (boo!). So I used that errand as an excuse to take a half-day from work and spend 2 hours biking around accomplishing things. Got the parking permits for the moving van, picked up the keys, grabbed some wine... productive afternoon, if I do say so myself. AND my Schwinn and I managed to cover almost 12 miles, including a fair stretch of uphill trekking. Check it out:



Elevation ranges from -3 to +210 feet over the course of the ride.

Family and friends visiting this weekend, so it's unlikely I'll pretend to be healthy at any point, but definitely getting back into it Monday. One more hard week of workouts before the triathlon, eek!

Spartacus Workout

I didn't end up swimming yesterday as planned -- the pool doesn't open until 7:30 on Tuesdays and I didn't feel like wasting that much time waiting around. So instead I did my new favorite lifting routine: Spartacus!

I'm *still* trying to find a good twisting lunge replacement. I just can't get the reps I'm looking for because I take 948 years to lunge and come back up. So this week I'm going to try the (very basic) standing oblique crunch -- I'm sure you know the one: you stand, lean as far as you can to one side, then come back up to vertical. Easy!

Workout
Equipment: dumbbell: 25 [x1], 20 [x1], 15 [hex];
Work Time: 30:00

	Goal	Actual*
Exercise Name	Reps - Weight [type]	Set 1: Reps - Weight [type]	Set 2: Reps - Weight [type]	Set 3: Reps - Weight [type]
Goblet Squat	20 - 25lbs [DB]	20	20	20
Mountain Climber	100	114	112	92
Single Arm DB Swing	15/side - 18lb med. ball	14/side	13/side	13/side
T-pushup	12 - 12lbs [hex DB]	11	10	8
Split Jumps	50	52	53	43
DB Row	30 -15lbs [DB]	39	35	36
DB Side Lunge	10/side - 15lbs [DB]	9/side	9/side	8/side
Plank Row	13/side - 15lbs [DB]	14/side	11/side	10/side
Standing Oblique 'Crunch'	10/side - 8lb med. ball	10/side	10/side	10/side
Explosive Overhead Press	20 - 15lbs [DB]	22	20	20

*Color key: green = accomplished goal, blue = exceeded goal, yellow = did not meet goal

Ab bonus!

Time	Exercise
0:00 - 0:50	Plank + Leg Lift
1:00 - 1:50	T-Plank - R
2:00 - 2:50	Plank
3:00 - 3:50	T-Plank - L
4:00 - 4:50	Half-Laying Leg Circles

Day After
Sore Level [1-5]: 3
Sore Areas: Obliques

Comments
Well those oblique leans might be easy, but apparently they're very effective -- my abs hurt like hell! As far as the workout went -- you might be able to tell that I died sometime mid-third set. Don't know if it was because I haven't done this in awhile or because I forgot to drink enough water, but set 3 was Rough. I found myself considering giving up a lot. Bad news. Next time will be better!

Workout Wrapup #2

Here's a problem I'm finding with some of my workouts -- they make BORING blog posts. I've worked out three times [four if you count the one I will do today] since my last post [last Wednesday, today is Tuesday], and the only one that could possibly be charted was yesterdays. The rest were just, there. So here are some partial posts about the past few days.

Last Thursday I went for a run. It was hard, I didn't want to do it, and there was a lot of other crap going on in my lift at the time [we got offered a house, which is great! But the kitchen SUCKS. A LOT. And I love to cook. Is it worth it...?] so my plans to go to the gym went phhhhhibt. Instead I went home to see if boyfriend could instill some inspiration in me. Which he did, sorta, by shaming me with the 5 miles he had run/walked the day before. Was I going to let him run more than me? Sigh. Fine. No. So I grabbed the dog and we purposefully went one block farther than he did. Looking back it was kind of an easy run, and I probably could have gone farther, but my heart wasn't in it. Still went a touch over 5 miles though, which isn't too shabby. But it was slow-ish and isn't much to talk about.

Friday we went to a baseball game. There were nachos involved. And beer. Healthiness, not so much.

Saturday was one of those days where you're forced to get up early to do one thing [signed the lease for the place above -- decided to go for it, even though it's not perfect. I can deal with it for a year], do three dozen other things as well, look up at the clock sure the day is over and find that it's only like noon. Given that, when boyfriend and I got our bikes back from their tuneups with plenty of daylight still left, we decided to suit up and go for a ride. Covered a little more than 20 miles, all told, at a fairly good clip. it was boyfriend's first 'long' bike ride, and I was really proud of him! He's taking the fact that I signed him up for a triathlon and called it a gift like a champion. T-minus 19 days!

Sunday funday. No words necessary.

Yesterday I rowed for the first time in a bit. I'm going to chart it so that I can compare it to some of the other workouts, but I wasn't on top of my game enough to record all the details. Was a fairly standard pyramid interval though, and I think I was hitting some decent distances.

Row:

Minutes	Intensity [min / 500m]	Distance Traveled [m]
0:00 - 3:00	~2:30
3:00 - 5:00	~2:15
5:00 - 6:00	~2:00
6:00 - 6:30	1:50-	1430
6:30 - 9:30	~2:30
9:30 - 11:30	~2:15
11:30 - 12:30	~2:00
12:30 - 13:00	1:50-	+ 1440 = 2870
13:00 - 16:00	~2:30
16:00 - 18:00	~2:15
18:00 - 19:00	~2:00
19:00 - 19:30	1:50-	+ 1420 = 4290
19:30 - 22:30	~2:30
22:30 - 24:30	~2:15
24:30 - 25:30	~2:00
25:30 - 26:00	1:50-	+ 1425 = 5715
26:00 - 29:00	~2:30
29:00 - 31:00	~2:15
31:00 - 32:00	~2:00
32:00 - 32:30	1:50-	+ 1440 = 7135
32:30 - 34:20	~2:30	+ 365 = 7500
34:20 - 35:00	~2:30	7620

Hey consistency! I like that in a workout, actually. I like to pretend it means I'm not tiring as quickly as I could be. Although I was definitely struggling during the 3rd/4th pyramid. Feel the forearm burn!

I think today I'm going to swim. Again, a boring entry. But necessary...