There's lots of upper body and core work you can do without using your feet.  For cardio you could try the hand bike, or maybe you could row?  Not sure if that would pressure your ankle (no repeated pounding but you'd have to see how you feel.  Try not to take too much time off. You lose ground if you don't do anything for two weeks.

DocRose

Hi! I'm new to this thread, hope you don't mind if I join in. This post looks like a nice little motivational boost to keep me working hard.

Monday morning: studio cycle 55'54"; Training Effect: 4.5;  avg HR: 158;  peak HR: 181; total calories: 517

Usually I go for a run with the dog but I'm trying to work through a nasty case of plantar fasciitis ("heel spur") in my left foot. The dog will have to wait a while.

cheers,

Shelley

Thanks for the word of caution, I think many people confuse the two conditions. I referenced heel spurs only because some still use this to refer to PF. I don't have a heel spur though, just plain old PF acting up again. Recently I moved to an area with surfaces way more uneven than I'm used to (old sidewalks) and began jogging with my newly adopted 10mo old puppy. I'm not sure which to point a finger at - the sidewalks or the puppy - but in any case I've stopped jogging for the time being.

Thanks for your concern though - I think it's great that you noticed that!

Shelley

This morning I did a bit of spin: duration: 30'47", avg HR: 156; max HR: 176; total cal: 295

and then yoga: duration: 60', avg HR: 107; max HR: 155; total cal: 234

then a little swimming with the kids but nothing too strenuous.

I'm in the fence about the upcoming TEAM FIT sessions. The first one is tonight and I still haven't decided if I am going to participate.  In any case I'll be up at the gym this evening for some strength training.

cheers,

Shelley

I didn't sign up for TEAM - not yet, any way. I just finished TEAM weight loss with great results and I know that I'd get a lot from TEAM fit. I didn't fo Tuesday though - summer is almost over and I'm feeling a little selfish of my time. The kids and I have spent the first half of summer with TEAM's evening time restrictions and I want the rest of summer to myself. My LT location doesn't have a pool so for us a trip to the pool is a  30 min. drive in no traffic; I don't want to spend the afternoon poolside checking my watch and rushing the kids to the showers just so I can make it to the gym at 6pm. When school starts up again I'll join the TEAM fit group but not right now. It is a great program and I'm eager to pick it up in the fall!

Yesterday: swam laps for 45 minutes; kicked my butt - I'm not used to swimming! Didn't wear my HR monitor so no idea what my numbers were. Then played in the pool with the kids for 5 hours. Whew.

Today I'm exhausted - my 6 yr old was up all night with a high fever then my 3 yr old woke up at 4am and never got back to sleep. Ugh. BUT I eventually made it to spin (late though, sorry Ben!) and yoga. Spin: 48'12" avg HR: 172; training effect: 5.0; max HR: 185; calories: 563 and Yoga: 42'38" training effect: 1.5; avg HR: 115; max HR: 166; calories: 163

And that's going to be it for today. My PF continues to keep me from jogging and Noah's fever will keep us from going to the gym or pool so other than some wii action, I'm done for the day!

cheers,

Shelley

Taking a day off every now and then is definitely doing me some good. I also haven't been running at all and taping my foot, esp. at night. The PF is getting noticeably better already. : )

I recommend team fit - it's a great program, definitely worth considering.

Today I did the tribute to the tour spin class: 1hr 58', avg HR: 160; max HR: 180; calories: 1188; training effect: 4.75

Whew! I'm taking it easy for the rest of the day. Maybe hitting the pool with the kids later.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Ok now I'm in.. I used to be in pretty good shape then I moved to Savage and began focusing on my professional life. I bought a Wii fit for my kids and then it hit me as I did the assessment. Whoa have I fallen far from grace.. Now I need to find ways to motivate myself so I'm hoping that I can get that by talking to others who are on the same path. This month’s Goal is 10lbs in two weeks. Getting into a routine is the hardest part.

Hello Jonathan!

I'll echo Kirstin's welcome.  This is a fun thread to be a part of and see what everyone else is doing day to day.

I'll echo Kirstin's warning as well.  10 pounds in two weeks is too much.  As a physician who has worked weight loss clinics, even clients I've had on liquid meal replacement programs don't lose 5 pounds each week unless they weigh over 300 pounds.  Get in your exercise groove, start watching what you're eating and relax into the process.  You're good health and fitness is far more important than any arbitrary number goal.

Today, yardwork.  Back to the gym tomorrow.

DocRose, still stuck at 58 pounds down in 19 months.  Damn these last five pounds!

Jonathan -

Try swimming!  It's a great way to tire out my three year old.  Also, if you are still using a stroller a lot, stop.  Walking everywhere will tire her, too, though you may have to put up with crankiness for awhile as she asks to be carried.

Cardio with stairs today.  Had a hard time getting my heart rate up this am, not sure why.  Did 93 floors in 25 minutes. - Definitely need to push on that.

DocRose

Trainer time:  Two huge progressions --

90 pound leg press -- 3 sets of 15

17.5 pound bicep isolations -- 3 sets of 6  (Ow, ow, ow!)

Boy, I am going to hurt tomorrow!

DocRose

Well, when we started with the leg press we were doing it without any plates on it, so what weight is that?  Come to think of it, it was 90 pounds of added plates on the press, so what weight is that really?

For the biceps isolations, I'm not sure.  Early biceps work (19 months ago) was the little green handweights.  I think we progressed to doing what I would consider to be real weights (with real barbells and plates and such, not the machines) back in January.

What a difference!  Sick, sick, sick!

Plan for tomorrow -- I think more stairs...  I am like you - Can't stand staying on one machine for cardio days.  I get way too bored.

DocRose

I'm still reeling over DocRose's post from a few days ago regarding stairs. I'm in good shape but after 93 flights of stairs I think I'd need medivac. I think that's amazing! I broke a hip and a few other bones about eight years ago (auto accident) and stairs are hard for me to master now. I can do a few flights but cannot imagine 93. Very cool!

Yesterday I did spin for an hour in the morning and then later in the evening did some strength training at home using resistance bands and a step stool. Mostly lower body work - calves, shins, feet/toes - to help keep the PF at bay and also outer/inner hips & thighs and glutes. I spent the afternoon at the pool with the kids and got a chance to swim a few laps carrying my 3-yr old. Not very graceful but definitely got my heart going!

Today I rested after reading a few articles about mitochondria (spelling on that one?) and metabolism. For the past 6 months I've been working out pretty hard almost every day and am beginning to appreciate the value of a few days rest.

Jonathan - this may sounds crazy but as the mother of two young kids (6 & 3) I've found that sleep begets sleep. It may sounds contradictory but have you tried putting your active 4-yr old to bed earlier? My 6-yr old son is very (VERY) active as well and with him I've learned that it is important to stick to a routine bedtime ritual and not to let him stay up past 8pm - 7:30 is even more ideal but harder to do especially now that we are busy with summer activities. There seems to be a point of no return with him where if he stays up past 8:30pm then he's not going to bed until midnight or later. He gets, for the lack of a better word, 'slap happy' and can't wind down. But if I am diligent about enforcing an early bedtime he has an easier time getting to sleep. I also second someone's suggestion of swimming. When we swim in the afternoon and on into the evening I shower and brush teeth at the gym and my kids fall asleep in the car on the way home. Poor babies are all tuckered out : )

Time to go to bed now - tomorrow morning I'm going to a spin class that I tend to avoid because it wipes me out - which is a great reason to go to the class. I have no idea what my stats are as my heartrate monitor is dead - this is the second one in 3 months. Very, very frustrating.

cheers,

Shelley

Thanks Shelley!  When I started training in Deember 2007, I didn't know what I could accomplish.  I only knew I had to do something about my health.  I was 5'3" and 219 pounds.  When I was doing my metabolic testing the trainer administering the test asked me what weight I would like to be and I just blurted out "160" without even thinking.  That was the last weight I was happy with, and it was about 15 years prior.  If you had asked me at that time if I thought I would ever get back there, I would have said, "I'd just like to get under 200 again."  Boy, what a difference 19 months makes!  I am actually shooting for 156 now due to a challange I am in with another one of my trainer's clients.  I am fairly well stuck with these last five pounds recently, but I hope that I can kick it into higher gear and get the damn things off by early fall.

As for how stair races work -- they actually call them Tower Running.  The way Hustle worked was you set up in waves and each person was released into the stairwell every seven seconds.  The first climbers started 7AM and the last were around 1PM I think.  Most of the people aren't being crazy about it for time, but I do remember the first place overall finisher did it in something ridiculous like 9 and a half minutes, which meant he was doing almost 10 flights per minute.  The half-climbers like me seemed to mostly just be trying to survive, and there was very little passing in our stairwell.  My trainer who did the full climb said that his stairwell got a little crazy at one point with people trying to pass.  There are events in just about every major city across the country and other countries, too.  They are usually in the winter months when nothing is going on outside.

I really really hurt this evening after those bicep isolations yesterday.  I can't straighten my elbows!

DocRose - back to the paperwork!

Wow, docrose - what a great success story! Congratulations!! I wish my husband would take his health seriously and drop the extra 40 pounds he's carrying around. It scares the crap out of me (can I say the 'c' word here?) and he has tried but was discouraged when the weight didn't magically fall off. It takes hard work and discipline to lose such a significant amount of weight.

Today was spin for an hour and then 45 minutes of yoga. I'm still without a HR monitor and it's driving me crazy. But in spin my heart felt like it was going to explode so I'm guessing I made it up in to zone 4 for a bit. It's all good though - as my team w.l. trainer says "your heart can't go 'too fast' - now too slow, that's a problem."

9:00 swim lessons with the kids, I swim for an hour with one while the other has a lesson and then they switch - so two hours in the pool 1 on 1 for me which is nice. After a lunch break we'll head back up to the pool to swim some more and then we should all be good and ready for bed.

almost the weekend! Anybody doing the peak into pilates class?

Well, I'm only just 40 not 50 but I will tell you what I tell all my patients.  After 35 unless you are exercising regularly your metabolic rate starts to decline, and with menopause it often takes a big plummet.  I would add some resistance training to your routine, Ms Cardio, so you build some muscle.  Muscle is metabolically active tissue and will help boost your metabolic rate (Fat just lays there).  Also, look into your carb consumption.  Many women in menopause develope big carb cravings and consequently don't eat enough protein and overdo the calories.  The higher carbs also lead to higher insulin level which put on weight.

Short summary anyway.  Does anyone want more detail?  Probably should save it for a nurtition discussion post.  Don't want to get away from the thread too much...

DocRose

I will start a new thread in the weight loss section.  Please post me a similar question there and I will answer as I have time.  I will put the starter up tonight, but I am too tired to make sure my answer is coherent tonight, so I will work on it later.

DocRose

My work out over the weekend was good Saturday i did lifting it was chest day and 60 min on the treadmill doing incline heart rate in

zone 3. Sunday lifting was back and then tae boe with Billy Blanks video.

Today monday was a press to get through and hour of cardio i think i am a little burned out. This afternoon i will do lifting

bi's tri's and shoulder.  I do believe nutrition along with weight lifting and cardio all goes to gather. I did at one time try fitday.

i think i will give it another try.

Ok I'm back sorry I haven’t had an opportunity to get back to you guys. I hope everyone is good and making positive progress on there goals. Last week was super crazy. I managed to find two days to work out and today I also managed to convince myself that a trip to the gym was much needed. After I got on the treadmill I must admit things began to fall into place. It was really good, I spent about 1 1/2hrs between the treadmill and the bike trying to get both my cardio in and burn some of these pounds up. I admit one of the hardest parts of the equation for me is the life part. I'm just trying to pull a healthy workout routine together. (Not easy) lol... My thought is that if I can get into the club 4 times a week that would be a vast improvement for me. Ideally I would like to get in on a daily basis but I just don’t think I’m their yet. The further good news is I’m down 9lbs. I think I would be down a little further if not for the beers after work on Thursday, the concert on Friday and my buddy's house warming party on Saturday. Next week I’ll set a new goal for myself. Something not so aggressive as the last one but I do need something that will make me push myself.

Hey Kirsten!

All I can say is WOW.  That is a lean, mean look you're going for.  I hope you post some pictures for us to see when you're done.

Kettlebells are a lot of fun, and I enjoy when Zelig throws some into the routine.  Here's what I did today, but I'm not sure that these are the right names for these exercises, so forgive if this is confusing.

Kettlebell workout:  Each set three times, minimal rest between exercises, 30 sec rest between sets

Deadlifts, alternating hands(swap in midair) with blue kettlebell(20 pounds) - 15

pushups hands on handles of blue kettlebells -- 15

v-sit, tapping side to side with green kettlebell(12 pounds) - 20

Woodchops, low to high with green kettlebell - 12 each side

touchdown to overhead press with green kettlebell - 8 each side

crunches with one arm extended up holding green kettlebell - 15 on each side

Squat to overhead raise with orange kettlebell (10 pounds) -15

tricep overhead extensions sitting on stability ball (10 pounds) 15 each arm

1 minute plank on stability ball

Takes me about 35 minutes to do this through, and then finish the hour with various core work.

DocRose

The answer is to your question is a qualified yes.  When your allergies are acting up your sinuses fill with mucus that bacteria and viruses just LOVE -- Yum Yum!.  They set up house keeping, call all their other bacterial and viral friends and have a big party.  That's what gets you the sinus infection.  Control your allergies with sinus medication = no mucus = no party!  One non-medicine thing you can do is use a neti-pot to rinse your sinus cavities.  You can pick one up with instructions at almost any drug store.  It's kinda gross, but really does help a lot.

Stairs today -- did the 103 floors again, sweating like an absolute pig.  Had a hard time getting heart rate up during warm up again (elliptical for 10 minutes).  Usually I can get mid zone two with no issues at the end of five minutes, but it's been hard lately -- could it be the heat?

DocRose

Resistance bands workout today, green and red, with one yellow thrown in at the end when my shoulders were pretty much spent.  It's amazing  how much you can accomplish with two pieces of rubber tubing and a post.

DocRose

I stumbled onto this board and love the support that everyone gives.  I have been overweight my entire life.  Late last year I finally decided I needed to make my health my priority so I joined Lifetime.  In January I started Team Weight Loss.  I learned to eat right and got into the habit of working out, which I admit I hate doing.  After Team Weight Loss I decided to work one on with a personal trainer.  My long term goal is to lose 100 pounds by August 21, 2010.  To date I am down 39 pounds.

Today I worked out with my trainer:  A circuit of high rows, cable rows, barbell curls, barbell press and upright rows, followed by leg presses, leg extensions, leg curls, chest press, and shoulder press.  I finished it up with 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill.

Hi Deb and welcome! It takes a lot of courage to start the journey to the gym, congratulations on your success. I can't wait to hear about more of them!

Today I slept in and woke up with weird kink in my neck. Maybe from last night's weights but I was lifting light and didn't think I strained anything. Oh well - thank heavens for advil. Might try to work on some lap time at the Allen club; swimming seems to relax me even though it is an amazing workout.

Happy Friday!!

Shelley

Awesome workout with trainer today.  Highlights included 60 pound bicep pull-downs 3 sets of 10 (highest weight I've ever done, and got through all but last three by myself!) and 21's.  Biceps will be sore for at least three days!

DocRose

Whew my arms are aching just reading your workout, DocRose!

Today was a 'rest' day but did lots of yard work so I'm feeling sore tonight. Not sure what I'll do tomorrow - at the very least I've got the other half of the flower beds in the front yard to plant, the compost pile to turn, and the lawn to mow. The rain has finally stopped now it's time to get caught up on chores.

cheers,

Shelley

Rose - I bought the case at Best Buy.  It is made by H2O Audio and is called the Natalie Caughlin Signature Series Waterproof Headphone System.  It holds my shuffle.  It clips to the back of my goggles and I couldn't feel it on the back of my head as I swam.  As recommended in the instructions, I tested it for 30 minutes without my iPod in it and there was no water in the case when I opened it up.  Additionally, I swam with it for half an hour, mostly freestyle so it wasn't completely submerged, but I did a couple of laps doing the backstroke, and also no water was in the case when I opened it.

Today I worked out with my trainer and we focused on my legs.  I had a couple of firsts today:

1. I did real squats.  Previously I had been doing Smith Squats which always felt real to me, but my trainer was very excited that I was doing real squats.  Also, it's amazing how much the mind plays into your workout.  I only saw 50 pounds on the bar and knew that I had done squats with more weight than that so I knocked out all three sets without struggling that much.  It was only after I was done with my workout that I found out the bar itself weighed 45 pounds.  If I hand known that I was squatting with 95 pounds, I would have never made it through the 1st set.
2. I did the Stairmaster for the first time today.  I have a lot of respect for you DocRose.  I didn't think I was going to make it for a minute.

I am looking forward to my HydroFit class Saturday morning, its actually the only time I look forward to going to the gym.

Deb - My first time on the stairmaster I lasted a grand total of three minutes, at level 3!  Everything gets better with practice (or sheer pig-headedness).  Great job on the squats!  I know what you mean about not letting yourself know how much you are doing or your body will say "no way!"  I try not to look at the weight when my trainer sets it up until after the first set.

Today - cardio with stairs.  Really felt like I was hauling myself and someone else up the stairs today.

DocRose

Sunday - hour of spin followed by strength training. Did planks, bird dogs, tri/bi work, squats, lunges and military presses.

Today - hour of spin then some yoga, lots of poses focusing on my feet and lower legs. Tried very light jog on treadmill and then backed off at the very first sign of pain. Maybe I'm not quite ready to start jogging again. But I'll take it very slowly and continue to stretch, strengthen and see how I feel in a week.

9:30 spin class was brutal this morning. 60 minutes of slowly adding load - no unloading - with 'rest' consisting of standing climbs. Ouch, my outer thighs and glutes ache! Just got word from Suunto that they are shipping me a new unit, should be here Thursday. I'll be happy to have a HR monitor again. Still no word from Polar.

Be patient with yourself, Deb! You need to find your limits before you can lean against them. Sounds like today you found a few. That's okay, now you have a bench mark by which to measure your success.

OK so I know that you havent heard from me in a little while but you will be happy to know that I havent given up of fallen off my goal. Or atleast not too far..lol I did a spin class the other day.. What was I thinking?? I felt like I had been dragged behind a truck afterwards. Im still tired a full day later. I also worked out again last night. Im trying to move from every other day into an every day schedule. (not easy) I am also trying to curb what I eat which I find is one of the hardest things for me to do. I'm a big time meat eater and so its been really hard to restrict my self to "mortal" sized portions. lol.. It's been lots of salads and Im trying yogurt in the morning, carrots and or trail mix during the day. Additionally, I managed to win a few sessions with a trainer yesterday so I'm really looking forward to that. I could use someone to point me in the right direction. As for the rest of you in here dont give up and keep pushing.

DocRose, congratulations on reaching your goal of 60 pounds!!!!!

My workout today was with my trainer, and it went a lot better than Tuesday.  Today was legs.  I like leg days.

Hey Kirstin!

Vaca is for relaxing, so enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!  You'll have plenty of hard work when you get back.

The video tips are fun, and you don't sound dorky.

Today, cardio with stairs, did a solid zone three for almost the full hour.  Next week I'm going to push the time on these and see what happens (other than exhaustion and possibly extreme glute pain the following day!)

Tomorrow will be an extra trainer day.  Wonder what he's got planned...

DocRose

Shelley -- I am in a weight loss challenge with another one of my trainer's clients.  I have three more pounds to lose and maintain off for two weeks to win the challenge.  Then I am going to redo my body fat to see where I am.  In May it was 36% -- I want to get down to 30% because I figure with all the excess skin that will really be more like 25% actual fat, and I am very satisfied with that percentage.

It will be weird to make goal and not want to lose any more weight.  I cannot remember a time in my life when that was ever the case.

I haven't thought about Quake in years!  What fun!  Used to play when I was in medical school.

Cardio today with a distance running focus.  I did two 17 minute treadmill intervals, 4.2mph and 1.0 incline.  I have some mild shin discomfort which I am icing as I type this.  Goal is to get up to 20 minute intervals by next month.

DocRose

I made it to my first spin class tonight.  After the first 20 minutes pain started in my knee, I slowed my pace and kept on pedaling.  After 25 minutes I wanted to quit, but I kept on pedaling.  The feeling of wanting to quit never seemed to go away, but I pedaled through the entire class.

I'm not saying that I'm never going to try a spin class again, but it may be a while before going back.

Deb

Welcome back, Kirstin! I can't wait to see your contest prep progress, I'm so curious. I'm glad someone else loves spin and with a few exceptions I'm with you on the format. I pay attention to my HR monitor (when I have on working that is) and do whatever I need to do to stay within my target zones. There are two instructors that challenge me to go harder and when it's their class, I do whatever they say. Those are my mental workout days, when every part of me wants to stop but I keep going anyway. Nice.

I jogged just a little yesterday with no pain YAY!! I had the kids with me so it was very slow and intermixed with walking. It felt great to be out jogging again. We were walking/jogging for 25 minutes.

Yesterday's workout: spin then yoga: total duration: 1.5 hours, avg HR 154, max HR 183, total calories 736 (which I then ate in like 15 minutes)

This morning: spin: 58 mintues, avg HR 156, max HR 175, calories 520

I'm feeling the need to get some weights in so might be back for round 2 later this afternoon; I'll be taking the kids to the pool so will be at the gym anyway.

happy hump day!

Shelley

Cardio today.  I did incline treadmill rather than run trying to give my poor shins another day off.  I never get as good a calorie burn without the run or stairs, but I haven't done much zone1-2 work recently, so it was probably good to bring it down a bit.  It still came out to almost 500 calories for the hour.

I agree with you Kirstin that I am now to the point of wishing I could lift every day rather than do cardio, but I know I need to do both and I am actually a little nervous to lift without my trainer there.  What if I do something stupid and injure myself?  It would set things back a long way...

I am trying to come up with a new goal once I finish my weight-loss challenge.  Is there something with weights I could do that would not involve parading around in a tiny bikini? (after a 60+ pound weight loss and pregnancy, that is soooo not happening! )  I am loving the progress I am making with weights but I would like a focus of some kind.  Any ideas would be appreciated.

Tomorrow one of my stair-climb teammates is meeting me at the club for a workout.  I have to remember to try not to kill her...

Happy Weekend!

DocRose

I like those ideas, especially the 1 unassisted pull up.  I'm almost there - last assist was only about 50 pounds, and I managed to do 5 on my own with that before my trainer started helping.  What is a reasonable amount of weight to bench?  I am 5'3" and now 158 pounds -- boy I love saying that!    I thought about this weekend's challenge at the club, but the timing is bad for me.  Maybe in the future...

DocRose

Ouch, ouch, ouch Rebecca!  I hurt just hearing about that! 

Cardio for friday -- elliptical, treadmill at short intervals again -- no shin pain!  Yeah!, and amt.

Shoulders doing their best imitation of stone today after yesterday.  Wish you could foam roll shoulders!

Happy Weekend!

DocRose

? "prowler" day?

Got a text from my trainer today "Long sleeve t-shirt or sweatshirt might be advisable for tomorrow.  FYI."

He refused to answer my inquiry as to why.

I think I'm afraid...

DocRose

> Pool stairs, yikes! It sounds like you have an awesome trainer - although your probably have moments when that's not the exact adjective that comes to mind.  : )

-------------------------

He's a lil' brat when I'm really annoyed with him (pool stairs, sheesh!  How does he come up with this stuff!?), but I love him to pieces, and I can't imagine having gotten this far with anyone else.

Glad you're still hitting the gym despite the crazy schedule.  Good luck with the instructor training!

DocRose

Still having some jello-legs after yesterday, so kept it low-key today.  10 min elliptical, 35 minutes treadmill, 15 minutes amt, keeping it all zone 1-2.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.

DocRose

For Time:

100 Pullups

100 Pushups

100 Situps

100 Squats

-----------------

20:33

Monday -- dragged myself in and did a usual cardio monday.  My allergies are acting up so I'm doped on Allegra D, but I can hit my target heart rates, no problem (thank you sudafed!).

Today -- Trainer day.  I can't think what was possessing me today, but I kept asking for more weight.  Managed to do stacked sets of crossover rows up to 50 pounds, a new high.  Balance was off, think I'm still hung over from the weekend.  Scale will not be kind on thursday, but I'm ready for that (I think).  Good grief I need to purge all this salt and alcohol out of my system.  I feel totally bloated!

Happy Short Week!

DocRose

Cardio Wednesday -- Did combined treadmill sprints and longer runs.  Glutes and quads still with a good burn from Tuesday.  Allergies still not terribly well controlled.  I'm hoping for weight work tomorrow as my breathing is still a little bit off.  Sprints were making me cough today.

DocRose, who really, really heates ragweed season...

Today is a "cardio" day:

Deadlift

Romainan Deadlift

Bent Over Row

Power Clean

Front Squat

Push Press

Back Squat

Start by doing 6 reps of each, then rest 90 seconds. 5 reps of each, rest 90 seconds, 4 reps of each, rest 90 seconds, etc, etc. The whole workout should take 12-15 minutes. Start with just an Olympic bar and add weight as needed. It's a killer!!! I do this Tuesday and Thursday, then something similar at home on Saturday.

It's a lot of fun!!! The first week I started doing this, I was super sore for 2 weeks (lifting 6 days a week will do that to ya!) but now its going super smooth. I do an undulating perioldization routine though my week, Monday is 3-5 reps for a total of 25 reps (I don't count sets, would rather focus on hitting a certain rep goal and keep good form) of power and strength moves, Wednesday is hypertrophy, 8-10 reps for a total of 40 reps, and Friday is a muscular endurance day, 15-20 reps for a total of 50 reps.

Sorry to hear about your sugar crash, did you have your post workout shake? Proper pre-workout nutritiuon? Drink enough water the day before?

Did swim work-out at lunch of 2,000 yards, warm-up set, main set of 12 x 100's on the 1:45 and cool down.

Biking about 22 miles of hills tonight...

It is always the problem -- I counsel my patients on eating right, exercise, not overscheduling, 8-9 hours sleep a night, all the things that they are supposed to be doing.  Until about 2 years ago, I did none of these correctly myself.  Now I've gotten the eating and exercise part right (mostly) but the sleep... Well, that is part of the job.  I can be on call and not get woken all night, or I can be on call and not get more than a few hours of sleep.  It is never predictable.  I will not forgo my training during my call time -- I would lose weeks worth of progress and really screw myself up.  Zelig is usually pretty good at reading my energy level and I usually tell him if I've had a bad night.  But it is not always the night immediately before, but often just the sum total of a week's worth of getting woken up once or twice each night.

Nutrition relating to my workouts has been a big issue really since the beginning.  Before I started, I never ate breakfast, for which I was soundly and rightly berated.  It was the first food habit I changed, though it took about three months before I actually wanted calories in the morning, and about 6 months before I started to wake up hungry.  As workouts have intensified, I've had to make many changes in what I eat in the morning prior to the gym to avoid crashing.  I am currently doing a protein bar and a glass of juice prior to workouts, getting about 35 grams of carbs and 20 grams protein depending on the bar I eat that morning.  After workout has still been in flux.  Lately it's just been another bar in the car on the way to work, with some fruit and milk after I get there, unless I have to round first, and I usually end up just with the bar.

Time is the factor -- I get up at 5AM, get to the gym and on equipment by 5:45, out the door to work by 7:20.  That schedule has very little wiggle room right now.

I know that shakes are always mentioned for both pre and post workouts, but I have yet to find one that I can stomach as the taste of the protein usually is vile to me.  I've tried mix, muscle milk, tried making my own with lifetime's whey isolate, and a few others I can't remember of the top of my head.  I know I could use more protein, especially as we get into more and more weights, but it has been hard to get over 100 grams in a day without overdoing the calories, and I still have 4 more pounds I want to lose.

Ok, I'm done whining.

DocRose

Yikes, Jeff - I'm getting sore just reading your workout schedule =0  I've been doing a lot more strength training lately but nothing that hardcore. You go!

DocRose, I haven't had much time to post lately but I've been following the thread via email; I've been admiring your strength training - you'll be doing pull ups in no time!

Yesterday I did not go to the gym at all - which was good. I've been hitting it hard with no real recovery for a few weeks now and after a week of intense zone 4/5 interval drills (in Studio Ride) I forced myself to take Wednesday off. And since I seem to have a hard time with moderation I didn't even try for an 'active recovery' day. Instead I aimed for a restful recovery day.

Today: 6am spin 1hr, total cal 718; 7am yoga; 9:30 spin again 1hr, total cal 617 Both spin sessions were almost entirely in zone 3, working on aerobic endurance - a welcome format after last week's race day intensity intervals.

I'm sorry to hear about your post workout reaction, Doc. I've had similar episodes and it really is very scary! I'm glad it passed quickly.  It sounds like you burned a ton of calories - "the hard way" imho - someone correct me if I'm wrong about this but for me, I feel as though burning lots of calories lifting is much harder than burning an equivalent number doing cardio. I've been know to eat during or immediately following (as in, before I've stepped away from my bike) Studio Ride, especially during the second hour on 2-hr days. I like the original-style powerbars, labeled "Performance Energy" - 3 servings of carbs mostly from a mixture of fructose and glucose. Complex carbs are wonderful but I've definitely found that I need those simple, readily available carbs on heavy cardio days. Maybe something to explore if sleep and water don't turn out to be the culprits. Take care of yourself!! How long until the big race?

Kristin - the prowler is the stuff of nightmares; you rock, girl!

Take care and happy (almost) Friday!

Shelley

Hey It's me again.. I'm back.. well actually I never left. Im just bad at the whole bloging thing.lol

Well I did it I joined a Team Fitness group at my club Im about Three weeks in at this point and down a number of holes in my belt.. ( is that good) anyway so my brother signed both he and myself up for a Football Camp next Spring ( I could kill him) so now the gloves have to come off and I really have to get in and down to business. My problem is that my workouts start out great and I am putting in the effort. I did the cardio point last night and the calorie point but I find my self getting really gassed so I need help with developing a stragegy to keep going through my workouts. Im eating a Kashi bar about 45 mins before I hit the gym but its either not working or I need to do somthing else. lol

Hey there,

Well its Saturday (normally an off day for me) but I'm on my way to the club for a work out.. I find that if I don’t now I start to feel out of sorts.. I'm hoping that's a good thing. lol. As for the Kashi bars I’m eating them first thing in the morning about 5:15 before I go to Team Fitness at 6. I'm really picky about allot of these kinds of products because honestly most taste like hydrated cardboard. I have also been eating the Cliff Bars when ever I can make it to the Grocery Store they seem to be ok as well. Today I eat some chicken - no skin and some gorp. (nuts, m&m's raisins) hoping that the combo will help supply the energy I need to go at it for the next hour.

Ok, that’s it for now I'm off to the club.. As for the rest of you have good productive workouts and no matter what don't give up (especially on the hard days)

JLO

Great job, Jonathon! I'm glad you're seeing results. I had a wonderful experience with TEAM Weight Loss and once my schedule gets back to normal I think I'll join TEAM Fit. I think the programs are fabulous. I go to 6am classes most every morning. I used to eat at about 5 - 5:15 but have started pushing that later - to about 5:30 - 5:45 after I discovered (by accident -  I woke up late) that I had more energy when I ate closer to class time. I'm partial to Power Bars in the early morning; they have a 3 to 1 to 1 carb to prot. to fat ratio and about 220 calories each.

It sounds like we've got some folks on this thread that have a lot of nutritian knowledge and I'm sure they;ll chime in too. I don't know the nutrition stats of Kashi Bars but is it possible that you're eating too much protien and not enough fat before your workout? I'm under the impression that you're supposed to eat mostly carbs with a smaller amount of protien and fat right before an intense workout. I definitely could be wrong though : )

Yesterday: 45 minutes of spin on my own (no class), forgot my HR monitor but tried to stay in zones 2 & 3 (my perceived exertion scale is fairly accurate these days) and then did some strength work: lunges, step-ups, squats, side-lying hip adductions/abductions (I love these, they are SO effective,) rear leg lifts, rows, tri-dips, chest fly, pull overs, whew! then some nice yoga poses to stretch it all out!

Today: spin (of course) 1hr 45 minutes, 972 calories, avg HR 163, max HR 176 and then about 30  min. yoga to open up my hips and shoulders.

I love hearing about your circus antics, Doc Rose! Sorry to hear about your hamstrings though. Hopefully your back hasn't been taking it too. If you have a yoga belt or some sort of strap (heck a towel works) you might try gently reaching for your toes: hinge from the hips making sure to keep your back slightly arched (instead of hunched over) and reaching and out (instead of down.) If you can't reach your toes easily use the belt/towel/etc. wrapped around the soles of your feet. This helps me on days when my hams are super tight.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

-Shelley

All Zone 1 low-no impact cardio, and a lot of foam rolling.  Left hamstrings seemed to have recovered but right ones still giving me problems.  Call ends in just over 1 hour, and I am minus about 20 hours sleep for the week.  Weighed myself in locker room this morning (which was stupid as I knew it would be bad).  Need to get my cortisol levels back down to something approaching sanity.

Any thoughts on recovery nutrition?  I have really upped my fluids, trying to get in good proteins and more antioxidants.

DocRose

Trainer day, almost all upper body, scaled back intensity.  Lots of talk on recovery, nutrition (Thanks for the adivce Jeff. Will implement ASAP.), and sleep.  I've been ordered to take the day off tomorrow and get in some extra sleep.  Hamstrings are about 85% better.  Oh, and I'm getting a deep tissue massage on Thursday.  My physical therapist mention that I had so much lactic building up that my hamstrings "felt like rice crispies."  I know that's not good.

DocRose

Trainer day today -- LOTS of upper body including stability ball chest flies, cross-cable rows and quad curls.  Felt pretty much back to normal after a good night's sleep two nights running.

Deep Tissue massage -- OMG was that good!!!!! Anton, the therapist was just the best!!  Truly, I've paid more for worse, but this was heaven.  He's recommending once monthly, which I may try to swing despite the cost.  How amazingly good!

Tomorrow, back at it full bore (or mostly full bore -- 85% anyway).  I've got some lost ground to make up.

DocRose

Yay hypertrophy day!!! Total of 40 reps, weight at 8-10 per set, weight moving as fast as possible, once speed slows down or form breaks, stop the set.

Front Squat - 135

Incline DB Press - 70

-SuperSet-

Incline Bench Rows - 80

Lying Hamstring Curl - 110

Lateral DB Raise - 20

-SuperSet-

Pull-Ups - 8

Felt really good, definetly earned my post-workout shake!

Looking forward to more complex's tommorow...

Worked out with one of my climbing teammates.  She and I hadn't worked out together before due to geography (She lives more than 1 hour away.) but she had been following my suggestions for prepping for the climb.  She had told me she was a little nervous about what she had gotten herself into, so I was a little concerned that she might have a rough go today...

She blew me out of the water, matched me move for move throughout the hour, and was in much better shape at the end than I.

I told her she had no worries.

So I did 550 calories of stair intervals and core work at the gym.  I then spent 2 hours this afternoon completely digging out the garden beds on the east side of the house, including the remove of two bushes and tons of weed and dead foliage.  Tomorrow I'll finish out the south beds, dig out one more bush, start with raking and mow a bit.  This is all in prep for starting to bed things down next weekend.  Then I'm off day Monday for Yom Kippur.

Blessings and Good Health for the New Year !

DocRose

Hey Kirstin!

Wow on that prowler stuff!  That device still looks evil to me.

So I managed to do something stupid this week.  Fasted on Yom Kippur (Monday) until 3pm.  Really, REALLY hard this year.  My body is way too used to a calorie infusion every few hours.  I never took into consideration that I had a scheduled training session at 8 am Tuesday.  Ate a pretty usual dinner, a few more carbs than usual for that time of day, but not much else different, and I had my usual pre-workout protein bar and juice.  The plan was for some pretty heavy duty upper body work, shoulder super-setting and the like, and then some balance work.  I never thought about the idea that my glycogen stores would be a little on the low side still...

40 minutes in I totally crashed.

I almost never stop a workout.  I've learned so much about how to listen to my body that I can figure out how to alter speed, intensity, whatever, and Zelig is really good at reading the cues when to dial it back.  I think the last time I had to stop a workout was 4 or 5 months ago.  But all of a sudden I was in a cold sweat and dizzy.  I put down the cable-cross handle I was holding and said, "I need to stop now."  Zelig had me on the ground quick and the shakes took hold of me for a good two minutes.  Totally not fun.  Zelig felt bad about it, thinking he should have planned something different.  I felt bad about it, thinking that I should have moved the session to a different day.  I was able to get up and finish after a few minutes and we discussed some changes in nutrition for the day.

Today I was back to normal, did elliptical/sprint intervals on treadmill/ amt.

Lesson learned, but not in a fun way.

Trainer day tomorrow.

DocRose

PS - Liked your piece.  I've liked a lot of the stuff you've been posting in the blogs.  Good, useful information.

Kirtin -- Sorry you've been sick!  Nothing feels worse than getting thrown off your routine!  Once you feel better, get your flu shots so you don't get any sicker before the competition.

I'm a little behind, let's see...

Thursday was a training day.  Maintained same weight for the week, which was fine with me because my aunt flo was here, and I always stall out a bit when that comes.  We did some really wicked upper body/shoulder super sets and a lot of back work again.  ( I hate back work, but I know the necessity.)  We planned for a Saturday session, and I was left with the parting words of "We're in the gym on Saturday, so don't do too much tomorrow."

Friday I did cardio but kept it Zone 1/2.

Saturday was the conditioning workout from HELL!  Newest addition was side shuffling in the squat position up and down the short length of the court, then do 2 deep push-ups, repeat five times.  And this was the last exercise at the end of the set.  I have never spent so much time in Zone 4 in my life!  We did 560 calories in 45 minutes, and the Zelig did a full foam roll to finish the hour, which was a damn good thing, because at least I can walk today.  Actually I'm suprised that I just have a little low back stiffness and nothing else.  I thien spent the rest of the morning chasing my son around the mall buying fall clothes for both of us.  I bought size small sweaters for me for the first time in my adult life.  The changes still catch me by suprise sometimes.

Today is an off day for the gym, but there's a lot of yardwork to be done, so I think I'm hauling mulch and stone today.

6 weeks and counting as of today.

DocRose

Monday -- Woke up feeling fine even after killer weekend, so I decided to rock it.  Level 9 stairmaster for 19 minutes, with a push to level 11 for the 20th minute to complete 103 floors in 20 minutes.  Spent five minutes on the treadmill walking it off, but I am now feeling the pace and know what I need to maintain for the climb.

Today -- Trainer day.  1 hour of negative sets!  Upper and lower, and negative situps, too!  Worst of all, I then had to sit in an all day meeting today after that.  I think every muscle in my body will have turned to stone by the end of the day.  Oh well, a hot bath and motrin for me before bed.

Hey Kirstin, how bout some pictures showing how good you're looking now? 

DocRose

Given how I felt going to bed last night, I awoke today in pretty good shape.  Mostly lats, triceps, and quads complaining.  I'm suprised it wasn't more.  Can't believe how much I've gotten used to the abuse!

Cardio today -- elliptical, 30 minutes of treadmill sprint intervals, finish the hour with the amt in low zone 3.

Trainer day tomorrow, with weigh-in.  Really want these last 2 blankety-blank pounds off already!

DocRose

We haven't actually tried any recently.  Too focused on prep for climb, maybe, but I can tell that some of the upper body stuff is working towards that.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.

DocRose

First day back after my bye week. I try to take a week off the heavy lifts and volume every 4-6 weeks to give my joints and central nervous system a rest. Today felt really tired, a bunch of my friends are fighting off bugs and I think I may have picked something up, so not as intense a workout as i would like, but still feel pretty wrecked

Heavy-20 reps total-3-5 reps per set

Snatch grip deadlift - 225

5 plyometric pushups + bench press - 205

5 mb slams + seated row - 230

felt really good at the end and had some extra time so I threw in 2 sets of 3 reps of db snatches with 75 lbs.

Been pounding protein shakes since and am looking forward to not being able to move for my complexes tomorow

Trainer Day today -- New max on bench press -- 65 pounds, 3 sets of 10, and Zelig didn't have to help me on a single one.  YEAH!!!

Lots of other upper body stuff today, including 4 point walks (blech), but also some leg work.  Good way to burn off a late running business meeting from last night.

Happy Tuesday!

DocRose