Using It - October 29 to November 4

[Shadow]

Up and at 'em, gang :D! Started the week with cardio, abs, legs & shoulders.

What does the week look like for everyone?

[Mitra]

Mine started off fairly gently, because my back was feeling a bit twitchy - not painful as such, but some referred sensations in my leg. I keep reminding myself that the bad times are a lot worse than this, and that it really is much better than it was - but it's so slow :(.

[Missy]

Hell on earth. lol http://users.pandora.be/eforum/emoticons4u/crazy/069.gif

[Ottawa]

Sunday: 1 hour weights and crunches.
Monday: Aerobics Class

[LisaS]

What does the week look like for everyone?

I'm going off-script for me and doing someone else's workout plan - its a 3 week plan repeated once for a 6 week plan. Upper/lower 4-day split, each on a different undulating periodization - that is 1 upper workout might be 5x5, the next 3x15 and the next 4x10 - so varying weights & set/rep schemes.

I'll add in 45 min walks with the dogs (maybe 4/7 days in the AM) and twice-a-week interval workouts (sprints or resistance complexes).

[Shadow]

Wow - great way to shake things up, Lisa :thumbsup:!

Randy - Now this is more like it :D!

Mitra - I'm so sorry the back is still twitchy - but you're right, it has been worse before. Not that knowing that makes you feel better now, but :rolleyes:...

[Mitra]

Shadow, it's not actually painful at the moment - just reminding me that it's there, so I don't want to push it too hard. But there's also the frustration that it won't quite go away! I think I may need to look at ways that I can increase the intensity of my sessions without overstressing it, rather than just going to lower intensity work whenever it protests.

[daisy]

Back home after 4 day break at sherwood forest center parcs, no organised exercise but how does many hours swimming (ok slides and plunge pools lol), a 6 mile+ bike ride thru the forest, cyling all over the park several times a day, rollerblading for an hour, badminton, ping pong and tennis and walking sound for a short holiday??????

Tomorrow i'm back to gym but got my dad visiting this week so going to concentrate on the running (planning 3 sessions starting 45 mins then upping it 2 mins each time) and a little weight work....

daisy xx

[Shadow]

Shadow, it's not actually painful at the moment - just reminding me that it's there, so I don't want to push it too hard.
I don't blame you ;).

But there's also the frustration that it won't quite go away!
I have my own fair share of things that never go away so I know just what you mean :rolleyes:.

I think I may need to look at ways that I can increase the intensity of my sessions without overstressing it, rather than just going to lower intensity work whenever it protests.
That's a great plan! Could your yoga instructor maybe help you with that?

[Shadow]

Oh yeah.... today was cardio.... I would say it was fun, but cardio never is :lol:!

[Mitra]

I've noticed that the last couple of days, just because we've talked about resistance, and with thoughts of the November Challenge in mind, I've actually been working harder so that I can feel aches in my ab and back muscles (just DOMS sort of aches, not inflamed, damaged aches) and in my thighs and shoulders, and the sides of my ribcage. Oh, calves, too. And that's without doing anything new - just paying more attention to the old stuff!

I have another lesson booked for mid-November, so I'll see what my teacher comes up with then.

[lizi145]

Oh yeah.... today was cardio.... I would say it was fun, but cardio never is :lol:!

Hey, there!:eek: I LOVE cardio...it's the resistance which troubles me...:p

[banshee]

It's great to hear everyone else is keeping it up with the exercise. I know for me the motivation is a bit harder to keep going now that daylight savings has kicked in and it's dark out when my work day ends, but I'm determined to keep up the momentum this time!

Sunday and Thursday are my rest days. Monday Tuesday and Friday are aerobic circuit training days (plus core), and Wednesday and Saturday are resistance strength training days. This week I'm meeting with my trainer on Wed, so I have no idea what we'll be doing. :rolleyes: I suspect he's going to make me change the resistance band that I'm using for my reaching abdomminal curls, though, since I hit the 20 rep mark on Saturday. :eek:

Shadow, I'm really enjoying my aerobic days now that I'm doing weight lifting exercises for it. I can adjust which exercises I do based on how my knee is feeling, and I can choose difference exercises each time so that I don't get bored. I choose six exercises, each working a different muscle, with the weights low enough to do 20 reps without hitting failure, and do 4 sets, going from one to the next with no breaks between. Sometimes I'll do one core exercise between each set, other times I'll do the core exercises at the end. This formula is actually getting my heart rate higher than I was getting it on the bicycle, and I'm really sweating by the end of the 45 minutes.

I'm not going to be joining the monthly challenge in the sense of doing the reporting and everything, since I have a hard enough time reporting in here, but I'm going to try to "kick it up a notch" with my aerobic days by adding in an extra set, for an extra 5-10 minutes. I think I'm already pushing the resistance as far as I can, as evidenced by the fact that I'm continuing to see gains with every session, so I'm just going to keep that going.

I'm also really excited because I was talking with my parents while I was in Florida, and told them that for Christmas, I didn't want any gifts under the tree - all I wanted was for everyone to get me gift certs at the gym that I can apply toward personal training. My dad told me not to tell everyone else that because he'll cover the cost of my personal training for next year! :D Isn't that a terrific gift? (I'm still thinking of asking for more gift certificates from the other relatives so I can use them toward massage therapy or some of the fee-based exercise classes... ;) )

[Shadow]

Hey, there!:eek: I LOVE cardio...it's the resistance which troubles me...:p
The difference, Lizi, is that I hate cardio but I still do it :lol: :p!

[Shadow]

Shadow, I'm really enjoying my aerobic days now that I'm doing weight lifting exercises for it. I can adjust which exercises I do based on how my knee is feeling, and I can choose difference exercises each time so that I don't get bored. I choose six exercises, each working a different muscle, with the weights low enough to do 20 reps without hitting failure, and do 4 sets, going from one to the next with no breaks between. Sometimes I'll do one core exercise between each set, other times I'll do the core exercises at the end. This formula is actually getting my heart rate higher than I was getting it on the bicycle, and I'm really sweating by the end of the 45 minutes.
Oh Mary - how awesome :D :D :D!!!!

My dad told me not to tell everyone else that because he'll cover the cost of my personal training for next year! :D Isn't that a terrific gift?
Wow - that is just fantastic, Mary!!!!!!

[lizi145]

The difference, Lizi, is that I hate cardio but I still do it :lol: :p!

Yeah...I know!:D You're one up on me! You totally amaze me...along with a few other seasoned exercisers!;)

[Shadow]

While practice does not always make perfect, it at least provides consistency ;) :p.

[Mitra]

You're one up on me!

Me, too. I don't like cardio, so I don't do it :o .

[banshee]

OK, after posting a detailed plan for the week yesterday, I immediately changed it last night. I decided to do strength training instead of aerobic circuit training and worked out for 1.5 hours. I've been thinking about switching to one more day of resistance for a while now, and for some reason decided to do it this week. I think it was because of the challenge and Gabe's comment that we should do at least 3 days of resistance each week. When I started, I was too sore to do 3 days and needed the extra recovery time, but now I either don't get sore at all or I get sore for just a few hours and I'm fine the next day. So from now on I'll be shooting for 3 days resistance and 2 days aerobic circuit training each week.

That being said, I'm probably only going to be getting 1 day of aerobics in this week because I heard on the radio that they're having another blood drive push today. (They felt a Halloween "blood" event was appropriate! :D :p ) Since it's been 3 months since I last donated, and the event is practically across the street from my office, I decided the convenience was too much to pass up, so I'm headed over there at lunch. Of course, that means today's planned exercise has to be cancelled. I *might* decide to exercise on Thursday instead, but that always feels so rushed that I don't feel like I'm doing a good job at the gym. Last week when I worked out Thursday I had to skip the stretching because I was in such a hurry, and I hate to do that.

[Shadow]

Mary - One day of cardio is just fine, especially if you're doing circuit work too. And awesome decision on that resistance :D!

Mitra - On the bright side, if you're only going to do one or the other, you're far better off doing resistance only than cardio only ;). So I allow you to send a raspberry Lizi's way :lol:. (Just want to see if she's paying attention :razz: )

Today was chest, back and planks.

[banshee]

Well, on the plus side, I get to work out today. On the annoying side, they wouldn't let me give blood because of my tachycardia, even though that wasn't a problem the first time I donated. Apparently I need my doctor to sign a permission slip before I can give blood because of my "heart condition", even though tachycardia, on its own, isn't a serious condition - it just means my heart beats faster than "normal". Sigh. And I didn't bring my exercise clothes with me today, so now I'm going to either have to go home first, or stop at WalMart for a pair of sweat pants. I'm beginning to feel like a yo-yo with my exercise plans this week! (Oh, I forgot to mention in my first post - today was measurement day, and my thigh is down another 1/4 inch. I'm only 3/4 inch away from my lowest thigh measurement at this point. At the rate I've been losing, I'll get there in another 6 weeks!)

[daisy]

Tuesday -

45 mins crosstrainer/fatburn/level 14

this is all i did as i'm full of heavy head cold and feeling pretty ick :tear:

daisy xxx

[Ottawa]

Tonight is an hour of planks, handweights and crunches to a Zombie Movie. I'll wait until 8:00 to make sure most of the trick or treaters have gone by or the candy is gone and then turn the upstairs lights out.

Wednesday is a lunch time weights class provided by the new client group I support and then I am away for 10 days to a remote location. I'll get workouts in daily and am taking a few fitness videos in case it rains, but will mainly be cutting/splitting/hauling wood for exercise. There will likely not be a better time for it and one of my sons asked to go along for three days as well for the competition/companionship when we work together like that. He is not the fastest splitter I've seen but stays at it all day and works up a good sweat.

[SherryJ]

WOW, Randy! Sounds HARD... and WONDERFUL all at the same time!

I tell ya, my friend, I've still got a Canadian canoe trip in my boys future, and would LOVE to have you as our guide! :)

Sherry

[miralin]

SHERRY! Picture! Wow!

[Shadow]

Sherry - Wow :D! What a fantastic picture!

Daisy - Take care of yourself :)!

Randy - Sounds like an awesome time away :thumbsup:!

[banshee]

Well, I forced myself to go workout last night. I almost didn't because it just seemed like too much trouble since I didn't have my workout clothes, but that sounded like a flimsy excuse even to me. So I stopped at Walmart for some cheap sweatpants, and went to the gym. Unfortunately, I had forgotten one important fact. Since I had "known" I wasn't going to be working out Tuesday, I pushed myself extra hard on Monday when lifting. When I tried to do my circuit training yesterday I found I was too sore/weak to do the exercises. Then I decided to just hop on the treadmill for some light walking. But apparently I pushed my ankle a little too hard as well because it was NOT happy with me. So after 18 minutes of walking I had to quit or risk limping around the rest of the week. I think I would have been better off if I had just given in to the temptation not to work out!

[Shadow]

Mary - Sorry your session went so poorly, but IMHO you were better off doing what you did than in doing nothing ;). And great plan to hit the treadmill instead of the weights. Our muscles definitely let us know when they're ready for a break. Sorry about that ankle - hopefully you didn't injure it too badly!!!

[SherryJ]

Thanks, Shannon and Shadow! :)

(((((Mary...))))) That just hurts reading about it!!!

Sherry

[banshee]

Wow, I must have made that sound more painful than it actually was! Really, the ankle was just telling me I had managed to work it too hard at some point. The odd thing is I can't remember doing anything that would have bothered it, and it wasn't bothering me before I got on the treadmill. It's just the way things are with that ankle - sometimes it just complains. I only get in trouble if I ignore it when it "talks" to me! (grin)

[hawk]

Moved the weight bench back in . Got my ussual 15 minutes cardio and then 45 minutes weights, I am going to be sore tomorrow . Yippy!!!!
I am so glad to have the bench back here. After I stopped working at the Y, I just stopped working out . It was easy there.... So now it's easy here! I have a cd player by the weights, a tv in front of the bike and a portable battery dvd player on the treadmill.

[Shadow]

Lynn - How awesome :D! I'm doing a happy dance for you :)!!! Shucks, maybe I should come workout with you because I think you have better toys than I do :lol:!!!!

[hawk]

Come on over!! I have a full body punching bag hanging also!

[daisy]

Thursday -

still feeling sick so 45 mins/crosstrainer/fat burn and lowered intensity a bit, felt pretty good afterwards and tried it on empty stomach to try and give the weightloss a boost

daisy xxx

[banshee]

Wed: Personal training, about 40 minutes

We did some new exercises, including a glute extension. While I was doing it I told the trainer, "I don't feel this working my glutes at all." He said not to worry, that it was. We also did a new core exercise - a "prone cobra". That one I could tell was working both my back and my abs - they were tight the rest of the evening.

When I got up this morning though, oh my god! :eek: :eek: My glutes are killing me! Abs aren't bad, but I'm going to be feeling those glute extensions every time I try to stand up or sit down! :o :eek:

[Shadow]

Lynn - You're making me drool :lol:! I want a punching bag but just don't have the room :(. Not only is it great for toning the upper body, but it's great for relieving stress, too :D!

Mary - Great report on those glute extensions!

Okay, finished up my week with triceps, biceps and abs. That also completes this 3-week rotation. So Sunday, I'll be off and running on something new :).

[cmcole]

Didn't get to the gym at lunch, because hubby said the day was too good to pass up - so we ran around the lake that I work by (3.8 km; 2.5 miles). A little slower today - took it at a decent pace, and there were other people sharing the path - 24:44:37

Got a calf cramp toward the end, and we still have to take the dogs out after work.

[Shadow]

CMC - Way to go enjoying the weather while it lasts :D!

[daisy]

Friday -

45 mins/crosstrainer/fat burn/level 12

going to (fingers crossed) run for 45 mins tomorrow then each session thereafter up the time by 2 minutes....

daisy xx

[banshee]

Thursday was a rest day - literally. I seem to be coming down with a cold and I ended up taking the afternoon off work. I'm planning on hitting the gym today, but I'm not sure what I'll be able to get done. It kind of depends on how much energy my cold leaves me. I think I'm going to change my schedule a bit and try to do a full strength workout today rather than my aerobic circuit training. Even though it's a harder workout on my muscles, it's less "energetic" and I can take as much time as I need to rest between sets.