Workout Recap 12/23 - 12/29

Better late than never on last week.  We had gorgeous weather and I was able to rock out 35 miles, which was the most I'd ran in a week in quite a while.  Christmas was my rest day, and I ate PLENTY to uh refuel my muscles :)

Monday -6 treadmill miles then headed out to start and end Christmas shopping... last minute style.  That should also count as a workout.  Yuck.

Tuesday - Christmas Eve! 8 treadmill miles, plus weighted lunges (ouch) and shoulder workout.  And Ab intervals with Shaun T.  Don't worry, I ate back every single calorie burned within 5 minutes at my parent's house.

Wednesday - MERRY CHRISTMAS!  Rest day.  I planned on running some easy miles in my new Wave Rider 17s, but I felt extremely sore, tired, and well, lazy.  It was a nice afternoon and I did make it outside for a walk around the lake which is close to 2 miles.

Thursday -8.5 miles at 8:12 average pace.  HELLO perfect weather!! This morning was so gorgeous.  I just wanted to run forever!
I hit the gym in the afternoon for some weights, and walked the lake with my parents.

Friday - 6 miles at 8:17 avg.  Again, perfection.  Spent the gorgeous afternoon visiting some family in Iowa, and finished off the day with Body Pump (60 minutes) and it felt amazing.

Saturday - 7 miles at 8:34 avg again outside.  And oh so hard.  Maybe it was from pump the night before, or just the extra miles I wasn't used to running outside, but I really thought I was just going to fall over.  Some runs are like that I guess...

Sunday - 45 minutes elliptical, Body Pump (60 minutes) and CXWORX (30 minutes).  I was tired after this :)

This was an awesome last full week of 2013.  I am off work, so I have lots of extra time to devote to fitness, which makes me extremely happy.

Workout Recap 12/9 - 12/15

Monday – 6.2 miles. CXWORX (30 minutes) 

Tuesday – Body Pump Express (40 minutes) 

Wednesday – 6 miles. CXWORX (30 minutes) FIRST night of Focus T25! Beta Cardio (25 minutes) I think I went to bed right after this. I was wiped out. 

Thursday – T25 Speed 1.0 (25 minutes) followed by 1.3 miles on the treadmill. This was the beginning of the end for my left calf. My calves were definitely feeling the burn on Wednesday night during Cardio, but felt decent during Speed 1.0, and I was sporting some Pro Compression sleeves. The goal was the T25 workout followed by 5 easy treadmill miles. FAIL. My calf gave one distinct pull and that was it. I hobbled off in defeat. 

Friday – Weights hit arms and legs (30 minutes) T25 Total Body Circuit (25 minutes) OK, I did not give my all on the TBC, I really went half speed, took most of the modifiers, and still almost didn’t make it. Sore calf or not, this was TOUGH. 

Saturday – 10 miles T25 Ab Intervals. Nothing like laying your towel on your mat to do ab intervals when you are as drenched as you would be post-shower… CONFESSION, I only made it 20 of the 25 minutes of the ab intervals. I had trouble getting set up for each new move, I learned I need to watch each one first so I know exactly what I supposed to be doing, and maybe what the modifier is doing… 

I'm in a full blown hibernation mode, contrary to the belief of the cute bear in the pic...

Sunday – Arc Trainer (60 minutes) and not much else... Laaaaaazy day. 

Since T25 came in the mail mid-week, I don’t know that this counts as my first week of the program. I plan to officially start it on a Monday, but I may need to wait until my calf is full strength.

Sucked in by infomercials

My T25 DVDs arrived…

Yikes.

I got sucked in by the infomercial.  I have this weird form of self-motivation where I have to watch workout infomercials while I’m on the treadmill.  I have even put in a Jillian Michaels DVD just to watch while I’m running.  I think maybe that’s weird?  I don’t know, it works, whatever gets my butt moving.  So T25 is always on during the lovely 5AM hour, and I decided after two weeks of seeing the lovely before and after testimonials that maybe this would work for me.

I’m using this blog as a way to hold myself accountable to actually do the dang workouts.  I’ll do a full review, and updates on my progress.  I even took some scary BEFORE pics this morning… (I'll spare you those)

 

My GOAL and purpose for doing this is to get stronger and hopefully increase my muscle definition.  I’m excited about the 25 minute idea.  

Update:

DAY 1 – first workout in the Alpha phase is Cardio.  I’ve never done Insanity or P90X, but I’m assuming most of these moves are incorporated in those workouts as well.  It was tough no doubt about it.  I was able to hang in the full time, the only modifier I did was on the jump lunges. (I stuck with touching my knee as opposed to the floor.)  The 25 minutes went really fast, and you couldn’t lose your focus otherwise you’d miss out on the next move.

I’m definitely feeling it today!  

Tonight after work I have day 2 which is Speed 1.0. 

Workout Recap 12/2 - 12/8

Not much excitement to see here.  Pretty basic week.  Still recovering from the horrible four day flu.  

Monday - REST.  Still sick :(

Tuesday - HUMAN again!! Wahooo!  Took advantage of probably the last outdoor run for quite awhile.  I don't do the snow runs, or the below 25 degree temps.  No thank you.  This was a nice morning, about 29-30 degrees.  I had lead legs from being confined to the couch, but it was a decent run.
CXWORX 30 minutes

Wednesday - 5 miles on the tread.  This was HARD.  Oh man, just brutal.  My legs just wouldn't go.  I wanted to quit several times, but gutted it out to the 5 and hit STOP.
CXWORX for 30 minutes at noon.

Thursday - Body Pump Express 40 minutes and Arc Trainer 50 minutes.  I went the extra second, don't let the picture fool you!

 
Friday - Ridiculously sore from Body Pump... I went for 30 easy minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes of torture on the Stairmaster.  Holy sweat fest.

Saturday - 7 miles.  Finally feeling strong again!  I took a pic, but I can't find it :(  My time was 55 minutes I believe.

Sunday - Spin class 60 minutes and 10 minutes on the Stairmaster.  Again, ouchie.

Here's to a HEALTHY week ahead :)

The importance of core training

I’ve uncovered many a revelation when it comes to gaining endurance and speed.  I reflected back to when I first started running.  I spent hour after hour on the elliptical, and would maybe use a weight machine every now and again.  Throw in a sit up here or there.  I had NO CLUE what a plank/hover was.  Or a bridge.  I attribute my strength and speed gains to a heck of a lot more miles, weights, a dose of craziness, and last but certainly not least, CORE TRAINING.

 

I’ve spent all of 2013 doing core work of some sort at least 3 times a week.  My preferred method is Les Mills CXWORX™.  If you are familiar with the Les Mills program, it’s set up in the form of tracks.  This class is a perfect amount of time (30 minutes) and there are 6 total tracks (songs) targeting each area of the core.

Les Mills CXWORX™ - Revolutionary Core Training
 From Les Mills.com:

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

• A quick, efficient workout in 30 minutes
• A tough workout that challenges you mentally and physically
• Tightens and tones core muscles
• Improves functional strength for balance, mobility and injury prevention
• Better understanding of how the core works and its importance to your physical health
• Motivates you to venture outside your comfort zone

Pretty sweet.  Kidding, it’s killer.  But in a good way.  Our YMCA offers this class a few different times every day.  I am fortunate enough to be able to hit the lunch hour class.

CXWORX™ really hones in on the torso and sling muscles that connect your upper body to your lower body. It’s ideal for tightening your tummy and butt, while also improving functional strength and assisting in injury prevention.
It’ll help you run faster … play harder … stand stronger!
No ordinary workout, CXWORX™ hits many of the top fitness trends:
Core training 
Strength training 
Functional fitness 
Educated and experienced fitness professionals 
Group personal training 
(From Les Mills.com)

Having a strong core will make you better at everything.  Running, lifting, sports, you name it.  It will help with injury prevention too.  I’ve scaled back from 3 classes per week (90 minutes total) to 2 classes per week.  (Sometimes one if I’m really slacking).  I don’t find that I lose any strength by going less, I actually find that I’m stronger and really feel the benefit of the class again (aka soreness!)  A few of my friends are awesome enough to be certified instructors, and they always make class fun.  

Happy Halloween!! Great day for this orange and black themed post right.  I will be needing a few extra classes after the candy :)