Tuesday June 29th: Toning Class -- Home Alone Workout

I thought long and hard about skipping this class.  I really really wasn't sure about it, but as the day went on I changed my mind because I didn't want to go home to an empty house right after work.  My wife is out of the country, so I figured that if I went right after work it would just make the night longer, so I forced myself to suck it up and go to Toning class. 

I felt worn down from the weekend and Monday's class just didn't go that well, so I thought that I might need to take a day off.  I also knew that I planned to go to Sports Conditioning in the morning on Wednesday morning, which would mean that I would being do two workouts in around 12 hours.  In addition, my Achilles felt a lot better all day on Tuesday, and I was wondering if I should push it or give it some rest.  But the Toning class has no running and the Sports Conditioning class has very little running, so I thought that these two classes really wouldn't stress my Achilles that much.  This combined with the prospect of full night alone prompted my class attendance. 

I was glad that I went almost as soon as I got there.  The class was exactly what I needed.  Lots of abs work along with a good upper body workout.  We did lots of push ups, bicycles, and other ab exercises throughout the class.  I really like that this class is a very focused class with everyone staying together and doing the same exercises.  Most of the other classes that I go to don't keep everyone together, so it is nice to have one that does.  I don't want all of my classes to do that, but it is go for a change of pace.  Also, it allows you to work on form a lot more because you don't need to push yourself to keep up with your classmate. Focusing on form is much more important in a toning class than the number of reps you can blitz through, so keeping everyone going at the same pace appropriate for this class.  Also, it is nice to be able to check you form against your classmates because some people do different variations of the same exercise based upon their level, so it gives you someone options as to who follow.  I felt really good after the class and took some time to ice my Achilles after class, which I think helped. 

Monday Plycore June 28th

I am glad that I went to this class, but I should have taken the day off.  I didn't realize just how tired I was from the weekend until this class got started.  I had spent the day before helping my cousin move in Asheville then drove home to Raleigh.  I also didn't sleep well, but I was excited to go to class.  We started the class off with a big run, and I did well with it, but following the run I started to have some abdominal cramps and began feeling worn out.  I was able to push my way through the workout, but things got complicated because my Achilles began to flare up at the end too.  By the time the workout was over, I was feeling pretty out of sorts.  It is strange because everything just sort of hit me at once, and I wonder if I wasn't just a little dehydrated going into the run and then the humidity got the better of me. 

The workout:

2.33 mile run (warm up)

Sprint, butt kicks, and high knees (up and down the gym)

walking lunges up & down the gym

20 push ups

15 dips

5 box jumps

6 flights of stairs (up & down)

5 chin ups

X3

Achilles Worries: June 28th

I have recently been experiencing some soreness in my Achilles on both of my feet.  The left seems to be the worse of the two at this point.  I am sure that this is due to the increased amount of running and stairs that I have been doing.  And, I know that I need to rest up and treat this before it gets worse.  Achilles problems are common for people that run or have recently increased their amount of running.  Unfortunately it is really difficult to take the time to rest that I need.  Right now, I am hoping to get the situation under control with some stretching, anti inflammatory, and ice treatment.  Accordingly, I have been searching the Internet for some good stretches, and this on seems to be the best that I have found thus far:

Website for this stretch

 Right now I am hopeful that I can treat this without having to take a large amount of time off, but if I can't, I will be sure to move to the pool, bicycle, and weights.  But, I need to keep my fingers crossed that I have caught it early enough.

Saturday June 26th: Asheville Run

My wife is out of the country this week, so I went to Asheville to help my cousin move.  I didn't get to workout on Friday and knew that we would be doing the move on Sunday, so I decided to go for a run on Saturday morning.  Now, I don't know Asheville all that well and my cousin hates to run, so I was just praying that I wouldn't get lost, so I stuck to the Montford and Downtown areas, which I know a little.  However, I did still mange to get a little lost, but not too bad. 

I enjoyed the run a great deal because I was able to incorporate some hills into the run and the temperature was great. Nice little mountain breeze-- I can't tell you how good that felt consider Raleigh feels like Hell's kitchen these days.  Once I got back to Raleigh, I mapped out the run.  It was 3.04 miles, which is really good.  I ran all of it and could have done more easily, but I didn't want to wipe myself out for the move the next day.

Thursday the 24th of June: Treadmill Time

5 mins 3.6

20 mins 6.5

1 min 7.0

1 min 6.5

1 min 7,0

1 min 6.5
1 min 7.0
5 mins 3.6

Weds 23rd: AM Sports Conditioning -- The Return

I hadn't attended this class in three weeks because I needed a break from it.  This class was the class that I went to most regularly, and it is the one class that always has the same instructor, so I was getting a bit burned out on it.  But after three weeks, I thought that I need to return to the class because we do a lot of exercises in this class that I wouldn't do in other classes or on my own.  I know that I need to continue with the class because it really is good for me.  The ab and quad work are worth it alone.  Retuning after three weeks away from the class was really good because I could see which exercises I had improved on and which ones I had dropped off on.  I did really well with the bicycles and push ups, but the Mt. climbers and leg raises were not as easy as they had been.  I really think that if I keep coming to this class it will help me to become more well rounded, and not just do the exercises that I like doing, or just run all the time.  I still don't like the way the class doesn't stay together or that people cheat, but I've just decided that I am not going to let it bother me and just do my work.  We'll see how that goes!

Tuesday June 22: PM Toning Class

I like this class.  I went to it with my wife once again.  Bryan's class has a really good pace, and he keeps the class working together.  We used both the body bar and Dumbbells again, and I went with the 18lbs bar and the 8lb weights.  The class is an hour long but the time flies by rather quickly.  Today we really worked our abs and our arms, both of which I needed because I did a lot of running the week before.  I really needed a good ab workout.  Once again the bicycles were the featured exercise of this class.  Bryan really stresses that we do them slowly which makes them much more effective, and I like that he doesn't tell us how many to do or for how long.  He just say to do them until he says start, which is great because when you tell someone to do 50, they just sprint to 50, which is ineffective.  This is quickly becoming one of my favorite classes.

Sun June 20th: Treadmill Time

Ran pretty strong, but backed off at the end because I had run the day before too.

5 mins 3.6
15 mins 6.5
2.5 mins 7.0
2.5 mins 6.5
5. mins 3.6

June 19th: First Run at Umstead Park

My wife and I go hiking a Umstead park often. Every time we go their we see people running the trails, and I almost always comment on how crazy they are because I would be afraid that I would trip on root and fall. But secretly, I was envious of those people because I have always wanted to do just what they were doing; however, I was too out of shape to even consider it. I would see people running the trails and it would set off this deep feeling of regret because I've always wanted to be fit enough to run. I remember that as far back as Jr. High School I thought that it would be really fun to run cross country, and growing up in West Virginia and going to college in mountains of North Carolina, you couldn't ask for a better places to run trails (except during hunting season in W.V.). But, despite the strength of my desire, I used my weight as an excuse for not trying. I would go hiking sometimes and spent a lot of time in the woods camping when I was young, but I never tried to run. However, as I have lost weight and gotten stronger over the last few months, I began to think that I could actually run the trails in Umstead. And after running the 5k on the 12th, I couldn't get Umstead's trails out of my mind.

My wife and I usually hike the Company Mill Trail, which is a 5.8 mile trail. The first part of the trail leads from the parking lot to a small creek. Once you cross a small foot bridge the trail goes into a loop and you can go either left or right and you will eventually end up back at the bridge. This loop is 4.5 miles and consider to be a moderately difficult trail. At the top portion of the trail there is a small gravel road that cuts across the trail, and you can run the road to cut down the distance and difficulty of the run if you want. So, Saturday morning I got the idea that I would run the loop and cut down the road, catch the backside of the trail when it crosses over the road again, and then run to the bridge. I wasn't sure just how far this would be, but I figured that it would be near enough to 3 miles and when combined with walking the first part of the trail back and forth to the parking lot, I would have a good warm up, run, and cool down.

I left my apartment at 7:30am, which was much later than I had planned, but I was nervous and kept thinking of silly things that I need to do to prepare like takings unnecessary keys off of my key ring. It was around 8am by the time I started down the trail, but I was really excited. I had to stop myself from running before I got to the bridge, but I was able to wait. Once I crossed the bridge, I didn't hesitate at all, but I didn't bust out into a sprint either, just a normal pace. I was listening to The Black Keys new CD on my I-pod and running along the trail, and it felt incredible. Bring something that you've only dreamed about to reality is an amazing feeling. At first I was worried about tripping, but as I ran I got more comfortable and worried about it less and less. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to to run the whole route that I had selected but was determined to give it my best effort. The first part of the trail was the uphill portion, so I felt that if I could get to the road that I would have a chance. About a quarter of the way a round a group of five runners just blew right past me, but I still felt great because I was running just like they were. I made to the road with no real difficulty, but the road was a bit of a problem because I could see to far ahead and thoughts of walking started to creep into my mind a bit, but I was able to fight those thoughts off . I knew that walking would only make it more difficult to start running again, so I pushed myself to keep going. By the time I picked the trail again, the excitement started to take hold, and the thoughts of stopping were gone for go. In fact the problem now was that I didn't want to stop at the bridge like I planned and walk back to the car. I started thinking that I might just run back, but I knew that I need to stick to my plan, so when I reached the bridge I stopped running. I felt great, but I was so sweaty and it wasn't long before The Horse Flies found me. I HATE HORSE FLIES! They a evil, so despite my best efforts, I found myself doing a crazy looking half run back to my car trying not to be bitten by those bastards!!! So much for a peaceful relaxing end to my run. But, I didn't matter because I was able to do something that last year would have been the death of me. Stretching at my car, I remembered the first time that my wife and I hiked that trail, how much I huffed and puffed, and the many times that she had to stop and wait for me. And now I running it, I can't tell you how proud I felt

Thurs June 17: Plycore -- Reaching for Something New

This morning while I was working out, something happened, and the world seemed to only consist of me, the little stretch of road that I was running on, and the patch of blue sky above. I have heard that some people find there to a spiritual side of running and other people speak of a runners high. I am not sure that I know enough about what I am feeling yet to say that it is either of these, but something is happen. Each time that I run and really start to push myself, my mind just begins to relax, but my focus becomes more intense. I just get this amazing feeling of clarity and all of my thoughts seem so clear. And when I am running outside, I begin to notice things in a greater detail: the colors of the sky standout and I notice the sounds and smells around me much more than I have. I can explain the feeling of peace that comes to me as I am pushing myself farther and harder than I ever have in my life. I am sure that a skeptical person would say that this is just a chemical reaction caused by the release of adrenaline into my system, and that may be true, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is that I am beginning to feel a power, strength, and peace within myself that I have never experienced. Honestly, I feel like I am starting to unshackle the person within me that I always dreamt of being.

The workout:

Two short laps around the building (warm up)

6 flights of stairs up and down
10 Push ups
15 dips
10 kettlebell squat thrusts
5 Chin-ups
10 lunges each leg with 10lbs weights
Sprints: High knees, Butt kicks, wind print up the driveway
1 long lap
X3

26 flights of stairs up & down.

I finished this workout, but those stairs and sprints crushed me.

Weds June 16th: Treadmill Time

This was a good run.  I am beginning to see that I am stronger than I thought.  I have been holding myself back because I didn't think that I could push myself through when my runs got tough.  But after my 5k, I  have more confidence in my ability.  I know that I must keep myself in check and not do over tax myself  too quickly, but I also need to challenge myself as well.  It is a fine line.  However, I know that I can make the right choices.

Treadmill:

5 mins @ 3.6

25 mins @ 6.5

Monday June 14th: Plycore -- Listening to the Voice in my Head

Ok . . . I didn't finish Monday's Plycore class. But, I am happy that I stopped because I listened to the little voice in my head, which tells when no good can come from what you are about to do. Now, I have had this feeling before, and over the course of my life, I've learned to trust this voice. And, it has taken a fair amount of blood, swelling, and pain to teach me the value of this voice. You may have guessed that there is a back-story so hear it you go. When I was in college, I loved racquetball and played three days a week for two hours (one hour of class and one hour of fun).


Well, On this one day, I was finishing up my second hour and the guy that I was playing with was screwing around more and more and I decided that I had had enough, so I started to leave. I was packing up when he and our coach asked if I would stay and play one game of cut throat (a three player game). And I remember it clearly, it was like one of those moments in a film when the actions stops and the main character address the viewers and tells them that he know that he is about to make a horrible choice and that he should do the exact opposite of what he thinking, and then when the action starts back up he does exactly what he know is going to lead him to no good. I remember thinking: "Man, just go home. You have some much stuff to do and this guy has been pissing you off for the last hour. Nothing good can come out of this." Did I listen? Well you can guess. We play a few points, and then the Jackass I had been playing against tries to make this crazy shot that had no hope of turning out well, traps me up against the back wall, and hits me right in the face with his racquet, braking my nose, and giving me a nice concussion, which would take me six months to recover from.

So now when that little voice even whisper, "hey dude, what you are about to do might not be the best idea." I try to give it all the credence they deserve. I treat these words like they came for out a discussion between Plato, Aristotle, Einstein, Newton, and Lance Armstrong. And during Mondays Plycore class this little voice decided that it had a lot to say. The workout stared just fine two long laps, but after that we started jumping up the stairs, which I did but wasn't happy about it because my Achilles and knees we already sore from the run. As I did the stair, I just kept thinking the risk to reward ratio on this was out of whack. After we finished the stairs we went back to the gym where there were some benches and risers set up from highest to lowest, and the class member were lining up. We were going to jump on the highest bench then step down, do some squats, and then jump on the next lowest bench or riser. I looked at this for a few seconds, and that was when that voice just said to me "you know best case, you fall off and break an arm or worst case, you rupture your Achilles, but you know, it up to you." I just thought about for half second, looked at the clock, and saw that we only had 15 mins left, therefore I just thought that I could use some extra stretching time. I don't know if the voice was right or wrong, and I never will for sure, but I don't care because it isn't worth the risk.

The Workout:

Two Long Laps (warm up)

Junp up the stairs as many stairs at one time as you can (two flights)
Run a lap on the track (1/15 of a mile)
Jump up the stairs diagonal each step (two flights)
Run a lap on the track (1/15 of a mile)
Run up and down the stairs (four flights)
Run a lap on the track (1/15 of a mile)
Sprint up the stairs two at a time
Run a lap on the track (1/15 of a mile)

X3

June 13th: Post 5k Maintenance and a Jump Rope Session.

Good news . . . Good News! I felt much better following my 5k than I thought that I would. I was tired but not nearly as sore as I expected to be. I put a lot of work into post race maintenance, and it really paid off. I didn't stop after the race. My wife and I walked around for a good 30 mins following the run, I the stretched, and iced my knees. That night I took some some anti-inflammatory and used some Flexall on the portions of my legs that were still sore. Then on Sunday, I went to the gym and skipped rope for 30 mins. Don't get me wrong, I am sore but not as bad as I had feared.

Saturday, June 12th: My First 5k -- The Race for the Cure

Recently, I posted that I wanted to run a 5k, but that I wanted to lose 25 lbs. more before I did that. Well, plans change. Thursday evening when my wife and I were leaving gym (I had stopped by to run on the track), one of my friends from the morning workout class asked us if we were going to do the Race for the Cure, and encouraged us to do it. My wife has been interested in participating for a while, but she was more interested in just walking the course. I really wanted to run, but I wasn't sure how my knees would respond to the strain. As I have said on here before I have a history of trying to do too much too soon and suffering a setbacks. But, I have felt really good about my progress over the last few months and thought that I was up to the challenge. After a short discussion, I convinced my wife to try to run the 5k with me, and that we could enter the non-competitive section, so that if she wanted to that when could just walk the course. I know that my wife is in a lot better shape than I am, and she runs stronger on the treadmill than I do. My only concerns about her ability were more focused upon getting her to see that she could do it. But, I was pretty sure that once she started running that she would want to push herself to do it.

The Race for the Cure really means a lot to me on another level because my grandmother was a breast cancer survivor. He had a double mastectomy. At the time I was a small child and didn't really understand the gravity of the situation. I just remember how much she hated losing her hair and her wigs. I didn't understand the amount of personal strength it took for her to fight the disease, and now that I understand, I am proud that I could take part in The Race for the Cure. My grandmother fought and survived her battle with cancer, but tragically passed away shortly afterward in traffic accident. She was unable to take part in any events and tributes for survivors, but it doesn't matter because the point is that she survived, and her family will be there to honor her with our memory and presence.

So yesterday I ran my first 5k. I ran it with my wife, who I love beyond measure, and it was one of my best days. I am proud that I was able to run this race without any problems or setbacks. I am proud of the time that I ran, but I am more proud that I did with my heart full of love for my wife, and the memory of my grandmother.

The Race: 5k time -- 28:36 --

Thusday June 10th: Plycore -- Bacon and Eggs Run

Plycore continues to be my favorite at the Y because it is where my progress is most apparent to me. It was the first morning class that I attended, and the class always conjures up the memory of just how out of shape I was on that first morning. Today's class was not the killer that I thought I would be when I saw it on the board before class, but it did present its own unique challenge. Yesterday morning was humid but breezy, so running outside was too bad at first, until we passed by the hotel that sit a top the little hill we have to run up when we do our long lap. We passed by the hotel just as they were cooking up the morning breakfast. The air was thick with the smell of bacon and grease during the first lap. And on the second, it was worse because I was more tired from having just run up the hill for the second time, so I was sucking in big Hoover breaths just as the wind died down leaving that thick grease cardiac arrest incusing air to just fill my lungs. After about the big breaths I thought that I was going to spew! I felt like I was running through the kitchen of the Waffle House. Luckily, I was able to keep the contents of my stomach where they belong and continue with the workout. The rest of which was fine except trying to do Pull-ups with a sprained an d swollen finger is not fun in the slightest . . . Damn You Bosu (see my last post)!!!!!!!!!

The Workout:

2 Long Laps with a Sprints, Butt Kicks, and High Knees of the smaller driveway hillside beside the Y between the laps.

200 Crunches
100 Squats
100 Arm Extensions
50 Push ups
50 Dips
30 Chin-ups (damn you Bosu)
30 step ups (each leg)
10 Box Jumps
24 flights of stairs up and down
60 sit ups

Weds. June 9th: Triple Threat -- Jump Rope, Bosu, and Toning Express Classes

Well, here is the good news, I came away from all of this with only a sprained middle finger. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to do all of this, but I enjoyed . . . some of it . . . The Jump Rope Class was fun. 30 min. class 3 jump sections and 3 ab & push up sections. It was pretty fun, and I am getting much better at the push ups.

Next up was the Bosu . . . I hate the Bosu! I only took this class because my wife wanted to do it, so we can file this under the the heading of "Stupid Crap that I have done because of a Woman!" This was a lot of aerobics, tons of step ups, and squats on the Bosu. By the way, Bosu's are not ment to be used by a man my size (of by a man for that matter) because every time that I jumped on the damn trhing I thought that I was going to impale my self into the ceiling. This was 30 mins of pure terror, and I never want to do this again.

Last, I took a Toning Express Class 15 mins of Toning . . . On the terror ball bosu!! We did more squats, lunges, push-ups, dips, hopping. It was during this part of class that I sprained my finger. We went from doing push ups to dips on our bosu and mine was really sweaty from chest hitting it, and my hand slipped while I was in the midst of a dip causing all of my finger to slide in different directions (none of which were intended to go!). The only thing that I liked about my 45 mins with the devil device bosu was the portion of class when we had to pick it up and hold it over our heads.

Tuesday June 8th: PM Toning Class -- Bicycles . . . lots of Bicycles.

Last week Bryan hit us hard with the push ups, but this week it was the bicycles.  In fact, he did a lot of ab work, but I wouldn't go so far as to call this a Hell Day!  Hell Days must make you feel it for days to come, and this one wasn't in that range.  I was able to get a body bar because the class had a few less people than last week, so I went with the 18 pounder and used 8 pound dumbells.  Much of the class was like last week, but there were just enough changes to keep it fresh.  This was a good light workout, and I think that this class will be one that I go to more often over the next few weeks.

Sunday June 6th Treadmill time: Stongest Treadmill Run to Date

Well, I know that it is time that I start moving away from the treadmill and running more on the track.  I've been getting much stronger, and my wife says that I sound a lot lighter on my feet, so I am feeling really good about my runs.  However, the tradmill and track are completely different animals for many reasons like wind, pace, and impact.  I know that most people say that running on track will cause you to burn 10% more energy than you would on the treadmill over the same distance.  Also, I would really like to run a 5 or 10K this year, and if I plan to do that and not fall completely apart, I will need to move to the track.  However, I would like to lose about 5 to 10 more lbs. before I make the jump to the track.

Here are the stats for my lates run:

3.6 5mins, 6.5 10mins, 3.6 5mins, 6.5 10mins.

I looked like I had jumped into a pool with all my clothes after this run.

Friday 6/4 & Saturday 6/5: First Friday Bike Ride & a 12 Days Workout

Firday was First Friday, so my wife and I spent the evening riding bikes all over downtown as part of the First Friday Bike Ride.  The Ride was 7.5 miles.  with a few stops at local art shows.

Saturday, I wanted to do a big workout, so a 12 days of Christmas seemed inorder. As always, I kicked off my 12 Days with a Grand Tour, which is where I basiclly run all over the building. Down two flights of stairs, from one end othe basement to the other, up the other stairwell two flights, and around the track, hence the name: Grand Tour.  Thus was a sweat fest!!  It is kind of gross but I have noticed that I am sweating so much more now than I used before.  My body just seems to be ready and waiting to sweat, which kind of sucks because it has be around 90 degrees here in Raleigh and I am going through between 3 and four shirts a day.

So here is the latest 12 days workout song:

Round One: A Grand Tour

Round Two: Two Sprints up & down a basketball court, and a Grand Tour

Round Three: Three Box Jumps, Two Sprints up & down a basketball court, and a Grand Tour

Round Four: Four Bird Dogs, Three Box Jumps, Two Sprints up & down a basketball court, and a Grand Tour

Round Five: Five Burpees, Four Bird Dogs, Three Box Jumps Two Sprints up & down a basketball court, and a Grand Tour

Round Six: Six Prisoner squats w/ leg ups,Five Burpees, Four Bird Dogs, Three Box Jumps, Two Sprints up & down a basketball courts, and a Grand Tour

Round Seven: Seven Crunches, Six Prisoner squats w/ leg ups, Five Burpees, Four Bird Dogs, Three Box Jumps, Two Sprints up & down a basketball courst, and a Grand Tour

Round Eight: Eight Dips, Seven Crunches, Six Prisoner squats w/ leg ups, Five Burpees, Four Bird Dogs, Three Box Jumps, Two Sprints up & down a basketball court, and a Grand Tour

Round Nine: Nine Push ups, Eight Dips, Seven Crunches, Six Prisoner squats w/ leg ups, Five Burpees, Four Bird Dogs, Three Box Jumps,  Two Sprints up & down a basketball court, and a Grand Tour

Round Ten: Ten Arm Extensions, Eight Dips, Seven Crunches, Six Prisoner squats w/ leg ups, Five Burpees, Four Bird Dogs, Three Box Jumps,  Two Sprints up & down a basketball court, and a Grand Tour

Round Eleven: Eleven Mt. Climbers, Ten Arm Extensions, Nine Push ups, Eight Dips, Seven Crunches, Six Prisoner squats w/ leg ups, Five Burpees, Four Bird Dogs, Three Box Jumps, Two Sprints up & down a basketball court, and a Grand Tour

Twelve: Twelve Bicycle, Eleven Mt. Climbers, Ten Arm Extensions, Nine Push ups, Eight Dips, Seven Crunches, Six Prisoner squats w/ leg ups, Five Burpees, Four Bird Dogs, Three Box Jumps, Two Sprints up & down a basketball court, and a Grand Tour

Thursday June 3rd: Two-a-Day -- Nat'l Run Day & Roping

In the morning on Thursday, I went to Plycore.  It was a Nat'l Run Day!  I stuggled a bit with this one.  My left quad was really tight and would really burn while I was running up hill or up the stairs.  However, I was able to make the best of it.

The Workout:

2 long laps outside: .36 miles
20 Dips
20 push ups
50 crunches
20 curls 8lb dumbells
20 back extentions
6 flights of stairs up and down
5 pull ups

I did this three times in just over an hour.


In the afternoon, I returned and Jump Roped:

15 90second intervals with 15 seconds in between.

All in all, it was a good workout day.

Tuesday June 1st: Toning Class

The insomnia caused by my medication has made the morning class a bit difficult to get to, which is why I have been coming later in the day.   But, I am glad because I've been going to some classes that I haven't attended in the past.  This was the first time that I have gone to Bryan's evening Toning class, and I really enjoyed it.  He did a very good mix of exercises both with and without weights.  The class was really crowded, so there was very little aerobics involved, which is nice because it is a toning class and not an aerobics class!  As always, Bryan did a good warm before the workout and a nice streach at the end.  We mainly used dumbells and the body bar.  This class is a lot like Liz's class; however, her class seemed to be more concentrated when it came to working muscle groups.  This class is more of a whole body workout.

I used 9lb dumbbells for all of the weight exercises (the were not enough body bars).  We did a total of 50 push ups which were interspersed throughout the class, and we did a nice ab session at the end that featured a lot of bicycles, which I hate!  However, I could se a marked improvement in my ability to do them.  I think that I will be taking this class more often.  I need to focus more on toning, so I think that this class will fit me well.

Monday May 31: Momorial Day -- Feeling Festive

There wasn't a morning class offered because the Y was opening an hour later and closing early due to the holiday, so I organized a workout with some of the regulars from my class.  Four of us got together at around 6:30am and did a 12 days of Christmas.  These 12 days workouts are my favorite because I can notice easily when my proformace begins to drop off, and I need to pick up the pace and drive to the finish.

1. Grand Tour
2. sprint (width of a basketball court)
3. step ups (each leg)
4. Bird dogs (each side)
5. burpees
6. Prisoner squats with leg up
7. crunches
8. dips
9. pushups
10. Arm extensions
11. Mt. Climbers
12. Bicycles

I completed this in just under an hour and was a giant sweaty mess!

Sun May 30th: Treadmill Time

Sundays are becoming my treadmill days.  The gym doesn't open until 1pm, and Monday's class begins at 5:45am, so I don't want to do something crazy and not give myself enough time to rest, therefore the treadmill is the best fit for Sundays.

The Workout:

5min @ 3.6
10min @ 6.3
5min @ 3.6
10min @ 6.5

This was the strongest that I hve run since I started running on the treadmill.

Sat. May 29th:Crowded Gym -- Half of a 12 days and Some Rope Work

I took Friday off inorder to let my triceps get the rest that they needed.  I wanted to do a 12 Days of Christmas workout on Saturday, but the gym was just too crowded, so I gave up on day 6 because I was afarid that I was going to run into someone while I was doing the running portions.  I should have gotten there earlier, but I just couldn't force myself to get going -- Holiday weekend and all. 

 

The Workout:

1. Grand Tour, which is where I basiclly run all over the building. Down two flights of stairs, from one end othe basement to the other, up the other stairwell two flights, and around the track, hence the name: Grand Tour.
2. sprints on length of a basketball court
3. step ups (each leg)
4.  Bird dogs
5.  Burpees
6.  Prisoner Squats

After rounds 6 I moved to the Jump Rope:  15 90 second intervals with 15 seconds rest.

All in all this was a pretty good workout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 27th: Plycore -- Hell Day Stairs -- 34 Story Building . . . Feel It Burn!

This day was a rough class. I was still feeling pretty sore from Tuesday's class, but I really wanted to come to this class so I sucked it up, and I am glad that I did. However, this class was intense. The exercise portion itself wasn't that difficult, but the stairs were unending. I couldn't complete the workout in the 45 mins. of class time, but I stayed after and finished up on my own. I was able to finish in just under an hour. Also, we had to do more dips so there was no relief for my triceps!!!

The Workout:

Two long laps **Warm up only**


16 bosu push ups (one hand on and one off -- eight each side)
50 crunches
7 squat thurst ( 7lbs. dumbells)
50 arm exstensions
20 dips
5 box jumps
5 pull ups
4 flights of stairs up & down
1 lap around the track (1/15 of a mile)
1 long lap
X3

After third set, 22 flights of stairs up & down.  Yes, that is right in total we climbed a 34 story building up and down!

Weds. May 26th: Sports Agility Class -- Light Workout Day

I felt fine most of the day on Tuesday after Liz's class, but Wednesday was a whole different animal. My abs were tight and on the border of sore, as were my quads, but my triceps were pretty much right in the middle of the land of soreness, which is a good thing. But, it was a contributing factor in why a chose not to go to the morning sports conditioning class and to take the new sports agility class that was being offered for the first time. I didn't want to do a two-a-day, and I recently started taking some medication that that gives you insomnia, which will be limiting my morning classes for the next couple of weeks, so I just thought that all sign were pointing towards taking this new class.

The class itself was nothing all that difficult, and you could tell that the instructor was inexperienced because the pace of the workout was not that great, but that was to be expected considering it was the first time she taught the class. She led us on a short run to a little field and a pavilion that are part of the Y. Once we were there we did a little stretch, and proceeded with the class. The workout was broken into three or four segments, which consisted of three exercises that we did for 30 second intervals. After completing one round of each exercise, we repeated each exercise before moving to the next segment. I can't recall all of the exercises, but I know that we did Push ups, step up, jumping jacks, lunges, squats, some kind of strange ski walking thing, sprints & back peddles, and dips (exactly what my triceps need consider the ass kicking they took the day before . . . oh well!).

The thing that I liked most about this class was that it took place outside. I really liked that because I hate air conditioning!! My wife and I don't use it in our apartment, and I hate the way my office cranks it up, so it was nice to workout in a natural environment and feel the sun instead of O-so natural fluorescence of the gym lights. Also so I like being able to look up and see blue sky rather than some talking head on one of the 8,000 TV screen in the Y, which are ALWAYS on 24 news stations unless there is a sports event. the only thing that I didn't like about being outside was doing push-ups in the dirt because sometime I am a dainty little flower!

Basically, Sports Agility Class was a nice change of pace that came right when I needed it most. I doubt that it will become a mainstay of my work regime, but it might be something that I throw in every so often just to mix things up.

May 25th: Body Power Class -- Hell Day Triceps

This was a kick ass class. . . . She stright killed our Triceps!!!!!  Hands down one of the toughest workouts that I have had in a long time. This was the first time that I have taken this class or this instructor (Liz). My wife went to the class last week an told me that it was really tough, but I figured that here idea of tough would not be anywhere near mine. Why did I think this? Looking back on it, I would be hard to give you another answer than I thought that my morning workout class were a lot tougher than anything that my wife has been doing recently. But, I should have realized that my wife is still in pretty good shape, and could handle those morning class if she wanted to get up and take them. Sometimes we get a bit of a big head and then something comes a long and sets you straight, and Body Power Class did that for me.

The class is not tough because the exercises are that difficult or because we use a massive amount of weight. In actuality, Body Power is very similar to your average toning class. However, the difference is entirely the instructor. Liz is a really good instructor because her workout are well designed. She focuses upon related muscle groups and moves around the class checking of form. She also makes sure that her students take their time with each rep, so that the end up with an intense workout rather that letting the students blitz through the reps, which cuts down the impact of the exercise. This is only possible because she does not look at this class as paid workout for her. She is clearly an instructor, who is the to teacher her students how to workout.

This class used two sets dumbbells, body bars, and risers, which is a very manageable amount of equipment. It is very annoying to be in class where the instructor tries to use every piece of equipment in the gym. Another reason why Body Power class was so difficult was that I am not use to this type of muscle workout and chose my weights poorly. I went with 9lbs and 6lbs dumbbells and an 18 lbs Body-bar because I wasn't expecting there to be as much focus upon each muscle. Next time I will be much better prepared. However, I am not sure when I'll be able to take the class again because it is right in the middle of the day, so I need to take off from work to go to the class.  I was sore for three days following this workout.  She really hit hard on our triceps and hip felxors.