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.