Tuesday

Today was a pretty good day. I didn't get my morning run in, but I did get in a 30ish minute bike ride to class. I had an interesting time at crossfit this afternoon. First of all, the strength workout was weighted squats. My one rep max is 125 lb. and todays workout required that I do two sets of 5 with 75 lbs. on the first set and 85 lbs. on the second set. Then I was supposed to do a fail set with 95 pounds (a fail set is, as it's name implies, a set where you keep doing reps until you feel like you are going to fail on the nex rep). For some reason I could not do my sets. I mean I could do them, but they felt terrible. I was having trouble getting low enough and my weight kept shifting to the front of my feet. I gave up after two sets, took off a lot of the weight and tried to work on form. Even with a lot less weight I felt sloppy, so I stopped to avoid injury or bad habit formation. It was really strange. I think I'm just really tight from yesterday's workout.

Then there was the WOD. The WOD was:

21-15-9

Front Rack Lunges (same as the video only we step forward instead of backward)
Pull ups (I had to use a band)

Time: 8:18

That is a terrible time! I got it for two reasons. First, nearing the end of my first set of lunges (the set of 21) I fell backwards into the rack. When you do a lunge, it's important to keep your back straight while lowering your knee to the ground and bringing it back up. Once your knee is as straight as it's going to get and you are standing up right, you bring your feet back together. Because I was getting tired, I guess, I stepped back as I was standing up. This caused me to lose my center of gravity while my mass shifted backwards. The result is a big and awkwardly located bruise. The second reason for the terrible time is much simpler. I suck at pull ups.

In other news, I have a half marathon coming up this weekend. I'm kind of freaked out because I haven't been running that much lately. Also my exercise routine has been stop and go. We'll see how it goes. My thought is that I'll be quite pleased if I finish around 2:30 and satisfied so long as I'm under 3 hours. If I'm over 3 hours, I'm going to be quite unhappy with myself.

Also, I'm thinking of deferring my marathon registration for a year. Time is flying by and I don't feel I have probably acclimated my legs to that kind of distance running. A lot of this decision will be based on my performance this weekend. I have until the Friday following this race to decide.

Labor Day

Today's workout punched me in the face. It's a new crossfit.com workout called "Wood." Let me stop you before the bad jokes start flowing because it was named after a member of the Australian special forces, Brett Wood, who was killed by an IED in Afghanistan. The workout was the the following:

5 RFT (rounds for time)

400m run
10 burpee box jumps
10 SDHP (50 lbs.)
10 Thrusters (50 lbs.)
1 minute rest

Time to complete: 36:33

Apart from the recent triathlon, this was the most grueling thing I've done in recent memory. I've been done for the better part of an hour and I still feel like I just finished. I wish I could put a timer on how long it has taken me to write this post as I have to keep stopping because my arms are shaking so much. I'm supposed to go on a bike ride with my fella in a few hours, we'll see if that happens!

EDIT: I made it through a 9.5 mile bike ride. It was mostly trail and  there were a few hills. I kinda wish we had kept going. :)

Tomorrow: AM run, PM crossfit.

The first day of classes

So I'm seriously starting to freak out about the races I have coming up because I have not been working out nearly as much as I should be. Races are a blessing and a curse because they are so much fun, but the lead time can be stressful (a blessing in disguise, I suppose, because it gets my butt off the couch).

Anyways, due to my schedule it's looking like I'm going to have to go the gym at 8 AM on MWF. I have an 8 AM class on Tuesday/Thursday so it would be nice to maintain a consistent schedule (we'll see if I can pull it off). I've also decided to bike to and from school as much as I can. This morning was day one and my bike basket broke and my bike chain slipped. Not only did it add several minutes to my bike time (making me almost late to the gym), but my stuff spilled into the street and a nice gentleman had to help me pick it up. I was very thankful for that kind stranger. Anyways, the ride to the gym took about half an hour and the ride home took around 24 minutes. We'll see if I can get that time below 20 (no I'm not competitive!).

The workout today was pretty awesome. We started with a crossfit warmup, which I won't go into, and then overhead press (5 x 40 pounds, 5 x 45 pounds, and 6 x55 pounds). My trainer gave me some excellent tips to improve my overhead press. As I got tired, my back started to arch so he told tighten my abs and squeeze my butt. He said something like "protect yourself like a prisoner in a shower." A bit crass, but it definitely helped. After that, we worked on form for the olympic squat (aptly timed, given some of the more recent posts). It's amazing how much form really matters. I love my gym because we focus on different aspects of form each week. Little things like grip, bar placement, and timing. It seriously makes a difference.

Then came the workout. The workout was in two parts. The first part was the baseline. The baseline consists of a 400m run, 40 air squats, 30 situps, 20 pushups and 10 pullups for time. My previous time was 5:32 and I got it down to just over 4:50. a 40 second improvement! I was happy with that, though I felt like crap. The second part was one minute each of burpees, sumo deadlift high pulls, american swings (16 pound kettlebell), push press (45 pound bar), and double unders for max reps. I lost count of how many reps I did at about the halfway point, but it was a killer workout.

We closed with 3x10 overhead press at half maximum and 3x10 sets of up GHD sit ups. It was a good day at the gym! :)

I'm going to try and run 13 miles this weekend and I'm planning to run 7.8 on Thursday with a group of people. I'll try to squeeze some other runs in as well. We'll see!

My new running buddy!!

His name is Cutter. He is a 1.5 year old coonhound mix and he is full of love and a whole lot of energy. He doesn't like to eat dry dog food, so it's looking like we are going to have to get him wet food or cook him people food (my vote is for the latter as it is healthier and cheaper). He paces and paces a lot as he has more energy than he knows what to do with, so I decided to take him for his first run tonight (we got him yesterday). I decided to start him out easy, so I took him on the 2ish mile baseline loop and ran it slow. He was, without any doubt, the best dog I have ever run with. It was as if he was born to be my running buddy. He ran to my port (left) side and just behind me. He had no problem keeping pace and, with the exception of the occasional lamp post or fire hydrant, never pulled or went off course. What's more, since returning from our run he has been calmer, less anxious, and he ate his dog food (I had to do a lot of coaxing). I think we are going to be good together! :)

If You Don’t Squat, You’re Not Training

One of the main reasons why I wanted a personal trainer was to learn proper form while lifting.  I have low back and knee issues that have kept me from previously trying any serious lifting on my own.  I deal with pain on a fairly regular basis especially with increased workouts so I have been squeamish about anything that would put extra force on my back and joints.  I voiced my concerns to my trainer and explained my issues in detail and his reaction was surprising.  He didn’t seem to worry at all.  He explained to me that with proper form, I shouldn’t aggravate any of my knee or back issues.

We spent a fair amount of time going over proper form for squatting.  Perfecting your form for squatting is a must before you move on to weighted squats, deadlifts, and cleans.  Squatting seems like a pretty straight forward exercise, but it can lead to injuries if not done properly.  

Why squat?

Squatting is a whole body exercise.  It works your legs, abs, back, and arms (if using a bar).  Benefits of squatting include: building muscle, gaining strength, gaining flexibility, and strengthening your knees (when done correctly!!).

If you do squats with poor form, you run the risk of injuring your knees, as well as your low back and neck.  Do not do half-squats.  Your knees are their strongest in a fully flexed or extended position.  Half-squats will put a lot of unwanted pressure on your knees, adding to any problems you currently have, or creating a new one. Half-squats also only work to strengthen your quads, not your glutes or hamstrings.  This will lead to muscle imbalances and injuries.  Any time that you are lifting, you should be going through the full range of motion. 

Squatting

Practice.  Practice.  Practice.  If you do something a thousand times, your likely to start getting it right.  Do squats without a bar or weights until you perfect your form.  As you start adding more weight, small imperfections in your technique will become amplified and can lead to more serious injuries.  I found this video that goes through the proper technique for squatting without weight.  I’m with this guy up until the end.  He says not to go below parallel (meaning not to drop your hip joint lower than your knee joint) if you have knee problems.  Proper squatting is parallel or lower. 

It is only after you have perfected your form that you should start adding weight to your squats.  This video is a good example.  Push through the heels!!

I use to shy away from doing squats because of my knee problems.  I am currently able to squat 150lbs and I have had no knee pain associated with lifting since I have started weight training.  My knees actually feel stronger and better wince I have started lifting.  I’m sure that this can be attributed to the strengthening of my leg muscles which in turn help to stabilize my knees.  However, I have been running less since I have started lifting which is another factor.  My running time has actually decreased but my legs feel stronger when I run.  Hills are easier to manage and I no longer feel like my legs are tiring and causing me to have to stop.  I was never a fast runner and I certainly am not a long distance runner, so the decrease in run time for me is not a big deal.  I’m really happy with the strength that I have gained over the last few weeks through squatting.  My posture also seems to have benefited as well as my confidence.  I’m pretty sure that I could snap someone in half just by using my legs and that gives me this bad ass feeling of awesomeness.  Go get yourself some.

Running apps and smoothies

Two exciting things today that are indirectly workout related:

First, I was at the verizon store because my stupid phone (really, I love my phone) wouldn't charge. Of course, the moment the guy at the store plugged my phone in it started charging without a problem. I asked him if he would be willing to let it sit there and charge for a while and he agreed. Meanwhile I was looking around the store and found something very interesting. Motorola has released a fitness tracker called MOTOACTV. I was drooling over it. It is a GPS watch, heart monitor, pedometer, odometer, you name it. You can wear it as a watch, it has a clip, and you can even strap it to your bike to monitor your speed and whatever else bikers monitor. You can store music on it and it will learn what songs you best respond to and you can program call kinds of workouts which it will coach you through.

It was close to $300 in the store, but I was able to find it for a little over $100 on amazon. As I drove home, I was all but certain that I was going to buy it. It occurred to me, though, that I could find an app for my phone that might be able to effectively do the same things as the MOTOACTV. I was sort of disappointed by that realization, but decided it would be reasonable to look for such an app and give it a try before I spend way to much money on a device that does the same thing (though it is designed soley for that purpose, is sleeker and much lighter than my phone). Because I was not spending $100 I decided I could justify purchasing an app, as opposed to finding a free one, so I ended up spending $5.00 on Endomondo sports tracker. I didn't have much time to try it out, so I used it while I was driving to the gym. It was able to track my route and monitor my speed and distance. All without having to do really anything to set it up. I haven't had a chance to really explore it's capabilities, but it has ever different kind of sport imaginable as an option (including weightlifting!). It is also compatible with a heat monitor which I will probably purchase eventually. I still have a lot to learn, but for 5 bucks I think I got my moneys worth.

Now for the smoothie portion of this blog post. As I was driving home, I had an interesting idea for a smoothie recipe (now, hear me out!):

1 scoop vanilla protein powder
5-8 fresh strawberries
1 package strawberry greek yogurt
.5 can cherry coke zero

So sue me, I have a diet coke addiction. I must say that the smoothie was delicious. It was fizzy and refreshing. My only complaint was that it wasn't cold enough (the coke was room temperature) and it wasn't thick enough. Next time, I might try putting a banana in to see if that helps. I think I will start using this recipe for my AM smoothie, as the caffeine would be a helpful pick me up! :)

A Needed Change

There are so many things that I have learned about myself and about training over the last few months.  It felt awkward to just start blogging in the middle of my journey so I decided to post on some general ideas before I get into specific workouts and weekly updates on my training.  It will give a better picture of what I have been through on my way to met my training goals.  Plus...I don't know how to do those awesome flashback dream sequences, so you're just going to have to put up with this.

I started taking classes at the local YMCA a few months ago after moving to a new area.  I would go a few times a week and either run on the treadmill or prance on the elliptical.  I wasn’t really seeing any benefit or improvement in my fitness.  I seemed to have hit wall and couldn’t progress.  I was also getting bored with working out alone and not really knowing how to vary my workouts. 

I was always skeptical about paying someone to stand around and tell me what to do at the gym.  I’m smart.  I’m sure I could figure this out.  I mean…if those meatheads can figure it out surely I must be able to.  I can pick up weights.  I can make intimidating looks in the big mirror.  I can grunt.  Then I looked at the meathead.  Studied him and his fellow comrades.  I didn’t want to look like that.  They all looked like upside-down triangles.  Like a turned over Christmas tree…with tiny…ornaments.  *sigh* Back to prancing on the elliptical it was for me. (If you are confused about what exactly a meathead is please click here)

I then decided to come to some of the classes that were offered at my Y in the evenings.  I don’t normally like working out in groups because I am always self-conscious about how I am performing compared to the other people in the class.  The classes turned out to be pretty fun.  It was always the same small core group of women that would be there for each and every class.  I was able to see improvement after just a few weeks, which was really motivating after having been seemingly stuck in one place for such a long time.  I also found myself unable to slack off or cheat while in class because I knew the trainer would call me out on it.  I didn’t really know this guy all that well, and I shouldn’t have cared all that much about what he thought.  For whatever reason though, I was afraid to let him down and felt like I had to push myself when I was there.  It was as if he could read my mind and knew that I really wasn’t giving it my all.  Like a trainer with Jedi mind powers….

I  also really respected the fact that in spite of him having classes that were exclusively comprised of women, he didn’t treat us like it.  He corrected our form, pushed us to keep going, called us out for quitting before he knew we had reached our end point, and didn’t pay any attention to complaining.  It wasn’t that he was putting us down for being weak little women,  he wanted to give us a quality workout and to show us that we were capable of these things and improving each week.

That’s when it clicked.  He was the one.  The one that I needed to help me push myself.  The one to help me develop a new workout program and to set me on the right track in my fitness journey.  He was going to be my Jedi…errrr…trainer.

I learned that you really need to find someone that you trust and feel comfortable around when searching for a personal trainer.  You’re going to have be honest with them about your goals, your body, and what you are feeling physically, mentally and emotionally.  They need to be supportive of you but also firm.  Tough love.  If a trainer is really into his job and wants to be there, you will be able to tell very easily.  You are not just extra money in their pocket.  As much as you are invested in paying for a personal trainer, they need to be invested in you as a client.  Honestly, I don’t pay him to stand around a look pretty (I’m not sure that anyone would), I pay him to be that jerk that makes me curse when I try and roll myself out of bed the next day.