Weight training with myself

Well, its been a long loooong time since I've had to weight train solo, and it was tough getting back into the groove. Having a trainer twice a week really spoils you that way.

Plus I was training in a new weight room with a weird layout and way too many lunky dudes around. Needless to say, still not a huge fan of the gym next to my office. Not nearly as cool as my gym uptown, but I just can't drag myself all the way up there every day. Even twice a week was becoming too much.

Anyways, I bit the bullet and ventured past the usual stretching area and eventually found the free weights....all the way in the back corner. There is literally NO open space in this stupid gym. The crappy weight machines are packed so tightly, you literally have to contort yourself to navigate across the room (and mind you, I'm tiny compared to 90% of the people using the space)

So I carve out a teeny me-size space between the bench press and emergency exit door, grabbing the 15 and 20lb dumbells on my way over

And proceeded to turn my arms into jelly:

Warmup:

20 Hindu pushups

40 Hindu squats

45 second bridge hold

2x

Workout:

15lb:

manmakers - 5 (don't laugh, it's been a while!)

20lb:

Squats - 12

Renegade rows - 10 each

Side lunge - 10 each

3x

Abs:

12 vups

12 side vups each side

3x

Stretch. Home.

Tuesday training - old school style

It's Tuesday! It's training day!

I've really cracked down on my diet last week and this week. And I've started to get back in the groove of my supplement cocktail of green tea extract, tonalin CLA and classic omega-3 fish oil

I was still pretty tired going into todays session, but I can feel my belly starting to go back down to where it should be, and I was pretty pumped to get my workout on.

Today we did an old school workout which kept it interesting, but first the walking warmup. Then a few KB swings and squats (with the blue bell of doom) and jerks (with my buddy the 25)

Then Jason broke out the medicine balls. You know, like what Mr. Burns works out with, wearing a 1920s wrestling cap? Yeah those things. Anyways, using the 16lb ball (I totally didn't know they came in different weights), I had to do burpees, but in the jumping up part also had to throw the ball up to where the wall meets the ceiling. And yup, on the first throw I didn't even hit the wall! Haha! So lame. After a few tries I got the hang of it, and even got pretty close to the ceiling. The trick is to jump straight up not forward.

Then with the 10lb medicine ball, I had to side throw it against the wall (and catch it as it bounced back). Like a standing sideways wood chop. I did pretty okay with those.

Then Jason sent me off to go get some water. That should have been my first tip-off that something brutal was about to happen. By the time I got back, he was laying out the mat. 'but it's too early to stretch' was my adorably naive thought. And when the mat was laying flat, it revealed what had been hiding from my view: the evil wheel of death.

I reluctantly sat down and let him strap my feet to this evil contraption, then lay flat to embrace my fate. Hamstring curls. Like bridge pose, but with far more agony. My hamstrings were instantly sore, I could feel each individual tendon contract every time I pulled in my feet and lifted my bum. Blergh. Then when those were done I had to flip over (still strapped to the wheely thing of doom) for plank tuck knees to chest. Those are not so bad. But that's just in comparison to the hamstring curls. So I flippy flopped a few more times, 'like a pancake' haha. And finally collapsed after the last plank. Sweat dripping from my face. According to my sources my tushy is looking great, but at what cost?!?!

I was finally freed from the contraption, and feebly crawled my way up to standing. We balanced out the grueling hammy set with two 27.5lb dumbbells for bent over rows and good mornings (like deadlifts without bending your knees)

Then it was finally time for stretching. Glorious, painful, agonizing deep-tissue stretching.

I'm going on vacation next week, so I'll have to be very diligent while I'm away to keep up the momentum. So the assignment for the rest of this week:

Wed: intervals

Thurs: weight training

Fri: 4 miles

Sat: 3 miles (if I have time)

Tuesday training - cardio bell

It's Tuesday! I'm exhausted! Already!

But I woke up to some great news, my niece was born in the wee hours of dawn and baby is happy and healthy! Huzzah!!

So I floated through the day and zoomed up to the gym. But Jason was running late because of an...incident...in the men's locker room. I swear, boys just don't know how to act

So I amused myself on the rower until Jason found me and I skipped back over to the training room

We started with walkout pushups and squats, and then dove right in with the bells

With the 30lb bell, one arm swings. A bunch of times

Then with the 25lb bell, clean and jerks. Then with the 35lb bell, clean and jerks. So so many clean and jerks. Oh my arms. Oh my hands. I didn't think I would make it through the last set, but Jason was there to coach me through it.

Then a quick set of front squats, then rolly squats. I already forget what they're called. The ones where you roll all the way back, then roll forward and stand up.  So I did a set of those, then I'm supposed to do another set while holding the 25lb bell. I already know this is not going to go as planned.

I hold the bell in front of me, squat down to the floor and roll backwards while bringing the bell overhead. and then it keeps falling all the way back, bringing me with it. I'm literally shaking with laughter at this point and Jason had to help me off the floor

We switched to the 20lb bell, and I tentatively attempt the next set. I barely made it, but I managed to roll all the way back up to standing without dropping anything! Yah!

Then we finished with 25 snatches (per arm), TWICE.  Because I'm a fat fatty who needs more cardio in my life. Blahhh

Wednesday training

I can't believe it's almost halfway through September. The past few months have been unbelievably busy, and autumn will be even busier!!

I'm exhausted all the time but even still I can't miss my training day! And today nearly killed me. My legs are NOT happy with this

Started with a 1000m row for warmup. I had to take a second to remember how to do this, but I muscled through at just under 5 minutes

Meanwhile Jason gathered my toys for today: the bulgarian bag and two 17.5lb dumbbells. And then the torture began:

With the bag racked, 22 reverse lunge and twists, then 12 power snatches. Then curtsy squats with the dumbbells. Three times

Then, 10spins with the bag, followed by 50 mountain climbers. Three times

Then, 12 thrusters (squat to overhead press) with the dumbbells, followed by 8 single leg deadlifts (oh, my hammies are gonna feel that tomorrow). Yup, three times.

Surely we must be done, right? Sure, just after I finish TWENTY BURPEES. No stopping. Hah. Right. My body is booking its vacation, and I'm not invited.

Thursday training

Well, I survived the holiday weekend relatively unscathed. I was fairly strict with my diet, and pumped water constantly into my system. But then I got lazy and didn't make it to the market, so didnt really prep my meals for this week. Oh well

At least I felt better this week going into the  session, and even though we're down to the dregs of my training days, I hope I can keep up the pace

Jason was actually running a little late today, so I had that momentary panic that I've lost track of time and that maybe I had the wrong day. But never fear, he showed up and we were on our way to the freeweight room

And the squat rack was open! Huzzah! We started with the usual buildup, till I was down to three reps at the heaviest weight... 200! Yah!  Makin' a comeback :)

Then up front to finish up with the heavy bell for one hand alternating swings, then snatches with the 25lb bell

Then swing to front squat with the heavy bell, and bent over rows with two 25lb dumbbells

Then vups, then stretching, glorious stretching!