What's this? A new class to try? Why yes I think it is! Today was the first day that I have checked out the Body Combat class. It has a Tae Robics feel to it. For me, it is not as high intensity as Tae Robics though. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the class. I had fun and I was sweating. Should give it a go if you like some punching and kicking action for sure. My CF workout today:
Three rounds for time of:
30 Kettlebell swings, 1.5 poods (modified to 1 pood)
25 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball (modified to 10 pound ball)
20 Pull-ups
Total Time: 9:47
I can't tell you how much I love my kettlebell. I get so much joy using it. If you haven't tried it I strongly suggest giving it a whirl. They are great fun. So I modified the kettlebell weight because my kettlebell is only 1 pood. I had to modify the ball because the gym only has a 10 pound. Come to think of it, I haven't seen a 20 pound ball. Perhaps a new toy for me! Just for the record, a pull-up to me is palms towards you. A chin-up is palms facing outward. Anyways it was a great second workout after Combat. There was another CF workout that I was going to do tonight but because I need to utilize a few different things all at once, I thought it would be better to skip it for now. I plan on getting that workout in on Saturday morning or Sunday morning. I have to find out what time the gym opens on Saturday. It will be interesting to perform this workout in the morning because I do not lift weights in the morning. I only do cardio. So this will be a pretty decent shock to my body. I'm not complaining about that though. A shock to my body is a very good ting. You don't want to continue to do the same thing over and over. One you may get bored but two, you don't want your body to become used to the same routine. You have to change it up and keep shocking your body. That's why I change what classes I do, how many I do, when I run, what days I have off, etc. Keeps the body guessing.
30 December, 2010
29 December, 2010
3 workouts today
Hey all sorry but this post will be short.
I got up this morning and hit up the Xtreme Effects class. I tell you that is just a great class. If a class can make you feel nauseated in 30 minutes you're ok in my book. This evening I found out about a class I had never taken before. Seeing as I was already going to be at the gym to check out Body Jam at 1900 I saw no reason not to give the Abs/Core Training class a go as well. It is certainly good for your core! So as you can see today was a class day and no CF. CF had a rest day so I already knew it was going to be that way. CF tomorrow though. I do not believe I am going to any classes so it should just be one workout but with me you never know.
I got up this morning and hit up the Xtreme Effects class. I tell you that is just a great class. If a class can make you feel nauseated in 30 minutes you're ok in my book. This evening I found out about a class I had never taken before. Seeing as I was already going to be at the gym to check out Body Jam at 1900 I saw no reason not to give the Abs/Core Training class a go as well. It is certainly good for your core! So as you can see today was a class day and no CF. CF had a rest day so I already knew it was going to be that way. CF tomorrow though. I do not believe I am going to any classes so it should just be one workout but with me you never know.
28 December, 2010
Barbara, Body Attack
Wow my thighs are killing me. I guess that means I worked them out! Well I ended up not getting in two CF workouts today. To be honest I didn't go to bed early enough last night and when the alarm rang this morning I thought to myself, I COULD get up but I'm comfy. Don't worry that doesn't happen very often with me. Luckily for me though, I forgot about the Body Attack class today so I still was able to reach my goal of having two workouts today. The only problem was in order to get to Body Attack at the clocktower Gold's, I would have to do my CF workout AT Gold's which I really didn't want to do. As I have expressed before, I feel that golds should not be called Gold's Gym but Gold's Classes. I absolutely love the classes they offer (not just the Les Mills), but I do not like how little room there is on the actual gym floor. Everywhere you turn, there is a machine and I do not like machines!!! Free weights is where it's at. I assure you. The only machines I use is a treadmill, stair-master, elliptical, and a rowing machine. Just give me a pull-up bar with dip handles high enough to hang my rings (yes rings), dumbbells, kettlebells, jump rope, bosu ball, medicine balls, squat rack, and I'm happy. In truth you don't even need that. Trust me your body weight can and will do more than enough to work you out as shown in my first workout today.
"Barbara"
Five rounds, each for time of:
20 Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups
50 Squats
Rest precisely three minutes between each round.
Total Times: 3:36, 3:50, 3:58, 4:41, 4:19
See? The only thing needed for this workout is a pull-up bar. I assure you, it is a good workout. I burned 380 calories so says the heart rate monitor. Now as far as the fourth round; I don't know what the heck happened. My arms completely gave out on the pull-ups. It took forever to finish them. The rest of that set went fine. I wasn't sure if I was even going to beat that time for my fifth set! I was happy to see that I did. Not without pushing hard but that's the point!
My second workout was one of my favorite classes, Body Attack. It is:
"A Les Mills Program
Is the sports-inspired cardio workout for building strength and stamina. This high-energy interval training class combines athletic aerobic movements with strength and stabilization exercises"
In short, a whole lot of fun! Now I finished my CF workout at 1715. Body Attack was at 1730. As if 250 squats were not enough from the first workout, we did more squats, lunges, and then some to just completely destroy whatever was left in my legs. We also did.....more push-ups yay! I was DONE after the class was over which is exactly what I was looking for. 720 calories burned for this class.
So lets see, I burned 1100 calories just working out. This doesn't include the calories I burned from my BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate). BMR is "the amount of daily energy expended while at rest is a neutrally tempered environment." In other words, just by being alive and not doing anything but the normal routine things like breathing, you burn calories. For those interested here is a calculator to find out your BMR.
1100 plus my BMR is about 2700 calories (I subtract 200 from what the calculator says). I have consumed 1781 calories of food. That leaves me with -919 calories consumed today. Woo hoo! Of course the numbers are estimates not exact but I know I did what I was supposed to do today. Great day!
"Barbara"
Five rounds, each for time of:
20 Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups
50 Squats
Rest precisely three minutes between each round.
Total Times: 3:36, 3:50, 3:58, 4:41, 4:19
See? The only thing needed for this workout is a pull-up bar. I assure you, it is a good workout. I burned 380 calories so says the heart rate monitor. Now as far as the fourth round; I don't know what the heck happened. My arms completely gave out on the pull-ups. It took forever to finish them. The rest of that set went fine. I wasn't sure if I was even going to beat that time for my fifth set! I was happy to see that I did. Not without pushing hard but that's the point!
My second workout was one of my favorite classes, Body Attack. It is:
"A Les Mills Program
Is the sports-inspired cardio workout for building strength and stamina. This high-energy interval training class combines athletic aerobic movements with strength and stabilization exercises"
In short, a whole lot of fun! Now I finished my CF workout at 1715. Body Attack was at 1730. As if 250 squats were not enough from the first workout, we did more squats, lunges, and then some to just completely destroy whatever was left in my legs. We also did.....more push-ups yay! I was DONE after the class was over which is exactly what I was looking for. 720 calories burned for this class.
So lets see, I burned 1100 calories just working out. This doesn't include the calories I burned from my BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate). BMR is "the amount of daily energy expended while at rest is a neutrally tempered environment." In other words, just by being alive and not doing anything but the normal routine things like breathing, you burn calories. For those interested here is a calculator to find out your BMR.
1100 plus my BMR is about 2700 calories (I subtract 200 from what the calculator says). I have consumed 1781 calories of food. That leaves me with -919 calories consumed today. Woo hoo! Of course the numbers are estimates not exact but I know I did what I was supposed to do today. Great day!
27 December, 2010
Body Conditioning
A bit chilly this morn! I wasn't outside in it today though. I actually only had one workout for today. Because the gym seem to be extra full on Monday's, I tend to stick with classes or just use some of my toys at home. About a month or so ago, I tried out a class called Body Conditioning. For those of you who have ever gone to Body Pump, I think you will like it. Those of you who haven't gone to Body Pump, go and try it! Body Conditioning uses dumbbells, bands, medicine balls, step, etc. It is more challenging compared to Body Pump which is why I like it a lot more. 700 calories burned isn't bad I say for an hour class.
Still putting the final touches on the new eating schedule. It looks like it will be somewhere between 1700-2000 calories a day. I'm going to try to shoot for 1700-1800 but we will see how it goes. The name of the game is burn more calories than you eat! The daily plate is a great resource for keeping track of your daily intake of food and it is free!
Planning on getting two CF workouts in tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Still putting the final touches on the new eating schedule. It looks like it will be somewhere between 1700-2000 calories a day. I'm going to try to shoot for 1700-1800 but we will see how it goes. The name of the game is burn more calories than you eat! The daily plate is a great resource for keeping track of your daily intake of food and it is free!
Planning on getting two CF workouts in tomorrow. Wish me luck!
26 December, 2010
Snatch and running
Good evening! I do apologize I did work out on Christmas day but I did not write about it so I will do so now.
On the twenty fifth all of the gyms were closed so I knew I would not be going there. Like that is a problem for me. I have plenty of toys to keep me occupied and not have to go to the gym. However on this day I decided to make it a cardio day. It was about -1° outside around noon so I thought it would be fun for a quick six mile run. I wore two layers of C9 but that was a little too much at least for my upper body. I wasn't timing it but I do know it was under forty six minutes which is fine with me. I was just trying to keep my heart rate up and enjoy the run. Well, I enjoy it when I time it as well. That was it for exercise on Christmas.
After a wonderful Christmas (Thank you again!), I decided I was going to hit the gym twice today. Just like a weekday, I decided to get to the gym in the morning for some cardio. Plus I wanted to pop in the cardio cinema room (They were playing Firewall) so that gave me a good reason to hop on an elliptical. Plus I don't get on an elliptical very often and I wanted to do something different. I hit that for 45 minutes.
In the afternoon I went back to the gym and it was CF time. This workout was
Hang power snatch 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps
My sets were - 85 lb., 95 lb., 100 lb., 105 lb., 110 lb., 115 lb., 115 lb., 115 lb., 110 lb., 110 lb.
and push-up/sit-up program
Now I know that the weight is low but when it comes to a snatch, it is not one of my strong lifts. I can lift more but I really wanted to focus on the technique. There is a lot to keep track of and pay attention to for a snatch.
So those have been my workouts for the past two days. A good way to start off the week I would say (with the snatches) and I'm looking forward to see what CF has in store for this week. Going to try to get some rock climbing in too.
On the twenty fifth all of the gyms were closed so I knew I would not be going there. Like that is a problem for me. I have plenty of toys to keep me occupied and not have to go to the gym. However on this day I decided to make it a cardio day. It was about -1° outside around noon so I thought it would be fun for a quick six mile run. I wore two layers of C9 but that was a little too much at least for my upper body. I wasn't timing it but I do know it was under forty six minutes which is fine with me. I was just trying to keep my heart rate up and enjoy the run. Well, I enjoy it when I time it as well. That was it for exercise on Christmas.
After a wonderful Christmas (Thank you again!), I decided I was going to hit the gym twice today. Just like a weekday, I decided to get to the gym in the morning for some cardio. Plus I wanted to pop in the cardio cinema room (They were playing Firewall) so that gave me a good reason to hop on an elliptical. Plus I don't get on an elliptical very often and I wanted to do something different. I hit that for 45 minutes.
In the afternoon I went back to the gym and it was CF time. This workout was
Hang power snatch 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps
My sets were - 85 lb., 95 lb., 100 lb., 105 lb., 110 lb., 115 lb., 115 lb., 115 lb., 110 lb., 110 lb.
and push-up/sit-up program
Now I know that the weight is low but when it comes to a snatch, it is not one of my strong lifts. I can lift more but I really wanted to focus on the technique. There is a lot to keep track of and pay attention to for a snatch.
So those have been my workouts for the past two days. A good way to start off the week I would say (with the snatches) and I'm looking forward to see what CF has in store for this week. Going to try to get some rock climbing in too.
23 December, 2010
Cycle and cleans
Well today I started my morning off with a round of Cycle class. I do not take the cycle class very often. Not that I do not not like it, I just usually find something else that I like to do more. I tell you that seat is really not comfortable in the least. Not that it is meant to be though. That was at 0600. It was a good class. This was a new trainer for me and I like the way that she ran the class. I will pop back in from time to time. Later on I went back to the gym for some CF action.
155 pound Squat Clean and Jerk, 30 reps {modified to 135 pound and no time}
The barbell goes from ground to overhead, passing through a front squat in which the crease of the hip passes below the height of the kneecap. The finish position is with the arms, hips and knees fully extended, arms overhead, with at least a portion of the ear visible in front of the arm.
I really wanted to focus on getting the technique down for this one so I opted to not time it however I still had a pep in my step with each rep. I rested for no longer than 30 seconds between each rep. I have to say I'm starting to like cleans a lot. Just the whole movement from the ground all the way up is great. You feel your whole body getting involved. All in all a good workout day! Can't wait to see what is in store for tomorrow.
I am working on getting my eating habits re-organized. I'm determined to get my waist where I think it should be and if that means having to sacrifice, then so be it. It will be a challenge in the beginning but hey so was actually going to the gym when I first started up. If I feel the the new changes are hindering me rather then helping me, I will change it up again. Should be an interesting next couple of months.
155 pound Squat Clean and Jerk, 30 reps {modified to 135 pound and no time}
The barbell goes from ground to overhead, passing through a front squat in which the crease of the hip passes below the height of the kneecap. The finish position is with the arms, hips and knees fully extended, arms overhead, with at least a portion of the ear visible in front of the arm.
I really wanted to focus on getting the technique down for this one so I opted to not time it however I still had a pep in my step with each rep. I rested for no longer than 30 seconds between each rep. I have to say I'm starting to like cleans a lot. Just the whole movement from the ground all the way up is great. You feel your whole body getting involved. All in all a good workout day! Can't wait to see what is in store for tomorrow.
I am working on getting my eating habits re-organized. I'm determined to get my waist where I think it should be and if that means having to sacrifice, then so be it. It will be a challenge in the beginning but hey so was actually going to the gym when I first started up. If I feel the the new changes are hindering me rather then helping me, I will change it up again. Should be an interesting next couple of months.
21 December, 2010
Pilates and Tabata
Tuesday! Four more days until Christmas. You have to get those extra workouts in if you want to eat a lot on Christmas. Then back to the gym on the 26th to work it all off! So today for the first time ever, I tried a pilates class. I have been debating on trying yoga or pilates. From what I have heard, if I want my core to be stronger then pilates is they way to go. We all know that my core needs to be stronger! This class was done on a reformer. Reformer or not I FELT my core for sure with this one. I can say it was more of a challenge then expected which is a great thing. I'm always looking for something to test me and push me to the edge. This class did not disappoint! I will look for more pilates classes.
This afternoon was another fun session of CF. Today I showed them a Tabata workout. It consisted of:
DB swing/DB snatch
DB Shoulder Press
Lunges with DB
The final part was various core exercises like plank, high clappers, and threading the needle. As last time everyone did great! I was happy that people enjoyed learning about CF and I hope that they continue to learn more about it. Thank you to the Thomson YMCA for letting me show you CF!!
This afternoon was another fun session of CF. Today I showed them a Tabata workout. It consisted of:
DB swing/DB snatch
DB Shoulder Press
Lunges with DB
The final part was various core exercises like plank, high clappers, and threading the needle. As last time everyone did great! I was happy that people enjoyed learning about CF and I hope that they continue to learn more about it. Thank you to the Thomson YMCA for letting me show you CF!!
20 December, 2010
Crossfit for new people!
Hi everybody! (Hi Dr. Nick!)
What a lovely Monday it has been. For me to say that is strange because I truly do not like Monday's. I definitely get a case of the Monday's. I'm pretty sure it has to do with that I'm off of work :-) Back to business. So today I was able to show 6 people what CrossFit really is. If you don't count the 2 that were there on Friday and dad then it was really 3. When I first walked in the trainer said I was in trouble because her shoulders and core were still sore lol. Well to begin the class she warmed all of us up to get that blood pumping and muscles moving. Then it was my turn. I was very nervous but I did it! The workout was:
50 push-ups
50 squats
50 sit-ups
Total Time: 14:18
I told them that they could do a modified push-up if they wanted to but to do your best to finish and if you need to take a break go for it. The goal was to finish. Everyone did great! After we got done with that, I showed them a few things you can do on the bosu ball and dumbbells. Then for the ones that were not in the class on Friday I showed them what we did. We all did a 100 foot bear crawl, 100 standing broad jump with 3 burpees for every 5 jumps to finish off the class. From what I could tell, and from what people said, they enjoyed the class very much!!! Yay!!!! I get to show them another workout tomorrow and I can't wait!!
What a lovely Monday it has been. For me to say that is strange because I truly do not like Monday's. I definitely get a case of the Monday's. I'm pretty sure it has to do with that I'm off of work :-) Back to business. So today I was able to show 6 people what CrossFit really is. If you don't count the 2 that were there on Friday and dad then it was really 3. When I first walked in the trainer said I was in trouble because her shoulders and core were still sore lol. Well to begin the class she warmed all of us up to get that blood pumping and muscles moving. Then it was my turn. I was very nervous but I did it! The workout was:
50 push-ups
50 squats
50 sit-ups
Total Time: 14:18
I told them that they could do a modified push-up if they wanted to but to do your best to finish and if you need to take a break go for it. The goal was to finish. Everyone did great! After we got done with that, I showed them a few things you can do on the bosu ball and dumbbells. Then for the ones that were not in the class on Friday I showed them what we did. We all did a 100 foot bear crawl, 100 standing broad jump with 3 burpees for every 5 jumps to finish off the class. From what I could tell, and from what people said, they enjoyed the class very much!!! Yay!!!! I get to show them another workout tomorrow and I can't wait!!
19 December, 2010
Second try on the sprints
Alright so the weather was cooperating fully today. A nice 4.4° degrees, sun shining, and no storm clouds. Sounds like a great day to hit the track for some sprints which is exactly what I did. Dad went to! Wah hoo!
speed intervals (sprints)
8 rounds of - 2 min. run, 1 min. walk then
8 rounds of - 30 sec. run faster, 45 sec. walk
push-ups and core work from the programs
All in all it was around 4 miles for all of the sprints. My left foot (no surprise) was throbbing a little for the second set of sprints but whatever! That was fun running on the track. Not sure if the schools around me keep the tracks open when school is closed but I will check it out. Since I will be showing the love of kettlebells and bosu tomorrow to the trainer, I decided to not train with it today. I have picked out the workout for tomorrow. Can't wait to see how many people actually show up to this. It should be a lot of fun!
speed intervals (sprints)
8 rounds of - 2 min. run, 1 min. walk then
8 rounds of - 30 sec. run faster, 45 sec. walk
push-ups and core work from the programs
All in all it was around 4 miles for all of the sprints. My left foot (no surprise) was throbbing a little for the second set of sprints but whatever! That was fun running on the track. Not sure if the schools around me keep the tracks open when school is closed but I will check it out. Since I will be showing the love of kettlebells and bosu tomorrow to the trainer, I decided to not train with it today. I have picked out the workout for tomorrow. Can't wait to see how many people actually show up to this. It should be a lot of fun!
18 December, 2010
Cardio day. Mostly
Another day to not wake up super early. I couldn't get used to this. I like getting up early. Today I had planned on running two different sets of sprints at the track. Unfortunately I was only able to get 6 laps in around the track, 5 of 8 sets for only the first sprints. The reason I was unable to complete it? Rain. Not that I have an issue running in the rain. On the contrary, I actually like running in the rain. Like I said, I'm in a different place right now so I have to make compromises. Once the rain started, I ended up going to the gym and running on the treadmill for 2 miles. All in all I did 3.5 miles of running/sprints. After that I decided to break out the rings and work on ring dips, ring pull-ups, muscle-ups, flipping, and a few other things on them. I also did some jump roping, Hindu push-ups, planks, modified planks, hand stand push-ups. I hope to be able to try again on the sprints tomorrow. It depends on the weather. Fingers are crossed!!! I already know that I will not be going to the gym tomorrow due to the short amount of time that it will be open and other things that will be going on. So after the sprints, I will more then likely work with the kettlebell.
17 December, 2010
Wait didn't I do that already?
Good evening everyone! The weekend is finally here. As always it took forever to get here. That is ok though because we have exercise to help get us there! So lets see this morning I was able to sleep in until 0700 a rarity for me. Managed to get dad to go to the gym with me again which is awesome. Trying to get him back into the grove. Now normally I will not do a CrossFit workout first thing in the morning. I like to have some food in me. I'm sure it is just a mental thing but I feel like I will preform better later in the day when it comes to lifting weights. Since this workout didn't involve a lot of weight lifting though, I thought I would give it a go. So my first workout today (before eating which is GOOD), was:
Ten rounds for load and time of:
1 Clean and Jerk (135 lbs.)
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats
Total time: 14:39
Those familiar with CF workouts will notice that this is a modified Cindy. The addition of the Clean and Jerk certainly adds to it. I did feel challenged with this workout but I could have done more on the C&J to push that extra bit. So next time I will bump it up 10-15 more lbs.
Some of you know that I am currently working out at another gym (I promise this is a temporary one!) When I went in this morning I saw that they had a CF class at 1230. I was more then excited to check it out and see what things I could learn since I have never been to a CF class. I talked to the trainer to get a little more information about the class. She said that due to the time of year, there would not be a lot of people, if any, in the class and that the class is CF like. That was good enough for me! I told her that I train using CF and was looking forward to the class. Well I got there at 1215 and the trainer told me that it was not the trademarked CF, but a class called CF and there wasn't anyone but me. Ah, now I understand. However she wanted me to show her a real CF workout. How could I deny someone the pleasure of showing them the world of CF? I was more then happy to oblige. Now the class had to be in a room and they are not allowed to bring bars in but they did have dumbbells. No problem! Then one of her friends came in and he decided to join. Sweet two people to show CF! I decided to have them do the Brenton workout (which I did a couple of days ago). This workout doesn't involve any equipment but is still fun and challenging CF style. She estimated that the room was 25 ft. long which meant we would have two laps back and forth to get 100 ft. Once we started I realized that the room was closer to 35-40 ft. No matter though!
"Brenton"
Five rounds for time of:
Bear crawl 100 feet (modified to 160 feet)
Standing broad-jump, 100 feet (modified to 160 feet)
Do three Burpees after every five broad-jumps. If you've got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.
Total Time: around 19:00 (no vest)
By the third round the trainer was like "Is this the hardest round?", "OMG my legs and forearms are burning!!" Good stuff. At the end they were both winded but said they liked it very much and asked me to come back on Monday to show them more. I will show them why kettlebells are the best!!
To finish of the evening some sets from the 100 push-ups and 200 sit-ups programs are in order.
Ten rounds for load and time of:
1 Clean and Jerk (135 lbs.)
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats
Total time: 14:39
Those familiar with CF workouts will notice that this is a modified Cindy. The addition of the Clean and Jerk certainly adds to it. I did feel challenged with this workout but I could have done more on the C&J to push that extra bit. So next time I will bump it up 10-15 more lbs.
Some of you know that I am currently working out at another gym (I promise this is a temporary one!) When I went in this morning I saw that they had a CF class at 1230. I was more then excited to check it out and see what things I could learn since I have never been to a CF class. I talked to the trainer to get a little more information about the class. She said that due to the time of year, there would not be a lot of people, if any, in the class and that the class is CF like. That was good enough for me! I told her that I train using CF and was looking forward to the class. Well I got there at 1215 and the trainer told me that it was not the trademarked CF, but a class called CF and there wasn't anyone but me. Ah, now I understand. However she wanted me to show her a real CF workout. How could I deny someone the pleasure of showing them the world of CF? I was more then happy to oblige. Now the class had to be in a room and they are not allowed to bring bars in but they did have dumbbells. No problem! Then one of her friends came in and he decided to join. Sweet two people to show CF! I decided to have them do the Brenton workout (which I did a couple of days ago). This workout doesn't involve any equipment but is still fun and challenging CF style. She estimated that the room was 25 ft. long which meant we would have two laps back and forth to get 100 ft. Once we started I realized that the room was closer to 35-40 ft. No matter though!
"Brenton"
Five rounds for time of:
Bear crawl 100 feet (modified to 160 feet)
Standing broad-jump, 100 feet (modified to 160 feet)
Do three Burpees after every five broad-jumps. If you've got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.
Total Time: around 19:00 (no vest)
By the third round the trainer was like "Is this the hardest round?", "OMG my legs and forearms are burning!!" Good stuff. At the end they were both winded but said they liked it very much and asked me to come back on Monday to show them more. I will show them why kettlebells are the best!!
To finish of the evening some sets from the 100 push-ups and 200 sit-ups programs are in order.
16 December, 2010
I'll take some deadlifts
Alright I got two more workouts in! I can live with that.
The original workout is
21-15-9 reps of:
225 pound Deadlift
135 pound Overhead squat
I modified it to 185 lb deadlift and 95 lb. OH Squat. It isn't that I can not lift the regular weights, but I wanted to make sure that my form was correct and I knew it would slip if I did the regular weight. My total time was 6:05. Not too shabby.
The second workout was 30 minutes with the kettlebell. Man I do love that thing. It just gives you a great workout all around.
I'm not as tired as I thought I would be after all of the workouts which is good. Foot is still a little sore but what else is new. Planning on finishing off the evening with the 100 pushup and 200 situp sets. If I do, you will know!
The original workout is
21-15-9 reps of:
225 pound Deadlift
135 pound Overhead squat
I modified it to 185 lb deadlift and 95 lb. OH Squat. It isn't that I can not lift the regular weights, but I wanted to make sure that my form was correct and I knew it would slip if I did the regular weight. My total time was 6:05. Not too shabby.
The second workout was 30 minutes with the kettlebell. Man I do love that thing. It just gives you a great workout all around.
I'm not as tired as I thought I would be after all of the workouts which is good. Foot is still a little sore but what else is new. Planning on finishing off the evening with the 100 pushup and 200 situp sets. If I do, you will know!
A new place to run
Good morning all. Today I tried out a new place to run. The 2nd and 4th miles had some pretty steep hills. To be honest I thought my time was going to suffer quite a bit because of this but shockingly, it didn't. My left foot is still bothering me but whatever! I didn't notice it during the run. I did notice it when I was jump roping. Speaking of jump roping, if you are going to jump rope outside in the cold and you are sweaty, be prepared for the rope to hurt a lot more when it hits you.
4 mile run - 28:56
30 minutes jump rope
30 minutes Tae Robic like class with 2 lb. dumbbell in each hand. I wanted to give a little more today.
That is just my morning workout I am still going to the gym later today for my CrossFit workout and probably some kettlebell action. Woot!
4 mile run - 28:56
30 minutes jump rope
30 minutes Tae Robic like class with 2 lb. dumbbell in each hand. I wanted to give a little more today.
That is just my morning workout I am still going to the gym later today for my CrossFit workout and probably some kettlebell action. Woot!
14 December, 2010
Last game for hockey
Well tonight will be our last game for the hockey season. We had a great season! It is going to me freezing tonight. They are calling for it to be -5 and that is not with the bone chilling wind. Good times! It's sad to see that it is over but that just means I can put something else in it's like for example dodgeball or rock climbing. Fear not I will not stand still. I must keep moving.
So I did indulge today during lunch. Went over to Bertucci's (pasta is my weakness). I won't go into detail as to what was consumed. I will say I am looking forward to running in hockey tonight. Speaking of food, I have decided that I am going to write about everything that I eat. Am I a perfect eater? No. Do I indulge? Yes. Personally I think it is a good thing every now and then and so long as it is in moderation. Just don't go crazy. As far as when I will begin posting my food, stay tuned. NLT the new year.
So I did indulge today during lunch. Went over to Bertucci's (pasta is my weakness). I won't go into detail as to what was consumed. I will say I am looking forward to running in hockey tonight. Speaking of food, I have decided that I am going to write about everything that I eat. Am I a perfect eater? No. Do I indulge? Yes. Personally I think it is a good thing every now and then and so long as it is in moderation. Just don't go crazy. As far as when I will begin posting my food, stay tuned. NLT the new year.
13 December, 2010
Brenton
Yay I knew I would get that second workout in. Who are we kidding here it is me we are talking about. Well this I have to say is a new one for me. I had never even heard of a bear crawl until today. The bear crawl plus the jump will be sure to give your legs a very punishing (that means good!) workout.
"Brenton"
Five rounds for time of:
Bear crawl 100 feet
Standing broad-jump, 100 feet
Do three Burpees after every five broad-jumps. If you've got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.
Total Time: 13:31
Aren't I the lucky one. I just happen to have a 20 lb. weighted vest sitting all alone since October. That was remedied. As soon as I was done with that last burpee, I wasted no time in whipping that vest off and had a nice chat with the floor. For me I was able to broad jump 25 ft. for every 5. So lucky me again I needed to complete 60 burpees!
This is one of those workouts where if you have the room, you can do it at your house. I just happen to have the room so I did just that.
After this was done, I worked on the 100 push-ups and 200 sit-ups program. Let me start (in regards to these programs) with that even though I do workout a lot, push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups are not a strong suit for me. Yes I can do 100 push-ups over a short time period but not consecutively. Same goes for the 200 sit-ups. Now I'm not saying that following these programs will guarantee that you will be able to do this, but I like the fact that they have a program already laid out and I just follow it. No guess work involved. I have not finished either program because I forget about them! With the other workouts I do, it's not that hard. I knew I was going to start it up again today and I plan to finish it this time. Wish me luck.
My left foot is still a little sore and has been for some time now. Not really sure if there is much that can be done about it at this point. It is nothing painful in the lest so I guess that is something. It may be something I bring up when I go and get my physical in January. I don't really want to go but I know I need to.
Time for some yummy protein!
"Brenton"
Five rounds for time of:
Bear crawl 100 feet
Standing broad-jump, 100 feet
Do three Burpees after every five broad-jumps. If you've got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.
Total Time: 13:31
Aren't I the lucky one. I just happen to have a 20 lb. weighted vest sitting all alone since October. That was remedied. As soon as I was done with that last burpee, I wasted no time in whipping that vest off and had a nice chat with the floor. For me I was able to broad jump 25 ft. for every 5. So lucky me again I needed to complete 60 burpees!
This is one of those workouts where if you have the room, you can do it at your house. I just happen to have the room so I did just that.
After this was done, I worked on the 100 push-ups and 200 sit-ups program. Let me start (in regards to these programs) with that even though I do workout a lot, push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups are not a strong suit for me. Yes I can do 100 push-ups over a short time period but not consecutively. Same goes for the 200 sit-ups. Now I'm not saying that following these programs will guarantee that you will be able to do this, but I like the fact that they have a program already laid out and I just follow it. No guess work involved. I have not finished either program because I forget about them! With the other workouts I do, it's not that hard. I knew I was going to start it up again today and I plan to finish it this time. Wish me luck.
My left foot is still a little sore and has been for some time now. Not really sure if there is much that can be done about it at this point. It is nothing painful in the lest so I guess that is something. It may be something I bring up when I go and get my physical in January. I don't really want to go but I know I need to.
Time for some yummy protein!
Active.com Facebook page
If you are on Facebook I highly recommend liking Active.com's facebook page. They have a lot of great tips that they post such as:
Top 3 Core Exercises
Go and like them now!
Top 3 Core Exercises
Go and like them now!
Wall ball
Good morning all hope you had a fun weekend. I know I did. Monday's are by far my least favorite day. That doesn't mean I can't start the day off right with a good workout though.
Seven rounds for time of:
10 Wallball shots, 10 pound ball
10 Pull-ups
Total Time: 8:32
Extra credit: 30 min. kettlebell workout
When it comes to morning workouts I tend to stick with cardio. I haven't conditioned myself to lift a lot of weights that early. Originally I had planned just for the crossfit workout but I had my kettlebell with me so I figured why not get some time in with it.
Hopefully I will get another workout again later today. Sure going to try!
Seven rounds for time of:
10 Wallball shots, 10 pound ball
10 Pull-ups
Total Time: 8:32
Extra credit: 30 min. kettlebell workout
When it comes to morning workouts I tend to stick with cardio. I haven't conditioned myself to lift a lot of weights that early. Originally I had planned just for the crossfit workout but I had my kettlebell with me so I figured why not get some time in with it.
Hopefully I will get another workout again later today. Sure going to try!
11 December, 2010
Lots of work!
My Saturday was very busy! Well this is a normal Saturday for me though. I will typically work out three times from 0900-1300. I know it seems like a lot but it isn't too bad lol.
WOD 1
Tae Robics class
WOD 2
Bulger
Ten rounds for time of:
Run 150 meters
7 Chest to bar pull-ups
135 pound Front squat, 7 reps
7 Handstand push-ups
Total Time: 24:13
Two things not going for this workout time wise for me.
1. Running 150 meters on a treadmill sucks. It's too short of a distance to do it. I can run faster myself.
2. The gym is not laid out for this workout AT ALL.
WOD 3
Kettlebell class
Man I love this class. Kettlebells are just so much fun you have no idea until you try them. I have started using the 25 lb. kettlebell. It is more challenging for sure but that is why I am doing it. To push myself to the limit then push past that!
So that is all for working out for today. That should be enough!
WOD 1
Tae Robics class
WOD 2
Bulger
Ten rounds for time of:
Run 150 meters
7 Chest to bar pull-ups
135 pound Front squat, 7 reps
7 Handstand push-ups
Total Time: 24:13
Two things not going for this workout time wise for me.
1. Running 150 meters on a treadmill sucks. It's too short of a distance to do it. I can run faster myself.
2. The gym is not laid out for this workout AT ALL.
WOD 3
Kettlebell class
Man I love this class. Kettlebells are just so much fun you have no idea until you try them. I have started using the 25 lb. kettlebell. It is more challenging for sure but that is why I am doing it. To push myself to the limit then push past that!
So that is all for working out for today. That should be enough!
10 December, 2010
I love deadlifts
Deadlifts are so fun. A great full body workout. For some reason I didn't drink nearly as much water as I would normally. In fact I only had 1 gallon today. A little odd. It didn't seem to mess with my workout though which is very good.
Resting 60 seconds between sets:
Deadlift 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2
235 lbs, 245 lbs, 255 lbs, 265 lbs, 275 lbs, 285 lbs, 295 lbs, 305 lbs, 315 lbs, 315 lbs
I wish I was still pushing 330 but I will get back there. Damn ankle! Tomorrow, as always, will be lots of fun. Saturday is the day I burn 1400-2000 calories all by 1300! Stay tuned for what it is I do to accomplish that task.
Resting 60 seconds between sets:
Deadlift 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2
235 lbs, 245 lbs, 255 lbs, 265 lbs, 275 lbs, 285 lbs, 295 lbs, 305 lbs, 315 lbs, 315 lbs
I wish I was still pushing 330 but I will get back there. Damn ankle! Tomorrow, as always, will be lots of fun. Saturday is the day I burn 1400-2000 calories all by 1300! Stay tuned for what it is I do to accomplish that task.
Run!
Good morning to all. Hope you had a great evening. I know I did with ice skating! So being my first day off of work, I thought I would try to sleep in a little. By sleep in I mean wake up at 0600. Well I could not do that for two reasons. The first was I had to go into work this morning. Even on my day off...... I just had to drop something off though so no big deal. The second reason was because I woke up at 0500 so I figured might as well get moving. So today my first workout was
4 mile run outside Temp outside: 23°/-5°
Total Time: something under 30 (didn't have a watch)
Running out in the cold was not nearly as bad as I had imagined it was going to be. I'm sure all of the cold gear that I was wearing certainly helped. Let me say, that stuff is amazing. I just purchased some two weeks ago because I refused to freeze again when playing hockey and I didn't know what else to buy. I did not buy Under Armour though. I purchased C9 by Champion sold at Target. You know what? It does the exact same thing for way less. It kept me warm and wicked the sweat away. I wore the Duo Dry Cold base layer for my top half and bottom half. Then I wore the Duo Dry Cold outer layer for my legs and a Duo Dry mid layer for my top. I also wore the Duo Dry boxers and the Duo Dry skull cap. I have to say I was warm but not overheated. Now I wore these items when I was playing hockey but this is the first time for a run. I enjoyed it. I will buy a lot more. I do have to say if you do decide to purchase these, go to the Target in Reston. They are a lot more organized than the one in Sterling. It will take some time to find the right items because there is just duo dry then duo dry cold and the various layers. You have to look at the labels. I have not found a duo dry cold mid or outer layer for the tops but I have all three layers of duo dry cold for my bottom half. Unfortunately the Target website isn't very helpful either. The sizes on the items are pretty dead on which is great. It is worth the investment if you plan on being outside in the cold for an extended period. I plan on getting a second workout in but have some things to do so we shall see!
4 mile run outside Temp outside: 23°/-5°
Total Time: something under 30 (didn't have a watch)
Running out in the cold was not nearly as bad as I had imagined it was going to be. I'm sure all of the cold gear that I was wearing certainly helped. Let me say, that stuff is amazing. I just purchased some two weeks ago because I refused to freeze again when playing hockey and I didn't know what else to buy. I did not buy Under Armour though. I purchased C9 by Champion sold at Target. You know what? It does the exact same thing for way less. It kept me warm and wicked the sweat away. I wore the Duo Dry Cold base layer for my top half and bottom half. Then I wore the Duo Dry Cold outer layer for my legs and a Duo Dry mid layer for my top. I also wore the Duo Dry boxers and the Duo Dry skull cap. I have to say I was warm but not overheated. Now I wore these items when I was playing hockey but this is the first time for a run. I enjoyed it. I will buy a lot more. I do have to say if you do decide to purchase these, go to the Target in Reston. They are a lot more organized than the one in Sterling. It will take some time to find the right items because there is just duo dry then duo dry cold and the various layers. You have to look at the labels. I have not found a duo dry cold mid or outer layer for the tops but I have all three layers of duo dry cold for my bottom half. Unfortunately the Target website isn't very helpful either. The sizes on the items are pretty dead on which is great. It is worth the investment if you plan on being outside in the cold for an extended period. I plan on getting a second workout in but have some things to do so we shall see!
09 December, 2010
Fran baby!
Oh Fran how you throughly kick my ass..........
For those of you not familiar with CrossFit, they name some of their workouts. Fear not!!! I will be posting a lot of information on CrossFit along with many many other great things about working out! So today my left foot/ankle was bothering me a bit. This is the ankle that I sprained back in July/August time frame. Ever since then, my ankle just feels different. Not bad but I know something is different about it. No worries though. A little pain isn't going to stop me from getting my workout on. Hell when I was on crutches that didn't stop me. You get some looks hobbling along in the gym with crutches. Hey but some people are extra nice! They will load up the bar for you and spot you then put all the weights back. Who knew!? Ah yes so what is this "Fran" I speak of. Well......
Fran
21-15-9 reps, for time of
Thruster 95 lbs
Pull-ups
Total Time: 5:59
I have no complaints with this time at all. For a video to those of you who do not know what a thruster is, click here.
I like this blogging thing. I can write way more here then on my Facebook page. Now I just have to get people to come here and read. :)
Off to go ice skating. Just look at those lonely skates...... They need to see ice.
J
For those of you not familiar with CrossFit, they name some of their workouts. Fear not!!! I will be posting a lot of information on CrossFit along with many many other great things about working out! So today my left foot/ankle was bothering me a bit. This is the ankle that I sprained back in July/August time frame. Ever since then, my ankle just feels different. Not bad but I know something is different about it. No worries though. A little pain isn't going to stop me from getting my workout on. Hell when I was on crutches that didn't stop me. You get some looks hobbling along in the gym with crutches. Hey but some people are extra nice! They will load up the bar for you and spot you then put all the weights back. Who knew!? Ah yes so what is this "Fran" I speak of. Well......
Fran
21-15-9 reps, for time of
Thruster 95 lbs
Pull-ups
Total Time: 5:59
I have no complaints with this time at all. For a video to those of you who do not know what a thruster is, click here.
I like this blogging thing. I can write way more here then on my Facebook page. Now I just have to get people to come here and read. :)
Off to go ice skating. Just look at those lonely skates...... They need to see ice.
J
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Feel free to follow my blog so you can comment! In order to do so, simply click on follow button on the top left. A new window will appear. You will need one of the following accounts to follow though:
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Feel free to follow my blog so you can comment! In order to do so, simply click on follow button on the top left. A new window will appear. You will need one of the following accounts to follow though:
Google, Twitter, Yahoo, AIM, Netlog, or OpenID
If you do not have any of those, I say sign up for a google account :)
08 December, 2010
A (very) short history lesson on me
Here is my brief story as to how I got to where I am today.
2.5 years ago, I was living large. Literally. I was a size 50'' waist, 250 pounds, on a 5' 5'' frame. It was not a good sight in the least. Then something, we shall say stressful occurred in life. Typically when something stressful would happen I would turn straight to food. Yes I was certainly an emotional eater. This time it was different. Twenty days prior to said event, I had joined up at LA Fitness. I had only gone a few times and the times I went I could not stand it. While I wanted to lose weight, I was not willing to really put the time in. I wanted a quick fix like so many others. The truth is though, there is no quick fix.
Fast forward to the 21st day. So here I was stress out of my mind, smoking uncontrollably (I smoked at this time), and actually didn’t eat anything for the next five days. The only thing in my body was what little water I consumed and about seven packs of cigs. I had a choice. To either drown my emotions in endless amounts of food and continue to gain weight, or try something different and go to the gym to work out my stress. I chose the latter.
To say working out was hard would be a lie. It was absolute HELL for me. For a person who had not worked out properly in over 7 years I literally thought I was going to die. My first training session involved jumping rope 100 times. I could not even finish that in the allotted time. The trainer had to go because he had another appointment. I laid on the floor desperately trying to catch my breath from attempting to jump rope 100 times which I didn’t finish.
Now, here I am a size 31'' waist, 171 pounds. I’m still 5'5''. I am the healthiest I have ever been in my life. I love working out. Some say I’m obsessed but I am just very highly motivated. I work out anywhere from five to seven times a week multiple times throughout the day. I play hockey, dodge ball, just started bouldering, a member of three gyms, and the list goes on. Of course there is more to this story but like I said, I would be brief.
So why am I writing this blog? Well there are a few reasons.
-To help me keep better track of my workouts, PR’s (personal record), how I'm feeling (before during, after)
-To possibly write about what foods I'm eating and the calories (undecided on this)
-To talk about the things I use such as kettlebells, why I like them, where to get them
-Hopefully motivate people (I guess this one depends on me and if I can make this interesting and fun!)
For the most part I don't plan on swaying from the above though I'm sure it will happen. I named it Kitchens Counter because my last name is Kitchens and counter refers to the counting of calories in and calories out, measuring food, reps etc......
So that is it in a nutshell. Hope that helps explains where I am coming from. Feel free to ask me any questions!
WOD 2, 3, and 4! Update on shoes
WOD = Workout of the Day
db = Dumbbell
Hello again! So I decided to do a few workouts after work :) Yes I am a little tired just in case you were wondering.
WOD 2
5, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1 rep rounds of Shoulder Press
100 lbs., 105 lbs., 110 lbs., 115 lbs., 125 lbs., 135 lbs.(FAIL), 130 lbs.
I tried several times but I was not successful in getting that bar over my head with 135. 130 was a stretch. My weights have gone down ever since I sprained my ankle and I am still playing catch up. Grrr....
WOD 3
15, 12, and 9 rep rounds for time of: bar muscle ups (sub is 2:1 pull-ups/push-ups), push presses (45 lbs./25 lbs. lbs.dumbbells)
30 pull-ups, 30 push-ups, 15 db push press (30 lbs.), 24 pull-ups, 24 push-ups, 12 db push press (30 lbs.), 18 pull-ups, 18 push-ups, 9 db push press (30 lbs.)
Total time: 14:42
As you can tell I did the sub for the muscle ups. That is an exercise I need to practice on a whole lot. I will get there! I also dropped the weight of the db. It's not that I can't push press 45 lbs., it's that I did not have proper form doing so.
WOD 4
30 minutes of kettlebell fun! This was just going around with kettlebell moves for 30 minutes. Lots of fun.
As far as the new shoes with the holes it in after one 40 minute session, I took them back and got another pair. Yay!
db = Dumbbell
Hello again! So I decided to do a few workouts after work :) Yes I am a little tired just in case you were wondering.
WOD 2
5, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1 rep rounds of Shoulder Press
100 lbs., 105 lbs., 110 lbs., 115 lbs., 125 lbs., 135 lbs.(FAIL), 130 lbs.
I tried several times but I was not successful in getting that bar over my head with 135. 130 was a stretch. My weights have gone down ever since I sprained my ankle and I am still playing catch up. Grrr....
WOD 3
15, 12, and 9 rep rounds for time of: bar muscle ups (sub is 2:1 pull-ups/push-ups), push presses (45 lbs./25 lbs. lbs.dumbbells)
30 pull-ups, 30 push-ups, 15 db push press (30 lbs.), 24 pull-ups, 24 push-ups, 12 db push press (30 lbs.), 18 pull-ups, 18 push-ups, 9 db push press (30 lbs.)
Total time: 14:42
As you can tell I did the sub for the muscle ups. That is an exercise I need to practice on a whole lot. I will get there! I also dropped the weight of the db. It's not that I can't push press 45 lbs., it's that I did not have proper form doing so.
WOD 4
30 minutes of kettlebell fun! This was just going around with kettlebell moves for 30 minutes. Lots of fun.
As far as the new shoes with the holes it in after one 40 minute session, I took them back and got another pair. Yay!
Xtreme!
I struggled a little waking up but once I actually cracked open my eyes to see 0445 on the clock, plus the loud buzzing of the alarm, I knew I had to get up. It is not always easy getting up early in the morning but looking at myself in the mirror tends to motivate me as I still have a long way to go. This morning I decided to take Xtreme Effects with Suzanne. This is only the second time I have taken her class. My friend Cathy came to the class! To say Suzanne is extreme is an understatement. That class may be only 30 minutes, but it is 30 minutes that your heart will be at that 75-85% limit and you will have a mini pool next to you. In short, it is a very good high intensity class and I think a great way to start off the morning. To be fair, any type of exercise is a great way to start your morning.
So after class I headed to work and I did good and did not purchase my grande skinny vanilla latte. I have been cutting back on them a lot so this isn't really anything new. Aside from saving $4.11 a day (Which is $82.20 a month for 20 work days!) I am also saving 130 calories which I do not need. As the saying goes "Don't drink your calories!" I've never really had a problem with that. I love water so much that I actually limit myself to no more than 2 gallons a day. Typically I will consume 1.5 gallons though. I also have two cups of Authentic Green Tea (as authentic as a tea bag can get), and I will have a low carb or no carb Monster drink every now and again. Very rarely do I have a soda and fruit drinks to me seem like empty calories since I eat plenty of fruit and veggies everyday. I also have an adult beverage every so often :)
I am wide awake and ready to tackle the day! After work I plan on heading over to LA Fitness to get my Crossfit on. Depending on how that goes, I may swing by Sportrock and do a little bouldering. We shall see!
So after class I headed to work and I did good and did not purchase my grande skinny vanilla latte. I have been cutting back on them a lot so this isn't really anything new. Aside from saving $4.11 a day (Which is $82.20 a month for 20 work days!) I am also saving 130 calories which I do not need. As the saying goes "Don't drink your calories!" I've never really had a problem with that. I love water so much that I actually limit myself to no more than 2 gallons a day. Typically I will consume 1.5 gallons though. I also have two cups of Authentic Green Tea (as authentic as a tea bag can get), and I will have a low carb or no carb Monster drink every now and again. Very rarely do I have a soda and fruit drinks to me seem like empty calories since I eat plenty of fruit and veggies everyday. I also have an adult beverage every so often :)
I am wide awake and ready to tackle the day! After work I plan on heading over to LA Fitness to get my Crossfit on. Depending on how that goes, I may swing by Sportrock and do a little bouldering. We shall see!
07 December, 2010
Hockey loss
So tonight was our playoff game versus The Usual Suspects. Short version of the story, we lost. Not quite sure how but it happened. Something interesting though, I just purchased some new shoes for recreational activities such as hockey on Sunday. The first time I got to use them was today for hockey.
Testing
So today is just another test post.
Well I got up at 0515. Not quite the 0445 that I was after. I sadly did stay in bed instead of heading out to the gym. My reasoning was I have hockey tonight but that is just an excuse. Nothing says I can't workout on the days I also play. I just feel like I won't have 100% to give if I do. Yeah I need to get over that right now.
Tonight should be a great game! It is the playoff game against the Usual Suspects. The are the only team to beat us in the regular season. We hope to not have that happen again.
Well I got up at 0515. Not quite the 0445 that I was after. I sadly did stay in bed instead of heading out to the gym. My reasoning was I have hockey tonight but that is just an excuse. Nothing says I can't workout on the days I also play. I just feel like I won't have 100% to give if I do. Yeah I need to get over that right now.
Tonight should be a great game! It is the playoff game against the Usual Suspects. The are the only team to beat us in the regular season. We hope to not have that happen again.
06 December, 2010
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