CLIMBING CHAMPION!

Ok.  So I'm exaggerating.  But I need some fitness confidence and praise, so I'll do it:

I AM THE CLIMBING CHAMPION!!!!!

Why do I declare this bold statement?  Did I finally do a tall wall 5.6?  No.  Did I do a 5.9 on the slab?  Nope.  Did I do a 5.7 on a straight wall? Nopers!  What did I do?  I'll get to that.  We have some catching up to do first!

Since we last spoke, I didn't do all that much (with the exception of Sunday).  On Thursday, I totally punked on working out.  I packed my gym clothes to do cardio at the end of my workday and just didn't have it in me.  Ok.  It was probably in me, but I didn't let it out.  Friday and Saturday were no workout days too!  This is not something that should happen.  Nopenope.  Not good.

But!  On Sunday, Josh and I worked out together and it was my suggestion!  I consider this a win. I out together a Body Rock workout for us.  I really enjoy these.  I think it's because they are short (12 minutes of pushing it) and varied each minute.  This works for me.  I downloaded an app for my wicked smart phone to beep at the end of each 50 second work session and 10 second break.  (Typically during AWW we have a burnt cd with music tracks the appropriate lengths, but 1: I don't have one of my own and 2: we work out in our condo gym and both Josh and I believe it is rude to play your own loud music in that particular venue).  

But I digress.  I put together the following (you'll see it looks similar to the last one I made, I'm not very creative):

Biceps Curls into Shoulder Presses (10 lb DBs)
Single Leg DB Deadlifts (10 lb DBs)
Push-ups with Full Bpdy Rotation
4 Curtsee Squats, High Jump
3-Point Jump, 2 Froggers, 5 Mountain Climbers
5-5-5 Squats

My goal was to work our legs every other session to get a really good lower body workout in.  Judging by my particular flavor of DOMS today, I was successful.  :)  I did 10 minutes on the elliptical before the workout and we did abs after.  If I recall correctly it was: 30 crunches, 20 lower abs (legs straight in the air, small movement), 20 crunches, 10 straight backs, 20 crunches, 20 lower abs.  No breaks in between.  RAWR.

So that was yesterday.  Today I was sore and tried my best to nap under my warm, fuzzy blanket in this dreary, rainy, winter-in-spring day instead of go to the climbing gym.  But anyone who knows my husband knows THAT wasn't happening.  So he agreed to cook dinner after climbing so I could cuddle back up.  Deal.  He's cooking right now.  And my cuddle time is lovely.

Anyways, at the gym I did half of a tall wall 5.6--but it was straight and I have been avoiding staright walls for months.  I've been slabbing it up and loving it.  Next I did a 5.6 on a slab that is only slightly slabby.  I hadn't done that one yet and it was good.  Finally, I got crazy.  I decided to do some laps on my favorite 5.7 on my favorite slab.  I'd done 3 laps on other routes before, so I decided to go for 4 laps in a row.  Even though it's a route I was familiar with and had done before, I wanted to go for endurance.  Well, after 4 laps I still had some oomph in me, so I went again.  And again.  :)  I did 6 laps on a 5.7 in a row.  I was sweating and toward the end really needed a sip of my G2, but I was so proud.  CLIMBING CHAMPION!!!!!
 

Hanging On

I've been not great lately* at the whole workout/eat healthy thing.  But also not terribly awful.

This past weekend, Josh and I went to West Virginia to go to a bed and breakfast referred to us by my 'special friend' (you know who you are).  It was so very wonderful.   We soaked in the indoor hot tub, read books on our private balcony, warmed up by our fireplace, got full body massages, put together a puzzle and ate very, very delicious food. Oh!  And we worked out too!  I put together a Body Rock workout on Saturday in the spirit of my Awesome Work Workout (AWW) for me and Josh.  Josh was able to hang, but didn't do the abs with me.  :)

This is what I put together (it's basically a hybrid of the last few I did at work):

5 Low Jacks, 5 Rock-a-Byes
Biceps Curls into Shoulder Presses (10 lb DBs)
5-5-5 Squats
Alternating Oblique Crunches
Upright Row into Sprawl then Push-Up (10 lb DBs)
3-Point Jump, 10 Mountain Climbers

Monday, I did not do the AWW because I was in another office.  Josh and I went climbing, but we had a time constraint so we didn't do a very long workout.

Tuesday,I was not feeling up to any cardio.  So I took a rest day.  It was also a birthday celebration at work so I ate a slice of chocolate cake, a whoopie pie and a single Double Stuf Oreo.  Not good.  But not as far off the wagon as I am capable of going.

That brings us to today!  Today I did my AWW with my friends!  It was good!  I did not stay for the abs because I was in a hurry to get ready to make an important meeting.  I feel like the workout was more upper body focused than normal.  But maybe it just seemed that way.  Here's the workout:

Biceps Curl into Triceps Kickback (10 lb DBs)
Chest Fly into Chest Press (10 lb DBs)
Step Ups with a High Knee (10 kg sandbag)
Pushups with Full-Body Rotation
Bent-Over DB Row into Sprawl (10 lb DBs)
3-Point Jump, 2 Froggers, 5 In-n-Outs

Then (oh, there's more), we went climbing this evening.  I did really well. It was one of my better climbing nights in the past few weeks.  :D  Also, I am under my calorie goal for the first time in like a week.  Maybe more.  WINNING.

*With the exception of today, of course, when I kicked the poo out of my fitness/health goals.

Week in Review

It's Friday!  What did I do this week?

Monday, I did my Awesome Work Workout (AWW).   Wednesday, I did it again!!! 

Not much to report on these.  They are still awesome!  And I am still loving them!

Thursday, I did the long forgotten gradual build workout.  To some degree, it was a victory.  I was going to go just walk slowly on the treadmill for 40 minutes.  Yes, I was feeling that lazy.  But instead, I got a sudden burst of inspiration to do the gradual build.  I think it's like when mom's have a second child.  Enough time has passed that you forget how terrible childbirth is (from what I hear).  Same thing here people, same thing.

I did it at 3.0 mph (as opposed to the 3.5 mph I was doing in the height of my fitness).  And it was certainly challenging enough!  I may try to incorporate it in more.  It's supposed to boost your sub-zone 1 efficiency, theoretically making your body burn more calories in lower zones.  Like that.  :)

That was my workout week.  :) 

Here's a fun website to shame you into eating healthier.  Enjoy. 

Back-to-Back Workouts!

Friends.  I was so excited about having back-to-back workout at work days, I completely forgot to post!!! Oops.  (I also blame my brother who magically appeared in town at 5pm and requested our presence at dinner.  Of course, we obliged...getting us home full and happy and ready for bed.)

See, Wednesday was a "snow" day.  To be clear, there was snow...but it didn't stick at all and mostly rained.  Best kind of snow day in my book!  Because of this, the Wednesday work work-out was postponed to Thursday.  And--because we are hard core--the Friday workout was still on.  Whewee.

On Thursday, our fearless leader put together a mostly strength-based set of exercises.  Additionally, we deviated from our typically 12 minutes of fun (50 seconds on, 10 second rest, through the list of exercises two times).  This was closer to 24 minutes (I don't have the actual numbers) and she called it a pyramid.  Each rest was 15 seconds (it felt like an eternity--it was SO GREAT!) but the exercise intervals increase over time (15 seconds, 30 seconds, etc...) up to 90 seconds.  Then came back down.  We ended up going through the list 4 times!  But, some were only 15 second sets.  No big deal, right?  RIGHT??!!?  Here is the list:

1) Burpees;
2) Biceps Curl into Bent-Over Row into Triceps Kickback (I used 10 lb DBs);
3) Split Romanian Squats (one foot back and resting on step--I used the 18 lb bar);
4) DB Chest Fly into Chest Press (10 lb DBs);
5) Good Mornings (with the 18 lb bar); and
6) Weighted Step-Ups (again with the 18 lb bar)

Boy was I sore today--in a GREAT way!  In particular, my pectorals and hamstrings--in case you were wondering.  One of the other ladies mentioned her butt being "so tight" today.  We remarked that most women want this to happen...  :)

Today, our fearless leader had planned a mostly cardio set to not work the same muscles back-to-back, but she ended up taking the day off.  Unbeknownst to us, she had made a list and left it for us.  But before we knew that one of the other girls ("tight butt") had made a workout.  When she found out, she compared and found they were pretty similar.  So, today we had a GUEST INSTRUCTOR!!!!  She did WONDERFUL!  We certainly missed our fearless leader, but did really well!  Here is the list:

1) Walking Pushup, 10 Mountain Climbers, High Jump;
2) Squat into Side Leg Raise (alternating legs);
3) Sprawl, DB Upright Rows (10 lb DBs);
4) 5 Low Jacks, 5 In and Outs;
5) Around the Worlds (10 lb DBs); and
6) Box Jump, Push-Up (on the step)

So, yeah...  I'm worked out nice and good.  :D

Holly Says I can Run a 5K.

Holly says I can run a 5K.  She thinks it's a mental block.  She not only says this, but took her own advice and ran one one day.  Now she keeps doing it.

She's probably right.  I almost tried to do it today, but Josh and I had dinner reservations and were on a time crunch.  So I ran for 20 minutes.  But it was pretty easy.  Maybe I'll try 3.1 on Saturday or Sunday.

:)

Bringing Sexy Back.

Well, friends....it was a matter of time.  I knew it would happen sooner or later but I was hoping it would have taken more than a few weeks, but so it goes.

My super smart plan to wear my gym clothes to work to save time in my 60 minutes of workout time for actual working out and post-workout grooming has finally led to me arriving at work without a complete set of work clothes.  Doh!

It wasn't as bad as it could be.  I wasn't left pant-less or something like that.  I just forgot my cardigan.  So I had pants, appropriate work shoes, delicates, even a shirt! But it was a sleeveless shirt.  That *may* be work appropriate, but not for me.  For two reasons:  1) I rarely wear sleeveless shirts ever--I hate my arms (I know I should be the picture of bodily acceptance, but I'm not--hate em, always have, likely always will!) and 2) It's a little too revealing for *my* comfort level--I know many women pull it off in a corporate environment, but I am just not one of them. 

Anyways, whatever was this girl to do?!?!  I realized my memory fail as I was walking into work.  As I saw it, I had a few options:

1) Turn around and just go home.  It's Monday.  Just not worth it.
2) Go home after my workout at 10am and just stay home.  Again, it's Monday.
3) After the workout, go home and get a cardigan and come back to work.
4) Stay in my stinky workout clothes until lunch, then go home. 
5) Wear my pea coat over my sleeveless shirt.  However, it should be noted that my office is a bazillion degrees.
6) Wear my North Face running jacket over my sleeveless shirt.

Sigh.  Option #6 was the front runner all morning.  I just didn't want to leave my desk in it.  But once I put it on, I realized that it wasn't that weird.  Many people keep a sweater or light coat at their desk in case they get cold, so the combo wasn't super awkward.  Also, I rocked it.  I brought business casual/fitness sexy back:

As for the actual working out for me today.  I had a bunch.

I warmed up for 11 minutes on a new machine that appeared to be elliptical-like (all the ellipticals were taken!).  The machine is a Precor Adaptive Motion Trainer (AMT).  It allows for you to climb or stride various lengths, working different muscles depending on how you use it.  It felt pretty weird to use, but I liked it.  When taking long strides, I felt like a gazelle!  When taking medium strides I felt like I was running on clouds!  I went hard and fast while climbing using the very small strides.  Flavoring it up made it fun.  I could definitely see using this machine more often.

Then I did my super awesome workout group 12 minutes of fun.  Today we:

* 5 bench dips, 5 push ups on the step
* Dumbbell deadlift into a dumbbell biceps curl (I used 10 lb dumbbells)
* Around the world into a sprawl (I used the 10 lb dumbbells again)
* 5 low jacks, 5 rock-a-byes
* 3 point jump, 10 mountain climbers
* 4 froggers, 1 high jump

Then we did abs.  3 or 4 minutes of ab fun. 

So that was fun.

Then, after work, Josh and I went climbing.  I climbed 2 and 2 half routes.  :)

Workout beast. 

I'm Very Pleased to Introduce You...

...to my wicked awesome new workout group!  Well, not to the *actual* group members, but to the workout parts!!!  Let's face it, that's the part you are all dying to read anyways.

I am *very* excited about it and so I am *very* happy to share it with you! 

For some framing information, I recently started a new assignment at work.  This particular assignment allows for me to participate in a fitness program where I can work out up to 3 days per week for up to an hour per day.  I am beginning to brew over a blog post in my head describing why I think *every* employer should incorporate something similar, but I don't have it ready yet.  Soon, friends.  Soon.

Anyways, as if this fitness program were not amazing enough in its own right, my office has a small workout group who faithfully utilize the program and have graciously invited me to join.  It.  Is.  Awesome!

Side (yet related) story:  When I first learned of the program, I assumed I'd always use the final hour of my workday.  I just could not envision myself being able to get a reasonable workout in, shower, dress, put on make up and fix my hair in sixty minutes.  Also, I have an aversion to showering at work.  It's weird.  So, fast forward to me now and I do shower at work (I just had to get over it for the sake of these workouts) and I get a *GREAT* workout in and am ready all in <60 minutes.  Did I mention this workout group is amazing?????

So, what are these workouts all about?  And, Erin, how *do* you fit it all in in 60 minutes?  Allow me to explain...

Protip: Wear your workout clothes to work.  Saves time changing into them and saves you from buying that extra cup of coffee because you are not going to be leaving the office for anything except bathroom trips pre-workout.

0:00-0:05: Walk to gym.  Drop gym bag in locker room.  Put hair in tight ponytail/bun.
0:05-0:15: Cardio warm-up.  So far I have solely used the elliptical.  I just love it for warming up.  Love it.
0:15-0:20: Transition to the fitness room and set up any equipment needed for the day's workout.
0:20-0:32: Twelve minutes of fun*.
0:32-0:36: Various ab exercises.
0:36-0:40: Stretch/Clean up.
0:40-0:55: Shower, dress, make up, run comb through hair.
0:55-1:00: Transit back to office.

Yes, it is that amazingly perfect.

*So what is this twelve minutes of fun?  Well, I'm sure you've heard of something similar, but I wouldn't know an official name for it, so I'll just explain it.  For us, we do 6 different exercises, for 50 seconds each, with a 10 second rest in between, twice.  (<-----I hope that sentence is parse-able.)  The actual 6 exercises vary daily.  My friend designs the workout and she is great at it!  It's always tough, always different and always leaves me feeling great.  Sometimes they are more cardio, sometimes more toning, sometimes a combination.  Today's was much more toning focused:

Alternating Single Arm Kettlebell Swings
Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows into Dumbbell Kick-Backs
Walk-Over Aerobic Step followed by High Jump
Elevated Mountain Climber followed by Elevated Fire Hydrants (feet on step)
Abs on Step (lay down on step, bring legs in and out)
Lying Dumbbell Chest Flyes into Chest Presses (lying on step)

But we have done all sorts of crazy things like: star jacks (jumping jacks from a crouched position on the floor), around the worlds (push up position, slide feet in to chest then separate feet in a circle back to the original position), burpees, low jacks, and many, many more.  If I can't do one, or if I can do it the whole time, I simply modify it and keep chugging.  It's a great environment and really pushes me.

It's amazing to me that I can sweat so much and feel so sore in all the right places after only 12 minutes of work.  But it is an intense 12 minutes.  I am really loving this.  It's every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so you may hear it about more often (if I remember to post....).