I've hit a bit of a plateau with my weight loss but at the same time as progressing with size loss and increased strength so as of yet, I am not concerned about having a pause in 1 of 3 journeys. I am constantly amazed at what I can do and the improvements that I can make. In January of this year I was unable to complete even 1 second of a suspended side plank during TRX class. Today I completed 3 sets of 30 seconds on each side (To be completely honest, I completed 2 sets of 30 seconds on each side, and 1 set of 27 seconds on each side). I am amazed. In awe of what the human body (and my body) can do.
I have now completed week 2 of the 3rd training session (this is a shortened 8 week session) and my days were as follows:
Sunday - lawn mowing, gardening, casual biking
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - TRX - 60 minutes of crazy new TRX moves. On this day, our warm up required a warm up. I kid you not. We jogged for 10 circuits of the gym to warm up before starting our warm up of: Wall balls with squats, tricep pushups (WAY different than regular pushups), regular pushups, bear crawls, and resistance jogs. NOW we were ready to move onto the crazy new TRX moves.
Wednesday - 1/2 hour dog walk followed by 120 minutes of legs, legs, and legs! Single leg lunges (one foot on a bench) - oh, and they were weighted. Weighted squats, weighted sumo squats, back extensions, hamstring curls, hip abductions and adductions - the sets were 40 minute sets with 40 seconds rest.
Thursday - Rest and recovery
Friday - walking like a crazy person due to Wednesday's workout. :)
Saturday - 60 minutes of crossfit inspired TRX (the class actually ran over as well). Warm up again consisted of a variety of crazy moves and the class itself was legs, arms, core, (every part of the body basically) and it was here that I achieved my plankedness! :)
See you all in a week!
Showing posts with label The Boxing Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Boxing Club. Show all posts
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
Session 3 - Week 1
Just wrapped up recovery week on Sunday and am now back at training. This session (at The Boxing Club) will run just over 7 weeks. I'll be continuing TRX Suspension Training, adding 2 weight training days, and continuing to bike, bike, and bike in preparation for the August 10th & 11th Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer.
Week 1 is now complete and it looked like this!
Sunday July 7th -The final day of recovery week. Much lounging around the house and watching of movies occurred (aka: slug mode).
Monday July 8th - First day of weight training with the lovely Miss Ashley "Crunchy Frogs". I hour of hardcore weights - quads, hammies, abs (yeah, I asked for it so she gave it to me), more quads, and some arms. Spent an hour or more vacuuming the shop at work this day too - you might think that vacuuming isn't much of a workout. I'm here to tell you that it is! Ever seen "the shop"? It's a BIG shop.
Tuesday July 9th - Mowed the lawn and did some gardening.
Wednesday July 10th - Take 2 on weight training. 1 hour of the baby muscles - all of those little bitty muscles that you don't usually realize exist until you make them work. Yeah, those. :D Arms, hip flexors, calves, shins, triceps, biceps and whatever else I am forgetting due to muscle tiredness. Also spent an hour mowing the lawn and my neighbor's lawn (he loans me the lawn mower, the least I could do is mow his lawn).
Thursday July 11th - TRX with Heather (Miss Sheila is away for the month learning to instruct YOGA) - Compound exercise night - 1 hour of Squat/Rows, I/Y flies, Chest Press/Tricep Curls, Single Leg Lunges, Sun Salutation Lunges, Drop Burpies, Suspended Planks, Hamstring Curls, and so much more. Ouch, Ow, Owie! Headed home for some light gardening as I welcomed 6 eggplant plants and 2 new perennials to my garden patch.
Friday July 12th - Rest and Relaxation
Saturday July 13th - Biking, what else!
Week 1 is now complete and it looked like this!
Sunday July 7th -The final day of recovery week. Much lounging around the house and watching of movies occurred (aka: slug mode).
Monday July 8th - First day of weight training with the lovely Miss Ashley "Crunchy Frogs". I hour of hardcore weights - quads, hammies, abs (yeah, I asked for it so she gave it to me), more quads, and some arms. Spent an hour or more vacuuming the shop at work this day too - you might think that vacuuming isn't much of a workout. I'm here to tell you that it is! Ever seen "the shop"? It's a BIG shop.
Tuesday July 9th - Mowed the lawn and did some gardening.
Wednesday July 10th - Take 2 on weight training. 1 hour of the baby muscles - all of those little bitty muscles that you don't usually realize exist until you make them work. Yeah, those. :D Arms, hip flexors, calves, shins, triceps, biceps and whatever else I am forgetting due to muscle tiredness. Also spent an hour mowing the lawn and my neighbor's lawn (he loans me the lawn mower, the least I could do is mow his lawn).
Thursday July 11th - TRX with Heather (Miss Sheila is away for the month learning to instruct YOGA) - Compound exercise night - 1 hour of Squat/Rows, I/Y flies, Chest Press/Tricep Curls, Single Leg Lunges, Sun Salutation Lunges, Drop Burpies, Suspended Planks, Hamstring Curls, and so much more. Ouch, Ow, Owie! Headed home for some light gardening as I welcomed 6 eggplant plants and 2 new perennials to my garden patch.
Friday July 12th - Rest and Relaxation
Saturday July 13th - Biking, what else!
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Quad Journeys
An update to the April 12th, May 15th, & June 13th entries:
This week marks my 36th week of nutritional changes, 27th week of fitness training, and 19th week of bike specific training.
As many of you know, Enbridge Ride to Conquor Cancer was postponed until August 10/11th due to heavy flooding in Calgary - water in the streets, mudslides, and washed out roads made a ride on June 22/23rd impossible. That gives us more biking to talk about! :) Lucky you! Stay tuned for pics from the trip in just over 4 weeks.
Now, let's look at the update:
36 weeks into my nutritional journey and I find myself revisiting my caloric intake needs as I'm far more active than I was at the start of this journey. I've also built up a fair amount of lean muscle mass (No, I don't look like Arnold) which requires more energy to maintain. I've gone from struggling to reach a 1200 calorie a day goal (meaning I often fell short of 1200 as I just wasn't hungry enough to keep eating at the end of the day) to having a major mental breakdown and needing to increase up to 1300 and then 1500 to now requiring close to 2000 calories a day to keep my body happy.
At the same time, I started my fitness training (27 weeks ago) with 2 - 60 minute TRX classes per week and found myself needing to add a 60 minute Butt & Gutt class as well as a 60 minute personal weight training session as I gained strength and stamina. Believe me, your body tells you when it needs more. Now starting my third session of fitness training, I have 2 - 60 minute TRX classes, 2 - 60 minute weight training sessions, and 1-2 days of endurance biking on my schedule each week.
You might be wondering how I did with my goals from a month ago. I can tell you that I do a pushup with every Burpie (And I still hate Burpies!), I do all of the suspended exercises in TRX and can even do side planks with a crunch (1 or 2, I didn't say I am a super star yet), I can do more reps and at a harder/steeper angle - pushing myself harder, and I can say that my mindset has changed from "can I do that?" to "I CAN do that!". Frequent reminders still needed (habits take practice) that "YES I CAN!!!" is healthier than "can I?" but I'm learning. :D
And the biking. To be honest, I had hoped to be done by now so that I could move on to to hiking and camping in the Rockies but all is not lost. More biking for me, more biking stories for you. Its a win-win! Stay tuned.
This week marks my 36th week of nutritional changes, 27th week of fitness training, and 19th week of bike specific training.
As many of you know, Enbridge Ride to Conquor Cancer was postponed until August 10/11th due to heavy flooding in Calgary - water in the streets, mudslides, and washed out roads made a ride on June 22/23rd impossible. That gives us more biking to talk about! :) Lucky you! Stay tuned for pics from the trip in just over 4 weeks.
Now, let's look at the update:
36 weeks into my nutritional journey and I find myself revisiting my caloric intake needs as I'm far more active than I was at the start of this journey. I've also built up a fair amount of lean muscle mass (No, I don't look like Arnold) which requires more energy to maintain. I've gone from struggling to reach a 1200 calorie a day goal (meaning I often fell short of 1200 as I just wasn't hungry enough to keep eating at the end of the day) to having a major mental breakdown and needing to increase up to 1300 and then 1500 to now requiring close to 2000 calories a day to keep my body happy.
At the same time, I started my fitness training (27 weeks ago) with 2 - 60 minute TRX classes per week and found myself needing to add a 60 minute Butt & Gutt class as well as a 60 minute personal weight training session as I gained strength and stamina. Believe me, your body tells you when it needs more. Now starting my third session of fitness training, I have 2 - 60 minute TRX classes, 2 - 60 minute weight training sessions, and 1-2 days of endurance biking on my schedule each week.
You might be wondering how I did with my goals from a month ago. I can tell you that I do a pushup with every Burpie (And I still hate Burpies!), I do all of the suspended exercises in TRX and can even do side planks with a crunch (1 or 2, I didn't say I am a super star yet), I can do more reps and at a harder/steeper angle - pushing myself harder, and I can say that my mindset has changed from "can I do that?" to "I CAN do that!". Frequent reminders still needed (habits take practice) that "YES I CAN!!!" is healthier than "can I?" but I'm learning. :D
And the biking. To be honest, I had hoped to be done by now so that I could move on to to hiking and camping in the Rockies but all is not lost. More biking for me, more biking stories for you. Its a win-win! Stay tuned.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
TRX to the MAX
TRX Training is on!
Week 12 is upon us and Sheila isn't letting us off the hook just because we are down to the last 2 classes of the session. Last week our Thursday class was all upper body. We did more bicep curls, tricep presses, high rows, chest presses, standing roll-outs, and Y-flies than I can remember. What I can remember is the BURN in the chest, back, shoulders, and arms.
Now fast forward to last night: Tabata Tuesday. It started innocently enough. Remember that Tabata involves 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest, each set repeated 8 times:
1. Jump Squats
2. Chest Presses
3. Switch Lunges
4. T-Flies
5. Diagonal Runners (otherwise known as bicycle crunches)
6. Hamstring Curls
7. Standing Roll-outs
8. At this point I think I was having an out of body experience and can't recall what else we did. Suffice to say that by the time we got to the 3rd set of chest presses (yeah, back at #2) my whole upper body was quivering and by the time we got to the diagonal runners, I was fairly well done in. I completed all sets for an amazing workout that I can still feel this morning.
I've also worked out a new training schedule for the next session - July & August - that will involved TRX on Tues/Thurs with personal training on Mon/Wed with the fabulous Miss Ashley "Crunchy Frogs". I think her goal in training is to bring me pain. And that is okay. :)
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be reserved by biking with a sprinkling of rest, hiking, and adventure thrown in for good measure.
Week 12 is upon us and Sheila isn't letting us off the hook just because we are down to the last 2 classes of the session. Last week our Thursday class was all upper body. We did more bicep curls, tricep presses, high rows, chest presses, standing roll-outs, and Y-flies than I can remember. What I can remember is the BURN in the chest, back, shoulders, and arms.
Now fast forward to last night: Tabata Tuesday. It started innocently enough. Remember that Tabata involves 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest, each set repeated 8 times:
1. Jump Squats
2. Chest Presses
3. Switch Lunges
4. T-Flies
5. Diagonal Runners (otherwise known as bicycle crunches)
6. Hamstring Curls
7. Standing Roll-outs
8. At this point I think I was having an out of body experience and can't recall what else we did. Suffice to say that by the time we got to the 3rd set of chest presses (yeah, back at #2) my whole upper body was quivering and by the time we got to the diagonal runners, I was fairly well done in. I completed all sets for an amazing workout that I can still feel this morning.
I've also worked out a new training schedule for the next session - July & August - that will involved TRX on Tues/Thurs with personal training on Mon/Wed with the fabulous Miss Ashley "Crunchy Frogs". I think her goal in training is to bring me pain. And that is okay. :)
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be reserved by biking with a sprinkling of rest, hiking, and adventure thrown in for good measure.
 |
| They look so innocent, don't they? |
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Session 2 - Week 9
Week 9 of Session 2 now completed! My schedule was as follows:
Sunday June 2nd - Slept in and stuck around the house for chores after a late, late, late night of music and dancing.
Monday June 3rd - A day of rest.
Tuesday June 4th - TRX Suspension training. After a week off last week, this class was killer. Single hand mode for most of the class. Plenty of squats, lunges, and leg work. Oh, and try doing a chest press single handedly....
Wednesday June 5th -An evening of rest! Sore from Tuesday night's class and took a trip to United Cycle to pick up a few things that I need for my ride. Crazy what you realize that you don't have...
Thursday June 6th - TRX Suspension training - And more leg work and single handed bicep curls and low rows. My arms are keeeeeling me!
Friday June 7th - A hike with Grace & Miss Molly Pants and Trina too! Chickakoo is beautiful this time of year!
Saturday June 8th - 30 minute "Bridal Boot Camp" demonstration for The Boxing Club followed by 45 miles (75 km) of biking, biking, and biking. I've got a lovely bikers tan, complete with wristband stripe! :)
Tomorrow morning I meet up with Herb and crew of Bulls-Eye Bike Shop to ride from 7am to 12pm.
Sunday June 2nd - Slept in and stuck around the house for chores after a late, late, late night of music and dancing.
Monday June 3rd - A day of rest.
Tuesday June 4th - TRX Suspension training. After a week off last week, this class was killer. Single hand mode for most of the class. Plenty of squats, lunges, and leg work. Oh, and try doing a chest press single handedly....
Wednesday June 5th -An evening of rest! Sore from Tuesday night's class and took a trip to United Cycle to pick up a few things that I need for my ride. Crazy what you realize that you don't have...
Thursday June 6th - TRX Suspension training - And more leg work and single handed bicep curls and low rows. My arms are keeeeeling me!
Friday June 7th - A hike with Grace & Miss Molly Pants and Trina too! Chickakoo is beautiful this time of year!
Saturday June 8th - 30 minute "Bridal Boot Camp" demonstration for The Boxing Club followed by 45 miles (75 km) of biking, biking, and biking. I've got a lovely bikers tan, complete with wristband stripe! :)
Tomorrow morning I meet up with Herb and crew of Bulls-Eye Bike Shop to ride from 7am to 12pm.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Session 2 - Week 7
Week 7 of Session 2 now completed! My schedule was as follows:
Sunday May 19th - If you read last week's post, you know that I rode 45 miles (75 km) on Saturday, May 18th. Today was the first day that I have done back to back long rides. I rode for another 45 miles to bring my 2 day total to 90 miles (150 km). Started off at 7am waiting to meet up with a local bike club. By 7:30 myself and another rider came to the conclusion that there had been a bit of a communications snafu and the ride was not going to happen. So, home I headed to hit the streets myself. By 8am I was peddling off towards Jubilee Park and the Spring Grove neighborhood for a warm up and then hills. Spring Grove is set up so that streets run North/South on a hill so it was good practice for hills. Down the hill, up the hill, repeat. :D And then I was off exploring new areas. Click the link above to read about Sunday's ride.
Monday May 20th - A day of rest. After my weekend of riding, I was happy to have a Monday holiday. I spent 2 hours digging the weeds out of my "flower garden" and then another hour planting new flowers. By the end of the day, I was pretty tired and still recovering from the weekend of riding.
Tuesday May 21st - TRX Suspension training. This class was a bit different from our normal format in that we were doing counted reps instead of timed sets. A very, very, very hard class. You can read about it here. Legs were the target of the day...
Wednesday May 22nd -An evening of rest! Sore from Tuesday night's class (for the first time in a long time) and happy to relax.
Thursday May 23rd - TRX Suspension training - And more leg work!
Friday May 24th - An evening out with work and early to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep.
Saturday May 25th -NO OPTIONS Butt & Gutt!! Circuit based session with 7 stations, 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest, nearly every station weighted and no rest for the single leg/side stations. It was brutal! Read about it here.
Tomorrow morning I meet up with Herb of Bulls-Eye Bike Shop to ride from 7am to 12pm. Wish me luck and many miles!
Sunday May 19th - If you read last week's post, you know that I rode 45 miles (75 km) on Saturday, May 18th. Today was the first day that I have done back to back long rides. I rode for another 45 miles to bring my 2 day total to 90 miles (150 km). Started off at 7am waiting to meet up with a local bike club. By 7:30 myself and another rider came to the conclusion that there had been a bit of a communications snafu and the ride was not going to happen. So, home I headed to hit the streets myself. By 8am I was peddling off towards Jubilee Park and the Spring Grove neighborhood for a warm up and then hills. Spring Grove is set up so that streets run North/South on a hill so it was good practice for hills. Down the hill, up the hill, repeat. :D And then I was off exploring new areas. Click the link above to read about Sunday's ride.
Monday May 20th - A day of rest. After my weekend of riding, I was happy to have a Monday holiday. I spent 2 hours digging the weeds out of my "flower garden" and then another hour planting new flowers. By the end of the day, I was pretty tired and still recovering from the weekend of riding.
Tuesday May 21st - TRX Suspension training. This class was a bit different from our normal format in that we were doing counted reps instead of timed sets. A very, very, very hard class. You can read about it here. Legs were the target of the day...
Wednesday May 22nd -An evening of rest! Sore from Tuesday night's class (for the first time in a long time) and happy to relax.
Thursday May 23rd - TRX Suspension training - And more leg work!
Friday May 24th - An evening out with work and early to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep.
Saturday May 25th -NO OPTIONS Butt & Gutt!! Circuit based session with 7 stations, 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest, nearly every station weighted and no rest for the single leg/side stations. It was brutal! Read about it here.
Tomorrow morning I meet up with Herb of Bulls-Eye Bike Shop to ride from 7am to 12pm. Wish me luck and many miles!
NO Options!!!
Today was Butt & Gutt - NO OPTIONS style! It went like this:
10 minute warm up on the spin bikes using a variety of gears and intensities. Ashley selected the gears and this was only the beginning....
Today's B&G was a circuit based session. There were 7 stations to complete, nearly all of them weighted. What do I mean by "no options"? The weights were selected for us for each station. The format was 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest unless you were completing a single leg or single side circuit, then you got no rest at all. the stations were:
1. Back Extensions - 10lb weight - complete back extensions for 30 seconds, 30 seconds rest, repeat for 4 sets, holding the 10lb weight at your chest and bending over the machine until you were upside down and then returning to a straight angle with your body. Hello lower and mid back!
2. Squats - 20 - 30lb weight - I picked the 20. Hold the weight at your chest and squat until your butt hits the bench. Return to standing. 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest x4.
3. Russian Twists - 15 - 20lb weight - 1 picked the 15. Sit in a V leaning back, knees bent, feet off the floor and twist first to the right and then to the left, bringing your elbows as far back around your side as you can in the twist. 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest x4.
4. Donkey Kicks - no weight, no break - On your hands and knees, bring one knee in to your elbow and then kick it out and up behind you. Keep your back straight and move only your leg. 30 seconds on the right leg, 30 seconds on the left leg, repeat 4 times with NO BREAK in between. You will swear that your legs are about to fall off!
5. Alternating Lunges - 20lb weight - Stand with the weight on your shoulders and lunge forward. Stand back up, switch legs and repeat. 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest x4
6. Ball Passes - no weight, just a big rubber ball - Lay on your back, hold the ball between your lower legs and bring your legs up. At the same time crunch up and reach for the ball, pass the ball to your hands and lay back down, keeping your hands, feet, and the ball from touching the floor. Crunch up again and pass the ball back to your legs and repeat. 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest x4.
7. Side Plank with Hip Drop - no weight, no break - Get into side plank position but instead of holding it, drop your hip to the floor and then back up to plank position. 30 seconds on the left, 30 seconds on the right, repeat 4 times with NO BREAK in between.
5 minute cool down on the bike - a great stretch - and I still swear my legs are going to fall off. The great thing is that this is the first time in a while that I have been sore after a B&G class. The really great thing is that I completed the workouts. I look back over the past 20 weeks and am amazed at how far I have come.
Thank you out to Ashley, Trudy, and the girls who are so very encouraging!!! Let's rock it!
10 minute warm up on the spin bikes using a variety of gears and intensities. Ashley selected the gears and this was only the beginning....
Today's B&G was a circuit based session. There were 7 stations to complete, nearly all of them weighted. What do I mean by "no options"? The weights were selected for us for each station. The format was 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest unless you were completing a single leg or single side circuit, then you got no rest at all. the stations were:
1. Back Extensions - 10lb weight - complete back extensions for 30 seconds, 30 seconds rest, repeat for 4 sets, holding the 10lb weight at your chest and bending over the machine until you were upside down and then returning to a straight angle with your body. Hello lower and mid back!
2. Squats - 20 - 30lb weight - I picked the 20. Hold the weight at your chest and squat until your butt hits the bench. Return to standing. 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest x4.
3. Russian Twists - 15 - 20lb weight - 1 picked the 15. Sit in a V leaning back, knees bent, feet off the floor and twist first to the right and then to the left, bringing your elbows as far back around your side as you can in the twist. 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest x4.
4. Donkey Kicks - no weight, no break - On your hands and knees, bring one knee in to your elbow and then kick it out and up behind you. Keep your back straight and move only your leg. 30 seconds on the right leg, 30 seconds on the left leg, repeat 4 times with NO BREAK in between. You will swear that your legs are about to fall off!
5. Alternating Lunges - 20lb weight - Stand with the weight on your shoulders and lunge forward. Stand back up, switch legs and repeat. 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest x4
6. Ball Passes - no weight, just a big rubber ball - Lay on your back, hold the ball between your lower legs and bring your legs up. At the same time crunch up and reach for the ball, pass the ball to your hands and lay back down, keeping your hands, feet, and the ball from touching the floor. Crunch up again and pass the ball back to your legs and repeat. 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest x4.
7. Side Plank with Hip Drop - no weight, no break - Get into side plank position but instead of holding it, drop your hip to the floor and then back up to plank position. 30 seconds on the left, 30 seconds on the right, repeat 4 times with NO BREAK in between.
5 minute cool down on the bike - a great stretch - and I still swear my legs are going to fall off. The great thing is that this is the first time in a while that I have been sore after a B&G class. The really great thing is that I completed the workouts. I look back over the past 20 weeks and am amazed at how far I have come.
Thank you out to Ashley, Trudy, and the girls who are so very encouraging!!! Let's rock it!
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Session 2 - Week 5
Week 5 of Session 2 now completed! My schedule was as follows:
Sunday May 5th - Rest, sleep, fluids, & good nutrition. I'd come down with a bug or cold or something and was just tired all over.
Monday May 6th - A day of rest and catching up on the chores.
Tuesday May 7th - TRX Suspension training. The warmup itself was a workout! 30 Jacks, 10 Pushups, 7 Squats, 5 Pushups, 7 Burpies, 30 Jacks, 25 High Knees, 5 Pushups, 10 Squats, 30 Jacks (or something very close to that!). And then it was time to get to work! The fantastic thing about TRX Suspension training is that it NEVER gets any easier. You are working your total body, using your body as resistance/weight. And Sheila is always coming up with new tricks to wear you out! After this particular workout, I experienced some muscle fatigue in muscles that I'd forgotten I had - obliques and mid back muscles. It was great! Oh, and did I mention my poor glutes?
Wednesday May 8th -An evening hike at Chickakoo Lake! 1 hour of hiking the easy/intermediate trails with Ghiry. Read about it here.
Thursday May 9th - TRX Suspension training -This class included a lot of single hand mode work. This is where you have either 1 foot suspended in the TRX or you are using only 1 hand/arm to do the work. Plenty of single arm rows, bicep curls, single leg lunges, single leg squats, etc. Can you imagine doing a single arm bicep curl, using your body as weight? I couldn't imagine I would EVER be able to do it. But I can! :)
Friday May 10th - 2.5 hours of hiking at Chickakoo! Quickly becoming my favorite easy to get to destination for a change up in my routine. I'd been itching to get on the Advanced trail and that is EXACTLY what Ghiry and I did. Read it here (and see the pix!).
Saturday May 11th - Why, exactly do I wake up before my alarm clock every morning? *sighs* :D Butt & Gutt was held OUTSIDE today! We met at the Boxing Club and walked, lunged, squatted, and jogged to the outdoor destination where we would complete more donkey kicks (fire hydrants) than my bum cares to think about along with plenty of ab work. A quick jog back to the club and a long stretch and I'm ready for my next adventure.... another hike this afternoon!!
Have a super fantastic week and catch you on the other side of the hike! :D
UPDATE: 1 hour and 45 mins of hiking. Amazing how much time you can shave off of a hike when you aren't stopping to take pix every so often. :D We hiked the reverse of Friday's hike - Advanced trail first, then Intermediate, ending on Easy. Beautiful sunny day (I think I got a tan), no bugs, a little on the dry side but wonderful. :)
Sunday May 5th - Rest, sleep, fluids, & good nutrition. I'd come down with a bug or cold or something and was just tired all over.
Monday May 6th - A day of rest and catching up on the chores.
Tuesday May 7th - TRX Suspension training. The warmup itself was a workout! 30 Jacks, 10 Pushups, 7 Squats, 5 Pushups, 7 Burpies, 30 Jacks, 25 High Knees, 5 Pushups, 10 Squats, 30 Jacks (or something very close to that!). And then it was time to get to work! The fantastic thing about TRX Suspension training is that it NEVER gets any easier. You are working your total body, using your body as resistance/weight. And Sheila is always coming up with new tricks to wear you out! After this particular workout, I experienced some muscle fatigue in muscles that I'd forgotten I had - obliques and mid back muscles. It was great! Oh, and did I mention my poor glutes?
Wednesday May 8th -An evening hike at Chickakoo Lake! 1 hour of hiking the easy/intermediate trails with Ghiry. Read about it here.
Thursday May 9th - TRX Suspension training -This class included a lot of single hand mode work. This is where you have either 1 foot suspended in the TRX or you are using only 1 hand/arm to do the work. Plenty of single arm rows, bicep curls, single leg lunges, single leg squats, etc. Can you imagine doing a single arm bicep curl, using your body as weight? I couldn't imagine I would EVER be able to do it. But I can! :)
Friday May 10th - 2.5 hours of hiking at Chickakoo! Quickly becoming my favorite easy to get to destination for a change up in my routine. I'd been itching to get on the Advanced trail and that is EXACTLY what Ghiry and I did. Read it here (and see the pix!).
Saturday May 11th - Why, exactly do I wake up before my alarm clock every morning? *sighs* :D Butt & Gutt was held OUTSIDE today! We met at the Boxing Club and walked, lunged, squatted, and jogged to the outdoor destination where we would complete more donkey kicks (fire hydrants) than my bum cares to think about along with plenty of ab work. A quick jog back to the club and a long stretch and I'm ready for my next adventure.... another hike this afternoon!!
Have a super fantastic week and catch you on the other side of the hike! :D
UPDATE: 1 hour and 45 mins of hiking. Amazing how much time you can shave off of a hike when you aren't stopping to take pix every so often. :D We hiked the reverse of Friday's hike - Advanced trail first, then Intermediate, ending on Easy. Beautiful sunny day (I think I got a tan), no bugs, a little on the dry side but wonderful. :)
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Boxing Extravaganza
I attended my very first boxing event on Saturday night: The 4th Annual Al Harris Memorial sponsored by The Boxing Club of Spruce Grove. It was quite the interesting event. I enjoyed it very much and got to sit ringside as a Record Keeper. Yes, I got drooled on...
Videos here
Videos here
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Session 2 - Week 4
Week 4 of Session 2 now completed! My schedule was as follows:
Sunday April 28th - First BIG outside ride. The weather was overcast and cool but tolerable with gloves, hat under the helmet and 3 layers - top and bottom. I felt great after finishing 40 miles of street riding. The goal from here is to add time/mileage each Sunday as well as start getting in a couple of Saturday/Sunday ride weekends. Read about the BIG ride here.
Monday April 29th - A day of rest and a trip to the bike store for some nutritional supplements... only to find that the store was closed. :(
Tuesday April 30th - TRX Suspension training. A Game of Cards! This game included Pushups, Balance Lunges, Suspended Crunches (or sit ups), and Jump Squats along with Burpies and Front Planks. We made it through the deck in no time and started round 2... Triceps and Biceps!
Wednesday May 1st -An evening off.
Thursday May 2nd - TRX Suspension training - Tabata format - 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest, repeat each exercise for 8 sets - Jump Squats, Push ups (ugh! there they are again! - personal goal right now is to be able to complete 20 REAL pushups - I'm at 10), Alternating Balance Lunges with a hop, Front Planks, Suspended Crunches/Sit Ups, Bicycle Crunches (legs suspended), and I'm certain there were 2 more exercises but my old lady brain can't recall them right now. :D
Friday May 3rd - Spent 2 hours helping to set up the boxing ring for The Boxing Club's 4th annual Al Harris Memorial Fundraiser on Saturday May 4th.
Saturday May 4th - 2 hours of heavy duty spring cleaning before an hour of BUTT & GUTT! This session was a doozy! The format today was Cardio, Abs, Glutes. 30 seconds of cardio followed by 10 seconds rest, 30 seconds of Ab work, 10 seconds rest, wrapped up with 30 seconds of Butt work and repeat. There were approx 8 combo sets each repeated 2 times. Very fast paced and sweat inducing. A kick butt class for sure! 1 more hour of heavy duty spring cleaning (think scrubbing tile floors on your hands and knees) and then off to the 4th Annual Al Harris Memorial Fundraiser. My very first boxing event! Look for a separate post on this event with a video or 2! :) Home again at 11pm.
Time for some fluids, rest, and turkey soup (I've come down with a cold or something) See you all next week!
Sunday April 28th - First BIG outside ride. The weather was overcast and cool but tolerable with gloves, hat under the helmet and 3 layers - top and bottom. I felt great after finishing 40 miles of street riding. The goal from here is to add time/mileage each Sunday as well as start getting in a couple of Saturday/Sunday ride weekends. Read about the BIG ride here.
Monday April 29th - A day of rest and a trip to the bike store for some nutritional supplements... only to find that the store was closed. :(
Tuesday April 30th - TRX Suspension training. A Game of Cards! This game included Pushups, Balance Lunges, Suspended Crunches (or sit ups), and Jump Squats along with Burpies and Front Planks. We made it through the deck in no time and started round 2... Triceps and Biceps!
Wednesday May 1st -An evening off.
Thursday May 2nd - TRX Suspension training - Tabata format - 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest, repeat each exercise for 8 sets - Jump Squats, Push ups (ugh! there they are again! - personal goal right now is to be able to complete 20 REAL pushups - I'm at 10), Alternating Balance Lunges with a hop, Front Planks, Suspended Crunches/Sit Ups, Bicycle Crunches (legs suspended), and I'm certain there were 2 more exercises but my old lady brain can't recall them right now. :D
Friday May 3rd - Spent 2 hours helping to set up the boxing ring for The Boxing Club's 4th annual Al Harris Memorial Fundraiser on Saturday May 4th.
Saturday May 4th - 2 hours of heavy duty spring cleaning before an hour of BUTT & GUTT! This session was a doozy! The format today was Cardio, Abs, Glutes. 30 seconds of cardio followed by 10 seconds rest, 30 seconds of Ab work, 10 seconds rest, wrapped up with 30 seconds of Butt work and repeat. There were approx 8 combo sets each repeated 2 times. Very fast paced and sweat inducing. A kick butt class for sure! 1 more hour of heavy duty spring cleaning (think scrubbing tile floors on your hands and knees) and then off to the 4th Annual Al Harris Memorial Fundraiser. My very first boxing event! Look for a separate post on this event with a video or 2! :) Home again at 11pm.
Time for some fluids, rest, and turkey soup (I've come down with a cold or something) See you all next week!
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Session 2 - Week 3
Week 3 of Session 2 now completed! My schedule was as follows:
Sunday April 21th - Dropped in to spin with the Bulls-eye Bike Club at 6:30am. This is an open spin from 6am - 9:30am until the weather gets warm enough to move outdoors. I completed 2.5 hours during open spin and a 3rd hour during an instructor lead Boxing Club spin. In total I rode 3.5 hours and 75 KM (46.5 miles).
Monday April 22th - A much needed day of rest! My hip has been aching since spin class (old injury from 2011 that decided to tighten up and prevent me from doing squats yesterday). Took the dog for 1/2 hour walk to warm up the hip and then spent a another half hour stretching.
Tuesday April 23th - TRX Suspension training. Squats, leg lifts, arm work, and more!
Wednesday April 24th - A trip to Edmonton to check out Campers Village & pick up a pair of hiking boots for Saturday. I've got plans to hike the Chickakoo Lake area! Picked up a nice comfy pair of Keens! :)
Thursday April 25th - TRX Suspension training - Round 2 for the week. Plenty of leg work in this class with jump squats, sprinter starts, single leg balance squats, & split single leg lunges. And let's not forget the biceps and triceps... no, we wouldn't want to forget those!
Friday April 26th - a REAL day of rest. A couple of movies on Netflix and an early bedtime.
Saturday April 26th - 1 Hour of raking leaves followed by an hour of Butt & Gutt -Crunches, Leg Lifts, Fire Hydrants (donkey kicks), Russian Twists, Crunchy Frogs, Side Crunches, Diagonal Single Leg Lifts with Crunch, and I'm sure I forgot the rest. Sore and tired for the day! And yet.. off I went to Chickakoo Lake for an hour and a half hike to wrap up the week.
Time for some protein, carbs, and a nap! See you all next week!
Sunday April 21th - Dropped in to spin with the Bulls-eye Bike Club at 6:30am. This is an open spin from 6am - 9:30am until the weather gets warm enough to move outdoors. I completed 2.5 hours during open spin and a 3rd hour during an instructor lead Boxing Club spin. In total I rode 3.5 hours and 75 KM (46.5 miles).
Monday April 22th - A much needed day of rest! My hip has been aching since spin class (old injury from 2011 that decided to tighten up and prevent me from doing squats yesterday). Took the dog for 1/2 hour walk to warm up the hip and then spent a another half hour stretching.
Tuesday April 23th - TRX Suspension training. Squats, leg lifts, arm work, and more!
Wednesday April 24th - A trip to Edmonton to check out Campers Village & pick up a pair of hiking boots for Saturday. I've got plans to hike the Chickakoo Lake area! Picked up a nice comfy pair of Keens! :)
Thursday April 25th - TRX Suspension training - Round 2 for the week. Plenty of leg work in this class with jump squats, sprinter starts, single leg balance squats, & split single leg lunges. And let's not forget the biceps and triceps... no, we wouldn't want to forget those!
Friday April 26th - a REAL day of rest. A couple of movies on Netflix and an early bedtime.
Saturday April 26th - 1 Hour of raking leaves followed by an hour of Butt & Gutt -Crunches, Leg Lifts, Fire Hydrants (donkey kicks), Russian Twists, Crunchy Frogs, Side Crunches, Diagonal Single Leg Lifts with Crunch, and I'm sure I forgot the rest. Sore and tired for the day! And yet.. off I went to Chickakoo Lake for an hour and a half hike to wrap up the week.
Time for some protein, carbs, and a nap! See you all next week!
Sunday, April 21, 2013
You've Got This!
As I contemplated today's post, I couldn't help but think of the many people who have helped me to get to where I am today.
Sunday, April 21, 2013 - Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada - Today I rode 3.5 hours - 70 KM (43.5 Miles). And all the while, I couldn't help but hear "You've got this!" in my mind.
Looking back over the past 6 months, I couldn't have done it without so many friends;
My mom who encouraged me to take the leap, pack the truck, and head northwest from New Hampshire to Alberta to chase a dream.
Gayle who I laugh & cry with on a regular basis. More laughter than tears.
Cindy who encourages me to stay strong and positive.
My friends in NH who, even though they miss me, never say "just come home".
My friends in AB who push me to do my best.
Lyz(y) who was the first to donate to my ride and appreciates my brand of silly.
Ashley who gave me "You've got this!".
Sheila who gives me "What? Are you giving up?" with a grin because she knows I won't.
Scott who always makes me grin. :D
Bobbi who lets me sit and spin, and spin, and spin...
Herb who encouraged me to join in on Sundays and who says "You'll be able to do it, no problem".
Svetlana with her happy smile (and very mean workouts)!
Doug, Peg, Jenn, Kim, Terry, Sandy, Deb, Grace, (and I'm sure I've forgotten some) who have been so friendly, welcoming, and encouraging since I got here.
All of the folks who believe in me and have donated to the ride I am training for (some are anonymous so I won't list them here but you know who you are!!!).
Sunday, April 21, 2013 - Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada - Today I rode 3.5 hours - 70 KM (43.5 Miles). And all the while, I couldn't help but hear "You've got this!" in my mind.
Looking back over the past 6 months, I couldn't have done it without so many friends;
My mom who encouraged me to take the leap, pack the truck, and head northwest from New Hampshire to Alberta to chase a dream.
Gayle who I laugh & cry with on a regular basis. More laughter than tears.
Cindy who encourages me to stay strong and positive.
My friends in NH who, even though they miss me, never say "just come home".
My friends in AB who push me to do my best.
Lyz(y) who was the first to donate to my ride and appreciates my brand of silly.
Ashley who gave me "You've got this!".
Sheila who gives me "What? Are you giving up?" with a grin because she knows I won't.
Scott who always makes me grin. :D
Bobbi who lets me sit and spin, and spin, and spin...
Herb who encouraged me to join in on Sundays and who says "You'll be able to do it, no problem".
Svetlana with her happy smile (and very mean workouts)!
Doug, Peg, Jenn, Kim, Terry, Sandy, Deb, Grace, (and I'm sure I've forgotten some) who have been so friendly, welcoming, and encouraging since I got here.
All of the folks who believe in me and have donated to the ride I am training for (some are anonymous so I won't list them here but you know who you are!!!).
Thank you all!
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Session 2 - Week 2
Week 2 of Session 2 now completed! My schedule was as follows:
Sunday April 14th - Dropped in to spin with the Bulls-eye Bike Club at 6:30am. This is an open spin from 6am - 9:30am until the weather gets warm enough to move outdoors. I completed 2 hours during open spin and a 3rd hour during an instructor lead Boxing Club spin. In total I rode 3 hours and 65 KM (40 miles) You can read about the day here.
Monday April 15th - Day of rest! WHOO HOO! :D
Tuesday April 16th - TRX Suspension training. Never the same class twice. 60 minutes of hard work each and every time!
Wednesday April 17th - 1 Hour bike ride OUTSIDE! 12.44 miles (20 KM) completed while checking out the Spruce Grove Heritage Trail. Stay tuned for map drawings on future rides.
Thursday April 18th - TRX Suspension training - Round 2 for the week. Plenty of leg work in this class with jump squats, sumo squats, hamstring runners, and more.
Saturday April 20th - Butt & Gutt - Another circuit style workout where you move from station to station. Today's concentration? All of those tiny little "baby" muscles that you didn't even know existed as you are usually too busy working the large muscle groups. Let me tell you that, today, I know they exist and they are all crying loudly. The things that Ashly comes up with... I just don't know how she does it. Butt & Gutt was followed by 1 hour of spin (Thank you Bobbi for letting me stay and use the bike!) - the format this time was 5 minutes seated, 5 minutes standing for 40 minutes and then 10 minutes seated, 5 minutes standing & 5 more minutes seated. Gears 10 & 16 utilized. 21 KM (13 miles) completed.
Time to head home for some protein, carbs, and a long hot shower and stretch. See you all next week!
Sunday April 14th - Dropped in to spin with the Bulls-eye Bike Club at 6:30am. This is an open spin from 6am - 9:30am until the weather gets warm enough to move outdoors. I completed 2 hours during open spin and a 3rd hour during an instructor lead Boxing Club spin. In total I rode 3 hours and 65 KM (40 miles) You can read about the day here.
Monday April 15th - Day of rest! WHOO HOO! :D
Tuesday April 16th - TRX Suspension training. Never the same class twice. 60 minutes of hard work each and every time!
Wednesday April 17th - 1 Hour bike ride OUTSIDE! 12.44 miles (20 KM) completed while checking out the Spruce Grove Heritage Trail. Stay tuned for map drawings on future rides.
Thursday April 18th - TRX Suspension training - Round 2 for the week. Plenty of leg work in this class with jump squats, sumo squats, hamstring runners, and more.
Saturday April 20th - Butt & Gutt - Another circuit style workout where you move from station to station. Today's concentration? All of those tiny little "baby" muscles that you didn't even know existed as you are usually too busy working the large muscle groups. Let me tell you that, today, I know they exist and they are all crying loudly. The things that Ashly comes up with... I just don't know how she does it. Butt & Gutt was followed by 1 hour of spin (Thank you Bobbi for letting me stay and use the bike!) - the format this time was 5 minutes seated, 5 minutes standing for 40 minutes and then 10 minutes seated, 5 minutes standing & 5 more minutes seated. Gears 10 & 16 utilized. 21 KM (13 miles) completed.
Time to head home for some protein, carbs, and a long hot shower and stretch. See you all next week!
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Session 2 - Week 1
Saturday completes Week 1 of Session 2 training at The Boxing Club in Spruce Grove. My schedule was as follows:
Sunday April 7th - Dropped in to spin with the Bulls-eye Bike Club at 8:30am. This is an open spin from 6am - 9:30am until the weather gets warm enough to move outdoors. As I had not ridden longer than 1.5 hours in any of my previous sessions, I decided to ride 1 hour with the club from 8:30 - 9:30 and then a second hour with The Boxing Club spin class from 10 - 11. I managed to ride 25 KM (~15 miles) in the first hour. The padded bike shorts are a great help and I won't ride without them! During the spin class hour I noticed that I had a "crick" at what I thought was the top of my inner quad muscles. It didn't get any worse but it didn't stop hurting on being stretched. Turns out I had annoyed my groin on the right side. Though I finished out the hour, by the time afternoon rolled around I was struggling to climb stairs at home. Rest was in the cards for me as I need to be healthy and strong enough to pedal again during the next session so I wrapped up the afternoon with a movie and early bedtime.
Monday, Wednesday, & Friday were rest days. Thought I participated in my regular classes Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, the exercises were somewhat modified to accommodate my annoyed groin.
Tuesday April 9th - TRX Suspension training. This was the first class back after a 1 week break and Sheila had big plans for us. It was great to see a couple of familiar faces and many new ones in our class. Warm up started with jogging the perimeter of the room followed by a calisthenic style warmup with Jumping Jacks, Burpies, Jogging in place while bringing your heels high, Side Lunges, and Squats. 2 rounds and we were ready to take to the TRX straps. A great workout that picked up right where we left off last session - kicking our butts!
Thursday April 11th - TRX Suspension training - Round 2 for the week. We used the same warmup but did a bit more core and arm work than Tuesday's session. I found my calf attempting to cramp several times during any exercise that required we stand on the balls of our feet. Most likely due to the calf raises we completed on Tuesday (hmmmmmm - must stretch the calf muscles more). Outside of this, it was a great workout, much muscles burning & tiredness was achieved by all!
Saturday April 13th - Butt & Gutt - First class in 2 weeks as recovery week started on a Friday. And Ashley was ready and waiting with the Shock Your Body Workout! This was a circuit style workout where you move from station to station much like what I described in an earlier post. However, nearly every station had a weight associated with the exercise. The intent is to push us further, shocking our bodies out of complacency, away from muscle memory so that we work harder. It worked... Thank goodness for hot showers and long stretches coupled with lots of hydration and protein!
Sunday April 7th - Dropped in to spin with the Bulls-eye Bike Club at 8:30am. This is an open spin from 6am - 9:30am until the weather gets warm enough to move outdoors. As I had not ridden longer than 1.5 hours in any of my previous sessions, I decided to ride 1 hour with the club from 8:30 - 9:30 and then a second hour with The Boxing Club spin class from 10 - 11. I managed to ride 25 KM (~15 miles) in the first hour. The padded bike shorts are a great help and I won't ride without them! During the spin class hour I noticed that I had a "crick" at what I thought was the top of my inner quad muscles. It didn't get any worse but it didn't stop hurting on being stretched. Turns out I had annoyed my groin on the right side. Though I finished out the hour, by the time afternoon rolled around I was struggling to climb stairs at home. Rest was in the cards for me as I need to be healthy and strong enough to pedal again during the next session so I wrapped up the afternoon with a movie and early bedtime.
Monday, Wednesday, & Friday were rest days. Thought I participated in my regular classes Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, the exercises were somewhat modified to accommodate my annoyed groin.
Tuesday April 9th - TRX Suspension training. This was the first class back after a 1 week break and Sheila had big plans for us. It was great to see a couple of familiar faces and many new ones in our class. Warm up started with jogging the perimeter of the room followed by a calisthenic style warmup with Jumping Jacks, Burpies, Jogging in place while bringing your heels high, Side Lunges, and Squats. 2 rounds and we were ready to take to the TRX straps. A great workout that picked up right where we left off last session - kicking our butts!
Thursday April 11th - TRX Suspension training - Round 2 for the week. We used the same warmup but did a bit more core and arm work than Tuesday's session. I found my calf attempting to cramp several times during any exercise that required we stand on the balls of our feet. Most likely due to the calf raises we completed on Tuesday (hmmmmmm - must stretch the calf muscles more). Outside of this, it was a great workout, much muscles burning & tiredness was achieved by all!
Saturday April 13th - Butt & Gutt - First class in 2 weeks as recovery week started on a Friday. And Ashley was ready and waiting with the Shock Your Body Workout! This was a circuit style workout where you move from station to station much like what I described in an earlier post. However, nearly every station had a weight associated with the exercise. The intent is to push us further, shocking our bodies out of complacency, away from muscle memory so that we work harder. It worked... Thank goodness for hot showers and long stretches coupled with lots of hydration and protein!
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