Post Gym HIIT

Back on post today, and I was pumped!! After my Art of Exercise routine yesterday, I pretty much relaxed and took it easy since the Ab Ripper killed me so.  Today I was ready to get back in the game.  15 minutes of high intensity elliptical followed by a circuit my trainer had done himself yesterday.

5 Burpees
Push Mat:: pushing a stack of mats from one end of a basketball court (the short end) to the other and back.
5 Tricep Dips
5 Chin ups:: I still can't pull myself all the way up
10 Crossfit Pushups:: I did these on my knees; pushup position, lower entire body to the floor and take hands off floor/mat then back up.

I did 3 of these.  I could have done 2 more, but I got a minute migraine so I decided to just take my sweaty ass to the sauna and relax for a bit.  So I did.  I feel good, though!  Energized, ready for more.  I'm glad I took a rest day yesterday; even though I did that routine, it didn't seem to phase me so much, so I call it a rest day. Yay me


I almost forgot after the elliptical I climbed all the way up Level II on the rock wall.  Sometimes I struggle with the last 2 feet or so before I can hit the metal thing, but not today, no sir!  Keeping in mind to place my feet first and then propel off my legs to reach hand grips really helped me succeed.  My upper body is so weak that I would feel helpless there, wishing I could just reach and pull myself up by my Popeye forearms, but then I remember... I don't have Popeye forarms!  But I do have Thunder Thighs and I put those babies to work on that wall!  I felt like Spider Woman whuyaaa!

Art of Exercise Freebie I

I've really been going through my phone apps lately to see what I can use what for, and what I can get rid of, in the case that one app performs several functions.  Workout Trainer has turned out to be my favorite exercise app as it is not only extensive, but constantly adds new stuff, and it has not only routines with pictures, video, audial(?) instructions, but it also has workout programs which will let you schedule them yourself, then give you reminders when your scheduled time is coming up!  Within the app you can set up your preferences, such as intensity of the workouts, time limits, and fitness goals; mine are set at "Intense", "1 Hour" (longest available), and "Lose Weight, Strengthen Core, Tone Muscle, and Improve Flexibility" (others include Build Muscle and Build Endurance).  Overall it's an amazing app, I would highly recommend it to everyone, and I do; you'll never get bored with it because there is so much going on, there is a community of people just like you connecting and supporting and encouraging, it acts as your memory, keeping track of what you've done, how you liked it, and your personal notes as well as a calendar reminder.  So yeah, get it!

Anywho, this post is entitled after the program that I started Tuesday.  It is 9 and a half minutes of intense workout and it goes a little something like this:

30s Skip in Place
30s Butt Kickers
30s Pogo Hops
30s Seal Jacks
15s rest
50s Plank w/Shoulder Taps (I loved these! They made me feel so strong and powerful)
15s rest
50s Full Plank w/Leg Lifts
15s rest
50s Plank w/Toe Taps
15s rest
50s Upward Plank (harder than it looks)
20s rest
50s Burpess
10s rest
50s ice Skaters (look and feel ridiculous in your living room!)
10s rest
50s Staggered Arm Spiderman Pushups:: I love these too, and while I don't really see the point of staggering the arm (isn't it harder to just keep them as they are and try to bring your knee to them? I am not here to make things easier on myself, hello!), they get really hard very quickly, but they truly make me feel like I am working my whole body.

Ab Ripper @ Home

Greetings! I write this barely able to lift myself because my muscles are so incredibly rocked.  Monday, I went to the gym on post with the intention of working with the trainer, but instead hung out on the elliptical for an hour and came home to use one of my phone apps.  I used Workout Trainer, and it had the P90X Ab Ripper routine on it, so I did that.  It was hard while I was doing it, but once I rested, it didn't hurt anymore.  Nor did it hurt afterward.  And even today, I am not really in pain so much as just can't move.  Surprisinly my abs are fine-- what's affected is my super lower abs and what seems like my upper leg/front part of my hip area.  My right leg in particular does not want to let me lift it above about 6 inches off the ground.  I'll proabably end up doing it again, but none too often!

Here's what it entailed::
25 Ins and Outs
10s rest
25 Bicycles
25 Reverse Bicycles
10s rest
25 Crunchy Frogs
20s rest & hydrate
25 Wide Leg Sit-ups
20s rest
25 Fifer Scissors (harder than they look!)
25s rest & hydrate
25 Hip Rock n Raises
25s rest
25 Pulse Ups
30s rest & hydrate
25 V-Ups and Roll Ups
25s rest
25 Right Oblique V-Ups
20s rest
25 Left Oblique V-Ups
25s rest
12 Right Leg Climbs
10s rest
12 Left Leg Climbs
25s rest
40 Mason Twists
Cool Down Stretch (my favorite part!)

Back In the Saddle!

Nothing like a handfuls of girls trying on the same dress and you being the only one who can't zip it up to motivate you to get back into hardcore gym-going!  So starting this past week: more water, more activity, no Red Bull! 

Tuesday I got into the gym for the first time in a long while, and I could feel it.  The death machine took its toll on me and my weights were lower than the last time I went. 

Wednesday I got some time in with my trainer.  20 Minutes on the new elliptical, I climbed all the way to the top of the Level 2 rock wall, which I had never been able to do before so I was very proud of myself :)  Afterward we did what he called Hi-Lo intensity interval training; The "Hi"s were standing side cruches on a step and they WERE high intensity!  Mediums were squats along the long wall with a resistance band around my ankle, forward then back.  "Lo"s were crunches (hah!).  Overall, a short workout, but I felt good. 

Thursday, I played around with the gym's new elliptical.  They have a fancy screen so I changed my "view" to a picture of a mountain, and as I went, it would show my track in terms of elevation on the mountain-- it was like a fun game of racing myself to the top!  I stayed on for an hour and got up to 4200 feet!  We hit up the nautilus machines after that: I alternated shoulder presses, leg presses, rows, pull ups, arm extensions, and then something he calls "pouring lemonade" (not really sure what it's called), and used the ab machine in between each.  Holla!

After all of that, I wasn't too sore-- I could feel a difference in most muscle groups, but not in a debilitating way-- with the exception of my calves!! I'm not sure if its because I am used to the death machine vs the elliptical, but every morning I find it extremely difficult to stand up straight, walk down stairs, or change walking direction too quickly, just because my calves are super tight. 

Thursday night I had a lovely stretch session before bed.  It felt incredible!  I did a few yoga poses, and just generally listened to my body, tried to warm up and stretch tight muscles.  I ended up doing handstands, cartwheels, roundoffs, and headstands in the middle of my living room-- much to the enjoyment of my husband, and dismay of my dog lol!

Today, Friday, I told myself in the morning I was going to complete a BodyRock Fit Test.  And though I wavered in this desire as the day progressed (I came up with numerous excuses), I did eventually get it done.  My lungs were on fire afterwards!!!

Here are my results:
Squat Jumps: 33
Push Ups: 21
Burpees: 15
High Knees: 70
Switch Lunges: 20
Tuck Jumps: 10
Tricep Dips: 16
Straight Abs: 20

Pretty pathetic in terms of progress, stamina, or any other measure, but in reality... I did something today, I got my heart rate way up, I warmed my muscles and didn't laze out so I feel Awesome!  Go. Me.