Gymemies

This is what I like to call the exes you aren't on a friendly basis with, their current flings who stare down your every move, and any past extracurricular activities (drunken makeout anyone? haha) who happen to frequent the same gym as you. Well, the Gymemies were abundant at World's tonight. You'd think this would make for an awkward workout but to be honest, I think I thrive off of it. Sounds kind of sick, I know, but when there's a Gymemy in my radius I channel that uncomfortable feeling into longer sets, heavier weights and an all-around amped-up intensity level. Even better if there's more than one nearby! I guess its my non-verbal way of saying "look what you missed out on, asshole" or "yup, I hope your bedroom skills are up to par because we both know you can't compete with this move". Haha, I digress, and this is getting a bit more bitchy than I intended so I'll stop here. Regardless, I had a superb workout tonight!

Started out with a little run to get me warmed up. I was seriously out of breathe after only 10 minutes so after a total 15-minute run/walk mix I had to call the cardio quits. Must have been because the Gymemies hadn't arrived yet to make me push harder haha. I'm thinking I may have to increase my time by 5 mins each day until  I get back up to my pre-injury max.

For weights today I did back & chest. Here's the rundown of my routine:
1. 4 sets of 10 bent-over barbell rows on the bosu ball.
2. 4 sets of 10 free weight chest presses while in a bridge position on a stability ball.
3. 4 sets of 6 (each leg) one-legged deadlifts on the bosu. 2 sets with weight and 2 sets without. Got terrible toe spasms during these. Oh the pains of wearing high heels all day!
4. 4 sets of 8 back extensions with a plate held to my chest.
5. 3 sets of 20 ball-throwing incline crunches (got a non-Gymemy to help me with this one haha).
6. 4 sets of 8 leg raises on the standing leg raise machine (2 sets front and 2 sets side-to-side).

To wrap-up and make up for yesterday's lack of stretching, I then moved on to the mats where I did 3 sets of   my "60 sec" planks (forward and each side) and a variety of stretches. I'm thinking tomorrow will be both a run and a legs day. Hopefully today's deadlifts didn't rip up my hams too much because I was definitely feeling an intense burn by the last set!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

...no, not Christmas, but rather the post-New Year's mad house that awaits no matter what gym you go to! I had figured things would stay pretty quiet until next week but apparently I was wrong. After driving by Planet yesterday and seeing a nightmarish parking lot I pushed forward to World's where I had the gym pretty much to myself (they let me in early) until 1:00 pm when the doors were unlocked and a rush of post-Christmas dieters came through the door. Most of the crowd were either usuals or at least recognizable faces but there was definitely an assortment newbies sprinkled in. This is so not a good sign for what's to come.

Today wasn't much different but I was somehow able to get all the equipment I wanted, exactly when I wanted it. Hmmm now that I think of it, I often had a circle of empty space around me. Must have had some sort of "don't mess with me" look on my face haha...I'll have to remember that for tomorrow. I've been slacking on my posts lately so here's a quick run-down of the past few days: Saturday - Legs; Sunday - Rest Day (gyms were closed for Christmas); Monday - Bi's & Tri's. Alas, today I did shoulders.

I started with my warm-up cardio on the eliptical for 15 mins. Still haven't been able to run due to my poor torn-up feet but I can happily say that my shins no longer hurt! Hopefully in the next couple of days I can get back to my running routine. To start my weight sesh I did 3 sets of 8 arnold curls, standing on the bosu ball. I followed these with one set of pull-ups (real ones and I made it to 5 this time!) and then 4 sets of 8 shoulder shrugs on the bosu. Lastly, I alternated 3 sets of 8 front raises and side raises (each arm so 6 sets each arm/12 sets total). I'm still trying to work in stabilization moves wherever I can into my workouts. I haven't noticed any change in my physique but I can say that my balance has definitely improved!

Moving on to abs, I did 3 sets of 8 leg lifts on a stability ball and followed these with 3 sets of 8 teepees, balancing on my knees in between sets. I neglected to stretch before leaving so hopefully I did enough stretching in between sets to make up for it. My shoulders and neck are always uncomfortably tight after a shoulders workout. Luckily I got a massage GC for Christmas that I'll be booking real soon!

Quiet Friday Morning Workout

I love hitting the gym on a day off from work when none of the usuals are there to distract you. That's what I did this morning and to my delight not only were there were about 10 people in the building but I pretty much had the weight area to myself! I skipped the gym yesterday and instead opted for a late afternoon walk around the back cove so I was ready to work today. Unfortunately, I've been hobbling around all week due to 1) irritated shins which I thought were due to the balancing one-legged deadlifts but a runner friend has scared me into thinking its shin splints and advised me to take it easy till the pain goes away and 2) my hiking boots caused bad blisters on yesterday's walk, making every step sting. Basically I'm a mess as usual.

Today's workout started with a 15 minute eliptical warm-up. I'll probably avoid running again until I'm healed. Usually when I do the eliptical I don't set it on anything specific other than "warm-up" but today I opted for the "fat burn" setting. I find it odd that the display seemed to think that I burned way more calories than usual despite the workout feeling far easier!

Moving on to weights, I chose to do back and chest today. To start, I did 4 sets of 8 incline chest flies. These were followed with 3 sets of 10 standing rows, balancing on the bosu ball. Then I moved on to abs and did 3 sets of 12 side crunches (each side) on the back extension machine. Since my pull-ups have been lousy lately I did a quick set of 4 pull-ups and then finished up my weights with 3 sets of 8 sitting rows. Lastly, I rounded out my ab routine with 3 sets of 20 knee-to-chin crunches while planking with my hands on a medicine ball.  I had already mixed in a lot of stretching between sets of weights and abs so I finished up with some foam rolling on the mats before heading out. I noticed the gym is only open until noon tomorrow so I'm sure it'll be a zoo in comparison to today!

New Kicks

Okay, so I did not reach my goal this past weekend, not by a long shot. I had a few too many beers Saturday night and between my hangover and my jell-o legs which resulted from an intense series of one-legged, weighted bosu ball deadlifts on Saturday, I didn't even make it an hour in World's on Sunday.

On another note, now that my confession is out, I finally invested in a sweet new pair of running sneaks today! I was torn between a pair of Adidas and a pair of Nike. It was 60% Adidas / 40% Nike (mostly a style decision as I like sneaks with funky colours) but everyone I asked either said Nike or neither so I decided to trust the opinion of my gym rat friends who probably know more about running than I do. Broke 'em in today with a 15 minute run. Could definitely use some more breaking in but I'd say they were a good choice all around!

For weights today I decided on shoulders. I started with 3 sets of 8 arnold press, standing on a bosu and followed these with 3 sets of 10 shoulder shrugs (also on the bosu). Next I did 1 set of pull-ups but could only do 4 reps (seriously falling behind on these!) so I opted for 3 sets of 6 assisted pull-ups to finish out the move. Next I moved on to abs where I started with 3 sets of 8 stability ball leg lifts and followed these with 4 sets of 16 incline crunches (front and side-to-side) and lastly, 3 sets of 8 tee pees, kneeling on the stability ball between each set.

Pretty good Monday workout! I finished up with some all-over stretching on the mats and incorporated some yoga moves I hadn't done in a while including the ever-popular headstand. Always afraid I'm going to end up upside down with my shirt over my head when I do that one haha.

Fired Up

Hit my 30 minute mark tonight! Well, actually, I did take a 1-min walking break after 20 minutes because I was dying of thirst so technically it was a 20 min run followed by a 10 min run but close enough! After an encounter with a major bitch right after work (well actually two now that I think of it) and battling the most horrible road-rage inducing idiot drivers everywhere I went today, I was fuming by the time I got to World's. Sooo I channelled my anger into a killer run and pretty solid bi's/tri's workout. I know this sounds crazy, but if someone could really piss me off at about 5pm everyday I'd really appreciate it! haha

Here's what my weight sesh consisted of today:
1. 3 sets of 8 bicep curls on a bosu ball
2. 3 sets of 8 single-arm tricep extensions using the cables
3. 3 sets of 8 tricep bench dips with my feet on a stability ball and a 25 lb. plate on my lap (okay, so I only did one set of these and then had to bring it back down to a 10 lb. plate but hey, baby steps!)
4. 3 sets of 8 hammer curls, also on a bosu ball

Side note here, the men in World's tonight were rather eager beavers (to put it mildly) and I somehow met quite a few of the latest Friday night trollers without any effort on my part. My point being, I wanted to do medicine ball throwing crunches as Jen and I didn't get to them yesterday in our shoulders-based workout, however, there was no one around to ask to throw the ball other than the horny mass-at-hand so I opted for incline bench crunches instead (2 sets of 16 front and 2 sets of 12 side-to-side). Not quite the intensity level I wanted but what's a girl in these situations to do?! Finally, I went over to the mats and did three sets of "60" second planks (each side) and some legs-focused stretching to wrap-up.

Goal of the weekend ahead: Get really fired up and complete a real 30-minute run!

Busting Ass (Literally)

Started my workout today with a short 15 minute run and then ventured out onto the crowded World's weight room to begin my lower body sesh. To start, and keeping with my stabilization theme, I did three sets of 12 squats while standing on a bosu ball with a 30 lb. barbell on my shoulders. Someone commented that my back was arched too much (after the fact of course!) and that that could cause lower back pain so I must keep that in mind next time! Otherwise, these felt great. I think I'll make a note to try one-legged squats on the bosu next time, sans weight of course! Next, I moved onto 3 sets of 8 (each leg) one-legged deadlifts. Just the usual move here and I kept the weight at 30 lbs. Between these two I should have some very sore hams tomorrow! The last lower body move I did was 4 sets of 8 (each leg) on the bent-over glute press machine (2 sets straight leg and 2 sets 90 degree bent leg). I love this machine but unfortunately I did not remember to pack appropriate shorts...

For abs today I started with 3 sets of 8 pushups with my feet on a stability ball. I followed these with 3 sets of 20 v-sit medicine ball twists and lastly, 3 sets of "60" second planks (front, left side, and right side planks). I neglected to do any final stretching which I will probably regret tomorrow but it was nearly 7pm and I was too preoccupied with thoughts of dinner. Not sure what tomorrow's workout will bring yet so I guess it will depend on what's not sore!

Notes To Self

Like most Monday's, I hit up Planet today for my start-of-the-work-week gym sesh. Oddly enough for a Monday, it was nice and quiet. Today's focus was on shoulders but I struggled to really push myself after an intense back & chest workout yesterday which seems to have irritated my lower back. Disappointing seeing as shoulders are usually one of my favs! Yesterday's workout was another stabilization-focused session which went great but I think it was the bosu ball deadlifts that did me in. I pushed myself to hold the 50 lb bar which was probably a bit much  :S

Anyway, I got to Planet nice and early, having left work in the afternoon to make a routine dentist appointment (no cavities of course!) so I was able to grab one of the good treadmills in the back with the built-in fans. I only did a 15 min warm-up today though (10 mins running). Note to self: Do not eat a protein bar immediately before attempting a run; stomach does not appreciate it!

So after my "run", I went upstairs to a nice deserted weight room where I did 3 sets of 8 front shoulder raises and the same for latteral shoulder raises. I followed these with 4 sets of leg lifts on the standing leg lift machine (2 sets front and 2 sets side-to-side). I tried to take my time on these because I wanted to grab the assisted pullup machine right beside it but that was a very popular machine tonight and I kept missing my opportunity between sets! So, I went over to the other side of the room and did 3 sets of 8 lat pull-downs. On my way back downstairs I saw that the pull-up machine was now vacant so I finished with a set of 8 pullups and then a set of 4 as that's all I could manage to push out by that point! Not a bad shoulder workout by any means, just not feeling really motivated today I guess. I think it may also have to do with the fact that Planet needs to replace all of its lights with wattage about 5x whatever it uses now. Now that its dark out at that time of day, its so much darker than usual inside that I want to fall asleep!

Venturing back downstairs, I went over to the mats and did front and side planks, each position held twice. I always count to 60 before switching positions but I've recently found that I am an overly fast counter and my "minute" is more like 30 seconds...ooops! Second note to self: purchase a watch for the gym! After some stretching and laying arched over a stability ball in an attempt to soothe my back (which did not work!), I was out the door and headed home. Third note to self: buy a heating pad. I always wish I had one when I have uncomfortably sore muscles but can never seem to justify buying one when I'm feeling fine! Tomorrow, unfortunately, has to be a rest day because of one of many inconveniently scheduled holiday parties this week. Looking forward to hitting World's hard on Wednesday!

All About Stability

Planned my entire bi's & tri's workout around stability exercises today. Got to the gym around 9am and started with a nice 20 minute run. Okay, so I had planned to go for longer than that but at least I can say that I've upped my speed to 5.5 and brought the incline to 2 so it wasn't a total letdown. Plus, I'm guessing the slice of mashed potato & bacon pizza I was coerced into having at Otto around 12am last night wasn't helping things.

After my run I started with three sets of 8 bicep dumbbell curls while standing on the bosu ball. Then, staying on the bosu, I moved into three sets of 8 overhead tricep extensions. I then grabbed a bench and a stability ball and did three sets of 8 tricep dips with a 10 lb. plate on my lap and my feet balancing on the ball. For my final arm workout I did three sets of 8 bicep curls using a 30 lb. barbell, also standing on the bosu.

For abs today, I did 4 sets of 8 stability ball leg lifts followed by 3 sets of 8 pushups with my toes on a stability ball. These are really difficult but I will say I am getting much better at them! I'd like to think that my whole workout, minus the run, was all a bit of an abs workout seeing as I added some form of stabilization into everything. Definitely going to try to do more of this in the future!

Hump Day, Rump Day

As planned, I hit up World's today for a solid lower body workout. I started with a 15 minute run to warm up. I had planned on doing 25 and I really don't have any excuse other than just not being motivated enough to finish it. Although, my shins were kind of hurting so maybe I can use my non-running sneakers as my excuse today hehe

I began my weight sesh with 3 sets of 8 (each leg) on the standing glute machine (set at a 70 lb. resistance) and then moved on to 3 sets of 12 on the standing calf machine (75 lbs). I really love both of these machines and don't do them nearly enough! I decided not to save all of my abs workouts for the end today so I then moved on to 4 sets of 8 stability ball leg-lifts using both the 10 and 5 lb. dumbbells. Following these, I did 3 sets of 8 (each leg) one-legged deadlifts, starting with the 20 lb dumbbells and then moving to the 15's once I tired out. Finally, I ended my sesh with 4 sets of 12 incline bench crunches (2 sets forward and 2 sets side-to-side). I did the first two sets with a 10 lb. plate held to my chest but dropped it for the last two because I had made the bench so high I was seriously struggling to finish! World's was pretty busy today but I was on a mission and I must say, I did a pretty good job of tuning everyone out and staying in my own little workout bubble haha

I did a lot of standing stretching while I had the step set-up for the deadlifts (like my favourite standing glute stretch!) so I ended with just a few leg stretches on the mats and then scooted off to Whole Foods to treat myself to one of my favourite cookies (sesame tahini) for dessert tonight!  

Habitat For Exhaustion

After a chest & back workout yesterday at World's, I hit up Planet today for a bi's & tri's workout. I took part in a Habitat for Humanity project in Freeport today and my body was just way too beat for a solid workout. I would have skipped the gym but tomorrow is going to be a rest day so that I can take care of my poor puppy who has to have surgery so I pushed through my weight sesh today. On another note, I completely forgot that today is the first Monday of the month....the nasty Little Caesar's pizza smell did not help my motivation!

My workout wasn't anything spectacular today. Started with a run but only did 15 minutes since my legs were seriously dragging. Then I went upstairs and did the following:
1. 3 sets of 8 regular bicep curls
2. 3 sets of 8 tricep bench dips with my feet on a stability ball
3. 4 sets of 8 leg lifts on the standing leg lift machine (2 sets front lifts and 2 sets side-to-side lifts)
4. 3 sets of 8 tricep kickbacks (each arm)
5. Venturing back downstairs: 3 sets of 8 hammer curls while standing on a bosu ball (I'm trying to incorporate more balance-work into existing workouts going forward in an effort to "get more bang for my buck"!)
6. And lastly, 2 sets of 20 followed by 2 sets of 12 incline bench crunches (front and side-to-side crunches)

I have to say I was very tempted to grab some pizza myself as the pile of boxes was eyeing me from the table right next to where I was doing my incline crunches but luckily I did not give in! I love pizza but it grosses me out that everyone is grabbing out of the same box that the sweat/dirt/germ-covered gymmers in front of them touched on their way out. I don't know about you but when I grab a slice of pizza I usually have to grab the crust of the slice next to it in order to rip it off so who knows what nasties touched the crust of the slice you are about to take! Plus, Little Caesar's isn't exactly worth ruining your diet for.

So that was all for my workout today. I kind of feel like I did back today more than anything due to lifting random house parts all day long. I'm thinking Wednesday will have to be a good lower body day to balance it all out!

Back In The Saddle Again

After an intense leg workout yesterday, I arrived at World's this morning with the intention of doing shoulders and perhaps attempting a maximum 10-15 minute run. I got on the treadmill, set it at a 5.4 mph pace and a 1.0 level incline, and found that I was actually feeling really good for once! So, I decided to push myself for 20 minutes today. Then a friend arrived, grabbed the treadmill next to me, and somehow motivated me to push myself back to my 25 minute mark! Ahhh felt so good when it was over! I finally feel like I'm kicking this cold so I plan to amp up my workouts this week and get back to my pre-sick physique! Plus, there's a ton of holiday parties/dinners/etc. coming up that I just know are going to entice me into bad behavior so weight-gain prevention is in order. Wouldn't it be so nice to enter into the new year fitter than ever while everyone else is struggling with their new year's resolutions?!

Here's how my weight/abs routine went today:
1. 3 sets of 8 arnold press using 15 lb. dumbbells
2. 3 sets of 12 side leg crunches (each leg) on the back extension machine
3. 3 sets of 8 lateral shoulder raises using 10 lb. dumbbells
4. 3 sets of 8 front shoulder raises, also using 10 lb. dumbbells
5. 4 sets of 20 v-sit medicine ball twists
6. 3 sets of 6 pull-ups

It's been so long since I've been able to do pull-ups that my attempt to use the regular pull-up bar didn't make it past 3 reps of half-ass half-way pull-ups so I had to do my sets on the pull-up machine where you can lower your resistance. Still felt great though so hopefully by the end of the week I can get back to the regular bar. That's all for today's workout other than taking my pup for a nice long walk while its still sunny (albeit frigid) out!

Back to December

I've had Taylor Swift's "Back to December" stuck in my head all day. Not really a motivating workout tune. I did get in a pretty good bi's & tri's workout at World's today though. It wasn't nearly as busy as earlier in the week and a lot of the usuals weren't in attendance so I had a nice quiet workout without too much distraction.

I started with a 20 minute warm-up on the elliptical, having decided that I should not attempt a run until I am 100% over this cold. Aside from not physically being able to hit my goal time-wise, it would really be quite embarrassing if I fell off the treadmill seeing as this cold medicine has made me a complete space cadet!

My bi's/tri's workouts are seriously lacking in variety so I apologize if it sounds like you've read this exact post before. To start my weight session I did 3 sets of 8 hammer curls using 15 lb. dumbbells. Then I got a stability ball, a bench, and a 10 lb. plate and did tricep dips with my feet on the ball and the plate on my lap (4 sets of 8). Thinking I should probably increase the plate to 25 next time for some added burn! Then, I went back over to the free weights and 3 sets of 8 regular bicep curls. I started with the 15 lb. dumbbells again but quickly lost steam and moved down to the 12.5 ones for the last two sets. Finishing up my weights I did tricep extensions on the cables. Two sets of single-arm extensions at 20 lbs. each arm and then two sets of dual-arm extensions at 40 lbs. Not a bad workout but not highly exciting either!

For abs I did 3 sets of 8 teepees, kneeling on the ball in between sets, followed by incline bench crunches (2 sets of 12 forward crunches and 2 sets of 12 side-to-side crunches). That's all other than the usual stretching before exiting. Hoping to get in another good workout tomorrow to end the week on a positive note. Seeing as we are back to December here, here's to a healthy, happy, stress-free month filled with lots of solid workouts!

I'm Feeling A Bit...Moist.

That was my response to Jen's inquiry as to whether I broke a sweat at all during our 15 minute leisurely warm-up on the new arc trainers at Planet...haha...probably not what you thought I was referring to but at least it got you to click!

Jen and I hit up Planet today for a legs workout. It was a pleasant surprise to see a normal-sized crowd after the ridiculous horde of people that packed World's last night. Yesterday I did shoulders and am really feeling it today due to my slack workouts over the past week. I attempted to get in a run but only made it 10 minutes before needing a break. I'd say I'm about 80% better but this awful dry cough is keeping me from performing to my fullest. Tomorrow is going to be a rest day so I'm hoping that come Thursday I'll be back in the game.

So anyway, Planet got in a bunch of nice new arc trainers since my last visit. All of them have built-in fans, iPod hookups, and movable arms (like an elliptical) so I think I'll be using these from now on during my non-run days. I don't really feel much of a workout from these machines but they're a good warm-up and don't put any stress on weak knees!

To start our workout we went upstairs and did...you guessed it...one-leg dead lifts. I do realize I do these during pretty much every leg workout but I swear they always make me sore the next day so I figure I should keep doing them. We followed these with leg lifts on the standing leg lift machine (front and side lifts). I could really feel the burn in my abs after having done stability ball leg lifts for the first time in at least a week yesterday! We were able to work out simultaneously (rather than alternating using the same equipment like we usually do) since the weight area was emptier than usual. This really helped to speed the session along today! The last thing we did upstairs was weighted stationary lunges with knee lifts in between lunges. Very exhausting!

Moving back downstairs we did ball-catching incline crunches. It's been a while since I've done these and they felt soooo good! Finally, we moved over the the mats and did stability ball glute squeeze leg pull-ins. I can't remember what these are actually called but its where you lie on your back with your feel on the ball and raise your glutes so you're in a sort of bridge position and use your legs to move the ball in and out. Really great lower body workout! We did these using both legs and then raising one leg at a time. That was it today other than some good stretching before we left. I fully expect my hamstrings to be in serious pain tomorrow after this series of moves!

The Battle Continues

The battle to maintain my workouts with a cold that will not go away, that is! The Black Friday "deals" yesterday were less than disappointing so I'm still on the hunt for some good, inexpensive running sneakers. But for now, it doesn't really matter since I have absolutely no energy to crank out a run these days! Yesterday was a short work day so I hit up the gym in the afternoon for some light cardio on the eliptical and a bis/tris workout. Even though I'm stuck doing lighter than usual weights this week it at least feels good to be back in the gym!

This morning I felt even more out of it (perhaps a result of my morning coffee mixed with sudafed?) so I only did a short 10 minute eliptical warmup but then I followed it up with a pretty good legs workout. I started with 3 sets of 8 (each side) one-legged dead lifts, keeping it at 15 lb dumb bells today since my balance is still kind of off. Then I followed those with 4 sets of 8 on the glute press machine (the one where you are bent over), doing 2 sets of straight leg and 2 sets of bent leg. I decided to give my legs a break for a bit so next I moved on to side leg crunches on the back extension machine (3 sets of 12, each side). For my last leg workout I alternated 3 sets of 12 forward leg squats with 3 sets of 12 plie squats with a 30 lb. bar on my shoulders. World's just got 3 new sets of fixed-weight bars which I am really excited about! Next for abs I did 3 sets of 8 pushups with my toes balancing on a stability ball. These are really difficult and I can't go down all the way yet but they are a great core/shoulders/chest workout! Lastly, I did a series of planks (front, right leg/arm and left leg/arm) mixed with chaturanga pose (low hovering pushup position) into upward and downward dog. It was a nice mix of abs and stretching to round out my workout!

Pre-Feast Calorie Burn

Sick alllll week with a nasty cold and today was my first day back on the weights since Saturday. God it felt good! I eased back into my routine yesterday with some light cardio and stretching. Feeling a bit better today, I decided to do a full workout focusing on back and chest.

To start I did a 20 minute eliptical warm-up. Not quite feeling up for a run yet but we'll see how tomorrow goes. After warming up I did some stretching on the mats and a series of single leg lifts with a bar behind my back, held vertically. These are kind of like the one-leg dead lifts I do only without weights or a step so its really just balancing work. I always find that I lose some of my balance when I've been sick so I try to work on it more than usual until I'm feeling 100% again. To start my weight sesh I did 4 sets of 8 rows, balancing on a bosu ball and rowing with the 45 lb. bar (loving these lately!!). Then I moved onto incline bench chest flies (4 sets of 8), sitting rows on the cables (3 sets of 8) and lastly, lat pull-downs also on the cables (3 sets of 8).

Moving on to abs, I started with standing leg lifts on the leg lift machine (2 sets of 8 front lifts and 2 sets of 8 side-to-side lifts). Finishing up, I alternated bosu ball pushups and bosu ball plank leg crunches (where you hold the plank position and alternate crunching your knees to your chest). I did 3 sets of 8 of the pushups and 3 sets of 12 of the crunches. I finished my workout with some light stretching on the mats. I'd say I'm almost back in the game after that workout! Hopefully I didn't push myself too hard because I really want to get back to running tomorrow. Given that tomorrow is Black Friday, I may have to scope out the athletic wear stores for a good deal on running shoes!

Well, it's almost time to head over to the rents to begin the Turkey Day feast with some festive-inspired cocktails! I fully plan to eat as much turkey as possible and have already planned ahead by donning my "fat jeans" haha. I'm sure I'll be making up for it in the gym tomorrow so I don't feel too guilty! To all you gym rats out there, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Saturday Sweat Sesh

I think I workout better in the morning. Think my boss will let me start coming in around noon to accommodate my #1 priority? Haha doubtful...

One week later and I hit my 25 mark again. Very please with myself, I must say. Especially since I had a ridiculous amount of Corona to sweat out! The best part was that I probably could have kept going and only stopped because I was pouring sweat and prefer to retain some form of attractiveness during my workout haha.

Today's workout was bi's and tri's again. I really need to figure out some more exciting exercises to do for these muscle groups because even though I feel like I've had a great workout, I'm not seeing much improvement. Here's what was on the agenda:
1. Regular bicep curls (3 sets of 8 with 15 lb weights)
2. Bench tricep dips, feet balancing on the stability ball, 10 lb. plate on my lap (3 sets of 12)
3. Regular bicep curls again but with a 30 lb barbell instead of free weights (3 sets of 8)
4. Tricep kick-backs (3 sets of 8, each arm, with a 10 lb weight)
5. Teepees (3 sets of 8) with kneeling ball-balancing in between sets
6. Stability ball crunches with a 10 lb plate held to my chest (2 sets of 20 forward crunches and 2 sets of 20 side-to-side crunches)
7. Knee-to-chest lifts in plank position with hands balancing on a medicine ball. I don't know what these are really called but they are a good balancing exercise if nothing else!

I'm pretty exhausted now (several hours later) but I felt great post-workout. My pup is looking at me begging for a walk right now so I guess my workout isn't quite done for the day yet!

Caffeine Suggestions?

Another great World's workout today! Finally got in that "intense" legs day I'd been planning. Disappointingly though, the only part of me sore from yesterday's workout is my underarms from all of the pull-ups. Don't know if that is normal or if it means that I'm holding the bar wrong seeing as my girlfriend  who did the exact same thing as me is feeling it in a totally different part of her arms! Anyway, today's workout started with my scheduled run of course. I really wanted to make it to 25 today so I had a late afternoon Starbucks coffee thinking the caffeine would help to keep me going longer than usual. It didn't. Made it to my usual 20 by really pushing myself through the last few crampy minutes. I think the coffee did more harm than good. Need to find a good source of pre-workout caffeine that is a) not coffee so my tummy won't be upset and b) is not carbonated because I really detest carbonation! Open to suggestions...

After my run I moved on to my usual favorite one-legged dead lifts (3 sets of 8, each leg). I upped the weights to 20 in each hand again which I am finding to be quite an increase in difficulty! I followed these with 3 sets of 8 (each leg) on the standing glute press machine, 3 sets of 12 on the leg press machine, and finally 3 sets of 12 on the standing calf machine. For abs today I did 4 sets of 8 standing leg lifts, crunching straight and to the sides, and then front and side planks (holding each of the three sides for 60 seconds). I finished up with a lot of stretching to make up for the lack thereof yesterday. Overall, very satisfying workout today!

Oxygen Workout

Great upper body workout at World's tonight! A girlfriend of mine has been obsessed with Oxygen magazine lately and cut-out one of their routines for us to try. The idea was to get a full upper body workout in one session by hitting each major muscle group once. I figured it was good to try something new even though I typically like to concentrate on just a couple muscle groups per session. I'm all for anything that could make me look like one of the girls in Oxygen, that's for sure!

I started out with a 20 minute warm-up on the elliptical since yesterday was a run day (although it was not quite as "intense" of a leg day as I had planned haha) and then we met over by the assisted pull-up machine to get started. I know, I know, assisted pull-ups aren't quite as hard core as I pretend to be but it was necessary seeing as our first task was 6 sets of 10 pull-ups; 2 sets with hands facing toward each other, 2 sets with hands straight above shoulders, and 2 sets with hands at an angle. I better be seriously sore from those tomorrow! We followed these up by chest flies on a bench (3 sets of 8), then moved to the back extension machine where we did weighted back extensions and side leg crunches, 3 sets of 12 each (9 sets total). Next came 3 sets of 8 arnold press (hitting our tired shoulders again!) and then 3 sets of 8 stability ball leg lifts. To finish, we hit out triceps with bench dips using the stability ball and finally, bicep curls on the cables.

In all, we hit shoulders, upper back, chest, abs, bi's and tri's...not too shabby! I tried to up the intensity a bit tonight with little variations like using a 25 lb. plate when doing back extensions (vs. my usual 10) and adding the 5 lb. weight from the leg lifts to my lap for a little added resistance during my tricep dips. The resistance level I had to use while doing the straight above and angled pull-ups was a bit embarrassing (I won't be mentioning the number haha) but I can definitely see those getting easier over time! I neglected to stretch before heading out so I'll probably need a good stretch sesh tomorrow before I embark on another run. I only made it to 20 mins yesterday so here's to hoping I can crack 25 again soon!

Who Doesn't Love A Quickie?

Well, it's Monday again and given that its not pizza night and last Monday's workout partner is out-of-town, I chose Planet for a typical nothing fancy bi's and tri's workout. Despite the lack of variety in Saturday's yoga class, my arms, shoulders, and upper back area was super sore yesterday so rather than weights I did the eliptical followed by an all-abs session including balancing leg pull-ins on a bench, planks (side and front), weighted standing side-crunches, and stability ball leg lifts. Today was supposed to be a run day but after a seriously short sleep last night and battling my closing eyelids all day at work, I opted for a short 10 minute eliptical warm-up instead. I really didn't want to go to the gym at all but I figure a quickie workout is better than no workout. I mean, a quickie anything is generally better than nothing, eh? haha

So anyway, after my warm-up I dragged myself upstairs and did the usual 3 sets of 8 regular bicep curls, hammer curls, tricep bench dips balancing my feet on the stability ball, and tricep presses on the cables. To finish I only did one ab workout which was front and side leg lifts on the standing leg lift machine. On my way out one of the usuals sarcastically yelled out, "did you even work out today"?! I shouted back with a smirk, "just a quickie today..." and then secretly felt guilty on my way down the stairs as I realized I'd barely been there an hour. Planning on getting a rediculously long sleep tonight and doing an intense leg workout tomorrow to make up for it!

Movin' On Up

Major breakthrough today...made it to 25 mins of running on the treadmill! After a leg workout yesterday and realizing that I haven't given my body a break in a while, I decided to take the day off from weights. Somehow I managed to get up early today despite not having set my alarm and decided to hit up the 8:00 am yoga class and then follow it with a run. I haven't made it to that yoga class in several months. For one thing, its kind of hard for me to commit to be there by 7:45 on a Saturday (I like to get there early so I get the spot by the door where its not so dark!) and secondly, the teacher is a little weird and likes to do this gross thing at the end where she puts her greasy fingers all over your face while you're in savasana (corpse pose) at the end of your practice. Today she upped the weirdness by doing a reading at the beginning while in lotus (crossed legs) position. I know some people like this sort of thing but I'm really there for the stretching, not the hippie meditation aspect. Its supposed to relax you but it just makes me antsy and irritable as I wait to move on to the real work! Overall I thought the class was a disappointment as she spent way too much time on her relaxation crap and hardly had any variety of balancing poses or anything remotely challenging like the old teacher used to. It also didn't help that the guy next to me definitely had not showered this week and seemed to be breathing his wretchedness in my direction the entire time. I think I'll try to make an effort to show up at least once a month going forward just so I stay in the loop in case a new teacher takes over again at some point. Plus, I really could use more stretching this time of year when I seem to be in a constant state of tension due to the frigid temperatures here! I followed the direction of the guy in front of me who scooted out before savasana so I didn't have to be fondled by her. She gave me a nasty glare as I got up but oh well, she shouldn't expect everyone to be down with her greasiness!

After yoga I hopped on a treadmill and got to my run. I don't know what came over me but I just felt more motivated than usual today. It certainly didn't hurt that I plopped myself next to a hottie who distracted me from the clock with talk of our pups the whole time! When I hit the 20 minute mark and still didn't have cramps he convinced me to up it to 25. I didn't want to look bad so I pushed through it. I was really feeling it once I hit the 25 minute mark and my face is still a bit flushed 3 hours later but I felt so good afterward! I bought a coconut water on my way home which seems to be my new post-workout weekend treat. Supposedly its full of electrolytes so I figure it must be good after a run! I don't know what tomorrow's workout will bring but I do know that now that I have hit the 25 mark, I'm not going to feel satisfied unless I continue to match it.

Thursday Like A Friday

World's was as crazy as ever today but what a great workout I got in! Met Jen there just after 5 and busted ass for a good 2 straight hours! We started on the treadmills of course where I got in a good 20 minute run after two rest days. I increased the incline and speed ever so slightly so I felt really good about today's run. Still not quite ready to amp up the minutes though...

Today the focus was on back and chest so we started with incline bench dumbell flies. I did these with my usual 10 lb. weights but didn't really feel much of a burn so I think it's time to increase to 15. Next we moved over to where they have the 45 lb. bars. Standing on a bosu ball, we did rows using the bar. This was one of the moves I learned on Monday that I was positive I couldn't do at the time but now it's one of my favs! Once you get the feel for getting on and off the bosu ball while holding the bar, you're golden :)  We followed these with pull-ups, incline ball-catching crunches, and lastly, weighted back extensions.

Taking a much needed day off from work tomorrow so today feels more like Friday to me! Going to try to sleep-in and get in a mid-morning gym sesh tomorrow while its nice and empty!

Mid-Week Slowdown

Is it Friday yet?! Whooo what a busy week! I haven't been skipping on my workouts; I've just had so much going on! Promised myself I'd blog tonight though so here we go...

Monday - Crazy intense 3-hour workout at World's where I learned quite a few new moves from a new "significantly above par" gym partner haha (that's a joke to those of you who didn't read last Thursday's post). Started with a run and then followed with a zillion different abs, shoulders, back, and chest moves. Way too much to blog about but I'll definitely be using some of them in future workouts!

Tuesday - Light recovery workout at Planet where I rested my knees on the eliptical and did a lot of stretching, a couple abs moves, and one-legged deadlifts. 

And now to today, Wednesday, where I hit up Planet again for Bis & Tris. I started with my warmup on the eliptical again because my knees are still hating on me and I really want to get in a good run at World's tomorrow. Then after a good stretch I moved upstairs to the weight room where I did regular bicep curls, hammer curls, tricep kick-backs, and tricep dips using the bench & stability ball.  I only did two sets of each rather than my usual 3 because quite frankly I'm pooped. Plus, I plan to workout with Jen again tomorrow and want to make sure I am pushing us both 110%! So, moving back downstairs, I did front and side crunches on a stability ball with a plate held to my chest and finally, front and side incline crunches on the incline bench.

That's all for today other than some stretches, particularly for the glutes/quads/hamstrings which seem to be perpetually tight. Already starting to mentally write-down tomorrow's workout...while I sit here and eat some ridiculously good Whole Foods pizza!

Satisfying Sunday

Another gorgeous November day here! Seriously lacking on sleep right now despite having turned the clocks back an hour last night but I hit up Planet for bi's and tri's around mid-day after a delicious, hearty scrambled egg breakfast. I usually do World's on Sundays but I didn't feel much like mingling with the usual noon crew. Planet was remarkably empty which was a nice change from its usual weekday post-work crowd.

I started my workout with a warmup on the arc trainer. I'm not a huge fan of this machine as I don't like the stationary handles but its always nice to switch-up the routine! After 15 minutes on that, I went upstairs and did free weight bicep curls (3 sets of 8), stability ball tricep dips on the bench (3 sets of 8-12), and then did bis and tris using a short bar on the cables (3 sets of 8 each). Moving on to abs, I did 4 sets of 8 on the leg lift machine (2 sets forward and 2 to the sides) and then finished off with teepees back downstairs in the stretching area (3 sets of 8). I got some great pics of these that I'll post on a new tab shortly, so check back later tonight if you want to see how they are done! After a good roll-out on a foam roller (ouch!) and some all-over stretches, I was out for the day.

It was so sunny and warm when I walked out that I decided it would be a great day to take my pup for a long walk so I went home, packed him in the Jeep and ventured down to Scarborough to walk across the marsh between Black Point Rd. and Pine Point Rd. Such a gorgeous trail and hardly any other dogs which made for a pleasant stroll. I'd say he got in a good workout too since he's snoring away right now!

Well, all in all it was quite the satisfying Sunday! I'm not yet sure which gym I'll hit up tomorrow as its the first Monday of the month - pizza day at Planet - and I'm not really keen on the idea of trying to work out with the smell of greasy cheesy deliciousness wafting in my direction. Either way, its definitely going to be a run day!

The Kink is Out (Mostly)

Today is a good day. The sun is shining, its not frigid out, and I had a great workout! I woke up a bit later than I had planned so I didn't make the 8:15 yoga class at World's but I did make it through my 20 min run thanks to my elipital break yesterday. I only had time for an hour-long workout so I followed my run with 3 sets of 12 standing calf raises, 3 sets (each leg) of 8 standing glute presses, and then moved on to abs. I did 3 sets of 8 teepees (another move I really need to get some pics of!), stopping to balance on my knees between each set, and then finished up with 3 sets of 8 balancing leg pull-ins on a bench.

I had to scoot because I had a 30-min "stress buster" massage booked at Soma Massage & Wellness in South Portland. Highly recommend this place...great massages and reasonable prices! The masseuse told me that I was really tight in my chest which I thought was odd given that I barely do any chest exercises and thats not where the pain is but I'll take her word for it. I made the mistake of telling her how tight my jaw was so she barely touched that area which was a dissapointment but she did do a great job kneading out all of my shoulder and neck knots! How great life would be if I could get a massage every day!

Well, I'm just back from taking my pup for a walk. Or, let's be honest here, he's back from taking me for a walk. He probably added a few knots back into my right shoulder but I'll take a few knots in exchange for a gorgeous November afternoon, anyday!

This Running Thing

...is really putting a kink in my, well, everything! It's Thursday so I hit up World's again with Jen. It was a random crowd so not quite as distracting as last week. As usual, we started on the treadmills where I wobbled through an embarrassing 13 minute run. Yesterday at Planet I did the eliptical to give my body a break but apparently it wasn't enough. I don't know if its the way I'm holding my shoulders when I'm running (I know you're supposed to relax them but I've never learned how to relax!) or if its TMJ-related (a lovely disorder that seems to crop up at the most inopportune times in my life) but my jaw/neck/shoulders are so stiff right now that I have about 50% of my usual range of motion. Not the greatest scenario considering today was a shoulders day. It started with my jaw and neck yesterday and I stupidly pushed myself through 3 sets of stability ball leg lifts despite the neck strain they cause. Bad idea. I hope I can move when I wake up tomorrow :S

Anyway, I hadn't yet done a shoulders routine with Jen so I decided we'd go through with the workout and I'd just take it easy on the weights. We started with 3 sets of 8 on the assisted pull-up machine. I know I previously said that I wouldn't dare use this machine at World's but today it was either a) use the assistance or b) don't do it at all. Then we moved over to the free-weight area where we did 3 sets of 8 arnold press. I thought about getting some more pics to post here but my painful grimace probably wouldn't have made anyone want to use this move! Lastly, we moved on to 3 sets of 8 front raises and latteral raises. I decreased my weights considerably and skipped out on the third set but it didn't help much. I dunno, maybe the tightness has nothing to do with running or with TMJ and I just slept funny or something. Here's hoping...

For abs we did 3 sets of 12 rope crunches  on the cables and then 3 sets of 8 pushups using the bosu ball. I love doing pushups on the bosu ball; it adds a great stability aspect and you can really feel it burning your abs! Finally, we moved over to the mats to stretch out our shoulders and legs.  I really needed a good calf/shin/hamstring stretch-out but I got distracted by a friend who came over to chat and diss on my ex's recent choice of sub-par gym partners haha. Oh well, I needed the laugh today so I'll make up for the stretching tomorrow. I don't yet know whats on the workout agenda for tomorrow but I can assure you it won't include running. Going to make that an every-other-day thing until this kink gets worked out.

Just One of Those Days...

...when you wanna break stuff (in the words of Limp Bizkit). You know, the kind of day when everything seems to be going wrong and you are one tiny step away from picking up your whole life, running away and never looking back. Yeah, that was today. It was almost to the point of me skipping the gym entirely and going home to sit on the couch and feel bad for myself. Well luckily I didn't. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. When something bad happens, something good usually follows. It may not be the same amount of goodness as the badness but over time things generally even out. In my experience anyway.

So, as you can imagine the treadmill got quite a beating today! I busted out my 20 minutes despite wanting to keel over around minute 18. The woman to my left was making these obnoxious throat-clearing noises the whole time. I kept looking over at her with what I'm sure was an extremely annoyed and irritated expression but she was completely oblivious. There used to be a woman at World's who did the same thing on the stationary bike everyday. I think thats what made me switch to the eliptical. I guess I'll have to be more careful in my treadmill selection next time. Although, I suppose her adding to my anger issue is probably what kept me going!

Next I headed upstairs to do 3 sets of 8 reps each on the inner/outer thigh machine.  Then, I wanted to do something I hadn't done in a while so I went back downstairs to the stretching area and did stability ball hamstring curls. These are great for both the hams and glutes and even better if done one-legged. However, I only did one set of one-legged curls as my hamstrings are killing me! I think I may have to run every other day for a while until my legs forgive me.

While breaking in-between sets this guy I'd seen there a few times before came over to me and said he was a software developer currently building a fitness app for smartphones...and wanted to know if I'd be interested in being one of the fitness models! How cool is that?! Now I'm not totally naive. I realize it could have been his no-balls way of getting my number but I think he was legit. Anyway, it wouldn't be until the Springtime so now I have a reason to get into rediculously good shape in the meantime!

By now my F-you-right-back (in the words of Frankee) attitude was fading as I had better things on my mind. Moving onto abs, I did four sets of 8 crunches on the stability ball (two front sets and two side-to-side) with a 10-lb. plate on my chest. Then, I finished off with more crunches on the incline crunch bench. No weights, just crunches until I couldn't crunch anymore!

So, alls well that ends well I suppose. I'm totally amping up my routine over the next few months in case this opportunity does follow through and if it doesn't, well its not like its going to hurt to have a stronger, tighter bod in time for bikini season!

Chicken Soup for the Gym Rat's Soul

So, its Monday again and after taking a rest day yesterday I was more than ready to get back to it in the gym. The office filtered out early today as its Halloween and everyone with kids went home to get ready for trick-or-treating. Well, I'm certainly not going to be denied an early departure just because I don't have any children so I was more than happy to get to the gym early! Unfortunately my body wasn't as eager to workout as my mind; I only got in an 8 minute run before the cramps set in and then pushed myself through a painful additional 2 before deciding to cut it short today. Oh well, maybe I just needed a running warm-up before the marathon sesh I'm going to have tomorrow, eh?! Haha maybe, but more than likely my brain was just overly fixated on Halloween candy...

After my weak run I ventured upstairs to do back and chest. Today's weight workout included 3 sets of 8 chest press, 3 sets of 8 bent-over rows (one side at a time) and lastly 3 sets of 8 sitting rows using the cables. Then I moved onto abs starting with leg lifts on the standing leg lift/tricep dip machine (I have no idea what this is really called). I did 2 sets of 8 front lifts and then 2 sets of 8 side lifts. I acually like the machine at Planet better because you can hold the tricip dip bars while doing your lifts, making it more of a balancing/total body strengthening exercise. Plus, it makes you look like a gymnast :)  The last thing I did was 3 sets of 8 stability ball leg lifts. I know I do these a lot but they just work so well! Finishing with a lot of lower body stretches again, I then left and went to Whole Foods for some delicious homemade chicken soup for dinner. I'm not usually much of a soup person but it sounded so perfect on this frigid post-blizzard evening. It did not disappoint.

Cheers to the Freakin' Weekend

Up nice and early today, hitting up World's about 8:30. Its the best time of day to work out because its pretty empty and the usual creepy old men are few and far between. I grabbed a treadmill and did my routine 20 minute run. I skipped the run in yesterday's workout to let my legs recover and today seemed so much harder than before. It probably didn't help that I was still thawing out from having taken my pup for a pre-gym walk in these arctic October temperatures!

Today was a shoulders day so after A LOT of stretching out my hams/quads/glutes I started with 3 sets of standing arnold press and then did three sets of incline bench shoulder press. In between sets I did pull-ups but I wasn't feeling very strong so I only managed to do two sets of 3 :(

For abs I did 3 sets of 12 side-crunches on the back extension machine. I prefer to do this without any weights because I have a better range of motion so I can really crunch it up with each rep! Then I did 3 sets of 12 rope pulley crunches on the floor. Not my favorite ab move but I was aiming for some variety today. Be careful who is behind you when you do this because your ass will be right in their face! Lastly, I went back over to the stretching area and made another attempt to balance (standing) on the stability ball. Not happening. I just can't figure out how to get my feet up! Urghhh I'm going to have to watch some YouTube videos and try to copy someone's technique.

Anyway, I felt pretty refreshed and ready to take on the day when I left. Tomorrow may be a rest day depending on how the Halloween festivities go tonight. My mental state may not appreciate it but my legs sure will be happy. Cheers to the weekend!

Sausage Is Not Part of a Healthy Diet

Every Thursday you can bring a friend to World's for free so today I brought my friend Jen to whom I'd been talking-up Worlds' equipment for a while. Usually Thursdays are nice and quiet as the casual gym-goers have already given up for the week. Today, however, not only was it packed but it was also a massive sausage fest. You'd think this would be a good thing but in this case there were one too many flavors I'd previously sampled and passed on. But that's a story for another time...

So, Jen and I grabbed two treadmills in the front row (best viewing capabilities) and I cranked out my 20  minutes again. No cramps. No stopping. My legs could use a serious break right now so even though today was a legs day, I decided to alternate legs and abs to give me some time to recover. We started with one-leg weighted deadlifts and followed with stability ball weighted leg lifts, standing glute press, and lastly incline medicine ball-catching crunches. Leg presses were on the agenga but we'd fallen behind on time due to all of the distractions haha. Between skipping those today and doing a half-ass bis/tris session yesterday, looks like tomorrow is going to be a random make-up workout!

We ended with some leg stretches on the mats and that was it for the night. I had Jen take pics of the deadlifts and leg lifts since they're two of my favorite moves and yield great results so stay tuned for those uploads.  I'll add descriptions and ways to modify them for your level too. Now I just have to figure out how to upload pics on here!

All About Attitude

I don't know what came over me today but not only did I reach my 14 minute straight goal, but I pushed through and made it 20! Better yet, no cramps! I'm starting to think I can make my 30 minute goal in no time. It's totally all about attitude.

I decided to take it easy on the weights today because my muscles (quads and calves mostly) have gotten really tight this week from running.  Bis and Tris were on the agenda so I did my usual mix of regular bicep curls, hammer curls, tricep kick-backs and my favorite tricep move, bench dips with my feet balancing on a stability ball. For abs I kept it short and simple with some incline weighted crunches to the front and side.

Before I left I stretched out on the mats and attempted to roll-out my quads with a foam roller (ouch!!).  There was a girl doing bicep curls in front of the mirrors who jerked here whole upper body every time she curled so she wasn't actually working her biceps at all. I always wonder, is it okay to go up to some random person and tell them what they're doing is wrong? There seems to be a fine line between helping and embarassing. Thoughts?...

Chest Reduction

Made it to 14 minutes today....and to top it off I made it through the first 12 consecutively! Instead of bringing it up to 16 tomorrow, I think I'm going to keep it at 14 until I can do the whole thing consecutively without any debilitating crampage setting in. Then I'll raise it by a minute each day following the same logic. Ultimately I think the goal will be 30 consecutive minutes of pant-free, cramp-free, and ideally sweat-free running! That's really all I'd need to be able to do to take my pup for a run around the Back Cove :)

Just a quickie post today as nothing overly exciting happened in the gym and its Tuesday, Biggest Loser night! Today's weight workout was back & chest. I started with free weight chest presses on a bench (3 sets of 12), then did one arm bentover rows (3 sets of 8 each arm) and lastly, standing barbell rows (3 sets of 12). Typically I like to do at least 2 exercises for each muscle group but the girls have been performing a disappearing act as of late so I try to ease up on the chest moves haha

For abs I did standing weighted side crunches (3 sets of 8 each side) and then moved downstairs where I did 3 sets of 8 tee pees on the stablity ball, balancing on my knees between each set.  I attempted to try to stand on the ball (something I've never been able to do) but I can't quite figure out how to get my feet up. I'm making it my next goal to be able to stand on it but I think I'll practice at World's where you can find a secluded corner and not have everyone watching as you fail haha

It's the Little Things in Life

Well, I can say that I hit my 12-minute goal today but it wasn't quite the accomplishment it could have been. Got to Planet today and embarked on my running routine, starting with the usual 2-minute warm-up before moving into a jog. Around the 8 minute mark though some awful side cramps set in. Now, I always hear people saying "push through it" but that method has never worked for me...I don't respond well to torture haha. So, I managed to get in another 2 minutes of running after a 3 minute walking break but that was it, the tummy was just not having it tonight.

So, after feeling like I at least gave it my best shot, I ventured upstairs to do shoulders. Man was the weight room packed tonight! And despite that fact, there wasn't much to look at for motivation haha...
Today's routine consisted of 3 sets of 8 arnold curls (one of my favs because it really makes your shoulders and biceps bulge while in position so I always feel really strong while doing it!), 2 sets of chin-ups (the cheating kind where you can adjust your weight so you aren't doing your full body weight; something I would only do in the "judgement free zone" haha), 2 sets each of 8 front shoulder raises and 8 latteral shoulder raises, and finally 3 sets of 8 reps on the lap pulldown machine.

Ready to go back downstairs to finish with abs, the guilt of not hitting my 12 minute goal set-in. So, seeing that the stretching area was rediculously crowded, I decided to get in those last 2 minutes. I grabbed a treadmill in the last row and to my delight, there were built-in fans! Ahhh running didn't seem so bad with two fans blowing cool sweet air in my face...okay, so more sweat smelling than sweet but it's the little things in life that mean the most!

Finally I ventured back over to the stretching area and decided it had been a few too many days since I did my all-time-favorite ab workout, so I grabbed a bench, a stability ball, and a 7.5 lb. freeweight for 3 sets of 8 leg lifts. Basically, you sit on the ball with the bench behind you and place the weight a few feet in front of you. Then bend backward so you grab the bench behind you. Lastly, grab the weight with your feet (really tight so you don't drop it on your head and crack your skull!) and lift your legs perpendicular to your torso. Then, bring them back down so your body is parallel to the floor but not any further (that's where you really feel the squeeze!). It's a bit hard to explain so I'll be posting some pics at some point in the future but I swear, no ab workout has ever shredded my abs like this one!

Lastly, I ended with some simple balancing bench crunches (3 sets of 12), some ham/glute/quad stretches on the mats and I was out the door. Okay, so after today's attempt I am not going to guarantee that I'll make it to 14 minutes tomorrow but we'll see. Maybe I'll plop myself next to a hottie so I feel compelled to "push through it"...

Sweating Out A Hangover

Hit the 10 minute mark today...and with a hangover no less! Got to World's later than usual today but rather than the typical mid-day weekend rush, it was oddly empty. Must have been because all of Portland seemed to be out last night and probably hadn't gotten up yet....or more specifically, they didn't have a dog to wake them up!

I was going to give myself the excuse of being too tired and dehydrated to attempt a run but I knew I couldn't admit to that on here. So, after a quick stretch of my achy muscles I grabbed my earphones and chose a treadmill in the front row. I knew I'd push myself harder there since people could more easily see me haha. I don't ususally workout with earphones but the treadmill minutes seem to go by faster while watching TV. I started with a 2-minute walking warmup at a 3.5 mph pace and a level one incline, then brought it up to a 5 mph pace and cranked out 6 minutes straight of running! I continued to do my run-walk routine until I had done a total of 10 minues of walking and 10 minutes of running and ending at a level 3.5 include. Now, this may not seem like much if you are a runner but to me, its HUGE!

I felt great when I was done and was ready to embark on my usual weight routine. I call my workout today my "random legs day" because there isn't really a theme to it. Its the day where I fit in the muscle groups that don't really go with any other workout. On the agenda was the standing calf machine (3 sets of 12), inner and outer thigh press machines (3 sets of 12 each), and my favorite, the on-all-fours glute press machine (4 sets of 8, switching between bent and straight leg presses). I typically do 3 sets of 12 reps for most exercises, increasing and decreasing the weight based on what feels right on a given day. If I'm feeling super energetic and strong then I'll do a heavier weight and fewer reps but today was more about detoxifying than anything else!

Once done with legs, I moved on to abs. Today I kept it simple and just did incline crunches (2 sets of 20 straight-up crunches and 2 sets of 20 side-to-side crunches). Then I moved over to the stretching mats and finished with some planks (1 minute straight plank, 1 minute right side, and 1 minute left side). Ending with the straight plank, I moved into chaturanga and finished with an upward and downward dog to stretch it all out. Leaving much more refreshed than when I arrived, I stoped into Whole Foods for an electolyte-filled coconut water, delish!

I'm starting to feel good about this whole running thing. Tomorrow I'm going for 12...

Learning to Run

So, as I mentioned in my first post, workout ruts are impossible to avoid. Maybe its all in my head due to my recent 26th birthday when for the first time I actually felt old, but I swear my ass is starting to sag! That is why I have decided to finally commit to taking up the one workout I absolutely detest doing, running. There's just something about the word that makes me cringe. It conjures up thoughts of excessive panting, out-of-breathlessness and horrible side cramps that make me want to curl up and die. But, alas, runners typically have nice asses. I embarked on my new goal at Planet Fitness because what better place to try something completely out of my comfort zone than the "judgement free zone"?

Now, I've tried to run in the past, quite unsuccessfully. I tried track and field in middle school, but I always chose the sprint and field activities (even though I had no speed or arm strength) since they didn't require any lasting endurance.  I've gone on the occasional jog around the Back Cove with friends but I always get left in the dust at about the 1/4 mile mark when my cramps kick in. Then there's those back-to-school and New Years resolution times of the year when all the cardio equipment at the gym is taken except for one last lonely treadmill which I reluctantly step upon for about 5 minutes until I spot someone about to get off their eliptical from across the gym and I make a beeline for it. But perhaps now that I'm spelling it out for all of the internet to see, I will actually go through with it!

I keep telling myself that if nothing else I need to do it for the sake of my dog who has an overabundance of puppy-like energy and desperately needs a running companion. There's just always so many more excuses not to do it than to do it; its too hot out, I don't want to be soaked in sweat, I'm too tired, my knees hurt when I run, etc. etc. etc. So, today is day #2 of learning to run. Made it 8 minutes on the treadmill today, up from 6 the other day during try #1. Going for 10 tomorrow...or the next day...

Welcome to Gym Rat Confessions!

Welcome to my blog, Gym Rat Confessions! I've been toying with the idea of creating a blog for months now and just this week decided to give it a go. I'll be the first to admit, I am completely computer/technology illiterate (the reason I've procrastinated for so long) so hopefully as I get comfortable using this site, the look and design will improve! That being said, feel free to offer up any good blogging tips you may have...just keep it in layman's terms please :)

This will probably be one of my longest posts. My goal is to post quick workout tips, random thoughts, or funny gym stories on a daily (hopefully!) basis but I figured it would be good to give everyone a little background on my fitness history so here goes...

First, I should mention that I have never been remotely athletic. I was always the last one picked in gym class, the one sent to the outfield where there was less of a chance I'd have to catch the ball and risk my team losing. Gym class was nothing less than an anxiety-filled hour of embarrassment. It got so bad that in high school I refused to sign-up for it. When the administration finally realized in the last quarter of senior year that one of their honor roll students didn't have the credits to graduate, they decided to save face and allowed me to do whatever I wanted for exercise on my own time and keep a schedule of my hours. It was great, for the first time in my life I didn't dread working out. I did things I enjoyed like kayaking and hiking on the weekends and got in my credit hours just in time for graduation. Now, all of this could have been avoided if one of those lousy gym teachers would have just explained the rules of the games to me but of course they didn't see it worth their time. If only they could see me now!

Someone first called me a gym rat back in my second year at University when I developed the habit of hitting up a daily fitness class. Ever since I had started my personal workouts in High School, I had continued to do light workouts that included jogging and light weights a few times a week. However, this wasn't really cutting it for me. I'd always been a petit girl but the "freshman 5" somehow found its way to my ass through the delicious desserts in the residence cafeteria! A girlfriend of mine convinced me to try a yoga class with her one day in second year and that one class opened up a whole new world for me (thank you Heather!). The group fitness program at my school was excellent; great teachers and a variety of fun classes like aeroboxing (aerobics-boxing kind of like kickboxing), step, regular aerobics, and of course yoga. I got so addicted I just couldn't stay away. After a short period of time I had all the moves down and a "reserved" spot at the front of each class. I was in the best shape I'd ever been in and nothing could keep me from going, not even a deadly hangover which was not uncommon in those years!

After graduation I moved here to Portland, Maine and joined up the local Bally's (now World Gym) where I continued my routine. Having new teachers allowed me to learn some new moves which was a great change. Once again I had my front-of-the room spot and was so in love with these classes that I even got AFAA certified as a group fitness instructor! I've since let that certification expire as my workout interests have changed considerably but its always in my back pocket should I decide to get back into it. Anyway, a year or so into it I felt like I was in a major workout rut. I was in shape for sure but wasn't seeing any improvement any more. I started to venture into the weight room and try out some of the machines. Soon I was foregoing my classes for full weight sessions and finally I was seeing results again!

Over time, I got used to the equipment and picked up a lot of great new moves from other lifters. Its funny how a weight room can be so intimidating when you're learning the ropes but now it's like a gym-family. You show up every day and there's always the usuals (other gym rats) that have been there forever. One thing about gym rats is that they love getting and giving workout advice. Sometimes all it takes it a compliment on someone's physique or a question on how to use a piece of equipment and you'll end up leaving with a whole new workout plan!

Today my gym routine consists of a light cardio warm-up (usually 20-ish minutes on the eliptical) followed by 60-ish minutes of weights and abs, and then 5-10 minutes of stretching. I do ab workouts daily but my weight workouts are different every day. For example, one day will be biceps/triceps, another day with be back/chest, and so forth. I usually try to do opposing muscle groups. I guess everyone has their own way of working out that they enjoy but this method definitley works best for me.

A couple of months ago I joined another local gym, Planet Fitness. After four years at World's I was overdue for a change of scenery. It's hard to get used to new equipment and a totally different facility set-up but it's nice to be able to switch things up a bit. I was feeling like I was entering into another workout rut so something had to change! Now I go back-and-forth between gyms, hitting up World's for workouts such as glutes/hams/quads since I prefer their lower body equipment much better and then going to Planet for more basic workouts that only involve free weights. Plus, being a single gal, the selection fo men at World's was getting a little stale haha

So that's really a basic run-down of my fitness history. I guess a main theme is that you have to find what you love. I believe people that say they hate working out just haven't found something they enjoy doing. I may be a major gym rat who looks forward to nothing more each day than the feel of iron in my hands after a long day at the office but a workout doesn't have to be in a gym. Some of my favorite workouts are outdoor activities like kayaking or simply walking my dog. I'd change the name of this blog to Workout Rat Confessions but it doesn't sound as good! I hope that Gym Rat Confessions will be a place you find useful and informative and hopefully I can turn a few gym procrastinators into full-blown gym rats!