The weekend is over, Monday is past, and today was another workout day. I am writing this 3 hours after the end of the workout and I am still wiped. It was a tough one today with a bunch of new exercises in store.
I knew that today was going to be tough because I was finally able to get even with Karissa. I will talk about that more at the end of this post. She had set a very ambitious plan for today, but it was a bit too ambitious as we weren't able to get through it all. We could only get through 2 of the supersets. Two of the most deceiving supersets ever.
The first superset wasn't that bad...on paper. Once I actually started it though, it got a lot tougher. It was another 3 exercise superset. The first exercises was one where we put a single handle on the cable row machine. I had to hold it in front of me and lift the weight by twisting my body. No shoulders, no arms, no legs, just abs. It's a lot tougher than it sounds. Especially when you have to do 12 per side. The second exercise was 24 t-pushups while holding a weight in one hand - 12 per side. The last exercise was 12 cable rows. We repeated this superset 3 times. The shoulders were screaming at me during the final t-pushup set, but I was able to get through it.
So, if I thought my shoulders were cranky after that, I was in for a rude surprise for the second superset. Again, it was a 3 exercise superset and another piece of equipment was introduced. The first exercises was walking planks down the long hallway and back. To do this, get into the plank position and move yourself sideways down the hallway. Murder on the wrists and abs. The second exercise was done on the RBK platform. Imagine one board attached to another by suspending it over the second board by a spring in the middle. This make the board very unstable - essentially a wobble board that moves in all directions. So, for the second exercise, I had to do a plank on the RBK and twist it back and forth like steering a car wheel extremely quickly. This was done for 1 minute. The final exercise was a sidestep squat down the hallway and back again. To do this, you step one foot out, squat, then bring the other foot to the first. Repeat another 25 times or so, then return back to where you started.
All of that was repeated 3 times. Those walking planks were one of the most painful things that I have ever done. I had to stop frequently as my wrists were killing me. That is a lot of weight to be placing on my wrists for an extreme amount of time.
We did have one other superset planned, but we ran out of time. I think that I am glad that we ran out of time as they sounded nasty.
Now that I have updated you on the workout, here is the story about how I got even with Karissa. As I told her when I started my program, the reason for all of this work was to improve my curling. As she hasn't really curled before (there are pictures of her curling a game, but the form was really bad and sweeping wasn't really a priority) I wanted to take her out on the ice to show her how I curl so she could create my program with that in mind. Sunday was finally that day.
I picked her up and took her to the Saville Sports Centre where I had booked a sheet of ice for an hour. I had already had 1 game and 1 practice under my belt this season, so I already had my "sea legs" and the ice wasn't any problem for me. However, Karissa wasn't ready for it at all. She had also done a killer leg workout on Saturday so she was already sore. This wasn't going to help.
To start with, we just went up and down the sheet to get her used to the slider and the feeling of "slipping" on the ice. After that, a couple of practice slides (where she didn't fall down...until the second one), then it was onto throwing rocks. At first, her position was horrible. It looked like every beginner's slide. I was able to get her into a proper position after just a few rocks. She had her foot behind the rock, trail leg extended, and shoulders square. She looked great out there.
Once we had thrown our rocks to the other end, it was time to show her how to sweep. The first time she went down with a rock, it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. I have never seen anyone hold the broom where she did and her footwork was comical. I did have her take off her slider for this so she could walk with the rock as I didn't want to kill her...at that time.
I was able to show her how to sweep properly and how to get more downforce on the broom. By the end of it, she looked better, but there is much room for improvement. We alternated between throwing the rocks and sweeping each others, so it gave us both a bit of a break between sweeping. She was doing fine, until she threw her last rock. She threw it well, but as she went to stand up, both feet slipped and she went down hard. It looked like it hurt - turns out it did. On the drive home, she decided to take a look at her knee and she had a nice big bursa on it. It was swelling up nicely. On a side note, she has awesome legs. Like I mean exceptional legs. Just had to get that out of the way.
I did get an update today on the knee. The swelling has left, but the knee is still a bit sore. It's nothing too bad, but she did land hard. Now, even with that, she learned that the sport is a lot tougher than it looks. She always knew that, but now she also has the feeling for it too. I think that it has given her some ideas on some new exercises to help work those specific muscle groups, so we will see what happens as the workouts continue. Also, she is interesting in hitting the ice again, so I may take her out again later in the season.
I am really going to miss Karissa when my sessions are complete. Not sure how I am going to deal with that day.
No update on Thursday as Karissa is busy and so am I. Off to the 306 on the weekend, so another chapter next Tuesday.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Operation 204 - Chapter 31
Here is Thursday's update. Mixed feelings about today as I think I actually enjoyed today - but I can't admit that to Karissa as she might think that this is actually enjoyable for me.
Today was more all-over body workout again. Also, there was more balance work that I totally destroyed (ha ha ha ha).
For the first superset we did 2 exercises, but they weren't the easiest. The first one was doing the lunges with my back foot strapped in the TRX machine so I had to keep my balance in multiple directions. Not easy, but I was able to do it to completion. The second exercise was a three-part one using the bosu ball. Part one was to lunge onto the bosu. Part two was to lunge to the side (while still facing forward). Part three was to lunge backwards. This was repeated for each leg. For this superset, we increased the reps each time. We went from 8 to 10 to 12 reps. The 12th one was getting damn tough for all of the exercises as the legs were starting to scream.
For the second superset we moved back to three exercises and we did them all on the cable machine. This time we joined shoulder presses with tricep extensions and bicep curls. We also did a change up on this one where the first round was reps and the second and third rounds were timed - except for the shoulder press.
Round 1 - 15 shoulder presses, 45 seconds of tricep extensions at a high weight, 45 seconds of bicep curls at a high weight.
Round 2 - 15 shoulder presses, 45 seconds of tricep extensions at a high weight, 45 seconds of bicep curls at a high weight.
Round 3 - 15 shoulder presses, 1 minute of tricep curls at a low weight and high speed, 1 minute of bicep curls at a low weight and a high speed.
Finally we were able to move onto the 3rd superset. This time we moved to the mat for 2 exercises. The first one was stability ball abdominal extensions. This move was done by kneeling on the ground and leaning on the ball. From that starting position stretch forward and then use the abs to bring the ball back to the starting position. The second exercise was holding a weight and then pretending to stir a large cauldron for 1 minute - 30 seconds clockwise followed by 30 seconds counter-clockwise. We repeated this superset 3 times. My shoulders were ready to call it a life time after that one.
On another note, I am taking my trainer to the curling ice on Sunday night. It is my turn to show her how to play the great game - and to pay her back for a bit. I will teach her how to slide, throw rocks and, most importantly, how to sweep. I don't think that I will work her too hard as I don't want her to fall and hurt herself, but I want to make sure she has a sense of what I do so she can find some exercises that will work for me.
This ends a busy week of 3 golf games, 2 workouts, 1 curling practice, 1 curling game, and 1 poker tournament. Not a bad week if I do say so myself. And on the best note, Karissa was totally impressed with my progress so far.
See you Thursday.
Today was more all-over body workout again. Also, there was more balance work that I totally destroyed (ha ha ha ha).
For the first superset we did 2 exercises, but they weren't the easiest. The first one was doing the lunges with my back foot strapped in the TRX machine so I had to keep my balance in multiple directions. Not easy, but I was able to do it to completion. The second exercise was a three-part one using the bosu ball. Part one was to lunge onto the bosu. Part two was to lunge to the side (while still facing forward). Part three was to lunge backwards. This was repeated for each leg. For this superset, we increased the reps each time. We went from 8 to 10 to 12 reps. The 12th one was getting damn tough for all of the exercises as the legs were starting to scream.
For the second superset we moved back to three exercises and we did them all on the cable machine. This time we joined shoulder presses with tricep extensions and bicep curls. We also did a change up on this one where the first round was reps and the second and third rounds were timed - except for the shoulder press.
Round 1 - 15 shoulder presses, 45 seconds of tricep extensions at a high weight, 45 seconds of bicep curls at a high weight.
Round 2 - 15 shoulder presses, 45 seconds of tricep extensions at a high weight, 45 seconds of bicep curls at a high weight.
Round 3 - 15 shoulder presses, 1 minute of tricep curls at a low weight and high speed, 1 minute of bicep curls at a low weight and a high speed.
Finally we were able to move onto the 3rd superset. This time we moved to the mat for 2 exercises. The first one was stability ball abdominal extensions. This move was done by kneeling on the ground and leaning on the ball. From that starting position stretch forward and then use the abs to bring the ball back to the starting position. The second exercise was holding a weight and then pretending to stir a large cauldron for 1 minute - 30 seconds clockwise followed by 30 seconds counter-clockwise. We repeated this superset 3 times. My shoulders were ready to call it a life time after that one.
On another note, I am taking my trainer to the curling ice on Sunday night. It is my turn to show her how to play the great game - and to pay her back for a bit. I will teach her how to slide, throw rocks and, most importantly, how to sweep. I don't think that I will work her too hard as I don't want her to fall and hurt herself, but I want to make sure she has a sense of what I do so she can find some exercises that will work for me.
This ends a busy week of 3 golf games, 2 workouts, 1 curling practice, 1 curling game, and 1 poker tournament. Not a bad week if I do say so myself. And on the best note, Karissa was totally impressed with my progress so far.
See you Thursday.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Operation 204 - Chapter 30
Good day everyone. It's another Tuesday so that means another update.
Karissa returned from vacation and today was my first workout with her in 2 weeks. As you remember, the last 4 workouts were on my own. It turns out that she had spies at the gym to ensure that I was there and working out. It sounds like there was at least 3 of them. The report was favourable, I guess, as she said that she heard good things about my workouts. I didn't even pay them to say nice things about me.
How to describe today...pure hell seems to fit. I knew it was going to be bad, but I didn't know it was going to be this bad. I am sure that it didn't help that I have been unable to really eat for the past 3 weeks. I think it's time to see the doc again. Anyway, I digress.
It started out with me doing my warm-up on the elliptical and once Karissa arrived I was ready to leave that machine behind...she had different ideas. It turns out that we were to incorporate the elliptical into the first superset. That first one consisted of 2 minutes going as fast as I could on the elliptical - I found out that they have a limit as to how fast they will go. The machine kept stopping on me once I was over 16 mph. I had to keep it below that speed. Anyway, 2 minutes is very painful. Once that exercise was complete, we moved onto squats. We kept the weight lights (95 pounds) and did that 10 times, then we did a shoulder raise/squat move while standing on the bosu ball - flat side up. Karissa wanted me to do this while standing on one leg, but that wasn't going to happen. We repeated this superset 3 times.
The second superset didn't involve legs, but it was another tough one. Another timed event (which I hate). Come to think of it, I blogged earlier about hating timed events. Maybe that's why Karissa puts them in...I have to remember that one. The timed event was one where we used resistance bands and did alternate punches using the bands as the weight. This was done for 1 minute. We found out that the band on the left was much tougher to pull than the one on the right, so my left side got really tired. The second exercise was bench press - again low weight 75 pounds (10 reps) then 24 T push-ups. The shoulders were starting to complain on this one as we completed this superset 3 times.
The last superset was another 3 hellish exercises. Again, the first one was timed. This time I had to do alternating rows with the resistance bands for one minute. After that piece of hell, it was time for 10 lat pull-downs, then finally 12 concentration curls (per side). Repeat twice more for a total of 3.
I was completely done at the end of today. I had nothing left and had to rest a bit before I could even shower. It took me about 30 minutes to recover enough where I could move and get things working again. Very tough day. And from the sounds of it, Thursday is not going to be any easier.
Tomorrow, I have my first curling game of the season, so we will see if all this work is paying off. Practice on Sunday went well and I seemed to be a lot more comfortable on the ice than I usually am after returning from the off-season.
I also have some bad news for the guys reading this. Karissa is no longer single. That's right, the girl that wasn't looking for a partner has found one. He works out at the gym and is soon starting there as a trainer as well. Time will tell, but I think that she is going to be taken for a while. So, you all missed your chance. She is one very attractive and fun girl.
See you Thursday.
Karissa returned from vacation and today was my first workout with her in 2 weeks. As you remember, the last 4 workouts were on my own. It turns out that she had spies at the gym to ensure that I was there and working out. It sounds like there was at least 3 of them. The report was favourable, I guess, as she said that she heard good things about my workouts. I didn't even pay them to say nice things about me.
How to describe today...pure hell seems to fit. I knew it was going to be bad, but I didn't know it was going to be this bad. I am sure that it didn't help that I have been unable to really eat for the past 3 weeks. I think it's time to see the doc again. Anyway, I digress.
It started out with me doing my warm-up on the elliptical and once Karissa arrived I was ready to leave that machine behind...she had different ideas. It turns out that we were to incorporate the elliptical into the first superset. That first one consisted of 2 minutes going as fast as I could on the elliptical - I found out that they have a limit as to how fast they will go. The machine kept stopping on me once I was over 16 mph. I had to keep it below that speed. Anyway, 2 minutes is very painful. Once that exercise was complete, we moved onto squats. We kept the weight lights (95 pounds) and did that 10 times, then we did a shoulder raise/squat move while standing on the bosu ball - flat side up. Karissa wanted me to do this while standing on one leg, but that wasn't going to happen. We repeated this superset 3 times.
The second superset didn't involve legs, but it was another tough one. Another timed event (which I hate). Come to think of it, I blogged earlier about hating timed events. Maybe that's why Karissa puts them in...I have to remember that one. The timed event was one where we used resistance bands and did alternate punches using the bands as the weight. This was done for 1 minute. We found out that the band on the left was much tougher to pull than the one on the right, so my left side got really tired. The second exercise was bench press - again low weight 75 pounds (10 reps) then 24 T push-ups. The shoulders were starting to complain on this one as we completed this superset 3 times.
The last superset was another 3 hellish exercises. Again, the first one was timed. This time I had to do alternating rows with the resistance bands for one minute. After that piece of hell, it was time for 10 lat pull-downs, then finally 12 concentration curls (per side). Repeat twice more for a total of 3.
I was completely done at the end of today. I had nothing left and had to rest a bit before I could even shower. It took me about 30 minutes to recover enough where I could move and get things working again. Very tough day. And from the sounds of it, Thursday is not going to be any easier.
Tomorrow, I have my first curling game of the season, so we will see if all this work is paying off. Practice on Sunday went well and I seemed to be a lot more comfortable on the ice than I usually am after returning from the off-season.
I also have some bad news for the guys reading this. Karissa is no longer single. That's right, the girl that wasn't looking for a partner has found one. He works out at the gym and is soon starting there as a trainer as well. Time will tell, but I think that she is going to be taken for a while. So, you all missed your chance. She is one very attractive and fun girl.
See you Thursday.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Operation 204 - Chapter 29
I hated today's workout. Can't say it ant plainer than that.
The biggest problem with today's workout is Tuesday's workout. Tuesday's was so leg intensive that my legs are still killing me today. And of course, there was some leg work to do today.
Today was the same workout as Chapter 25. Pure hell. This one was 2 supersets comprised of 4 exercises each. The difference today was an increase in weight and reps for some of the exercises over what I did last time.
Superset 1 - Tabletop single hand ball toss and catch (heavier ball this time) 15 per hand, hand to forearm planks 10 per hand, lunge-punch combo on cable machine 12 per hand at 30 pounds, then squat-single hand row combo on cable machine 12 per hand at 60 pounds.
Superset 2 - Supermans x 15, Scorpions x 10 per side, stability ball side crunches x 12 per side, then the final insult - crunches with leg lift and reach to opposite leg.
I am completely dead after running through this group of exercises. I literally have nothing left after this one. Everything hurts and I lose enough water sweating as the heart pounds for the entire thing.
On a brighter note, today was my last one without my trainer. Karissa returns on Tuesday so I am sure she will have some fresh hell for me that she thought up while on vacation. Also, she will be all rested up and be raring to go. Ah well, I will be happy to see her even though I know that I am in for it. At least I have proof that I was there doing my workouts in her absence as some of the other trainers saw me.
Full weekend ahead with 2 golf tournaments and a poker tournament. Won't have much time to be here, but you never know. If not, see you all again on Tuesday.
The biggest problem with today's workout is Tuesday's workout. Tuesday's was so leg intensive that my legs are still killing me today. And of course, there was some leg work to do today.
Today was the same workout as Chapter 25. Pure hell. This one was 2 supersets comprised of 4 exercises each. The difference today was an increase in weight and reps for some of the exercises over what I did last time.
Superset 1 - Tabletop single hand ball toss and catch (heavier ball this time) 15 per hand, hand to forearm planks 10 per hand, lunge-punch combo on cable machine 12 per hand at 30 pounds, then squat-single hand row combo on cable machine 12 per hand at 60 pounds.
Superset 2 - Supermans x 15, Scorpions x 10 per side, stability ball side crunches x 12 per side, then the final insult - crunches with leg lift and reach to opposite leg.
I am completely dead after running through this group of exercises. I literally have nothing left after this one. Everything hurts and I lose enough water sweating as the heart pounds for the entire thing.
On a brighter note, today was my last one without my trainer. Karissa returns on Tuesday so I am sure she will have some fresh hell for me that she thought up while on vacation. Also, she will be all rested up and be raring to go. Ah well, I will be happy to see her even though I know that I am in for it. At least I have proof that I was there doing my workouts in her absence as some of the other trainers saw me.
Full weekend ahead with 2 golf tournaments and a poker tournament. Won't have much time to be here, but you never know. If not, see you all again on Tuesday.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Operation 204 - Chapter 28
As much as I enjoyed the workout last week, I disliked this one. This is one brutal set of exercises and as I didn't sleep well last night, I was extra tired today. I did think of not going, but then I would have had to explain that to Karissa, and I didn't want to do that. So, I went.
Today was the same workout as Chapter 24, so you would think that I could easily do it as I did it before. Yeah, not so much. This was one painful workout the first time and it was equally painful this time.
Same two supersets of which both had 3 exercises. And today was a a day where each exercise was repeated 4 times. The first superset was deep lunges, 5 different ladder runs, and one legged lunges with the back leg on the bench. Those final lunges are the worst. The legs are just screaming by the end of it. It was all I could do to complete these. So, in case you are wondering how many I did - 24 deep lunges, 5 ladder runs, and 24 bench lunges.
The second superset was also tough. Again it was 3 exercises to comprises the superset. This time it was 1-legged shoulder presses, followed by 1-armed power rows, and finally tricep extensions while standing on the bosu ball. The reps were 24 for the shoulder press, 24 for the rows, and 15 for the triceps. And again, this superset was repeated 4 times.
So, I was able to get through it - somehow. I now have Thursday to look forward to. I know Thursday is going to be painful as it had some very tough exercises as well and this time Karissa's notes tell me to up the weight and reps.
On a better note, this is a good week for getting some exercise. Monday was golf, today was the gym, Thursday is the gym, Friday is golf, and Saturday is golf. To complete my week, Wednesday is laundry and Sunday is poker. I think I need to find some time in there to go throw some rocks too as curling starts next Wednesday. Yes, you read that correctly. I should have some good posts from the curling season too.
See you Thursday.
Today was the same workout as Chapter 24, so you would think that I could easily do it as I did it before. Yeah, not so much. This was one painful workout the first time and it was equally painful this time.
Same two supersets of which both had 3 exercises. And today was a a day where each exercise was repeated 4 times. The first superset was deep lunges, 5 different ladder runs, and one legged lunges with the back leg on the bench. Those final lunges are the worst. The legs are just screaming by the end of it. It was all I could do to complete these. So, in case you are wondering how many I did - 24 deep lunges, 5 ladder runs, and 24 bench lunges.
The second superset was also tough. Again it was 3 exercises to comprises the superset. This time it was 1-legged shoulder presses, followed by 1-armed power rows, and finally tricep extensions while standing on the bosu ball. The reps were 24 for the shoulder press, 24 for the rows, and 15 for the triceps. And again, this superset was repeated 4 times.
So, I was able to get through it - somehow. I now have Thursday to look forward to. I know Thursday is going to be painful as it had some very tough exercises as well and this time Karissa's notes tell me to up the weight and reps.
On a better note, this is a good week for getting some exercise. Monday was golf, today was the gym, Thursday is the gym, Friday is golf, and Saturday is golf. To complete my week, Wednesday is laundry and Sunday is poker. I think I need to find some time in there to go throw some rocks too as curling starts next Wednesday. Yes, you read that correctly. I should have some good posts from the curling season too.
See you Thursday.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Operation 204 - Chapter 27
I am not going to lie to you, I actually enjoyed today's workout. I know, strange isn't it. It's not because today was easy, not because I had to do it on my own, but...I don't know why. I just enjoyed it. Sick.
Anyway, today was my second of four workouts on my own. Karissa is still down east partying with friends and threatening to stay there. All I know is that she better not as she still has work to do getting me into better shape.
Today was the same workout as Chapter 23 in case you want to go back and read that one. I will go through the exercises here again, but today was a bit easier than last time.
The first of 3 supersets was bosu lunges (15 per side), sideways ladder work (3 times, then 4 times, then 5 times), and finally the much hated sippy bird things. I hate those, especially this time as I did have to hold weights while doing it. My legs scream at me by the end of the 12th rep on each leg as it is trying to balance me while doing all of the heavy lifting.
The second superset consisted of bosu squats (15 reps), bosu pushups (15 reps), and stability ball flys (15 reps). This superset, like all others, was repeated 3 times.
The third, and final, superset was another 3 exercise grouping. The first was tricep pull downs while balancing on one leg (10 per leg), Russian twists (15 per side), and lower back extensions (15 reps). I actually enjoyed the Russian twists this time. Again, I don't know why, but I did.
Also today, I had a good conversation with a fellow gym member names Mark. We discussed the benefits of hiring a personal trainer for the gym. We both agreed that hiring a trainer is a good thing. For both of us the trainer was more for motivation to get to the gym and use it. Mark looked like more of a power lifter, but said that his problem is that he works hard for about 3 months, gets to a point where he is happy, then ignores the gym for the next 9 months. He wants his trainer to ensure that he makes it longer than 3 months.
My motivation for hiring a trainer is a bit different. I have been a member of World Health for many years, but like many others, I didn't go to use it. I was essentially throwing my money away. I knew that I wouldn't go back unless I had a reason to, so that is why I hired my trainer. If I have an appointment, I am going to keep it. That gets me into the gym. Since then Karissa has given me a program that I am able to stick with for short periods while she is gone, but I am going to have to work on continuing to attend even when my sessions are complete. That is something that we will work on when she gets back.
Off for the weekend, so no workout updates until next Tuesday.
Anyway, today was my second of four workouts on my own. Karissa is still down east partying with friends and threatening to stay there. All I know is that she better not as she still has work to do getting me into better shape.
Today was the same workout as Chapter 23 in case you want to go back and read that one. I will go through the exercises here again, but today was a bit easier than last time.
The first of 3 supersets was bosu lunges (15 per side), sideways ladder work (3 times, then 4 times, then 5 times), and finally the much hated sippy bird things. I hate those, especially this time as I did have to hold weights while doing it. My legs scream at me by the end of the 12th rep on each leg as it is trying to balance me while doing all of the heavy lifting.
The second superset consisted of bosu squats (15 reps), bosu pushups (15 reps), and stability ball flys (15 reps). This superset, like all others, was repeated 3 times.
The third, and final, superset was another 3 exercise grouping. The first was tricep pull downs while balancing on one leg (10 per leg), Russian twists (15 per side), and lower back extensions (15 reps). I actually enjoyed the Russian twists this time. Again, I don't know why, but I did.
Also today, I had a good conversation with a fellow gym member names Mark. We discussed the benefits of hiring a personal trainer for the gym. We both agreed that hiring a trainer is a good thing. For both of us the trainer was more for motivation to get to the gym and use it. Mark looked like more of a power lifter, but said that his problem is that he works hard for about 3 months, gets to a point where he is happy, then ignores the gym for the next 9 months. He wants his trainer to ensure that he makes it longer than 3 months.
My motivation for hiring a trainer is a bit different. I have been a member of World Health for many years, but like many others, I didn't go to use it. I was essentially throwing my money away. I knew that I wouldn't go back unless I had a reason to, so that is why I hired my trainer. If I have an appointment, I am going to keep it. That gets me into the gym. Since then Karissa has given me a program that I am able to stick with for short periods while she is gone, but I am going to have to work on continuing to attend even when my sessions are complete. That is something that we will work on when she gets back.
Off for the weekend, so no workout updates until next Tuesday.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Operation 204 - Chapter 26
I have to day, today was the toughest workout that I have done so far. Not only did I have to do it on my own as Karissa is on vacation but of the 4 workouts she left me to do, today was the hardest. It was the timed workout - no set reps - everything was for a period of time. I can honestly say that I hate that. I think I know why, but I won't tell you until the end of the blog.
So, today was a workout of 3 supersets. This was the workout that we didn't have time to complete 2 weeks ago, so I made sure I completed it today. I took longer than the hour, but as I was on my own, it didn't matter how much time I took.
The first superset consisted of 3 exercises - 1) walking lunges with a twist to each side while at the bottom of a lunge while carrying a medicine ball; 2) side-steps while in a squat position down the length of the hallway and back; 3) side-steps with a cross over (foot in front, then foot behind) down the hallway and back. All 3 of these exercises were done for 90 seconds each. This superset was repeated 3 times. Pure hell! No other description fits.
The second superset also consisted of 3 exercises. This time I moved to the cable machine for the work. The first exercise was an upward chop, the second was a downward chop and the 3rd was one where I had to balance on one foot, squat and upon rising I had to pull the cable across my body. This time I had to do these for 45 seconds per side for a total of 90 seconds per exercise. Repeat 3 times. Not as much hell as the first superset, but my back really hated this superset. It started to bug me a bit too much, but I wanted to make sure that I got through it. I had to go a bit slower, but I did get through it.
The third and last superset was 3 very hellish exercises. This time it was bent-over alternating dumbbell rows for the first exercise, lat supermans for the second, and hands to forearms planks for the third. These were all done for 60 seconds each and each superset was completed 3 times. Even more hell than the first superset. This was back to the 7th circle of hell type of superset. The planks are the hardest thing that I have ever done. I honestly thought of stopping early, but then I knew that it would hurt even more once Karissa got back to work me over, so I completed it.
So, I was able to get through a day on my own, but I didn't enjoy it as much. It's nice to have someone there to push me. Also, I wanted to tell you why I hate this particular type of exercise. It is the time thing. I have a stopwatch to time things - it has a countdown feature so it's easy to set, but while doing the exercise, I can't tell how much time is left. I need to know where my end point is so I can push to complete the exercise. With the time, there is no end point (that I can easily see) and my brain wants to stop to check to see where I am at. At least when I am doing reps, even if the amount is huge, I can count and know where the end is. At least this was the only time day that I have - at least until Karissa gets back to enforce some other type of pain.
Ah well, the next 3 exercise days are on my own. It's going to be a trial.
So, today was a workout of 3 supersets. This was the workout that we didn't have time to complete 2 weeks ago, so I made sure I completed it today. I took longer than the hour, but as I was on my own, it didn't matter how much time I took.
The first superset consisted of 3 exercises - 1) walking lunges with a twist to each side while at the bottom of a lunge while carrying a medicine ball; 2) side-steps while in a squat position down the length of the hallway and back; 3) side-steps with a cross over (foot in front, then foot behind) down the hallway and back. All 3 of these exercises were done for 90 seconds each. This superset was repeated 3 times. Pure hell! No other description fits.
The second superset also consisted of 3 exercises. This time I moved to the cable machine for the work. The first exercise was an upward chop, the second was a downward chop and the 3rd was one where I had to balance on one foot, squat and upon rising I had to pull the cable across my body. This time I had to do these for 45 seconds per side for a total of 90 seconds per exercise. Repeat 3 times. Not as much hell as the first superset, but my back really hated this superset. It started to bug me a bit too much, but I wanted to make sure that I got through it. I had to go a bit slower, but I did get through it.
The third and last superset was 3 very hellish exercises. This time it was bent-over alternating dumbbell rows for the first exercise, lat supermans for the second, and hands to forearms planks for the third. These were all done for 60 seconds each and each superset was completed 3 times. Even more hell than the first superset. This was back to the 7th circle of hell type of superset. The planks are the hardest thing that I have ever done. I honestly thought of stopping early, but then I knew that it would hurt even more once Karissa got back to work me over, so I completed it.
So, I was able to get through a day on my own, but I didn't enjoy it as much. It's nice to have someone there to push me. Also, I wanted to tell you why I hate this particular type of exercise. It is the time thing. I have a stopwatch to time things - it has a countdown feature so it's easy to set, but while doing the exercise, I can't tell how much time is left. I need to know where my end point is so I can push to complete the exercise. With the time, there is no end point (that I can easily see) and my brain wants to stop to check to see where I am at. At least when I am doing reps, even if the amount is huge, I can count and know where the end is. At least this was the only time day that I have - at least until Karissa gets back to enforce some other type of pain.
Ah well, the next 3 exercise days are on my own. It's going to be a trial.
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