Workout M#5: Missed Patrick but a good workout! (Also: Caught up again!)

I got to the gym early and was there by myself, so Insanities
were a go and the whole workout was great!

Monday evening, yesterday, I wound out at the gym by myself. Patrick had a lump removed at the dermatologist and they told him not to go to the gym for a couple of days (at least). He was also home from work afterwards, so I didn't have to pick him up on the way home and was able to go straight to the gym. Which meant that I got there rather earlier than I normally do (a very cool thing) and got out a bit earlier than normal. I worked hard, but not as fast as sometimes -- I had to walk around a bit a couple of times to find space to work in or things I needed. But, since Patrick wasn't there waiting for me and I'd gotten an early start, that was okay. :D 

It was a very good workout and I did a full 10 minutes of Insanities at the end (though not in the Playground, which was a bummer). I bumped into Travis (the trainer) briefly, but didn't really get to talk to him. Which was fine -- I still haven't sent him the email (in process) about what I've been working on and what I'm hoping to get out of my sessions with him. I'm hoping to send that off later today. 

Monday's workout was: 

• Bridge Slides - 3 x 30 seconds - I think I need to raise the time on these to 40 seconds per round. Or maybe reduce the rest time, I'll probably do a bit of both -- maybe 35 seconds of work and 25 of rest. That would work out pretty well. My foot slipped off the slider at one point in the last set, so I probably got cheaped out of a little bit. But not much, so I'm not pressed. 
• Kettlebell Swing - 3 x 30 seconds - The 25lb kettlebell wasn't on the rack, so I used the 20lb, which was a little light. I should have thrown in a fourth set maybe. Anyway, it was a great lot of fun and I was really trying to work my legs more than anything else. 
• Step Up & Single Arm Press - 3 x 15 - This is like the Offset Loaded Step Up I do in Workout N PLUS a Shoulder Press, so it's really quite a tough exercise. Especially with a 20lb weight. (Which is the same weight I'm doing for the Offset Loaded Step-Ups as well.) I'm glad I'm not doing other presses this workout or my shoulder would be unhappy. I used the step box for these rather than the actual stairs and that worked out well -- it's a little higher and a little more work. 
• Alternating sets of: 
• Swiss Ball Reverse Hip Raise - 3 x 15 - I'm thinking I need to ramp these up a little bit. I know last time I posted about Workout M (#4), 15 seemed about right (because they are hard) but they were easier yesterday. I don't know if this is something where the size of the ball makes a difference -- I typically just use the largest, firmest one available. Anyway, I don't know that ramping them up by doing more of them is the right answer. I might just need to (for these) move slower so I'm holding my legs up with my hamstrings and glutes longer. 
• Swiss Ball Chest Press - 3 x 15 - I'm still with the pair of 15lb dumbbells for these, which is at least in part a convenience thing (one set of weights for a lot of the workout). I might try seeing how I do with 20 lbs (maybe put down 20lbs for the first set and then back to 15 after that) because these are getting a lot easier. I do need to be careful not to drop my upper arms too low -- that puts some weird angles on my shoulders. 
• Alternating sets of: 
• Lunge and Rotation - 3 x 15 - I used one 15lb weight for these. Once again, I found that doing them alternating sides (rather than 15 on one side and 15 on the other) was way more exhausting than one side at a time. The first set I did one side at a time then the last two I alternated. That was tough. But very good. 
• Neutral-Grip Row - 3 x 15 - This uses the pair of 15lb weights. It really is super convenient to only take up one pair of weights for so much of this workout. And it makes me feel like I'm not uselessly sitting on equipment someone else might be able to use. These are still good at this weight -- I need to remember to keep my upper arms flat with my back and to squeeze my shoulder blades together to make the lift happen. Otherwise it's more of an arm exercise. 
• Cardio Intervals - 10 x 30:30 Intervals of Insanity doing Step Ups onto the box. For Insanities, I do these for speed and don't use any extra weights. I also step both feet all the way up onto the box, which I don't when I'm doing them for strength training. By the end of this I was a) soaked and b) pooped and ready to head home after a great workout. I also wanted to see how Patrick was doing. 

Next workout is scheduled for Thursday. Normally it would be Wednesday, but the logistics of getting there just weren't going to work out, so it's Thursday this week and that's fine too. It'll be N#5 and I'm looking forward to it. Maybe I'll get lucky and be able to use the Playground Room again. :D Goal for the workout: 10 minutes of Insanities and a good, hard workout.