Hands-Free Workout B #1 and A #2: Bad about posting, not about working out (Workouts 41 and 42)

Hands Free Workout B  was not quite as nice as A, but was
still way way better than no workout at all. 

Patrick and I went on vacation to visit my folks last weekend and we wound out missing one workout (last Saturday). Momma and I took a nice walk on Saturday and I did a little bit of running (I didn't realize that high school cross-country meets are sort of audience participation running events), but nothing at all organized like a workout. 

Wednesday before we left, October 28, I did the second of the two workouts I'd figured out for while I was recovering from hand surgery (which I had two weeks ago today). It's been a while, but you may recall that I really liked Hands-Free Workout A and was pleasantly surprised by what an excellent workout it was. 

Hands-Free B was not as good -- mainly because the Y-T-I Raises on the floor weren't nearly as good as the Y-T-L-W-I Raises standing -- but I did a good job with it. 

October 29th's workout was:

• Side Plank - 3 x 40 seconds - I hadn't done Side Plank in a while, so I had myself down to do 2 -3 sets (depending on how I felt) of at least 30 seconds. I absolutely made that and more -- three full sets of 40 seconds each and the Planet Fitness was there with a class and while his people were working on Russian Twists or something like that, he suggested that I try adding some additional movement to the side plank to ramp it up a notch. Which I did. 
• Hip Raises - Both Legs (I'd been doing single leg before) - 4 x 15 - I didn't use a weight (part of the no-hand-involvement thing) and I was using both legs, so I added an extra set and some reps to the Single-Leg Hip Raises I was doing through Phase 3. I had my feet on a weight bench, otherwise I would have had to ramp it up more. 
• Reverse Lunges - 4 x 15 - I never really got back to using weights on the reverse lunges (after my sore quad kept me out of the lunge business for a while) but I totally cranked up the sets and reps for this workout. No quad problems and it was very very good. 
• Floor Y-T-I Raises - 3 x 12 - These all involve lying face down on the floor with your arms variously out in front of you at an angle, straight out to the sides, and straight out in front of you then raising your arms as high as possible. I don't know if there's something wrong with my back or what, but as high as possible when face down on the floor is a couple of inches. And it's an inordinate amount of work for that. And it didn't feel entirely like I was working what I wanted to be working. And I just didn't like those. So there. 
• Cardio Intervals - 10 x 20:40 Intervals of Insanity. All ten intervals were Jump Squats and it was kind of awesome. I didn't do any post-workout cardio (which I only do when I finish before Patrick which has happened like once or twice) but I'd gotten *tons* of it with the Insanity Intervals, so I felt well cardio-ed and worked out. 

We were on vacation on Saturday, Oct. 31 and didn't have a good chance to workout. Though, as I said, I went to a high school track meet and did some running and did a lot of walking while trick or treating with my cousin and her family and a bunch of kids. Trick or treating included some running as well, because small children on Halloween are like gas molecules and there was an awkward ratio of adults to children. 

We got home Tuesday evening and went to the gym just as soon as we'd gotten home and unpacked the car. I didn't get a chance to figure out Workouts G and H while we were gone and my hand was still a little bit sore. (Even though the stitches from my surgery came out on Halloween at the track meet.) Also, since I'd skipped a workout I didn't want to go right back into full bore lifting, so I decided against doing Workout E again. 

So I did Hands Free Workout A a second time. I'd loved it so much the first time. 

Either I went slower or Patrick went faster, because
I didn't have time for any extra cardio at the end. 

November 3rd's workout was: 

• Plank - 3 x 60, 45, 40 -- I did TWO one minute planks and one 45 second one where I was moving my feet around for the first 25 seconds. So I totally and absolutely killed it with Plank. Better than I've ever done! :D 
• Squats - 4 x 15 - Because the stitches are out of my hand (though it still feels a little tight), I actually did two sets of body weight squats as fast as possible and two sets of Dumbbell Front Squats (like I was doing in Phase 3, but with a lighter weight because more reps per set). Alternating. That worked pretty well. 
• Sprinter Step Ups - 4 x 15 - These are like normal step ups only one raises the knee of the non-working leg up to one's chest when stepping up. It adds a bit more of a balance component (just because more mass is moving around, I think) and a lot more of a cardio component. I didn't use weights so I worked them fast and raised my leg *high*. 
• Standing Y-T-L-W-I Raises - 2 x 10 - I like these so much (though I literally drip sweat onto the floor in front of me while doing them) that they're going to make it into Workout G, or maybe H, I can't remember. (I've *finally* put those together.) 
• Cardio Intervals - 4 x 30:30 Jumping Jacks alternated with 4 x 20:40 Jump Squats - so 8 total Intervals of Insanity. Doing the Jumping Jacks for 30 seconds (with a 30 second rest) keeps those from feeling like a break between the Jump Squats rounds. It also keeps the Jump Squats from punishing my quads so much that I don't get a good cardio workout from it. Patrick finished before I was done with the Y-L-T-W-I Raises so I stopped after 8 Intervals. 

As mentioned, I finally put together Workouts G and H (at least provisionally). Our next workout is scheduled for tonight. My plan is to work through one set of everything in both workouts to figure out any potential logistical problems. I've got a few totally and utterly new exercises on it that seem like they'll be really challenging and quite a stretch. So it's possible that there will be "I simply can't do this (yet)" problems as well. One of them I'm really worried about and have already planned in an alternate if my first choice is not possible. Goal for tonight's workout -- work hard, get good starting weights, figure out problems with the plan. Sweat a lot. :D

I'm hoping to start Phase 4 on Saturday.

Hands-Free Workout A #1 (and hopefully only): Surprisingly effective (Workout 40)

This was a surprisingly effective workout, though I missed getting
any work on my chest. 

As I planned on Monday, I worked out  two hands-free workout for while I'm recovering from my extremely minor (but annoying) hand surgery. I wanted something that would be a more intense workout than even a fast walk on the treadmill but couldn't do anything that involved weights or stretching my palm (so no push-ups or anything like). 

Before I get on to the details of the workout, a note on my hand: I'm definitely improving, even as to dealing with the stitches. I don't know if I'm getting used to not stretching my palm out so I'm not pulling on the stitches so much or if there's some type of healing going on that makes them less sensitive to it. No matter, improvement is Good. 

Back to the workouts, two of them because I like to alternate. Some research in the Women's Health Big Book of Exercises found that there are basically no chest or shoulder exercises that don't use the hands. This actually makes some sense, I mean chest exercises are push-ups and presses and flyes and all of those require the hands. But I can do some good body weight exercises for the hamstrings and glutes (with both legs working together and with one leg working at a time) and for the quads (ditto). I can do some core exercises (hello Plank, which has weight on the forearms not the hands). And I found a sequence of back exercises to do (which totally might make it into the next phase because those were awesome). 

I also did Cardio Intervals and ramped them up a bit and added some extra time on the treadmill because I finished early. (Relatively speaking -- Patrick had to wait less long for me than he often does.) 

Monday's workout was: 

• Plank - 3 x 40 - I haven't done Plank itself, the pure form, since Workout A #6, which was back in August. I did the Spiderman Planks (where I was moving) in Workout D. But it had been a while. It was good -- I was able to do a whole additional set and all of them for longer time than I did in August (where I maxed out at a set of 36 seconds and a set of 38 seconds). All that other core work I was doing in Phase 3 is clearly paying off. 
• Bodyweight Squats - 4 x 15 - I'm used to doing squats with some amount of weight in addition to my own body weight, so I ramped these up by a) doing an additional set and b) going as fast as I could. I didn't do jump squats because I knew I wanted to do those during my Intervals of Insanity. At the end of the fourth set I was definitely feeling it. I don't think I could have done a fifth one.
• "Sprinter" Step Ups - 3 x 15 - I was stepping up onto a treadmill deck (I'm still a little leery of stepping up onto a weight bench) but after I'd stepped up with the working leg, I raised the knee of the non-working leg as high as possible with each rep. I'd been thinking I'd maybe do a fourth set, but after three I really felt that was enough. :D 
• Standing Y-T-L-W-I Raises - 2 x 10 - You can see a video of someone doing something very similar to what I was doing here, though I was standing and leaning forward at the hips about that much and I wasn't holding any weights. I also did the last ones (the I raises) differently and will have to watch that video again to see if I like that way better. These were really rather awesome -- I did  through each of the five for 10 reps moving from one to the next without stopping. Two sets of that was seriously plenty. I was dripping great big drops of sweat by the end of it. These may make it into Phase 4. 
• Cardio Intervals - 5 x 30:30 Jumping Jack Intervals of Insanity alternated with 5 x 20:40 Squat Jump Intervals of Insanity. The notation may be opaque. Basically, I did 30 seconds of Jumping Jacks as fast as possible, rested for 30 seconds, did 20 seconds of Squat Jumps as fast as possible, rested for 40 seconds. Repeat 5 times. This solved two problems: 1) Jumping Jack intervals being too easy and 2) without the Jumping Jacks the Squat Jumps tire my quads before they tire my cardiopulmonary system on days when I've done squats. Clunky as it is to write out, it was a great Insanity workout and I loved it. :D 

Before I started, I did 10 minutes on the treadmill and after I was done I did another 8. 

As I said, it was a surprisingly effective workout, though I miss getting any chest or shoulder exercises going in either of these. Still, it was very good to be able to do *something* that felt like hard work despite the stitches in my hand. I have another planned for tonight. If necessary, I can keep alternating until the stitches are out without missing a workout. This makes me happy. 

Next workout is tonight. I've got Hands-Free Workout B ready to go and I'm looking forward to it. Even though it has Side Plank in it. 

Workout F # 6 and a cardio day: Look, ma! No hands! (Workouts 38 and 39)

Took forever to post about it, but the workout was excellent! 

I haven't gotten a chance to post about last *Wednesday's* workout, but I really did go and it was really excellent (as workout f has tended to be). But then on Thursday, I had hand surgery and then I've been mad busy. Today I have a moment to catch up with myself. 

Wednesday's workout was the last of Phase 3 -- round six with Workout F means it's time to move on. I haven't yet (still) figured out what I'm going to be doing for Workouts G and H, but I have a little time (another whole week, darn it) to work it out. 

The reason I have this time is that I had (extremely) minor hand surgery last Thursday to remove a lump that I've had for, seriously, decades, but that finally started bothering me and being quite uncomfortable right around when I started lifting weights. Or maybe a bit before. Anyway, while my hand is fully functional for normal things like typing (clearly) and writing and drawing and holding (most) things, anything that puts a stretch on my palm tugs at the stitches uncomfortably and unpleasantly (and makes me feel like I'm going to tear one out). 

You'd be surprised at all the things that put a stretch on one's palm, by the way -- toweling off after a shower has been the big unpleasant surprise. 

The stitches come out on Saturday (Oct. 31), if I have to find a random stranger on the street to do it for me. (The surgeon says anyone can do it.) Once they're out, I'll be able to get back on track with Phase 4 and Workouts G and H. 

In this post-hand surgery time, I'm kind of making do. 

Saturday, I did a cardio day -- walked for 45 minutes at a good incline and a really stiff pace. It was fine, but not as satisfying as lifting would have been. On the other hand, it was way more satisfying that tearing out a stitch would have been, so I'm okay with it. 

For tonight and Wednesday, I'm going to try to figure out how much of an actual workout I can do without using my hands. I figure I can do body weight squats (or jump squats, though I may save those for Intervals of Insanity), body weight reverse lunges, hip raises (maybe even with a weight plate, because I can hold that with my right hand) with both legs, step ups (maybe with raising my knee high as I go up), plank, side plank. So that's quads (both with one leg working and with both legs working), hamstrings and glutes (ditto) and core. I can't find a chest or shoulder exercise that doesn't use the hands, but Y-T-I raises on the floor would work my back some. 

But that's looking ahead. Wednesday's workout was: 

• Cross-body Mountain Climbers - 2 x 30 - Doing these fast makes all the difference in the world as far as how well I feel it's working me. These may make it on in the next round, because I do deflinitely enjoy them, though I'll need to raise the stakes somehow with them. 
• Elevated Explosive Push-Ups - 2 x 10 - if these are going to go on, I need to make them harder. Which I really want to do because I think they're doing me a world of good. Maybe I can figure out how to go lower or something. As with so many things, going faster makes a huge difference in how much work I feel I'm getting. 
• Alternating sets of:
• Dumbbell Front Squats - 3 x 12 - I used a pair of 17.5 lb dumbbells again, because these put so much work on my core that I just can't go higher. I can tell they're not working my quads as much as I'd like, but I get that quad work elsewhere, so I guess that's okay. 
• Rear Lateral Raises - 3 x 12 - I used a pair of 7.5 lb dumbbells. These are almost certainly going to make it into the next round. I love these. They're crazy difficult, don't get me wrong, but I think they're doing very good things for me. 
• Alternating sets of: 
• Single-leg Hip Raises - 3 x 12 - I went up to a 10lb weight plate held on my lower abdomen for these this time, to raise the difficulty and make my hamstrings and glutes work harder. It was a good thing to have done because I could definitely feel that my glutes had been worked hard. It was excellent. 
• Cable Chest-Presses - 3 x 12 - I'm still at 25 lbs on these and they are plenty difficult at that weight. I might switch to a more "classic" chest press (like a bench press maybe) in the next phase but I need to ponder that. I like these pretty well and like that they keep me standing and work my core. 
• Coordination Rows (Single-leg, Single-arm Cable Rows) - 3 x 12 - I did one whole set, both legs, without having to put a foot down to keep my balance!! When I started doing these (two months ago), I couldn't even do one whole rep without having to touch. :: happy dance :: Doing them with every exercise is making a big difference, but I probably won't keep that up in Phase 4, when I can do the reverse lunge cable rows as an alternate whole-body exercise. Still at 15 lbs. 
• Cardio Intervals - 10 x 20:40 Intervals of Insanity -- ALL JUMP SQUATS!! For 10 rounds!! And I didn't die. :D It was fantastic. Absolutely fantastic!! 

Saturday's workout, as mentioned, was just a cardio day. 50 or so minutes of walking at around 4 miles an hour with the treadmill set at incline 6. I watched an episode of Castle on our tablet. It was fine and I worked up a good sweat. But I missed a proper workout. 

Next workout is scheduled for tonight.  I'm sort of developing a plan, which I will finalize before we get to the gym. Goal for the workout -- don't hurt my hand but feel as though I've really worked hard.