Workout P #2: Kicked it up...and down

No time for Insanities on Monday, but every other thing about
 the workout was amazing! 

We didn't get to the gym until fairly late on Monday and needed to stop on the way home from it, so I had to skip the Insanities at the end. On the other hand, I did a lot of crazy awesome stuff during it so I really don't feel like I missed out on anything, really. :D 

There weren't many people working out there, so I didn't have to think too hard about equipment or places to work out. There wren't any of the plastic step boxes like the one pictured on the right in the workout rooms (I think there's a step class on Mondays) so I was decided to use the plywood box I've seen in the weight room. (I think the big lifter type people use them for things like Bulgarian squats.) It was higher than the actual stairs by rather a lot and lower than I usually use for push-ups. Which means it worked out to be entirely awesome for both.

But that's getting ahead of things. :D

Monday's workout was:

• Slider Pikes - 3 x 12, 10, 10 - I'd like to work my way up to twelve of these in each set, but they're really kind of strenuous and hard. I think next time I'l write myself down for 11 -- maybe that will encourage me to make that extra push every set. Though I am pushing really hard. 
• Kettlebell Swings - 3 x 30 seconds (30 second rests between sets) - I'd been doing these with a 30 lb kettlebell, but it was in use elsewhere, so I used a 35lb kettlebell instead. That extra 5 lbs made some kind of difference. These were a great workout and I could pretty much feel it *everywhere*. I'm sticking with the 35 for now. :D 
• Reverse Lunge and Cable Row - 3 x 12 - I used 35lbs for these and it was good. I'm sticking with rowing as I'm standing back up, not while I'm in the lunge. It just seems like a more fluid and graceful (to the extent "graceful" is in my range) movement that way. I did remember to row on the same side as the leg I'm stepping back with so I didn't screw them up. Last time I said that 35 lbs was the right weight and likely to be for a while. But after yesterday, I feel like maybe I'm ready to move up. Maybe I'll give it one more time at 35 and then move up after that. 
• Alternating sets of: 
• BOSU Squats - 3 x 10, 12, 12 - It is possible that I did 12 the first set as well, but I couldn't remember for sure and didn't want to give myself credit for something I didn't do, so I wrote down 10. I was noticeably steadier this time than the first time doing them. Though still not anyone's idea of solid. On the whole I also got more steady as I went through the sets, except that I got distracted watching Travis (the trainer) walking around with another client and almost fell off the BOSU in the third set. I come off of these feeling all kinds of wobbly in the legs -- which is probably a good sign that I'm working them hard even though I'm not adding any weight to them. 
• Swiss Ball Dumbbell Pullovers - 3 x 12 - I'm not sure that these are quite hitting the *pullover* muscles -- certainly they feel very different from the cable-machine pullovers I was doing last phase. I think if I focus on which muscles I want to be working, I can keep the effort where it belongs (in my back) rather than where I don't really want it (in my triceps). I used a pair of 10lb dumbbells for this, which is a nice step up from the pair of 8lb dumbbells I used the first time. So yay for that. 
• Alternating sets of:
• Crossover Step - Ups - 3 x 12 - I used a pair of 10lb dumbbells for this as well, which is not a lot of weight for me when doing Step Ups, but I wanted to get used to the move before I started going up -- because coordination is not a strength for me and the movement requires some. I'll go up next time, because 10lbs was pretty light and, while I got a good workout from them, I can definitely do more. 
• Push Ups - 3 x 8, 9, 9 - I'm wildly pleased with myself about the push ups. My plan for workout P was always to do the push-ups off the same step I was stepping up on to. I wasn't able to make that work with P#1 because I was on the actual stairs. So I used a weight bench, which is the lowest thing I've done push ups off of. If you remember, workout P#1 I was really pleased because I'd never done 10 push ups off of a weight bench before. On Monday I did one set of 8 and two sets of 9 off the plywood box which was 5 inches lower than a weight bench. (I made a marks on my leg at each height and measured the distance between them when we got home, so I'm pretty confident about that distance. :D Since July 2015 I've gone from waist high to low calf. I'll be able to do push ups off the floor in another few months probably. Then I can start doing Burpees if I want to. 

Even without Insanities, I was completely soaked and completely winded by the end of the workout. It was amazing. I told Travis about my triumph with the push ups and showed him the marks I'd drawn on my leg. Once I explained, he was super pleased for me and gave me a high five. :D ::bounce bounce::

It was an excellent workout and I rocked my goal to be more steady on the BOSU. (I'm trying to make my goals more concrete because "Be awesome" isn't very objective or measurable.)

Next workout is scheduled for tonight. It's going to be O#3, which means Lunge Pulses and Leg Curls on the machine and Squat and Cleans. Goal for the workout -- go hands free on all sets of Lunge Pulses. Also, hopefully do Insanities again -- I want to do BOSU Burpees and kettlebell swings again. :D 

Workout #3 with Travis!

More awesomeness working out with Travis! 

On Saturday, I was able to work out with Travis again -- this is the last of the sessions we've paid for with him (alas) so I won't be able to do it again for a while, but I've hugely enjoyed the sessions I've had with him. And have gotten some great exercises to work into my own workouts. 

Saturday's workout was no exception -- we were focusing on back and shoulders (I was hoping for a bit of chest as well, but we didn't have enough time).

Once again, I can't remember all that we did (and don't know the names of everything anyway). 

I know we did these (in order of how much I loved them, not at all in the order in which we did them): 

• Arnold Press - 2 or 3 x 12, I think -- I think I had a pair of 10lb dumbbells. I don't know what made these so much fun but they were pretty much pure awesome. (You can see a video of someone doing these here.) Maybe I liked the twist because it took some of the pressure off the pure shoulder action of a shoulder press. I don't know. I just know I loved them. These are going to show up next phase without a doubt. 
• Gorilla Raises - 2 or 3 x 12 - I was using 5lb dumbbells for these. Travis called them Gorilla raises. I can't find them on bodybuilding.com under that name. The closest thing I can find there is a front raise (you can see a video here), but instead of holding the hands with the palms toward the ground at the top of the raise the palms are facing in (thumbs up at the top of the raise). These are also a lot of fun. I think they'll be in the same slot in my workouts (shoulders) as the Arnold Press, so they won't be in the next phase, but maybe the one after that. :D Travis thought I could probably do 10 lbs but because it was late in the workout he'd let it slide. I told him I thought I could do 8, but the 8lb dumbbells were in another room and not worth going to get.
• Iso-Presses - 2 x 12 - I think that's what Travis called them. Basically you hold your arms with your upper arms parallel to the floor, hands raised with weights. Keeping your upper arms parallel to the floor do three presses on one side, then three on the other. The non-working arm always has the upper arm parallel to the floor. This is definitely on where having a mirror to watch your form is a good thing. 
• Isolateral Rows on some sort of big lever-action, plate loaded row machine - 3 x 12 (I think) -Those were pretty good. I started with a pretty light weight then he added a bit once I'd done a set and had the feel of what I was doing. This is a back exercise and all about squeezing the shoulder blades together. Also about keeping control lowering the weights. 
• Lat Pulldowns (seated) - 3 x 12 - We did these on the cable machine, but at the seated pulldown station. He had me using a D-handle (rather than a long bar handle) which was kind of neat actually and for the second and third sets added a twisting action that was really cool. For the second and third sets he also added 15 lbs. Ooff! I'd been going to ask for five more. 
• Seated Cable Rows  - 3 x 12 - Again on the cable machine and again with the D-handles. I think we did some twisting action but honestly can't remember for sure. This time when I asked for more weight, I convinced him that I really could only do 5 more lbs, not 15. :D 
• Pulldowns - 3 x 12 - On the cable machine with a rope handle though we didn't add the twisting motion that makes possible with them. I was doing pulldowns in Phase 7 so these were pretty familiar and I liked them. 
• Some sort of diagonal raise thing which was really weird and difficult on the cable machine but just fine and kind of awesome with dumbbells. The weight was basically the same, I just had a devil of a time with the cable machine on these. Weirdly, it was straining my *wrist*. Huh. 
• Back Extensions with a Row - 2 x 15, 10 - I'm not sure about the count. These are basically back extensions/hyperextensions with a bar held in the hands (about 20 lbs) at arms length. When in the up position I was doing a basic row with the bar for the first set (those were just fine and nice). For the second set he had me doing a sort of twist component -- down, up, right, down, up left, that's one rep. That was *tough* but good. I'll probably be doing something along these lines in a future workout. I liked them and they moved a Whole Lot Of Me. 

I'm pretty sure that's all I can remember. Pretty sure. 

Well we also did five minutes warming up on the elliptical machine and five minutes (I think) on the Jacob's Ladder, which is a ladder climbing machine. Sort of. The Jacob's ladder was a lot of fun -- one of those things that as long as I wasn't thinking about doing it I was fine, but as soon as I started to notice where my feet and hands were gong, I'd get all un-coordinated like crazy. 

Once again, I've got some new things to take forward with me, which I totally love! Arnold Presses! Gorilla Raises! The rowing back extensions! All of those were awesome. 

Next workout is scheduled for tonight -- Workout P #2. That'll be squats on the BOSU and the devilish slider pikes and crossover step ups (so I need to make sure I have a step). Should be great! :D Goal for the workout -- be more steady on the BOSU! 

Workout P#1: This'll be a fun one too!

No Insanities because time was short, but the workout was
intense enough anyway!:D

Monday evening was my first time with Workout P. I rearranged some of the pieces in my structure when I made these Phase 8 workouts -- I think I wanted not to have the Explosive Push Ups on the same day as regular Push Ups. Maybe.

I'm honestly (and sadly) not sure. I don't remember (and it was just a week ago).

Anyway, I did something and it's got both workouts feeling really good to me right now. At least after one go at each of them. Certainly Workout P was a lot of fun -- and a tremendous feeling of accomplishment. Some of these moves are *hard* and it's really satisfying to be able to do them.

This is the fun post about Workout P -- with the links to videos (or at least pictures) if I can find them.

Monday's workout was:

• Slider Pikes - 3 x 10 - (You can see a video of someone doing these here, though I have a pair of sliders rather than using a towel. Of course the floors at the gym aren't so slippery that a towel would work.) I'm not nearly as smooth as the lady in the video and I don't have anything resembling *speed* at these. These are in here as a core exercise, and they're good for that, though I also feel them in my quads. This is one of the moves I learned from Travis. This is one of those exercises that I don't exactly *enjoy* in the moment, but I feel really fierce after I've done them because dammit they're hard!! I'm ultimately hoping to get to sets of 12, or even more, but 10 was as much as I could do on Monday. I also want to work on speed and fluidity -- so I might be doing these for more than one Phase. 
• Kettlebell Swing - 3 x 30 seconds (with 30 second rests) - (You can see a video of someone doing these here, only I'm doing them with both hands on the kettlebell rather than one.) These are in here for a lower-body power exercise, and they're awesome for that. They'are also awesomely fun which makes them a winning addition to any workout. I used a 30 lb kettlebell for these on Monday and that will probably be right for at least another couple of workouts. With that weight, these really are both a cardio and a leg workout. (When I do these for Insanities, I use a much lighter weight (15lbs instead of 30) so I can go faster. I might need to move that up to 20 lbs though. 
• Reverse Lunge and Cable Row - 3 x 12 - (You can see a video of someone doing these here, though I do them a little bit differently. And maybe also screw them up a tad.) If you watch the video (it's 14 seconds long, so go ahead), you'll see that a) she's rowing while she's going down into the lunge and b) she's rowing on the same side that her leg is stepping back into the reverse lunge. My instructions (from The New Rules of Lifting for Life have me rowing while I'm coming back up out of the lunge -- that's how I do it differently. Instructions are clear that I'm *supposed* to be rowing with one the same side as the leg I'm stepping back with, but I'm not entirely positive I've been doing that right. I'm a little slow about left and right (I'd love to find exercises that would help me with that) and which side of my body should be doing things. (I very likely failed the Hokey Pokey as a child.) Anyway, this is in here (as it has been before) as a combination exercise that uses my legs, core and shoulders. It's kind of a break after the Pikes and the Kettlebell Swings, but not too much of one. I did 35lbs which is about as much as my shoulders and back can do. I might try to ramp it up by speeding up until I can move more weight. 
• Alternating sets of:
• BOSU Squats - 3 x 10 - (You can see a video of someone doing these here.) The woman in the video is much less wobbly than I am, but she might be making it easier on herself by sticking her arms out in front like that. That might make the balance easier. I do these fairly close to a wall -- partly to make use of Travis's trick to keep my torso from collapsing forward while squatting and partly so I can catch my balance if I start to pitch totally over. Which I didn't do on Monday. The amazing thing is that I noticed *definite* improvement in my stability just between the first and last sets. The first set took forever because I was totally having to reset my balance between each squat. By the third I was getting maybe a little bit of continuous movement going on. Maybe. This is a move I learned from Travis and I love it with a passion, even though it's hard and I wobble like a baby giraffe on a teeter-totter on it. 
• Stability Ball Pullovers - 3 x 12 - (You can see a video of someone doing these here.) For once, the video shows pretty much exactly what I'm doing. Only I'm doing it with less weight. On Monday, I used a pair of 8lb dumbbells. I'll probably go up to a 20lb dumbbell next time, because that wasn't too hard. These are in the "chin-ups, pulldowns, pullovers" lat exercise slot in my workouts. The 16lbs I lifted on Monday wasn't enough for me to feel like I was doing much though. That's why I want to go up. I was lifting 30lbs with the standing cable-machine pullovers I was doing last phase, so I'll probably go up pretty quickly once I get used to the move on the stability ball. 
• Alternating sets of: 
• Crossover Step Ups (with Dumbbells) - 3 x 12 - (You can see a video of someone doing these here.) This is my "single leg at a time hams and glutes" exercise, though it also puts some work on the inner thighs. And the whole balance apparatus is pretty well worked as well. When I did the walkthrough, there was a step box (I included a picture a couple of posts ago) and I was able to make it a little higher than I had been (4 layers rather than 3) and that was a good challenge for these (but not as high as stepping up onto a weight bench, which I think would strain my knees too much). I deliberately have the weights pretty light while I'm getting my balance together and getting my body used to the move; Monday I used a pair of 10lb dumbbells, which is pretty trivial given that I'm moving my whole body weight as well. On Monday, the step-box stuff wasn't there, so I was on the actual stairs -- which are a lot lower, which was unsatisfactory. It's also a little more confined (because I stay to the edge of the stairs so folks can go up and down) so I can't balance as well. I'll make sure I bring down the bits for a 4 level step box for this next time. 
• Push Ups - 3 x 10, 10, 8 - I'm not going to find a video of these. You know what push ups are. Since July, when the best I could do with push ups was off a bar at about waist high, my plan based on the walkthrough was to do these on the same 4-level step box I did the step ups on. Since the box wasn't available on Monday, I did them on a weight bench.  As noted above, that's a little higher and therefore a little easier. Dang it. On the other hand, I've never been able to do 10 on a bench before, so yay! These are obviously the chest exercise in my workout format -- I was doing the Swiss Ball Chest Presses for the last couple of phases but it seemed like time to get back to Push Ups, though I don't exactly enjoy them. I do find satisfying that I"m getting better at them. 
• Cardio Intervals -- Nope. I was kind of pooped, there wasn't any obvious place where I was going to be able to swing a kettlebell and the step wasn't available and we'd been running late already. I got plenty winded throughout the workout though.

I may have achieved something like perfection with this phase -- both of these workouts are a lot of fun and very challenging. :D Woot! 

In related news: Patrick has decided he's going to stay with cardio work on the elliptical for the foreseeable future, which means that I get our last session with Travis on Saturday! :D I've asked him for something that's chest, back, shoulders focused so I can get some new moves to do in future workouts. I'm enjoying immensely all the stuff I've learned from him so far! 

Next workout, however, is scheduled for this evening. It'll be O#2 and I expect it to be fantastic -- Lunge Pulses and Squat Cleans and Russian Twists and all manner of fun things. :D Goal for the workout -- see if I can do one set of the lunge pulses without holding on to anything. 

Workout O#1: Kicking off Phase 8

The workouts this phase are going to be quicker than the
previous ones -- 12 reps instead of 15 makes more of a
difference than I would have thought possible. 

This phase's workouts are going to be a little tough to introduce, because some of the exercises are ones I learned from Travis and I don't know that I'll be able to find good video clips of people doing them. We'll see. 

On the other hand, I think I like that the workouts themselves are a little shorter because of 12 reps per set (and the same number of sets) instead of 15. That surprised me with how much of a difference it made, though I liked the longer sets with lighter weights, so I'll be doing it again. 

Saturday was a kind of crazy day -- we had tickets for the baseball game in the afternoon (despite the ultra-cruddy weather) and had to do our Saturday errands (grocery shopping, mostly) and work out before we had to leave for the game at 1. (As it turned out the game was postponed until May on account of the cruddy weather and we went to a museum instead, but that's a whole different story). 

Anyway, I was glad that the workout went pretty quickly because, among other things, it meant I had a quick five minutes available for Insanities at the end. I'd thought I was going to have to skip those entirely. 

Anyway, since this is the Good Post with all the details about the exercises, I'm just going to jump right in. 

Saturday's workout was: 

• Russian Twists with "Skytouches" - 3 x 12 - (You can see pictures and a description of Russian Twists without the Skytouches here.) I think the Skytouches are either Travis's addition, or his term for something that I don't know how to look up. Basically between taking the weight (a 12 lb dumbbell or medicine ball seems to be the right weight for now) from the left side to the right, I raise it up over my head. So the order goes Right-Left-Up-Right-Left-Up. I'm not sure the up adds much to the core work, but it sure does add a lot of *difficulty* to it. There appear to be a lot of ways to do Russian Twists, but I'm dong them just like at that link -- sitting on the floor with the feet on the floor, leaning back. Bodybuilding.com has some variations that add a sit-up element to them and I may do those later. For now, this is a good amount of work. I'll probably be going up to 15 lbs before too long. 
• Explosive Push-Up - 3 x 8 - They're baaaack!! (You can see a video of someone doing these here under the name "Plyometric Push Ups".) These tend to go in and out of my workouts -- I'm usually on the lookout for something that would be an "explosive power" upper body exercise and this is one of the ones I'm aware of. As I mentioned in my post about Workout N#6, I can't do Shoulder Presses indefinitely (Push Presses are another one I have in this category) because my shoulders start resenting it. So these keep coming back around. I actually kind of like them. I still can't do them off the floor, like in the video, but I've gone from a waist high bar to a knee high weight bench over time. So I'm super pleased about that. I'm also pleased, on watching the video, to see that her butt goes up some during the explosive part too. I was thinking I was doing something horribly wrong there. 
• Deadlift & Clean - 3 x 12 - I *think* that's what these are. (You can sort of see a video here, except that I'm not lifting so much weight that it's quite that...strenuous.) This is another exercise I learned from Travis, though I think he calls them Deadlift Jerks -- but Jerks as a weightlifting move take the weight up over the head rather than just to the collar bones. So I think Deadlift & Clean is right. The other modification, in addition to them just not being quite so explosive, is that I'm doing straight-leg (Romanian) deadlifts, or hang Power Cleans, or something. The weight goes down a little bit below my legs but not all the way to the ground each time. I started out using an empty Olympic barbell for these -- that's 44 lbs -- but that was clearly going to be too light, so I added 5 lbs (total, 2.5 to each end) to make it 49lbs and that was good. I probably should be doing the "Deadlift and Clean" exercise as a Squat and Clean instead, it occurs to me, because both deadlifts and leg curls (coming up next) are hamstrings exercises. Hmmm. I believe I'll make that change. I can't find anything like a picture or video of that, but it's pretty similar only with a deeper squat at the start. 
• Alternating sets of: 
• Leg Curls (Machine) - 3 x 12 - (You can see a video of someone doing these here.) This is about as simple as it looks -- climb on the machine and go. Though I do have to make sure the pad is hitting my calves in the right place and my knees line up with the pivot on the machine. During the walkthrough these put a bit of an uncomfortable strain on my knees. I did just fine on Saturday, no problems, and made note of where the two settings on the machine were so I could replicate that. I did 45 lbs and think I could probably go up to 50, though I don't think I made a note of that for next time. I'll try to remember when I'm in my notebook again, thought. Just because I'm not doing a Heavy Phase, doesn't mean I can slack off. 
• Front Raise - 3 x 12 - (You can see a video of someone doing these here, only I do both arms at the same time.) This is another regular in my workout circuits as they're a good exercise that doesn't make my shoulder joints feel gravelly but makes them do good work. They're especially good if I keep an eye on myself and take pains not to lift the weights higher than straight out to the front from my shoulders. Because the precision actually makes me work harder and I can't take advantage of any sort of momentum. I used a pair of 8lb dumbbells (those are really Not Strong muscles) and I'm hoping to move up soon. I should probably try 10lbs next time, but again, I don't think I made a note of it so I may not remember. 
• Alternating sets of: 
• Lunge Pulses - 3 x 12 - (You can see a video of someone doing these here, but ignore what she's dong with her arms for the nonce and just pay attention to her legs.) This is another move I learned from Travis. Man these are hard and they kind of suck, though they're way *less* sucky if one isn't doing them toward the end of a leg workout. I like them, tons. I'm going to be moving up the number of them pretty quickly as 12 was tough but won't be forever. I don't hold my hands over my head (though I'll keep that in mind as a way to intensify them and work on my core and balance too) -- Travis suggested that I hold on to something like the back extension machine so I don't have to think about not falling over, I can concentrate on my quads. Which get a heck of a workout!! (Still sore two days later!)
• Standing Rear Lateral Raise - 3 x 12 - (You can see a video of someone doing these here.) This is another one where attention to not raising my arms *too* much actually makes the exercise harder and better. So does paying attention to my arms being straight out from my sides rather than at any angle other than 90 degrees to my torso. This is where the mirrors come in handy, because I don't have a very good sense of this just from feel. I don't know if I have an abnormally *bad* sense of it, but I know mine isn't good. I can't tell if my neck is straight or if my arms are higher than straight out to the sides just by the feel of it. 
• Cardio Intervals - 5 x 40:20 Kettle Bell Swings Intervals of Insanity -- I really did push these insanely hard too, I worked myself like crazy for the 40 seconds on. They were great. I only had time for five minutes of Insanities and I wanted to make the most of them. And I did. 

It was a great great workout. I think I'm going to enjoy this one. Of course the one with No Squats is usually a workout I really enjoy. :D Honestly, that's a little weird, because I do Squats and Lunges on different days and I like Squats better than I like Lunges, so you'd think I'd be more likely to dislike the one with lunges. Ah well. 

Next workout is scheduled for this evening, Monday, April 11, and it'll be the first time with Workout P. I can't remember what all I'm going to be dong -- Squats on the BOSU and Kettlebell Swings and those super tricksy slider Inchworm-y things and some sort of step up and push ups. Those I remember. Not sure otherwise. It's gonna be great! :D Goal for the workout: Get Workout P's new moves down as quickly as possible so I can start rocking the weights. 

Workout #2 with Travis! :D

Travis' card again because I don't have a log. 

I worked out with Travis again on Saturday, though Patrick was at the gym or the first time after his back thing. (Calling it back surgery makes it sound so *structural* -- this was dermatological surgery on the small of his back.) It was super nice having him at the gym, though he finished a bit before Travis and I did.

Travis and I were working on legs mostly, so it was an almost entirely different selection of exercises than last time. Almost entirely. Once again I don't think I remember all of them, but I'll list what I do remember. 

• Battle Rope Jumping Jacks - 3 rounds of 20 seconds with 10 second rests -- SO HARD. Those are intense. I don't think I could possibly do 30:30 Intervals with those because I can barely do 20 seconds. I can tell when I'm getting tired with the battle ropes because the waves get irregular and ugly. :D 
• Battle Rope Sine Waves and Double Sine Waves - 3 rounds of 30 seconds not sure how long the breaks were but not long - I think Travis calls them Quick Waves. The double quick waves just have the hands moving in sync with one another rather than opposite. Once again -- ugly waves are a sign of tiredness. 
• Medicine Ball Wall Bounces -- 3 x not sure - I'm sure there's a real name for these. Basically it was a 12lb medicine ball and I'd squat down then stand and push it forward and up, bouncing it off the wall a couple of feet above my head, catching it on the way back down into the next squat. I think he had me going to a specific number rather than a time. Those were fun and would be a good combination or upper body power exercise, if I was sure I could find a medicine ball. 
• Squats with an Olympic Bar on my back (Squat Rack) - 2 x either 10 or 15 - Travis helped me stabilize the bar a bit which was a huge help (when he didn't there was a big wobble component) but also sometimes felt like I was having to pull against him to squat down. Which may have been part of the point. I like them while I was doing them, but that knob of bone at the top of my back/base of my neck has been sore (like bruised) ever since. Travis says he has a pad for the bar for the next time we do those. The Olympic Bar is 44 lbs, but held really up high (though more stably than with the Front Squats with two 20lb dumbbells I've been doing). 
• Squats with an Olympic Bar on my back (Smith Machine) - 2 x either 10 or 15 - Once again it was an empty Olympic Bar, so 44lbs. He didn't help stabilize this time, because the Smith Machine was doing that. It was a *lot* easier to do them in the Smith Machine than with the bar free. A lot. Though I still don't like the bruised feeling (though it doesn't have an actual visible bruise, I've had Patrick check like a million times). 
• Squat Pulses - 2 x 5 - We did these at the end of the sets of squats in the Smith machine. These are sort of partial squats -- squat down (with the weight) and bounce up just part way. He called those a "finisher" something to do a few of at the end of each set or a set of after a couple of regular sets of squats. They definitely about killed me. 
• Leg Curls on the Leg Curl Machine - 3 x 15 (I think) - This was on a cam machine with a stack of weight plates. Not free weights at all. This is not my favorite way to work out, because I feel like I'm doing more work overall if I have to stabilize the weights my own self, but I kind of liked these. These work the hamstrings, which I've been doing with Deadlifts and Hyperextensions and the Reverse Hip Raises, but they seem to work a different part of them -- lower down the back of my legs rather than my glutes and upper hamstrings. That's probably a good thing and I think I'll work these into my next phase workouts. 
• Hip A(b)(d)duction -- 2  x 15 - I can't remember whether it's abduction or adduction that moves the leg out rather than in, but that's the one we did. We did it on the cable machine with a webbing handle on the low pulley that I stuck my foot through. I can't remember the weight either, but it wasn't excessive. These were pretty good -- certainly I liked doing them standing rather than sitting in the cam machine. At some point, I'll probably work these into a phase, but not next time. 
• Leg Extensions on the Leg Extension Machine - 3 x 15 - We set the weight challengingly high for these -- though I had to lower it when I found out how many reps I was going to be doing. The rests were *really* short so my quads were still burning from the previous set when we started the next one. Ooof! So hard. 
• Lunge Pulses - 3 x OMG lots (maybe 5 or 10)! - These are so hard. They're like the Squat Pulses mentioned above only with lunges, so all the work is being done by one leg. I think these are the thing that still has my quads sore days later!! I'm adding them to my next phase, though I'm predicting now that I'm not going to love whichever workout they land up in. Just sayin'. Just body weight but that's totally bad enough. 
• Calf Raises (on a not-cam machine) - Sets of 10, one each with toes straight ahead, toes pointed out and toes pointed in and a second set of 15 with toes straight ahead - I don't know how to describe what kind of machine this is -- it's got a weight stack and is all lever arms rather than cams and cables like the leg extension machine. Anyway, it was not a lot of fun and I am *so* prone to massively blocky calves, I'm not sure that working my calf muscles to make them bigger is really in my interest. Though maybe it is. These are not going to go in the next phase, but may go in to a later one.

I think that was it (I might be missing one or two things) and once again we did all of that, plus some stretching at the end, in 45 minutes. Travis doesn't kid around. :D 

Once again it was an absolutely great time. I want to talk to him about how much it would cost for us to have one workout a week with him which we could either alternate or go together or whatever. I really do love the whole trainer experience. :D 

That was Saturday's workout. I still have Monday's to post about (behind again, consarn it)! And by Wednesday evening, I have to have something together for Workouts O and P as Phase 8 will begin with the walkthrough Wednesday evening. Or Thursday -- Patrick's stitches come out on Wednesday so it's going to depend a bit on how he's feeling and how late that runs.

Exciting stuff! 

Next workout is scheduled for Wednesday and the goal for the workout is to have one to do and to do a good walkthrough of Phase 8. 

Working Out With Travis!! :D

I didn't get a picture or make a log today, but
this is Travis's card. :D 

I had an amazingly awesome workout with Travis this morning. I sent him a lengthy email talking about what I've been doing and what I want to learn and he really took that ball and ran with it. 

The things I said I wanted to learn were:

1. More combination exercises that use multiple parts of my body and/or move my whole body around (including exercises that work on explosive power like Jump Squats) 
2. A new structure for workouts that would use those combination exercises OR a way to work those into the structure I've been using without feeling like I'm doubling up on any one body part too much in any one workout (for example, Step Up and Press as a whole body exercise with a shoulder press for my shoulders is a bit too much for any one workout)
3. More things to do for the Intervals of Insanity that will add variety -- I'd love to get some cardio moves to do on the BOSU or with sliders (which I have a pair of) because anything that improves my stability is a Good Thing.
4. It would be nice to be able to shave my routine down from 7 exercises (three sets of each) down to 6. Then I'd come closer to finishing about the same time Patrick does. 
5. Maybe my takeaway could be a structure (and some exercises) for workouts with All Combination Exercises and Lots of Movement. I could then alternate a month of that with a month of the structure I've been following. 

I don't have the full list of things we did (though Travis said he can get me one) but I know we did:

• Jumping Jacks with the Battle Ropes - 3 x 30 seconds with 30 second breaks -- Damn, those are intense! That is something like hard work! 
• Reverse lunges doing small sine waves with the battle ropes - 2 x 30 seconds with 30 second breaks - Those were a lot easier than the Jumping Jacks. But still really good stuff and a good combination exercise when I can play with the ropes. 
• Inchworms - 2 or 3 x 5 - Stand tall, bend over and put hands on ground, walk hands forward into push-up position, walk hands back to v-position, repeat until trainer says stop. Travis wanted me to do a push-up when I was in push-up position, but I can't do those off the ground (I tried and wound out flat on my face), so he made the sets longer. 



This is a BOSU -- you can use it flat side
or flat side down. Not my picture.

• BOSU Burpees - 3 x 10 (if I remember right) - I kind of love these. I have to admit that they're modified burpees. Instead of jumping up and then dropping down and doing a push up (see above about landing on my nose), I raised the BOSU over my head, then bent down, jumped my feet back (with my hands on the flat side of the BOSU), then jumped my feet forward again, and stood up, raising the BOSU over my head. 
• BOSU Squats - 3 x 5 (I think) - I stood on the flat side of the BOSU and did regular old bodyweight squats. Another super-intense exercise but kind of awesome!! I'll *definitely* be doing those again. I think intensifying those will be flipping the BOSU over and doing them on the round side. 
• Plank-Jacks (I think I've seen them called this) using Sliders - I went until Travis said stop and they were really hard, I have no idea how many I did - Basically these start in push-up position with the toes on the sliders then you move your legs out to the sides and back in. I actually didn't quite go until Travis said stop because the last set I started doing Mountain Climbers because I was dying doing the Plank-Jacks.
• Slider Reverse Inchworms (that's not what Travis called them but it is a description) - I don't know how many I did of these either - Like the inchworms above, but with feet on sliders -- so bend down with hands on floor and toes on sliders then slide the feet back and forward again. I think these and the plank-jacks were the ones that had me completely winded.
• Russian Twists (two sets with an additional thing) - 3 x 10 (I think) - I was using a light kettlebell and twisting so that it tapped on the ground on each side. One of the sets I raised it up in the air (skytouches, Travis called that) after touching one side then the other. 
• Kettlebell swings - 2 or 3 x 20 seconds with a 10 second break between sets - Very light weight but still lots of fun. :D 
• Windshield Wipers (that's what Travis called them) - I have no idea, so hard and I stopped when Travis said stop - Lean back and extend legs into the air (v-shape), then move the legs from one side to the other. 
• Jackknifes -- Lean back and have the legs up a bit, then bring the knees to the chest and extend the legs out again, tapping the heels on the ground. So hard. 
• Plank with a weight on my back - 2 x 10 seconds - I'm pretty sure the weight he put on me was a 5lb kettlebell because it wasn't brutal but it did intensify the plank! 
• Deadlift Snatches and Squat Snatches - 1 set of 10 (I think) of each - We went into the weight room and I used an empty Olympic weight bar (so 44 lbs). Those were fun and a great combination exercise. I'll definitely be doing those again as well. 

I don't actually think that's everything we did and we did all of that in 45 minutes or so -- so the breaks between sets were short and the work was intense. 

I loved it!! 

I loved working with a trainer in general because I didn't really have to think about anything or plan anything. All I had to do was go until Travis said stop (or until I just couldn't go any more, which did happen with the Plank-Jacks and he said I could do mountain climbers instead) and then do the next exercise he had lined up for me. It let me just focus on what I was doing and get into a really nice zone with it. 

We hadn't really planned on keeping on with Travis on a monthly plan, but I'm really tempted to see if we can do one session a week with Travis and maybe trade off who's going to be working with him because that was So Much Fun!! 

Workout M#4: Got behind again. But had a wonderful workout!

M#4 was as much fun as I've come to expect from this workout,
though I didn't have time, or attention, or something for Insanities.

Workout M #4 was last Wednesday, which was a bit of a cluster-mess of a day -- Patrick couldn't go to work because of the Washington Metro shutdown and that just threw everything into a hat and it hasn't quite recovered. But we did make it to the gym and we did both have a good workout. Patrick finished at almost exactly the same time as I was finishing my main strength workout, and I wasn't sure what I could find space to do (and wanted to do) for the Intervals of Insanity. And I just kind of didn't have the will. 

The workout itself was great though, as Workout M is. 

(And then the rest of the week was a bit of a mess as well, so I didn't have time to post about it and now I'm behind on posting again. Poop!)

Anyway, last Wednesday's workout was: 

• Bridge Slides - 3 x 30 seconds - I decided to go for a time on these rather than a number because the number was kind of too easy. I can do way more than 15 in 30 seconds and it feels a lot harder. It was made even harder for the first set by the fact that I missed the signal from the timer on my phone when 30 second was up and went for 50 seconds before I checked the time. My hamstrings and glutes were WAY tired after that. I'm just saying. :D The second and third sets I was more attentive to the timer and stuck with 30 seconds. 
• Kettlebell Swings - 3 x 30 seconds - For both these and the Bridge Slides, I'm doing them like I do the Intervals of Insanity (30 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds of rest). So it gets pretty intense. The 25 lb kettlebell was available, so I was able to use the weight I wanted and really work it hard. Of course, that's sort of a hams/glutes exercise as well so it was a lot of a lot by the time I was done with those and the Bridge Slides. 
• Step Up and One Arm Press - 3 x 15 - I did them on the stairs again because the step boxes were in use and I didn't feel like wrangling the wooden plyo box (I think that's what they're called) from the Serious Weight Room. (Also it's higher and higher is supposed to be rougher on the knees. I don't want to press my gravelly knees too hard too fast, so I want to work up to that, I think.) I used a 20 lb dumbbell for the first set, which was awfully hard in the pressing part. So I went for a 15 for the second 2 sets. I think I  may do that again next time. 
• Alternating sets of: 
• Swiss Ball Reverse Hip Raise - 3 x 15 - These don't seem that *hard* but boy do they get me exhausted and sweaty. Maybe it's something in the movement itself. Or having to balance myself on the ball. I don't know but this exercise rocks as far as making me work hard, get sweaty and breathe hard. I'm still not ready to move on from 15 rep sets. This is one where faster isn't really going to ramp it up, exactly, when I'm ready to make it harder. Slower might -- because controlling the slow descent and not just letting gravity do the work would have my legs working more. 
• Swiss Ball Chest Press - 3 x 15 - I used a pair of 15lb dumbbells for this, just like I did the time before. They are still the right amount of weight for me on this exercise, which is cool, because it really is terribly convenient to have the same weight for everything. (Or most of it). These are also really sweaty and quite a lot like work. I love them. 
• Alternating sets of: 
• Lunge & Rotation - 3 x 15 - I went up from a 10lb dumbbell to a 15lb dumbbell held up under my chin for these and that felt about right. The second and third sets I did alternating sides (rather than doing all the reps on one side then switching to the other). It's a lot more exhausting that way, though I can't say I understand why. (Except that part of the reason, I'm sure is that I seems to fairly often lose count and when that happens I go back to the last number I'm certain of and start counting again. So it's not unusual for sets to have way more than the required reps. 
• Neutral Grip Row - 3 x 5 - Once again, I stuck with the pair of  15 lb dumbbells here -- that may be a little light, but the convenience of using only one weight all the way through is kind of awesome. And the Lunges are so much work that something a little light for a change doesn't totally hurt my feelings. 

I was going to post about Workout N #4 in this post as well, but apparently didn't take a picture of the page from my workout log. So that will have to wait. I'll give you a little hint though -- it was a great workout and I had So Much Fun doing Insanities.

Now, for what can best be described as Reasons, I need to work on an email to Travis the trainer about what I want to work on with him. Patrick still needs one more session (on legs) with him, but because of the aforementioned Reasons, he's not going to be able to do it for a little bit. So I'm getting my session(s) next. Which is totally cool. I'm hoping to learn a new *structure* for a month's worth of workouts (though I really don't want to have a "chest" day and an "arms" day and a "legs" day, because that just makes for more muscle soreness, it seems). I'm also hoping to learn some new things I can do for Insanities so I can mix that up more. And I want to figure out how to better incorporate some whole-body and power exercises -- maybe in a way that I can still work everything out just as much but shave one or two exercises off my routine so I'm not going so much longer than Patrick most times. (This workout, I was very pleased because I was finishing my strength workout at the same time he was wrapping up his elliptical workout -- but if I'd been going to do Insanities, I would still have had 10 more minutes of Insanities, plus some cool-down stretches to go.) I may share the email here if it winds out okay.

Next post is going to be about Saturday's Workout N#4. I hope to do that tomorrow! Next workout is M#5 tonight. Goal for the workout -- work hard and do a lot of Insanities!! 

Workout M#3: Whee! That is all.

I had a fantastic workout on Saturday!! And I finished about the same
time Patrick and Travis did! :D

Patrick was working out with Travis on Saturday (doing chest and back stuff) while I was doing my workout. I am very pleased because we finished at about the same time -- even with me doing 10 minutes of Insanities at the end of the workout. I loved that! I also love seeing him around in the weights part of the gym (rather than not seeing him when he's upstairs in the cardio room). That makes me happy.

Patrick's appointment with Travis was at 10 am, so we went a couple of hours after an early breakfast. The timing worked out pretty well --we weren't even particularly hungry when we finished, so we went home to shower before lunch. (A lot of times we're absolutely *ravenous* when we're walking out of the gym.)

Workout M continues to be great, great fun, but also pretty exhausting. Which is part of the fun. :D

Saturday's workout was:

• Bridge Slides - 3 x 15 - Fifteen is still the correct number of these, though I'm thinking I'll eventually want to raise the number. They're definitely work on my hamstrings and glutes (keeping my hips up) and also my core (because keeping my core firm keeps strain off my lower back). 
• Kettlebell Swing - 3 x 30 seconds - I was going to use a 25lb kettlebell this time (like I did last time) but it had gone walkies, so I went with 20 and tried to swing faster. Though it's a pretty big movement so there's a limit to how fast it can possibly go. Still tons of fun with these and that's no joke! 
• Step Up and Press - 3 x 15 - Once again there wasn't a step box available -- or at least not the one I'm used to. There is a wooden box in the heavy duty weight room and I could totally use that (and need to remember to do so). Anyway, I just used the actual stairs and that worked fine. I did get confused about what I was doing and have to check my instructions -- I started pressing with *both* arms while stepping with one leg. Which would have resulted in 30 shoulder presses on each shoulder (with a pair of 15lb dumbbells). Reviewing my instructions showed me that it's a one-hand gig  -- the hand opposite the one I'm stepping with does the pressing. That's a lot more reasonable -- 30 presses on each shoulder per set would likely have been impossible. Or at least put a severe hurtin' on my shoulders.
• Alternating sets of: 
• Swiss Ball Reverse Hip Raise - 3 x 15 - For no weights being involved, these are a surprising lot of work. They also have to be done kind of carefully so they don't strain my lower back (by arching it too much). But I can definitely tell they're working the part of the body I want worked, so no complaints. 
• Swiss Ball Chest Press - 3 x 15 - These continue to be fun. And for 15 reps, a pair of 15lb dumbbells continues to be the right weight. By the end of the set they're getting hard, but my form doesn't fall apart or anything. Which is pretty close to perfect. 
• Alternating sets of: 
• Dumbbell Lunge and Rotation - 3 x 15 - I might try raising the weight on these next time. I used a 10lb dumbbell held up close to my chin, which isn't very much. I think it's supposed to add some resistance to the rotation portion of the program, because the lunge portion of the program gets plenty of resistance from my body weight. I might experiment with a 15lb weight next time and see how it goes. It might pull me off balance, now I think about it. 
• Neutral Grip Dumbbell Row - 3 x 15 - A pair of 15lb dumbbells was pretty much the right weight for these again on Saturday, though it'd be nice to go up to 17.5lbs. Unfortunately, this gym doesn't have those and I'm pretty sure I'm not ready to do 20lbs in good form. Also it's mighty convenient to use the same 15lb dumbbells for basically everything this workout. :D 
• Cardio Intervals - 10 x 30:30 Intervals of Insanity (Kettlebell Swings) - I wasn't really planning to do kettlebell swings for my Insanities, as I'd already done them as part of my workout, however, as mentioned above, the step box was missing, so I couldn't do step ups and the kettlebells were right there. (Yes, I know I'd already done Step Ups as part of my workout as well, but I do them so differently for Insanities that they seem totally different.) I used a 15lb kettlebell and really focused on going for speed. Which worked. By the end I was completely blown, which was cool. 

It was a great workout and great fun. And, as I said, I loved having Patrick around -- in and out of the area where I was working. That made me happy. 

Patrick's getting another session with Travis the trainer -- maybe on Wednesday evening (as Travis is taking this weekend off) -- to work on leg exercises. Then he'll be able to put together a couple of good workouts from things he learned. After that -- maybe Thursday or Friday -- I'll get together my thoughts for Travis about what I want to learn. I'll probably post them here before I email them to him, just to get my thoughts together. I've already warned him that I can (and have) write 5 pages on my grocery list, so it might be a long email. But I'll try to stay focused. 

Our next workout is scheduled for tonight (Monday). My goal for the workout is to try and finish about when Patrick does at least the main workout if not the Insanities. 

Workout M#2: Caught up! Also GREAT workout!

What an amazing workout this was! Fun, hard, sweaty! Great stuff!

Workout M really is pretty much a ball! Literally, as I do a pair of exercises (alternating sets) on a Swiss Ball. Also figuratively -- there's some kettlebell swinging and stuff with the sliders and so on.

I'm trying to take shorter breaks between sets to sort of compensate time-wise for more reps per set, so I don't take hugely longer than Patrick does. One of the effects of this is that I'm getting more of an aerobic workout while also getting the strength workout. I love it! Especially when I then end with Intervals of Insanity, so I completely push the aerobic thing over the top. :D

Workout M#2 was on Monday. Patrick was upstairs on the elliptical -- all he has from the trainer right now is some arm and upper body exercises so it's not really enough for him to do strength training. He'll work with Travis on chest and back (I think) on Saturday and legs the Saturday after that.

Then I'll get my session or two with him. That gives me lots of time to finish Phase 7 and to email Travis so he knows what I'm hoping to get out of working with him. Of course, emailing him means I need to figure out what I want.

Anyway, that's for the future! Exciting!

For now...Monday's workout was:

• Bridge Slides -- 3 x 15 -- These are definitely both a glute/hamstring and a core thing, though I'm not sure I really love them. They don't seem to be as *strenuous* as other core things I do and have done. I don't mind the idea of taking a month where I'm hitting my core a little less hard. I just need to remember that next month I want to do more. 
• Kettlebell Swings -- 3 x 30 seconds -- I'm doing these like Intervals of Insanity, 30 seconds of work with a 30 second rest between. I did raise the weight from 20 to 25 lbs after the first set. 20lbs was just not enough to really make me feel like I was working hard. Still love these! :D
• Single Arm Step Up and Press -- 3 x 15 -- I used a 15lb weight for these. The step boxes that were available were shorter than my preference (two steps rather than three), so I did a sprinter-type knee raise as well, to keep them tough. I'll try to remember to bring down an extra level for  the step box before I get started tonight as I'll be doing Step Ups again. 
• Alternating sets of: 
• Swiss Ball Reverse Hip Raises -- 3 x 15 -- Because these involve stabilizing myself with my hands on the ground while I'm raising my legs, they actually do a bit of work on my chest and shoulders (which is not a bad thing) as well as my core (to stay stable on the ball) and my glutes/hamstrings. It's all pretty cool, actually. :D I'm still not sure how I'm going to ramp these up when the time comes. 
• Swiss Ball Chest Press -- 3 x 15 -- The pair of 15lb dumbbells really is a great weight for these at this number of reps. Particularly after the step up and press works my shoulders and the Reverse Hip Raises activate my chest while I'm staying steady. This exercise is pretty much a blast. I need to remember to switch to something else at some point. I can't keep doing these forever.  
• Alternating sets of:
• Dumbbell Lunge and Rotation -- 3 x 15 -- I used a 15lb weight, held up high under my chin, for these this time. I'm pretty sure that was me going up from M#1. The weight really isn't a huge part of these at this juncture -- 15 lbs is a pretty trivial contribution to my entire body weight which I'm moving around. For some reason, unlike other lunges, these really throw my balance off and I wind out all wobbly and stuff. Which can only get better as I do them, so no complaints. 
• Neutral Grip Dumbbell Row -- 3 x 15 -- I used a pair of 15lb weights for these, which had that sort of heavenly choir singing feeling that goes with using the right weight. I love that feeling. I think that's part of what contributed to this being such an exhilarating and awesome workout. 
• Cardio Intervals -- 10 x 30:30 Intervals of Insanity -- As has been my way lately, I did step ups for these. As noted above, the step was lower than usual, which probably pulled the teeth of the exercises done for strength building. I don't think it's so bad for the Insanities though, because with the step lower means I can go faster with the stepping, Which is good. And with the lower box, I was able to  add a lateral stepping component to it (so I did an interval leading with my right leg, one leading with the left, two going side to side (which doesn't have the lead leg effect), repeat that grouping once, then finish with another right and left lead to make 10. It worked out great! 

So that was my awesome workout on Monday. A big blast of fun and a hugely awesome workout. Loved it!! 

I'm really looking forward to N#2 this evening -- I get to do Coordination Rows again. I'm looking at some other options for Insanities as well -- including maybe swinging a lighter kettlebell (like 15 lbs) for 30:30 intervals, doing something on the sliders that would be more of a whole-body move, and maybe getting a jump rope. I also keep hoping that the playground room will be free so I can do my Insanities alternating between the battle ropes and flipping a tire, but there's usually a class in there on the evenings. (Thinking of it, that's something to have on the list to get from Travis -- more Insanity options so I can mix that up!) Goal for the workout is to keep moving -- short set breaks and no sitting -- so I keep up the aerobic work throughout. 

Workout M #1: Phase 7 begins

New Phase, new workout log book! It's a little larger and
a little better made. I'm pleased! 

I started Phase 7 on Monday with my walkthrough -- one set of each exercise in both workouts so I know my starting weights and work through some of the "What am I DOING?" issues. I'm going for a lower-weight-higher-reps phase this time -- doing 15 reps per set as opposed to the 12 I was doing in Phase 6. .

(This was perhaps a bit of a bad decision, because I'd been very excited that I was finishing about the same time Patrick was and getting to do Intervals of Insanity (cardio intervals). If I take longer (which more reps inevitably will), it'll be harder for me to do Insanities without making him wait. 

Phase 7 may wind out getting shortened (though I doubt it) -- Patrick and I signed up for 5 sessions with Travis (one of the trainers at our gym). Patrick is getting the first two sessions so he can work with Travis on a program with weights that he can do. Patrick has been All Cardio All The Time for a couple of months and I'm glad he's going to be getting some resistance exercise.

The third and fourth sessions with Travis, I'll get so he and I can figure out a new structure for my workouts -- I've been changing workouts approximately monthly for approximately six months but the structure has been the same. Both of the workouts start with: Core (either stable or dynamic), Power (one workout works upper body power the other lower body power), Combination (something that moves multiple muscle groups). After that one does:  Hamstrings/Glutes (both legs at once), Chest, Quads (one leg at a time), and Upper Back. The other workout does: Quads (both legs at once), Lats, Hams/Glutes (one leg at a time), Shoulders. I've been mixing up what slots into those slots, but not changing the basic structure.

I want to get a new structure from Travis. Or a new basic *theory*. Even if I alternated -- one phase following this structure and one phase doing something completely different that seems like it would be good, right? I'm going to send Travis an email about a week before he and I start working together.

Anyway, since the next month is going to be spent working with him, and will start with Patrick working with him, I decided to go ahead and do Phase 7, even if I cut it short.

(For completeness: The fifth session will either be for Patrick and I to have a workout together with Travis OR if one of us needs more time with him it can go to that person.)

Anyway, Wednesday was Workout M #1 and it was a heap of fun! Workout M has some of the elements that made Workout K so much fun (Kettlebell Swings and Swiss Ball Chest Presses), so I think I'm going to really enjoy it.

Workout M #1 was:

• Bridge Slide - 3 x 15 - (You can see a photo and a description of this here.) Hip Bridges (also known as Hip Raises) are an exercise I've done as a glutes/hamstrings exercise. With the addition of putting my feet on sliders and extending my legs, alternately, I'm doing them now as a dynamic stability thing for working my core by staying still in the face of moving parts. They're pretty effective for that. Also a good glutes and hams exercise, though I do more of that later in the workout as well. 
• Kettlebell Swing - 3 x 30 - (You can see a video of someone doing these here, except I'm not doing them one-handed.) I'm using a 20lb kettlebell and I do them with both hands, facing a blank wall with an emergency exit door (rather than the mirrors that are on most of the walls) -- that way I've got extra grip on the kettlebell and if it does fly out of my grip it won't hurt anyone or anything. I was doing 2 sets of 10 last Phase, now I'm doing 3 sets of 30 seconds with a 30 second rest in between. These are an absolute blast -- it's all "Wheeee!!" as the weight is flying around. On days when I'm not doing them as part of my workout, I might do them as part of my Intervals of Insanity because they're That Much Fun! 
• Single Arm Step Up and Press - 3 x 15 - (You can't really see a video of someone doing this here, though you can see a video of someone doing the single-arm shoulder press part. Just imagine that he's stepping up onto a step with the leg opposite the arm with the weight.) I'm doing these as a combination or whole-body exercise and they're pretty effective for that. Not especially fun, but I've been neglecting my shoulders a bit and it's good to get back to them. I'm using a 15lb dumbbell for them right now. I'm not sure when that will go up -- I don't have strong shoulders and I don't want to hurt them. 
• Alternating sets of: 
• Swiss Ball Reverse Hyperextension (Reverse Hip Raise) - 3 x 15 - (You can see a video of something along the lines here only I'm doing them on a Swiss/Stability Ball instead of a weight machine.) These were awkward like *crazy* at first -- I couldn't figure out how to get my belly on the Swiss ball so that I was doing anything at all with the reverse hyperextensions. Once I figured out that the ball needed to be under my hips, and I was stabilizing myself with my arms, they worked fine. No weight (and I can't quite see how adding weight will be possible, though maybe I can hold a dumbbell between my feet or something. My guess is that ramping these up is going to be a matter of increasing reps. 
• Swiss Ball Chest Press - 3 x 15 - Swiss Ball Chest Press - 3 x 12 - (You can see a video of someone doing these here.) Basically, these are like dumbbell bench presses only instead of a bench the upper body is on a Swiss (stability) ball. They're actually kind of great -- though they're pretty tricky. I like these a lot and it seems like it's going to be fun doing two Swiss Ball exercises alternating. I used a pair of 15lb dumbbells for them and that's a good weight at this number of reps. In the previous phase, doing 12 reps, I'd gotten up to 20lb dumbbells, and I'll probably be back there soon. 
• Alternating sets of: 
• Dumbbell Lunge and Rotation - 3 x 15 - (You can see how to do this here. It's not really a video, but you can move the slider along under the picture and he'll move.) I'm working on some extra rotational movements this phase  and this is one of the ones I'm dong for this. I'm hoping to get my obliques and sort of twisty muscles in on the getting healthier party. Also they're kind of more fun than regular lunges. :D I used a 10 lb weight for this, because I'm not sure how I'm going to do with the front/high weight with the lunges. I'll probably be going up almost immediately though. 
• Neutral Grip Dumbbell Row - 3 x 15 - (You can see a video of someone doing these here.) I'm using a pair of 15lb dumbbells for these, which seems about right for 15 rep sets at this juncture. We'll see how quickly I go up with these. I haven't done rows in a while and when I was I wasn't using a neutral grip palms in toward each other like the dude in the video). I actually like these better than the palms back rows I was doing. 
• Cardio Intervals --- Alas, though I have been getting right back in the habit of doing Intervals of Insanity, I couldn't do any last Wednesday, as we didn't get to the gym until nigh on 7pm and didn't want to be there until forever. So I skipped the Insanities. 

Finishing the post several days later: Coming up soon -- a post on Workout N #1, which I did on Saturday while Patrick was working with Travis. Workout N is going to be good too, but it doesn't have Kettlebell Swings or anything on the Swiss Ball, so it's not nearly as much fun. :D 

Tonight's workout will be Workout M #2 and I'm quite looking forward to it. 

I've missed a bunch of posts...

Weight Rack at the Sport Fit (our new gym which we love). This is not my photo, it's
from their website. 

I've missed a million posts (seriously, like 13 of them -- 11 workouts in Phase 6 plus two special workouts with the trainer) but we only missed two workouts since the last time I posted. On January 31. Oops.

(The two missed workouts were when we were spending a weekend in Williamsburg with my parents. I'd actually packed some gear to do bodyweight workouts while I was there, but I'd strained my lower back/hip area a couple of days before I went and I didn't want to do unfamiliar moves that were going to risk hurting it work.)

Obviously I'm not going to go through each and every workout I've missed posting about. That would be nuts. And boring both to write and to read. I'm going to talk about the two workouts we did with the trainer, Travis, because those were pretty awesome. I'll also talk about Workout L, because I haven't gone into any detail on that because of getting so far behind I couldn't even imagine catching up.

The two sessions with Travis were great -- we got together with him at a time on Saturday mornings when the "Functional Fitness" room at the gym was free. They call it "functional fitness", I think of it as the "playground". It has battle ropes (you can see a video of someone playing with them here), tires for flipping (you can see a video of that here), and a TRX suspension system (you can see a lot of exercises you can do with a TRX system here). Along with Swiss (stability) balls, steps, weight bars (like a weighty metal pole) and other fun stuff. Travis did a great job of giving us both a great workout that was a ton of fun. He was able to kind of divide his attention between the two of us without either of us feeling slighted.

The playground room. Photo from Travis Smith's
facebook, so I presume (c) him. 

I do love the playground room, but most of the time when we're there it's in use. Which is a pity because I would *totally* make the battle ropes and tire flipping part of my workouts. Or do them as cardio things for Intervals of Insanity.

We just signed up for five more sessions with Travis (hooray the tax refund) -- Patrick is going to get two by himself to figure out a couple of weight routines he can alternate. He hasn't been lifting for a couple of months and it would be good for him to get back to it.

I'm going to get a couple of sessions by myself as well. I've been using basically the same structure for my workouts, just slotting different exercises into the parts of the structure since July and would like to maybe figure out a new structure. Or get some new ideas about what to fit into it.

The fifth session we'll probably do together (hopefully in the playground). On the other hand, if one or the other of us needs another session to feel good about going forward with the workouts we're developing with him, then it can be used for that.

I really wish we could work with Travis in a more ongoing way -- he's a very good guy, young and a good trainer. It's pretty clear from his interactions with some of the other people at the gym that he got fit at our gym working with one of the other trainers there. He's got before and after pictures on a poster at the gym and it's impressive the transformation he made in himself. You can see his Facebook here.

Okay, so now, Workout L.

Workout L is definitely less fun than Workout K. Workout K is *awesome* -- just a whole lot of whee and fun and working hard but having an awesome time. Workout L is more of a grind. There are a couple of exercises I don't much like -- I'm not sure I felt like I was getting anything out of them. But I did them diligently. But I probably won't be doing them again.

Workout L was (at least Workout L #6 was, some of them the numbers of reps went up and, as is usual, the weights went up as I went along):

• Swiss Ball Mountain Climbers - 3 x 12 - (You can see a video of this here.) This is one of the ones I wasn't sure how much I was getting out of or that I was doing right. Except that I got better and faster at them and my stability on the stability ball improved immensely. So maybe I got more out of them than I was thinking. 
• Explosive Push Ups - 2 x 8 - These are pretty standard so no video. When I did  these a while ago I was doing them off a bar that was hip high or a little higher. I was doing them this time off a weight bench, which made it a lot harder. They didn't feel as good or productive when I was doing them from the higher bar, which is probably more about me. They were really hard. 
• Dumbbell Deadlift and Row - 3 x 12 - (You can see a video of this here.) I finished doing these with 25 lb weights for the first set and 20 lb weights for the second and third sets. Oddly, I could do these at higher weights than the straight dumbbell rows. I think the reason is that my upper back gets a bit of a break because of the deadlift part of the lift and with that bit of a spell, I could do a few pounds more. 
• Alternating sets of: 
• Sumo Squats - 3 x 12 - (You can see a video of these here.) I finished these with a 60 lb weight. I like these pretty well. They work different muscles than regular squats and work well. The biggest problem is carrying the large weight back and forth to the assisted chin up machine. 60 lbs is heavier than I can carry in one hand. 
• Assisted Chin Ups and Scapular Retraction - 3 x 12 of the assisted chinups and 2 x 12 of the Scapular Retraction - I'm still doing these on the Assisted Chin Up machine. (You can see a video of how to use the machine for assisted chin ups here. Ignore the first half where he's showing how to use it for dips -- I'm not doing those.) The scapular retractions I do after the end of the first two sets of Chin Ups. (You can sort of see a video here, though I'm doing them a little bit differently -- I'm doing 2 sets of 12 repetitions and holding each rep for a brief pause.) These are really hard - my grip and forearms are tired after about eight or 10 of them. 
• Alternating sets of:
• Sprinter Step Ups - 3 x 12 - (You can see a video of someone doing this here, though I'm not doing them exactly the same.) Basically these are the same as a regular step up, only you raise the knee of the leg that's not bearing weight as high as you can  with each step. I used 20 lb weights for these most of the way through because most of the weight and work is from my body weight anyway. 
• Cable External Rotation - 3 x 12 - (You can see a video of someone doing this here.) This is one of the ones that I added as part of working on my posture, but I really don't feel like I'm getting much out of it. I definitely won't be doing these any more. 
• Cardio Intervals -- I stopped doing the 10 minutes of cardio to warm up so I could have the time for Intervals of Insanity at the end (I don't mind taking 4 or 5 minutes more than Patrick, but I don't want to keep him waiting for 15 minutes). I missed a couple of days of Insanities, but for the most part I did 8 - 10 minutes of 30:30 intervals on the step box. (That's with both Workout K and Workout L. 

Like I said, Workout L just wasn't anything like as much fun as K -- K had kettlebell swings (whee!) and bench presses on the Swiss Ball and it was just a ton of fun. :D

I did Workout L #6 on Saturday, so Phase 6 is done. Now it's time for figuring out Workouts M and N. It's going to be 4 weeks before I've finished my two sessions with with Travis, so I'll be able to do Phase 7 while he's working with Patrick and while he and I are working out my next plan. I might wind out cutting it a bit short, but that will be okay.

Workout I #6: A Good Workout, Changing Gyms, and Looking Forward (Workout 67)

Another excellent workout at the Sport Fit. 

Last weekend was one with some big changes for us -- we officially cancelled our membership at Planet Fitness (we hope, we'll keep an eye out to make sure we don't get charged) and started a membership at the Sport Fit. We'd been planning to check out the third gym in town (L.A. Fitness) but ultimately decided that we just liked the Sport Fit so very very much that we couldn't imagine it being better.

Among the perks at the Sport Fit (or perhaps it's better called a signing bonus), is a free fitness evaluation and two free sessions with one of the trainers that works there. (They appear to be independent contractors.) For *each* of us, which is awesome. This seems as though it's going to be really personal, personal training, which I'm totally excited about. We have our first session with Travis the Trainer on January 30. 

The reason we're waiting so long is many-faceted. 1) Patrick has a cold, so we wanted to give time for him to recover and for me to recover from the cold we're convinced I'll inevitably get. 2) On January 23rd (Saturday week), we're celebrating my one year Fit-i-versary by going to a climbing gym (or climbing playground) in town and then meeting up with some friends at a local brewery. 3) On January 17, (this coming Saturday) we're getting a free session at Sport Fit with their racquetball pro. 

Apparently, the big draw at the Sport Fit is their racquetball courts (which is why the weight rooms are typically not terribly crowded). We've seen some folks playing every time we've been there and they look like they're having a great time. The sport just looks like a blast, entirely apart from the rules and scoring and so on. So we're getting an intro to the sport from someone who is, apparently, excellent at teaching newbies and instilling a love of the game. That sounds like a ton of fun. 

Anyway, I'm head of myself -- Saturday's workout was good but left me kind of hurty, especially with some neck strain. Which has been a bit of a problem and a bit worrisome. More on that below the workout...

Saturday's workout was: 

• Plank with Reduced Base of Support - 3 x 54 seconds, or at least that was the plan - I did the first and last sets with one arm raised and the middle set with one leg raised. Holding a leg up is, oddly, easier than holding up an arm. I forgot to keep my phone with me, so I'd have a timer available, so I was using the big clock-with-a-second-hand ont he wall. I think this is when I hurt my neck, oddly, because I had to crane around to see the clock while I was holding this position. Very annoying.
• Coordination Rows (Single-Leg, Single-Arm, Cable Rows) - 3 x 10 - I was absolutely perfect for the first set, very wobbly for the second set, and then close to perfect for the second set. That's as far as standing on one leg goes. I'm still doing 20 lbs for these. If I stick with these in Phase 6 (which is coming up soon, more on this below), I'll be raising the weight, I think. 
• Dumbbell Jump Squats - 3 x 8 - I was reluctant to raise the weight on these (from a pair of 30lb dumbbells to a pair of 35lbs) because the heavier weight places a great strain on my shoulders when I land. This may also have contributed to my upper back strain that I've been dealing with since this workout. 
• Alternating sets of: 
• Offset Lunges - 3 x 8 - I used a 25lb weight again.. I was able to do these with the 25lb weight moving fast, which is my usual first line of increasing intensity. As this was my last time with this workout (probably), I didn't really feel like raising the weight and risking hurting my quad, so I just rocked the 25lb weight and it was good.
• Assisted Chinups and Scapular Retraction -  3 x 8 for both - I did my best to set the weights so that I was actually lifting about 95 lbs (in the vicinity anyway) based on what I'd weighed in the morning when I woke up. That's a bit of an increase over what I've been lifting, I believe, which is cool. I'm not sure I really love the grips on the assisted chinup machine -- I feel like this is working my triceps more and my back less than I really want, but I have been getting stronger so it's okay I guess. I almost feel like I get more of the kind of work I want on my back from the scapular retractions, which I'm also getting stronger at.
• Alternating sets of:
• Back Extensions - 3 x 8 - I was able to go back to the "right" order for these, which was nice. I used a 30lb dumbbell, because I couldn't find a 30lb kettlebell, which might have been a tad easier to wrangle, and that worked just fine. I was a little concerned earlier in the workout that I'd have to figure out an alternate for these on the fly because there was a group working out in the room with the back extension station. As it turned out, they were done before I got in there and it all flowed just seamlessly. Woot! 
• Diagonal Raises - 3 x 8 - These went just fine and despite the upper back strain I didn't have any problems with a 10lb weight. Which was nice. It's possible that I could go up to 12 lbs, but there isn't one in that part of the gym and I didn't feel like going on a quest. 
• Cardio - No Insanities on Saturday, because our day was plenty insane without me spending an extra ten minutes working out. I did do 10 minutes on the treadmill for 165 calories. 

I have one more workout in Phase 5 -- that'll be J#6. It would have been scheduled for Monday, January 11, but I took that evening off because of my stiff back and the crick I'd had in my neck. I just though a little break would be a good idea. Especially as Patrick took the evening off yesterday for his own reasons.

I'm at the point of working out my workouts for Phase 6, but there is a wrinkle. We're meeting with the trainer on January 30  and I'm not sure I want to get to attached to my Phase 6 workouts before I get his professional expertise. Right? We get an evaluation (presumably on January 30) and two free sessions with him.

By my count I have five more workouts between now and seeing Travis the Trainer, one of which I know will be J#6. Our up-coming workout schedule is:
Wednesday, January 13 -- Workout J#6
Saturday, January 16 -- Raquetball with the Pro
Monday, January 18
Wednesday, January 20
Saturday, January 23 -- Climbing at Climb Zone to celebrate my Fit-i-versary
Monday, January 25
Wednesday, January 27
Saturday, January 30 -- Travis the Trainer, first session

I think I'll come up with a couple of Inter-phase workouts to alternate until I have something to take away from working with Travis. I need to work on that before next Monday. I know I want to work in some of the exercises I identified a couple of weeks ago when looking at exercises to improve posture. Those are: seated cable row, back fly with band, shoulder external rotation, rear-delt row. I need to look those up. I also want possibly make use of some of the new options available unto me at the Sport Fit -- stability balls! BOSU! Valslides! TRX Suspension system! Woot!

Next workout is scheduled for Wednesday and it will be my last workout in Phase 6. I'm excited. These heavy phases are kind of difficult and leave me feeling sore and creaky. I don't know if that's a weight thing or a technique thing or what. I do definitely push myself to lift heavier during them. Goal for the workout -- finish strong and be ready to move into new and exciting things in the new gym. :D