Oh look - a workout! I was so busy this morning afterwards. I barely got my protein shake and we went out for a swim. Then lunch had to be made and it almost slipped my mind!

I started off with 3 mins cardio (walking/jogging on the spot), the prescribed warm-ups, and then did:

Power Training - Strength Training (weeks 1-3)
Workout A4 (7 of 10)

1: Clean Pull - 85t/5, 85t/5, 85t/5, 90t/5
2: Clean-grip Deadlift - 105t/6, 105t/6, 105t/6, 110t/6
3: Single-leg Romanian Deadlift - 55t/6, 55t/6, 55t/6, 55t/6
4: Push-ups - 6, 6, 6, 6
5: Bent-over Dumbbell Alternating Row - 35e/6, 35e/6, 35e/6, 37.5e/6
6: Shoulder Press - 70t/6, 70t/6, 70t/6, 75t/5-3/4
7: Pullovers, alternating - 25e/6, 25e/6, 25e/6, 25e/6
8: Seated Russian Twist - 25t/10, 25t/10, 25t/10, 25t/10
9: Four-point Plank - 30sec, 30sec, 45sec, 45sec

Total time: 70 mins
HR monitor: 384 cals, Max: 147(83%), Avg: 114 (64%)

Still struggling a lot with the single-leg romanian deadlift. I feel very off-balance when doing it, so I’m still not raising the weight. I also don’t know why I just can’t get that last shoulder press up. It’s not really a weight issue as last time it was the 70 lbs I couldn’t get up. I’m beginning to think that it’s a mental block. It was a pretty decent workout overall though. Felt pretty strong. Actually was tempted to go higher on the deadlift but reminding myself that it was early in the workout and the rest of the workout had to be done.

So, next weights workout will be Wednesday. I’ll be doing only two days a week for the next two weeks.

So I started off with 3 mins cardio (walking/jogging on the spot), the prescribed warm-ups, and then did:

Power Training - Strength Training (weeks 1-3)
Workout B3 (6 of 10)

1: One-arm Dumbbell Snatch - 42t/5, 42t/5, 42t/5, 45t/5
2: Single-leg Bench Get-up - 6, 6, 6, 6
3: Supine Hip Extension - 6, 6, 6, 6
4: One-arm Dumbbell Incline Bench Press - 40e/6, 40e/6, 40e/6, 40e/6
5: Bent-over Row - 110t/6, 110t/6, 110t/6, 115t/6
6: Dumbbell Alternating Press - 30e/6, 30e/6, 30e/6, 30e/6
7: Pullovers, Barbell - 55t/6, 55t/6, 55t/6, 55t/6
8: Corkscrew - 15t/10, 15t/10, 15t/10, 17.5t/10
9: Four-point Plank - 30sec, 30sec, 30sec, 45sec

Total time: 75 mins
HR monitor: 416 cals, Max: 158 (89%), Avg: 119 (67%)

Oh look, a workout!  I’m glad I dragged my ass out of bed as it wasn’t too shabby.  Now I’m off to get breakfast and get to school.

So I started off with 3 mins cardio (walking/jogging on the spot), the prescribed warm-ups, and then did:

Power Training - Strength Training (weeks 1-3)
Workout B2 (4 of 10)

1: One-arm Dumbbell Snatch - 40t/5, 40t/5, 40t/5, 42t/5
2: Single-leg Bench Get-up - 6, 6, 6, 6
3: Supine Hip Extension - 6, 6, 6, 6
4: One-arm Dumbbell Incline Bench Press - 40e/6, 40e/6, 40e/6, 40e/6
5: Bent-over Row - 105t/3, 105t/6, 105t/6, 110t/6
6: Dumbbell Alternating Press - 30e/6, 30e/6, 30e/6, 30e/6
7: Pullovers, Barbell - 55t/6, 55t/6, 55t/6, 55t/6
8: Corkscrew - 10t/10, 10t/10, 10t/10, 15t/10
9: Four-point Plank - 30sec, 30sec, 30sec, 45sec

Total time: 75 mins
HR monitor: 423 cals, Max: 156 (88%), Avg: 121 (68%)

Not a bad workout, although I can feel the difference working out at the end of the day. I also realised I wasn’t pumping back and forth on the dumbbell alternating press, so I dropped the weight to get the motion right.

I started off with 3 mins cardio (walking/jogging on the spot), the prescribed warm-ups, and then did:

Power Training - Strength Training (weeks 1-3)
Workout A2 (3 of 10)

1: Clean Pull - 75t/5, 75t/5, 75t/5, 80t/5
2: Clean-grip Deadlift - 95t/6, 95t/6, 95t/6, 100t/6
3: Single-leg Romanian Deadlift - 55t/6, 55t/6, 55t/6, 55t/6
4: Push-ups - 6, 6, 6, 6
5: Bent-over Dumbbell Alternating Row - 30e/6, 30e/6, 30e/6, 32e/6
6: Shoulder Press - 60t/6, 60t/6, 60t/6, 65t/6
7: Pullovers, alternating - 25e/6, 25e/6, 25e/6, 25e/6
8: Seated Russian Twist - 25t/10, 25t/10, 25t/10, 25t/10
9: Four-point Plank - 30sec, 30sec, 30sec, 40sec

Total time: 70 mins
HR monitor: 367 cals, Max: 148(83%), Avg: 115 (65%)

Well, I’m still struggling a lot with the single-leg romanian deadlift.  I feel very off-balance when doing it, so for the moment I’m not raising the weight.  I think the planks were a smidgen easier (only a smidgen), but I couldn’t make the 45secs for the last one.  Oh well, something to work on.  

I’m not sure what the plans for the rest of the day are.  The sun is actually shining so I’m thinking maybe a swim before lunch would be a good idea.  Although, I’ve got jam to make and I’d really rather swim after that’s done.  I’ll see how I feel in a few minutes after I’ve recovered a little.

So I started off with 3 mins cardio (walking/jogging on the spot), the prescribed warm-ups, and then did:

Power Training - Strength Training (weeks 1-3)
Workout B1 (2 of 10)

1: One-arm Dumbbell Snatch - 40t/5, 40t/5, 40t/5, 40t/5
2: Single-leg Bench Get-up - 6, 6, 6, 6
3: Supine Hip Extension - 6, 6, 6, 6
4: One-arm Dumbbell Incline Bench Press - 40e/6, 40e/6, 40e/6, 40e/6
5: Bent-over Row - 125t/3, 105t/6, 105t/6, 105t/6
6: Dumbbell Alternating Press - 40e/6, 40e/6, 40e/6, 40e/6
7: Pullovers, Barbell - 55t/6, 55t/6, 55t/6, 55t/6
8: Corkscrew - 10t/10, 10t/10, 10t/10, 10t/10
9: Four-point Plank - 30sec, 30sec, 30sec, 30sec

Total time: 75 mins
HR monitor: 423 cals, Max: 153 (86%), Avg: 120 (67%)

I definitely didn’t feel strong this morning. I don’t know if it was because I was up early, or because the Bent-over Row was 5th, but there was no way I was getting 6 reps out. I’d done 125×4 during Stage 5 of NROL4W, but the move was first. So I pulled the 25-lb plates off for the next 3 sets… and still struggled a little. I was originally going to do 25-lbs with the Corkscrew but chickened out and did it with 10 instead.

And then…. after my first class I decided to do my cardio. It’s a small gym with (from memory) 3 ellipticals, 1 rower, 2 treadmills, 1 stepper, and 2 recumbent bikes (and I think another one, the type with the seat). There’s also a number of plate loaded machines and some dumbbells. So I’ve decided to just do cardio in it. The other day when I went in there were about two people working out. Today it was a fair bit busier. Since both treadmills were in use I started on the elliptical.

Big mistake. I never liked it and I remembered why. I can’t keep my freakin’ heart rate down when I’m on it. A minute or two in I was at 181 and even slowing it down it still hovered about 178. And this isn’t the ‘weird’ number like yesterday. This is a heart pounding, feeling like I’m going to pass out kind of number. Luckily about 6 mins in the guy beside me on the treadmill got off and I switched to the treadmill for 30 mins. I decided not to ignore the big sign in front of me about a 30 min limit on cardio equipment. So I finished off the last 8 mins on one of the recumbent bikes.

Total time: 45 mins
HR monitor: 436 cals, Max: 181 (102%), Avg: 165 (93%)

So that was my day. We got out a little early so I made a quick run to Costco on the way home, had a swim. Oh yes, and I cut up the eye of round roast I had thrown in the crock pot last night. Hey, it was on sale for $2/pound, couldn’t resist. Since it’s closing on 9pm I might as well add my food for the night before I finish the post.

Food for the day:

Total: 2311 (32% fat, 32% carbs, 33% protein)

Pre-WO Snack: protein shake, peach (222)
Breakfast: egg/egg white omelet, zucchini bread, jam (546)
Lunch: whole wheat tortillas, mustard, smoked turkey, peach (350)
PM Snack: soy nuts, almonds (297) <– a few taken with lunch
Dinner: chili with cheese, tostidos, salad w/dressing (681)
Late Snack: protein shake, peach (216)

This is a new program I’m doing (Power Training). It’s supposed to be 4 x 3 week stages, but that would mean doing 5 workouts of the A set and only 4 of the B set. So I’m going to do 5 workouts of both the A and B, so the three week stages will take just a little longer. So I started off with 5 mins cardio (walking/jogging on the spot), the prescribed warm-ups, and then did:

1: Clean Pull - 55t/5, 65t/5, 75t/5, 75t/5
2: Clean-grip Deadlift - 75t/6, 85t/6, 95t/6, 95t/6
3: Single-leg Romanian Deadlift - 55t/6, 55t/6, 55t/6, 55t/6
4: Push-ups - 6, 6, 6, 6
5: Bent-over Dumbbell Alternating Row - 25e/6, 27.53/6, 30e/6, 30e/6
6: Shoulder Press - 55t/6, 55t/6, 55t/6, 60t/6
7: Pullovers, alternating - 25e/6, 25e/6, 25e/6, 25e/6
8: Seated Russian Twist - 25t/6, 25t/6, 25t/6, 25t/6
9: Four-point Plank - 30sec, 30sec, 30sec, 30sec

Total time: 70 mins
HR monitor: 406cals, Max: 183(103%) , Avg: 122 (69%)

So that was fun.

Okay, the single-leg romanian deadlift was definitely not fun. I’ve done single-leg movements before, but not with a barbell. There was a lot of wobbling going on. The only substitution I had to do was the Pullovers, as I have no options for pull-ups (band assisted or not).

I started with a 5 min warm-up outside. Then did:

A: Barbell Deadlift - 100t/8, 100t/8
B1: Static Lunge, rear foot elevated - 20e/15, 20e/15, 20e/15, 20e/15
B2: Push-up - 15, 15, 15, 15
B3: Barbell Romanian Deadlift - 80t/15, 80t/15, 80t/15, 80t/15
B4: Dumbbell Bent-Over Row - 25e/15, 25e/15, 25e/15, 25e/15

35 mins total, same as the other workouts, I think I’m pushing the rest periods out a little.

HR Monitor: 276 cals, Max 165 (93%), Min 139 (78%)

I marked the deadlifts as a PR since I looked back and the highest I got was 75lbs for 8 reps. Same with the RDL, although I did go higher on the RDL/Bent-over row combo in stage 5 - it was for 4 reps. In this case it was the only one of the four that I felt I could manage to bump up from workout #1.

I’m still struggling with workout days when I go back to school. As long as I keep the weights workouts to under an hour I can probably manage Tues PM, Thurs AM, and Sat AM without a problem. It’s working in the cardio that’s starting to become a pain. Physically I do better with 3-days on, 1-day off, 2 days-on, 1 day off. The only way that would work is:

Mon - rest day
Tue - weights
Wed - cardio
Thu - weights
Fri - rest day
Sat - weights
Sun - cardio

It looks fine, but what it means is that my two clear days (Sun/Wed) I’m now doing cardio. I usually like to have one clear day for other stuff (errands and such) but Monday is such a pain for scheduling. With classes that day not ending until 6pm I won’t be home until 6:45-7pm. I still wouldn’t mind a swim… and that means a late dinner. None of this would be such a problem except for an 8am class on Tuesday morning (ie. leaving at 7am, up ~6-6:30). So I think I pretty much have to bite the bullet and keep the schedule above.

The funny thing is (not on purpose) that option means that there is really no way to take advantage of the equipment at the school. I haven’t gone into the fitness center but I can’t figure out a routine that works. I’m toying with the idea of something like this, as I wouldn’t mind working on something like a stairmaster or step/mill as I still think climbing stairs is a weak spot physically:

Mon - rest day
Tue - weights
Wed - rest day / ‘make-up’ cardio
Thu - weights / 30-45 mins cardio
Fri - 30-45 mins cardio
Sat - weights
Sun - rest day / ‘make-up’ cardio

ie. doing 30 mins of cardio on Wednesday morning, seeing what I can get done during my 2-hr breaks on Thurs/Fri and then making sure I’ve hit 120mins on Sunday. So if I’ve been good during the week I’ll get Sun/Mon off and a pretty light day on Wed. I’ll probably take some time on Tuesday and go into the fitness center on my way home.

I understand there’s some kind of form I’ll need to fill out (and they’ll determine if I need a doctor’s certificate to use the center). Are we taking bets that my weight alone will mean I’ll need one? I’m pretty aware of my fitness level, have worked out up to my maximum heart rate. When I do HIIT I regularly hit over 170 (my theoretical max is 178). I’m waiting to see what happens but I know how people judge the morbidly obese on sight. 

I started with a 5 min warm-up outside. Then did:

A: Barbell Squat (did front) - 75t/8, 75t/8
B1: Static Lunge, rear foot elevated - 20e/15, 20e/15, 20e/15, 20e/15
B2: Push-up - 15, 15, 15, 8… 7 more
B3: Barbell Romanian Deadlift - 75t/15, 75t/15, 75t/15, 75t/15
B4: Dumbbell Bent-Over Row - 35e/15, 25e/15, 25e/15, 25e/15

35 mins total… oh my god. And I think I even took a few extra seconds of rest here and there.

HR Monitor: 273 cals, Max 161 (90%), Min 138 (78%)

I had problems with the barbell squats - almost dropped the bar the first set. Guess I was leaning too far forward. This was a hard workout for me, really hard. The only one that perhaps wasn’t too tough was the deadlifts. On looking back I suppose I should have pushed them up a bit. The push-ups, as expected were the hardest part. I had to take a little, umm pause, during the last set. Yep, we’ll call it a pause! No matter though, I have a better feel for the next workout.

I warmed up with a 5-min walk outside. Then I did:

A: Barbell Romanian Deadlift/Bent-over Row - 120t/4, 120t/4, 120t/4, 125t/4
B1: Partial Single-leg Squat - 4, 4, 4, 4
B2: Wide-grip Lat Pulldown (Pullover) - 42e/4, 42e/4, 42e/4, 45e/4
C1: Back Extension (Good Mornings) - 55t/4, 55t/4, 55t/4, 55t/4
C2: YTWL - 15e/4, 15e/4, 15e/4, 17.5e/4
D1: Swiss Ball Crunch (Long-arm) - 4, 4, 4, 4
D2: Prone Jackknife - 4, 4, 4, 4
D3: Lateral Flexion (Hannah side 3) - 4, 4, 4, 4
E: Prone Cobra - 120sec, 120sec, 120sec, 120sec

And then I did the HIIT. Finished up with a total session of 100 mins.

HRM: 446 cals, Max: 171 (96%), Avg: 102 (57%)

I went outside for the D exercises, the Prone Cobras and the HIIT portion so that the silly cats could come with me and do their usual lurking around.

I’m so glad we’re past these exercises. During the rest periods of the prone cobras I’m going down to a resting rate (saw 57 at one point). I feel like I could nod off during that part of the routine. However, I know that if the earlier part was harder that I wouldn’t have anything left for the HIIT. I did back off on the weights for the good mornings though as my shoulder killed last week. It’s not the lifting the weight up, but getting it behind my head. Until I have a squat rack (and that may be a while) I’m not going to try lifting heavy over my head.

So, this is where I started in Stage 3 compared to where I ended in Stage 5.

First, the A set:

A: One-armed Dumbbell Snatch - from 20e to 45e
B1: Dumbbell Single-leg Romanian Deadlift - from 20e to 35e
B2: Barbell Bent-over Row - from 75t to 125t
C1: Dumbbell Single-arm Overhead Squat - from 10&5 to 45&22
C2: Dumbbell Incline Bench Press - from 20e to 40e
D1: Plank - 90sec (45-degree) to 120sec (45-degree)
D2: Reverse Wood Chop (on floor) - from 25t to 45t

The planks I started with a 45-degree (done badly) and then switch to 20/30 sec floor planks (also done badly) so at some point I decided to go back to 45-degree and work on form. So, little to no improvement is obvious, but I do feel the difference when doing them.

Then, the B set:

A: Barbell Romanian Deadlift/Bent-over Row - from 80t to 125t
B1: Partial Single-leg Squat - N/A
B2: Wide-grip Lat Pulldown (Pullover) - from 27.5e to 45e
C1: Back Extension (good mornings) - from 25t to 80t
C2: YTWL - from 5e to 17.5e

On the good mornings I didn’t start them until #2B in Stage 3, and I actually did 25/45/50 pounds on that first day. I also backed off on them today back down to 55lbs as I’m having troubles getting the bar over my head into the starting position. I decided not to risk really screwing up the shoulder just to push the weight up.

Well, that’s it for Stage 5. I’ll be moving on to Stage 7, probably Friday as I usually do for new Stages (that way I can be in pain all weekend and not worry about it).

I warmed up with a 5-min walk outside. Then I did:

A: Barbell Romanian Deadlift/Bent-over Row - 115t/4, 115t/4, 115t/4, 120e/4
B1: Partial Single-leg Squat - 4, 4, 4, 4
B2: Wide-grip Lat Pulldown (Pullover) - 40e/4, 40e/4, 40e/4, 42e/4
C1: Back Extension (Good Mornings) - 75t/4, 75t/4, 75t/4, 80t/4
C2: YTWL - 12e/4, 12e/4, 12e/4, 15e/4
D1: Swiss Ball Crunch (Long-arm) - 4, 4, 4, 4
D2: Prone Jackknife - 4, 4, 4, 4
D3: Lateral Flexion (Hannah side 3) - 4, 4, 4, 4
E: Prone Cobra - 120sec, 120sec, 120sec, 120sec

And then I did the HIIT. Finished up with a total session of 100 mins.

HRM: 475cals, Max: 170 (96%), Avg: 107 (60%)

Again, I went outside for the Prone Cobras and the HIIT portion so that the silly cats could come with me and chase squirrels, butterflies, and bees.

I had pain today during the partial single-leg squat. The muscles around the left knee just weren’t happy. Oddly enough by the time I got to the fourth set it wasn’t a problem. This tells me that perhaps I’m not warming up well (or at all today). I’m still struggling greatly getting the bar onto my shoulders for the good mornings. Once the weight it up there the move itself is no problems. I’m still looking around the basement trying to figure out where I could get a squat rack. I know realistically it’s not going to happen though.

So I’m off to have a shower and run a few errands this afternoon, including a trip to Costco. We’re usually pretty good but since we stopped buying the lettuce there (a couple of bad batches) we’re not there as often. We’re out of eggs, egg whites, pork tenderloin, canned tomatoes… lots of stuff.

(Yes, I meant to post it earlier, but forgot. I’ve been to Costco and am back.)