Featured Workout: Back To Basics

If your training season is anything like mine, it can get exhausting and very disheartening at times. I love the challenge of a new workout, I love getting stronger, faster, and leaner. However, I also recognize the value of a good break, which is why I usually take a week or two off in the middle of the summer to go back to basics and hone in on my form and basic body weight exercises. It gives my body the opportunity to rest before the next wave of heavy training and I find that I usually come back stronger and faster. I will be posting a WOD every day (except for Sunday, because it is my day off) for the next two weeks on our Facebook page. Make sure that you “like” and “share” so you won’t miss any of the amazing, deceptively easy, workouts. This is what I started my two week rest period with:

WARM UP:
50 Toy Soldiers
50 Side Shuffle Cross Overs

WORKOUT:
20 Pull-ups
20 Body Weight Lunges
20 TRX Rows
20 Air Squats
1 min Plank
20 Squat Jumps

Rest 1 minute

Repeat as many times as you can for 30 minutes.

COOL DOWN:
Treadmill walk at 15% incline at your normal brisk walk speed. Do not hold on to the treadmill. If you can’t walk and not hold on, decrease the incline slightly.

Progress Report and Weekly Check-In

It is time for my first weekly check-in as well as my mid month progress report. First things first, when I weighed myself and took my body fat percentage this morning I discovered that I have remained static this month. Although, I am also beginning to see a slight improvement with my upper body muscle definition. I know, it is slight, but if we didn't celebrate the small things in life, we would be constantly miserable.  I am planning to reward myself this weekend with a nice pedicure. After all, I deserved it! 

158 lb. 24.9% Body Fat

 

This week I have been doing a lot of lower body workouts in an attempt to allow my elbow and shoulder to heal. With luck I will be able to return to moderate upper body workouts next week. I have started running again and as of next week, I will officially start training with my awesome running coach. I can't wait!  

I Have a Love Hate Relationship With Burpees. Seriously, I do.

I feel that a workout full off Burpees is a fitness metaphor to life. 

I did not feel like going to the gym today at all. In fact, all I wanted to do today was sleep, and maybe stay on my sofa, watch trashy TV and eat plums all day long. However, what we want and what we need do not always coincide. 

What I needed to do was to get up, take a cold shower, start working on my research for the next article I was writing, and then go to the gym, write the article(S), go pick up more research material, go to a meeting, meet with a friend for dinner and IKEA trip, come home and go to bed so I can get up, go run, plant, etc. Wow, I am tired just thinking about all of it! So, how did I get myself on board with my own day today? Simple.

 I made myself get out of bed and did 15 squats, drank and ice cold glass of water, put the tea on, and stuck myself in the cold shower. That got the ball rolling. By the time I was done and sort of dry, I had my morning green tea ready, my hard boiled eggs (that I peeled the night before) were waiting for me in the fridge and all I had to do, was grab a hand full of spring mix, one orange, and one small whole grain pita and I had my breakfast ready. I love pre planned breakfast because it is so quick and portable, I don't even need a plate most days! 

I sat down to do my research with my breakfast in my lap, and I have to say, by my third bite and my forth sip of hot tea, I was awake and ready to put some damage on the topic I was writing about! By the time my back started to hurt from all the sitting it was already time to hit the gym (don't you love the timing? Your body always knows when it is time to get moving) . I put on my running shoes (still with that vague "but I don't wanna" whining in the back of my head). I told myself that those who give up and skip workouts do not get abs. So, I grabbed my bottle full of Spark and left to go get some burpees done. I hate burpees. I hate them, hate them, hate them. I hate them more than I hate Steve the kettle bell. Yes, I named the kettle bell. It makes it easier to throw my fist up at the sky when my butt is thoroughly kicked by the workout and dramatically curse the day Steve the kettle bell was forged in the deep fires of pure evil. 

My workout today consisted of the following: 

15 pushups (no knees allowed)

30 walking lunges (sing it with me Alicia Keys style: My Quads are on FIIREEE!!!)

15 Dolphin Pushups

15 Mountain Climbers

30 sec rest

So far pretty easy right? Gooood.

15 triceps dips

15 jump lunges

15 pile squats (45 lb KB)

15 burpees

30 secs rest

I HATE BURPEES!!!! (but you have to do them until you love them. That's how that works)

15 curtsy lunges

15 bicycles

15 mountain climbers

15 spiderman plank

Repeat 4 times, for time, trying to beat the previous try each time.  

This almost made me cry. Especially after burpees. I think because I hate them, I try to push through them as fast as I possibly can which just causes me to get more tired and wanting to cry. Usually I feel really good about this workout and can take at least a few seconds off, but today, today I wasn't with it fully. 

At first I blamed in on the fact that I didn't have my pre-workout protein shake. Then I remembered that I did, in fact, have a protein shake 30 minutes before I left. Now, I blame it on not having my head in the game fully.  That's ok, though. At the end of the day, calories burnt, are calories burnt and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. There is always tomorrow to have a great, hard, enjoyable workout. That is exactly what I am planning on. In a few minutes I am going to leave my office and go to Big Peach Running Co. to pick up my sexy, shiny, pair of brand new minimalist shoes which I am planning to begin breaking in tomorrow.

How did your Friday workout go?