Monday’s Monkey Bar was three rounds of hell. Kinda like the nine circles of hell with Dante but not as much fun. It started with the Box workout which consisted of 20 squats, 20 lunges, 20 box jumps, 20 squat jumps and then one minute of rest and repeat. We did that four times in the time allotted. Then we moved on to the jump rope workout which was two minutes jump rope, 100 crunches, two minute jump rope, 100 push ups then two minutes of jump rope. That was only one set. The final set was the powerwheel workout with 10 roll outs, 20 knees to chest, 15 roll outs, 20 knees to chest, 20 roll outs, 20 knees to chest. Finished that four times as well. Just some light cardio there right? My legs were killing me after that.
Tuesday’s Monkey Bar was five around the world, 10 knees to chest (UGH!), 15 down-dog push ups, 20 Russian twists, 25 squats, 50 sit ups and then 100 jump rope revolutions. In 30 minutes I did that five times. So, that’s a total of 25 around the worlds, 50 more knees to chest (because really, 180 the day before wasn’t enough), 75 down dog push ups, 100 Russian twists, 125 squats, 250 sit ups and 500 jump rope revolutions. I should really stop counting these things because it makes me wonder what kind of masochist I really am.
Tuesday’s level 2 was a lot of kicks which went oh so well given the squats and all that from the two days before. For some reason I couldn’t move my legs properly to get enough momentum for my side kick. Oh well. Live and learn right?
Wednesday I decided to run since I am allegedly doing a 5k in May. Let’s say this was a pretty bad wog. I ended up doing 3.19 miles but my time was off and my legs felt like complete logs. They just wouldn’t move. At least I got out there though right?
Thursday I knew I’d only do one workout since, well, I stayed out way too late on Wednesday. My feeble attempt at level 2 was more than feeble. It was still kicks but my mind couldn’t tell my body to move. And even during warm up the three of us couldn’t figure out how to do our push ups and sit ups right. Everyone has an off day but this was pretty ridiculous.
And that ended my working out. Yeah, lame but I did try to move a futon on Sunday so that has to count for something right?
Showing posts with label Workout. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Workout. Show all posts
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Weekly Workout Train 4/17/10
A sunny Monday and a charley horse started the week and I’m not sure what kind of mixed omen that is. Once again, the masochism that is Monkey Bar Gym was the first workout on the agenda. I know I should be scared when the phrase “fun stuff” is listed under warm-up. I’m pretty sure Lisa has a completely different idea of that than I do. But as I’m a trooper or an idiot, I stayed. The warm-up wasn’t bad, but then it went downhill.
There were two portions of the workout: cardio and strength. For the cardio, we were to do the rotation four times and strength was three times. Here’s the breakdown:
Cardio
100 jump rope or jumping jacks
50 runners
10 Hindu pushups
25 wacky jacks
Strength
25 pushups
50 Russian twists
25 Squats
50 crunches
10 jump knees to chest
That’s a total of 400 jump ropes, 200 runners, 40 Hindu pushups, 100 wacky jacks, 75 pushups, 150 Russian twists, 75 squats, 150 crunches and 30 jump knees to chest. How bout them apples? The only problem was the killer charley horse in my leg that made it really hard to think about moving. That damn leg was shaking for a good three hours!
Tuesday’s Monkey Bar was the deck of cards workout with the exercises being lunges (left/right=1), leg lifts, pushups and situps. I’m still too exhausted to count how many of each we did for 45 minutes, but trust me when I say it was a lot. The upside? Depeche Mode was part of the cooldown music. Then for level 2 it was a review of front kicks followed by stabbing defense against a front kick and plucking defense against a front kick. My pluck needs some work. After that was groundwork with choke and a headlock. I can’t buck very well (odd, I know) and I’m not really sure of my ability if it was someone heavy on top of me but practice will make perfect. To end class we did what I’m terming a fight circle where one person is in the middle and everyone attacks them with level 1 stuff. At one point in my turn I had someone choking me from the front and back. Not really sure how to get out of that one. But I did escape the headlock using the defense Lukasz taught where you really aren’t caught at all. Good stuff.
Thursday I took a nap and only did Monkey Bar. We did what Ryan affectionately called MMA Championships. It was a minute each of the following (a total of 5 minutes) and then a minute rest.
• Pushups
• Sit ups with a reach (holding a tombstone pad and pushing it above your head)
• Tombstone jumps (jump over the pad)
• Tombstone n/s with 5 palm heel strikes
• Snowboarders
It sounds simple right? By the second round I wanted to die. Hard work out. Then there was the expected yoga but at least I got him to play Depeche Mode again.
I even went to Monkey Bar on Friday. Then again, not like I had a ton of other plans. It started with 15 minutes of Dodge Ball. Now, this wasn’t your fifth grade Dodge Ball. If you got hit, you had to do 10 jumping jacks. You hit someone in the head, hit the window or the ceiling, 10 pushups. And you didn’t stay on a side, you ran around. This was followed by some intense yoga that made me super dizzy.
Saturday was the typical level 2 and then level 1. Level 2 was a little more cardio than I necessarily want at 9 a.m. but still good. And all the mounting, choking and bucking is a way to get a few calories off. Level 1 was instructor’s choice and I did the warm up which is slightly unusual for me (see, I’m already warm from level 2 so why put myself through the torture right?). Then we did some kicks, some ground work and some twisting and flipping ground work. Oy.
I was told though that my shape is looking different since I got in to level 2 (or started Monkey Bar which were pretty simultaneous so who knows). I don’t see it but I guess others think I look more muscular. Good I guess.
There were two portions of the workout: cardio and strength. For the cardio, we were to do the rotation four times and strength was three times. Here’s the breakdown:
Cardio
100 jump rope or jumping jacks
50 runners
10 Hindu pushups
25 wacky jacks
Strength
25 pushups
50 Russian twists
25 Squats
50 crunches
10 jump knees to chest
That’s a total of 400 jump ropes, 200 runners, 40 Hindu pushups, 100 wacky jacks, 75 pushups, 150 Russian twists, 75 squats, 150 crunches and 30 jump knees to chest. How bout them apples? The only problem was the killer charley horse in my leg that made it really hard to think about moving. That damn leg was shaking for a good three hours!
Tuesday’s Monkey Bar was the deck of cards workout with the exercises being lunges (left/right=1), leg lifts, pushups and situps. I’m still too exhausted to count how many of each we did for 45 minutes, but trust me when I say it was a lot. The upside? Depeche Mode was part of the cooldown music. Then for level 2 it was a review of front kicks followed by stabbing defense against a front kick and plucking defense against a front kick. My pluck needs some work. After that was groundwork with choke and a headlock. I can’t buck very well (odd, I know) and I’m not really sure of my ability if it was someone heavy on top of me but practice will make perfect. To end class we did what I’m terming a fight circle where one person is in the middle and everyone attacks them with level 1 stuff. At one point in my turn I had someone choking me from the front and back. Not really sure how to get out of that one. But I did escape the headlock using the defense Lukasz taught where you really aren’t caught at all. Good stuff.
Thursday I took a nap and only did Monkey Bar. We did what Ryan affectionately called MMA Championships. It was a minute each of the following (a total of 5 minutes) and then a minute rest.
• Pushups
• Sit ups with a reach (holding a tombstone pad and pushing it above your head)
• Tombstone jumps (jump over the pad)
• Tombstone n/s with 5 palm heel strikes
• Snowboarders
It sounds simple right? By the second round I wanted to die. Hard work out. Then there was the expected yoga but at least I got him to play Depeche Mode again.
I even went to Monkey Bar on Friday. Then again, not like I had a ton of other plans. It started with 15 minutes of Dodge Ball. Now, this wasn’t your fifth grade Dodge Ball. If you got hit, you had to do 10 jumping jacks. You hit someone in the head, hit the window or the ceiling, 10 pushups. And you didn’t stay on a side, you ran around. This was followed by some intense yoga that made me super dizzy.
Saturday was the typical level 2 and then level 1. Level 2 was a little more cardio than I necessarily want at 9 a.m. but still good. And all the mounting, choking and bucking is a way to get a few calories off. Level 1 was instructor’s choice and I did the warm up which is slightly unusual for me (see, I’m already warm from level 2 so why put myself through the torture right?). Then we did some kicks, some ground work and some twisting and flipping ground work. Oy.
I was told though that my shape is looking different since I got in to level 2 (or started Monkey Bar which were pretty simultaneous so who knows). I don’t see it but I guess others think I look more muscular. Good I guess.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Weekly Workout Train 4/11/10
Per usual, I was a masochist and started the week with Monkey Bar. I can’t tell you exactly what we did, but it did involve sprints outside. And some yoga. And some “do this for one minute” exercises. And there were abs. All in all, I was pouring sweat and as that’s the point, score one for a good workout. After that I decided I had at least a little more in me so I thought I’d go for a run. Well, the best laid plans pave the road to hell and it was more of a “wog” (walk/jog) for 2.30 miles. Not overly shabby. The upside? I’m down one pound. Yes, one measly pound but as I’ve reconfigured my goal weight I’ll take it.
Tuesday sucked. I know that isn’t really a positive statement but it’s true. In Monkey Bar we did 45 minutes of the following exercises trying to get to Power Level for as many as we could:
• Jump rope
• Powerwheel laps (yes, this requires you to strap it on your feet and walk on your hands with abs engaged to get moving. Not easy.)
• Box hops
• Push ups
• Sit ups
• Bear crawls
For the record, I can’t do powerwheel laps to save my butt and it was pretty hysterical. I ended up being a trooper and doing 4 which was the first stability level. I hit Power Level for jump rope (1000 revolutions), sit ups (100 weighted), box hops (100) and bear crawls (10 lengths). I did 50 push ups (25 the “right way” and 25 on my knees) but at least that was Stability level 1. Whew.
Krav was not so much fun. The warm up was one of Dante’s circles of hell with all level 1 self defenses in a free for all and then a circle where we had to do burpees if we weren’t attacking. That lasted half an hour. It is a lot more intense than you might think. After that, our arms were worked with bobbing and weaving with hooks. Then came the fun ground work with more bucking. Let’s just say my escape from a choke while mounted needs some work.
On Wednesday I had every intention of working out. Except that every ounce of my legs hurt and my ribs felt broken. Yeah, chalk that last one up to powerwheel lengths.
Thursday is normally a dual day but after about 10 minutes of level 2, it was apparent that there was no way I could handle the 160 squats Monkey Bar would be calling for. Level 2 would have been a little more ok if it wasn’t for the running and mountain climbers during warm up. Yes, that was *part* of the warm up. It felt really good to hit a heavy bag during class though as we had a group of three for hooks. Then it was on to ground work that includes a bit of mounting. No trap and roll this time, but a much better experience than shrimping.
Saturday saw the double of level 2 and level 1. We realized that the reason we’re having issues with our hooks is the gloves are so stinking big. But, our covering defenses are getting better. Granted I’ll always go for an extended defense first, but at least I know both. I’m not sure why I continue to do a class at 9 a.m. when I know that I have no morning motivation, but perhaps I’ll fix that later. The groundwork wasn’t as bad so maybe we’re making progress. Level 1 was a return to straight punches (can one ever do too many of those?) and kicks. For some reason I couldn’t kick with my left foot. Strange that there isn’t ability there anymore but hopefully just a fluke.
All in all, not the best week, not the worst week. I’ve also incorporated tracking on http://www.livestrong.com/ to try and help figure out the calories in/calories out and see what my nutrient goals are. I’m still just down that one measly pound but I guess it is better than nothing right?
Tuesday sucked. I know that isn’t really a positive statement but it’s true. In Monkey Bar we did 45 minutes of the following exercises trying to get to Power Level for as many as we could:
• Jump rope
• Powerwheel laps (yes, this requires you to strap it on your feet and walk on your hands with abs engaged to get moving. Not easy.)
• Box hops
• Push ups
• Sit ups
• Bear crawls
For the record, I can’t do powerwheel laps to save my butt and it was pretty hysterical. I ended up being a trooper and doing 4 which was the first stability level. I hit Power Level for jump rope (1000 revolutions), sit ups (100 weighted), box hops (100) and bear crawls (10 lengths). I did 50 push ups (25 the “right way” and 25 on my knees) but at least that was Stability level 1. Whew.
Krav was not so much fun. The warm up was one of Dante’s circles of hell with all level 1 self defenses in a free for all and then a circle where we had to do burpees if we weren’t attacking. That lasted half an hour. It is a lot more intense than you might think. After that, our arms were worked with bobbing and weaving with hooks. Then came the fun ground work with more bucking. Let’s just say my escape from a choke while mounted needs some work.
On Wednesday I had every intention of working out. Except that every ounce of my legs hurt and my ribs felt broken. Yeah, chalk that last one up to powerwheel lengths.
Thursday is normally a dual day but after about 10 minutes of level 2, it was apparent that there was no way I could handle the 160 squats Monkey Bar would be calling for. Level 2 would have been a little more ok if it wasn’t for the running and mountain climbers during warm up. Yes, that was *part* of the warm up. It felt really good to hit a heavy bag during class though as we had a group of three for hooks. Then it was on to ground work that includes a bit of mounting. No trap and roll this time, but a much better experience than shrimping.
Saturday saw the double of level 2 and level 1. We realized that the reason we’re having issues with our hooks is the gloves are so stinking big. But, our covering defenses are getting better. Granted I’ll always go for an extended defense first, but at least I know both. I’m not sure why I continue to do a class at 9 a.m. when I know that I have no morning motivation, but perhaps I’ll fix that later. The groundwork wasn’t as bad so maybe we’re making progress. Level 1 was a return to straight punches (can one ever do too many of those?) and kicks. For some reason I couldn’t kick with my left foot. Strange that there isn’t ability there anymore but hopefully just a fluke.
All in all, not the best week, not the worst week. I’ve also incorporated tracking on http://www.livestrong.com/ to try and help figure out the calories in/calories out and see what my nutrient goals are. I’m still just down that one measly pound but I guess it is better than nothing right?
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Weekly Workout Train 4/3/2010
I’m beginning to think that starting my workout week with a killer Monkey Bar class may end up being the death of me. Or maybe that’s just because I could barely stand up straight to take the class. Either way, it was not an easy go. The motivation of homemade cookies at the end is pretty much what got me through. Anyway, it was a series of 15 exercises (do as many reps as possible) for a minute each with one break. After the first round of 15 and a short break, it was back through the cycle but backwards. Let’s see if I can remember them all (perhaps not in order):
• Push ups
• Downdog pushups
• Hindu pushups
• Diamond pushups
• Crunches
• Russian twists
• Bicycle crunches
• Split squats
• Sumo squats
• Squats with feet together, hands on head
• Toe raises
• Push kicks
• Toe jumps
• Burpees
• Sprawls
Yep, it was hard getting off the couch after that one.
Oy. That’s a pretty good word to describe Tuesday’s Monkey Bar. It was as many sets as possible of the following after our baseline:
5 Around the world (in pushup position, lift one hand, other hand, that foot, other foot for one rep)
10 Snowboarders
15 Downdog pushups
20 Bicycles
25 Lunges (left/right was one)
50 Sit ups
100 Jump rope revolutions
I finished five sets in the time allotted. That’s 25 around the worlds, 50 snowboarders, 75 Hindu pushups, 100 bicycles, 125 lunges, 250 sit ups and 500 jump rope revolutions. Sometimes I hate my Type A personality to do the math on these things. After that I decided to be a slacker and not do Krav. Could also have something to do with the fact that the three nights prior I had about 3 hours of sleep each night.
Thursday I went back to the theory that the 16 bazillion pounds of fat weren’t going to magically disappear so I decided to do both classes. Krav was a whole lotta groundwork this week which is not my favorite. Hell, I couldn’t get up right for months. Add to this the fact that you have to mount a partner and get bucked off and well, you can see where this is going. It really does make your abs engage though. There’s a floor technique affectionately called “shrimping” that I especially struggled with. At one point my instructor casually asked if I was trying to exfoliate for free on his floor as I was scraping by and not doing it properly. Whoopsie. Guess that move needs some work. The Monkey Bar workout was a circuit of 30 minutes of the following at a 40 second on/20 second off interval:
• Ladder (jumping in and out of the boxes)
• Russian Twists with weight
• Curls
• Powerwheel roll-outs
• Chin ups
• Box hops
• Some other arm exercise I can’t remember.
Friday saw me return to running. It was a beautiful day out and at least that made up for the not so stellar run. I went further the first time than I did before, but overall my time was pretty off. I know, it was my second run of the year so I should give myself a break, but I wanted to burn more than 356 calories.
And as it was the holiday, that was all for me:)
• Push ups
• Downdog pushups
• Hindu pushups
• Diamond pushups
• Crunches
• Russian twists
• Bicycle crunches
• Split squats
• Sumo squats
• Squats with feet together, hands on head
• Toe raises
• Push kicks
• Toe jumps
• Burpees
• Sprawls
Yep, it was hard getting off the couch after that one.
Oy. That’s a pretty good word to describe Tuesday’s Monkey Bar. It was as many sets as possible of the following after our baseline:
5 Around the world (in pushup position, lift one hand, other hand, that foot, other foot for one rep)
10 Snowboarders
15 Downdog pushups
20 Bicycles
25 Lunges (left/right was one)
50 Sit ups
100 Jump rope revolutions
I finished five sets in the time allotted. That’s 25 around the worlds, 50 snowboarders, 75 Hindu pushups, 100 bicycles, 125 lunges, 250 sit ups and 500 jump rope revolutions. Sometimes I hate my Type A personality to do the math on these things. After that I decided to be a slacker and not do Krav. Could also have something to do with the fact that the three nights prior I had about 3 hours of sleep each night.
Thursday I went back to the theory that the 16 bazillion pounds of fat weren’t going to magically disappear so I decided to do both classes. Krav was a whole lotta groundwork this week which is not my favorite. Hell, I couldn’t get up right for months. Add to this the fact that you have to mount a partner and get bucked off and well, you can see where this is going. It really does make your abs engage though. There’s a floor technique affectionately called “shrimping” that I especially struggled with. At one point my instructor casually asked if I was trying to exfoliate for free on his floor as I was scraping by and not doing it properly. Whoopsie. Guess that move needs some work. The Monkey Bar workout was a circuit of 30 minutes of the following at a 40 second on/20 second off interval:
• Ladder (jumping in and out of the boxes)
• Russian Twists with weight
• Curls
• Powerwheel roll-outs
• Chin ups
• Box hops
• Some other arm exercise I can’t remember.
Friday saw me return to running. It was a beautiful day out and at least that made up for the not so stellar run. I went further the first time than I did before, but overall my time was pretty off. I know, it was my second run of the year so I should give myself a break, but I wanted to burn more than 356 calories.
And as it was the holiday, that was all for me:)
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Weekly Workout Train 3/28/10
Oh what a Monday Monkey Bar workout I had this week! But that’s the awesome thing about Monkey Bar, you never know what you’re going to get and it isn’t boring. We started with some light cardio and then looked at our workout. It went something like this:
Starting with 15 then 14 then 13 (you get the idea of dialing down) do:
• Burpees
• Push-ups
• Pikes
• Push kicks
Once finished, commence with 5 lengths then 1 length of:
• Walking lunges
• Horizontal hand walks
After this:
• 5 minutes of jump rope
Um, yeah. For those of you counting at home, that’s 120 reps each of the first four exercises. I’m proud to say I did all of it but a minute and a half of jump rope before our instructor called time. Whew!
Terrible Tuesday (so named as I was sore before even thinking about working out for two hours) saw Monkey Bar and Krav. Monkey Bar had baseline with the dreaded box hops. Seriously, I do have some coordination so why are they so blasted hard for me? Then it was AMAP (as many as possible) in 30 minutes of the following sequence:
• 20 split squats
• 20 burpees (DAMN THEM)
• 20 sit ups
• 20 push ups
• 20 Capoeria lunges
• 30/30 side plank (hold each side for 30 seconds)
I was a trooper and made it to the second exercise of set 6.Whew. One could say I was adequately warmed up for Krav. Admittedly I was a little leery of the agenda this week in Krav. I have this thing where I’m not a fan of being choked. Chokes from the front and behind while being pushed in to a wall were the defense this week. While it is TOTALLY creepy at first, it does get easier. We also were bobbing and weaving (which those of you who know me know I can do around priests quite well) and some combinations (left, right, left hook, right uppercut). It is with great pride I tell you that my partner and I came out alive and without any new bruises!
Thursday, Thursday. With Krav first I felt like I’d be in proper form for Monkey Bar. Ha. For some reason my bob and weave looked more like a drunk sailor on shore leave which, as you might imagine, is not cute. I tried though. I think my hooks are getting better (you do them in 16 oz. gloves that you’re not used to) and that’s something. Then the chokes came and I’m still trying to keep my head on the wall. Sounds weird but does work. Fingers crossed I never actually have to use it. In Monkey Bar we did a deck of cards. What’s that you ask? There are four exercises (in this case push ups, abs, elephants and squats with lunges) and each suit represents an exercise. Face cards count as 15 reps and then the other cards are face value. Well, except for those stinking elephants which were deemed a tad easy so we did them times five. Yeah. I could have lived without that.
And let me tell you, Friday my back and hamstrings hurt like hell.
As usual, Saturday was a two-fer with level 2 and level 1 of Krav. To be honest, I wasn’t going to stay for the second but peer pressure and a sense of removing the 16 bazillion pounds from my ass made me stay. Same as before for level 2 but my hooks seemed a bit better. Level 1 was a return to groundwork and apparently I had forgotten how your abs feel after it. Perhaps it was due in some part to the abs from Monkey Bar on Thursday. It was nice to be back in a place where I actually knew the techniques and felt comfortable. Sigh.
Well, kids, another week and another round of workouts. Still at that 16 bazillion pounds to shed but feeling a little stronger and a little more certain that EVENTUALLY they will leave;)
Starting with 15 then 14 then 13 (you get the idea of dialing down) do:
• Burpees
• Push-ups
• Pikes
• Push kicks
Once finished, commence with 5 lengths then 1 length of:
• Walking lunges
• Horizontal hand walks
After this:
• 5 minutes of jump rope
Um, yeah. For those of you counting at home, that’s 120 reps each of the first four exercises. I’m proud to say I did all of it but a minute and a half of jump rope before our instructor called time. Whew!
Terrible Tuesday (so named as I was sore before even thinking about working out for two hours) saw Monkey Bar and Krav. Monkey Bar had baseline with the dreaded box hops. Seriously, I do have some coordination so why are they so blasted hard for me? Then it was AMAP (as many as possible) in 30 minutes of the following sequence:
• 20 split squats
• 20 burpees (DAMN THEM)
• 20 sit ups
• 20 push ups
• 20 Capoeria lunges
• 30/30 side plank (hold each side for 30 seconds)
I was a trooper and made it to the second exercise of set 6.Whew. One could say I was adequately warmed up for Krav. Admittedly I was a little leery of the agenda this week in Krav. I have this thing where I’m not a fan of being choked. Chokes from the front and behind while being pushed in to a wall were the defense this week. While it is TOTALLY creepy at first, it does get easier. We also were bobbing and weaving (which those of you who know me know I can do around priests quite well) and some combinations (left, right, left hook, right uppercut). It is with great pride I tell you that my partner and I came out alive and without any new bruises!
Thursday, Thursday. With Krav first I felt like I’d be in proper form for Monkey Bar. Ha. For some reason my bob and weave looked more like a drunk sailor on shore leave which, as you might imagine, is not cute. I tried though. I think my hooks are getting better (you do them in 16 oz. gloves that you’re not used to) and that’s something. Then the chokes came and I’m still trying to keep my head on the wall. Sounds weird but does work. Fingers crossed I never actually have to use it. In Monkey Bar we did a deck of cards. What’s that you ask? There are four exercises (in this case push ups, abs, elephants and squats with lunges) and each suit represents an exercise. Face cards count as 15 reps and then the other cards are face value. Well, except for those stinking elephants which were deemed a tad easy so we did them times five. Yeah. I could have lived without that.
And let me tell you, Friday my back and hamstrings hurt like hell.
As usual, Saturday was a two-fer with level 2 and level 1 of Krav. To be honest, I wasn’t going to stay for the second but peer pressure and a sense of removing the 16 bazillion pounds from my ass made me stay. Same as before for level 2 but my hooks seemed a bit better. Level 1 was a return to groundwork and apparently I had forgotten how your abs feel after it. Perhaps it was due in some part to the abs from Monkey Bar on Thursday. It was nice to be back in a place where I actually knew the techniques and felt comfortable. Sigh.
Well, kids, another week and another round of workouts. Still at that 16 bazillion pounds to shed but feeling a little stronger and a little more certain that EVENTUALLY they will leave;)
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Weekly Workout Train 3/20/10
Another week down and those 17 bazillion pounds seem to like the new residence they have taken up on my body. I swear, I’m about five seconds from inventing a home liposuction that isn’t scary. At any rate, here’s what this week’s workouts looked like.
Monday saw a return to Monkey Bar with sets and reps that included one of my least favorite exercises. I’m 100000 percent convinced that burpees were created by the devil or one of his high up minions. They suck. I’m sure we did some other things like the jump rope, sit ups, powerwheel and what not, but the burpees are what are sticking in my mind as hell. Oh well, the price right?
Tuesday was a double day with Monkey Bar and then Krav. This time around Monkey Bar had us trying to achieve different levels (alignment, strength 2, strength 3 and power) of five different exercises: push ups, box hops, sit ups with weights, jump rope, power wheel roll outs and bear crawls. I was pretty happy to hit power level for the jump rope (1000 revolutions), bear crawls (6 lengths) and weighted sit ups (100). As I do girly push ups the fact I did 50 wasn’t another power level but it is something to work on. The power level for powerwheels was 100 and we did 75 so almost. Box hops are a close second to burpees in my world so 50 was enough of those and that was strength level 3 so there;) Let’s say that doing defensive front kicks forever after this during Krav wasn’t the most fun experience ever. And my 360 defenses with counters look like I’m hitting midgets or having a seizure. There’s always room for improvement right?
Wednesday is normally a day off for me (I try to schedule my meetings to coincide with this). Instead of taking it easy, I thought a 3.5 mile walk would be a good idea. Well, the company of my dear friend LO was definitely a bonus as was the sunny weather, but my legs were in a state of rebellion about .75 miles in. And while it may appear that I live in a nice, flat area, there were moments when it felt like I was off-roading. The jury is out as to whether or not Wednesdays will be added to my schedule.
Thursday normally is another double but since V was sick I decided to only do Monkey Bar. To add a twist, it was Animal Thursday. What is that you ask? Well, all the exercises had an animal name: bear crawls, lizard lunges, crab walk, frog hops, inch worm and something else I’m forgetting. That’s not to ignore the ab work but let’s be honest, I’m past the point of thinking I’ll ever have flat abs again. R&S did not disappoint and an hour later I was feeling very sweaty and tired.
While Friday is almost never a workout day, I was feeling like a lard ass while working from home. Not that it should really count as a workout, but I did make myself do 50 push-ups (still girly on my knees) and 100 reps of abs. There.
Saturday’s masochism continued with level 2 and level 1 of Krav. While my 360 defenses with counters still stink, at least I do pretty well with choke with a pull. Not that it is used very much and not that I ever want to have to use it, but at least I’ve got the theory. Level 1 was all elbows and for once I came out with all the skin I went in with and no new bandaids. Yay!
Here’s to hoping I see some changes soon.
Monday saw a return to Monkey Bar with sets and reps that included one of my least favorite exercises. I’m 100000 percent convinced that burpees were created by the devil or one of his high up minions. They suck. I’m sure we did some other things like the jump rope, sit ups, powerwheel and what not, but the burpees are what are sticking in my mind as hell. Oh well, the price right?
Wednesday is normally a day off for me (I try to schedule my meetings to coincide with this). Instead of taking it easy, I thought a 3.5 mile walk would be a good idea. Well, the company of my dear friend LO was definitely a bonus as was the sunny weather, but my legs were in a state of rebellion about .75 miles in. And while it may appear that I live in a nice, flat area, there were moments when it felt like I was off-roading. The jury is out as to whether or not Wednesdays will be added to my schedule.
Thursday normally is another double but since V was sick I decided to only do Monkey Bar. To add a twist, it was Animal Thursday. What is that you ask? Well, all the exercises had an animal name: bear crawls, lizard lunges, crab walk, frog hops, inch worm and something else I’m forgetting. That’s not to ignore the ab work but let’s be honest, I’m past the point of thinking I’ll ever have flat abs again. R&S did not disappoint and an hour later I was feeling very sweaty and tired.
While Friday is almost never a workout day, I was feeling like a lard ass while working from home. Not that it should really count as a workout, but I did make myself do 50 push-ups (still girly on my knees) and 100 reps of abs. There.
Saturday’s masochism continued with level 2 and level 1 of Krav. While my 360 defenses with counters still stink, at least I do pretty well with choke with a pull. Not that it is used very much and not that I ever want to have to use it, but at least I’ve got the theory. Level 1 was all elbows and for once I came out with all the skin I went in with and no new bandaids. Yay!
Here’s to hoping I see some changes soon.
Friday, March 19, 2010
A Couch, a Computer and a Carefree Work Day
I’m working from home today. For me that means putting on workout pants that are perhaps a smidge too tight to wear in public, a long sleeve t-shirt so thoughtfully provided by my Krav partner V and putting my hair in a messy bun while I try to demolish the writer’s block that has been plaguing me at work all week. Yes friends, I am a writer by trade although at times I reserve the right to ignore that fact based on the wonderful words I post here.
There are two projects that have just been kicking my ass and I cannot seem to find the words to make them work. One is a policy/procedure so by my nature I hate having to do those but nonetheless it has to be done by next Thursday so I have no choice. The other is an article that sounds easy in theory but I just can’t get the mind/hand connection going with getting the words out to my fingers and on to a page. Oh, and since it is a Friday and we’d normally have a team huddle at work, I think I’m getting a call to still be a part of that. Let’s hope I remember to answer the phone;)
There are two projects that have just been kicking my ass and I cannot seem to find the words to make them work. One is a policy/procedure so by my nature I hate having to do those but nonetheless it has to be done by next Thursday so I have no choice. The other is an article that sounds easy in theory but I just can’t get the mind/hand connection going with getting the words out to my fingers and on to a page. Oh, and since it is a Friday and we’d normally have a team huddle at work, I think I’m getting a call to still be a part of that. Let’s hope I remember to answer the phone;)
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Weekly Workout Train
As some of you know (ha, I say that like anyone is actually reading this. Whew, that was a good laugh) I was sick for over a week and the workout train came to a screeching halt. In my head this equated to gaining about 17 bazillion pounds and I may have had a little freak out/screaming fit/spiraling depression but whatever.
Given the new week that was just upon us I decided to get back on the train and get my ass moving as much as possible to try and get those aforementioned 17 bazillion pounds off and just feel better (TM Santana and Steven Tyler for that one). I thought, “Kiki, you haven’t been running in a while, it’s nice outside, you survived the Krav test, of course you can pick right up and run.” Well, since I’m clearly delusional I went out and did it.
Now when I said went out and did it, I mean I really did put on running clothes (appropriately matched per usual), found the watch, the pedometer (which was broken) and went outside. Yes, after nine months of not running I felt that running over melting ice and snow was the way to go. I’m a rocket scientist.
I started running after a minute of walking and told myself all I needed to do was five minute increments. Well, after pole vaulting over some snow piles I decided that I could totally do at least 10 minutes. 10 turned to 11 and as my good friend B decided to tell me “11 minutes equals a mile” so I was feeling pretty good! No pain in the shins, breathing was ok, hat wasn’t falling in my eyes, iPod was playing good tunes. Then the wall started creeping in. I felt an odd sensation in my left foot, then my right. Crap, I forgot I get blisters EVERY SINGLE time I run. I mean, one would think that they’d go away or get better or something. Apparently this is what not running for nine months does to me. Like the trooper I am (see previous I don’t give up post) I continued my trek for a total of 46 minutes, 32.5 of which would beat an old lady and her walker. Perhaps not so bad no?
Next day was Monkey Bar and Krav because let’s be honest, who isn’t a masochist that likes pain for two hours? All kidding aside, kick ass classes that almost make me believe I can wear a bikini this summer without people running for cover and cowering with fear at the sight of me. Monkey Bar with R&S had us doing umpas, box jumps, sit ups, jumping rope, burpees and some other activities that made me think I was going to puke. Not any indication of their instruction as they rock, but more my inadequacy. An hour saw more sweat come off me than being in Meridian, MS for a boat race in the summer.
Krav was a series of kicks that had me looking like a dancing elf (sidebar: totally not the image that is Krav-approved but my rhythm had left and that’s what happened). No biggie since I think by now they are used to me looking like a freak the first time we learn something new. The problem was that by this point my legs were starting to feel like jello. My partner V totally is great but I’m pretty sure falling on her is not the approved curriculum. I did, however, come back to full rar strength with my checking defenses so I had something solid to look back on.
Fast forward to the next two-a-day masochism workout and another round of Krav then Monkey Bar. I’m really wondering what switch has flipped in my head that I willingly put myself in these situations. I mean, do sane people do this? Anyway, kick series again in Krav but we had to try and hit focus mitts instead of pads while going across the room. Remember, I like V so I don’t want to kick her. Let’s just say I was kicking like there were flies in the room lest I make contact. Oh well, again my checking defenses saved the day (hey, I have to find something I’m good at or I may just shoot myself now. That’s the problem with being a perfectionist).
Thursday Monkey Bar was the dreaded warm up with box jumps (although V came up with a strategy to help next time) and then a rotation of jump rope, ab hell and arm hell. What is ab hell you ask? Two minutes of sit ups, one minute of rest followed by two minutes of Russian twists, one minute of rest and then two minutes of leg lifts with one minute of rest. Now, the first two, not the easiest but not a problem. See, I can’t do leg lifts to save my ass (not an odd thing since they are supposed to save your tummy). R tells me to do supine bridge with a lift. Sure, no prob. V looks over at me to tell me which muscles it really helps work and I lose my ish. Like I start laughing so hard I’m crying. Not the workout I was expecting. Anything that I can reply with “If I’m working those muscles I’d rather be doing something MUCH DIFFERENT” is not appropriate on the training floor. Somehow we then survived five minutes of push ups (I have the arms of a newborn when it comes to strength) and some yoga.
And since I truly am an idiot, I did two more Krav classes this morning. Now, I’m not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination and is only made worse when I have to actually function. Besides the great technique (my defenses were better, I did not look like a dancing elf with my advancing front kick), I got to run around the room with a tombstone pad on my back while my partner tried to hammerfist it. I mean, what more can one ask for right?
All things considered, after seven workouts in six days I’m not feeling too bad. The shins are still splinting and the arms didn’t want to dry the hair this morning, but it could be worse. Those 17 bazillion pounds are still there however. Not sure what we’re going to do about those….
Given the new week that was just upon us I decided to get back on the train and get my ass moving as much as possible to try and get those aforementioned 17 bazillion pounds off and just feel better (TM Santana and Steven Tyler for that one). I thought, “Kiki, you haven’t been running in a while, it’s nice outside, you survived the Krav test, of course you can pick right up and run.” Well, since I’m clearly delusional I went out and did it.
Now when I said went out and did it, I mean I really did put on running clothes (appropriately matched per usual), found the watch, the pedometer (which was broken) and went outside. Yes, after nine months of not running I felt that running over melting ice and snow was the way to go. I’m a rocket scientist.
I started running after a minute of walking and told myself all I needed to do was five minute increments. Well, after pole vaulting over some snow piles I decided that I could totally do at least 10 minutes. 10 turned to 11 and as my good friend B decided to tell me “11 minutes equals a mile” so I was feeling pretty good! No pain in the shins, breathing was ok, hat wasn’t falling in my eyes, iPod was playing good tunes. Then the wall started creeping in. I felt an odd sensation in my left foot, then my right. Crap, I forgot I get blisters EVERY SINGLE time I run. I mean, one would think that they’d go away or get better or something. Apparently this is what not running for nine months does to me. Like the trooper I am (see previous I don’t give up post) I continued my trek for a total of 46 minutes, 32.5 of which would beat an old lady and her walker. Perhaps not so bad no?
Fast forward to the next two-a-day masochism workout and another round of Krav then Monkey Bar. I’m really wondering what switch has flipped in my head that I willingly put myself in these situations. I mean, do sane people do this? Anyway, kick series again in Krav but we had to try and hit focus mitts instead of pads while going across the room. Remember, I like V so I don’t want to kick her. Let’s just say I was kicking like there were flies in the room lest I make contact. Oh well, again my checking defenses saved the day (hey, I have to find something I’m good at or I may just shoot myself now. That’s the problem with being a perfectionist).
Thursday Monkey Bar was the dreaded warm up with box jumps (although V came up with a strategy to help next time) and then a rotation of jump rope, ab hell and arm hell. What is ab hell you ask? Two minutes of sit ups, one minute of rest followed by two minutes of Russian twists, one minute of rest and then two minutes of leg lifts with one minute of rest. Now, the first two, not the easiest but not a problem. See, I can’t do leg lifts to save my ass (not an odd thing since they are supposed to save your tummy). R tells me to do supine bridge with a lift. Sure, no prob. V looks over at me to tell me which muscles it really helps work and I lose my ish. Like I start laughing so hard I’m crying. Not the workout I was expecting. Anything that I can reply with “If I’m working those muscles I’d rather be doing something MUCH DIFFERENT” is not appropriate on the training floor. Somehow we then survived five minutes of push ups (I have the arms of a newborn when it comes to strength) and some yoga.
And since I truly am an idiot, I did two more Krav classes this morning. Now, I’m not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination and is only made worse when I have to actually function. Besides the great technique (my defenses were better, I did not look like a dancing elf with my advancing front kick), I got to run around the room with a tombstone pad on my back while my partner tried to hammerfist it. I mean, what more can one ask for right?
All things considered, after seven workouts in six days I’m not feeling too bad. The shins are still splinting and the arms didn’t want to dry the hair this morning, but it could be worse. Those 17 bazillion pounds are still there however. Not sure what we’re going to do about those….