Workouts

Side crow variation.

Just a place for me to record my personal workouts, including classes taken in any format, such as Yoga. Observations, musings, stuff I learn, unique turns of phrases uttered by my teachers, things I teach myself. This is my spot to toss all of that in. This is not meant to be a comprehensive workout log. A snapshot is more of what I have in mind. If this evolves into a comprehensive log, so be it. Soooo, if you click on here and don’t see any entries for a a stretch of time, don’t automatically assume I’ve been a lazy slug who has fallen off the workout wagon.  I’m mostly likely still working out, just not recording for any number of reasons.

If you’re looking here for fitness inspiration, remember to always get clearance from your doctor before beginning any exercise program. Modify any exercise routine to suit your individual fitness level, goals, abilities, and to account for any injuries or medical conditions.

Update, Thursday, October 27, 2011: Quickie Compound Moves Combo: Combining Yoga, Cardio, and Strength:

Time: 30-35 minutes, which is all I had

10 minutes of light cardio

20 pushups (full)

Handstand practice

5 Tibetan Rites (21 reps of each exercise, which is the max recommended)

Pull-ups on the lowest assistance setting:  (4 of each grip: palms facing away, palms towards me, palms facing each other)

Cardio interval

Shoulder presses with squat (20 at 10lbs)

Bicep curls with plie squat (20 at 10 lbs)

Rows (20 at 10 lbs)

Cardio interval

Tricep dips on a stability ball (20)

8 more pullups

Update, August 28, 2011: Workout I did the day Hurricane Irene rolled into town:

• 30 minutes on the elliptical, hill intervals
• 10 minutes of Yoga, with a simple flow: Down Dog to Down Dog Split to Warrior One,Warrior 2, Reverse, Triangle, Revolved Triangle, Warrior 3, Warrior One, Vinyasa. Repeat on the second side.
• I practiced a bit of headstand and handstand as well.
• Then 20 pushups (10 regular, 10 narrow hand position)
• Hyperextension: 20 reps
• One set of Pilates hundreds, including some “oblique hundreds,”  then some oblique crunches (16 per side)
• A few cool-down stretches. Done!

This all took about 45-50 minutes

Update, July 12: In June and July, it’s been lots of Yoga, Pilates, biking, and walking. Less weights, but I still squeeze in a session or two a week. Biking started in earnest just after July 4th, once I got my nerve up to bike the city streets. I’ve been loving it!

As the weather warms, I shift my workouts outdoors. That is, until the super crazy heat kicks in. Then I either work out outside early in the morning, or indoors, or both.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011: 20 minutes of biking, 20 minutes of Pilates, 90 minutes of Yoga.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011: Total body weights/cardio with upper body focus. Yoga inversion drills, ab work. Plus about a half hour (or more) of walking. Strength exercise included chest presses, shoulder presses, pull-ups, pushups.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011: Back to the weights and cardio combo. Total body workout with lower body focus. 45 minutes alternating strength and cardio. Strength moves included lunges, squats on Bosu ball with 14lb Core ball, butt blasters, pushups,  abs, plus 30 minute walk home from the gym. 75 minutes of Yoga later in the day.

Monday, May 30, 2011: An hour of Yoga; hour of walking

Sunday, May 29, 2011: Couple hours worth of walking

Saturday, May 28, 2011: 55 minutes of dance class (Zumba–LOL!)

Friday, May 27:  An hour each of Yoga, Pilates, and about an hour or so of walking.

Thursday, May 26, 2011:

Summary: Total Body Workout, Upper Body Focus: 1 hour, including cardio intervals alternating with strength work. 10 min cardio warmup, followed by 40 pushups (2 x 20);  Strength/toning exercises included: Dumbbell rows, 2 x 20 w 20 lb weight; pull-ups (30 assisted using various grips), 2 x 20  bicep curls with balance on a Bosu Ball; bench tricep dips.

Wednesday, May 25: One hour Yoga. Tired today.

Tuesday, May 24:

Summary: Total Body Workout, Lower Body Focus: 50 minutes, including 10 minute cardio warmup, 40 full pushups (2 x 20), squat and lunge variations using 12 lb core ball and sometimes balancing on the Bosu Ball, hyperextensions, abs, plus a little upper body work (handstand practice and pull-ups).

Yoga: 90 minutes

Monday, May 23, 2011

Walking, one hour, plus some Yoga stretches

Friday, May 20, 2011

1 hour of Yoga4Soul

45 minutes of Pilates (feels like therapy for my back and shoulders!)

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Lower Body Blast

Notes: I was honestly kinda dragging going into this session, but came out of it feeling GREAT! Just another reminder to myself (and anyone else out there), that very rarely do we regret doing our session. What we typically regret is NOT doing it. In all honesty, I can count the times I’ve regretted a workout on one hand. And usually that reason for regret was that I was coming down with a cold or somesuch, or that I aggravated an injury. Onward:

10 min cardio warmup on ellip

20 full pushups

2 min cardio

pushups: 16 full/4 modified (improving after last week’s cold)

Weighted Step-ups onto bench with Balance: 10 lbs weights and lifting knee to chest (20 per leg)

Ab Moves: 25 Ab curls

2 min ellip

Weighted Step-ups onto bench with Balance: 10 lbs weights and lifting knee to chest (20 per leg)

2 min ellip

Butt Blaster Series:

Butt Blaster 1: 20 per leg of knee to chest then pressing up to ceiling with flexed foot. Smooth range of motion is important here. ALSO key is keeping your back stable. Use a mirror to check if necessary.

Butt Blaster 2: 20 per leg of lifting bent knee out to the side. Keep elbow down on the side you’re working.

(Form notes: this time, Butt Blaster 1 is done on elbows and with 20 pulses after each set of 20. Yeowch! Please note that I’m doing these for toning, NOT for reduction of, the, ahem, area).

AB Moves: 26 bicycle crunches

2 min ellip

20 hyperextension on machine

Ab Moves: Pilates Scissors (total of 20)

2 min ellip

20 hyperextensions on machine

Elbow to knee standing (kick-box influenced move): 25 per leg

2 min ellip

Elbow to knee standing (kick-box influenced move): 25 per leg

2 min ellip

Final ab moves included a set of Pilates “Hundreds” with legs getting progressively lower (more challenging, but watch the low back for pain), Yoga Boat Pose (Navasana), Reverse crunches (25)

Cool-down: Stretches

Yoga4Soul later, for an hour. Ahhhhhh!

Wed, May 18, 2011

Total Body Session, Upper Body Focus

45 minute session of cardio on the bike and upper body-focused strength moves, including 40 pushups, 16 pull-ups (on lowest level of assistance), 2 sets of 20 chest presses on bench  w 20 lbs weights; 2 sets of overhead shoulder presses with 10 lbs; 2 sets of 20 lateral raises on the Bosu ball with 7.5 lbs; a few other moves I can’t remember now, but def abs and some stretching.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Total Body Workout, Lower Body Focus:

Notes: 1st such sesh in about a week, because I was fighting a cold last week.

Warmup: 10 min elliptical machine (Gotta admit I watched “Keeping up with the Kardashians” during the cardio portions of today’s workout.  Yeah, really classy, highly intellectual programming. Ha! I learned that Kim has a shopping addiction, that Khloe’s insecure about her body, and the mom (Kris?) still feels bad about how she treated her ex-husband in his final years. Important knowledge.)

20 pushups (15 full, 5 on knees; just coming off being sick, feeling weakened. Not by the Kardashians’ inanity, but by the cold I had last week.)

2 min ellip

20 more pushups (14 full, 6 on knees)

2 min ellip

20 balance squats on top of Bosu Ball (never done these before; but easier than I imagined. Thank you, Yoga, for giving me rockin’ balance)

2 min ellip

20 cross back plie squats holding 12 pound Core Ball  (10 per leg)

10 regular squats holding core ball

2 min ellip

Lunges: 20 balance lunges per leg (step down and back into lunge, bring same leg back up to knee height and balance)

2 min ellip

Lunges, set 2 (same as above)

2 min ellip

Butt Blaster series:

Butt Blaster 1: 25 per leg of knee to chest then pressing up to ceiling with flexed foot. Smooth range of motion is important here.

Butt Blaster 2: 20 per leg of lifting bent knee out to the side. Keep elbow down on the side you’re working.

2 min ellip

Butt Blaster set 2 (same as above)

2 min ellip

20 hyperextensions (using machine)

2 min ellip

Abs, stretch.

Yoga later, 75-80 of movement, minutes, depending on how long we meditate and work on breathing techniques today.