more working out blather
Jul. 23rd, 2008 06:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
verbicideI'm sorry for the plethora of LOOK AT ME I WORK OUT NOW posts. But I think as with anything else I'm excited about, I blather.
It took about two days to abandon the ActiveTrax thing. It required that I haul in my glasses, and when my faces sweats they slide off and it makes me cranky and I spend all this time trying to figure out which machine they want me to use and wtf it does instead of churning through my workout.
So. No likee.
Instead, I designed a circuit course for myself. I start with a few minutes of fast, inclined walking on the dreadmill and then do shoulder press (60-70lbs), hip abductors (55lbs), chest press (30lbs), back press (50lbs), leg press (115lbs), weighted squats (12lbs), and crunches. Then I run off to do more fast inclined walking, do another set, and repeat, finishing off with a near run. It keeps my heart rate up. I vary the amount of sets depending on the machine and the weights. It probably doesn't seem like very much--I know it's only a little more than half of what I was doing when training for the Danskin. But it totally and completely kicks my ass. I'm panting and drenched at the end and ...it feels good. But it's not to the point of pain where I want to never come back to the gym. I'm hoping the 3x a week will be enough. I'm already able to increase the weights on a few machines and the repetitions on others. I hope to increase the exercises slowly and work up to something like 12 different machines/free weight combinations. (The triceps curl will be added at the very last possible stage of procrastination.)
The nice ancillary benefit to working out that I always forget about is those mythical endorphins. Fitness specialists are always talking about it until you want to punch them in the face. But it's amazing how much more general energy I have on a daily basis now. I'm sore, but good sore. And I just feel stronger. I'm sure 90% of it is psychological at this point--but I'll take it. I finish in an exhausted state, but after about ten minutes of cooling down--I'm super perky again. It's awesome. I was really restless lately and having trouble sleeping, and this has totally solved that problem.
Next goal is to up my water intake which is teh suXX0r right now.
It took about two days to abandon the ActiveTrax thing. It required that I haul in my glasses, and when my faces sweats they slide off and it makes me cranky and I spend all this time trying to figure out which machine they want me to use and wtf it does instead of churning through my workout.
So. No likee.
Instead, I designed a circuit course for myself. I start with a few minutes of fast, inclined walking on the dreadmill and then do shoulder press (60-70lbs), hip abductors (55lbs), chest press (30lbs), back press (50lbs), leg press (115lbs), weighted squats (12lbs), and crunches. Then I run off to do more fast inclined walking, do another set, and repeat, finishing off with a near run. It keeps my heart rate up. I vary the amount of sets depending on the machine and the weights. It probably doesn't seem like very much--I know it's only a little more than half of what I was doing when training for the Danskin. But it totally and completely kicks my ass. I'm panting and drenched at the end and ...it feels good. But it's not to the point of pain where I want to never come back to the gym. I'm hoping the 3x a week will be enough. I'm already able to increase the weights on a few machines and the repetitions on others. I hope to increase the exercises slowly and work up to something like 12 different machines/free weight combinations. (The triceps curl will be added at the very last possible stage of procrastination.)
The nice ancillary benefit to working out that I always forget about is those mythical endorphins. Fitness specialists are always talking about it until you want to punch them in the face. But it's amazing how much more general energy I have on a daily basis now. I'm sore, but good sore. And I just feel stronger. I'm sure 90% of it is psychological at this point--but I'll take it. I finish in an exhausted state, but after about ten minutes of cooling down--I'm super perky again. It's awesome. I was really restless lately and having trouble sleeping, and this has totally solved that problem.
Next goal is to up my water intake which is teh suXX0r right now.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-07-31 12:52 am (UTC)The whole tracking-your-progress thing is great, but not if it gets in the way of the actual workout.
no subject
Date: 2008-07-31 02:25 am (UTC)So, the paper route is over and it's on to basic machines/freeweights that I already know and love. It's worked out much better that way!