fitness

 

I haven’t done a Reader’s Workout post in forever.  I’m pretty happy with my fitness routine right now though so I thought I’d update.

I signed up for Strong by Bret.  This is a monthly service that gives you 3 – 4 weightlifting workouts for a month.  You do the same workout each week but increase the weight each time.  If you want more there are optional additional workouts based on your goals:

  • You can pick additional full workout if you want to work out your whole body more days (rest days are recommended though)
  • You can add on a supplemental glute workout to your workout days or your off days
  • If powerlifting is your goal there are additional strength-building workouts

I’ve just been doing the main workouts.  I keep meaning to do the supplemental glute workouts on off days but I forget.

I love, love, love this program.  It is exactly what I’ve been looking for.  It is all weight lifting.  No explicit cardio but I’m dripping sweat when I’m done.

I’m just starting my third month now.  I haven’t lost any weight but I have made strength gains.  There is a big emphasis on pull ups.  I use the machine in the gym that lets you offset your body weight on pull ups.  When I started I was only lifting 45 lbs for a few reps.  Now I’m doing 55 lbs for sets of 5.  It is still super wimpy but it is better.  I can see changes in my shoulder muscles.

The other nice thing about this is that it is planned with women in mind.  Most weightlifting plans have women as an afterthought.

The husband and I did the Biking Spree at our local MetroParks.  We had to ride 5 of the designated trails.  It is designed to get people out and exploring all the Parks.  These were all simple paved trails. It turned into a saga.  I bought a pretty pink bike.  Long painful story short – it was horrible. 

This was a bike that should have been bought by someone who rides only on level roads in Florida on the way to the library to get a basket full of books.  Despite having enough gears and only riding on fairly level ground, it was the hardest bike to ride I’ve ever met.  It would just stop if faced with a hill.  Not a mountain.  A long, slow incline was tough.  I’d be in first gear and pedaling for all I was worth and all of a sudden I wouldn’t be able to move the pedals anymore.  I took it back to the store and am having them try to sell it.  If I wasn’t anti-littering I would have left it on the side of a trail.  At least I wouldn’t have had to push it while walking back to the car.

I realized that when I got rid of that bike that I only had one ride left to finish the program.  I took the husband’s bike out and did the longest ride I had done so far in program.  It was no problem at all.  That proved to me that it was the bike and not me that was making the rest of the rides so freaking miserable.

I’ve never been able to do arm balances in yoga.  Teachers are always like, “It isn’t about strength.  It is just balance.” while I crash on the floor.  

I signed up for access to a video series teaching handstands and arm balances. There is a series of daily short practices to build skill.  I failed video number 3. I need to work on my skill in that one before moving on.  I know I have the strength to hold handstands against a wall once I get into them.  Getting upside down is hard for me.  This video series also works on fear of falling and fear of getting upside down.  We’ll see how I am able to progress.