Tabata ’cause I’m tired!?!
So yesterday Candy, Brian and I did some power lifts. We did deadlifts, power cleans, snatches and dumbbell split jerks. It was actually very successful except I was sad I didn’t manage to deadlift 270.
Today – my body is destroyed. My legs are tired. My back is tired and knotted. My shoulders are sore and bruised (bruised because I can’t keep the weights from bouncing on my shoulders when I do dumbbell split jerks). EVERYTHING IS WORN OUT haha.
Since I felt tired but still wanted to work out, I decided I wouldn’t do any heavy lifting today. Since my chest is still tired from Monday and my shoulders are tired from Monday and Tuesday, I figured I would do legs and abs and some cardio. I also kind of wanted to do a circuit so I figured what the heck….Candy and I will do a tabata workout!
Uhm yea…a tabata workout isn’t the best idea when you are tired. Tabata workouts mean that you do different exercises and you do 8 sets of 20 seconds work with 10 seconds break.
Ok so this is just one of the exercises we did…I definitely didn’t jump that high though haha
We decided to do Tabata for each of the exercises below (So 8 sets of each exercise…we completed all 8 rounds before moving on to the next exercise):
Row
Bodyweight squats
Teapots with 25lbs (Standing up you lean to the side working your oblique.)
Burpees (BLEEEEEH)
Floor wipers (Lay on your back. hold a weighted bar above your chest like at the top of a bench press. Keep the bar still as you raise and lower straight legs. Alternate bringing your legs to the right and left sides. Don’t touch your legs to the floor during the 20 seconds.)
Split squat jumps (These may have been worse than burpees today!)
Upper crunch with 25lbs
Squat jumps
Mountain climbers
Run
40 minutes…
I don’t know which was worse…The tabata or the power lifts…I guess at least I won’t have bruises from the workout today! And if I have to do cardio…well tabata workouts are my kind of cardio!
I want man biceps…just not man pecs
The other day Candy and I were working out on the weight room floor and Nancy (one of our gym members) said to Nick (one of our trainers) that she wanted to get “man biceps” like the man bicep sisters (me and Candy). Nick didn’t understand the joke (for an explanation of the joke click “man bicep” ). I had though overheard the comment, and I turned to Nancy and told her that she was well on her way to developing man biceps. She seemed pleased with the comment.
She then complained to Nick that she hated doing push ups (the exercise he was just then telling her to do). I then jokingly said that the push ups would help develop her man biceps and she said, “Yes but I don’t want to develop man pecs!”
It was a funny comment but it also took me back. How could she love the idea of “man” biceps and not the idea of “man” pecs!?! Had we just made lifting weights for your biceps acceptable?
It shocked me how deeply rooted women’s fear of weight lifting is. Even a woman who seems to support our weight lifting is afraid to lift heavy weights herself. It is exactly what the poll from an earlier post said – “it’s not for me but there’s nothing wrong with it.” That honestly seems to be the response I’m getting from most women.
Women’s logic works like this when it comes to weights:
Women don’t want to look manly. Men lift weights to get bigger and more manly. Hence, we see weight lifting as the way to get more “manly.” Of course we don’t consider the fact that weight lifting is only a portion of the equation and that what actually makes men pack on the manly muscle is TESTOSTERONE.
I mean hey I know heavy lifting isn’t for everyone. But try it before you knock it! You never know…you may end up loving the “man” pecs you develop! I know I do!
Paddle Boarding
Mark Sisson – you would be proud!
Mark Sisson (author of the Primal Blueprint) - our inspiration to go paddle boarding.
Ryan and I went paddle boarding yesterday which was AMAZING! We went to Kendall Square in Cambridge and rented two boards and paddles. I was a bit nervous about trying paddle boarding since it looked like it would be difficult to stand up and balance on the board (and I definitely had no desire to go swimming in the Charles River!).
To start, we both had to be on our knees to get out of the channel. Once out of the channel we had to cross over to the other bank of the river. We both stayed down on our knees to get across the river. Paddling and balancing from my knees wasn’t easy so I was super nervous about standing up . I was even more nervous because the guy at the rental place said that most people didn’t stand up till their second or third time out!
Once across we had to maneuver around the sailboats – sailboats steered by children learning to sail. YIKES! This made me even more nervous about the whole situation.
Once we had made it past the first sailboats, Ryan decided to stand up. He managed it easily and started paddling on. Since he stood up, I knew I had to try.
My heart started racing as I tried to push myself up. I felt the boat rock and I went right back onto my knees. I looked up at Ryan and said, “I can’t do it. I’m too nervous.” We both kept paddling on.
I passed a few more sailboats and looked at him standing up on his board and decided I had to stop being a chicken. Again I put my hands down in front of me and slowly pushed up. I stood up!!! Of course my board was then heading toward land and a flock of geese so I frantically had to start steering away from the shore.
Trying to balance and turn quickly wasn’t an easy task and I managed to chase the flock of geese a short distance and almost run into one. Sorry again about that mr. goose!
Finally though I made it away from the rocks and the geese and started cruising. It wasn’t easy though. You could feel all the little muscles in your legs working to keep you balanced as you went over the small waves. You could also feel your back, shoulders and core working as you paddled through the water.
It was wonderful though. So much fun and such a challenge. Paddle boarding ended up being both easier and harder than I expected.
I’m both surprised and not surprised that people don’t stand up their first time. THIS IS THE REASON TO WORKOUT PEOPLE!!! You workout so you will be awesome at any activity/sport the FIRST time you try it!
I can’t wait to go again or maybe even go kayaking next time! YAY for summer!
As long as it is healthy, it is beautiful…What BS!
I just can’t believe this video. This is exactly what I’m battling against. This video is exactly why women are afraid to do weights! And Cameron Diaz isn’t big. She only has muscle definition because she freaking has no body fat like whatsoever! GRRRRRRRR ABC!! GRRRR!
And what was worse was where I found this video…on Fitcorp’s (a gym in Boston) Facebook page. A gym that posts a video about the fact that some people think women can be too toned!?! Uhm not a good move in my opinion!
I mean I guess they were trying to get people involved in their page…but still! Why even make women more aware of the fact that muscles may not be considered attractive to some people? That only makes trainers jobs harder – it is already hard to convince female clients to lift weights and now they have a video posted by their own company which will convince some women not to lift because they may become “too toned.”
Isn’t part of our job in the fitness industry to make people healthier? Isn’t lifting weights to gain strength, increase metabolism and bone density part of becoming healthier?
At least there was one bright spot in all of this…the poll attached to the video…”Cameron Diaz had recently been criticized for being “too buff.” We want to know … what do you think about women being toned & muscular?”
And the response so far….
5 people – “As long as it is healthy, it is beautiful” (Ok not bad but this is the same excuse overweight people use to not change their lifestyle.)
3 people – “Not for me, but nothing wrong with it” (Ok this bothered me especially since one of Fitcorp’s staff said this. Why isn’t it for you?…Probably because you don’t really think it is attractive but hey you are liberal and someone else can do what they want. These people definitely don’t support weight training.)
0 people – “It doesn’t seem natural” (PHEW!)
1 person – “I wish I looked like them” (COME TRAIN WITH ME!!!!)
1 person – “I’m a muscular woman and proud of it” (Uhm this one person was me…)
0 people – “I’m a man who loves muscular women” (Very disappointed that no man said yes. Women won’t fully want to gain muscle until they hear men saying it is beautiful.)
1 person – “Eh…who cares…leave them alone” (WHAT THE HECK DOES THIS EVEN MEAN!?!)
Ok so some bright spots…no one said it is unnatural and most women seem to think that it is ok…BUT the downside is that most women seem to think it is ok for any woman besides themselves. Very sad. I can think of numerous women who would look WAY better if they had some muscle AND most of those women would answer that it’s “not for me, but nothing wrong with it.”
Come on people.
200lbs
I squatted 200lbs! A new personal best! Yep I squatted 200lbs and my legs are still stick thin. I wish lifting heavy weights meant I could get manly legs – maybe then I would actually have a butt!
I think this qualifies me to say, “If you lift heavy weights, you won’t get big!!!” Oh and muscle takes up less space than fat…so maybe if you lift some weights you will lose some fat and inches off of your waistline!
Anyway, just had to brag. I know there are lots of women who can lift more but this 5′ 4″, 120lbs woman is pretty proud of her accomplishment!
Experimentation
Everyone wants a quick fix. The diet miracle that will make them trim and beautiful – a magic exercise pill that will do all the work for them. Shoot I would love a quick fix that gave me superman strength and six-pack abs! I mean, who wouldn’t!
But unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. We have to struggle and battle. It costs us sweat and even tears to achieve the bodies we desire – which honestly is why most people fall short. It is easier to give up on finding a solution; it is easier to not stick with a plan than to battle day in and day out.
But is it really easier to give up? Are we really happen when we don’t achieve our goals? I’m not!
Always trying to find a better, EASIER way to achieve my goals has led me over the last few years to experiment with both my diet and exercise regime.
I’ve tried P90x. I’ve tried Insanity. I’ve done power lifting and bodybuilding workouts. I’ve tried those routines in women’s magazines.
I’ve tried low-fat diets. I’ve tried eating whatever I want (which was fun until my pants started to not fit because I’d gained 10lbs). I’ve tried portion control and eating everything in moderation.
I’ve experimented to find out what works best for ME. Because let’s face it…Everything I’ve listed above works for someone…yes even the eating whatever they want works for some lucky SOB.
Only by trying out lots of different things have I found one solution, one plan that I feel I can stick to for the rest of my life.
For me that one eating plan is my own take on Primal and enforcing the 80/20 rule. 80-90% of the time I maintain a Primal diet – a healthy diet. But then there is that 10-20% of the time when I just freaking want a huge slice of pizza – and I eat it! For me, giving in and cheating every once in a while is fun and worth it. I’ve found a good balance of eating healthy and cheating that allows me to easily maintain my diet. I’ve also found that for me Primal works. It is a LIFESTYLE I can maintain for the long run. It isn’t some crash diet.
The exercise plan that works best for me is VARIETY. You may think that isn’t a plan, but it is. I like to vary up what I do. I always do some form of heavy lifting each week (I have a hard time gaining muscle and keeping it on), but I also love to do crossfit style workouts, spinning and yoga (when I find the time to). Ok so maybe even more than variety I like a challenge and lifting heavy, heavy weights….like the guy on the Planet Fitness commercial that “Picks things up and puts them down!” haha
Anyway, to sum up my ramblings…The message of my blog is about more than lifting heavy weights…it is about experimenting to find what works for you. It is about not fearing something new and different. It is about taking risks. And for most women, the fitness “risk” they should be taking is trying out lifting. Most women fear it will make them huge so they never give lifting a chance. Just try lifting for 60 days. Let me know what you think then….
BLEH
Today I woke up and I really didn’t want to go teach spin. I’m just exhausted. SEE! Even I don’t want to workout everyday! So don’t try to use the excuse that you don’t like working out because sometimes I don’t either BUT I still do it! This last week of working out was intense:
Monday
2k rowing
Chest, back and arms lift
Tuesday
30 minute tabata plyometric and weights circuit
20 minutes incline walking
Wednesday
Kettlebell circuit
Burpee-push up pyramid (1-5-1, 2-10-2)
Elliptical 15 minutes
Thursday
Morning Spin/Core class
Lunch Spin class
Leg lift
Friday
Deadly push up/pull up pyramid (1-10-1, 2-20-2) – Perform 1 pull up with 2 push ups going up to 10 and 20 and then back down
500m row
Saturday
NOTHING
Sunday
Spin/Core class
Ok so Wednesday was kind of a goof off day but Thursday and Friday really did me in. And I just am exhausted! There seriously is nothing harder than rowing or doing push ups and pull ups as fast as you can. And two hours of spin on Thursday plus lifting…maybe not the smartest idea. I thought my body was used to teaching two hours of spin but my butt was seriously sore on Friday (and it wasn’t from the saddle either!)!
Try the push up/pull up pyramid and see how long it takes you to finish. I manage to do all the pull ups and push ups (from my toes!) without assistance but it takes me about 25-20 minutes. I’m hoping to get to a point where I don’t have to rest during any of the sets of pull ups!
I lift so I can live
I enjoy working out – most of the time. There are definitely days that I wish I didn’t have to see the inside of a gym, but in general I enjoy working out.
On those days that I just don’t want to workout, I remind myself of how good I’ll feel when I’m done. I remind myself that I not only workout because I love working out in and of itself BUT also because working out helps keeps me healthy so I can live life to the fullest!
Working out keeps you in shape so you can live life without injury. So you can play with your kids; so you can go skiing; so you can shovel snow; so you can move boxes and furniture (not fun but sometimes necessary).
On Saturday, when Ryan and I moved to a new apartment (in the same building but two floors lower), I realized just how lucky we were that both of us were in shape. Moving futons, mattresses, bureaus and huge tv stands isn’t easy – actually I’d say its impossible if you don’t lift heavy things on a regular basis.
A friend of mine actually echoed this thought. He offered to help us move. I turned down his offer because we were so disorganized (we didn’t pack anything up since we were only moving down two floors…really, really stupid…). When I said ‘no thanks’ he gave me a look like ‘really?’. Then he said, “Oh…well Ryan has you and you are probably as strong as he is! If it was just Nicky and me, I would have to move everything!”
Nicky almost never works out and when someone is skinny, you brush off the fact that he/she never works out because he/she maintains a healthy weight. But there are times, like when you move, that you realize just how important working out is! I mean moving is a part of life.
Yes, you can hire movers for big moves, but I’m not even talking about big moves (and that can be way more expensive than moving yourself!). Think about how many times you run into an instant where you have to move a heavy box – like if a big package is dropped off on your doorstep by the mailperson and you have to move it inside.
I actually ran into this problem when the Bowflex dumbbells I ordered for Ryan were dropped off. I had to open the box and move the dumbbells separately up the three flights of stairs. That situation definitely made me wish I was stronger!
The idea that I couldn’t do an activity that occurs in everyday life is enough to motivate me to keep working out. Is it enough to motivate you?
Jillian Michaels – I hate running too
So I found out last week that Jillian Michaels hates running and I 100% agree with that sentiment. I run as little as possible and if I have to run, I prefer to do sprints. I just get too freaking bored running long distances.
BUT running is good for you. So I force myself to do it. I usually force myself to run by including it in a workout – like in crossfit workouts like the Murph (1 mile, 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, 1 mile) or the Small (3 rounds of 1,000m rowing, 50 burpees, 50 box jumps and 800m running). But sometimes I do manage to just do a cardio day like yesterday.
Yesterday I actually did what are probably my two least favorite things – running and rowing. I’ve already mentioned I hate running, but rowing is also up there among the things I hate most. BUT unlike running, I force myself to row at least a few times a week. Boredom isn’t a factor when I row – surviving is. Rowing is probably one of the hardest activities for me, which is why I force myself to do it. I’m determined to get better at it.
Anyway, yesterday I did a workout that included both running and rowing and was purely cardio aside from the tough ab circuit before. I’ve included both the abs and the cardio workout below. Even Man Bicepers need to do cardio even if we do like lifting weights more! 🙂
Abs: (Repeat circuit 3 times)
15 Knees to Elbows (Hanging from a pull up bar bring your knees up to your elbows.)
10 each side Cable Cross Rotation with Press (Put the cable as low as it can go. Using the rope attachment pull from low on your right , pull across your body and up toward your shoulder rotating your body so that you can press the cable up and out on the left side.)
15 TRX Knees to Chest (Holding a push up position with your feet in the TRX band, bring your knees in toward you chest without raising your butt up.)
10 each side Russian Twists (Use weight!)
Cardio:
Walk 2 minutes
Run 7 minutes
Row 250m
Repeat twice
On the third round:
Walk 2 minutes
Run 7 minutes
Row 500m
Man Bicep 