I subbed a muscle conditioning class Monday night but taught it like a circuit/interval workout. Here's basically what we did.
5-6 minute warmup (marching, heel taps, step touch, jog in place, etc.)
squats w/ heavy dumbbells
split squats with front foot up on a step, back foot on the floor
repeat squats and split squats
2 minutes jumping jacks
side squats with one heavy dumbbell
deadlifts
repeat side squats and deadlifts
2 minutes jog in place
squats with overhead press with lighter dumbbells
plies with upright row
repeat squats and plies
45 seconds mountain climber
8 pushups
30 seconds mountain climber
10 pushups
20 seconds mountain climber
12 pushups
2 minutes lateral hop
bicep curls with heavier dumbbells
overhead tricep extensions with one heavy dumbbell
repeat biceps and triceps
2 minutes cross-country ski
lateral delt raises with lighter dumbbells
bent-over delt raises
repeat lateral and rear delt raises
2 minutes bicycles
straight-leg pulse crunches
Pilates rollups
repeat pulses and rollups
stretch!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Cancer? No way.
It can't be. I won't accept it.
Let me backtrack. I went for a routine mammogram on February 11. Nothing major; I'm over 40 (sob!), and I'm supposed to go every year. The mammography place called on February 13 and left a message for me to call back. When I did, they said the radiologist had seen something on my left breast and wanted me to come back in for more scans and possibly ultrasound. The first available appointment was February 20. That's good, right? They didn't rush me in the same day.
When I went back on the 20th, they took four more scans and two ultrasounds. I was there for 2.5 hours! I met with the radiologist, who showed me there's a clear... something... on my left breast. Solid? Liquid? Heck if I know. But there's definitely something there. He sent the results to my primary doc, who called me HIMSELF the next day, worried and very concerned. He's the first person who said the word "lump." The radiology folks kept saying "spot," not "lump." Ugh.
The primary doc referred me to a surgeon. Luckily, they were able to take me right away. I met with him Monday morning with IronHubby. The surgeon recommends a biopsy to see what the lump is made of.
My biopsy is Monday, March 10. And then I won't know any results until 3-5 days after that.
I hate waiting.
In the meantime, I refuse to believe it's anything bad. It's probably a cyst. No big deal. Women deal with this all.the.time. I'm not the first woman to experience this, and I won't be the last.
If it is bad, though, I told IronHubby last night I'm going to Ireland. I *will* meet Bono if it's literally the last thing I do. I'm not joking.
Let me backtrack. I went for a routine mammogram on February 11. Nothing major; I'm over 40 (sob!), and I'm supposed to go every year. The mammography place called on February 13 and left a message for me to call back. When I did, they said the radiologist had seen something on my left breast and wanted me to come back in for more scans and possibly ultrasound. The first available appointment was February 20. That's good, right? They didn't rush me in the same day.
When I went back on the 20th, they took four more scans and two ultrasounds. I was there for 2.5 hours! I met with the radiologist, who showed me there's a clear... something... on my left breast. Solid? Liquid? Heck if I know. But there's definitely something there. He sent the results to my primary doc, who called me HIMSELF the next day, worried and very concerned. He's the first person who said the word "lump." The radiology folks kept saying "spot," not "lump." Ugh.
The primary doc referred me to a surgeon. Luckily, they were able to take me right away. I met with him Monday morning with IronHubby. The surgeon recommends a biopsy to see what the lump is made of.
My biopsy is Monday, March 10. And then I won't know any results until 3-5 days after that.
I hate waiting.
In the meantime, I refuse to believe it's anything bad. It's probably a cyst. No big deal. Women deal with this all.the.time. I'm not the first woman to experience this, and I won't be the last.
If it is bad, though, I told IronHubby last night I'm going to Ireland. I *will* meet Bono if it's literally the last thing I do. I'm not joking.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Squat variations
SPLIT SQUATS
Get into a lunge position with your right leg forward and your left leg behind you. Your left heel should be off the floor, and there should be plenty of space between your feet. Lower your body weight straight down, and then straighten back up. That's all there is to it. Just straight down and straight up. Your back knee should almost touch the floor. Do not lean forward into the squat. Keep your chest lifted, shoulders squared, and posture tall. Make sure you can see the toes of your front foot throughout the movement; if you can't, you need to shift your weight back. Add weight as you can. Do 10-12 with your right leg in front, then switch your legs and do 10-12 more.
SPLIT SQUATS WITH A TWIST
Do the split squat as described above, but add an upper body twist. Holding a weight or medicine ball in front of you in both hands (shoulders relaxed, weight no higher than shoulder level, arms straight with a slight bend in the elbows), squat down with your right leg in front. Hold yourself in that split squat position and twist your entire upper body to the right. The twist should originate from the bottom of the ribcage; your whole upper body should twist toward the side wall. Then come back to center, then up to the starting position. Repeat for a set of 10-12, then switch your legs. When your left leg is in front, your twist should go to the left.
STAGGERED SPLIT SQUATS
1. Same as the regular split squat, but place your forward leg on a raised platform -- a step, box, or BOSU Balance Trainer.
2. Even harder, place your BACK leg on a raised platform.
With both of these alternatives, form becomes even more important. Do NOT lean forward. Remember, your knee should remain above your ankle when you are all the way down in the split squat position.
PLIE
Stand with your feet much wider than shoulder width apart, toes pointing out toward the side walls. Lower yourself down into a plie squat, thighs parallel to the floor. As always, your knees should be above your ankles. Make sure those feet are wide enough apart to make that happen! Inhale down, exhale up.
PLIE WITH A SIDE BEND
Hold a stability ball or light dumbbell over your head with your shoulders relaxed. The ball or weight should be slightly in front of your forehead so that you can see it clearly if you just glance up with your eyes without moving your head up. Plie down and do a side bend to the right. Think about bringing your right shoulder down toward your right thigh. Then bend back up to center, then straighten your legs. You can do either 10 on the right and then 10 on the left, or you can alternate. Or both.
STAGGERED PLIE
Get into that wide plie stance, but this time put your right leg up on a step or box -- about 6-10 inches high (depending on your level of ability and your height/leg length). Now do your plies. You'll find that you probably cannot go down as far here. That's OK. You'll feel it; trust me! Do 10 and then switch sides, putting the left leg up.
Get into a lunge position with your right leg forward and your left leg behind you. Your left heel should be off the floor, and there should be plenty of space between your feet. Lower your body weight straight down, and then straighten back up. That's all there is to it. Just straight down and straight up. Your back knee should almost touch the floor. Do not lean forward into the squat. Keep your chest lifted, shoulders squared, and posture tall. Make sure you can see the toes of your front foot throughout the movement; if you can't, you need to shift your weight back. Add weight as you can. Do 10-12 with your right leg in front, then switch your legs and do 10-12 more.
SPLIT SQUATS WITH A TWIST
Do the split squat as described above, but add an upper body twist. Holding a weight or medicine ball in front of you in both hands (shoulders relaxed, weight no higher than shoulder level, arms straight with a slight bend in the elbows), squat down with your right leg in front. Hold yourself in that split squat position and twist your entire upper body to the right. The twist should originate from the bottom of the ribcage; your whole upper body should twist toward the side wall. Then come back to center, then up to the starting position. Repeat for a set of 10-12, then switch your legs. When your left leg is in front, your twist should go to the left.
STAGGERED SPLIT SQUATS
1. Same as the regular split squat, but place your forward leg on a raised platform -- a step, box, or BOSU Balance Trainer.
2. Even harder, place your BACK leg on a raised platform.
With both of these alternatives, form becomes even more important. Do NOT lean forward. Remember, your knee should remain above your ankle when you are all the way down in the split squat position.
PLIE
Stand with your feet much wider than shoulder width apart, toes pointing out toward the side walls. Lower yourself down into a plie squat, thighs parallel to the floor. As always, your knees should be above your ankles. Make sure those feet are wide enough apart to make that happen! Inhale down, exhale up.
PLIE WITH A SIDE BEND
Hold a stability ball or light dumbbell over your head with your shoulders relaxed. The ball or weight should be slightly in front of your forehead so that you can see it clearly if you just glance up with your eyes without moving your head up. Plie down and do a side bend to the right. Think about bringing your right shoulder down toward your right thigh. Then bend back up to center, then straighten your legs. You can do either 10 on the right and then 10 on the left, or you can alternate. Or both.
STAGGERED PLIE
Get into that wide plie stance, but this time put your right leg up on a step or box -- about 6-10 inches high (depending on your level of ability and your height/leg length). Now do your plies. You'll find that you probably cannot go down as far here. That's OK. You'll feel it; trust me! Do 10 and then switch sides, putting the left leg up.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Squats!
Squats are probably my favorite lower body exercise. There are so many things you can do with them to challenge your quadriceps, hamstrings, gluts, hips, core, lower back... Good stuff.
BASIC SQUAT
Stand with your feet hip distance apart, spine nice and aligned, head neutral, shoulders relaxed and down. On an inhale, bend your knees and keep your hips back as though there were a chair behind you. You should be able to see your toes throughout the movement if you glance down. If your knees are farther forward than your toes, obscuring your view of your toes, you are doing more harm than good! Keep those hips back. This girl has great form:
As you can see, her hips are back, her knees are bent to 90 degrees, and her thighs are parallel to the floor. She is holding one dumbbell. If you can handle more weight, you can place a weighted bar across the upper part of your back (NOT on your spine), like this:
Here is an example of really bad form. And bad clothes. And bad hair, frankly. See how his knees are in front of his toes? His knees should be back over his ankles or shoelaces, like the woman pictured above. She rocks. He does not.
Please note that I found these images by doing an Internet image search. My apologies if I wasn't supposed to post images thusly. :)
More later.
BASIC SQUAT
Stand with your feet hip distance apart, spine nice and aligned, head neutral, shoulders relaxed and down. On an inhale, bend your knees and keep your hips back as though there were a chair behind you. You should be able to see your toes throughout the movement if you glance down. If your knees are farther forward than your toes, obscuring your view of your toes, you are doing more harm than good! Keep those hips back. This girl has great form:
As you can see, her hips are back, her knees are bent to 90 degrees, and her thighs are parallel to the floor. She is holding one dumbbell. If you can handle more weight, you can place a weighted bar across the upper part of your back (NOT on your spine), like this:
Here is an example of really bad form. And bad clothes. And bad hair, frankly. See how his knees are in front of his toes? His knees should be back over his ankles or shoelaces, like the woman pictured above. She rocks. He does not.
Please note that I found these images by doing an Internet image search. My apologies if I wasn't supposed to post images thusly. :)
More later.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Circuit Workout
A few people have asked about circuit workouts, so I thought I'd post one for all to see. I am a big believer in circuit and interval workouts. (Heck, I teach at least one or two per week!) Here's one that doesn't require a whole lot of equipment and can be done in less than an hour. No safety/form cues are included here; include any questions in your comments, and I'll be happy to answer them.
- Warm up for at least 4-5 minutes by marching in place, jogging in place, moving side to side, maybe adding some higher intensity movements like high knees. Make sure you also warm up your upper body with some shoulder rolls and shrugs, big arms overhead, etc.
- Squats for 1-2 minutes. Add weight if you can, either by placing a weighted bar across your shoulders or holding onto dumbbells.
- Jump rope for 2 minutes. Don't have a rope? Fake it.
- Walking lunges for 2 minutes. If you don't have enough space for walking lunges (i.e. a big empty room), do alternating front lunges instead.
- Jumping jacks, 1 minute.
- Side squats for 2 minutes. Step out to the side, squat straight down with your legs wide, stand up straight, then bring that leg back in. You can either alternate or do 8-10 leading with the right leg and then 8-10 leading left. If you have a resistance band, put it around your ankles for this one.
- Jog in place for 2 minutes.
- Dead lift/row combo, ideally with a weighted bar, for 2-3 minutes. Lower down into the dead lift, do 2 bentover rows, then straighten up. Keep your knees slightly bent throughout the movement!
- Mountain climber, 1 minute.
- Before you stand up, do 8 pushups.
- Stay down there in plank and repeat the mountain climber, this time for 45 seconds.
- 10 pushups.
- Mountain climber for 30 seconds.
- 12 pushups.
- Jump rope again, 2 minutes.
- Bicep curls for 3 minutes. Mix it up; do a full curl, bottom half only, top half only, hammer curl, etc.
- Shuffle side to side for 2 minutes.
- Dips! Do 10 and rest for about 15 seconds. 10 more dips, rest. 10 more dips, rest. Once more for good luck.
- Jog in place, 1 minute. If you have the energy alternate regular jogging with either high knees or butt kicks.
- Lateral delt raises with dumbbells for 2 minutes.
- Bicycles for 1 minute.
- Plank for 1 minute.
- Repeat the bicycles and the plank.
- Stretch!!!
Friday, February 8, 2008
More Core Exercises
Here's a tough medicine ball routine.
1. Russian twists. Sit up on the mat, holding a medicine ball in both hands in front of you. Legs extended, knees bent. Lean back until you feel your abs engage (if they don't engage, you'll just fall backward). Now lift your feet off the floor. Ah yeah. Now twist side to side, bringing the medicine ball to the floor at your hips. Make sure you twist from the top of your ribcage, shoulders going side to side (not just your arms). Keep those shoulders down away from your ears. If you need to, you can put your feet down. Do 50 twists -- 25 each side, alternating.
2. IMMEDIATELY lie down and put your legs straight up in the air, arms extended behind you over your head, still holding the medicine ball. (So your arms are down toward the floor.) Bring your arms straight up in the air and crunch up as you take the arms and ball toward your feet, then lower down. Do 25.
3. IMMEDIATELY go up one more time with the ball toward the feet and PULSE straight up into the air 25 times.
4. IMMEDIATELY put the medicine ball between your knees, take your hands behind your head like you're going to do a crunch, and just do a reverse curl. On an exhale, pull the belly button in and lift the hips very slightly off the floor. You should not rock your legs; they go straight up and straight down. It's a small movement. Do 25.
5. IMMEDIATELY do 25 more but add a crunch at the same time. Do 25.Rest for about a minute.
6. Start with #5 and work your way back down to the Russian twists. So full body crunch, then just reverse curl, then pulses, then overhead reaches, then twists. No breaks until you're done.
1. Russian twists. Sit up on the mat, holding a medicine ball in both hands in front of you. Legs extended, knees bent. Lean back until you feel your abs engage (if they don't engage, you'll just fall backward). Now lift your feet off the floor. Ah yeah. Now twist side to side, bringing the medicine ball to the floor at your hips. Make sure you twist from the top of your ribcage, shoulders going side to side (not just your arms). Keep those shoulders down away from your ears. If you need to, you can put your feet down. Do 50 twists -- 25 each side, alternating.
2. IMMEDIATELY lie down and put your legs straight up in the air, arms extended behind you over your head, still holding the medicine ball. (So your arms are down toward the floor.) Bring your arms straight up in the air and crunch up as you take the arms and ball toward your feet, then lower down. Do 25.
3. IMMEDIATELY go up one more time with the ball toward the feet and PULSE straight up into the air 25 times.
4. IMMEDIATELY put the medicine ball between your knees, take your hands behind your head like you're going to do a crunch, and just do a reverse curl. On an exhale, pull the belly button in and lift the hips very slightly off the floor. You should not rock your legs; they go straight up and straight down. It's a small movement. Do 25.
5. IMMEDIATELY do 25 more but add a crunch at the same time. Do 25.Rest for about a minute.
6. Start with #5 and work your way back down to the Russian twists. So full body crunch, then just reverse curl, then pulses, then overhead reaches, then twists. No breaks until you're done.
Core Exercises
Level 1:Low plank position. Elbows bent, forearms on floor, elbows lined up right under your shoulders so your upper arms are perpendicular to the floor. Make a straight line from your head to your heels. Don't let your belly button drop toward the floor. If you feel pressure in your lower back, you may need to lift your hips a teeny, tiny bit up toward the ceiling. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth. When you inhale, think about filling your lungs with air and expanding them left to right and front to back. When you exhale, force all the air out of your mouth and pull your belly button in toward your spine and up toward your ribs. Hold the plank for 1 minute.
Level 2:After a (very) brief rest, get into that same low plank position. Hold for about 30 seconds, breathing as listed above. Then start to add movement. Without losing your plank position, slowly drop one knee toward the floor, then straighten the leg. Then do the other knee. Keep alternating, very slowly, for another 30-40 seconds. Your goal is to keep your plank intact. The only thing moving should be your knees, slowly down toward the floor then back up.
Level 3:After another (very) brief rest, get back into that plank position again. This time, instead of moving the legs, you are going to move the hips side to side. Once again without losing your plank position, slowly twist your entire lower body to lower one hip toward the floor, then back up to center. Then the other hip toward the floor. The twist should originate from the top of the rib cage. I find it easier to do this without shoes. When we do it in class, I have them move their feet close together (touching). As they drop their left hip toward the floor, they roll onto the outside of their left foot. Same on the right side. Do about 20-30 twists, total. SLOW. Keep that plank nice and strong. Don't let your shoulders start to creep up toward your ears.
Level 2:After a (very) brief rest, get into that same low plank position. Hold for about 30 seconds, breathing as listed above. Then start to add movement. Without losing your plank position, slowly drop one knee toward the floor, then straighten the leg. Then do the other knee. Keep alternating, very slowly, for another 30-40 seconds. Your goal is to keep your plank intact. The only thing moving should be your knees, slowly down toward the floor then back up.
Level 3:After another (very) brief rest, get back into that plank position again. This time, instead of moving the legs, you are going to move the hips side to side. Once again without losing your plank position, slowly twist your entire lower body to lower one hip toward the floor, then back up to center. Then the other hip toward the floor. The twist should originate from the top of the rib cage. I find it easier to do this without shoes. When we do it in class, I have them move their feet close together (touching). As they drop their left hip toward the floor, they roll onto the outside of their left foot. Same on the right side. Do about 20-30 twists, total. SLOW. Keep that plank nice and strong. Don't let your shoulders start to creep up toward your ears.
Never underestimate the power of the BOBBIE
I had an utterly craptastic night last night. Went to bed early, was sleeping like a champ, and then fracking female problems woke me up... and kept me up, moaning in pain, for more than 2 hours. I decided I needed comfort food for lunch. Nothing but a Bobbie would do!
Mmmmmmmmmm. I feel almost human again. Almost.
Bobbie + 7 Advils (so far) = happy happy joy joy. Of course, I'll regret this lunch decision in a few hours when I'm running on a treadmill, but for now it's making me happy. :)
Mmmmmmmmmm. I feel almost human again. Almost.
Bobbie + 7 Advils (so far) = happy happy joy joy. Of course, I'll regret this lunch decision in a few hours when I'm running on a treadmill, but for now it's making me happy. :)
Thursday, February 7, 2008
I guess it was inevitable...
It was bound to happen at some point. I love to write, and I love learning new things, so really it was just a matter of time before I started blogging. There will be more to come -- much, much more -- but for now I'm just signing on to say hi and devirginize my new blog. :)
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