Good morning 🙂
Yesterday was Monday and we all know what Monday holds…Sunshine and optimism about the new and exciting challenges the week will bring. Ok that might just be me, but that is what yesterday felt like…Mondays are so different from Tuesdays!
Because of the optimism and the sunshine, I was quite looking forward to going out for my run at lunchtime, it really was lovely and sunny, cold but crisp…all in all it looked like a pretty nice running day.
It turned out to be not a bad run…not amazing but average. I started out well and in my second km things were looking good, I was trying out a new interval set up because I have been pretty much ignoring intervals recently and running and walking when I wanted, so this time I decided to attempt to stick to my intervals in an attempt to build my running times back up and have less walk times, this was working pretty well until the 3rd km when I started to get a really tight right calf. It was pulling on my arch too so making running uncomfortable, but not terrible, so I kept on going, just added in a couple extra walks if I needed it 🙂 so my over all time and pace was average. But it was a lovely day to be outside and every single run I do increases me fitness, because I always raise me heart rate and breathe hard. My goal is, after all, to get fitter so this all helps 🙂
I decided while I was doing this that I need to work out my focus for my running, and look into how to improve again. I have more or less plateaued with my runs, and landed somewhere around mediocre. I am never going to be a fast or very long distance runner, but I would like to get better at the ones I am doing. I am thinking of adding in either shorter faster runs, or some with sprint(ish) intervals. I will keep you posted.
Body Pump on Monday evening was excellent! My optimism and enthusiasm had carried on and for once I arrived raring to go and quite bouncy (I normally rely on becoming enthusiastic as we get going). Today was so good that I wrote a Haiku based facebook status about it 🙂
Awesome body pump
Enthusiasm abounds
But not for lunges
Ok…I said I had enthusiasm and it was an excellent class…but I still don’t like the lunge track! no one does!!
It was a good class though…I stuck with my upped weights from last week, and a really odd thing happened…for the first 1/4 of the tracks (nearly all of them) I felt like I was not using any weights at all! I was surprised. Even by the end, I am not finding the weights too heavy, I am just finding my muscles tired…I guess that is the difference between lots of reps at lighter weights compared with few reps at heavier weights. I believe it all makes for a balanced training program.
I may be wrong, there is an outside chance I would benefit from a slightly more focused approach to this training business…but I need to decide what the focus should be before I can do anything about that 🙂
Anyway, lovely sunny Monday with an excellent mediocre run (yes that is possible) and an awesome pump class all means that:
Day 136 is complete 😀
Project Warrior Goddess 
I did my first BodyPump in 3 weeks yesterday. …And I’m just a wee bit sore today. [understatement of the year] My back and arms are ACHING this morning! But I’m so glad to be back!
Great Haiku by the way. And I can readily admit that my legs were SHAKING during the lunge track yesterday. GAH! That track is so evil!
Body Pump builds strength
While breaking down your resolve
With evil lunges
🙂
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😀 welcome back to the land of Body Pump!
it is amazing how much can be conveyed by a Haiku!
I love that you write them too 😀
that lunge track is horrible! it hurts a lot…and for some reason my calves hurt most of all during it! I prefer the ones where they put in some dynamic lunges too. What do you think if the Biceps track?
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yesterday I did the 45 min Pump class (not the 60 min) so we don’t do Bi’s & Tri’s in that class. They stick to large muscle groups. It was track 87, I think — and the only killer was the lunges. I could squat for days :-). Chest, oddly enough, wasn’t too bad (normally chest is a killer for me). Abs was pretty easy too. I’ll try the 60 min on Friday. I want to get one more 45 min under my belt as a transition back to Pump after my extended absence. 🙂
So… are you giving me a warning that bicep track is brutal? Bicep track tends to kill me regardless of the release. At least that’s been my experience thus far. curse those biceps!
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ahh, that makes sense!
The absolute worst track is the lunges, triceps is ok as triceps go, but I cant decide about the Biceps track, I cant decide whether it is actually hard or whether i just find it had because I find it boring. It is all using Dumbells, so all I can use is 3kg dumbells, I will be interested to hear what you think 🙂
I have finally got a handle on the squat track now I have sorted out my bar holding problems 🙂
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oooh…I’ve never done a bicep track with all dumbbells. That will be different. I’ll be sure to report back to you when I hit the 60 min class. Til then I will continue to cry over my sore back and obliques. 😦 Ahh…but it’s a good pain. 🙂
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It is good pain!
Like the good pain I woke up with on Sunday after my deadlift etc weights session on Saturday! 😉
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Exactly!
Hey, quick question — when you did the (real) deadlifts on Saturday, did you have a spotter? I’m thinking about doing more lifting (deadlifts, etc) in the free weights area of the gym, but I’m concerned that the type of ‘deadlifts’ we do in Pump class is very different to a real deadlift. So, I’m concerned about form, without an expert there to guide me. Thoughts?
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I didn’t have a spotter, which is why I went quite light, to start with.
I have done them with Matt I think in the past and I read a lot and watched a lot on the internet before I did them, I found the stuff on the Nerd Fitness site really useful. I also watched some vids on you tube.
The ones we do in body pump are more like straight leg (or romanian) deadlifts.
You should definitely try it, just start out light until you get your form sorted. I am sure there will be someone at your gym who can check for you.
🙂
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Thanks Sam — I will give it a go. I like the graphic you used in one of your old posts. It showed a step by step, I think.
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yes…I loved that, it was from the art of manliness which amused me a lot!
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/12/06/know-your-lifts-deadlift/
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Thanks!
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😀 I hope I don’t have to grow a mustache like that mind you!
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