Well, I guess it's about time I started a gym log considering how much I've been gushing over exercise and how it's saved me on so many levels. For anyone that doesn't need all the details, just skip this post and read on to what I'm currently doing...

My Background

I've been working out throughout the last two years in various ways, focusing primarly on walking (outside and inside, including walking DVDs) while mixing in other things. Walking was actually a mainstay for me for many years and it will continue to be, though I've grown so much with my fitness efforts that it is no just a supplemental part of it.

In 2005 I did a good bit of water aerobics (going back to my roots and also because I was dealing with therapy for the herniated discs in my back and neck). I tried step aerobics and even spinning, but I struggled with the scheduling and the impact on my body. In 2006 I began to focus on the treadmill and the elliptical and concentrate more on weights to supplement the cardio. I succumbed to major business stress in the summer of 2006 and when I began my new LC life in September 2006, I also rediscovered weight training.

In the fall of 2006 I started focusing more on weights than cardio and really began to test and challenge myself. I also started doing more core strengthening. Though it wasn't the most aggressive approach (not like I do now) I DID see and feel a difference. I started PP in November and over the course the last part of 2006 saw a decrease in my hip, waist and bust measurements, though the scale didn't join them.

For Christmas, my DH purchased a set of 5 sessions with a trainer and I honestly have to say it's changed my fitness life. I went from 185 to 178 since the beginning of January and my strength is significantly different. I can now do real push-ups and ab exercises that I never thought I'd survive.

I will be posting both the exercises I've done during the past 5 weeks as well as the new ones added.

My goal is to meet with my trainer once a week and then do "homework" twice more, for a total of just 3x/week of working out. I have a business and home I must take care of and a great deal of other responsibilities that keep me from the luxury of working out whenever I want, but I have made a commitment to do this because I see it as an investment in me.

Yesterday was Meeting 5 with my trainer and I have 6 more left. He has measured me and we will be tracking my progress from that point, although he and I have both noted SIGNIFICANT progress (body shape and strength) since we first started.

For Weeks 1-4 this is overview of workout routine, which was modified by my trainer weekly. Though he suggested some mixing and matching, I'd often an attempt to do the majority of these things at each session.

ABS

Regular:

 Regular crunches, 3 sets of 15-25
 Bridges, 3 sets, hold for count of 30
 Planks, 3 sets, hold for count of 30

With object and/or resistance:

 Crunches ON stability ball, 3 sets of 15-25
 Long-arm crunches ON stability ball, hold two weights (5# each), 3 sets of 15-25
 Crunches USING stability ball (transfer), 3 sets of 15-25
 L-shaped crunches - reaching to feet, with weight/medicine ball, 3 sets of 15-25



CIRCUIT

Toning Cords – pink:

 Push, regular, 3 sets of 15
 Push, alternating feet*
 Pull, regular, 3 sets of 15
 Pull, alternating feet*

Toning Cords – purple:

 Shoulder pull, alternating side and front, 3 sets of 15

Free-form:

 Squats with stability ball, hold two weights (10# each), 3 sets of 15
 Modified push-ups with bar (pink), 3 sets of 10**
 Double pad balance with bar curls and forward lifts (pink)

Machine:

 Circuit #2 and #3, 45#, 3 sets of 15
 Pull/squat, 35#, 3 sets of 15*
 Flies, 20#, 3 sets of 15*
 Reverse Flies, 5#, 3 sets of 15 (added in Week 3)*

CARDIO

 30-45 minutes, heartrate 124-166, one day of intervals

*Anything noting some kind of balance has been changed every week to incorporate a new challenge. I have done all flies, reverse flies and squat pulls on both Bosu balls and double disks.

**Push-ups went from modified with the bar and disks to actual, non-modified push-ups

Note: Reps for things like ab work have also increased, some of which I'm doing 3 sets of 25

Welcome to the neighborhood.

It's Week 5 and things have changed a bit. I'm still keeping the above challenges to mix and match*, but have added the following:

ABS

 Reverse crunch, 3 sets of 15
 Long lever crunches (on stability ball) with heavier weight, 3 sets of 15

CIRCUIT

Free-form:

 Push-up hold, one-hand side-to-side weight transfer (while stacking step risers) 3 sets of stacking and unstacking 4 risers. [What shall I call it? Riser push? I's unorthodox and I love it!)
 Regular push-ups
 Inchworm, hold for count of 5, about 4 reps or whatever I can handle
 Push-ups with wrists on foam roller, 3x6
 Step up, knee raise, with weights, 3x15
 Fast feet switch on step (30 seconds)


Machine:

 Pull-ups, Modified, 3x6

CARDIO

I'm continuining to do my own thing (trainer is concentrating on other aspects) I should note that I'm watching my heartrate on the cardio equipment just to ensure I'm working hard and I'm using my "interval instincts" quite a bit. I have begun some running/jogging intervals on the treadmill (about 60 seconds each) which seems to be challenging me a great deal.

*Before I didn't need to mix and match much because I could fit in all these exercises. Now it's getting to the point where I need to alternate.

**********************
BTW, my workout yesterday was basically just these new things only and I was sweating like crazy! It was a real challenge for me to survive some of this more explosive stuff. If the weight doesn't come off after TOM (which just started today) I will take my weights and go home pouting! LOL

Hi Lisa. Thanks for the visit.



My trainer is going on vacation next week and he asked me if I thought I'd be ok on my own. I told him that as long as I had his notes, I'd be fine! I can't remember anything it seems unless I write it down. We'll see how I do next week.

You're doing great. 7 lbs last month is awesome! I am in a stall at the moment that started about the same time as the weight training. I'm hoping that it is just my body adapting to the exercise and I'll get back on the losing path soon. I'd love to lose 7 more lbs this month!

Hey Lisa -

It's awesome that you've managed a way to keep things structured like this. I found that that was key for me - getting something I could live with and just doing it. I don't necessarily enjoy it a whole lot, but I love the way it makes me feel the other 23 hours of the day, so it's way, way worth it. If I had to choose between the diet and the exercise, I'd keep the exercise - it's the best.

Keep it up - you're really doing great.

-j.

Welcome to the hardcore world of gym logging

It really does help to keep a log of what you're doing ... helps chart progress etc., and it's great for everyone else to see what you're doing too


Your workouts are looking great As for the mix and matching, my suggestion would be to do your resistance work separately to your cardio, or at the very least do your resistance training prior to your cardio (which you may already be doing).

As you progress you will probably find it best to lift and do cardio on separate sessions, i.e., lift on one day, and then do your cardio the next. For example, I currently lift on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and do cardio on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Or you could do your resistance training at a morning session at the gym, and then your cardio session in the afternoon.

In fact, I expect that I will be doing that on several days during the week, once I get past week 4 of my programme and the HIIT sessions increase to 4-5 times a week.

To be honest though, it's entirely up to you ... but something you shouldn't really do is resistance training on consecutive days, as your muscles do need time to recover.



Ball Bridge/Russian Twist
Lie on your back on a Swiss ball so that your shoulders are on the ball, your heels are on the floor, and your body forms a straight line from shoulders to heels. You want your arms straight out to you sides and perpendicular to your body. You should feel a good contraction in your glutes and hamstrings. Hold for 15-30 seconds.
Then go into a Russian twist: your shoulders are on the ball, your knees are bent and your feet are flat on the floor. Raise your hips, so your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees. Now twist your upper body to the left, with your head turning so your eyes follow your hands. Return to the starting position and repeat to your right side. Keep your lower body as motionless as possible.

Inchworm
Stand with your feet together, bend straight over and put your hands on the floor just in front of your feet. Slowly walk your hands forward until you body is as elongated as you can make it, with your weight balanced on your toes and hands. Now walk your feet back up to your hands until your feet and hands are both flat on the floor again. Perhaps a couple of yoga positions would give a better visual: slowly walk your hands forward until you are in Downward Dog, and then walk your hands further forward into Plank.

It's great to come to my gym log and find visitors! Thanks for the tips, Demi. I'll stop by yours shortly. It turns out I actually AM doing the inchworm!

Today I was very weary (as a funny story in my journal will explain) but I still went to the gym. It's my goal to go 3x/week and do my abs and resistance (first) and cardio afterward so that I have the other days "off" (in the traditional exercise sense of the word only!) Because I'm leaving on Sunday to see my Mom, I wanted to make sure I got my workout in today and then one on Saturday. But I was fighting some extreme weariness, so I opted to only do abs and resistance today (which as Demi said, is actually a good approach).

I struggled, but think I got a good workout and since some of what I did was explosive kind of work, my heartrate was definitely up there. Here is what I did:

Warm-up - upright bike - 7 minutes


*L-shaped crunches - reaching to feet, with weight/medicine ball, 3 sets of 20

*Crunches USING stability ball (transfer), 3 sets of 20

*Bridges, feet on stability ball - 3 sets, hold for count of 30, pull-in for glute work count of 5

*Planks - 3 sets, hold for count of 30, alternating leg count of 5

*Regular push-ups, 20 total -- 10 beginning of workout, 10 at end

*Push-ups with hands on foam roller - count of 6

*Riser stacking and unstacking (alternating hands in push-up position) - 2 sets

*Inchworm, hold for 10 count, 4 sets

*Assisted pull-ups, 3 sets of 6

*Pull squats balancing on disks, 35#, 3 sets of 15

*Step-ups, with knee-up and arm raises (using 10# weights) - 3 sets of 15 for each leg

*Quick foot switching on step, 3 sets of 50 count (sometimes a few more)


I realize after writing this all out that I neglected my lower body a bit, so tonight I think it would be wise for me to do some lunges. But I'm glad I stopped when I did because I was tired. Also looking at my list I'm proud of what I did considering how beat I was!

Looks like a good workout to me ... and kudos to you for going and getting it done even though you felt tired and didn't want to




Yes, the swiss ball is a stability ball, and it's also known as a fitness ball/gym ball/exercise ball as well. I would actually use 'fitness ball' myself, but I used 'swiss ball' when describing the Russian twist because that's how Lou Schuler refers to it in NROL.

Can understand why you're combining the cardio and resistance for convenience. Pleased to hear that you do your resistance work first, and cardio second

As for HIIT, am I enjoying it?? To be honest, not really, because I hate running (and it kills my shins) but I do enjoy how quickly it is over and done with! I might try doing it on the stationary bike next week to see if it feels any better. I would love to do it on the rowing machine, but I really don't think that my shoulder is quite up to it just yet.

I use "stability ball" but as long as we're talking about the same thing it's MUCH easier for me to envision!



As I said, all things being equal, I'd love to split up the days. As a matter of fact, I am today (will do cardio today). But for most times, the convenience really helps keep me going and keep balance with everything else I have to do. My next step will be to mix things in from there, such as more yoga. (Are you doing a class, videos, or just stretching that you know?




Now THAT is an honest answer! LOL You know I feel that way about the days I do the treadmill...I used to adore it, but it's no longer my favorite. Still, being able to sprint/run/jog for a bit does create quite the impact. I wonder if it's any better than pushing myself on the bike or elliptical, though. But I continue to do it so that I'm constantly mixing up my cardio and not getting in a total rut. Right now I'm still doing it longer (30-45 depending on day, mood, equipment) but as soon as I'm on my own again I'll be trying out what you do.

It's all outlined in NROL, right? I will ask for the book for my birthday, I think.

As promised, I did my cardio today at the gym. Because I just stopped by for that alone, I did 50 minutes on the ellipitical at a good pace and intensity. After resting up tonight I'll be going back tomorrow to do both together.

I went to the gym today for my third workout of the week (Tu/Th/Sa) and showed myself little mercy because I was feeling a bit better (a little less tired). Besides, I was aggravated with the scale and everything else, so I figured the best way to deal with it would be to attack my workout with ferocity and really "let go". As such, I did the following:

Warm-up - treadmill - 10 minutes


*L-shaped crunches - reaching to feet, with weight/medicine ball, 3 sets of 20

*Crunches ON stability ball (with medicine ball and feet on pad to increase difficulty balancing), 3 sets of 20

*Bridges, feet on stability ball - 3 sets, hold for count of 30, pull-in for glute work count of 5

*Regular push-ups, 30 total -- 10 beginning of workout, 10 at end, 10 at home (to show DH, haha)

*Push-ups with hands on foam roller - 2 sets, count of 6

*Riser stacking and unstacking (alternating hands in push-up position) - 2 sets, no break

*Inchworm, hold for 10 count, 4 sets

*Assisted pull-ups, 3 sets of 6

*Flies 20#, standing on BOSU ball, 3 sets of 15

*Stationery lunges, 2 sets of 15 (each leg)

*Ball (stability) squats, 12.5# each (25 total), 3 sets of 15

*Step-ups, with knee-up and arm raises - 3 sets of 15 for each leg, 2 sets with 20# weight)

*Quick foot switching on step, 3 sets of 60 count - very fast

Cardio - treadmill, 30 minutes - approximately 10 minutes total running at 4.9 mph (alternating resting). I'm unsure of heartrate because the machine was acting goofy, so I just kept doing intervals. Many were 30 seconds of running, best time was one 2-minute interval.

As always, my workout ended at the stretching station, where I concentrated on my legs, back, neck and hips.

Lisa - how long are you spending doing your workouts? Seems like a LOT to do on any given day!

Doing intervals for cardio is great, imo - not necessarily HIIT, which I'm not in condition for yet, just doing the kind of thing you're doing. It's been a big part of my routine from the start...although at the start it was intervals of "walking" and "not walking..."

I'm so annoyed at not being able to work out...I HATE being sick. Hopefully I'll get it in tomorrow before I go down to AC.

-j.

I answered Jake's question in his gym log, but will also post it here for anyone interested:

Hi Lisa. Thanks for the visit. I read your thoughts in your journal. I understand your feelings. I do find being able to talk things out in my gym log to be helpful. "Claiming" my failures as well as my successes, is equally hard for me. They are all part of the journey. And I hope in the end it all leads to success.

Drop by anytime.