Fall Sweataway 2011 Pat IV: Sunday Morning and Afternoon

We slept AMAZINGLY well at the Oxford...a crappy night in Motel 6 plus a half marathon will really knock you out. 

Breakfast was a mix of muffin, pastry, fruit, coffee/tea, and protein-packed chocolate milk.

If you are looking for a good book on racing, Runner's World Guide to Road Racing is a great place to start.  It has everything from nutrition tips and cooldown strategies to motivational quotes from famous runners and lists of the best races in the country.

I loved how quickly my body started recovering from the Bend Half.  My first half found me hardly able to walk during the rest of the day, and still pretty drained the day after.  Not so for this time around...an unexpected pay-off of diligent training!  I always tend to focus on getting faster or going farther or working on my form.  Avoiding injury and recovering quickly make good goals for ANY training program.

Jared planned for us to walk 2+ miles to the liquor store to find a particular local brand (Oregon Spirit Distillers) of gin or rum.  They had the marionberry cordial, but not what he was looking for.  They did, however, have a Whole Foods nearby, and we had a groupon-type thing to use!

It was really sweet that he had us start the day with a long walk.  We fell in love walking and talking for hours at our college campus, and we don't usually get to any more.  (The walking part.  The poor boy will probably never find a way to make me stop talking.)  Romance props to Jared for being so thoughtful!  The view was pretty amazing, too.

When we got back to the hotel, we grabbed some bars for snacks and headed down to take out the complimentary cruiser bikes.  I have a weak spot for all things cute, and these bikes really take the cake.

We rode to the Old Mill District to do some shopping, along the river because it's pretty, up towards the area where we ran on Saturday, and around town a little.  We found a cute tea place that we'd like to try next time we come visit Bend.

It may seem like all we did on this trip was work out together...and that wouldn't be excessively far from the truth.  But we truly enjoy being active and at home in "real life" we are rarely able to coordinate our schedules to do our workouts in tandem.  So we wring every drop out of these amazing Sweataways.  (Plus we don't waste a minute feeling guilty about anything we eat.  Which is a huge perk...since we eat a ton.)

Next on Sunday's agenda was strength-training.  I was totally in need of more than a few reps, since I'd been so focused on running.  And no way would I pass up the chance to get tips on moves and form from my favorite personal trainer.

Jared being focused and me taking pictures. 
This is kinda how we roll.

We decided a full body strength workout would be best, and started with Jared's dynamic warmup, which includes jumping jacks, walking lunges, and hip strengthening exercises, to name a few.

We then did about 10 minutes of abs...and boy could I tell I had been ignoring mine lately.

For the full body workout, we did seated lat pulldowns, pushups, and body weight squats.  15 reps of each going in a circuit, resting between circuits for a total of 3 sets.

Move #1

I really have to watch my form on these, because my right trap always wants to scrunch up and "help."  This is bad for my neck and also does nothing to help strengthen my lats.

Move #2

I am not currently up to "real" pushups, so I go with bench pushups instead of "girl" pushups (pushups from knees instead of feet.  Girl pushups make it hard to have good form, and I don't think they build as much strength.  Using a bench or something equally study makes it a little easier than full pushups but encourages good form.

Move #2 with bad form

Obviously when you get tired your form slacks off.  Having a trainer or even a well-informed workout buddy can help you when you don't realize you are sticking your hips back.

If you want to try real pushups, though, go for it!  They are a great way to get a super speedy workout, any time and any place.

Move #3A

Move #3B

Body weight squats are another do-anywhere kind of move.  All you need to do to make them more challenging is to squat lower without letting your knees go past your toes...or hold the down position for a few seconds before coming back up.

Strength training is serious business.

If you want to jumpstart weight loss or any other fitness goal, strength training is a crucial part of your routine.  It ramps up your metabolism, fights fat, and protects you from injury.  A nice pair of gloves protects your hands...I like the GoFit gloves from Target.

We finished up with a quick yoga routine, which is always a good idea, especially after a day full of moving around.  It's a fun tradeoff, because Jared is great with strength training, but I know more about yoga.  When we workout together, we can both be contributing ideas and learning from each other...which is a pretty useful exercise in marriage, if you ask me.

REVIEW: Personal Training at Stroum Jewish Community Center

For details on my sessions, check out My First Personal Training Session or the back and biceps workout!

Prepare for sweaty workout clothes!

Personal Training Review

•  Professionalism: 5 out of 5.  All the trainers are easily identifiable based on their blue uniforms - they even say "TRAINER" on the back, so as long as you can read, you can probably track one down.  Both my sessions ran in a timely and effective manner, without focus being pulled by other clients or management.  (Note: My trainer kissed me at the end of our session...but since I'm his wife I consider that worth extra points rather than otherwise.) 
• Challenge: 5 out of 5.  I worked very, very hard the entire way through both sessions.  (At one point I think I was lying on a mat saying I didn't think I could go on.)  When he realized I was stronger in an exercise than he'd expected, he bumped up the difficulty to make sure I was getting the most out of the move.
• Sensitivity: 5 out of 5.  The last thing you want is to get injured from personal training.  Even though I was sweating up a storm and working my butt off, Jared kept a keen eye on my form and never pushed me beyond what was safe.  He could also tell when I was sincerely struggling and backed the weight down a few times accordingly.
• Creativity: 5 out of 5.  I strength train quite a lot, (I even get a lot of my moves from this dude) and I have to say, almost every exercise Jared put me through was something I had not yet tried (some I hadn't even heard of).  I was impressed and engaged the whole time.
• Affordability: 5 out of 5.  Obviously my intro sessions were freebies, but "real" training is not too bad.  I love that they don't wheel and deal you like a lot of gyms - they post prices directly on the site.  You get a better deal for more sessions, and it's especially good if you sign up with a buddy.  Ten hour-long sessions with a friend will put you at $40 a hour.  Convenience: 4 out of 5.  The gym itself is open from 5am till 10pm Monday - Thursday, with reduced hours Friday - Sunday, but you will also need to make sure you can get your favorite trainer at a time that works for you.  They are usually very flexible and will work with your schedule to the best of their ability.

Final verdict: I did not expect this outcome...but I am seriously considering signing up for a package of sessions.  Crazy, right?  Here's the five reasons I'm sold on personal training :

1. Accountability -  a lot of people just need a reason to get up and go get a workout in.  Many times, simply having a gym membership or home fitness equipment isn't enough.  Making an appointment (that you are paying for) can be the success factor in overhauling your life for better health.  Good trainers will even check in with you if you miss sessions unexpectedly to help keep you on track with your goals.
2. Goal setting - many people know what they want out of a fitness program (lose weight, get in shape), but don't know much about goal setting.  A good trainer can help you turn your goal into something more specific and attainable AND create a plan to help you get there.
3. Form - great trainers will do more than tell you what moves to do...they will show you how to do them.  This is something that can't be learned any other way - no book, magazine, or website can watch you and give pointers on your specific movements.  Good form builds strength much more effectively and keeps your body safe.
4. Variety - learning about a wide variety of effective workouts is your trainer's job.  The best ones read constantly and stay abreast of workout trends by trying new products and classes and even going to seminars or conferences.  Variety makes things fun, protects your body from injury, and majorly boosts the results of your effort.
5. The Jillian Michaels Factor - it's so easy to get a little lazy working out alone...to chill out reading a magazine on the treadmill or figure the weight you've got is heavy enough or you'd rather stretch instead of doing that last set of push-ups.  Your trainer will push your limits, persevering with you towards achieving your goal.

More Personal Training/30 for 30 for 30, Continued

30 for 30 for 30: Day 4 (back and biceps)

I had such great time at my first session that I returned the next morning (after a 45 minute training run) for back and biceps Thursday!

Headband - lululemon, tee - Nike,
turquoise high impact sports bra - Nike,
jacket - lululemon, pants - Old Navy,
Nike Frees and Nike socks

I was pretty warmed up from my run, so we went straight into the strength-training segment.

First, Jared had me doing band assisted pull-ups.  I have a goal of doing one unassisted pull-up by the end of 2011.  I learned something new from Jared: the weight-assisted pull-up machine is not as effective a means of building up to "real" pull-ups (insert joke about big-girl panties here).  Bands are better than the weights because they more closely simulate the movement used in un-assisted pull-ups, particularly in how they utilize your core.  And hey, anytime you can incorporate core work into your other moves, go for it!  We did 4 sets of "as many as you can."  Turns out, my form on this stuff is pretty poor, too.  I do this weird scrunching up of my right shoulder to force through the move.  We decided for now I should use more assistance and focus on getting my form down pat.  This will help me ward off injury and ultimately build strength for when I'm an unassisted pull-up champ.

Next we tackled a circuit of 4 excercises (3 sets of this circuit, resting briefly between sets):

• Short bar/barbell row (8-12 reps of 50-60 lbs, focusing on keeping abs solid to protect lower back, palms facing up)
• Kettlebell snatch or clean?  Not sure exactly what this one is called...(8-12 reps of 22 lbs)
• Bent-over Y raise (8-12 reps of 5 lbs)
• T raise - like the Y raise, but arms go straight out to the sides, hand position is different: at the high point of the raise, pinkies are nearest ceiling, thumbs pointing down (8-12 reps of 5 lbs)

Then, we finished up with a circuit of 2 excercises (2 sets of this circuit, resting briefly between sets):

• Seated cable face pull - didn't see a seated version, but you get the idea (15 reps of about 20 lbs)
• Twenty-ones (fancy-pants alternating bicep curls) - this one was crazy.  Hold weights in front of you, palms facing up, forearms parallel to the floor.
• Keep left arm at the 90 degree angle.  Lower right arm till perpendicular to floor, then curl back up only till level with left forearm for 7 reps, then repeat on left side.
• Keep left arm at 90 degree angle.  Curl right arm up to shoulder height, then lower back only till level with left forearm for 7 reps, then repeat on left side.
• Keep left arm at 90 degree angle.  Lower right arm down till perpendicular to floor, then curl all the way up to shoulder height for 7 reps, then repeat on left side.

Killer diller, dude.

My First Personal Training Session (more 30 for 30 for 30)

Hey howdy hey!  I'm playing catch-up since I spent the weekend catching up on sleep and sunshine instead of hunched over a laptop, blogging.

30 for 30 for 30: Day 3 (chest and triceps)

Wednesday was a "rest" day on my training plan...so obviously I figured it was a good time to get in one of my free personal training sessions at the new gym (sign up for a membership at SJCC and get 90 minutes of personal training...you can split it up or do it all at once). 

Pink tee - Nike, pink sports bra - Champion,
running skirt - Champion (grey Nike cross-trainers)

Every gal needs a good pair of weight-lifting gloves...unless she wants callused hands. 

I had done yoga first thing in the morning, which really got my day started on the right foot.  I drove over to the gym after work and got in 20 minutes of racquetball with the hubby...It turned out that his 4:30 client had cancelled, so he worked me into his training schedule instead!

You'd think that, being his wife, I'd get free training with Jared all the time.  Truth be told, I bug him for advice and spotting and ideas, and sometimes we even work out together.  But Wednesday was my first official personal training session. 

First off, Jared took me through an overhead squat assesment.  Basically you do some body weight squats with your arms raised to the sky, and the trainer watches to find out where you have strength imbalances.  I am apparently tight in my hip flexors and stronger in my left arm than my right.  I also have tight IT bands...but I knew that already (many people tend to have overly developed/too tight inner thighs...I'm the other way around).

Next, he had me warm up with 20 jumping jacks and 15 burpees. 

Then, we moved into strength training.  I tend to work different muscle groups on different days, and Wednesdays are usually my chest and triceps day.  Jared rolled with that so I could stay right on schedule. 

He started me with 4 sets of dive bomber pushups, with about 6-10 reps, resting between sets.  I was dying.  I had done these before but apparently never the right way.  My form coming back up was not at all right...and I wasn't working my triceps the way I should have been.

After that, (which took a while due to all my gasping and shaking and Jared's encouragement) we moved over to do a circuit of three exercises (I think 3 times through the circuit, doing 8-12 reps of each exercise):

• Swiss ball single arm chest press (no, I was not using 120 lbs...more like 5, and we did it on a bit of an incline by dropping my hips lower towards the ground)
• Band assisted dips
• Swiss ball dumbbell lying triceps extension (again with 5 lb weights)

That was all we had time for in our 30 minute session, and frankly, I was beat...

Next up, personal training session #2!!!