Sprints, Upper Body & Core

Today was intervals and weights with Cristina at Pura Vida Club.  We started with springs of course!  After a quick warm up, then minute run at 6mph, I did 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9.5mph, and 10mph 30 second sprints with no problem.  During my 10.5mph sprint I felt my right hamstring tighten up.  I decided to go ahead and try 11mph but at 18 seconds into the 30 second sprint my hamstring said no and I quickly bailed off treadmill.  Cristina had planned for me to do box jumps and other leg exercises but did a change of plans on the fly.

Instead we focused on arms and core.  I started with alternating 12 assisted pull-ups and what I can the caterpillar crawl for 15 hands forward then 15 hands back.  I did three sets of each.

Another exercise set was 12 chest presses with crunches on the ball followed by 14 opposite leg and arm lifts in plank.  The plank move looked easy but I quickly found out it is tough really focusing on balance and core strength.  As soon as I was done with three rounds of that set, I told Cristina that I obviously needed to do those because they were tough.

I also 12 chest wide bar pulls with 12 weighted leg kicks.  When Cristina was setting up the weights for the leg move, I said "5 pounds?!?!?!" She said just try it.  Well it was actually 7.5 pounds and I quickly found out why she went light weight.  Balancing on a bent leg with weighted leg bent and off ground, then kick forward extending leg from knee down isn't easy!

Here's a look at those exercises so you can try them too.

With the hamstring flare up I got a little extra stretch time on it.  Yes I give in.  I'm going to Airrosti to get it worked on.

Let's Do Opposites

Yesterday was my usual Monday Kinesis and Pilates session with Erin at Pura Vida Club.  After a jump rope warm-up, Erin said let's do opposites today.  She incorporated the Move Chair with the Kinesis cables.

Here's one of the moves of opposites.  While pressing the chair's pedal down, I did a double arm row.  Working opposites means full body workout.  It may look easy but keep the balance and form are tough.

This was my last session with Erin before my 40th, exactly one week from today.  While we were in the Kinesis room she let me know how proud she was of me for sticking with it for a year.....not quite there but close.  With fitness goals, a lot of folks get frustrated, get busy, get lazy, or just give up.  Not me.  She knew I was determined to see this through and that's exactly what I'm doing.  Sure is nice when someone let's you know he or she is proud of you.  Erin has been so motivating to me through this year.  I'm certainly lucky to have her as a trainer and a friend.  Of course she knows this quest doesn't just end on Tuesday.  I'm going to have to come up with the next challenge to go after.

After we did about 40 minutes of Pilates infused Kinesis we headed in to the Pilates studio for jump board fun.  That's 3 minute series of double and single legs jumps on the reformer.  An example is jump board with feet parallel for one minute, next minute feet in V position, and third minute alternating feet together and wide.  That's 3 minutes with no breaks.  Since we were doing opposites, Pilates was more of a cardio Pilates.

Balancing Act on the Foam Roller

Monday was my usual Kinesis and Pilates session with Erin at Pura Vida Club.  One of the exercises Erin had me was on the foam roller.  I have this love-hate relationship with foam roller when it comes to using it for stretches.  I love the benefits but if you use one, you know it can be, well let's just say there can be some wincing and breathing through the roll, especially for calves, hamstring, and IT band for me.

I love when Erin incorporates the foam roller in to abs or back exercises.  She did that Monday with a balancing move that works abs and helps with hip stabilization.

Here's Erin explaining the how to do the exercise.

Glide with Rower Abs

Yesterday I did my usual Monday workout of Kinesis and Pilates with Erin at Pura Vida Club.  One of the exercises she had me do in Kinesis was what I call rower abs using gliders.  If you don't have gliders, you can use towels on a hard floor surface.  These are super effective.  I did 10 just back and up then 10 (reach right then back reach left counts as one) reaches.

Here's Erin coaching me through the rower abs with gliders.

Just to give you an idea how tough my Kinesis session was, I ended it with 1-0 burpees.  That's after all sorts of cable exercises, the rower abs, jumping rope, and jump lunges.  For the jump lunges, Erin had me do 2 sets of of 20 seconds with 20 second rest in between and she called that my intermission.  Yes it was a tough workout that extended in Pilates which included a lot of abs and jump board moves.  It was more like cardio Pilates to me - jump board is tough....especially doing single leg jump board moves for a minute each then doing jump board small leg circles.  No wonder I'm sore today!

Barre Friday

I was bound and determined to make it to a Pure Barre class yesterday.  I signed up for the noon class at the Cherry Creek location. Perfect time for in between work and my haircut and highlights at Posh Salon.

Needing a little energy boost I downed the Vuka workout drink and off I went into class.  I kept thinking just give it what you've got for 55 minutes and workout will be done.  Also knew I'd be much happier with myself doing the class than not doing a workout at all!  Plus, heading off to Palm Springs for a quick trip this weekend I had to do something.

Lindsey was the instructor and the class quickly became packed.  Instead of using the band with handles, we grabbed double ring bands.  I knew immediately this class would be a little different.  A lot of the moves are similar but I loved the change the double band brought to class, especially with abs.  

I did have to laugh when tying the band around the barre was a mental challenge for me.  Guess I get a pass since I'd been up since before 3am!  Using the band for the abs series made a huge difference for me.  Pulling down on the band while doing ab tucks and other moves just helped it click with my body and head of how intense the ab moves should be.  Breathing making a big difference too.  Sharp exhales with moves make the difference. 

Purely Sunday

Yesterday I took my third Pure Barre class.  I woke up early (of course) and decided to take the first class of the day at 8:30am at the Highlands location.  So glad I did!  The instructor, Nicci, was great.  She gave me a couple of pointers and was really good about walking around and adjusting alignment of participants.  Getting that extra tuck in the moves makes the difference!  She really help with the ab series near the end where you are against the wall with one or both arms pressing up against bar and one leg extended up.  She gave the tip of really be conscious of pressing through the heel with the foot planted on the ground.  That made a big difference in the move for me!

I'm thinking Pure Barre Sunday morning class is definitely my new thing when I'm in town.  After three classes, I'm really feeling like I'm getting the flow of the class and moves.  Yes my legs still shake on some of the leg and glutes series and I love it!

Planking with the Bosu

Yesterday I did my weekly Kinesis and Pilates session with Erin at Pura Vida Club.  Often she'll have me do some sort of exercise or exercises on the Bosu.  Today was planking with the Bosu.  It's plank position with forearms on Bosu then putting hands on floor into a full plank and alternating those positions for a set time.

It's tough and definitely a full body, especially core workout move.

Mad Abs & Dirty 30

Today was one of those days that half the battle is getting to gym.  Well I made it and pushed it hard for an hour with Mad Abs and Dirty 30 classes at Pura Vida Club.  Sarah started her 30 minute Mad Abs class with a plank series.  In the class we used the Bosu ball, body bar, and gliders for full body movements that focus on the core.

After than I went straight into Tim's Dirty 30.  It's 30 minutes of doing cycles of a exercise series.  This class is tough!  Today Tim had us do a series of five moves starting with 10 reps each then repeating the cycle with 9 reps, 8 reps all the way down to 1 rep of each move.

Here are the moves in a cycle:
Bent Over Plate Row - bend over at waist with 25 or 45 weight plate (or use two), arms extended, then pull elbows back in a row movement.

Push Ups - on toes, military style.

Forward Lunges each leg - Tim gave me a great tip.  If you do these in place then lean forward slightly.  You'll feel it in your abs more and save your back.

Burpees - Plank, jump feet to hands, then jump up reaching hands to ceiling, returning back to plank

Turkish Get Ups (TGUs) - I did these with 3 pound weights.  Start on your back with one arm up to ceiling with weight in hand.  Use the other hand to help you sit up, then stand up, all while keeping the weight high reaching up to the ceiling, then go back to start position in the reverse of how you got up.

You can do the moves in any order but do them in same order for each cycle.  If you are short on time and need to blast it out this will do it!

No Muffin Tops Allowed! Feel The Side Bend Squeeze.

Today was Pilates session with Erin at Pura Vida Club.  When I can I like to get in two sessions a week.  Today we focused a lot on core and abs.  But I gotta love when Erin says to me, "I know you did sprints yesterday but you're still doing jump board."  If you're wondering what the jump board is, it's a series of pushing out and back with different leg positions (parallel, feet together in a V, jumping jacks, single leg) while laying on your back on the reformer.  It definitely gets the heart rate up quickly.

We ended the session with a series of abs moves done on a mat.  One of those moves is the side bend...or I'll just call it the side killer.  You start on your side, top leg slightly in front, up on your forearm, and top arm up reaching for the sky.  As you exhale, lift hip, and reach top arm over head and toward the ground.  You really squeeze the obliques closest to the ground.  I love it because it's something I can easily do at home.

Here's Erin explaining how to do the move.