What Was Your Work Out Today?

jeffjjohnson1265

5 1/4 mile walk and stretch

coffee_and_mindfulness

20min walk
Leg day - leg press, leg extensions, leg curls, hip adduction and abduction

mtaratoot

Two aquarium dives, each over an hour long. First one was 44 degrees. Brr. I wasn't moving much either; just running a siphon. Second one was 48 degrees, and I was much more active wiping the acrylic in the open sea exhibit. That's the one with sharks. Kids kept waving to me, but I was busy working so tried to ignore them. Interacting is also part of our work, but I really needed to focus so I'd have enough air to finish the work. Sixty nine minutes later, I got out with 650 psi left. We are required to have 500 when we exit, and they like us to have just a little more if we're coming out of the Open Sea. Just in case we run into any issues on the way out and need to wait a while for the big fish to get out of the way.

AnnPT77

Physical therapy appointment, and kind of a work-y one, various resistance exercises. (I love physical therapy. I'm feeling muscle soreness - the right kind - in all kinds of weird little muscles around my shoulders, seems like, and the discomfort/pain with certain movements seems to be decreasing, just as I'd like.)

The the standard stationary bike ride, 60' (100W average) + 3' CD (71W), more Z3 than anything else, just 4' Z4, average HR 130bpm, peak 151bpm. I try to pace the CD so I get down below 125bpm but barely did this time, even though not that high in the workout (151 = 84% max, maybe 77% reserve).

Not planning a lot of home PT tonight because of how much I did during the appointment - a little, though.

nossmf

Today I spent an hour on the elliptical, hills. Heart rate never got above 150, so not sure if I just wasn't working hard enough or if my body's adjusting.

This morning was first day doing rehab exercises for my elbow. Very pleased that I experienced zero pain during and after. Granted, it was only using a 3lb dumbbell, which is nothing to write home about (for reference before my injury break from lifting I was curling 50, pressing 90, shrugging 120). But I would have been worried if I did have pain day one, so I'll call it a win. I'll monitor over the next 48 hours for delayed-onset soreness, and of course the weights used will increase as the month progresses. But I'm happy to be doing ANYTHING weight-related once again, especially when I know a couple months ago this would've been very uncomfortable, if not painful, so progress has definitely been made.

AnnPT77

@nossmf, glad you're feeling ready to get back into your lifting a bit, and that the first toe-dip in that didn't cause pain. Good sign! I'm wishing you continued positive progress.

My day: Had lunch then a short walk (just over 2 miles) with a friend, then we played (literally) on the park's outdoor strength training machines for a few minutes. (It was a pleasant - like 40s F - sunny day, blessed break between the ice storms just past and the snowfall/freezing rain in the forecast.)

At home, after a Zoom meeting, I hopped on the stationary bike, intentionally keeping my usual steady state extra-easy (because sangria is not ideal exercise fuel, I figure), so 60' (89W) + 3' (86W), all but Z2 after the first few rpm, peak HR a mere 126bpm (70% max, around 57% reserve ).

Will be doing some PT exercises before bed.

janicemlove

Monday I usually go to the gym Mondays but had a headache so bailed.
Tuesday: PT session:
assisted pull-ups + hammer strength chest press (my assisted pull-ups have improved, up to 50-60# now! Goal is strict pull-up by EOY)
dumbbell incline row + dumbbell chest press
hammer strength pull down + fly (fly is so difficult for me)
25 s ropes + 25s kettle ball bent over row (this one was a challenge at the end of the workout!)
Wednesday: Ballet class tonight!

nossmf

Another session on the elliptical, 1 hour hills. HR definitely got above 150 today, so perhaps I just was concentrating on pushing through the other day and missed seeing it on the display (the post-workout readout shows only the average HR, not max).

yirara

Today was pull day. Not my favourite (I prefer push) but I still had lots of fun. Plus did a few barbell squats at the end (I might do something pull during push day). Will probably have to stop doing them soon because I don't have a squat rack. Instead I sit on my bench with the barbell on the holder, then I pick it up from there, stand up, walk to end of bench, few steps aside as I'd otherwise wreck my wardrobe and do the squats. Return to bench, sit down, put barbell back into holders

Basically did barbell rows, barbell biceps curls, reverse rows, front raises (well, tried it), then a few more kettlebell rows on the injured side, and a various planks.

dralicephd

I took an impromptu week off due to illness (thanks for bringing that one home from school, kid!). Anyway, I'm back at the elliptical and strength training this week. I've decided to add a day of strength training to the week (instead of adding weight) in the hopes to increase things a bit without injury. Other than that, the new elliptical is awesome. I really enjoy the adjustable stride length and the fact that it is REALLY quiet.

Keep on, keepin' on....

AnnPT77

nossmf wrote: »

Another session on the elliptical, 1 hour hills. HR definitely got above 150 today, so perhaps I just was concentrating on pushing through the other day and missed seeing it on the display (the post-workout readout shows only the average HR, not max).

Speaking as a dyed in the wool (angora? ) cardio bunny , and one who's done a fair amount of well-metered cardio (rowing machine with watts, pace, spm, time, distance) HR can differ kind of weirdly on different days with very close to the same stimulus, IME. Rest, hydration, other stress, fueling, ambient temperature, . . . who knows? So, maybe you missed it on the display, maybe you just had a different day?

AnnPT77

Physical therapy again today, reasonably challenging work again. Would you believe, among other things, multiple different single-leg RDL variations with kettlebell for shoulder engagement and stability? This, after I told the PT in casual chit-chat that one of my other goals was to get a bit more hamstring challenge for better ham/quad balance, so he came up with this. (I like this guy!)

So, this evening, more easy stationary bike, 60' (93W) + 3' (90W, no real need for CD), overall about 50' Z2, 12' Z3, and a tiny segment lower than that at start up. Peak HR at 133 bpm .

Will do some more PT stuff before bed, mostly the stretchy/massage-y stuff, a little real work.

nossmf

Spent an hour on the treadmill doing steep incline hills.

Started thinking about how much and what type of cardio I'll do when I can resume lifting next month. I'll still want to keep my workouts to an hour tops each day, and lifting days range from 45 minutes to an hour by themselves, meaning I'll likely only do cardio twice per week on their own day (plus 4 days of lifting plus one day off). The simple answer is to do the same hour-long sessions I've worked up towards for treadmill and elliptical, once each per week. But I wonder if I'll need to back off in intensity somewhat if I'm doing them less often, or if I'll be able to keep on trucking on account of being "well rested" from the last cardio day.

Another day of rehab lifting for my elbow, still no pain, so still on schedule. Which is a good thing, as my knee is starting to be grumpy. Before I started lifting years ago I had severe pain in my knee, but when I began lifting the pain disappeared completely. Whenever I took a break of more than a couple weeks between leg days the pain would start to creep back, reminding me I cannot ignore leg day. It's now been 3+ months since my last leg day and the pain is only now starting to return, probably on account of my legs remaining quite active from all the cardio, but it's not the same as lifting and my knee is starting to become aware of this. I know one or more people on here will likely recommend trying rowing (at least one already has) citing the similar motion for legs to squats, but I'm leery. I've tried rowing machines before as warmups before lifting sessions, and was totally spent after just a few minutes, well short of long enough to get any significant calorie burn. Maybe I was just pushing too hard out the gate.

janicemlove

Wednesday: 20ish minute TM jog and then ballet class for 90 mins.
Today: Will probably be a rest day because I have rehearsal tonight and my legs are pretty beaten. And sleep deprivation. But I usually have trouble sleeping after rehearsal so I might go to the gym anyway. I'll leave it up to how I feel tonight.

AnnPT77

nossmf wrote: »

Spent an hour on the treadmill doing steep incline hills.

Started thinking about how much and what type of cardio I'll do when I can resume lifting next month. I'll still want to keep my workouts to an hour tops each day, and lifting days range from 45 minutes to an hour by themselves, meaning I'll likely only do cardio twice per week on their own day (plus 4 days of lifting plus one day off). The simple answer is to do the same hour-long sessions I've worked up towards for treadmill and elliptical, once each per week. But I wonder if I'll need to back off in intensity somewhat if I'm doing them less often, or if I'll be able to keep on trucking on account of being "well rested" from the last cardio day.

Another day of rehab lifting for my elbow, still no pain, so still on schedule. Which is a good thing, as my knee is starting to be grumpy. Before I started lifting years ago I had severe pain in my knee, but when I began lifting the pain disappeared completely. Whenever I took a break of more than a couple weeks between leg days the pain would start to creep back, reminding me I cannot ignore leg day. It's now been 3+ months since my last leg day and the pain is only now starting to return, probably on account of my legs remaining quite active from all the cardio, but it's not the same as lifting and my knee is starting to become aware of this. I know one or more people on here will likely recommend trying rowing (at least one already has) citing the similar motion for legs to squats, but I'm leery. I've tried rowing machines before as warmups before lifting sessions, and was totally spent after just a few minutes, well short of long enough to get any significant calorie burn. Maybe I was just pushing too hard out the gate.

If it were me, I'd consider mixing up the cardio, some more slow and steady, some more intense - different stimuli, maybe better-rounded results. (No, I don't follow my own advice, especially in Winter. I under-do intensity especially during off-season, go for more base.)

What level of rowing coaching and instruction have you had? TBH, I don't much encourage people to start rowing if they don't have good coaching unless it really, really appeals to them, because it's harder to learn on one's own, even though a few people like Mike seem to do OK with that in the long run. It's a little more technical than some other forms of cardio (and yes, can be more intense than some).

I'm hopeful that your rowing warm-ups (if using Concept 2 type rowers) don't involve setting the damper on 10 and going for 30+ spm. That's exhausting, but doesn't maximize fitness benefits or calorie burn. I always advise people to start at low spm, teens even, mid-20s at most, and focus on good technique. That's an investment in being able to get arbitrarily intense workouts in the long run, if you want them.

It's possible to get a reasonably intense workout in the teens spm at mid-range damper settings (3-5 for women, maybe 4-6 for men). If a person can't find any intensity at that slow pace, there's a technique issue, or multiples of them.

Most of rowing's power comes from legs (like 60%), but it's not unusual for people with strong legs to fire all of the body parts at once (instead of the legs, body, arms sequence on the drive; the reverse - arms, body, legs - on the recovery). If hands and knees are competing for the same space at the same time on the drive or recovery, that's one sign. (Legs should be close to flat before hands arrive in the knee zone, drive or recovery - no hands hopping up vertically to miss knees.) Spine stays straight, arms are cables at start of drive, connecting handle to feet through lats and other parts of core/back.

Also common among people with strong upper body is over-using the upper body, and using arms too soon. Body swing, then arms, and more about engaging between the shoulder blades and accelerating the arms, i.e., not raising the shoulders, more like relaxing them. There's a little bit of a (gentle) snap to the arms part of the drive, to get that acceleration.

Another common thing among strength folks' rowing is choppiness. The back end is called "the finish", but that was a term one of my on-water coaches hated. The stroke doesn't finish there - no mini-vacation. Some strong people do sort of push-yank-pause-recover. That lets the flywheel slow down, which costs pace but also lowers the effective resistance at the start of the next stroke. The arms away, body over sequence of the recovery should be a smooth continuation, around and away after the drive, happening at the same speed outward as the body/arms came in during the drive - quick. Then relax and let the slant of the slide and the tension in the system bring the next catch (start of drive) to you, no pulling on the foot-straps.

Strong people sometimes feel like the rowing machine moving across the floor - because their strokes are so strong - is a good sign. It's not. Some of that may be unavoidable, but it's power that didn't go into the flywheel - wasted. Any of the above can contribute to that, but probably the lack of smoothness around the ends is a biggie, i.e., not getting the smooth, quick transition from arms-in to arms-out, and/or slamming/jamming the start of legs on the drive rather than smooth power application.

Ugh, don't get me started. 🤣

nossmf

Wow, my very own @Annpt77 novel response! I'm honored you'd take this much time you try to educate me. Yep, I can see within your list of "don't do this" several ways in which I set myself up for failure, lol. It's been years since I last tried, so I don't recall every specific (such as resistance and strokes per minute...that acronym took me a minute to figure out), but the part about the hands moving up and over the knees very much struck a cord in my memory.

mtaratoot

First time back to the gym after being released to do strength training. I had gone back a few times to swim after being away after a couple years after COVID restrictions, then I couldn't do much for a few months. Felt good. I might go swim tomorrow.

swimmom_1

Elliptical HIIT setting 150 minutes for 10.06 miles. Mainly zone 2-4 but I had a maximum heart rate of 176!? Never had exceeded low zone 5 before and I felt fine today.

Now my heart rates are from the elliptical grips, which I know can be inaccurate, but 176? Thats like the max for a 45 yo not a 65 yo. I should probably invest in a chest monitor. It would be nice if it could plug into my elliptical. Does anyone know if there is one that plugs into a PreCor? As getting this used I have no manual. The place I got in from has a online manual available that I accessed early on to see how to use the different programs & how to program workouts.

AnnPT77

swimmom_1 wrote: »

Elliptical HIIT setting 150 minutes for 10.06 miles. Mainly zone 2-4 but I had a maximum heart rate of 176!? Never had exceeded low zone 5 before and I felt fine today.

Now my heart rates are from the elliptical grips, which I know can be inaccurate, but 176? Thats like the max for a 45 yo not a 65 yo. I should probably invest in a chest monitor. It would be nice if it could plug into my elliptical. Does anyone know if there is one that plugs into a PreCor? As getting this used I have no manual. The place I got in from has a online manual available that I accessed early on to see how to use the different programs & how to program workouts.

@swimmom_1, as long as you felt OK - not faint, fluttery, weak, or anything like that - it can be OK, but of course check with your doctor if you're concerned.

The age formulas for HRmax are pretty approximate, can be surprisingly far off for a good-sized minority of the population. It's not so much fitness-influenced, but genetic . . . though I've read that people who are active as they age tend to retain a higher HRmax longer, vs. consistently inactive people experiencing more age-related decline from whatever their younger genetic baseline was.

I haven't retested lately, but when mine was sports-tested a few years back, HRmax was around 180-181 when it should've been lower (maybe 170ish). As far as I can tell now from rate of perceived exertion at various intensities and heart rates, I suspect it's still at least something near that.

At age 67, my HRmax "should be" 153, by 220-age, or 158-160 by a couple of other age-based estimating methods. I can get above 153 bpm and still talk, can even sustain intensity with HR>153 for several minutes, but it's getting into the "shorter phrases, can't sing" stage, which would be consistent with approaching the lower end of anaerobic threshold, about what I'd expect if HRmax is still around 180ish.

How do you feel as you get into your estimated Z4? IMO, Z4 should be getting toward the 7/8 kind of level on an 1-10 RPE scale, as an approximation in someone with some base fitness/endurance. (Below is an arbitrary pick of an RPE chart, one I think has decent descriptions, but I don't know much about the source site beyond thinking this is a decent chart.)



A chest belt is a nice thing to have, but even they will give a wonky reading now and then, especially likely if the batteries are getting old.

I'm sorry, I don't know whether any of them link to Precor machines. Some of the wrist HRMs do a pretty good job in exercises where there's not so much arm flex that the watch loses contact. That happens to me while rowing, but wrist-only usually does fine while walking or biking. Not sure about elliptical. Wahoo used to have some armband ones, I think still does, and perhaps there are others. Some HRMs will record your whole workout and link into an app for later review, or display immediate readout on phone or tablet, as an alternative if the Precor doesn't link.

swimmom_1

@AnnPT77
Thanks Ann I figured you would know. I don't even know when I hit that high bpm. It was on the workout summary at the end of my workout as my max heart rate and it also gives the heart rate range. Also gives time in the range but that is way off because I use the recipracating arms most of the workout. Towards my end of my sessions I probably get in the 6-7 range as I'm always glad when my time is up! LOL! I'm not worried. Just thought it was strange to be that high, as before only ever high 140-150's.