What Was Your Work Out Today?

Finally gave the Zwift cycling app a try. Workout of the week was a 30 minute HIIT session called Sevens. Warm up, then 7 rounds of 30sec above threshold, 1min recovery power, then after a 3 min spin, a second set of 7 rounds before cooldown. I'd set my FTP too low, so it wasn't a killer ride. I"ll probaby sign up and use Zwift for my training rides this winter. Lots of chances for group spins with friends.

Took a 5 mile hike with a group during the warmest part of the day. Snowy and icey, so trail spikes were needed to make the climb to a waterfall that was mostly frozen and throwing off mist that froze on contact with the trees, making a beautiful winter scene.

Did a really easy 15K meters on the rower yesterday.

Djproulx wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

[q My current program is 6 weeks and the next one is 10 weeks (with an 8 week alternative) so if I can start as I now plan to on Monday, January 31 I should still be able to fit in both programs. My 6 week plan starts out relatively gently as these programs go so hopefully I'm good for the 31st.

I did have another 4 week program I was going to run at the end leading up to the event, but that one will be out...but it was the least important anyway and it's just a lead up prep plan and I can just run it 4 weeks leading up to any particular event once I'm back in shape. The other two programs will definitely get me back into cycling shape.
orks out.

Sounds like a fun way to get into cycling shape. What plans do you use? Something online, such as the Trainerroad series, or a coached program?

Just using Zwift. They have some pretty good programs. My first priority is getting my FTP back up to something respectable as it has dipped quite a bit over these last couple of years of mostly being a weekend warrior on the bike.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Djproulx wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

[q My current program is 6 weeks and the next one is 10 weeks (with an 8 week alternative) so if I can start as I now plan to on Monday, January 31 I should still be able to fit in both programs. My 6 week plan starts out relatively gently as these programs go so hopefully I'm good for the 31st.

I did have another 4 week program I was going to run at the end leading up to the event, but that one will be out...but it was the least important anyway and it's just a lead up prep plan and I can just run it 4 weeks leading up to any particular event once I'm back in shape. The other two programs will definitely get me back into cycling shape.
orks out.

Sounds like a fun way to get into cycling shape. What plans do you use? Something online, such as the Trainerroad series, or a coached program?

Just using Zwift. They have some pretty good programs. My first priority is getting my FTP back up to something respectable as it has dipped quite a bit over these last couple of years of mostly being a weekend warrior on the bike.

Gotcha. A bunch of my friends are big fans of Zwift. Since I'm not using a coach this year, I'm leaning towards using Zwift as well. Thinking that in Feb I will start with the Zwift workout called "4 weeks to increase FTP".

Lietchi wrote: »

Today was my first time cross-country skiing in my life (and I've only done alpine skiing 3 times in my life, so nearly 0 skiing experience).

OMG. In the tracks and on level terrain (or even uphill) it was fine, but the parts without tracks and downhill were tricky and even scary. Zero control 😳 I got technique tips from passersby when attempting to slowly go down a tiny slope, how embarrassing, lol. I'll admit that choosing to try this sport, as someone who is afraid of heights and slippery surfaces, is quite... illogical 😁

8 kilometers in total and I am physically wrecked. Lovely views though!

I've gone cc skiing exactly once in my life and had the same experience! (I've never been in downhill skiis) Any slight incline and I was out of control and on my butt. At some point I just felt like I was in a fist fight with the snow and was definitely not winning. Lol.. I'm glad I tried it though.

I think snowshoeing might be more my speed. I'll have to try that sometime.

Rowing machine today, 3 x (2K on, 2' off/CD), shooting for sub-2:30 pace in order to finish by midnight (!) - arbitrary goal. Pieces at 2:27/23spm, 2:26.7/20spm, 2:24.4/21spm.

If I'm trying to keep split down (a little), i.e. go faster, I need to remind myself to relax and keep rating (spm) down somewhat.

When pushing a little, I tend to get adrenalized 🙄, take the rating up, feel like I'm spending more energy than minimally necessary to get the target split. (Obviously, one can't take spm to 1 and get a fast split, but I can usually hit the same pace over a small range of spm, and somewhat lower in that range feels easier to sustain. Maybe that's just me.)

Anyway, just under 8' in Z4, 21'-ish in Z3, rest below. Near the end of the last 2k piece, I pushed the pace down further, into the mid-2-teens, for fun, hit 159bpm, which does have an AT-feeling RPE to it. (159 is just under 85% reserve, 88% max.)

Followed up the rowing with about 45' dumbbell supersets . . . yes, starting after midnight, because I'm that idiot.

Yesterday workout was:

Brisk walk - 5 minutes
Wide grip lat pull down
Tricep cable pull down
Chest press machine
Lateral raise
Seated row
Preacher curl

I was very nervous since it was my first time lifting weights at this gym and there were quite a few people. I got through it eventually and I feel like I’ll become less nervous the more I go and the more familiar I become with the equipment.

Gym workout this morning. Push/pull with kettlebells, equalizer bars, etc, plus KB squats and some core focused stuff like dynamic crunches with med ball.

Counting down the final week of daily outdoor runs/walks to complete the Winter Warrior challenge.

Bootcamp in the morning. Need to get off my *kitten* and continue with my running as I have a half marathon in less than 3 weeks.

270 minutes on my Elliptical for 18.13 miles.

yirara wrote: »

My workout today was to briefly sit on the bed to put on fresh socks for running... then sleeping for nearly two hours. I'd say I totally smashed it

LOL! I guess your body had other plans. Sometimes you just have to take those rest days as they come.

Stationary bike for 11,126 meters. Set off with a little quicker ramp up than usual (without really trying) for some reason. Until a little push near the end (1:25 long) before the CD, it was all Z3. Peak at 150bpm, about 75% reserve, 83% max, but I wasn't near there for long.

Followed up with 16" core exercises, mostly with the ball.

@MikePfirrman, nice splits (good improvements) on the 2k pieces, especially having had the recent bumps in your path!

Lietchi wrote: »

dralicephd wrote: »

Lietchi wrote: »

Today was my first time cross-country skiing in my life (and I've only done alpine skiing 3 times in my life, so nearly 0 skiing experience).

OMG. In the tracks and on level terrain (or even uphill) it was fine, but the parts without tracks and downhill were tricky and even scary. Zero control 😳 I got technique tips from passersby when attempting to slowly go down a tiny slope, how embarrassing, lol. I'll admit that choosing to try this sport, as someone who is afraid of heights and slippery surfaces, is quite... illogical 😁

8 kilometers in total and I am physically wrecked. Lovely views though!

I've gone cc skiing exactly once in my life and had the same experience! (I've never been in downhill skiis) Any slight incline and I was out of control and on my butt. At some point I just felt like I was in a fist fight with the snow and was definitely not winning. Lol.. I'm glad I tried it though.

I think snowshoeing might be more my speed. I'll have to try that sometime.

My problem wasn't falling, my problem was not being able to slow down! At one point I just had to cross my arms in front of my face while flying through a series of overhanging tree branches and hope for the best, waiting for an uphill slope to slow me down.
Snowshoeing is definitely on our to do list too (we're here till Friday) which should be less scary, I hope. I much prefer a physical kind of workout than an adrenaline inducing one 🙂

I hope it was at least vigorous on the flats? There's a reason why XC skiing has a rep as one of the most CV-intense exercise forms. 😉

I hear you on the downhill parts, though: They can be . . . exciting? . . . especially at first, without heels tied down. I used to XC ski, would try to snowplow to slow on the downhills, get my skis totally crossed and of course fall, usually halfway down the hill where I had trouble getting up again without sliding bodily downhill. Not pretty! 😆

My bigger problem was uphills, though: I'm not great at skiing up, ski-running up, or herringboning up. Sidestepping only works if wiiiide tracks. Fortunately, most of the the places to XC locally are fairly flat, or I'd probably still be out there floundering trying to climb some $%&% hill.

I watched my late husband snowshoe (on the old school beavertail style wood & rope snowshoes he'd used to run traps during high school in the 1960s). It didn't look fun to me. I should keep an open mind, though: The newer lightweight recreational snowshoes look more manageable. 😆

Good show, both of you, @Lietchi and @dralicephd, trying a new thing! I'm kind of fearful to try XC these days: None of my friends ski; I used to go out alone, but my skiing skills and osteoporosis are not a good combo for solo skiing these days, I feel like. Fun thing, though, and I do have the equipment. Once in a blue moon, we still even get enough snow to do it here.

Today’s workout was a 4 hour 850 calorie walk in Bouddi National Park. Today was Australia Day and a national holiday so it was nice to spend time with family.



Current Weight - 159.3lbs
Goal Weight - 135 lbs
Height - 5’4”
Age- 45

MikePfirrman wrote: »

dralicephd wrote: »

The physiology of stress is real, y'all. The pandemic is making my work week very stressful and you can see it in my heart rate: It was at Zone 2 when I first stepped on the elliptical! Overall, I did 45 min. with ~35min. in Zone 3, ~5 min. in Zone 4, and ~5 min. in Zone 2. Nuts.

Anyway, the endorphins were greatly appreciated. Also, the burned calories will allow me to have some comfort food.

I have really gotten into meditation the last few years. Really helps a lot with anxiety and feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. I also have a controlled breath/lung exerciser which has seemed to calm and make my breathing deeper. Allegedly (I have seriously low BP anyway), it's supposed to improve your blood pressure.

10K today unstrapped (with the bungee again) on the rower. Very easy stuff. Also did an hour yesterday split between LateralX and Assault Bike, again all easy steady state.

Interesting. I meditate daily, although in a slightly eccentric way. I do deep breathing exercises, which culminate in seeing how long I can hold my breath on an exhale under a cold shower. It's hard to time, but I think I'm at around 2 minutes now. The cold shower is noticeably more bracing in winter. I haven't been doing this too long, in the grand scheme of things - around 3 years.