What Was Your Work Out Today?
Replies
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11,180m stationary bike, still doing the easy pace thing, only 1:47 Z3, mostly Z2 (peak 128bpm, about 60% reserve, 71% max).
43' dumbbell supersets, progressing with tedious caution, still pretty much conditioning level intensity, to work through imbalances and joint issues gradually. I do perceive a little functional improvement; hope I'm not deceiving myself. 😐4 -
I tried this new fad called Jogging, apparently you just run for an extended period of time.5
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theworkoutreview wrote: »I tried this new fad called Jogging, apparently you just run for an extended period of time.
Wait... you mean you keep going even if there isn't a bear chasing you? That's crazy!
Today was my standard cardio day of 45 min. elliptical. I was feeling like moving faster today, so I did (the last 20 min. were in HR Zone 3; the rest in Zone 2). Finished up with some abs.
Have a great weekend everyone!
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MikePfirrman wrote: »Was doing my "usual" today and around 4K in felt a sharp pain in the lower back. Not that big of a deal but I'll take it easy the next few days. My disc injury was in the thoracic area. That feels solid. Much harder to rehab and fix than the lower.
Usually when the lower hurts it's likely due to too much DF (most call resistance) on the rower coupled with my right knee being garbage. It's around 1/2 inch shorter than my left leg due to all the bone gradually eroding. I needed a knee replacement 15 years ago but have been putting it off as long as possible.
I go to the chiropractor tonight. We'll see if they can work it out. Usually I'm good in two or three visits (at least for the lower back).
Did manage to get nearly an hour in still. Did around 3K more on the rower (although at lower DF) and then did around 10 more minutes on the elliptical inside. It was cold for Tucson today (28 degrees for the low), so perhaps the cold had something to do with it as well. Hard to get warmed up when it's colder.
Hope the chiro visits bring you relief. The "medical overhead" associated with being as active as we are seems to be a constant that comes with the territory. Whether its yoga, massage, PT, or chiropractic care, it seems as if there is health maintenance work that just can't be neglected if we want to prevent injuries, or at least keep them keep in check. Of course, this is still way better than the negative outcomes associated with being sedentary, so I'm not complaining.
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After yesterday's strength work and a fairly aggressive group ride on Zwift, I was fatigued. With that said, I'm starting to get into a fairly solid training mindset, so I joined a small group ride with one of our tri club coaches. The ride was held via Zoom. I didn't have much pop in my legs, but it was fun to grind it out with a bunch of friends. I only produced a mediocre power output on the climbs, but I went hard during the half dozen sprints at the end. I'm wiped out now.:)
Gym day tomorrow will focus on mobility, some balance and core work and then a treadmill run.
My focus will continue to be on getting leaner this winter. I'm down 7lbs since Jan 3rd, shooting for another 10-12lbs gone by early April. That will put me at a good racing weight before I start the 8-10 weeks of high volume cardio effort leading up to race day.4 -
Another pretty easy pace machine row, 6809m, 5' in Z3, most of the rest Z2, peak at 134bpm, just under 65% reserve, 75% max. (2:41.3 pace/18spm) Subjectively, it seems biomechanically difficult for me to keep the pace this slow but maintain good technique . . . not in a "useful technical challenge" way, either. And it's boring (not energizing, zero exhilaration). Tried it, don't much like it. 🤷♀️ Doesn't accumulate fatigue that I can perceive, though. I guess that's good.
Followed with 22' core exercises. (Maybe it's just me, but McGill curl-ups are one of those things that make me sweat while almost close to moving hardly at all.)3 -
Arms
Rope extensions
2 sets 100 reps each
Incline DB skull crushers ss with DB french press
3 sets 30 reps each
Rope french press ss with overhead rope extension
3 sets 15 reps each
Straight bar machine
2 sets 100 reps each
Reverse preacher curls SS with drag curls
3 sets 30 reps each
EZ bar reverse curls SS with ez bar regular curls
3 sets failure each set.2 -
Decided to run at the gym this morning, rather than heading out for another run in the cold. Did some rolling and hip mobility work, then an easy paced 5k. Back on the bike for a longer ride tomorrow.1
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Decided to run at the gym this morning, rather than heading out for another run in the cold. Did some rolling and hip mobility work, then an easy paced 5k. Back on the bike for a longer ride tomorrow.
I'm hesitant to ask, but are there any unusual hip mobility exercises you've found helpful, @Djproulx , that you could tell me the name of or give a link to, and not have that be too much trouble?
I pretty much know and do various common piriformis, low back, and hip flexor stretches, side leg raises, pelvic clocks (not the device, the Pilates-ish thing), have good hammie flexibility so don't emphasize that. I've added a variation on the doorway banana stretch because of some lateral tightness (hold door frame with hands, feet a bit away, and relax the hip away from the door in a banana shape to stretch outer hip).
I really like one a physical therapist gave me, that I don't have a name or reference for, a little hard to describe. It involves a very soft (on partly inflated) roughly 8" diameter ball (Softgym brand). That goes on the front part of a straight chair, where one sits on it nice and upright, then shifts weight in 3 planes (relaxed movement using gravity, not powered with muscles). First is shifting weight alternating left and right sides, staying straight, allowing the "down" side to lengthen (pelvis is sort of rotating in a plane that cuts right to left through the body). Next is forward and back weight shift, also relaxed and mostly straight, but letting the pelvis rotate in a anterior/posterior way. Last is a little more powered, sitting centered, turning to aim belly button at one leg then the other, rotating the pelvis in the 3rd plane.0 -
Just a fairly short walk in a forest nearby while the sun was out briefly. It's been storming all evening, thus I decided to stay in and watch Star Trek. Perfect exercise!2
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Legs
180 walking lunges no rest
Leg extension machine
6 sets 50/60/70/80/90/100
Hack squats
Feet close, toes out, normal, wide.
4 sets 20 reps of each.
Back extension machine, feet out (glutes and hamstrings)
4 sets 20 reps each
Calves machine
3 sets failure
standing toes on a plate (calves)
toes in, toes out
3 sets 20 reps each1 -
11,121m stationary bike (24% Z3, 67% Z2, rest below). I was really trying (on the base 10k) to hold around 90W/125bpm, which would've been more Z2-ish . . . but I was distracted, playing games on my phone 🙄, and accidentally going too fast sometimes, messing up the HR part (peaked at 133bpm, 74% max, just under 65% reserve). 🤷♀️
Followed with 47' dumbbell supersets. Some iffy joints are feeling a bit more stable in certain exercises, which is progress, I guess.
Rest day tomorrow.
I'm considering taking a few days off to remind myself why I don't like taking a few days off.3 -
Decided to run at the gym this morning, rather than heading out for another run in the cold. Did some rolling and hip mobility work, then an easy paced 5k. Back on the bike for a longer ride tomorrow.
I'm hesitant to ask, but are there any unusual hip mobility exercises you've found helpful, @Djproulx , that you could tell me the name of or give a link to, and not have that be too much trouble?
I pretty much know and do various common piriformis, low back, and hip flexor stretches, side leg raises, pelvic clocks (not the device, the Pilates-ish thing), have good hammie flexibility so don't emphasize that. I've added a variation on the doorway banana stretch because of some lateral tightness (hold door frame with hands, feet a bit away, and relax the hip away from the door in a banana shape to stretch outer hip).
I really like one a physical therapist gave me, that I don't have a name or reference for, a little hard to describe. It involves a very soft (on partly inflated) roughly 8" diameter ball (Softgym brand). That goes on the front part of a straight chair, where one sits on it nice and upright, then shifts weight in 3 planes (relaxed movement using gravity, not powered with muscles). First is shifting weight alternating left and right sides, staying straight, allowing the "down" side to lengthen (pelvis is sort of rotating in a plane that cuts right to left through the body). Next is forward and back weight shift, also relaxed and mostly straight, but letting the pelvis rotate in a anterior/posterior way. Last is a little more powered, sitting centered, turning to aim belly button at one leg then the other, rotating the pelvis in the 3rd plane.
@Ann, you may already know about these, but here's a couple movements I like, particularly after I've foam rolled a bit. The first is one that I know as the "90/90" movement. A cycling coach observed my lack of hip mobility and suggested this movement.
I perform the exercise as a slightly more continuous movement than shown in the clip, starting with my left leg out front at a 90 degree angle (quad to calf) and my right leg out to the right with the same angle bend. The movement is to the right, rolling the feet in unison to end up in the starting position, but with the right leg out front and the left leg now at 90 degrees to my left. I hold the pose at each end of the movement, allowing myself to deepen into the stretch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLuvQCTPrcY
The second one is a bear crawl sit through movement. The woman in this clip performs the sit through while crawling, but my trainer has me do these while remaining in a stationary position. The other difference is that I don't typically do the back bend, instead I extend my "sit through" leg straight out, touching my heel to the floor, then return and sit through on the other side. This movement is popular with mixed martial arts fighters, who need to be able to move their lower bodies while the upper body often remains locked in place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVlR8UypuRA
Hope this helps.
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Thank you so much, @Djproulx: I will definitely give those a test drive, and I anticipate they'll be helpful.
I have some OA in hip joints, and have been working on strengthening weak points around them, but of course that can cause some tightness that limits mobility (on top of some weird tightness I have from "too much" rowing - as if there were such a thing! - and too little of balancing activity types).
I appreciate your taking the time!0 -
Did my longer ride today on zwift. 70 minute ride to work on aerobic endurance. 16 minute blocks toggling between 70.3 distance power output, then dropping back slightly to IM power output, (10 watts lower). Not an intense effort, but the kind of longer grind that is needed to build efficiency and endurance. Will repeat this workout over the next few months and eventually stretch the duration out to mimic a 70.3 bike split distance.2
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Thank you so much, @Djproulx: I will definitely give those a test drive, and I anticipate they'll be helpful.
I have some OA in hip joints, and have been working on strengthening weak points around them, but of course that can cause some tightness that limits mobility (on top of some weird tightness I have from "too much" rowing - as if there were such a thing! - and too little of balancing activity types).
I appreciate your taking the time!
My pleasure. Hope you find these useful.1 -
garmin coach workout to get to 10k. Stride repeats. Did 10, then was wasted. Total of 3km run in a starting thunder storm. Glad I went out, glad I was back before the weather got really bad.2
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Elliptical 190 minutes for 13.1 miles2
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Back... Brutal for me...
t-bar (free standing with regular bad) rows
2 sets 100 reps each.
V-bar pull downs
4 sets 15 reps each
V-bar rows
Bent all the way forward 3 sets 20 reps each
Strict 3 sets 20 reps each
shrugs 3 sets 20 reps each
standing DB rows
4 sets 20 reps each
Standing ez bar rows
close over hand grip SS with close underhand grip
2 sets 20 reps each
Same but wide grip
2 sets 20 reps each.
Pull ups for lats until failure.
then I jumped up and did slow negative until failure.
It was about 3 lol.2 -
7-8 am:
Mobility - (30m)
Conditioning - (20m)
E2MOM
KettleBell Swings (16kg)
5-5/4-4/3/3-2/2-1/1 x 10 (300)
3-8 pm:
Easy Strength - (5m)
Wheel - 1x10
Pushup - 1x10
Row - 1x10
Swing - 1x10
Squat - 1x10
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45 min. elliptical (on the Zone 2 and 3 border most of the time) followed by some strength training.
The usual: pushups/rows supersets and abs. Today I decided to add legs back in with some body weight squats (focus on form/no injuries) and yoga ball bridges. We'll see how that sits in the joints and muscles. Cross your fingers.
Geeky Pro Tip: If you workout while watching a rocket launch, you can use the countdown clock as timer and stopwatch.
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Possibly a walk this evening, though I seem to have bruised my left heal or something somehow...don't really know how or how that's even possible if I'm not kicking something or jumping around. I had planned to do a Zwift ride this morning before work, but I did a ride yesterday that was a bit more than I was expecting...I picked a shorter route of just over 8 miles thinking an easy Sunday ride, but didn't pay attention to the elevation gain and a good chunk of it was up hill. I'm pretty under-trained at the moment and it left me with no legs. Pretty tired too...wife had to wake me up when she realized it was 6:30 and I hadn't come out of the bedroom yet...I'm usually up around 5:30 and I was still sleeping like a rock at 6:30 this morning.
I decided to bag my plans of running a couple of the structured training programs on Zwift. It was just going to be way too rigid with everything else going on right now, so I'm just riding and throwing in a structured cycling workout here and there. Ultimately, I think I'll have plenty of volume built up to still be able to do my two 25 mile rides in Santa Fe in May.
Planning to start bike commuting to work on Fridays, but it needs to get a little warmer out...I have gear that's good to about 40* and we're still in the high teens or low 20s in the mornings right now.2 -
Slept in and rested. Will be playing badminton in the evening3
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Got the back adjusted on Thursday evening and made it more tolerable, but it was still pretty rough on Friday and Sunday. Other than walking my dogs on Saturday for their long walk, that was about the only thing I did -- so missed two scheduled workouts.
Went back at it gingerly today -- 30 in the LateralX (elliptical/stepper that also goes laterally) and then 30 really light on the AD Pro (Assault Bike). Super easy especially on the bike just to gauge how sore I'd be. Felt OK after. Not 100% by any means but not bad either.
Won't be doing any strenuous lifting or rowing likely for around a week.
@Djproulx - I tried that one hip flexibility video to warm up today. Didn't have too much difficulty with it but it was a decent warmup before the elliptical. Good video!
I do a lot to try to stay as maintained as I can be but I have a feeling that the right knee (the one that needs replaced eventually) is just so much shorter/weaker than the other knee that the imbalance eventually catches up to me. But the Catch-22 is, if I didn't workout, it gets even weaker and more out of balance.1 -
6699m machine row, picked up the pace a little again, 2:29.6 at 18spm, all but around 5' pretty evenly split between Z3/Z4, peak at mid-Z4 (around 77% reserve, 85% max). (I have to admit, the reserve metric makes more sense to me in RPE terms.)
My problem with the slower rowing pace to stay mostly Z2 last week was that properly suspending (even to a small but still perceptible extent) has an energetic cost for me that heads into Z3, and I feel like it's wiring in bad habits if I don't feel the suspend. In theory, I can reduce rating (spm) to reduce energy required, but I can only drop that so far at a drag factor that I like without making drive-to-recovery ratio into something ridiculous. (I like a DF that feels in the range of boat-y, is non-punitive to knees and low back.) Today's row was a little faster than strictly needed to feel technically OK to me, but I feel like going slower than maybe mid-2:30s isn't a good idea right now. We'll see. 🤷♀️
Followed the row with 46' dumbbell supersets.
@Djproulx, I tried both the hip mobility videos, though I'm not sure I've quite got the sit-through one right yet. I like the 90/90 one quite a lot: Parts of it are difficult, so I can feel that I need it. 😆 Thank you for taking the time!
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Gym session this morning. After warmups, did three rounds of various movements: KB squats, skullcrushers, seated dumbbell back flys, then used sliders for hamstring curls(holding bridge position, slide feet out and back in) slider body saws, etc. Then finished each round with a push and pull on the sled. I'm trying to push/pull the sled and perform TGU's 1-2x's per week, since those movements hit so many of the muscle groups needed for endurance sports performance. That said, I got a little overzealous on my final round, trying to make the last sled push a run, seizing the left calf muscle. Ouch.
@Mike: Glad the video made sense. I spend so much time with hips in a straight forward plane of motion(running, pedaling, sitting at a desk) that I need to work on keeping mobile. I suspect rowing may be similar in that regard. The other thing I focus on is loosening the hip flexors to allow greater ROM to optimize glute engagement and drive. Been doing this type of work lately in support of that effort.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEopQHFz_08&t=10s
@Ann: Pleased that you found the videos helpful. Regarding the crawl/sit through: Again, I do these from a stationary starting point in bear crawl position. If "sitting through" with the left leg, from the four point bear crawl pose, I twist to the right, bringing my left leg under my body, then straighten it out ending up with my left heel on the ground while facing upward in a bridge type pose. As I'm moving through to the "sit through" position, I bring my right arm in and hold it close to my chest.
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(Snip good stuff, for reply length.)
@Ann: Pleased that you found the videos helpful. Regarding the crawl/sit through: Again, I do these from a stationary starting point in bear crawl position. If "sitting through" with the left leg, from the four point bear crawl pose, I twist to the right, bringing my left leg under my body, then straighten it out ending up with my left heel on the ground while facing upward in a bridge type pose. As I'm moving through to the "sit through" position, I bring my right arm in and hold it close to my chest.
Thank you for that description. One of the things my brain is sub-par at is visual learning . . . which is a really dysfunctional way to be, when it comes to physical skills, but I try **. Learning through words is more viable for me, despite being less theoretically effective for physical skills. 🙄
The sit-through video was extra hard for me, because I can't watch it (actively) while actually doing the move, because of the changes of orientation. I live alone, so there's no one here to watch the video and "coach" me.
Having your written description will help, I'm sure. Thank you very much!
** Yes, there are things I have done and still do, to try to improve this cognitive deficit. Some impact, no full cure. 🙄
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Heading to the weight room here in about 10-15 minutes for my lunch workout. Zwift this evening when I get home...haven't determined yet if I'm going to do a structured workout or just ride...probably just ride for 30-45 minutes.2
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Morning bootcamp.. was a little bit of a struggle1
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@DjProulx - yes, with rowing and only Assault Bike, easy to get Piriformis. That's actually why we got the LateralX, which is a great piece of equipment if it doesn't break down (Bowflex is horrible about fixing things and Customer Service).
I managed to do five or so supersets today. Nothing crazy -- pullups, body weight squats and pushups. Then, at lunch, did 15 sets of 30/90 sprints on the AD Pro (Assault Bike). Did manage to push up to 750 Watts on the Assault Bike but only for around 10 seconds at a time. C/D on the LateralX (lateral Stepper/Elliptical) for 30 minutes. Around an hour total but real easy on the last half hour.1
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