What Was Your Work Out Today?

Stationary bike, shoe-horned in just in time to meet friends for dinner. The usual 10k+3' CD, took 28:23.2 for 11,153m overall, easy 100W average pace including the CD, nothing above Z3, peak HR at 77% max/around 66% reserve.

@Djproulx

Thanks for the welcome. Support and feedback is helpful to keep momentum going. I was fit and active in my 20's. Now, I struggle through most of the YouTube videos. I'd find cave explorations a lot more fun!

dralicephd wrote: »

RaquelFit2 wrote: »

@Djproulx

Thanks for the welcome. Support and feedback is helpful to keep momentum going. I was fit and active in my 20's. Now, I struggle through most of the YouTube videos. I'd find cave explorations a lot more fun!

I second the previous comments. It can be easy to see the paces and mileage that people are posting here and feel inadequate, but none of that really matters to you. All that matters is consistency. If you showed up to work out (no matter the level), you are winning!!

The 45 min. elliptical workouts that I regularly report here are not fast. According to the machine, I'm only going ~2.5 miles. That's a relatively slow pace that I had to work up to over the last 9 months. When I started, if I went more than 20 minutes, I hurt myself. I'm happy that I've made progress, and frankly, who cares if it is slow? It gets my heart rate up to a sufficient level for cardiac fitness, it improves my overall muscle tone, and it gives me extra calories to eat later. That's what matters to me.

Anyway, what I'm really saying is.... Keep it up! You are doing great! If you want to use this thread to help keep you on track and moving, we are happy to have you.

Thank you. It really does help.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

RaquelFit2 wrote: »

@Djproulx

Thanks for the welcome. Support and feedback is helpful to keep momentum going. I was fit and active in my 20's. Now, I struggle through most of the YouTube videos. I'd find cave explorations a lot more fun!

Every single one of us here has been a beginner (or re-starter, even multi-re-starter) at some point. Every single one of us knows what that's like. In my view, (re-)starting is the hard part. Once we find the fun or other inherent rewards, keeping going is IME easier. You're doing great.

The folks posting are a mix of newer and long-term exercisers, recreational or Deeply Serious about training. A bunch of us are . . . mature, at least physiologically. (I'm 66.) Everyone and anyone is welcome, and encouraged.

I keep posting here as part of my self-accountability, especially during the slog through Winter. Happy you're joining in - welcome!

Thanks! I'm definitively a multi-re-starter but this is the first time I really became so inactive and overweight. In Jan. I was 142 pounds and my mom said "You're fat. Do something about that."

She was right. Now I'm 133 lbs. but so far away from being were I need to be.

BTW (I did another YouTube video (25 min. cardio) and 1 hour of yard work.)

Me too! When I started my fitness journey, it wasn't fitness. It was rehab from a knee injury. Just learning to walk and spinning a stationary bike a few turns -- at my biggest!

Today I did supersets in the AM and then was supposed to do a pretty challenging timed row -- 5 sets of 3 minute sprints/1 minute rest and recovery @ various stroke rates -- 27/30/33/30/27. I never knew this until living here on the side of a mountain in AZ -- strong winds will push up the Drag Factor in real time. I row with ErgData, which shows your Drag Factor as you row.

I set the DF to 110 (what I thought would be tolerable at higher Stroke Rates) and with the winds, it shot up to 122 at one point and was averaging around 119 with stronger winds. Got to the 33 SR piece and finished two minutes of it and just was dead.

Won't beat myself up too bad. HR hit 93% max and I ended up doing a few more one minute sprints and then did a 3 minute piece (set the DF to 68!) @ 33 SPM and completed one just to come away not feeling defeated.

Will go back at the same row early next week at a much lower DF, hopefully on a day where the wind isn't 45 and 50 MPH, blowing right into the flywheel, slowing it down even quicker. Only thing I read online about it was someone thought wind blowing into a flywheel would make it turn faster -- I can assure you that's not the case and it's not a damn windmill! If you open up the flywheel to more air, it slows it down. So if there's winds at 45 or 50 MPH blowing into the flywheel on top of that, it will slow it down even more. I'm assuming the real time DF reading comes from how rapid it's slowing down.

Rowing machine again, 3 x (2k on, 2' off/CD again). Trying to stay a little under 2:30 pace, while being as easy-relaxed mechanically as possible, stretching from the shoulder, feeling my legs in my fingers against the handle, a little snap to the arms in/out . . . while staying relaxed.

Pieces at 2:29.2 pace/22 spm, 2:27.3/19, 2:24.7/19. Overall, 6768m in about 35:25, moderate intensity (just under 7' in lower half of Z4, just under 20' Z3, remainder below, peak at 85% max, little under 80% reserve). This paces feels a little exert-y by part way through the 3rd piece, but not too bad.

MikePfirrman wrote: »

(snip)

I never knew this until living here on the side of a mountain in AZ -- strong winds will push up the Drag Factor in real time. I row with ErgData, which shows your Drag Factor as you row.

(snip)

Will go back at the same row early next week at a much lower DF, hopefully on a day where the wind isn't 45 and 50 MPH, blowing right into the flywheel, slowing it down even quicker. Only thing I read online about it was someone thought wind blowing into a flywheel would make it turn faster -- I can assure you that's not the case and it's not a damn windmill! If you open up the flywheel to more air, it slows it down. So if there's winds at 45 or 50 MPH blowing into the flywheel on top of that, it will slow it down even more. I'm assuming the real time DF reading comes from how rapid it's slowing down.

I didn't realize that either, Mike, but it makes sense now that you point it out. (I nearly never machine row outdoors, for reasons that may be obvious.) That's kind of evil - I can't imagine doing sprint pieces with that as a variable: Yikes!

dralicephd wrote: »

I did 45 minutes on the elliptical, as usual. Today I hovered about 70% Max HR for most of the time. I followed it with my mini strength training (it's really more like physical therapy). I've had to give up on pushups and squats for now (again) due to joint issues, but I'm doing what I can. And, apparently it is doing something, because my husband commented on the "big guns" I'm getting (my tiny biceps are visible!).

LOL! My husband wants me to get bigger biceps too. He's all excited about me working out.

Last night, I did a 15 minute stretch before bed.

Group ride was nothing but fun. Sixty degrees and sunny for our 35 mile ride. We got in roughly 1800 ft of climbing, but nothing too taxing given the overall 16mph pace. We even took a 5min stop midway through to refill bottles (and take a selfie, lol).

I also got to see my friend Kristen's badass new time trial bike for the first time. I really love the color scheme on that rocket. (For those into bike porn: Di2 shifting, garmin vector power meter pedals, 60mm carbon wheels and disc brakes)





Long run and maybe a swim tomorrow.

About three hours yard work in total. Lots of shoveling and carrying dirt. Worked all muscles to exhaustion.

I did a fitness Test at F45. It was the following:

10kcal on ski erg
30 squat jumps
30 bench hops
10kcal on bike erg
30 barbell press (15kg)
30 burpees
30 box jumps
30 dead ball slams (12kg)
60 mountain climbers
60 Russian Twists
6 laps of sled push (sled weight only)
500 metres Rower

Did it in 15:53. I was dead afterwards. Will see how my time improves in 6 weeks after the F45 challenge.

Age 46, 2 years post partum.

I did two hours of yard work. We're getting the ground ready for a new garden shed.

Traded my Sunday long run/swim for another bike ride yesterday. Joined a group of nine friends who are working to build bike endurance for the Watkins Glen race in July. Plan was to ride a 40 mile flattish course at an easy pace. (Some are fairly new cyclists).

We had a crash halt our ride after only 18 miles. While on a bike path, a rider hit a marked pothole, but couldn't recover steering and she went over the handlebars. Bloody nose, broken tooth and sore ribs, but otherwise ok. Good news is that we had an MD riding with us and he checked her out on scene before a trip to the ER. She is ok today. Most of us finished a shortened route, but the crash was upsetting to witness. It was a reminder that cycling carries a risk beyond just traffic concerns.

Elliptical. 45 min. Ya know, the usual.

I will add that I went a little faster pace today while keeping the HR in my typical Zone 3. Progress! (Also, a good night's sleep does wonders.)

Same ol' Monday rowing machine, 3 x (2k on, 2' off/CD), 2:28.5 average pace at 20spm, 35:42 and 6805m including the row out/in & CD. Moderate, 105W, less than 1' Z4, 26' Z3, remainder below.