What Was Your Work Out Today?

AnnPT77 wrote: »

I let the intensity level drift with how I feel or what happens naturally out of my energy level, but once I've planned a workout, I tend to do it unless there's a major reason not to (like being ill or injured, occasionally a schedule issue). If I don't, I can easily work my way into a pattern of procrastinating or skipping workouts, getting into doldrums, cranky mood, and other bad things.

This is one of the major reasons I do my workouts first thing in the morning after waking. Energy level is highest, fewer time sinks clamoring to take away my workout. Yes, I sacrifice sleep during the week in order to get that workout in, and once or twice per month I have killed my alarm and rolled over when I simply wasn't feeling it, but those times are rare enough to convince me that if I do it, my body must have REALLY needed the sleep.

Good workout this morning. Lower body, core and cardio.

Stretched

36 minutes (10.6 mi) on the spin bike, heart rate avg/max: 130/161
26 minutes on the treadmill, heart rate avg/max: 115/125

41 minutes lifting weights
- Dumbbell Box Squats: 15@bodyweight, 10@50, 8@70, drop set: 6@90, 10@50
- Crunches: 4*30
- Wide Stance Leg Press: 12@210, 8@390, 6@480, drop set: 5@570, 6@390, 10@210
- Weighted Side Bends, each side: 5*8@50lbs.
- Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts: 10@50, 10@70, 8@90, drop set: 6@120, 8@60
- Kettlebell Side Swings, each side: 4*10@30lbs

Stretched

Good workout this morning. Upper body, core and cardio.

Stretched

36 minutes on the spin bike, heart rate avg/max:
26 minutes on the treadmill, heart rate avg/max:

44 minutes lifting weights:
- Barbell Bench Press: 12@125, 10@145, 8@165, drop set: 5@185., 6@155, 8@125
- Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns: 12@120, 10@140, 8@160, drop set: 6@180., 6@150, 8@120
- Barbell Overhead Press: 12@65, 10@85, 8@95, drop set: 5@105, 6@85, 8@65
- Rope Triceps Press Downs: 12@30, 10@40, drop set: 8@50, 10@30
- Crunches: 4*25
- Cable Curls: 12@30, 10@40, drop set: 8@50, 10@30
- Landmine Twists: 3*10@65lbs
- Resistance Band Face Pulls: 3*10@90lbs.

Streched

Felt good this morning, strong, and good energy level.

Sunday
4 hour trip. There was one utterly terrifying down climb with no holds at all, above a 35 foot drop. I may plop in a hand line when I do it again, although it may be better with a different route. (I came up a different way; under a boulder rather than over, which was fine.)

This led to the streaway, which was truly stunning. It was a top day out.

Monday
Climbing. 2.5 hour session. This was bonkers; I got 6 long term projects (1 dyno thing; 3 scary slabs and a couple of brute force and ignorance ones.) I had new shoes which seemed to work well, although I downsized a reasonable amount so they hurt a lot at the end.

Did the planned 10k bike (plus a 3', 1,134m CD) on Sunday, which would usually be my rest day; then took the Monday rest day instead as planned, while my power was out for several hours to allow for cutting down a big maple tree that was threatening my electric power service lines.

Surprisingly close to almost warm today (50s F), Tuesday, despite recent sub-freezing days, and 97.3% of the snow was gone, maybe more. So I took a short, easy bike ride, moving through actual physical space in the outdoor world, yay! 12.6 miles, just under 10mph average so super easy, only even got into Z3 for 2'.

Back home, rowing machine, 3 x (1500m on, 2' row out/in or CD on the last one), 2:25.9 pace/19spm averaged over all, 5309m total. About 6' in each of Z2 and Z4, 16' in Z3. HR average 134bpm (75% max), peak 152 (85%).

PT exercises yet to come.

MikePfirrman wrote: »

(snip)

@Ann -- I felt great on Friday after taking Thursday off. I likely should get to tracking my RHR in the AM. I've read by many folks that's the best way to tell if you're working too hard and need a rest day. For me, because I love to workout, it's usually when I dread it I just know I need a day off. I think I've missed four days since the New Year (of a six day workout week).
(snip)

I often get a little performance boost after a rest day, even though I regularly take one rest day most weeks, usually Sunday. I'd say I've learned that's best for me - another chapter in "we're all different, and that's OK" - but it's also what my first coach put into training plans, so there's a habit piece of it as well.

Wrt RHR increase signaling fatigue, I'd say that's somewhat true for me (yes, I can overdo in only 6 days a week, my favorite trick for doing so is adding volume or intensity in too-big chunks when I decide to increase, something I've been trying hard not to do this Winter).

However, the RHR effect is pretty subtle in my case, maybe a couple of bpm or so, and I can also see that kind of jump the day after eating well over maintenance calories (to name just one possible other trigger). If I ate over goal, the next day is usually a good one energetically, which implies good reason to go a little harder on workouts, whereas interpreting it as fatigue would trigger backing off. IOW, there's a signal vs. noise issue with RHR alone, IMO. YMMV, but you'll figure that out if you start tracking AM RHR.

No workout today, had to be in the office an hour early to cover a meeting for my boss who has to work late, thus will report late.

I workout first thing after waking, so my usual indicator of needing a day off from exercise is the moment my alarm clock goes off, normally I'm wide awake within seconds. (OK, maybe a slight exaggeration to say "wide" awake, but I'm at least upright and thinking clearly.) Even on days I stayed up late and got less than ideal sleep, normally I'm still good to go for my workout. If, however, my alarm sounds and my brain can barely add two plus two, I know the workout's gonna just suffer so it's back to bed for another hour for me then straight to work, skip the gym.

Physical therapy appointment again today, once again more on the strength-y side. Another interesting thing I got to do: Side plank variation, where you hold upper arm parallel with body, but elbow maybe 4-6" away from torso, small dumbbell in hand, forearm at 90 degrees to upper arm, then - moving the forearm - go from dumbbell pointing at ceiling to pointing at floor (basically the elbow is like a pivot point). They let me do this with my knees bent, so sort of a partial plank position . . . which is fortunate, because I s*ck at side planks, no way I could hold a full side plank long enough to do sets of 10 slow reps.

Lots of errands, so I didn't get any regular workout started until 10PM, did the usual 60'+3' stationary bike kind of running on empty, energy-wise. 91W average on the 60', 75W CD, almost entirely Z2.

nossmf wrote: »

(snip)

I workout first thing after waking, so my usual indicator of needing a day off from exercise is the moment my alarm clock goes off, normally I'm wide awake within seconds. (OK, maybe a slight exaggeration to say "wide" awake, but I'm at least upright and thinking clearly.) Even on days I stayed up late and got less than ideal sleep, normally I'm still good to go for my workout. If, however, my alarm sounds and my brain can barely add two plus two, I know the workout's gonna just suffer so it's back to bed for another hour for me then straight to work, skip the gym.

I envy you that! I wake up stupid and insensible, have for my whole life. It takes a couple of hours for the fog to clear.

nossmf wrote: »

Plotting out my daily calories, I'm faced with a decision to make at dinnertime: do I get to eat a second hamburger fresh off the grill, or do I give up s'mores for dessert. With an 800-calorie workout there's no need to make a choice, but without I have to give up one or the other if I want to stay under calories for the day with a shot to keep losing weight on the week. Dangit.

I empathize. I always say I don't exercise for calories, and that's 100% true. (I liked being active in my last decade plus as a fat woman, too, without a thought to calories.) But there definitely are days when the exercise calories for sure make the nutrient/tastiness Tetris game easier to win.