What Was Your Work Out Today?

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.

Same thing the last two days. Just an hour of easy cardio each day. Nothing hard or fancy.

Machine row, 3 x (1500m on, 2' row out/in or CD), 2:25.9 pace at 20spm over the 1500m pieces, more Z3 than anything else, but a little Z4. Total of 5373m.

Stationary bike that I didn't feel much enthusiasm to do (draggy), would've been happy with anything above my 75W psychologically-acceptable minimum, but ended up closer to normal, 90W over the whole 63', almost entirely Z2 (few seconds Z1 at the start). Go figure. Bike thinks this is an imaginary 15.6 miles/24k.

PT exercises later.

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

Stretched

36 minutes on the spin bike, heart rate avg/max: 144/169
26 minutes on the treadmill, heart rate avg/max: 139/154

46 minutes lifting weights.
- Barbell Bench Press: 12@125, 8@155, 6@175, Drop set: 5@190, 6@165, 10@125
- Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns: 12@120, 8@150, 6@170, Drop set: 4@190, 6@160, 10@120
- Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press: 12@25, 10@30, 8@35, Drop set: 6@40, 6@30, 8@25
- Rope Triceps Press Downs: 10@40, 10@50, Drop set: 8@60, 8@40
- Crunches: 3*25
- Dumbbell Curls: 10@25, 8@30, Drop set: 8@35, 8@25
- Landmine Twists: 10@65, 8@75, 8@85
- Resistance Band Face Pulls: 3*8@100lbs

Stretched

Felt good this morning, making some progress again.

Elliptical, hills, one hour, six miles.

Today has been an EXCELLENT DAY so far! First day of a 3-day vacation, woke up to sunshine rather than an alarm, feeling rested and refreshed. Hit the gym, very good workout, including graduating from my elbow rehab by performing sets at 10, 12.5 and 15 lbs. I don't have to wait until April to start lifting, I'm cleared for next week if I choose.

The cherry on top was Friday weigh-in day, and my body indeed continued it's every-other-week pattern of stall or leap ahead. This week was a leap, dropping two full pounds to put me sub-180 for the first time in decades. Yet my mirror image says I still look like I lift, which nullifies my greatest fear of losing weight, that it'd be all muscle instead of fat, when reality was the reverse.

Have to decide what to do for next week. I'm due for my quarterly week off from the gym, so I may do that. Then again, I may jump into lifting, as I'm excited, feeling healthy, and just bought the creatine to go with my uber-slow bulk.

Either way, today my daughter starts her spring break, and she wants to go with me on a daddy-daughter date to the movies, book store, and ice cream shop. Sounds great to me!

Crystalr489 wrote: »

After working out i almost fell down some stairs leaving the gym because my legs were soo beat from working out.

In high school, the weight room was on the second floor, the locker room was in the basement. (If I ever meet the person who decided THIS was a good arrangement...) First time I ever lifted weights, I was in the middle of the pack as we descended the stairs to the locker room to change. My legs gave out, and I fell forward into the person before me, who in turn fell forward into the next person, and soon enough half the class were sprawled out on the stairs. Yep, that's a day burned into memory...

nossmf wrote: »

Elliptical, hills, one hour, six miles.
Either way, today my daughter starts her spring break, and she wants to go with me on a daddy-daughter date to the movies, book store, and ice cream shop. Sounds great to me!

@nossmf I may do longer time on the elliptical but you bang out the mileage per hour better. Enjoy your date with your daughter. I'm a bit envious, I only have sons.

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Elliptical HIIT 150 minutes for 10.11 miles, zone 2, 3 and a bit of 4.

Been having some neck issues (ongoing, but flared up recently -- I got T-boned at age 22 going 60 MPH by a pickup truck), so I took Sunday off and did a ton of work around the house that needed caught up.

Monday did my normal lift and then did a 1000m timed row (machine) after a 1K warmup with a 1K cool down. Flamed and burned on the timed row. Started too fast. Ended up with a 3:50 time (1:55 pace). Sadly, just a few years ago, that was my 5K pace! I might go again on Thursday, we'll see. Started out at 1:35 on the first split, WAY too fast. Hard to recover from that. Last 200m were dreadful.

Short lap swim today. 1300 yds done as mostly easy paced 100's after a 200 swim/200 kick/200 pull warm up. Trail run tonight.