Monday, December 21, 2015

Training week recap - Dec 14-20, 2015

In case anyone was wondering, I did NOT get through all three Star Wars episodes this past weekend.

*hangs head in shame*

I'll include the details alongside my daily recap.

MONDAY
Treadmill - walk 10 minutes to warm up
Lift - 25 minutes

I like to use the stationary bike to warm up, but today all the bikes were occupied (which is a rarity). I wasn't feeling like working out today and had dragged myself down to the gym. Instead of doing my usual full-body lifting routine with 3 sets of 8-10 reps on everything, I elected to do single drop sets. I wanted to get in and out of the gym as quickly as possible!

Since I've already listed my typical lifting routine here and here, I won't spell it out again unless I make any noticeable changes going forward.

TUESDAY
Yoga class - 45 minutes

WEDNESDAY
Zumba class - 50 minutes

THURSDAY
Stationary bike - 10 minutes to warm up
Lift - 45 minutes

Back to the usual 3-set practice today. The workout felt great. I felt improvements in strength, which was hugely motivating. 

I tried to mix up the order in which I did my exercises, and it definitely made a difference. I only did a single deadlift set since I had saved deadlifts for last, and my hands were hurting from gripping the bars. I am thinking more and more about getting a pair of weight-lifting gloves.

FRIDAY
Yoga class - 55 minutes

A few weeks ago, my company's fitness center brought in a new yoga instructor. Today was the second time I've taken one of her classes. They are quite challenging! I usually consider yoga days to be "active rest days" but not this day.

After a week packed with holiday parties and gatherings, I was zonked when I got home that night. All I wanted to do was stay home and recharge. I went to bed early.

This put me behind schedule on my Star Wars weekend movie marathon right off the bat.

SATURDAY
Plan: Pure Barre class
Actual: Rest

And so began the weekend of movie and TV watching!

Adam and I watched the Blackhawks game. We took a break to do some stuff around the house and cook dinner, etc. Then, we watched the Penguins game, immediately followed by Star Wars: The New Hope.

One Star Wars movie down!

SUNDAY
Pure Barre class - 55 minutes

I finally activated my 5-week Pure Barre membership. I thought my consistent weight-lifting and yoga would make barre easier. SO not the case. My arms, abs, thighs, and glutes are all on fire now.

After barre class, Adam and I went to an impromptu brunch with our nephew. He's on college winter break right now and was passing through the city on his way home. So fun!

When we got home from brunch, it was time to cease the active stuff and get down to couch potato business. The pressure was on.

We knocked out The Empire Strikes Back, followed by the Steelers game, then the Blackhawks game.

I feared hitting the wall. During the latter part of the Blackhawks game, I knew I was getting close.

Originally I thought maybe we could manage Return of the Jedi after the Hawks game. But when the moment of truth arrived, I couldn't do it. I had already been glued to the TV for over 8 hours and I just couldn't push through another 2 hours.

Clearly I need more couch potato training.

LOOKING AHEAD...
You'll be seeing a LOT of barre classes on my training recaps over the next five weeks. I want to get my money's worth out of my membership.

And I plan to watch Return of the Jedi either tomorrow night or sometime on Wednesday!
--

Linking up with HoHo and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap.

19 comments:

  1. Ha, ha. Only 8 hours in front of the tv? You do need more couch potato training! :) Love the pic of the guy in the green jogging suit. Looks like he is having a blast! :)

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    1. *still hanging head in shame* Yes, I could only manage 8 hours! I am proud (?) to say the 8 hours is my couch potato PR, though. But I'm bound and determined to set a new PR next time!

      LOL, glad you like the guy in the green suit! He's definitely getting into the spirit of things, no? =D

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    2. No need to hang your head in shame - I think most people watch hours and hours of tv per day, they just don't track their tv watching hours. I bet the average amount of time an American sits in front of the tv per day would surprise us! Good luck with your PR quest! :)

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    3. LOL - you're right, I wonder what that average amount of TV is! Worse yet, I wonder how much time the average American spends on the internet and/or social media! Thanks Pete. =)

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  2. Crazy how an exercise you haven't done will make you so sore the next day, right?

    Also, kind of a weird question: have you ever tried a protein powder drink after a new workout? I find it keeps me from being as sore the next day. I do half a scoop (Legion brand is my current favorite) in one cup of almond milk.

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    1. Oh my gosh! It really goes to show how much muscle movement diversity there is! The body is an incredible work of art.

      Funny you should ask about protein powders! I just bought a tub of chocolate Pure Protein powder a few weeks ago. I heard it was great for post-lifting recovery. I've only had it twice so far (need to get a shaker bottle). Never thought about using it after new workouts in general, but what a great idea! Thanks for sharing!

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    2. I don't even use a shaker bottle, to be honest! I save empty glass peanut butter (or similar) jars, put the scoop in, add milk, tighten the lid, and shake. These seal better than a shaker bottle and allow me to take them in my lunch or gym bag. I drink one after almost every workout and I'm rarely sore.

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  3. wow great week!!! We are going to go see the new Star Wars next weekend I think. We were waiting for the crowds to die down, lol!!

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    1. Thanks Michelle! Likewise - my family and I are hoping the crowds will have dissipated a little bit by the time we go later this week. I've heard crazy stories of how insane the lines have been over the weekend! Good luck when you go, hopefully you'll experience a peaceful crowd. =)

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  4. Oh my you would have to chain me to the couch to be able to sit through that much TV, my step daughter??? No she does it at least 3-4 times a week. She will miss sleep, not eating no not that but she'll miss sleep to watch tv! Merry Christmas to you!

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    1. LOL! It was much more brutal than I thought to watch that much TV. Being a couch potato is harder than it is cracked up to be!!! Your stepdaughter must have conditioned herself over a long time to be able to do so 3-4 times a week, and to put her priorities in order. ;) Merry Christmas to you too, Tricia!!!

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  5. I cheated and watched Star Wars in the summer :-p Only the original trilogy, since I didn't bother bringing the first 3 with me when I moved.

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    1. I would call that smart planning! Better to watch in advance when you've got the time for it rather than trying to cram everything in at the last minute. I've heard the prequels weren't very good, so I probably won't bother watching them, either.

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  6. Apparently I'm the ONLY person in the whole world who doesn't care about Star Wars? Did you know the first movie came out when I was in high school? I'm officially old.

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    1. You're definitely not the only person! It wasn't until last Thursday that I decided I'd pay attention. Up until then I was disregarding all the in-your-face promos, too! It makes me feel old realizing when the first movies came out. Just seeing how young Harrison Ford was back in those days is a little freaky!

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  7. Girl, hurry up so I can borrow your movies. :-) Would love to chat with you to get more specifics on your lifting. That is definitely something I need to do as well. 8 hours watching TV? Yeah I think I've done it too.

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    1. I'm working on it!!! It's harder than you might realize to be a couch potato! =D Would love to chat more about lifting, though I am by no means an expert! Congrats on 8 hours of TV watching!!!

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  8. Heck yes on how the gloves make people look really hard-core! It really is the best feeling when you see visible improvements in strength training, or really in any fitness pursuit. I will be seeing the new Star Wars movie tomorrow and I suspect I'll have to explain a lot to my parents, who aren't familiar with the originals!

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  9. You are hilarious -- coach potato training! I know the first Star Wars movies pretty well, but I don't think I saw all the newer ones. Everything I've ever read about Pure Barre is pretty intense. I can't wait to see what you have to say about it. I'm very impressed by your strength training! If I could only find the motivation. I appreciate you linking with us Emily. I hope you have a Merry Christmas.

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