Yesterday completed my first week of P90X3! My sisters and I are doing the 90 day program with their husbands and some other friends. Since we all live in different spots we have a virtual group to support each other. Here are a few of my week 1 observations...
The Workouts - There has been a lot more variety than I expected. I don't know why I expected the workouts to be all pull-ups but surprisingly we have had a lot of variety. Agility X is probably the workout that left me the sorest of them all this week. My tush hurt after that one and even swimming which normally soothes my aching muscle didn't provide any relief.
The Pull-ups - The Challenge is a workout where you select a number at the beginning of the workout for two exercises - push-ups and pull-ups. The workout alternates between these two exercises for the entire 30 minutes. Intimidating! I completed the workout using the modification of band pull downs for all of the pull-up exercises. I have a pull-up bar and pull-up assist band but even with it felt like I couldn't do anything more than shrug my shoulders. Fast forward to the following day and my sister kindly explained how to use my pull-up assist band. I had the foot hold near mid-calf height and she explained that until I build up my strength I should put the foot hold at the highest spot possible. I made the change and was very surprised at the result.
The Bed Time - For this program, I made the personal commitment to do the workouts before work. I know that evening workouts are hard for me to remain committed to as I get home from work and just want to relax. I try to leave for work by 6:45 AM so that has meant getting my workouts started by 5:15 AM. To maintain this rhythm I am trying to force myself to bed around 9:00 PM.
The Gear - After the Agility X workout on Tuesday I made the decision to invest in a high impact flooring mat. The jumping around on my tile floor wasn't very kind to my legs and feet. The mat made a huge difference and I'm very happy with my purchase. For other gear, I have dumbbells in a range of weights from 3-15 lbs. I haven't worked my way up to the 15 lbs quite yet but I'm sure that will come. I also have the pull-up bar and pull-up assist band as well as a variety of resistance bands.
For week 2, we will repeat the same workout schedule. I'm looking forward to trying each workout again as the cues aren't always clear in some of the sequences. I have already made veggie snack packs and am laying out my lunch and work snack plan so that I can make healthier eating choices during the week.
Showing posts with label strength work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label strength work. Show all posts
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Back to Boot Camp
Now that the daylight hours are shortening it's time to head back to the gym for boot camp class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. About six months ago, the gym had an instructor change for the class and I heard mixed reviews. I had stopped going so that I could ride bikes in the evenings...but work got in the way of that plan more than I would have liked.
Last week I was all set for the return to boot camp. One of my friends was traveling on vacation so I messaged one of the other regulars for class. She was also away on vacation but she let me know that there weren't classes for the week since it was the fall break between sessions. Lucky me I got to delay the pain of boot camp for one more week.
Tuesday night I headed to the gym after work and headed into the locker room to get changed. I had some new Nike running capris to break in and paired them with a loose fit Under Armor workout shirt. Both super comfy for a mixed workout. I headed upstairs to the workout room and joined the waiting queue in the hallway. There were a lot less people waiting than in the past with the original instructor. It used to be a full house with people turned away from class.
We filed into the class room and discovered there was another new instructor. Tonya was the new instructor and this was everyone's first time to experience one of her workouts. She set the stations up in a circle and it was a little tighter than we were used to. Normally the stations cover the entire large room and we were maybe using about half of it. The stations were done in partners and involved a mix of weights and cardio. Most of the cardio were plyometric things like split squats and rowing on the Shockwave rowers. We did each station for one minute and sadly only made it through the entire circuit once before moving onto some drills with a 45lb weight plate. We pushed that weight up and down a circuit and alternated with a few modifications for each rep. The finish to the workout was much tougher than the circuits.
Most of the boot camp regulars were a little disappointed in the workout since it was more beginner level than the advanced level that all were used to. Well, fast forward to tonight and Tonya stepped it up a notch! Tonight's class was 10 times harder! The workout she laid out tonight was all done at your individual pace. It included 5 weight stations and 5 cardio stations. Each person alternated between the circuit doing a cardio rep then a weight rep. The weight stations were done to a count of 20 reps while the cardio stations were done for distance. Some examples that we did were power skips, high knees, and grapevine for cardio and push ups, dead lifts, tricep dips for weights. The weight stations felt heavy on the legs to me so I'm sure I'll be feeling soreness in the next day or two.
It feels good to be headed back to the gym and I look forward to getting back into my boot camp routine.
Last week I was all set for the return to boot camp. One of my friends was traveling on vacation so I messaged one of the other regulars for class. She was also away on vacation but she let me know that there weren't classes for the week since it was the fall break between sessions. Lucky me I got to delay the pain of boot camp for one more week.
Tuesday night I headed to the gym after work and headed into the locker room to get changed. I had some new Nike running capris to break in and paired them with a loose fit Under Armor workout shirt. Both super comfy for a mixed workout. I headed upstairs to the workout room and joined the waiting queue in the hallway. There were a lot less people waiting than in the past with the original instructor. It used to be a full house with people turned away from class.
We filed into the class room and discovered there was another new instructor. Tonya was the new instructor and this was everyone's first time to experience one of her workouts. She set the stations up in a circle and it was a little tighter than we were used to. Normally the stations cover the entire large room and we were maybe using about half of it. The stations were done in partners and involved a mix of weights and cardio. Most of the cardio were plyometric things like split squats and rowing on the Shockwave rowers. We did each station for one minute and sadly only made it through the entire circuit once before moving onto some drills with a 45lb weight plate. We pushed that weight up and down a circuit and alternated with a few modifications for each rep. The finish to the workout was much tougher than the circuits.
Most of the boot camp regulars were a little disappointed in the workout since it was more beginner level than the advanced level that all were used to. Well, fast forward to tonight and Tonya stepped it up a notch! Tonight's class was 10 times harder! The workout she laid out tonight was all done at your individual pace. It included 5 weight stations and 5 cardio stations. Each person alternated between the circuit doing a cardio rep then a weight rep. The weight stations were done to a count of 20 reps while the cardio stations were done for distance. Some examples that we did were power skips, high knees, and grapevine for cardio and push ups, dead lifts, tricep dips for weights. The weight stations felt heavy on the legs to me so I'm sure I'll be feeling soreness in the next day or two.
It feels good to be headed back to the gym and I look forward to getting back into my boot camp routine.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Tempted by Fate
I recently discovered how to add some lost apps back to my iPhone. One of the apps that I got reloaded is called Body Fate. I used the app last week to earn some Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge points for strength work!
Body Fate was developed by Christine Hazelton who is a trainer to the stars. I'm pretty sure that Dane Cook tweeted about it when it first came out and that is what prompted me to purchase the app.
I would describe this app as a fitness game. The developers describe it this way:
BODYFATE is a metabolic acceleration training program, in other words, a GREAT workout. It takes you to an optimum level of fitness while still having fun in the process. Your workouts change every time you use BODYFATE. The program is illustrated with characters and surprises all the way through. Need a little motivation? No problem. BODYFATE will inspire your spirit with positive quotes and affirmations. Hit an exercise that’s too hard or you don't want to do? Pass on it! Keep in mind, you can only pass on a few. Mr. Good Karma will be checking your honesty. And, Karma always knows. You’ll be blown away at how much this tiny little iPhone app can change your life.
The app works with you first completing some information on the Settings tab. You first enter the equipment that you have available to you. For me, I have dumbbells, exercise bands, stability ball, kettlebells, and a stationary bike. Next, I entered my fitness level as either Beginner, Middle of the Road, or Jock. Finally, you enter a time for the length of the workout. Then you are ready to Begin Your Fate.
You will be given several different options for choosing your fate from pick a hand, pick a door, pick a trainer, or spin the wheel of torture! The game will provide you with an exercise and suggested reps or it could be a timed activity. You can earn rest or passes to skip an exercise. The exercises are illustrated via active photos, you simply tap on the photo to see a demonstration of the exercise. You can also ask for a detailed written description of the exercise that will provide options for making it easier or more challenging.
My review: I loved the workout that I got with this game. Within 15 minutes I had worked up a sweat and was definitely getting a great mix of exercises. I have done a short workout of 15 minutes and a longer workout of an hour with the app. I would say my hour workout was concentrated with a lot of arm/back exercises and squats. I had some soreness for the next two days from the squats...I don't know why we runners tend to think we can skip the strength work on our lower body, but I paid for that bad assumption! It was fun to alternate between lots of different exercises and I would recommend you have all your gear out and ready because you move pretty quick between them. I would like to keep using this app for getting strength work into my life!
Cost: Body Fate costs $1.99 in the App Store. That's pretty cheap compared to a trainer and is a good option if you are somewhat familiar with the strength exercises and don't need much coaching on form.
Body Fate was developed by Christine Hazelton who is a trainer to the stars. I'm pretty sure that Dane Cook tweeted about it when it first came out and that is what prompted me to purchase the app.
I would describe this app as a fitness game. The developers describe it this way:
BODYFATE is a metabolic acceleration training program, in other words, a GREAT workout. It takes you to an optimum level of fitness while still having fun in the process. Your workouts change every time you use BODYFATE. The program is illustrated with characters and surprises all the way through. Need a little motivation? No problem. BODYFATE will inspire your spirit with positive quotes and affirmations. Hit an exercise that’s too hard or you don't want to do? Pass on it! Keep in mind, you can only pass on a few. Mr. Good Karma will be checking your honesty. And, Karma always knows. You’ll be blown away at how much this tiny little iPhone app can change your life.
The app works with you first completing some information on the Settings tab. You first enter the equipment that you have available to you. For me, I have dumbbells, exercise bands, stability ball, kettlebells, and a stationary bike. Next, I entered my fitness level as either Beginner, Middle of the Road, or Jock. Finally, you enter a time for the length of the workout. Then you are ready to Begin Your Fate.
You will be given several different options for choosing your fate from pick a hand, pick a door, pick a trainer, or spin the wheel of torture! The game will provide you with an exercise and suggested reps or it could be a timed activity. You can earn rest or passes to skip an exercise. The exercises are illustrated via active photos, you simply tap on the photo to see a demonstration of the exercise. You can also ask for a detailed written description of the exercise that will provide options for making it easier or more challenging.
Cost: Body Fate costs $1.99 in the App Store. That's pretty cheap compared to a trainer and is a good option if you are somewhat familiar with the strength exercises and don't need much coaching on form.
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