by Paula
For religious regions I have started a 21 day fast. This means that I am only eating one meal a day plus fruit and water throughout the day. Needless to say, I'm hungry, tired, and cranky.
This means that I am going to have to change my workout for the next 21 days. This is a good thing...kinda. My body is beat up and needs to heal. I think that changing, not stoping, will help me in the long run. I'm adjusting the workouts based on my energy levels. I don't want to get sick or get hurt, so I don't want to over work in any way.
Monday's Workout:
Run
Forms
Shoulders
Tuesday's Workout:
Forms
Legs 4-6 sets of 8-10 reps
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
It's All Catching Up
by Paula
This week I've been struggling with extreme exhaustion and aching all over. I have no other symptoms which would make me think that I am sick, so my only thought was that I was overtraining. The problem with that thought, though, is that I cut back on my training and I seemed to get worse as the week went on. The aching is not like a typical soreness either. My whole body just seems to be throbbing all the time, and my muscles are really tight. The exhaustion is more than being tired, my body feels like I ran a marathon and I have no energy left.
What gives?
I haven't a clue what is wrong with me, but Jim and his friend might be onto something:
I had back surgery September 8 of this past year. Since my surgery I have had strep, the flu, two colds, and four other infections. Plus, I injured my knee, had a cavity filled, and last week fell and injured my ankle, knee, and hip on the right leg. The thought is that my body is exhausted from fighting all of this. I may have reached my limit on healing.
This weeks workouts:
Monday: Run, forms, chest and triceps
Tuesday: Forms, Legs, cool down with abs
Wednesday: Run, forms, back and biceps
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Even more rest
The rest did not help...I think resting is overrated!
This week I've been struggling with extreme exhaustion and aching all over. I have no other symptoms which would make me think that I am sick, so my only thought was that I was overtraining. The problem with that thought, though, is that I cut back on my training and I seemed to get worse as the week went on. The aching is not like a typical soreness either. My whole body just seems to be throbbing all the time, and my muscles are really tight. The exhaustion is more than being tired, my body feels like I ran a marathon and I have no energy left.
What gives?
I haven't a clue what is wrong with me, but Jim and his friend might be onto something:
I had back surgery September 8 of this past year. Since my surgery I have had strep, the flu, two colds, and four other infections. Plus, I injured my knee, had a cavity filled, and last week fell and injured my ankle, knee, and hip on the right leg. The thought is that my body is exhausted from fighting all of this. I may have reached my limit on healing.
This weeks workouts:
Monday: Run, forms, chest and triceps
Tuesday: Forms, Legs, cool down with abs
Wednesday: Run, forms, back and biceps
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Even more rest
The rest did not help...I think resting is overrated!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Knee Injury
I think just about everyone who gets into a workout regiment sooner or later is going to experience some kind of injury. How far you push through that injury will determine the length of the injury.
Being an athlete most of my life, I have dealt with everything from a minor sprain to my calf muscle ripping off the bone. None of them are fun.
In those years, I've learned to find a way to "work around the injury." I can't stand when someone sprains an ankle and then uses that as an excuse for why they can't work the rest of their body. That's bologna! Unless I'm in a full body cast, there's no way I can't still build muscle and burn fat. I may not get to do exactly what I want, but I can still work out.
Right now, I'm dealing with a sore knee. I know with 100% certainty that if I continue to push that knee, I'll end up doing something serious. While I have loved every minute of CrossFit, I know that I need to step back and start working on things less intenst.
So, I've been hitting the gym. I've done cardio on hand bikes, worked out lifting weights, and been extremely focused on my upper body. I am doing really good.
Today's workout was:
30 minutes of cardio work
Chest
Inclined Chest
Declined Chest
400 ab exercises
Tonight....lots of ice on my knee.
Being an athlete most of my life, I have dealt with everything from a minor sprain to my calf muscle ripping off the bone. None of them are fun.
In those years, I've learned to find a way to "work around the injury." I can't stand when someone sprains an ankle and then uses that as an excuse for why they can't work the rest of their body. That's bologna! Unless I'm in a full body cast, there's no way I can't still build muscle and burn fat. I may not get to do exactly what I want, but I can still work out.
Right now, I'm dealing with a sore knee. I know with 100% certainty that if I continue to push that knee, I'll end up doing something serious. While I have loved every minute of CrossFit, I know that I need to step back and start working on things less intenst.
So, I've been hitting the gym. I've done cardio on hand bikes, worked out lifting weights, and been extremely focused on my upper body. I am doing really good.
Today's workout was:
30 minutes of cardio work
Chest
Inclined Chest
Declined Chest
400 ab exercises
Tonight....lots of ice on my knee.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Traditional Forms
by Paula
I think that MMA is pretty awesome. MMA and other fusion martial-arts can be cool, as long as the martial-artists remember their roots. Mixed Martial Arts started as a way to combine martial-arts, but now there are many Mixed Martial-artists (I said many, not all) who have never studied a single martial-arts. All martial-arts have their merits, and each martial-artist has different reasons and goals for studying. The problem is when the "athlete" never studies a martial-art and never understands the traditions or values behind the martial-arts.
Traditional forms are ONE of the many aspects of martial-arts that gets left out when people take the traditional aspects of martial-arts. I have met and heard of many MMA fighters and "self-defense martial-artists" that have never learned a form. Forms, patterns, poomse, and/or katas are one of the key aspects of martial-arts training. Yes, they can be boring and tedious, but they are important. I personally love forms, and I can make a class full of students work so hard doing forms that they are pouring and sweat and want to puke. I can make myself sore by practicing forms strong and hard like they are supposed to be done. Yet, some fighters think that forms get in the way of "practical" training or a good workout.
Forms can be annoying! If you ever had an instructor spend 45 plus minutes on one form to make sure that you have proper technique, then you know what I am talking about. But this is so important for teaching the martial-artist proper blocking, striking, kicking, and punching technique. It builds muscles and posture. Even quality time spent on the most beginner forms can be useful for learning and developing technique to make technique strong and keep the fighter safe.
A couple of years ago I was speaking to a MMA fighter who had broken three bones in her hand and had to put in metal rods. She had never practiced a traditional martial-arts, and she had never learned a form. Therefore, she had never learned a proper punch and how to strike with force without hurting herself. She did not develop the muscles in her hands, wrists, and arms from repetitive punching while doing forms. Instead, they taught her only the skills needed in the octagon. She got hurt punching somebody during a competitive sparing match. This is just one of many examples of people who get injured from not learning martial-arts the traditional way.
Not learning traditional forms is just one of the ways fighters skip out on the important aspects of truly studying a martial-art. People get hurt, people get cocky, people hurt other people, and people give true martial-artists a bad rep when they miss out on traditional lessons.
I think that MMA is pretty awesome. MMA and other fusion martial-arts can be cool, as long as the martial-artists remember their roots. Mixed Martial Arts started as a way to combine martial-arts, but now there are many Mixed Martial-artists (I said many, not all) who have never studied a single martial-arts. All martial-arts have their merits, and each martial-artist has different reasons and goals for studying. The problem is when the "athlete" never studies a martial-art and never understands the traditions or values behind the martial-arts.
Traditional forms are ONE of the many aspects of martial-arts that gets left out when people take the traditional aspects of martial-arts. I have met and heard of many MMA fighters and "self-defense martial-artists" that have never learned a form. Forms, patterns, poomse, and/or katas are one of the key aspects of martial-arts training. Yes, they can be boring and tedious, but they are important. I personally love forms, and I can make a class full of students work so hard doing forms that they are pouring and sweat and want to puke. I can make myself sore by practicing forms strong and hard like they are supposed to be done. Yet, some fighters think that forms get in the way of "practical" training or a good workout.
Forms can be annoying! If you ever had an instructor spend 45 plus minutes on one form to make sure that you have proper technique, then you know what I am talking about. But this is so important for teaching the martial-artist proper blocking, striking, kicking, and punching technique. It builds muscles and posture. Even quality time spent on the most beginner forms can be useful for learning and developing technique to make technique strong and keep the fighter safe.
A couple of years ago I was speaking to a MMA fighter who had broken three bones in her hand and had to put in metal rods. She had never practiced a traditional martial-arts, and she had never learned a form. Therefore, she had never learned a proper punch and how to strike with force without hurting herself. She did not develop the muscles in her hands, wrists, and arms from repetitive punching while doing forms. Instead, they taught her only the skills needed in the octagon. She got hurt punching somebody during a competitive sparing match. This is just one of many examples of people who get injured from not learning martial-arts the traditional way.
Not learning traditional forms is just one of the ways fighters skip out on the important aspects of truly studying a martial-art. People get hurt, people get cocky, people hurt other people, and people give true martial-artists a bad rep when they miss out on traditional lessons.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Missing My Daily Dose
by Paula
It's been a rough couple of weeks for me. As I said before, as soon as the temperature drops I get sick. I've been too sick to get in a good cardio workout in a long time, and I am starting to feel it. Not only am I sick, but I am dragging from not getting in a good workout. Today I had to explain to somebody how I do not drink coffee, instead I workout out. I was in a mood this morning because I did not get my morning cardio.
Today's Workout:
Forms
10 minutes of jump rope and push-ups
Legs
Cool down with abs
Monday, December 27, 2010
Post Holiday Workout -- Technique
I don't know about all of you, but I always feel guilty after the holidays. I eat way too much, skip workouts, sleep in, and completely disregard all the work I've put into getting back in shape. It always amazes me how easy it is to put those pounds back on. But, when you're wife cooks like mine, you eat well!
Today, I made it to the gym and was dreading the workout. I knew I'd be dragging, but I knew how important it was that I got there. What made me feel better was seeing 10 other people dragging as well. We all ate well....
Today at Crossfit we worked on the basics and it was a good workout. In fact, it reminded me a lot of the old days I spent training at martial arts schools. Everything was by count. We focused on approximately 15-20 exercises, and all were done as a group by count. There was no focus on time, no focus on being the fastest, no focus on being the strongest, just focused on doing good technique and completing everything given to the group.
For a beginner, like I am, this was great. I can't tell you how many times I do something with incorrect technique or can't remember what an exercise is. This was a breakdown of each exercise and it was still a great workout.
This solidified to me why martial arts has made it so long. There's just something about a group of people collectively working together to accomplish a common goal, completing the workout to the best of our abilities. Before today, I wasn't sure CrossFit could do that. I was wrong and am glad I was.
Today's workout:
Today, I made it to the gym and was dreading the workout. I knew I'd be dragging, but I knew how important it was that I got there. What made me feel better was seeing 10 other people dragging as well. We all ate well....
Today at Crossfit we worked on the basics and it was a good workout. In fact, it reminded me a lot of the old days I spent training at martial arts schools. Everything was by count. We focused on approximately 15-20 exercises, and all were done as a group by count. There was no focus on time, no focus on being the fastest, no focus on being the strongest, just focused on doing good technique and completing everything given to the group.
For a beginner, like I am, this was great. I can't tell you how many times I do something with incorrect technique or can't remember what an exercise is. This was a breakdown of each exercise and it was still a great workout.
This solidified to me why martial arts has made it so long. There's just something about a group of people collectively working together to accomplish a common goal, completing the workout to the best of our abilities. Before today, I wasn't sure CrossFit could do that. I was wrong and am glad I was.
Today's workout:
10 reps of the following 20 exercises:
Pushups
Sit-ups
Back extensions
Squats
Tuck jumps
Burpees
Lunges
Wall balls (20/14#)
Ball slams (20/14#)
Pullups
Ring Dips
Deadlifts (stick)
Cleans
Front squats
Push presses
Thrusters
Snatches
Overhead Squats
Swings (20/10#)
Turkish get ups (20/10#)
2 rounds as a group on cadence
Crowded Gym
by Paula
This morning was the first day of the New Year's crowd at the gym. I started to get cranky when all the New Year's Resolutioners were crashing on my space while I was trying to get in my workout. Then I remembered that I can make this work.
The trick to working out when the crowds encroach on my gym space is to mix it up and be flexible. If I go in with a strict plan to working out, I will never get anything accomplished. Instead, I keep different workouts in mind and just aim to get in some strength training and cardio some way or another.
Some of the ways I do this is:
-mix up my muscle groups. If I normally do arms on Mondays, I may have to switch to legs if all the arm equipment is being used. Or if I normally do chest and back on the same day, I may have to to chest and biceps instead.
-bring a jump rope to the weight room. If all the equipment is being used, I may jumprope, do burpees, do push-ups, or do abs in-between exercises while I wait for somebody to evacuate the equipment I want to use.
-switch up cardio and strength. Sometimes I like to do strength prior to doing cardio, but if I notice the weight room is packed, I may need to do cardio first.
Not only does being flexible and able to switch up my workout help me from getting cranky because of the crowds, it also helps to shock my body. Switching up workouts is a great way to get over a plateau or prevent boredom.
Today's workout:
"the pj workout"
triceps and back
abs while waiting
10 minutes on the eliptical (I got bored and couldn't stand it anymore and it was to cold to run outside)
This morning was the first day of the New Year's crowd at the gym. I started to get cranky when all the New Year's Resolutioners were crashing on my space while I was trying to get in my workout. Then I remembered that I can make this work.
The trick to working out when the crowds encroach on my gym space is to mix it up and be flexible. If I go in with a strict plan to working out, I will never get anything accomplished. Instead, I keep different workouts in mind and just aim to get in some strength training and cardio some way or another.
Some of the ways I do this is:
-mix up my muscle groups. If I normally do arms on Mondays, I may have to switch to legs if all the arm equipment is being used. Or if I normally do chest and back on the same day, I may have to to chest and biceps instead.
-bring a jump rope to the weight room. If all the equipment is being used, I may jumprope, do burpees, do push-ups, or do abs in-between exercises while I wait for somebody to evacuate the equipment I want to use.
-switch up cardio and strength. Sometimes I like to do strength prior to doing cardio, but if I notice the weight room is packed, I may need to do cardio first.
Not only does being flexible and able to switch up my workout help me from getting cranky because of the crowds, it also helps to shock my body. Switching up workouts is a great way to get over a plateau or prevent boredom.
Today's workout:
"the pj workout"
triceps and back
abs while waiting
10 minutes on the eliptical (I got bored and couldn't stand it anymore and it was to cold to run outside)
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