Training for Carlsbad Half Marathon

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. I started the half marathon training Monday and it is going well so far. I still have 2 lifting days and follow Rachael Cosgrove's 45 min total body workout - TOUGH.

So here is the new regime - 4 days running, 2 days lifting, 1 day rest.

Of the running days, I do 4 different types of workouts - 1) Long run 2) Mid distance tempo run 3) Sprints and 4) Short easy 3 miler. I can't run too much because of my joint issues, so 4 days just about caps it off for me. Total mileage per week ranges from 14-25.

On the lifting days, I follow this routine.

Sore posterior chain

I'm so sore in my hamstring and glutes today I can barely walk properly. I attribute it to yesterday's Barry's Bootcamp Legs Day and the additional split squats etc I did in the gym a few hours after. I haven't felt this sore in awhile, and I'm almost happy about it! If it weren't so painful.....

I did a bit of upper body today, but nothing crazy. I had to work on my bench press form with Kevin because my wrist was bending too much backwards when I lowered the bar. This causes wrist pain. So I had to learn to keep my wrist stiff and in a straight line with my forearms.

I hope I recover enough to do a 5 mile run tomorrow!

Why good form is important

Remember how I pulled something in my upper back doing a heavy deadlift? Now I know why. I bend over too far away from my body when lowering the barbell, which puts too much strain on my upper back. I should lower the barbell while keeping the barbell sliding closely along my legs. Anyway, lesson learned. When the weight gets heavier, form matters even more. I have to take a break on deadlifts for awhile as my upper back heals, but at least I know how to change it later.

Anyway, in 2 weeks, I start training for the CARLSBAD HALF MARATHON! It's a winter one, so it's perfect for me. I'm going to go with a 16 week training program, where I increase my long run by 1/2 mile each week. Nice and slow. I do 3 runs a week. One is speedwork, another is a mid distance tempo run to build my lactic acid threshold, and the third is the long run to build my endurance. This way, I have time to still do 2-3 days of strengthening (split into upper body and lower body) a week and reserve a full day for resting.

Barry's Bootcamp LEGS day

So as I mentioned before, I'm going to go to Barry's for a few weeks for a change of pace. Today, Kevin decided to come with! He was a real trooper and I was glad to have a workout partner. Though the trainer really kicked both our asses. 5.5mph at 18% incline! My goodness. We were both sweating buckets.

Here are some of the strength exercises we did - Single legged squats, lunges, weighted front squats, Bulgarian split squats, Single legged deadlifts. I pulled through and paced myself. Yesterday, we focused on arms and today, my arms felt like jelly.

Progress to date - I think i've definitely cut out some bodyfat, since I lost about 8 lbs since I started this blog. You can see some definition in my quads and abs now! And gosh darnit, I AM stronger! =)

upper back muscle pull..OUCH

Today was supposed to be deadlift day, but when I attempted to lift the 135lb, I fell a pull on my upper back. IT DID NOT FEEL GOOD. bummer. I kept feeling it even after I stretched it out a bit more, so I stopped deadlifting for the rest of the workout. It also gets me thinking about changing up my strengthening routine for a few weeks. I'm bored with my current cycle routine (currently 6 weeks) and tired of making routines up. So for the next 6 weeks or so, I'm going to just go to Barry's Bootcamp Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, and Saturday.

Pushing through

This cycle has been tough. I've just been pushing through the workouts, but eating a lot of ice cream and chocolate is taking its toll! Kevin pushed me at the gym today, so I eked out a few back squats and bench step ups. plus a LOT of foam rolling.......

Today's workout (quads):
3.2 mile run in the AM
Back Squats - 10x65, 3x5x85
Step Ups - 3x6x20 lb dumbbells (per leg)

Weak wrists

The bench press is tough for me. And even tougher because my wrists aren't that strong, so they are still aching post-workout. But boy, was I glad it was upper body day given that my glutes were so sore from single leg squats yesterday. I haven't seen a lot of gains in my upper body strength....

Routine for Upper Body today:
2 sets YTWL
Dumbbell Press: 2x12x20lb; 2x8x25lb
Bench Press: 8x55, 2x5x60; 2x3x65
Shoulder raises (front, side, upright, rear delt): 3x6x8lb

Running

Given the cooler weather and the fact that I'm getting up earlier, I ran 5.5 miles today - the longest distance I've run since the end of June. It actually felt nice. A friend of mine is getting me to think about running the Carlsbad half marathon in late January. I'd still lift intensely from now until mid November before I have to start training for the half. It's a cool weather training and race, which is perfect for me. A little reduction in lifting for the sake of running will change up my regime a little to keep me interested.

165 lb NEW DEADLIFT PR

Goes to show how taking it easy for 2 cycles can help build strength. I also ate more last night, which fueled me immensely this morning. I haven't been eating a lot for the past week because of the horrendous heat, so I didn't have a lot of energy for the gym.  Here was my routine today:

3 mile outdoor run in the EARLY morning
Rested an hour before my strength routine -
Single Leg Deadlift:  3x6x18lb kettlebell in each hand
Romanian Deadlift: 3 sets of warmup; 4x4x145; 1x165
Butt Blaster: 2x8x60
Cool down: 15 min elliptical

A trainer at the gym was watching me deadlift and said I had "good genetics" for strength. Nice compliment! I take that to mean that I either ACTUALLY HAVE good genetics OR I am a consistent gym goer so I can at least work past my bad genetics.

Barry's Bootcamp

I changed it up a little today and went for a Back and Shoulder circuit workout at Barry's Bootcamp in San Diego. Since it was upper body day anyway and I didn't feel like planning my own workout (which means that even if I DID plan it, it would not be too challenging), I allowed my ass to be kicked at Barry's.

I know Barry's Bootcamp is a whole DVD workout thing, but it actually originated in LA as a HIIT workout (high intensity interval training). HIIT promotes faster fat loss than moderate cardio. Here is what happens. In class, you alternate between sessions on the treadmill and weights on the floor. So, 10 min on treadmill and 10 min on floor x3. That's one example, but the trainers switch it up. They focus on a body part each day of the week from Monday to Thursday. So today was Back and Shoulders. The treadmill sessions consist of hill sprints, endurance runs, and whatever craziness the trainers come up with. For me, it's the hardest part! The floor sessions are various strength exercises with free weights, bands, etc. Let me emphasize that this is NOT a light weight workout - the trainers want you to go heavy for a minute. I rarely pick up weights under 10lbs, except when working really small muscles. Like I said, everyday is different so it keeps your muscles guessing.

Deload Cycle

I've just taken this cycle lightly. No ultra heavy lifts and more easy cardio. I'd like to take a few minutes to reflect on my cycle method. I basically do hamstrings one day, quads the next, and upper body the 3rd day, followed by a day of rest. That's one cycle.

Pros:
1) I like resting every 3 days. It encourages me to work extra hard during work days.
2) I like leaving cardio as a supplement, so I can do what I feel like that day

Cons:
1) I shouldn't have 2 leg days in a row
2) I don't have a structured lifting program. Instead, I design that day's workout the night before.

Should I find some lifting program now and follow it more strictly? I sometimes use the Figure Athlete site to get ideas. Will report back with some ideas.

Gotta take it easy

Today is supposed to be rest day, but I did some light cardio because I'm not feeling so good. Light exercise is supposed to help. I think I'm going to take the next cycle easier.

The heat here is really killing my energy levels.....ahhh!!!!

Testing my bench press

I've never tested my bench press. But it's getting to the point at which I want to gauge improvements in my upper body strength. I want to aim for a goal rather than just do random upper body exercises during each cycle. So today, I built up to a 65 lb bench press. It's not horrible. In fact, it's a pretty good start! My goal is to eventually bench 1x my bodyweight.

The annoying thing about bench is that I need a spot, at least when I'm pushing it a little. It wouldn't be a pretty sight if I dropped the barbell on my chest, errr.....more painful for women than men.

Why is spinning so exhausting?

I've never been able to last past 30-40 min in a spin class. I used to hate how it makes my ass hurt (not from the exercise, but from the seat), but I don't feel that now. So WHAT is it about spinning that makes me pant only 5 minutes in? Is my resistance tougher than others? Are my quads relatively weak? I mean, I watch 70 yr old women spin joyously for 60 min, so why can't I? To be honest, I have to take a few more recovery breaks than allowed just to MAKE the 30 minute goal.Well, if anyone knows what my problem is, please share.

Today was quad day, and I did those one legged squats again. I am beginning to see a little definition in my quads!

Air conditioned gym

Today, I worked out not only to exercise, but to also enjoy the wonderful air conditioning. Frankly, I didn't want to leave! haha

Cycle 6 - Ham/Glutes
1 mile warm up jog

Romanian DL - 8x115,7x120, 6x125, 5x130, 4x135, 3x140, 2x145, 1x150
Swiss ball ham curl - 2x8
2 mile tempo run

One Legged Squats...OY

I was lucky to get my workout done overlooking a beautiful spa garden this morning. Rancho Bernardo Inn is so pretty! It certainly made those painful one legged squats more bearable. I squatted down to a low bench, so not only did it recruit a fair amount of leg muscles, it also recruited some serious stabilizer muscles. Yay for the abs!

I'm almost done with my 5th cycle. Good thing I keep a log, or else I would've lost track by now. Because I wasn't going to work out at my home gym for 2 days, I modified the strength routine slightly. I did weighted walking lunges yesterday, which made my legs a bit sore.

I also swam a little. Swimming, for me, burns a serious amount of calories. Why? Because I am BAD at it - the most inefficient swimmer around. I hate putting my face in the water and I hate it when water goes up my nose. So I basically tread water to move around. It's fun! But I get tired pretty quickly.

Beach Day!

Another cycle has come and gone. Yay for rest day! I try not to sit on the couch for rest day unless I'm really sore. And lately, I haven't been sore for too long. I don't know whether that is a good or bad thing.

On the next cycle, I'm going to emphasize reps more than weight to change it up a little. I feel like my muscles have gotten used to my routine since I'm not seeing a lot of gains like I used to. But then again, it might just be that I need to really build new muscle and not just activate previously unused ones. I don't even know if that makes any sense.

As for today, we're hitting the beach and attending some open houses on Coronado Island. Fun! I still have to wear my glasses, which kinda sucks, but I can deal with it. Better safe than sorry!

Blind in the gym

Because of my eye infection, I can't wear my contacts. So I had to wear my glasses to the gym this morning. Well, my glasses are a lower prescription and old, so I couldn't see as well. When this guy tried to ask me whether I wanted the fan turned to me on the treadmill, I had a hard time hearing and seeing him amidst the noise and blurriness (mind you, i took off my glasses to run...which means I'm not far from blind at this point).

Today is the start of my cycle 4. I warmed up on the treadmill for a slow 1 miler. I find that if I go too hard on the treadmill before my weight session, I lose a lot of energy. But if I go too slow or short, I'm not properly warmed up. So 1 mile at 5mph seemed to do the job.

Ham/Glute Routine:
1) 3x6 Single Leg Deadlifts (i'm trying to do more unilateral moves these days to make sure both my legs are equally strong) with 2 18lb kettlebells
2) 4 warm up sets on the Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
3) 4x3x135lb (RDL) *putting 45 lb plates on the barbell is so frustrating!
4) 3x8 ham curls on the Swiss Ball

2 mile run to cool down

I read in a magazine that heavy lifting (meaning sets with reps under 5) actually IMPROVES your VO2 max more than lifting moderate weights. Isn't that interesting?

Resting Days are so nice

I sometimes wonder whether I should have more of them, to let my muscles recover more. But I am also pretty conscious of not pushing it when things hurt, so I guess it's alright. Tomorrow begins cycle 4...wow.

I have noticed my cardio capability declining a little bit. Surprisingly not as much as I thought - that's probably because I do at least 20 min of cardio with any strength workout. 1-2 interval trainings a week. I see a lot of lifters give up cardio because they think it sacrifices muscle gain, so they either don't do it or maintain a relatively low HR (120-130) where you're only burning fat. For my heart's sake, I'll give up a bit of muscle. I doubt it's much anyway.

We tossed around a football in the ocean waters yesterday, and it is so much more fun than doing it on sand!

155 lb Deadlift!!!

So today was my actual hamstring day and I pushed my limit again! 155lbs! I love hamstring days because I feel like the deadlift is where I made the most gains, and CAN make the most gains. No issues with knee joints or weak upper body muscles. woohoo! So I'm doing about 1.25 my body weight, which I'm stoked about. My goal is to get to 1.5x body weight.

On another positive note, Kevin hit his bench press max of 225!!!

NEW DEADLIFT PR!

So I managed to deadlift 145 lbs yesterday! (I know it was upper body day, but I felt really pumped watching Kevin deadlift that I gave it a try). My last PR was 125, so this was a substantial increase.

Upper body was not so bad yesterday, except that my lat pulldown felt SO hard. I had to reduce the load to 60 lbs. What a bummer. Today is a rest day so I just did some light cardio. Will go see Time Traveler's Wife today =)

Tomorrow brings Cycle 3!

Upper Body Day!

So this is my upper body cycle 2. Which means...I get to do NOTHING tomorrow since it is rest/yoga day. =) I have trouble getting strong on my upper body - Kevin says it is because you recruit fewer muscles doing upper body than you do lower. It just takes awhile. Maybe it is also that I hate pushups and pullups, so I SLACK. lol.

My glutes are a little sore from squats yesterday, but not nearly as sore as last time. I'm going to roll my ass on a tennis ball to massage the soft tissue like I saw a trainer do on youtube last night.

But my stomach is in cahoots since I ate a lot of wheat and a bowl of ice cream yesterday - both of which make me a bit sick, esp. the lactose. So I'm going to give my digestive system a huge break for the next 2 days. One day, I need to get my food allergies tested like my sister did, because it is very clear that I have a lot.

Upper Body (Cycle 2):
YTWL - 2 sets to warm up
Seated cable row - 4x6x60
Lat pulldowns - 4x5x75
Push ups - 4x8 (no knees!)
Shoulder raises (front, side, and upright rows) - 4x6x8lb db

No cardio today - maybe just a night walk

O...the SQUAT. =(

I've just started following a program where I go 3 days of heavy lifting followed by one day of rest. Day 1 is Hamstring/Glute, Day 2 is Squat/Glute and Day 3 is Back/Chest/Shoulders. Of these 3 days, I hate squat day. I'm constantly worried about my knee joint and my upper thigh gets soo sore!! Hopefully, this passes. On my last 3 day cycle, the squat day really killed me because i did a lot of step ups with 20 lb dumbbells on a high bench. This time around, I'm doing more bodyweight squats to take it easy because I'm still a little bit sore.

Here's how it goes - On odd number cycles, I really push it with the lifting. On even number cycles, I step back a bit on the lifting and emphasize the cardio more. This is so I give my muscles adequate time to rest and rebuild.

Squat Day (Cycle 2):
Back Squats - 1x5x45, 1x5x55, 1x5x65 (warm up sets); 3x3x85
Bulgarian split squat - 2x6xbody weight warm up sets); 3x6x12db each hand
Cardio - 20-30 min elliptical; 10 min incline powerwalking

To lift...or not to lift

Ok. After years of running, ellipticalling, and lifting moderate weights, I've decided to try out heavy lifting and see what the hype is all about. I want to feel strong. I want to look cut. And I want some serious results. I've actually been doing this for about 4 weeks and have not been able to find ANY novice female bloggers on this topic, so I'm going to pioneer the effort (or at least try to find others who are doing the same). Let me caveat that I'm NOT a fitness or health expert - just a moderately active 26 yr old woman trying to navigate her way around the world of lifting without a trainer.

My boyfriend is elated that he finally drilled into me the effectiveness of heavy lifting for fat loss. "Trust me, women don't have enough testerone to bulk up." Sigh. Ok. Scientifically, I understand. Though what REALLY sold me on heavy lifting is that you burn a ton of calories in the 48 hours AFTER your lifting routine. It wasn't just 10 or 20 calories, it was A LOT. =) So when I agreed to try heavy lifting, I asked him if he would train me. After all, he knows his s***, is free, and knows about all my joint woes. The only thing he doesn't know is probably how to train a girl. But that's alright. But a week into it, I realized my fierce independence did not mesh with his bossiness in the gym. So I'm training myself! Done deal =) I will try out different training routines and eating plans. All self-developed with the aid of research/trainer experience out there.


Goals:
1. Reduce bodyfat %
2. Eat more protein
3. Eat less processed foods and gluten