Weights

Week 4? Endorphins!

January 25, 2011 by Jenn

Is this week 4? Aren’t I supposed to be keeping track of these things?

I honestly hit a bump in the workout schedule last week . . . I was overly tired. Like so tired, that one day at school, I had to go to the staff lounge and lay down on the *clean couch. * I’ve been at this school for 4 years now, and I’ve never seen anyone clean it. I still taught spinning for my 6:00am Wednesday class, but I just wasn’t feeling IT last week.

Paul and I went out for a couple of hikes on the weekend and after he had dragged me kicking and screaming out the door (all I felt like doing was sleeping) I felt so much better. Fresh air, sunshine, Paul time, Ruby time.

I had a terrible day today.

I’m not trying to be a Debbie Downer, I am getting to a point here. Stick with it if you can!

All day at school it seemed my kids had forgotten everything, and I was starting over at square one. When I got home from school, I tried to hurry and bake Angel Food Cookies for a party that I am hosting tomorrow night, ended up under baking all of them . . . except seven. I sure hope only seven people show up tomorrow!

I have time and time again learned DO NOT BAKE IN A RUSH! Why did I not listen to my own advice today?

THEN (because I’m not done yet), I went down to the gym to teach a class that I was subbing for, and the regular instructor was there. So basically we had to play rock, paper, scissors to see who would get the class. It obviously isn’t a big deal, but you know when you’re just having one of THOSE days that it seems like such a bigger deal. Anyway, my coworker let me teach the class, since my name was on the schedule, even though it was his regular timeslot. Thanks 🙂

Here is where the day got GREAT. I taught a fabulous class, worked myself and everybody hard. The class was full, 14 bikes were taken and as an instructor it is so much fun to teach to a big group. I got to feed off of their energy . . . and as they peddled along, cranking their tensions, changing their speeds, I felt the stressors of the day fade away.

That is the best ENDORPHIN there is. A fresh, clean start. Feels. Oh. So. Good.

So that was the spin class, I’ll post the play list later in the week.

Week Four (weight increase)

I took the Reverse Drop Sets out this week, and I traded them in for 3 sets of 12 reps for all moves.

Lower Body

Quadriceps – Squats with stability ball again the wall

This week I am using 3 different squat positions

Regular

(feet shoulder width apart)

Pilé

(feet shoulder width apart, toes pointed out at 90 degrees)

Knees and Feet Together

(one tight line from your feet to your hips)

Hamstrings- Leg Curls with the Stability Ball

Lay on your back, place heels up on the ball, lift bum off the ground and pull heels and ball toward you bum.

Reverse Leg Curl (works butt and back)

Laying prone (on your stomach, arms crossed in front of you) with stability ball between your lower legs, squeeze the ball and curl up towards your butt. Hold for 2 counts, and lower back to the floor. For an extra challenge, lift hips off the ground during the 2 count hold. Another extension of this activity is to hold the ball above your butt and squeeze the ball with your legs 4 times before lowering it back to the ground.

Calves – Calf Raises on Step

This move, I did 3 sets of 25.

So if you read my Debbie Downer note to start the post, I hope you were able to see what a difference a simple workout can do for your mental health. Obviously working out provides you with a physical change, but what we sometimes forget is how great it can be for us mentally.

Do you have days like these? What do you do about it? I’d love to hear from you.

Filed Under: Cardio, Weights Tagged With: endorphins, lower body exercises, weight training

Week Three- Weights, and a New Move

January 11, 2011 by Jenn

This week, it was time to increase the weight . . . of the dumbbells . . . not my thighs.

Week Three (weight increase)

Lower Body Reverse Drop Sets

Quadriceps – Squats with stability ball again the wall (love this move so I’m sticking with it!)

(Place stability ball in the small of your back, knees shoulder width apart, lower body down as if you are about to sit in a chair, push back up through heels, to starting position)

Body Weight (BW) + 5 lbs – 12 reps

BW + 8 lbs – 10 reps

BW + 10 lbs – 8 reps

BW + 12 lbs- 6 reps

BW + 5 lbw – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to pile squat)

Hamstrings – Lunges with stability ball against the wall. (again, still feeling the love)

Place stability ball in the small of your back, against the wall, and assume a lunging position (right foot in front, left toe behind, drop left knee towards the ground, push back up to start to complete one rep)

8 lbs – 12 reps

10 lbs – 10 reps

12 lbs – 8 reps

15 lbs- 6 reps

8 lbs – 24 reps

(reps 13-24, switch move to hamstring curl on the ground with the stability ball. Lay on your back, place heels up on the ball, lift bum off the ground and pull heels toward you bum.)

**NEW MOVE**

Reverse Leg Curl (works butt and back)

Calves – Calf Raises on Step

8 lbs – 12 reps

10 lbs – 10 reps

12 lbs – 8 reps

12 lbs- 6 reps

10 lbs – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to single leg calf raise)

Stretchy, stretch, stretch!

Filed Under: Cardio, Weights

Week 2- Lower Body Reverse Drop Sets

December 30, 2010 by Jenn

Today was LEGS day. Booyah! It feels great to get up in the morning, head off to the gym and get my workout done and over with in the morning. I’m dreading the day I have to go back to work and back to the grind. But, enough about that now . . . I’ll let the depression enter later in the week . . . and then drown it with champagne and New Year’s Eve celebrating.

As I was mentioning in my Week 2 Upper Body post from yesterday, I get a little ADHD when it come to routines at the gym. The only routine at the gym that I have managed to follow consistently is the group spinning schedule . . . and that’s because they PAY me to stick to it! Money must be the answer . . . now if only I could find somebody to pay me to workout on my own time???

Lower Body Reverse Drop Sets

Quadriceps – Squats with stability ball again the wall

(Place stability ball in the small of your back, knees shoulder width apart, lower body down as if you are about to sit in a chair, push back up through heels, to starting position)

Body Weight (BW) – 12 reps

BW + 5 lbs – 10 reps

BW + 8 lbs – 8 reps

BW + 10 lbs- 6 reps

BW– 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to pile squat)

Hamstrings – Lunges with stability ball against the wall.

5 lbs – 12 reps

8 lbs – 10 reps

10 lbs – 8 reps

12 lbs- 6 reps

5 lbs – 24 reps

(reps 13-24, switch move to hamstring curl on the ground with the stability ball. Lay on your back, place heels up on the ball, lift bum off the ground and pull heels toward you bum.)

Calves – Calf Raises on Step

8 lbs – 12 reps

10 lbs – 10 reps

12 lbs – 8 reps

12 lbs- 6 reps

10 lbs – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to single leg calf raise)

Don’t forget to S.T.R.E.T.C.H. Ughhh. I sound like a nagging mother.

Filed Under: Cardio, Weights Tagged With: calf raise, calves, hamstring curl, hamstrings, lunges, quadriceps, squats, stability ball, weight training

Week 2- Upper Body Reverse Drop Sets

December 30, 2010 by Jenn

Yesterday after my 30 minutes spend huffing on the treadmill, I was on to my week 2 weight routine. I switched it up from what I did during week one for a couple of reasons. First, I am wanting to shock my body back into shape, second, I find it hard to stay with the same moves week after week. It was easy to do the same weight routine when I was first learning to workout, simply because I didn’t know more than one move per body part! I thought the bicep curl was the bees knees . . . well, I actually still do, but you get the idea. I didn’t know better, so I was happy with simplicity. Now, I’m bored with it. To stop this from discouraging me, but still maintaining some sort of focused program (so I do not lose sight of my goal), I am keeping with Reverse Drop Sets . . . at least for now . . . until my workout ADHD kicks it!

Remember, you have to do what you feel is right for you . . . these are just the ramblings of my body’s workouts :).

Week 2 – Upper Body Reverse Drop Sets

Back- Bent over row

(Last week I used a stability ball and a single dumbbell, this week I was standing with two dumbbells)

10 lbs – 12 reps

12 lbs – 10 reps

15 lbs – 8 reps

17.5lbs- 6 reps

10 lbs – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to upright row)

Chest – chest flyes

(on stability ball)

8 lbs – 12 reps

10 lbs – 10 reps

12 lbs – 8 reps

15 lbs- 6 reps

8 lbs – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to chest press on stability ball)

Biceps- Curls

(standing) See . . . they are the bees knees!

10 lbs – 12 reps

12 lbs – 10 reps

15 lbs – 8 reps

17.5lbs- 6 reps

10 lbs – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to hammer curls)

Triceps – Kickbacks

(double arm, with dumbbells)

10 lbs – 12 reps

12 lbs – 10 reps

15 lbs – 8 reps

17.5lbs- 6 reps

10 lbs – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to triceps extension)

Shoulders – Lateral Raise

3 lbs – 12 reps

5 lbs – 10 reps

8 lbs – 8 reps

10 lbs- 6 reps

3 lbs – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to shoulder press)

I find that training shoulders can be quite difficult. Your deltoids are a small muscle group (in relation to your other body muscle groups) that it is hard/slow to see progress in your shoulders. Stick with it, and if you have to stay at the same weight, try to increase your reps. That is what has worked for me in the past. Have fun!

Filed Under: Cardio, Weights Tagged With: bent over row, bicep curl, biceps, chest, chest flye, chest press, hammer curl, lateral raise, shoulder press, shoulders, tricep extension, tricep kickback, triceps, upright row, weight training

Lower Body Reverse Drop Sets

December 22, 2010 by Jenn

I competed Day One of my new weight training regime on Sunday morning . . . Monday (Day Two) was cardio day . . . and today (Tuesday) was lower body reverse drop sets. To simplify:

Schedule:

Day One – Upper Body/Cardio

Day Two – Cardio

Day Three – Lower Body/Cardio

Day Four – Cardio

Day Five – Abs/Cardio

Day Six – Rest

Day Seven- Cardio

As today was Day Three, it was time for the lower body workout. I’ve been dreading it because I know that my legs have not had to work harder than pushing the peddles around the spin bike in the last 6 months. I was prepped to feel that burn! Here’s what I did:

Lower Body Reverse Drop Sets

Quadriceps – Squats

No weight – 12 reps * I started out very cautiously!

5 lbs – 10 reps

8 lbs – 8 reps

10 lbs- 6 reps

No weight – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to pile squat)

Hamstrings – Deadlifts

5 lbs – 12 reps

8 lbs – 10 reps

10 lbs – 8 reps

12 lbs- 6 reps

5 lbs – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to hamstring curl)

Calves – Calf Raises on Step

8 lbs – 12 reps

10 lbs – 10 reps

12 lbs – 8 reps

12 lbs- 6 reps

10 lbs – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to single leg calf raise)

I finished off with a good 15 minute stretch. I know my body, and I know that this routine was plenty for me to start with. I have super tight hamstrings, and no matter how light of a weight I use, they are always sore. I was hoping that an extra long stretching session would help with the amount of muscle soreness I’m bound to feel tomorrow. I’m really bad and hate stretching . . . I always feel so hurried to get out of the gym (“Thank god that is over!” is what I’m usually thinking) that I never want to waste my time stretching. But, that is not good practice!

Filed Under: Cardio, Weights Tagged With: lower body drop sets, weight training

Upper Body Reverse Drop Sets

December 22, 2010 by Jenn

To go along with my revamped desire to run, I have also remembered the need for weights. Sunday morning, after my “run” I started with upper body weight reverse drop sets (also called pyramid lifting). The idea behind this is to start with a light weight, and high reps, moving towards a heavy weight with low reps. Always start with your biggest muscle group (e.g. back, chest, biceps, triceps, then shoulders). Here’s what I did (please remember that I am not a certified trainer and you should do only what you are comfortable doing . . . listen to your body).

Upper Body Reverse Drop Sets

Back- Bent over row

10 lbs – 12 reps

12 lbs – 10 reps

15 lbs – 8 reps

17.5lbs- 6 reps

10 lbs – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to upright row)

Chest – chest press

8 lbs – 12 reps

10 lbs – 10 reps

12 lbs – 8 reps

15 lbs- 6 reps

8 lbs – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to chest flyes)

Biceps- Curls

10 lbs – 12 reps

12 lbs – 10 reps

15 lbs – 8 reps

17.5lbs- 6 reps

10 lbs – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to hammer curls)

Triceps – Extensions

10 lbs – 12 reps

12 lbs – 10 reps

15 lbs – 8 reps

17.5lbs- 6 reps

10 lbs – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to triceps kickback)

Shoulders – Overhead press

3 lbs – 12 reps

5 lbs – 10 reps

8 lbs – 8 reps

10 lbs- 6 reps

3 lbs – 24 reps (reps 13-24, switch move to lateral raise)

Filed Under: Cardio, Weights Tagged With: reverse drop set, weight training

Week 4? Endorphins!

Week Three- Weights, and a New Move

Week 2- Lower Body Reverse Drop Sets

Week 2- Upper Body Reverse Drop Sets

Lower Body Reverse Drop Sets

Upper Body Reverse Drop Sets

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Week 4? Endorphins!

Week Three- Weights, and a New Move

Week 2- Lower Body Reverse Drop Sets

Week 2- Upper Body Reverse Drop Sets

Lower Body Reverse Drop Sets

Upper Body Reverse Drop Sets

Happiness is Homemade

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