TRX Metabolic Workout

If you don’t already know what a TRX suspension trainer is, here is link to help you out:

http://www.fitnessanywhere.com/?utm_source=msn&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=trx&utm_campaign=TRXBrandTRXDynamic

 

I wish I could post the video of what this workout looks like (but you have to be a member of the Precision Nutrition website.)  This TRX workout left me sweating, panting and struggling to complete it.  Basically it’s a kind of HIIT circuit that involves the following exercises:
Each exercise is done for 30 seconds (if it’s a single leg or arm manoever, it’s done for 30 seconds on each leg/arm) with 40 seconds transition time (setting up the TRX etc.) between.    It’s done 3 times with 3 minute breaks between.
 
Single leg squat
Atomic pushup (a pushup and then a pike, with legs suspended in trx.)
Low row (hanging backwards and using trx to pull yourself up at an angle….)
Balance lunge (using TRX for balance while you lunge one leg back)
Side plank:  like a regular plank but with feet elevated/suspended in TRX.  HARD!
 
The first set had lots of stops and starts but once I got going – I really could feel the burn and my heart starting to pound! 
Here are my stats:
Duration: 28: 33
Avg. HR: 131
Max HR: 170
Calories: 339
 
My PWO snack is a cashew coconut Jaybar – YUM!  Now it’s time to rest a bit and then get ready to take the girls to the pool for a swim playdate!

 

NO-CHEAT CHALLENGE!

 

Again, I had a little stop and chat at the gym today – this time with one of the Trekking instructors. I knew she was planning on running the SA Rock N Roll 1/2 marathon in November and asked her if she wanted to train together – she jumped at the offer! We are meeting next week to do some weight training together and then, as the race gets closer, will try to coordinate some longer runs. She needs help with her weight training and seems really interestd in NROLW so it may be a good “fit”. Honestly, it would be so nice to be able to find somone with similar priorities and an interest in fitness and living well.

Today, I did Stage 4, Workout A3 of NROLW. I don’t know why – but I just didn’t feel like it was a great workout. I had trouble with my Front Squat Push Press and just couldn’t find my stride after that. Here is what I did:

(2 sets of 8 of each exercise)

Front Squt Push Press: 40 lbs. ( I used the ez curl bar and had trouble with it. Not sure which is better for me: Oly or ez….I seem to have issues with both. Aargh!)

Step up: 70 lbs. ( I had issues with balance today that made everything seem harder……not sure why…..)

DB 1 pt. Row: 50 lbs. (I nearly fell over several times today. I was NOT feeling strong! Pretty sure I looked ridiculous, too! HAHA)

Static lunge: 50 lbs.

Push-up. Military style (I finally can do these with relative ease! Yay for progress!)

Plank – yeah….I skipped these and will do them at home.

Cable Horizontal woodchop: 25lbs., 35 lbs.

Duration: 52 mins.
Calories: 622

My TRX arrived yesterday so I think I”ll play with it while the girls are napping today. I’m excited!

Just a little shout-out to my dear friend, Heather, for offering to participate in a two-week, no-cheat challenge with me!   I’ve been suspecting that my weekend “treats” have been derailing my progress so we are going to eliminate any cheat meals (meaning I’ll shoot for 90+% PN compliance) for two weeks.  So far….I’ve had no trouble with my no-cheat challenge. I’m feeling especially confident after avoiding the temptation last night. I’m really hoping this will help me break through the plateau and get me under the 160 lb. mark!  The end of the challenge will be on May 25th, so I’ll be sure to post my results at that time.

 

NROLW – Stage 4, B2

Today was my lifting day.  It took a bit longer than usual because I ended up chatting with some fellow gym-goers.  So…my HRM results are probably a bit high. 

 

Here is what I did today:

 

Wide-Grip DL from Box: 3 sets of 8 reps at:  75lb, 85, 95lbs.  (+ 20, that’s how much I increased/improved from last time.)

 

Bulgarian Split-squat: 2 sets of 8 @ 25lbs (reduced weight to focus on form…)

 

Underhand Lat Pulldown: 2 sets of 8 @ 80 lbs. 

 

Reverse Lunge from Box with forward reach: 2 sets of 8 @ 24lbs.

 

Prone Cuban snatch: 2 sets of 8 @ 20 lbs (these KILL me…but in a good way! )

 

Ab circuit will be completed at home a little later

 

duration:  58 mins (due to being chatty! )

Avg. HR: 135

Max. HR: 173

Calories: 740 (way high due to stopping to talk…)

 

It was, overall, a great workout and I was able to sign my 3 year old up for swim lessons in a few weeks.  She really needs them.  The bonus is I can put the baby in the childcare and go and watch her! 

 

I had my first Jaybar yesterday (jay robb protein bar) and it was super delish!  I think it will be a great PW snack while I’m driving home from the gym on my lifting days. 

 

Tomorrow, I hope to do a HIIT circuit at home and then take Sunday off as a rest day.  Hey, it’s Mother’s Day and I deserve it!  On Monday, my TRX arrives and I can’t hardly wait to try it out. 

 

Cardio Day

Today is a cardio day so I did my HIIT at home on the treadmill.  This time, I worked on both hills and speed.   I warmed up for a few mins and then did:

 

1 min: 7.0 mph @ 1% incline

2 min: recovery (3.7mph)

 

1 min: 8.0 mph@ 2% incline

2 min recovery

 

1 min: 8.5 mph@ 3% incline

2 min recovery

 

1 min: 8.5 mph @ 4 % incline

2 min recovery

 

1 min: 8.5 mph@ 5 % incline

2 min recovery

 

1 min: 8 mph @ 2 % incline

recovery/cool down for a few mins.

 

Duration: 27 mins.

Avg. HR: 150

Max HR: 186

Calories: 384

 

I’ve noticed that my HR is recovering faster and faster after my sprints.  I’m pretty proud of that! 

 

Now, to grab a quick shower and then get ready to take the kids to the pool!

 

I finally made it back to the gym today – hooray!  It wasn’t quite the workout I hoped it would be (I had to skip the cardio at the end b/c my little one was putting up a fuss in childcare – aargh!) but I made some great strides in my lifting. 

Front squat push-press:  1 set of 8 @ 45 lbs. (used the oly bar) and 1 set of 8 @ 55lbs.  Does anyone else’s wrists get sore doing this exercise???? (+ 10)

 

Step up:  I meant to grab 2, 25 lb. plates but was in a rush so….after one full set I realized I used 35 lb. plates!  LOL.  I added another riser to the step so I thought it seemed more difficult but – doable!  Why didn’t I try this earlier???!!!!  Anyway, I did 2 sets of 8 @ 70 lbs!  WooT! (+ 20 lbs.)

 

Static Lunge: 2 sets of 8 @ 50 lbs. (no change)

Pushups – I did 2 sets of 8 full-body pushups today!  Finally!  Man, were they HARD but I DID it!

 

Will do ab stuff at home – I prefer my equipment here……

 

Duration: 41 mins.

Avg. HR: 140

Max HR: 169

Calories:  548

 

Puke-tastic HIIT!

I just got off the treadmill. Gotta love these short(er) workouts!

I warmed up for 4 mins and then did 1 minute sprints of the following:

7.0 @ 1% incline

8.0 @ 2% incline

8.5 @ 3% incline

8.7 @ 4% incline

9.0 @ 4 % incline (puke-tastic!)

 8.0 @ 1 % incline

 

Each sprint was followed by 2mins of recovery at 3.5-3.7 mph.

 

Afterwards, I cooled down for 4 minutes and did some stretching.

 

Here are my stats:

Duration: 26 minutes

 Avg. HR: 149 bpm

Max HR: 185 bpm

Calories: 407

 

Now, it’s time to enjoy my PW shake (Jay robb chocolate protein powder, 2/3 cup strawberrries, 1 cup ff yogurt, and 2 tbsp. flaxseeds.) then hop in the shower so I’m ready when the girls wake up from their nap.

 

HIIT at home

Since I can’t go to the gym this week, I did some HIIT on the treadmill at home (still the best xmas present from my hubby -ever!) I’m proud to say that I reached a personal best today – 8.7 mph!

I did 6 rounds of the following:

2 mins @ 3.5-4.0mph (I had to slow down my rest periods when pushed myself on the sprints.)
1 minute sprint (8.0 mph, 8.5 mph, 8.7 mph (3X), 8.0mph)
I warmed up and cooled down for about 4-5 minutes also.

Here are my stats:

Duration: 26 minutes
Avg. HR: 149
Max HR: 184
Calories: 394

I honestly think I could have pushed even harder (I wasn’t anywhere NEAR puking!) but I wanted to take it easy since I wasn’t sure how my body would respond after a break.

I feel great!

 

Cardio at home

My girls seem much better today so I’m hopeful I’ll be able to resume my regular gym sessios next week. I want to make good and sure they’re 100% before I take them to the gym daycare.

To shake things up, I tried a workout video today: Women’s Health Ultimate Fat Burn. It was not too challenging in terms of movments etc. but the pace was good and I enjoyed it. The only probem was I got a little carried away with some of the side to side jumps and went over on my right ankle a bit (OUCH!) so had to stop the DVD while I hopped around on one leg and swore for about two minutes….

After I recovered, I went back to it and just toned down the jumping a bit. I got a good calorie burn out of it so I’m pretty happy!

Duration: 33 minutes
Avg. HR: 152
Max. HR: 173
Calories: 519

Food-wise, I’ve been doing pretty well this week. In spite of PMS and feeling bloated, the scale hasn’t gone up much (about 1 lb. as opposed to 4-5 lbs. I usually gain….) so I might have actually lost some weight this week. I’m getting closer and closer to 90% compliance on the Precision Nutrition Program and it’s getting easier to plan my meals. I’m feeling pretty darn good!

Have a great weekend everyone. It’s Fiesta right now in San Antonio so we’ll be busy attending some of the parades/festivals/fairs throughout the city this weekend. I plan on doing lots of walking – if my ankle doesn’t swell up.

 

Kids with the stomach flu = No workouts for Mommy!

My littlest one threw up on the way to the gym last Friday and has been down with a nasty stomach bug ever since.  My older daughter got it, too, so Lynndy and I were cleaning up vomit and poo all weekend long.  Because she wasn’t feeling well, the baby just wanted to be held all the time so my housework and workouts suffered as a result.   She seems on the mend today so I was finally able to get both girls to nap (at the same time) long enough to squeeze in a treadmill workout at home.  One of my fitness group friends suggested a treadmill interval workout from Oxygen magazine and it really kicked my butt:

 

 
http://www.oxygenmag.com/quickcardio
 
Here are my stats:
Duration: 27 mins.
Avg. HR: 158
Max HR: 185
Cals. burned: 453 (Sweet!)
 
It felt so good to do SOMETHING active!
Also, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror today as I was getting changed and realized I’m really getting smaller and more defined.  Yay!  It’s taken a long time for me to accept that the numbers on the scale don’t necessarily indicate all the progress I”m making.  Even though I haven’t lost according to the scale, I can see big changes in my overall body composition.   I’m really happy with my progress and am really enjoying my workouts.   

 

NROLW workout will have to wait until tomorrow….

My daughters and I were about 1 mile away from the gym when my littlest one decided to pull a Linda Blair and projectile vomited ALL over herself and her carseat.  Needless to day, i had to turn around and go back home.  After dismantling the carseat and pulling the cover and foam padding off, washing it and my daughter off, and letting everything airdry, I’m finally sitting down for a breather and quick lunch (the apple chicken casserole from GN – YUM!!!). 

Instead of a gym workout (NROLW) I’ll do some HIIT circuits at home.  Probably my old standby:

50 turns of jumprope
10 burpees10 pushups
10 BW squats

rest 30 seconds…..and repeat – 5X 
I also ordered my GYM BOSS interval timer today!  yay!  I can’t wait to start using it….
I’ll try to hit the gym again tomorrow (without the kids!)

 
 PS. Despite the throwing up, the little one seems fine – just not very hungry…..I’ll keep her hydrated and make sure she rests….hopefully she’ll be in good shape by Easter Sunday.