Apr 25, 2013

Progress

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Josh and I went to the climbing gym on Sunday morning and since it was practically empty, we decided to make some videos of ourselves climbing. During the session, I finally finished a route I’d been working on for the past few weeks.

For the record, this is not actually a hard route in the grand scheme of things. It’s a yellow, which is the second easiest out of six levels (some climbers probably use it as a warm up route).

But for me, it was a huge accomplishment. When I first attempted it a few weeks ago, it seemed impossible and my inability to complete it (I could barely get halfway up the wall the first few times I tried it) had me so frustrated. I didn’t think I had the upper body strength to get to the top, especially since it’s on an incline, so it felt really good to get there.

I would say that’s my favourite thing about climbing – the sense of accomplishment you feel when you complete something you failed at so many times before.

So yeah I just wanted to share that little video, as well as the quote above (one of the few fitspiration sentiments that doesn’t make me roll my eyes). I’ll post the rest of my workouts for this week on Sunday. In the meantime, I’ve finally updated the static pages on my bog so check that out if you’re bored. ;)

What’s the latest fitness feat you accomplished? 

Filed Under: Motivation, Strength Training ·
Feb 8, 2013

Snow Day Workout

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I didn’t make it to the gym this morning because my city was hit with a nasty snowstorm that left the roads looking like this:

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Since I doubt I’ll feel like digging my car out of the driveway to go to the gym later, I decided to do an at-home workout instead. I found Jillian Michaels’ Banish Fat Boost Metabolism workout on YouTube and made some space in my bedroom.

This was actually the first time I’ve ever seriously worked out to a workout video (when I was a kid, my older sister used to get workout videos from the library and I would do them with her for fun, but that doesn’t count, right?) and while I can’t see myself doing it on a regular basis, it’s a good option for when you’re unable to make it out to the gym. This video in particular since it doesn’t require any equipment at all.

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The workout is set up as 7 different circuits. I found the plyometric, calisthenic and plank circuits the hardest. The kickboxing circuits were easier so it was nice to have those thrown in between the more challenging circuits.

Overall, I feel like I got just as good a workout as if I’d gone to the gym, although it definitely wasn’t as fun, plus the music is garbage. This is why I don’t think videos could ever replace the in-class experience for me.

The rest of the week look liked this:

Sunday – Rock climbing
Monday – Rest
Tuesday – Hatha Yoga
Wednesday – BodyPump
Thursday – BodyStep

Thursday’s BodyStep class was killer. “Killer” is not the word that usually comes to mind when I think of BodyStep but, damn, Les Mills has really upped the intensity of this class.

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BodyStep used to be the class I went to when I needed a bit of a break from the more intense workouts but the latest release has you jumping over the step, onto the step, off of the step, not to mention burpees and mountain climbers. And this was the less intense version of the latest release – I can’t imagine what the athletic version is like. Dang. I was not expecting that.

Tomorrow, the plan is to go to BodyPump (I’m still obsessed with the new release), weather permitting and after that, I’m off to San Francisco. I’m planning to do some light activity while I’m there. I bought a three-class to Yoga Tree, which I’m really looking forward to, and Josh and I are planning to go to a climbing gym one morning. Beyond that and a couple of short runs, I’m planning to take it easy during our trip next week. I worked out pretty regularly when we went to Cuba, but there was less to do there. I imagine we’ll have a pretty packed itinerary in San Fran so I want to keep the activity on the lighter side.

See you in a week and a bit. If you’re in the GTA, drive safe!

Any recommendations for good workout videos (ones that don’t feature shitty elevator music would be fantastic)?

Filed Under: Cardio, Motivation, Week in Review · Tagged: , , ,
Jan 26, 2013

New Releases and Rock Climbing

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First things first – sorry I haven’t posted in forever. I’ve been working on another writing project that I’m very excited about and it’s been eating up all of the time I usually reserve for blogging. But it’s new release week at GoodLife and nothing brings me out of blogging hibernation like new Les Mills routines.

This week, I did BodyAttack 79 and BodyCombat 54. Both were awesome as usual but the most noteworthy new release was BodyPump 84.

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There are so many things I love about this release but the highlight for me is the biceps track. Usually, this is my least favourite track in BodyPump because I’ve made very little progress in terms of how much I can lift for biceps. In almost every other track, I’ve been able to increase my weights a lot over the past 2.5 years but for biceps, I can only manage 7kg on the bar and even then I’m struggling.

In 84, the new innovation is that you use plates instead of the bar to do hammer curls and bicep curls. This makes it a lot easier for me to complete the track with proper form and I still get that satisfying burn by the end of it.

There are lots of other new innovations in 84 – new triceps move, clean and press in the warm up, power presses in the shoulder track – overall, it’s just a great release.

In other strength training happenings, I also tried bouldering (rock climbing without a harness) for the first time last weekend and got my behind handed to me.

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I really thought I would be okay at it – I strength train regularly and I’m pretty good at planks and big girl pushups. But no. I. sucked. I couldn’t even complete the easiest climb there and that was enough to destroy my upper body for the next three days.

It was humbling to say the least but it was also a good reminder of what it’s like to be a beginner. I haven’t felt that way since the first time I tried running a few years ago. I remember feeling so frustrated with myself and discouraged that I was unable to keep up with my friend (I also pulled my hip flexor to add injury to insult).

I felt that way at the climbing gym watching everyone around me get to the top of the wall with seemingly little effort. But just as I eventually got a lot better at running, I intend to improve at bouldering (I’m going again tomorrow). Until then, I just have to remember that any time you place new demands on your body, you’re probably going to suck at whatever it is you’re doing, no matter how strong you are at other activities.

So that’s what I’ve been up to in 2013. Hope everyone is enjoying the New Year so far.

When’s the last time you struggled with a new physical challenge? How did you deal?

Have you ever tried bouldering? Please tell me you sucked at it and make me feel better ;)  

Have you tried BodyPump 84 yet? What did you think? 

Filed Under: Motivation, Strength Training · Tagged: ,
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