Jan 14, 2012

Focus on Upper Body

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Okay, now I remember why I stopped doing The New Rules of Lifting for Women in the middle of my half marathon training – my legs were always so fatigued after each workout that I could never get in a good run the next day. Especially after any workout that involved deadlifts. 

So, after doing those single leg Romanian deadlifts on Wednesday, it’s no surprise that my hamstrings were majorly sore afterwards. For Friday’s weights workout, my plan was to give my legs a break and focus only on upper body. That was the plan anyway – here’s what I ended up doing:

Exercise (3 x 10) Weight
Squats 65 lbs
Barbell chest press 30 lbs
Barbell tricep press 30 lbs
Deadlifts 50 lbs
Dumbbell shoulder press 12.5 lb dumbbells
Dumbbell side raises 12.5 lb dumbbells
Overhand lat pulldowns 45 lbs

What can I say, the gym was pretty empty on Friday afternoon and I just couldn’t resist some quality, uninterrupted time with the squat rack. Still, the majority of my workout was focused on building upper body strength, something I am seriously lacking and would like to improve on. I know my legs have become much stronger over the past year or so but my upper body not so much – I still suck at push ups, bicep curls, tricep extensions, etc. 

So my goal yesterday was to use heavier weights than I usually use in Body Pump but do fewer reps. Mission accomplished! In Body Pump, I use 22 lbs for chest, 15 lbs for tricep and shoulder presses and 6.6 lb dumbbells for side raises. My upper body is definitely sore today but it’s a good sore, ya know?

Here’s what the rest of the week in fitness looked like:

Sunday RPM
Monday Body Pump
Tuesday Rest
Wednesday Weights
Thursday Body Combat
Friday Weights
Saturday CXWORX/Body Flow + Body Attack

GoodLife is really pushing the new CXWORX class and has combined it with several other Les Mills classes on the schedule, so you do half an hour of each. This morning, I did 30 minutes of CXWORX followed by 30 minutes of Body Flow. I’m still not totally sold on CXWORX – the second track is by far one of the hardest core workouts I’ve ever done but the rest of the workout doesn’t feel that challenging – maybe I’m doing the exercises wrong?

After CXWORX and Flow, I did Body Attack 74. We had a new, recently certified instructor this morning and she seems like a lot of fun – very high energy and motivating. I usually do Body Pump on Saturday mornings but I’ll definitely have to return to this class every now and then.

So that was my week – I’m loving all of the new workouts I’ve been trying lately!

Are you stronger in your upper or lower body? What’s your favourite way to work your upper body?

Filed Under: Strength Training · Tagged: , ,
Oct 15, 2011

Should You Do a Workout You Hate?

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While training for my first half marathon, I made a strategic decision to cut back on other activities in order to improve my running and avoid injury. I reduced my strength training workouts from three to two and eventually one per week as race day approached. I did a weekly spin class to incorporate some cross training into my routine but cut out any high impact cardio classes, namely Body Attack, Body Step and boot camp.

Now that training is over, I’ve started getting back into my old routine with one notable exception – I just can’t bring myself to go back to boot camp. After a three-month hiatus, I have no desire to participate in a full hour of non-stop burpees, jumping jacks, squat jumps and high knee runs mixed with pushups, planks and other strength training moves. I know this kind of workout is highly effective but at the same time, it’s by far my least favourite type of workout.

At first, I thought I was just being lazy, that I just didn’t feel like pushing myself with a boot camp style workout. But then I remembered that I just trained for a half marathon, which definitely requires hard work, discipline and a willingness to step outside of one’s comfort zone. It also occurred to me that Body Attack isn’t exactly an easy workout – there are also lots of plyometric moves and intense cardio peaks during the hour – nor is Body Pump a walk in the park with its zillion reps and supersets.

The fact is that, unlike running or my Les Mills classes, I never had any fun at the boot camp class I used to go to. I work hard during my other activities but I don’t notice all the signs of a tough workout – sweat, gasping for air, elevated heart rate, burning muscles – as much because I’m enjoying myself. And while I acknowledge that boot camp is most likely a better workout, in the long run I think it’s more important to choose an activity based on what you enjoy as opposed to how many calories you’ll burn. That’s the trick to long term success with any workout regime.

This doesn’t mean I’ll never return to boot camp but I’m not going to force myself to do it every week as I did in the past. This is all part of a conscious effort to move towards a more balanced approach to diet and fitness, one that focuses more on overall health instead of physical appearance.

That being said, here’s what this week in fitness looks like – and I loved every workout (even the 6 a.m. RPM class I managed to make on Thursday morning):

Sunday – RPM
Monday – 12.5 km run
Tuesday – Body Attack
Wednesday – Body Pump
Thursday – RPM
Friday – Rest

I’m planning to cap the week off with a Body Pump session this morning and possibly a run in the afternoon (weather permitting).

What do you think – do you think it’s more important to choose workouts based on their effectiveness or your own personal preference? Would you regularly participate in an activity you hated just to see results?

Filed Under: Moderation · Tagged: , , , ,
Apr 8, 2011

Ready, Set… Attack!

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Just got back from my 9:30 Body Attack class. I’ve noticed a lot of health and fitness bloggers write about Body Pump and RPM, but I haven’t seen much about Body Attack in the blogosphere. So what goes on in a regular Body Attack class?

First of all, don’t be intimidated by the name. I put off trying this class for a long time fearing the impending “attack” on my body but it’s actually a really fun workout. I mean, look at how happy the people in the poster look… see, it’s not so bad! Here is a track by track breakdown of Body Attack so you’ll know what to expect:  

Track 1 is a deceptively easy warm up. You’ll be wondering whether you signed up for a tough workout or line dancing night at your local senior’s centre (assuming the centre in questions prefers amped up club beats to country music).  Don’t be fooled.

Track 2 is a mix of high and low impact moves; basically, a second warm up. Still pretty easy at this point.

Track 3 is where you start to get your heart rate up with high impact moves. If you’re just starting out, there are low and medium impact options for all of the tracks, so you can always take it at your own pace if it starts to get too hard.

Track 4 is the first cardio peak, with lots of high knee runs, stride jumps, jumping jacks and squat jumps. Your legs will be burning by the end of this one and you’ll get your heart rate way up. I get myself through it by thinking of all of the food and drink I’m going to consume later on (I usually do Body Attack on Friday morning).

Track 5 moves away from cardio to focus on upper body strength. At first, you’ll think “ahh, how nice, a break from cardio.” False! Yes, you get a break from cardio but it’s hardly a nice one. Push ups and planks are much harder when you’re exhausted from jumping around like a maniac.

Track 6 is the break you’ve been waiting for. You spend most of this track jogging around the room trying not to collide with other participants (which can be a challenge depending on how big the room is). It’s quite pleasant assuming you don’t crash into anyone.

Track 7 involves a lot of sports inspired movements. Stuff like shuffling left to right and front to back, letter runs, rotating and jumping. It sounds tough, but it’s actually pretty fun.

Track 8 has a lot of running and high kicks (or cheerleader kicks as my instructor calls them due to the fact that you have to keep your leg straight and kick from the hip). This is usually where I start to get tired.  

Track 9 is always high energy (this is the second cardio peak) but because it’s the last cardio track, I’m usually able to push myself to go all out. 

Track 10 focuses on lower body strength, with lots of lunges and squats. I’m used to doing these in Body Pump with a weighted body bar, so I really try to focus on my form for this track.

Track 11 is the last track and it targets your abs. The level of difficulty varies by release but it’s typically not so bad.

So there you have it. The best thing about Body Attack is that once you’ve stretched, you can wipe off your mat and jet without having to put away any equipment (my least favourite thing about Body Pump is how long it takes to set up and clear everything away, especially when there are impatient yogis glaring at you from outside the studio, waiting to get their downward dog on… chill out guys, I thought yoga was supposed to make you all mellow and Zen!).

With my Friday morning workout out of the way, I’m ready to officially start my weekend. It’s supposed to be a warm one with lots of sunshine… woohoo!

Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged:
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