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Rise and Grind!
You wouldn’t believe how dead our gym is at 9 o’ clock in the morning. I’m used to the line around the building at 5am at LA Fitness. But I guess it doesn’t bother me, more room to play with! I knew that I would be baking delicious and un-healthified chocolate chip pumpkin cookies later in the day with my friend Chelsea (from Monday’s pilates) and wanted to make sure I didn’t feel too guilty about the splurge.
Since I am incapable of sleeping in anymore, I threw on my tennies and got to the gym before my Friday class. My roommate Fernanda joined me for what I called the Rise & Grind circuit! We were constantly moving around in the rec center, getting a great start to the day. After 15 minutes on the treadmill to warm up,we completed three rounds of the following circuit:
Our calves were burning, my butt was shaking, my abs were sore. Must be working! :D After the first set, we decided to alter the Hip Bridge to 1 minute and the leg lifts to 30 seconds.
It worked all of the major muscle groups, but not to the point of pure exhaustion. I spent 15 more minutes on the treadmill before stretching out and heading home. Gym was still empty. Which is so weird considering over 50% of people in my classes wear their “exercise clothes”every day…You’d think a few more people would want to pre-burn their Friday night calories!
Time to bake up some pumpkin creations. Enjoy your weekend!
Back to Strength Training!
Today is JAM-PACKED with festivities so I had to set my alarm clock (on a Saturday?!) to get a jump on the day bright and early. I ate a banana on the way to the gym, excited and nervous for my first weight lifting session in a couple of months!
Since swimming seemed to go okay, I decided to test my exercising limits and see how some strength training would go (hoping that it didn’t cause any swelling). I got to the Rec Center Gym at 8:30am, disappointed find that it didn’t open for another half hour… Impromptu walk time! I made a couple laps around upper campus, returning at 9 to a DEAD gym:
Why so empty? 9am is a lonely time to workout in college.
The 30 minute walk had me nice and warmed up so I hit the weight racks and proceeded to pick out my wimpy dumbbells.
Macho Macho!
The last time I had any sort of strength training workout was early July, before New York. My dad calls me “olive oil” for my not-so-muscular upper body, and I was afraid I’d lost any progress I’d made in the gym for the last 2 years! So I opted for a light set of weights, primary 5 lbs but I did use these hefty 3-pounders for shoulder raises ;) It took me all of about 20 seconds of lifting to remember why I love working out so much. Even though I wasn’t sweating or struggling, it’s SO motivating to get in some quality exercise at the start of your day, making progress and challenging yourself. I wanted to wake my whole body back up today so I didn’t stick to one muscle group like usual; instead I alternated between upper body and lower body: (3 sets of 12 reps each)
- Alternating between: Bicep Curls / Overhead Tricep dips
- 12 Forward lunges
- 12 Backward lunges
- Alternating between: Lateral Arm Raises / Shoulder Press
- 12 Forward Lunges
- 12 Backward Lunges
- Alternating between: Shoulder Raises / Single-Arm Standing Row
- 12 Forward Lunges
- 12 Backward Lunges
- Alternating between: Torso twist w/ weights / chest press
- 12 regular squats / 30 calf raises / 12 regular squats / 30 calf raises
- 3 x 12 glute lifts
- End with 15 minutes stretching
The reason I alternate between two exercises is so I don’t have to waste time “resting” in between sets. I can work my biceps, let them rest while I work my triceps and so on. I’m constantly working, constantly using some muscle group but giving the individual muscle its rest. It works out well and combines strength with endurance! I was able to complete the whole thing in 35 minutes and get back to my room for the busy busy day ahead!
Cardio Carnival
Sometimes cardio can get boring, especially on a stationary machine for 60+ minutes. I love the gym and its convenience, however it seems the minutes tick by slower and slower each time I look up at the clock.
Doing Cardio at the Gym:
Pro: getting a high calorie-burning workout in an air-conditioned and safe facility, no weather or crazy drivers to deal with.
Con: Boredom.
One boredom buster I enjoy is people watching, through which I have noticed the 3 silliest gym trends:
- Guys who spend more time staring at themselves in the mirror than lifting anything.
- Girls who work out with their hair down, fixing and primping in between sets (heaven forbid they break a sweat!)
- Stationary Bikers on Level 1 pedalling about 10 rpms. (you could burn more calories chewing gum)
Solution: Mix It UP! My parents and I like to do a “Cardio Carnival” where we pick 3 different cardio machines for 20 minutes each. It’s a great way to keep the heart rate up for an hour without getting bored. Knowing that you are spending a smaller amount of time at each “station” allows you to push a little harder, and take a “rest” while moving from one cardio machine to another.
As you can tell, not a big gym crowd at 5am…
Cardio Menu:
Row Machine ~ Elliptical (forward and backward) ~ Sit-down Bike ~ Treadmill (walk with high incline OR jog/run) ~ Stairmaster
My Rotation of Choice:
Elliptical, Run (treadmill), Bike.
I put my least favorite at the end because I know when I finish that 20 minute set I am DONE. However incorporating Row, Stairmaster and Treadmill would be the best whole-body blast because it targets upper body, butt, and legs.
It’s like a personal triathlon to keep things fresh. Not to mention, calling it a “Carnival” instantly means it’s gotta be fun, right?!
