Chariots of Fire July 20, 2011

Chariots of Fire was an Oscar nominated film from 1981 that I found both overrated and terribly boring. Fortunately for me (or unfortunately), today's workout was neither overrated nor boring.

The weather here is incredibly hot and muggy. Today was supposed to be the worst of the week so far. Temperatures were supposed to reach 100 degrees and with the heat index, it was supposed to feel like 115. At 5:30 in the morning, though, it wasn't too bad. Only about 78 and, when I got out of the car, there was a slight breeze.
This should be doable.

I knew things would be tough today when I noticed that Dustin had the tubing out which is never good. Then he told us part of our warm-up would be taking all of our things to the hill. Not only to the hill but to the top of the hill. Our weights, mats, water and whatever else we had. That was going to be quite the workout in itself. So I lugged my stuff all the way up. As an added bonus, I was trying to work through some serious shin splints. I was quite winded when I got to the top but, I must admit, I was warmed up. That wasn't enough though. Ashton had to do some additional warming up with us. Finally we were ready to go and we were split into 2 groups. The first group went down to the bottom of the hill with Dustin. The rest of us stayed at the top with Ashton.

We did 8 sets of exercises with Ashton, 4 on the mat, 4 standing with weights. Then we would repeat. I started with the standing weight exercises. We did walking lunges, squat jumps, walking lunges with a chop, and planks with upright rows. The 20 lb weights really do get heavy and my glasses kept getting steamed up. I also had a pesky mosquito bothering me so maybe it is time to break out the Off. Once on the mat I did v-sit ups, mountain climbers, sit-ups with the weights over our head, and lying on our backs while we did scissor legs.

Now during our exercises I was pretty curious as to what was happening at the bottom of the hill. From our angle I couldn't really see what was going on. So maybe they weren't running up the hill. Maybe chariots at the bottom. Or some kind of sprints. Still I kept an eye out. Finally I did notice the top of a head. It was there and then it was gone. I kept watching and soon I was rewarded. Here the second group came, running chariots up the hill! Oh, you have got to be kidding, I thought. Looking at the faces of the chariot runners, they weren't kidding. Oh, this should be fun, NOT! I could hardly wait for my turn to be in Dustin's group.

Well, my time came soon enough. Dustin told us that chariots was a good exercise for us, and running up the hill was a good exercise for us, so the combination of the two should be really good for us. Dang. I hate chariots, and I hate the hill so the combination of the two should be something I really hate. Now, let me explain that all exercises that are really difficult and good for me I hate. But I know how much benefit there is to doing these exercises so I willingly accept the challenge for my health, dang it. We started by running a couple 7 minute sprints to warm up. Then we would run chariots for a designated amount of time and switch places. At the end we had to run all the way up the top of the hill. The chariots weren't as bad as I thought as the longest run was 45 seconds. They were tough though. The last part, the final run up the hill, was not a good showing for me. My shin splints were hurting badly and I didn't quite make it up all the way. But a combination of running and walking did get me done and our workout was finished for the day. I did take a really long time coming down and getting back to the shelter. I think I was the last one. The humidity was really getting stifling and I was so glad it was over for the day.

Have a good one.

Heat Wave July 18, 2011

At 4:30 this morning the temperature was already 82 degrees. I wasn't sure I wanted to go to bootcamp. To be honest I wasn't sure that it was the smartest or even healthiest thing to do. However, since the rest of the week isn't supposed to be any better I decided to go ahead and give it a try. That way I could judge whether or not to go the rest of the week. I did decide not to use my ac as I drove to my workout so that my system wouldn't go from the cold to the heat.

The first part of the workout wasn't too bad. Ashton had us work with partners. One of us did wall sits while the other did weighted lunge walks or half moons. Then we used our mats. On the mats we did side planks with a dip, skull crushers which is a tricep exercise, and one other exercise that slips my mind. While not on the mat we did lunges with a chop, squats with biceps, squats with deltoid work, and rows. We finished by working with our partner, doing 60 pushups between two people. My partner and I each did 30. Then it was time for cardio with Dustin.

Dustin said this heat and humidity was perfect for sprints. So that's what we did. Sprint. Over and over again. First we ran across the tennis court and rested. Then back and the same. Then we got to run across and back, then rest. Next we got to run across and back, twice. Then we did that again but we had to do push-ups as we reached the fence each time. We did get to take a water break between which was, of course, very important in the heat. We next chose a line and had to jump over it, side to side and then forward and back. We finished by shadowing another person.

When we were finished I was drenched and stinky. I had to walk a little bit and take my time catching my breath. Overall, it wasn't too bad and I got my workout done early. I think I'll try it again on Wednesday.

Have a good one.

Roger

Watch the Skies Monday, July 11

This morning I was greeted with an amazing light show. When I got out of bed at 4:30 am and went downstairs, I saw a flash of light through the window. I wasn't sure at first what I was seeing so I went over to the patio window and looked out. The flashes came so quickly I wasn't sure if it was lightning. There were light flashes but no thunder. Maybe it was some kind of alien invasion like War of the Worlds. Nah couldn't be. These weren't lightning bolts. Dang. Then came the low rumble. Ok. So it was lightning and thunder. Briefly I thought about going back to bed. After all, you can't go to bootcamp in a thunderstorm. However I noticed there was no rain. Okay. What to do? I was already up so I might as well stay up. I decided to check out the bootcamp web site. Dustin said he would post by a 1/2 hour before class whether or not it was cancelled due to severe weather. When no such announcement came, off I went across town.

The parking lot was already crowded when I got there. I had to hurry as I was pulling in at the last minute and I really did not want to do push-ups. I tried to move quickly but it still looked like I was going to be the last one. Luckily as I was walking to our usual shelter Dustin was checking the weather on his cell phone. Even though the lightning had stopped it looked like rain was coming our way so he told me to go over to the other shelter. The rest of the class jogged over as part of the warm-up. Once we were all there we were in for a pretty tough workout.

The temperature was about 78 degrees with high humidity when we started. There was no breeze to speak of. To be honest, I can't even remember everything we did today. Dustin and Ashton had to make up the workout on the fly since the plan for today was scrapped due to weather. We chose partners to work with and then we separated. For core we did weighted crunches, side planks with a weighted twist, side dips with weights, and oblique work with weights. For early cardio we used the picnic table and did a kind of jogging toe tap, a side lunge with one foot on the bench and then repeated. We also sat on the bench and then stood using only one leg. After switching legs we had to sit on the bench and then jump up. Not as easy as it sounds.

Ashton had us do additional upper body work. We did push ups, tricep work while lying on our backs, upright rows, and tricep extensions. We also did 1 minute wall sits with bicep curls. I was absolutely drenched in sweat from the heat as were the other bootcampers. But we weren't done yet. Time for more cardio so out we went to the parking lot for sprints. I am happy to say that I really did go all out on my sprints but boy was I winded afterwards. Finally, to finish, we did an exercise where we mirrored what our partner was doing. I told my partner that if I vomited she didn't have to mirror that. We did this for about 3 minutes and we were done. As we left I was so glad I did the early class. I would have been so sad to just be arriving while seeing all these people soaked with sweat, looking exhausted, leaving. Still, it left me with a real sense of accomplishment. And some really wobbly legs.

Have a good one.

Back To It

Friday, July 8, 2011

Hey everyone. I've had a couple people ask me about where my bootcamp blog has gone so I guess somebody has been reading it after all. So without further ado, I'm back to share with you the further grueling adventures of Roger, bootcamp sweathog.

After a nice vacation of relaxing and eating way too much I returned to bootcamp this morning. I should have returned Wednesday but only had a couple of hours of sleep Tuesday night so I wasn't quite ready to go back that morning. But today, that alarm went off and I jumped right out of bed, a smile on my face and a spring in my step. Sure. I knew it was going to be rough going today because Smilin' Ryan would be our instructor and he always challenges us way beyond what we think are our limits. And that, of course, is what we are there for.

Before beginning I doused myself with a generous amount of Deep Woods Off. Even when not bothering anyone else, those mosquitoes love me so I was going to be prepared. I saw a great commercial for this insect repellent so I knew it would be all I needed. I was careful to keep it away from my lips, though, because my brother-in-law accidentally got some on his lips and he got Angelina Jolie lips. But, I digress. After spraying myself I gathered my weights and mat and headed over. I got there just in time to hear Ryan tell us to grab our stuff and our water and head over to the hill. See, he wastes no time.

Once we got to the hill Ryan told us it was time to warm up. We needed to grab one dumbbell and follow him. I knew it was not a good sign when he told us to choose our weight carefully. We started by jogging with the weight held our in front of us. Then we did side shuffles, again with the weight held out at arms length. When Ryan told us to switch we would change direction. As we continued I noticed that my arms length kept getting shorter. After the shuffles we did some semi circles with the weight over our head and coming down to the ground, followed by an explosive jump up, all the time moving over to the side. When we finished we next did push ups for 25 seconds followed by star jumps, repeating each a couple times. Then we ran over to the shelter for some wall sits, again holding our weights out in front of us. I was breathing pretty hard already, with sweat coming down my forehead and this was the warm-up?!?

On to the hill. First we did deltoid presses, one arm for 25 seconds then the other for 25 seconds. Then we sprinted up the hill for 19 seconds. We came down and then sprinted up backwards for 18 seconds. Then forward, backward and more deltoid presses. I must admit I was pleased with myself in that I actually went all out on the sprints for once. At least forwards. I'm a little more hesitant going backwards. I don't want to fall. We did this combination 3 times with a water break thrown in. I was so happy when Ryan told up we were on our last sprint as my legs were pretty tired.

When we finished we got into groups of 3 and moved away to where Ryan had set up some cones. One of us had to get a mat, the other some dumbbells, and the 3rd a tube. One person had to do a kettle move, and the other 2 had to do chariots. What?! Chariots?! With my exhausted legs?! I didn't think I possibly had this in me but I got through it. My legs, of course, were like jello but I did get through it. We finished with 3 minutes of core work. I don't think the plank has ever been so hard, because my legs had no strength left. We also did Russian twists and V-sits, alternating between the two. I was so spent when we were finished but also had a nice feeling of accomplishment. Now, I just gotta keep at it.

Have a good one.

Outdoors Again

Well, the outdoor season is upon me and I've gone through 4 classes already. I've documented the first class on Dustin Maher's website so check it out here.

I survived the first day and returned for the second. Dustin and Ashton were there to guide us through this workout. We did our warm up with Ashton and she took us out into the grass. It was a good warm up and I always kind of hang out in the back during this.

When we got to our workout it went really quickly today. We partnered up and 1/2 of us went with Ashton and 1/2 went with Dustin. Sharon and I went with Ashton. We got into groups of 4 for this part of the workout. Each participant did a different exercise. One person did a lunge walk with 6 bicep curls at the end, another did squats while holding weights followed by some squat jumps, another did planks, and another did push-ups. I must confess that I waited a while to write this blog so I can't remember what we did next. But after we did it, we rotated to the next exercise in the rotation. Then we repeated everything we did. The thing I do remember. It was a tough workout and my legs were tired when we moved over to Dustin.

Dustin took us through Sharon's favorite exercise, the Chariots. She was my partner again. The first time I was running it suddenly got really tough. I thought, wow, Sharon has really gotten stronger. Then I looked back and Dustin was holding me back with Sharon. Ouch! No wonder it was so hard. So I really started pushing and suddenly, I was almost stumbling forward! I guessed it. Dustin had let go. We did a variety of chariots across the tennis court. Once we had to stop because Sharon's glasses fell off. Sharon also snapped me in the butt with one of the tubes. She said it was because she thought her glasses were falling off again and she stopped to grab them, but I think it was because I pulled her too hard. This class ended really quickly and no hill! Awesome.

On Friday, I went alone to boot camp. Sharon had to sleep in because we stayed out too late the night before. I was tired but last year I only missed outdoor boot camps when we were out of town so I'm trying to commit myself to that again.

Dustin told us as he rounded us up that we were going to have an intense hill workout that day. Oh joy! Plus we would get an additional intense core workout with 2 visiting trainers from Michigan. Sharon suddenly looked like one extremely smart cookie! Ashton again warmed us up, this time on the tennis court. I had a new partner today. Penny. And she is in great shape so I knew it was going to take my all to keep up with her. In the warm up we did some lunge walks, jumping jacks, and jogs. But then we did some sprints. I took my time the first time across and back but Penny went pretty fast so I made myself go faster the 2nd and 3rd time across so I didn't slow her down. We finished by jogging over to the hill. And, as usual, the hill was there waiting for me.

We began by running sprints up the hill. We'd run for 30 seconds and then have 1 1/2 minutes to get back down and recover. I didn't do as well as I'd like but it was for a kind of strange reason. I couldn't seem to get any traction. Have you ever seen the Flintstones or Scooby Doo where they kind of run in place for a few seconds before they take off? That's what happened to me. The grass was still kind of frosty and I just seemed to run in place for a bit before going anywhere. No one else seemed to having this problem. Still, while my feet were slow in starting, my quads wasted no time in letting me know they were working! After the sprints we did some red light/green light activity. Like when we were kids. We'd run up the hill backwards on green light, stop on red light and then go again on green light. I knew there was a reason I always liked being the one getting to call out red light/green light when I was a kid. Paid for that today. We finished by doing side shuffles up the hill, facing our partner. We were supposed to keep up with them as best we could. I did fine on one side but kind of faded on the second. But, to my complete relief, the hill was done for the day. So back to the shelter we went.

We got some good deltoid work here. We sat on the mats and did deltoid presses while our partner pushed down on our weights. I think Penny and I did pretty well here but boy can those 20 lb weights get heavy. We also did wall sits. I hate these too! We held out weights while our partner ran around the shelter 3 times. Poor Penny. Took me a while to get around but she kept shouting encouragement. I listened to Dustin and kept to the outside of the track each time but I sure did want to take a short cut by running a little closer to the inside when I got tired. But that wouldn't really benefit anyone so I didn't do it.

We finished with the trainers from Michigan. We did some different ab work and my core was already tired. The tricky one was an exercise in which we clasped hands and pulled each other off the ground. One would sit and the other would pull the other up. It was okay on one side but when we switched sides it was almost impossible. It was kind of comical though. Luckily, by then the next class was there so time to go!

My fourth class of the week was the opening Saturday class. There were about 90 people there and the weather was good. I especially looked forward to this since Elijah, my son, would be participating. Ashton once again warmed us up. It was nice to start the warm up when it was actually warm outside. Our first task of the day, run all the way up Elver Hill and back. There was no way I thought my legs would cooperate but that was ok. I would run with Elijah to encourage him. Plus, I thought, Dustin said we would divide into two groups. The first 40 would be in the fast group and the second group would be the not as fast group. Kind of sounds like the "almost winners" they used to have on Bozo's Big Top doesn't it? Anyways, off we went and I did run with the boy. We kind of jogged over and, as I predicted, we were pretty far back. But then Elijah betrayed me. He said he was fine running by himself and he wanted me to go on without him. I asked him if he was sure, and he was, so I had to push on. I thought maybe it wouldn't be too bad knowing I only had to do it once. So I just did the best I could to get through it. As I neared the top I saw some people walking. You didn't read my first blog! I thought. I warned you! I cautiously came down, knowing I was losing speed but I really did not want to fall, I then did what I could when I was back on flat ground. Dustin and Ashton both gave me encouragement as I kind of sprinted to the end. However, I was not happy to hear Dustin call to me "22" as I passed. Dang, the fast group. Still, when I was finished and kind of jogging in place to not come down too fast my heart leaped. There was Elijah coming down the hill, running! I was so proud of him at that moment. The kid didn't give up. Sharon finished up and I pointed out to her that he was still going. We shouted out encouragement to him and some of our fellow boot campers shouted out to him too! He liked that. He told me later he heard people calling out to him to keep going. He did make it to the end too!

After everyone was finished Dustin divided us up. One group went to the shelter and the next group, off to the hill. The hill! Seriously? And who was waiting at the hill? Ryan. Smiling Ryan. I went back for my water bottle and over to the hill. Luckily we were divided again into groups and I was in the core group first. We did planks, side planks, bicycles, and V-sits. Then off to the hill. It was not encouraging when a younger guy who looked to be in pretty good shape told me "good luck" when we passed. I tried to pace myself on the hill. We did sprints again. When Ryan said this was the last sprint so push ourselves I did. My quads burned but I was determined to give a good shot. But then, what did I see when I was walking back down? The core people were lining up at the hill again. This had to be a mistake. No mistake. Back for more core. I did it but I kept an eye out to see how much more we were gonna have to do on the hill. It was tough. Some backward running this time in addition to the sprints but for some dang reason, when we got to that last spring, dang if I didn't push myself.

Off we went back to the shelter. We did more strength training here. I did mostly 20 lbs but did have to drop to 12-15 on some. At one point we did something where we turned and I could see my son on the hill. He was working at it. I saw him going up and then running down. However, later I was laughing as I looked and he was rolling down! That's my kid!

Saturday was really fun. We worked very hard. No mistake about it. But we got to see some people from the other camps and I got to see some of the instructors I had never met before. And it was great for Elijah. He was encouraged and wants to attend more Saturdays.

Have a good one!

Roger

December 20, 2010-This Week's Bootcamp. Ouch!

Wow. What a workout yesterday. Can barely move my arms today. So glad that the snow we had to shovel was so light. Dustin told us we would be doing an intense upper body workout and that we did.

There were three stations yesterday. We used the barbell, the stage, and the TRX straps. Sharon and I used the barbells first. We did barbell rows, bicep curls, up right rows and then more curls. Everything was to be done very slowly, The first time through this station wasn't too bad because we only used about 44 pounds and I usually have to do more. So felt pretty good after this one.

The second station was the stage with dumb bells (the equipment, not the people). We did tricep presses and deltoid presses. Not too bad again.

Finally, the TRX straps. Very bad. Ouch. We did pulls ups using the straps. We also did push ups. Even just holding yourself up on the straps was very hard. After we went through all 3 stations we took a water break and then did them again. Nothing was so easy this time. But I didn't feel especially tired, then.

After 2 rotations we went on to the tread mill. Yes, I hate the tread mill. An incline of 15 with 20 seconds on and 20 seconds off with the speed of 8.5 mph. By the time we were done my chest was about to burst and my throat was raw. I was so glad we were done. I did have to grab the handle a few times to make sure I didn't fall off. Dustin told me to try and not hold on, just like I was on the hill. But on the hill I probably would have been walking! In any event, we were done. Great work out but left me feeling sick. And today I'm really sore.

Last week was similar only we worked on lower body. I wasn't as sore though the next day though. We intend to go to bootcamp 2 more times this week. Hopefully we'll work just as hard but not be quite as sore.

Have a good one.
Roger

Back to It-Thursday, December 9, 2010

Well, this week I got back to boot camp after a week off due to illness. Ugh, it's hard to get back even after 1 week.

On Monday, we did the bar workout. Ouch. The bar workout is really tough. As I've said before, 60 lbs can get really heavy when you have to lift it repeatedly! At least the push ups were easier. My arms and legs were extremely weak when we were done and I felt nauseous. It was a pretty great workout!

Wednesday was a fun circuit. We had about 32 people at bootcamp that day. We were divided into 5 or 6 circuits including one using the TRX straps. Every station challenged us in a different way. We used the stability ball for core and the dumb bells for triceps, deltoids, back, glutes, and hamstrings. The TRX worked on our core, chest and balance. It was a workout that truly encompassed all areas. After the stations we found a partner and passed the stability ball around in a variety of ways. We also held the plank position on the ball while our partner tried to push us off. Sharon and I both talked about what a good yet challenging time we had doing this workout.

Have a good one.

Roger

Challenges and Obstacles-December 4, 2010

Hey guys. Haven't been to bootcamp since November 24th. Here is a blog I posted on another site about that experience.

Have a good one.

Roger

Tuesday Musings November 23, 2010

Was a very difficult morning yesterday. Hard to get up and get going after an exhausting weekend. But, get up I did. What a surprise to arrive and find that Ryan was our leader for bootcamp. As usual he gave us a very tough workout. He makes it all look so easy but it never is! We did a couple different rotations. Lots of push ups as usual. I had a hard time with the jump rope. It wasn't that it was exhausting me but I kept tripping. One jump rope was much too long and the other too short. I wound up using the short one and just kind of bending my head over so that I could keep going. The long rope just didn't work for me! We did a great deal of core and upper body work. I didn't even realize how hard we were working until we were almost done and I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to finish. When we left I felt I had no strength left in my arms. It was a great workout.

Today we worked out at the Princeton Club. The gym we usually use was unfortunately double booked so we go the boot out of boot camp. Sharon and I were so disappointed that we worked out at the club and then forced ourselves to go out for breakfast. Not a great decision but it was pretty tasty.

Have a good one.

Roger

Another 2fer Sunday, November 21, 2010

Went to 2 bootcamps last week. We went out of town for a professional visitation day for me so missed on Friday. Don't like missing Ryan's classes since he is so enthusiastic and motivational. Won't see him this week either. Oh well.

We had a great couple workouts. Unfortunately just a tad under the weather this week so they seemed really hard. Did some TRX training and some tough cardio on the stair master. We also did some core work on the stability ball. Overall just some good old fashioned hard work.

Have a good one.

Roger

Thursday, Nov 11, 2010 To the Core

Yesterday was a strong core workout. We got a relief from too much arm work because so many people were still sort from the bar workout on Monday.

When we started class I noticed there was not too much equipment out so I thought, "Oh, no, the treadmill." Luckily I was in a for a nice surprise when Dustin said he wanted to take advantage of the nice weather while we had it and took us outside for some cardio. We broke off into groups of three and ran a kind of relay. We weren't racing each other but just needed to push ourselves the best we could. While you were running you were supposed to carry a 15 lb. weight over your head. Had to be careful not to drop it or carry it to low or you would get a nice little bump on your head! It was still somewhat dark outside too so also wanted to be careful not to fall. That would hurt and be kind of embarassing. After the relays we did some regular sprinting. I find that I really enjoy that as long as I'm not tackling some huge incline!

Inside we worked with partners. We did some things alone like one person doing a leg pendulum with the stability ball while the other did crunches with weights. We also did some cool partner things like one person staying in the plank position while the other did pushups off their back. Unfortunately Sharon had a really sore back yesterday so I had to do this off the stability ball. That can be pretty challenging though. I've done it as an instructor though so I was able to push myself. We also did side planks where our partner held us up by both legs and then by one leg while we had to hold the other up. That was very hard. I had to use one hand to help support though. I really wanted to be careful of Sharon's back.

It was a very good workout. I laughed because Dustin said it probably wasn't as intense a workout as we usually do and we probably weren't as sweaty...but I was drenched and Sharon was sweatier than usual so I think it was pretty darn good!

Have a good one.

Roger

November 8, 2010 Fit Fun Boot Camp-You Are There

Hey guys. Instead of telling you about boot camp today I thought I would show you. This video was taken over a couple days using the Sony "Bloggie" which is like a Flip camera. It has very limited internal memory though. I didn't know that and ran out of memory right away on the first day. I got a memory card and added some more to it. That's why in one clip I'm all sweaty and in the next I'm dry. Anyways, I've blogged so much about it I thought I'd give you a brief look at a workout. Oh, and sorry about any Blair Witch shaking to the video quality!

Have a good one!

Roger

Wednesday, November 3 2010 2 for 1

Hey guys. Posting about my workouts on Monday, November 1 and Wednesday, November 3. Trying to keep a good record for myself of what I've done so don't want to leave any workouts out.

Monday was not my finest hour. The workout was good and challenging but I was under the weather a bit. Hadn't been feeling well all weekend but would not let myself use that as an excuse. We did a great deal of core using the stability ball, used the tread mill, worked with weights. Sharon said she could tell I wasn't myself. But I did work hard. And I got my workout.

Today was an extensive cardio workout. Dustin warned us of that in advance. We did a nice workout to get the blood flowing and the muscles warmed up and then BAM! Started on the treadmill, 30 seconds on 45 seconds off so that we could do 10 pushups in between. Dustin wanted me to have a nice sprint so he set my treadmill at 9.5. Boy does that belt move fast at 9.5! I had to walk for a couple of seconds before doing my push ups to catch my breath.

Back in the exercise studio we used the stability ball. One person did planks on it while the other person tried to knock them off with their arms the first time and their legs the second time. We also threw the ball to each other while sitting in a V and then catching it with our legs. Then we threw it pushing out at chest level while in a lunge position. Finally one partner sat in a bridge position while the other did tricep dips of their legs. That was tricky! While still in the room we also did wheelbarrows across. Dustin was my partner for this because Sharon's back is still sore. He pushed me hard so I get across the floor pretty fast.

We finished with more treadmill. 15 seconds on, 30 seconds off at a 15% incline. This time, due to the incline I guess, I only had to run at an 8.0. When we were finished today I was really whipped. Sharon was incredibly happy because she loves cardio.

That's it for today. Have a good one.

Roger

Friday, October 29, 2010 Fun Times

We had a smaller group for boot camp on Friday. Maybe some people decided to sleep in. It was my first work out as a 49 year old man. Jeez, fifty is right around the corner.

I had such a good time in class today. Ryan's choice of activities were varied and they were things that generally I'm pretty good doing. We did a couple different kinds of sprints with push ups at either end. Since Ryan called attention to the fact that most of us weren't getting low enough I've really tried to focus on form and getting lower. I'm happy to say it's getting easier. Not easy, mind you, just easier. Unfortunately for me though we went from sprints to ab work on the stability ball. Made me a little dizzy when I got to the ball so not sure I did my best ab work but pretty sure my form was good. I really enjoyed doing the box jump which added a burpee each time you jumped. That, my friends, was a challenge. Later we also did a rotation where we all lined up in plank position side by side. Then the person at the head of the line ran to the end while the rest of us stayed in the plank position. I, of course, didn't know we were going to be doing this so I was at the end of the line. So I got to be in that position the longest. Oh, well, good for the abs. Ryan also decided to add push ups at the end of every station and pretty much every chance he got. It was a challenging work out but everyone's enthusiasm combined with Ryan's energy just made for a really great, entertaining class. I was so glad I got up for it Friday morning.

Have a good one!

Roger

October 27, 2010 Running Fast

It was very windy this morning. We could hear the wind when we woke up this morning but it didn't sound as bad as I thought it might. I hesitated a minute to decide whether or not to go to boot camp this morning. I wasn't sure that I wanted to put Brenna, my new driver, on the Beltline in those winds. Since it didn't sound too bad I figured we would go for it. Once the decision was made to go, Sharon really kept me moving. She definitely doesn't want to do extra push-ups.

We got there pretty early. In fact, we were the first ones there. Dustin told us that we were going to do a barbell workout today. He also told us exactly how many plates he wanted us to put on our barbell. He also had us change up partners today because my weights were going to be heavier than the ones Sharon used.

Again, I've said this before, but what starts our not feeling too bad sure does get heavy after a while. I used 40lbs worth of plates. We started with bench presses. First a set of 12, then 10, and then 8. My partner was Rod. I started without having him add any additional pressure as I lifted. I did have him add it for me for the other two sets though.

Next we split up. One partner went to the stage to do some leg and upper body work. The other stayed with the barbells. We started with what seemed like a dead lift and then snapped that up to a curl. I liked to call it the bend and snap. Boy did that barbell start to get heavy. By the last one of my second set it was all I could do to lift that sucker.

The second time we went through the barbell station we did the bend and snap but we then added an overhead deltoid press. Yikes, I was scared to death I would lose my balance on this. But I didn't. Dustin told me I could do it so I pushed myself through it. I missed one where I just could not lift the weight but I shook out my arms a bit and then did do it. We did some swimmers after.

We finished off with the treadmill. 30 seconds off and 3o seconds on. We had a 10% incline. Rod and I started off pretty well I thought. Dustin apparently didn't think so. He came over and set our speed at 7.8. We were only at a 6. Oh my goodness was this hard. At one point I accidentally shut the machine down using the emergency stop. And it really was an accident. Well, I couldn't figure out how to turn it back on so I had to call Dustin back over to restart it for us. When he did, he reset it to 8.2! Yikes! I had to grab on to the bar after about 20 seconds. Still we both did it. Luckily then it was time to go home.

One last note. Sharon is starting to do non-modified push-ups. She isn't going low enough yet (but she knows that) but she keeps working her way to the correct down position. Keep going Sharon!

Have a good one!

Roger

Monday, October 25, 2010 Packers/Vikings? I'll take the Lions

Stayed up late watching the Vikings/Packer game. I must admit I didn't really have much at stake in the outcome. I cheered mainly for the Packers for Sharon's sake. And, during the final suspense filled quarter, I kept switching back and forth to Viva Las Vegas with Elvis and Ann-Margret. I cheer for the Lions. How can one not love a team that selflessly makes fans of different teams happy every week? And this week they made their own fans happy. They had a bye. But you just wait until next year...or the next...or the next...

Sharon was very tired after watching the game and then staying up to watch the press coverage. I actually fell asleep first which is very rare. This morning she told me she was glad I got up because if I had suggested we go back to sleep, she would have willingly gone back to sleep. However, once up she made she we hurried because she didn't want to be late and have to do extra push ups!

We wondered if Dustin would make it today since he was at the game last night. Had to be a late night for him. But he told us he was committed to being there and he was. It was, as usual, an excellent work out. We started with core work on the ball, leg work off the stage, and upper body work using the TRX equipment. Unfortunately I tweaked my hamstring during the leg work which hindered me a bit.

After the strength portion we did some intense cardio intervals on the tread mill. I couldn't run as fast as I should have but I had to cut myself a little slack with my stupid hamstring. Luckily, it does feel better now so I'm not sure what I did at the time.

We finished with some more core work on the ball, some strength training and some more core with the TRX straps. By the time we were done I was drenched. I love when my workouts leave me that way. Not so sure the people around me feel the same way.

Have a good one.

Roger

Friday, October 22, 2010 Smilin' Ryan

Hard getting up this morning. At about 3:15 am my son woke me up to ask me not to go to boot camp today. On the days Sharon and I go to boot camp his sister drives him to school. He likes when we do it better I guess. Later in the morning he called and I told him I did give him a kiss before I left. He said he knew. He felt it. However, it was 4:45 am, and I suppose he didn't want me to wake him up after all.

We started with a general warm up with Ryan and then switched to the card game warmup. Yikes! I couldn't believe it. Catching eye contact with a couple other members I think they agreed with me. In case you don't remember how the card game works, someone takes a card off the top of the deck. Each exercise is assigned a suit. Whatever suit comes up, you have to do that exercise. Today we did push ups with a twist, swimmers, low quad jumping jacks, and scissors. It did indeed warm us up a great deal.

For our stations it seemed like we did many exercises that affected the quads. Through the course of the workout we did sprints, one legged glute lifts on the ball, lifting the ball about 6" off the ground with our legs and holding, bent over flys, more push ups with a twist, bulgarian lunges, low walks with weights, squat jumps, one legged hops in a square plus some partner work. My legs, particularly my quads, were indeed screaming. Perfect season for it!

In all of the boot camp classes we go through many exercises. I have a love/hate relationship with them. Love them when I'm done, but hate them when I'm doing them :) I don't think I could have ever been an athlete. You read about how they love working through the pain and pushing themselves beyond that threshold. I try to push myself, but I don't love it. Again, just love it when I'm done and have that feeling of accomplisment. But, one thing for sure about boot camp, I definitely get my money's worth!

Have a good one.

Roger

Thursday, October 21 Will's Workout

Had Will for an instructor this week. This was only our second time having him. The last time we chatted with him after class about Michigan Stadium and the renovations as well as the team. When he saw us Wednesday he said, "I remember you two." So I guess he remembered our conversation.

I liked Will's workout. It was every bit as intense as Dustin and Ryan's yet it was different. We basically did the same exercises but he seemed to teach a little more like I teach my body sculpting classes. I was still a sweaty mess at the end though. He is very much like Ryan and Dustin in that he is very encouraging and pushes you to do your best. I remembered what Ryan told us about our class push ups last week so I really worked at keeping my head straight and lowering myself down closer to the ground. I certainly could feel it. Sharon did a great job keeping herself on her toes while we did rows from the plank position. She also tried to do a few push ups in the regular position, not the modified one! Woo hoo!

Well, Ryan again tomorrow. I'm tired already!

Have a good one.

Roger

Monday October 18, 2010 Day After

This morning would have been a very good morning to turn off the alarm and go back to sleep. While I was still a little sore from Ryan's Push Up Fest on Friday, I was really sore from my own body sculpt class. My legs in particular. But that was a very convenient excuse so I made myself get up and go.

I have to admit that my body made my work out very difficult today. When we were doing squat jumps in the warm up I knew, "Ok. This is going to be a challenge!" I didn't completely meet the challenge but I know I did the best I could. Push ups were a challenge. The first one we did I found I couldn't do. I couldn't bring myself up. But I did the second and went from there. I tried to do as many as I could on my toes. Now and then I'd go down on the knees and stretch and then get back up and try again.

The other stations weren't so bad. Anything involving the quads and keeping low were hard. We did many things for the legs in my class yesterday so working those again today...ouch! We also did side leg lifts which we did yesterday with bands so I was really paying for that today. Serves me right as I love having my class do those. Luckily we didn't do anything that had the inner thigh as the primary focus because the inner thighs are truly one of the weak spots.

In any event, glad I came and worked out and pushed myself through my soreness to get a good workout. I thought maybe the soreness would lessen as I became more warmed up but no such luck. So now a little rest, no weight training tomorrow, and back to it on Wednesday!

Have a good one.

Roger

Sunday October 17, 2010 Push Up Exhaustion

It is now Sunday and my chest still has not recovered from all the push ups we did in boot camp on Friday. All told Ryan said we did over 200 push ups by the end of class.

Friday was a high energy, intense workout as Ryan's always seem to be. I was tired before we even finished the warm up. We did many different stations that involved front and side planks, box jumps, sprints, deltoid presses, dead lifts using the plates, lifts across the body, and walking lunges. We also did push ups with a fly lift. Then we did more push ups. Then we had to start doing 10 push ups at the end of every station. It started to seem like endless push ups. We also had to do the card game. There is a pile of cards and each suit represents an exercise. You either did 5 burpees, 10 push ups (of course), 20 V-sit ups or 15 of something else. I'm still so exhausted I can't remember what the 15 things were. Also, if you pulled a joker you had to run in place for 30 seconds with high knees. After class, my arms were shaking. It must have been 9 am before I felt like I had any strength back in them. It was a great workout. Loved it!

I taught body sculpt today. We did some exercises for the chest but I didn't do push ups. Still, my chest is now more sore than ever. We don't do our exercises at the same rate that we do in boot camp since we are not looking at the cardio component but I do try to incorporate some of the same exercises into my classes. Hopefully I gave my class a workout that left them feeling as great as I did after mine on Friday.

Have a good one.

Roger