Terribly dull post ahead written solely for my own benefit...
In order to take my mind off of a myriad of things, I have been going back to the gym possibly earlier than I should have after being sick. I say too early due to the startled and somewhat disgruntled looks I get from those around me as I hack away after each sprint on the treadmill etc, but now that I am no longer (at least in mind) the fattest person at the gym their looks matter little.
I decided to push myself hard today, doing both cardio and strength training, and have worked out some massive deficiencies in my health and fitness. For one the strength in my triceps and deltoids is practically nonexistent. I was doing chest presses and after 20 reps it felt like the acid build up would eat right through my arms until they fell off. I struggled my way until 50 reps and just about cried for the last 3. The military presses I tried after had my eyes smarting so much I barely reached 20.
My back and shoulder fitness is OK though and I was able to complete a full set of reps of lateral pulldowns. Similarly my legs are very strong and I was able to do interval squats and leg presses for over 100 reps without feeling too fatigued. I am a little worried about strain on my knees in my aged state, but I really do need to do a bit more just for stability of the joint. We live in a 3 story house so I do lots of stairs both at home and at work out of necessity so I'm not hugely concerned.
My abdominal fitness which I worked so hard at after the Monkey was born to try and get rid of the muscle separation and help my back has started to go downhill rapidly. Tone is gone, but more importantly so has the strength especially in the lower abs and the transversus. Side effect of that is that my posture is off which adds to the backpain.
On the plus side though I can do a crosscountry ride comfortably and it's my usual start to a workout being as it gets both my heart rate and core temp up a little, I then do a 20 minute interval run/brisk walk after reading about the benefits of interval exercise on cardio fitness, then finish with some strength based exercise. One thing I haven't been doing is stretching and I really need to get back into pilates and/or yoga.
My plan for the next month or so is to concentrate more on strength training because it's something that has always been easy for me (and I'm an insta-rewards kinda girl) with specific focus on my core strength. To round that out really really need to go back to pilates class, because aside from pushing me harder than I would go myself, it's good for meditation. And after a month I'll reevaluate.
I'm just not feeling good about myself at the moment, I'm hoping that a daily rush of endorphins and lactic acid will push me over the line.
1 comment:
Keep it up Jenn - there has to be nothing better than being where you want to be. You *can* do it - you are already doing it.
I will send you an email soon; we need a chat!
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