Run of bliss!

It's absolutely the best running weather of all - I love this season, with the hint of coming winter in the air - low 50s, sunny, only a bit of wind. I had a funny workout from David and doubled up the work set as it seemed a pity not to do at least an hour. I note that I am fit enough now that two hours of exercise a day feels better than just one one-hour session; it might be that I should do a spin bike session at home later on?

12 x 5 as follows:

2 x 4:1 warmup
2 x (4 x 5:00 as 4:00/1:00, 3:00/2:00, 2:00/3:00, 4:00/1:00, with speed increasing as interval length decreases)
2 x 4:1 cooldown

1hr total

Squats!

Did not have vim for a run this morning - I couldn't fall asleep till really late, woke up very early to see my teenage charge out the door for school (!) (it is temporary but fun!), felt I was on the verge of tears due to exhaustion! However got through work day OK and then workout was great (only I am hungry for MORE EXERCISE still - there is so much rest between sets when you lift heavy weights!).

There were only four of us today, it was really nice and quiet....

SQUATS!

3 x 2 x 145

1 x 165 (easy peasy!)

pause squats: 4 x 2 x 100

Bulgarian split squats: 3 x 8 x 25

hip thrusts with 3-second isometric hold: 2 x 20

1hr lower body

Quick run!

Even as I was waiting for the elevator, I thought I might be able to do my real workout on the order of 45 minutes, but when I actually thought about the time properly it became clear that was misguided - it was almost 10:30, I'm giving a talk at 12 in the department and I'd run out of printer paper so I needed to stop at the store post-run and pick up a couple reams! (INVENTORY CONTROL FAILURE.)

Anyway just did :20 with 6 x 10-second strides. VERY NICE. Now to fuel and shower and don respectable garb....

Bench!

I think we were all still fatigued from yesterday's workout - the main work set was fine, but I don't think a single one of us made the second of our heavy doubles...

6 x 2 x 95

1 x 120

failed at 130

Misc. other stuff, what was it? 100 head-pulls with band, 5 x 10 close-grip lat pulldowns, 4 x 15 skullcrushers with 12.5 dumbbells. Good fun!

Run!

Very nice run, only (a) the weather is disgustingly muggy again and (b) really I am procrastinating on the very pressing task of writing my talk for tomorrow! (Department works in progress meeting - using it as occasion to draft book proposal - but rather behind with everything!)

10:00 warmup

5 x (3:00 hard, 2:00 walking recovery) (NB those two minutes go by pretty darn quickly if you've done a good job with the run intervals!)

c. 10:00 cooldown

47:30

Deadlifts!

Mondays continue to be my favorite day of the week this semester. Gave opening lecture on Tom Jones, then raced home to change and ride downtown to lift. Woo-hoo!

I think I could have had a slightly heavier weight for this, we never got a real max after the last cycle (the day we tested I was fried from masters swim the day before), but it was certainly heavy enough to represent a demanding workout!

After watching us all lift, Josh cut the next set (deficits 4 x 2) and then as two out of four were suffering tight backs (not me) and we had clearly totally lit up our central nervous systems, he basically just sent us home after having done a good day's work.

(Really I like working harder and longer, but it was fun for a change, and I had a lovely ride home along the waterat dusk, very relaxing.)

3 x 8 x 200

Farmer's walk x 4 (3 jogging with 37.5, 1 walking with 52.5 which my grip can't quite manage!)

1 set of shrugs - and then Josh made me stop! I was feeling my oats...

1hr lower body
10mi bike

Glorious run!

I have both a work event later AND a huge pile of my own work to do today, so the morning run was my only chance for decent exercise, and I decided I'd better do more than the minimum. This was a good choice - the weather is absolutely gorgeous (just tipping up from high 50s to 60, sunny and clear and with a hint of fall in the air), and I felt energetic once I warmed up. This week is a little chaotic but I hope I can stick with the routine - I really want to be running more like five days a week, but somehow it hasn't been happening....

:40 as 3:1 with first three for warmup, then last :30 of each run interval FAST

Run!

That was extremely nice, though a bit too dark - I rashly left it till the end of the day, forgetting how much earlier the sun sets each week at this time of year....

Perfect running conditions, though (high 50s, little breeze). Had a very nice one along the Hudson, slightly adapting coach's assignment for ease of use.

70 minutes as 14 x 4:1

first 2 and last 2 straight
middle 10 with :20 fast on the 1:00 and 3:00

Squats!

Null on running yesterday and today mostly through my own fault (for instance forgot the water was being turned off in my building 10-4 today, didn't get out before that and didn't want to be sweaty and smelly for a midday meeting....). ANYWAY good squats workout!

3 x 8 x 125

pause squats: 4 x 2 x 100

Bulgarian split squats: 3 x 8 x 17.5

120 abs with band

1hr lower body!

Bench!

Good work day. Not sure I have all these numbers exactly right as we made some adjustments to what was initially up on the board.

3 x 2 x 120

Board press - heavy singles going up to 155 (all-time high! Not the same as a full bench press, inevitably, but J. says he thinks this means I can "smoke" 135)

3 x 8 dumbbell rows (42.5, 47.5, 52.5, 52.5)

100 shrugs (52.5)

120 abs with band

1.25hr upper body

Run!

Belated post, didn't quite have time earlier. Didn't at all feel like getting out (was up too late last night - I need to follow B.'s advice and do some very easy spinning to counteract the unwanted CNS stimulation of heavy deadlifting Monday evenings!), but the weather's beautiful and it was nice once I was out there.

12:00 warmup

5 x (2:00 run, 1:00 walk, 1:00 run, 1:00 walk, :30 run, :30 walk)

cooldown

:50 total

Deadlifts!

Good workout. Mondays are my favorite day this semester - something about the contrast of lecturing on the eighteenth-century novel and then throwing off my work garb (hahahaha, I'm wearing workout gear underneath!) and cycling downtown to lift heavy weights is just enchanting...

6 x 2 x 185

Rack pulls (heavy singles): can't reproduce exactly, but I pulled 265 on the final one!

3 x 10 x 27.5lb dumbbell hamstring curls

120 abs with band

3 x 12 x single-leg hip thrust

1.5hr lower body
10mi bike

Slog!

To borrow the language of powerlifting, I was grinding this one out....

(My main physical complaint was the tight sore lower back, right hand side; my main mental complaint was that yet again I have left ALL my work for Sunday night, ugh!)

Anyway had to make a few deals with myself in order to get this one done. On the bright side, the weather turned surprisingly nice: 60ish, sunny, after some days of really wintry rainy weather.

Schedule asked for 90min with 30s faster every 5min - I did an approximation as follows:

First hour as 12 x (4:00 jog, :30 fast, :30 walk)
:20 as 4 x (3:30 jog, :30 fast, 1:00 walk)
10min walk

1:30 total

Squats!

Had to miss last night's class but had good makeup session just now. This is great! Finally lifting some real weight. Did a good single at 165 and as Josh says "wasn't even grinding" - I would guess I have 185 in me at current fitness and 200 coming in the near future.  Benefits of training submaximally..

6 x 2 x 95

Heavy singles up to 165 (135 x 2, 155, 165)

4 x 4 x 95 w 4-second hold at the bottom

Bulgarian split squats 3 x 8 x 12.5s

100 abs with band

1hr lower body
10mi rainy bike!

Run!

End of day rather than start, I am not an early riser...

... but temps are incredibly cooler! Will take a little rain and wind any day over heat to run in.

:30 as 6 x (4:1), first two warmup, last four with final :30 of each work interval HARD