exercise/fitness/training - anyone taking part

[Renee]

The card circuit wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We started with a 10 min jog to warmup, followed by the card circuit (which ended with 3 royal cards = 10 burpees each - ouch) then 15 mins of sprint intervals and a short ab workout.

Yesterday was leg, chest and biceps day. Went up 5kg in my squats - up to 50kg now which is a pretty big deal for me considering I have a really bad knee. The squats seem to help it so hopefully I'll be able to keep going up.

Went up another 5kg on my incline bench press, although it killed me.

Today I did a circuit with one of the guys in the gym. We did shoulders, back and triceps. Same concept as the card deck but a bit more intense. We went for 35 mins with no rest and by the end I was dripping. Finished with a 4 min tabata ab set with crunches and flutters. In those ~50 mins with my warmup and stretch I burned more calories than when I usually do my weights session (which is great because I'm trying to cut fat at the moment).

"What do you do for cardio? I lift weights faster"

I'm having trouble lifting my arms right now. My chest is sore from yesterday and my shoulders are done.

My diet is pretty clean where I don't eat added sugar or processed food (bread and pasta being an exception) so I'm going to test out for a month where I get all my carbs from vegies and whole grains instead of bread and pasta and see what the difference is. The bread I eat is full of seeds and grains anyway, so it's not that bad but I do notice a small spike in my blood sugar when I eat it. Pasta is usually wholemeal, but same thing.

How was your 3 days in a row Aiden? Did you survive?

[thebookiesoffers]

I dropped the Thursday out in the end and went Firday so did 3 days last week, felt good and getting my arms back. Got an early session tomorrow so hopefully a steady 2 1/2 hours.

Aiming for Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday this week. half hour to 40 minutes cardio then smash the weights.

Still need to burn quite a bit of fat in strange places like at the bottom of my pecs (and my beer gut lol), then get the muscle building, arms don't look too bad though.

If the weather is nice as well Saturday I'll try and go for a 4 mile run, but that is a big 'if' weather wise.

16 days alcohol free as well, not sure if that is a good or bad thing though lol

[Renee]

If only we could spot reduce fat I would be super ripped by now. My ass and legs has most of it which is slowly fading away, but I just want the last bit gone from my tummy so the abs pop out all the time. After the month without processed carbs I'm going to go have another dexa scan to see where I'm at. Last time the guy at the gym measured I was at 17.5% but I reckon his measurements were wrong (too low IMO). Guess I will only know if I have a dexa though.

You ever had one?

I'd say 16 days no alcohol is awesome. Run with it.
What's the longest you've gone?

[Renee]

Well, I did my 90km bike ride yesterday.

Surprisingly it was not hard at all.

The last 10km were the worst as that's when my ass started to get sore. There was also a very hot wind blowing and I got a big in my eye that I couldn't get out. I'm a little burnt on my back. My hands are also burnt, although I think that is because I put something on there that I'm allergic to and the sun amplified it. They are quite swollen too.

Total riding time was 4.5 hours. Took us 6 hours as we stopped a few times for water and some quick snacks.

The best part was going through the royal national park. As we went down there was a nice chill in the air and it was so nice to breathe there. The fires have made the air quality in Sydney quite poor lately so it was a nice change. I could have stayed there all day to be honest.

Coming out of the national park was a bit of a killer. The hills are not steep but they are long. There were lots of people who were walking their bikes up. Even some dressed in full riding gear who looked like they probably ride quite a lot. Glad I didn't have to get off an push.

Today my muscles are not sore at all. The only thing that's sore is my bum (the sitting bones). I considered riding my bike to work today so it can't be that bad.

Here are some pics. There will be some official pics online in the next week so I'll post those when they are out.
In total our team raised just under 5k. I raised $830 of that.

Me and my friend Nat at the start line.




Me at 30km in, a place called Loftus. As you can see I have not really broken a sweat yet




Me at about 45km in (half way) inside the national park. Started to get a bit more sweaty by this time.



Me at Bald Hill which is about 50km in, just after you get out of the national park.



The view from bald hill. You can see the seacliff bridge in the background there.



At the finish line.

[thebookiesoffers]

well done Renee

I was a bit lax in the end last week so really kicking on this week I hope.

Is a nice morning so just been for a run 6.99km (4.3 miles) done in 46 minutes, not the quickest but I enjoyed it

[Rachel.RevenueJet]

Well done u both!

I got crazy yesterday and went on the elliptical machine for 2 hours!

[Renee]

Well done u both!

I got crazy yesterday and went on the elliptical machine for 2 hours!

W T F

I would call that crazy for sure!
What possessed you to do that?!
Hahahah!

well done Renee

I was a bit lax in the end last week so really kicking on this week I hope.

Is a nice morning so just been for a run 6.99km (4.3 miles) done in 46 minutes, not the quickest but I enjoyed it

Sometimes it's nicer running slower anyway!

[TheGooner]

A great effort to ride for 4.5 hours Renee ... you seem to enjoy various activities and might want to consider the Speights Coast to Coast down here in New Zealand?

http://www.coasttocoast.co.nz/website/

It's a mix of running, biking and kayaking, and can be done in 1 day (elite) or 2 days (newbies) ... a couple of weekend warriors that I know did it and claimed it was fantastic ... but I'm not sure that they'll do it again.


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Extended saddle time is NOT something for me ... I do some biking and static rowing (indoor) but 30 minutes in the seat is plenty for me.

Effectively I'm training for football, so will mix up some non-impact aerobics (cycling or rowing) with some bodyweight floor exercises like squats, lunges or calf raises and then a swim session ... doing about an hours work 4-6 times a week.

Enjoyable at 3/4 pace, and a killer if you go all out.

[Renee]

A great effort to ride for 4.5 hours Renee ... you seem to enjoy various activities and might want to consider the Speights Coast to Coast down here in New Zealand?

http://www.coasttocoast.co.nz/website/

It's a mix of running, biking and kayaking, and can be done in 1 day (elite) or 2 days (newbies) ... a couple of weekend warriors that I know did it and claimed it was fantastic ... but I'm not sure that they'll do it again.


-------------

Extended saddle time is NOT something for me ... I do some biking and static rowing (indoor) but 30 minutes in the seat is plenty for me.

Effectively I'm training for football, so will mix up some non-impact aerobics (cycling or rowing) with some bodyweight floor exercises like squats, lunges or calf raises and then a swim session ... doing about an hours work 4-6 times a week.

Enjoyable at 3/4 pace, and a killer if you go all out.

Believe it or not, my ass is no longer sore today so I plan to ride to the restaurant we are having dinner at tonight! Can you believe I miss my bike already?

What kind of football are we talking? Soccer or are we talking union?

Holy crap I checked it out. Was in until I saw the 33km mountain run. I will admit, I really do not like running. I avoid it at any cost. The only reason I've done so many running events this year is because the other girls in my fitness group wanted to do them together, so they forced me! LOL
I decided that I wont be doing any running events next year. Next year is the body sculpting comps year. You never know though, maybe I'll give this a try when I lose my sanity again

[Rachel.RevenueJet]

@Renee

The music was so good I just couldn't stop

[thebookiesoffers]

@Renee

The music was so good I just couldn't stop

is the elliptical machine a cross trainer?

Did 20 minutes on the cross ramp, then 5 minute walk as my legs were killing me from my run yesterday then 90 minutes on the weights. Felt really good today

went up 20lb on the seated row now pulling 140lb (63.5kg) and another weight down on the stack for the close grip lat pull down but can't remember what the weight were

still on the 12kg dumbells for bicep curls and didn't enjoy that today as felt like I needed a **** at the same time as well (false alarm by the way)

[Rachel.RevenueJet]

is the elliptical machine a cross trainer?

Yep it is!

What's a cross ramp?

[thebookiesoffers]

Yep it is!

What's a cross ramp?

very similar but not doing arms http://www.precor.com/en-us/commerci...s-crosstrainer

[Nicole Sims]

A 90 Kilometer bike ride is inspiring!! That is about the length of Curacao and back again! I hope I can report that achievement soon!

Well, I did my 90km bike ride yesterday.

[Nicole Sims]

I normally walk 4 to 5 times a week....But I have had a hard time getting back into my routine after eating all those Tapas in Barcelona. Although I did start again this week...and then just for a boost I added this oldie but goodie!

[QuasarAffiliates]

Well done Renee, great work and keep it up!

[Renee]

@Renee

The music was so good I just couldn't stop

That is hilarious! What a great reason to keep going. Music is one of those things that can make or break you in any situation. Glad it kept you going.

What was on your playlist?

is the elliptical machine a cross trainer?

Did 20 minutes on the cross ramp, then 5 minute walk as my legs were killing me from my run yesterday then 90 minutes on the weights. Felt really good today

went up 20lb on the seated row now pulling 140lb (63.5kg) and another weight down on the stack for the close grip lat pull down but can't remember what the weight were

still on the 12kg dumbells for bicep curls and didn't enjoy that today as felt like I needed a **** at the same time as well (false alarm by the way)

very similar but not doing arms http://www.precor.com/en-us/commerci...s-crosstrainer

Yep the elliptical is a cross trainer. We have cross trainers in our gym that are like the cross ramp you posted, with an incline but also with the arms. I never use the arms but I love that they have an incline. Best part about them IMO.

You are pulling my body weight on your seated rows!

I hit some PBs last week.
Triple drop set hamstring curls on 45kg -> 39kg -> 32kg. 3 sets of 15. Surprisingly only the last set I failed on the last rep. So might be able to up them again next week.

Also up to 32kg on my leg extensions.

From memory the last time I did lat pulldowns I was on a drop set of 40kg -> 35kg but will double check when I'm in the gym tomorrow morning.

A 90 Kilometer bike ride is inspiring!! That is about the length of Curacao and back again! I hope I can report that achievement soon!

You should give it a try Nicole! You'd be surprised how fun it is

I normally walk 4 to 5 times a week....But I have had a hard time getting back into my routine after eating all those Tapas in Barcelona. Although I did start again this week...and then just for a boost I added this oldie but goodie!

Haha that is awesome! I'm so going to give this a try LOL

Well done Renee, great work and keep it up!

Thanks

[Rachel.RevenueJet]

That is hilarious! What a great reason to keep going. Music is one of those things that can make or break you in any situation. Glad it kept you going.

What was on your playlist?

Tomorrowland 2013 (David Guetta, Dimitry Vegas & Like Mike)

Yep the elliptical is a cross trainer. We have cross trainers in our gym that are like the cross ramp you posted, with an incline but also with the arms. I never use the arms but I love that they have an incline. Best part about them IMO.

When doing the elliptical, every 5 minutes I take my lower body backwards, like a squat for 3 minutes - makes my butt &

quadriceps work double hard. Fun Fun Fun!!!

[Renee]

Tomorrowland 2013 (David Guetta, Dimitry Vegas & Like Mike)



When doing the elliptical, every 5 minutes I take my lower body backwards, like a squat for 3 minutes - makes my butt &

quadriceps work double hard. Fun Fun Fun!!!

The music sounds good for a workout. I'll have to check it out.
It is very rare that I'll listen to music while I'm lifting. I don't want it to distract me.

[Rachel.RevenueJet]

The music sounds good for a workout. I'll have to check it out.
It is very rare that I'll listen to music while I'm lifting. I don't want it to distract me.

I can't workout without music.It's gives such a hell of an energy boost.TRY!!!