Happy Monday Guys!
How was your weekend?
I went to Coldstone again. This time I got the Banana Caramel Crunch. It was delicious. Considering it’s only a mile away from me I could see this potentially becoming a problem ritual.
In more exciting news, I’m so close to finishing coding for my dissertation. Before I began coding I created a schedule to determine how much I would need to get through each day in order to be done by a certain date. I’ve stuck to that schedule so I’ll be done coding as of this Friday. FriYAY for real! After that comes the reliability check, then data cleaning, data analysis, and write up. March is going to be very intense. Pray for me.
This week I wanted to share the progress I’m making on my fitness goals. Last month I shared my fitness goals for 2017, and I’m pleased to report that I’ve already made serious progress on some of them. Particularly, I’ve taken a few workout classes and made use of my apartment’s gym.
Classes
As far as the workout classes go, Yelp NC Triangle announced a Fit Club Series that they were doing at the beginning of the year. They were offering free classes at several different gyms across the triangle so as soon as I heard about it I signed up.
I ended up taking three different classes, and for each of them they were my first time trying that particular type of class.
First up was a Reformer Class at PBX (“Pilates Barre Extreme”) Raleigh. If you’re not familiar with it a reformer is a machine that’s used in some Pilates classes to add resistance to different movements. I’d seen the machine before but never used it so this class was a nice intro to that.
I’ll be completely honest in saying that I didn’t find that portion of the class to be that challenging. We used it primarily for arms and ab work. The barre portion of the class burned but it didn’t last long enough. I understand that they may have been trying to accommodate different exercise levels so I’d definitely be game to take another class or two to see if my opinion changes.
Next up was a Cross Fit class. I’ve wanted to take one for years now. I’ve always had an inkling that I’d like it and this class pretty much confirmed it for me. It seemed like an adult playground. What’s not to love? They took us through some of the traditional moves that are incorporated into Cross Fit workouts at their gym. We got to do some barbell work, resistance training, and a few plyometric moves (think box jumps). I loved it. I felt like I got a good workout in at the end of it all. The nice thing about this particular gym is that you don’t have to think about what you’re going to do, which lets be honest, can be an annoying thing about gyms. They always have a workout of the day developed for their CrossFitters, but allow for an “open gym” too so you can freestyle your workout if you so desire.
Last was the Cycle Bar class. I found the setting to be really cool. They turn down the lights during the ride which I think really helps you get into the zone. Although again I’ll be honest, I didn’t feel that challenged by the workout. The instructor was yelling out resistance and RPM levels for us to put our machines on and I found myself having to up the ante. I’d be willing to give this class another try if it weren’t for the fact that the wrong part of me was sore the next day. TMI, sorry!
Apartment Gym
Apart from these classes I’ve been making use of my apartment’s gym 1-2 times a week and I love it. It’s nice to get out of my apartment and come back knowing my workout has been completed. I also get to play my own music which makes such a big difference. With the help of Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, Queen Bey, and many others, I have been jamming during my workout sessions. If they have cameras in the gym at my apartment complex someone is definitely getting a good laugh watching me run/dance.
Since straight up running or jogging can get boring I like to do intervals while on the treadmill varying the speed and incline. I finish with weights and abs and stretching of course. While I tend to free ball it my workouts look like some variation of this:
45 minutes of intervals on treadmill:
Walking – 4.0 pace at 4 or 10-12 incline. I’ll usually do 4.0 incline right after finishing a sprint set and then bring it up to 10 or 12.
Jogging – 6.2-6.5 pace at 3.0 incline; 1 min
Running – 7.2-7.5 pace at 3.0 incline; 45 sec
Sprinting – 8.2-8.5 pace at 3.0 incline; 45 sec
After cardio I’ll stretch for a few minutes. Next I’ll do 3 reps of 4 weighted exercises. Sometimes it’s weighted lunges, deadlifts, calf raises, or kettlebell swings.
For ab work it may be bicycle crunches or standing pikes.
What’s Up Next
The next thing I really want to focus on is stretching. I told myself I would incorporate stretching into my rest days, but I haven’t been doing it as consistently as I’d like. I also want to work on more strength training, but I feel like there’s only so much I can do without barbells which my apartment gym doesn’t have.
I also want to take a bikram yoga class, I just need to work up the nerve. As someone who likes the AC/fan blasting when I’m working out, the idea of intentionally being in a room with a temperature of 105 degrees seems inconceivable.
So that’s it. I’ve really been enjoying the changes I’ve made to my workout so far and am looking forward to continuing to up the ante.
What are your workout regimens looking like this year? Have you changed anything? Let me know below!
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