100 Push-Ups In 6 Weeks: Week 2 Exhaustion Test

Exhaustion Test after Week 2 of the "100 Push-ups in 6 weeks" program (using the free Android App because I'm cheap and it was out there).

15 push-ups. 

15 total. After I entered that number into the app, I received this message:

Bastards! But really, I did 15! I'm pretty damn proud of my improvement. 

I peeked at the next workout. I'm still technically "Week 2" but the reps are double what I did for the last workout. Eek!

100 Push-Ups In 6 Weeks: Week 2

Week 2 of the "100 Push-ups in 6 weeks" program (using the free Android App because I'm cheap and it was out there).

Day 1

5 sets with a 60-second rest in between:
5 push-ups
6 push-ups
4 push-ups
4 push-ups
6 push-ups (or more to max out - my max was 6)

Oompf. I'm torturing myself with the obsession of "perfect" form. Between Week 1 and Week 2, I discovered that my elbows should be bending toward my sides, not away from like I had been doing. I'm not sure what difference it make but it's obvious that I'm using different muscle groups and those muscles are not strong enough to do these push-ups! My hips were dipping, I was doing some sort of wave motion, and I was using all my focus to get that sixth one out.

Day 2

5 sets with a 90-second rest in between:
5 push-ups
6 push-ups
5 push-ups
4 push-ups
7 push-ups (or more to max out - my max was 7)

Back to elbows out. I did the first two of the first set trying to keep my elbows in and it's just not happening. My alternative was to start the program over (again) with the realistic baseline at the newly acquired form. I decided instead to go back to the elbows out form for the first 6 weeks, then start the program over for an additional 6 weeks to work on elbows in. I think the main difference is that I'm working biceps versus triceps. That's what it feels like anyway.

Day 3

5 sets with a 120-second rest in between:
6 push-ups
7 push-ups
5 push-ups
5 push-ups
7 push-ups (or more to max out - my max was 7)

In all honesty, I could have maxed out higher but I forgot that was the objective. I saw 7 and I did 7. It wasn't until later in the evening that it occurred to me.

100 Push-Ups In 6 Weeks: Week 1

Week 1 of the "100 Push-ups in 6 weeks" program (using the free Android App because I'm cheap and it was out there).

Day 1

5 sets with a 60-second rest in between:
2 push-ups
3 push-ups
2 push-ups
2 push-ups
3 push-ups (or more to max out - my max was 5)

I did them at work when I was feeling restless so I didn't have a video camera with me to check form. They were hard to do though, so I think that's an indicator that my form was better ;-)

Day 2

5 sets with a 90-second rest in between:
3 push-ups
4 push-ups
3 push-ups
2 push-ups
4 push-ups (or more to max out - my max was 5)

I did them just before leaving for the night job and used the video camera to check form since I slacked and let 4 days pass between Day 1 & Day 2 instead of two or three days. Oops. After watching the video later that evening, I searched YouTube for other people who had posted videos of their push-ups at (preferably) the same level as I was at. A few of them used an object under their chest to ensure they went down far enough. That seemed like a great idea to keep me from going down too far! My shoulder was bothering me and after watching the 5th set in the video below, you'll notice my poor form included dipping too low (shoulders below elbows). That would explain the pain. Sweetie also pointed out that my neck wasn't in line with my back. I was probably looking at my hands, thinking they were directly below my head when they were actually below my chest.

Day 3 (with form notes in video below)

5 sets with a 120-second rest in between:
5 push-ups
6 push-ups
4 push-ups
3 push-ups
5 push-ups (or more to max out - my max was 8!)

I did some research on proper form and apparently, I'm supposed to look slightly forward to keep my head in line. Basically, if I dropped all the way to the floor, my chin should touch before my nose does.
As for the shoulder pain, that apparently has less to do with form than it has to do with repetitive movement. The range of motion (45 degrees, 90 degrees, or chest to floor) has to do with comfort & strength level. So my elbows are fine to extend beyond my back *technically*, but I'm probably not strong enough to sustain it, which might explain the pain.
To keep a consistent range of motion, I used a trick I saw in a few videos of others doing the push-up challenges. I placed a roll of toilet paper between the two dumbbells I use as grips (less wrist pain). That brings me at 90 degrees, which I feel is realistic.

100 Push-Ups In 6 Weeks: Week 1, Day 3 - Failed

Monday was Week 1: Day 3 of the "100 Push-ups in 6 weeks" program (using the free Android App because I'm cheap and it was out there).

Week 1, Day 3 had the following - each with a 120-second rest in between:
8 push-ups
10 push-ups
7 push-ups
7 push-ups
10 push-ups (or more to max out - my max was 5)

I did the first 2 sets in the bedroom like I usually do. 120-second rests are long and boring, so after I'd picked up the bedroom from the first two sets, I decided to finish the remaining sets in the living room where Sweetie was watching television. Then I had the brilliant idea to have Sweetie watch a set to make sure my form looked okay. I was pretty sure it was good but figured an outside set of eyes might see something I couldn't feel.

Right at the start of my first push-up, Sweetie guffawed. My back was dipped, my arms were too far in front of my shoulders, and I wasn't going down to a 90-degree angle. Well shit. So I corrected and tried to finish the set. It was a struggle. I barely eked out the last push-up without dropping.

After another rest, I felt confident that I could push out another 7 with no problem. I got 2 done and then started struggling again. It took almost a minute to get the last 5 done and my form started to break on the last one.

I was doubting myself for the final set. The 120-second rest alarm sounded and I got into position. Right off the bat I was having trouble pushing back up. I managed to get 5 finished before I really could not do another push-up.

I was pretty down about this "failure". I set the program to repeat the day for the next workout.

On Wednesday, I attempted the sets in Week 1, Day 3 again. That time, I did the first set of 8 in front of a video camera and watched the playback during the 120-second rest. My back was dipped again but otherwise my form was good. I concentrated on keeping my back rigid (which felt high and humped but I knew it wasn't) and couldn't complete more than 5 in the second set. I decided I'd already "failed" the workout again so I thought about what to do about it.

I came to realize that my entire workout plan is based on the program's input that I could do 10 good form push-ups, but this was incorrect. Those weren't 10 good form push-ups. I tried a final set and found I can realistically do 5 good form push-ups. Granted, this was after 18 push-ups with rests but I still felt like 5 was my max number without stopping. So I reset the program and set the new Initial Test result as 5.

I will do Week 1, Day 1 (with the new baseline number) on Friday.

100 Push-Ups In 6 Weeks: Week 1, Day 2

Saturday was Week 1: Day 2 of the "100 Push-ups in 6 weeks" program (using the free Android App because I'm cheap and it was out there).

Week 1, Day 2 had the following - each with a 90-second rest in between:
6 push-ups
7 push-ups
6 push-ups
4 push-ups
7 push-ups (or more to max out - my max was 10)

My arms were noticeably sore on Sunday, which was a nice change.

I  noticed today that I was off on the Week/Day count. I counted the initial test as Week 1, Day 1 - but I'm seeing now that tonight's scheduled workout is labeled "Week 1, Day 3" which is what I thought I did on Saturday. However, the numbers are higher so it's definitely not what I did on Saturday. This bugs me to do a workout labeled "Day 3" on the first day of the week so I'm going to skip some rest days until I'm caught up. By Thursday I'll be back on track and I'll take my recommended rest days. Or maybe I won't. Heck, if I don't feel it causing any muscular issues, I might just stay on it as an every day program until it gets too difficult to do so and the rest days will be required instead of just recommended.

100 Push-Ups In 6 Weeks: Week 1, Day 2

Wednesday was Week 1, Day 2 of the "100 Push-ups in 6 weeks" program (using the free Android App because I'm cheap and it was out there).

Day 2 had the following - each with a 60-second rest inbetween:
6 push-ups
7 push-ups
4 push-ups
4 push-ups
5 push-ups (or more to max out - but 5 was my max anyway)

So I finished the workout in 5 minutes. I did it just before changing for bed. This is so weird.

Today (Thursday), I found myself to the point of stress where my heart was pounding in my ears. I needed a release. I was at work, so I didn't want to break into jumping jacks or high knees or any other high intensity cardio (although that's what I Really wanted). It was drizzly and cold outside so I didn't want to walk around the building. Instead, I did squat holds and wall sits until I couldn't any longer. It was enough to elevate my heart rate and cool off my brain - even if just for a few minutes.

Push-ups and squat holds were my two weakest areas in the Insanity workouts so it makes sense to me that I work toward improvement in those areas. I think I'll continue the squat holds and wall sits on my off days from push-ups. Maybe by the end of this 6-weeks I'll see a drastic improvement in both areas!

100 Push-Ups In 6 Weeks: Week 1, Day 1

Last night was Week 1, Day 1 of the "100 Push-ups in 6 weeks" program (I'm using the free Android App because I'm cheap and it was out there).

Day 1 was the "Introduction" and Initial Exhaustion Test which demonstrated the proper form and then asked me to input how many push-ups I could do right now until exhaustion. I assumed that meant without any rest breaks so I did push-ups until I couldn't push up another without breaking form. That number was 10. Felt kinda like a cop-out for a workout because that was literally all it had me do. I was done with my workout in about 2 minutes.

Nothing else scheduled until Wednesday (which I peeked ahead and has me doing multiple sets of push-ups with rests in between).

It's kind of nice not having to change into workout clothes and wear the heart rate monitor. It's also kind of weird not to spend an hour exercising and not being soaked in sweat when I'm done. I definitely miss the endorphin high that came with Insanity workouts, but I don't miss the time commitment!

I'm on the fence about whether this program alone will be enough to stave off my dark moods. I've been pretty down the last few days but until last night, I hadn't done any exercising for almost 2 weeks except a couple short walks with Max & Sweetie. Now that I'm on another regularly scheduled program, I'm hoping to see some improvement. This morning was already better than recent mornings. If my mood isn't consistently better within a week, I'll add a cardio or leg strength workout from the Workout Trainer App. Obviously, once the weather is cooperating, I'll be walking more often and this will all straighten out on its own!

Switching It Up

I am bored with Insanity. This has happened with every other workout that runs on a repeat schedule but I thought it would be different with Insanity because it was always difficult. There was always a new challenge to meet. Can I do more reps? Can I do this round without resting? Can I get through the entire workout without my heart rate exceeding 185? Can I finish the entire workout without extra resting? Can I do all of that with high intensity throughout?!

In the end, those challenges didn't matter after a too-long-break. I don't have the excitement to meet those goals anymore. I took a work trip and brought the DVDs with me but they wouldn't play on the laptop. I hadn't thought to test that out before leaving...oops. So, including the rest day, I had missed 5 days by the time I'd gotten back home. I did the Spartacus workout in the hotel's fitness room so I wasn't completely dormant but it was not an hour-long high-intensity Insanity workout. I mean, I sweat but I wasn't drenched. If you've done an Insanity workout, you feel kind of robbed when you don't emerge from a workout looking like you just jumped into the shower with your clothes on, LOL

On Friday, I kept putting off the workout until I ended up not having time to do it before going to work for the evening. When I skipped out on Saturday as well I decided it was time to admit that I'd moved on.

So (because I hate starting things in the middle of the week) I will begin the "100 push-ups in 6 weeks" program that I had slated to start a week after finishing this round of Insanity. It's also warming up so I'll be walking with Max & Sweetie again!

I've got the Spartacus workout slated for MWF after I finish the 100 Push-ups program and then I found an Insanity/HipHopAbs 30-day hybrid which I slated for October or November (whenever I can't walk the trail with Sweetie anymore due to daylight loss). I think by then I should be ready to jump back in with Insanity - and the hybrid will be a welcome switch-up.

I'll try to remember to keep updating on what I'm doing.

Insanity Update - Final & First Fit Test

Last night was the final Fit Test (I skipped the 3rd & 4th because I didn't want to do a Fit Test AND a workout). Last night was also the first Fit Test starting another round of Insanity (but starting on Day 15 so I'm in sync with the Shaun T Bday Challenge.)

Here are my results:

I'm a little disappointed with some of those numbers. My endurance definitely improved but my strength could use more focus. My heart rate only exceeded 190 once. That was after Power Jumps, which always result in a skyrocketing heart rate.

I recorded myself with our flip cam to watch my form. Here are some things I noticed:

Switch Kicks:

Amazing form, consistency, and speed

Power Jacks:

I don't squat as deeply as I think I am. A mirror would be helpful. I don't want to bend too deep and cause injury!

Power Knees:

Good form, good speed - just need to work on endurance

Power Jumps:

First 10 were pretty good with height and form. I look like I land a lot harder than I feel. The people in the video look so much more graceful. Something to work on.

Globe Jumps:

My lower half looks good - butt out, knees bent in squat position. My arms however, holy crap. They were just flailing all over the place! It's funny because I always feel like I'm in control and have steady arm swings. Apparently not, LOL

Suicide Jumps:

Great form and speed for the first 10, then my butt starts coming up. I remember being super exhausted at this point.

Push-Up Jacks:

I was really looking forward to seeing this one. I always feel like my form is complete crap on push ups. I was surprised. My arms actually do come pretty close to 90 degrees and my back doesn't sag (until about 15 reps).

Low Plank Oblique:

No real surprises here except endurance. I've never had an issue with my form or speed on Low Plank Oblique. I had to stop a couple times though and not because my heart rate was high. My arms and legs were just jello. I still increased in reps but my goal is to get through these without stopping next time.

As for other measurements, my weight went up .6 pounds - so an even 145 now. No biggie. My inches reflect a loss around the calves, forearm, and hips. I've been eating kinda crappy lately (fried foods, ice cream, etc) so the surprise was that I hadn't gained more! (hmm, that might also have something to do with my performance on the Fit Test, lol)

A total of 3.75 inches are gone around my body. One measurement that was particularly interesting to me was the 1.5 inch increase around my bust/chest. I don't know if I measured in a different place that last time, or if I gained muscle mass, or what happened.

Here's the breakdown of inches:

Bust/Chest	+1.00
Waist	-0.50
Hips	-1.50
Thigh	+0.50
Calf	-1.75
Bicep	-0.50
Forearm	-1.00

In the round I just finished, I did the Recovery workout once - I think maybe it was week 2 - and noticed the pain had returned to my shins the next day. I noticed that pain again this last Sunday - after I had held a minute-long squat on Saturday. So I think it's the squat-holds that are causing my shin pain to flare up. This would make sense since the first couple times I did the Insanity program, I'd start flaking out due to pain on Friday or Saturday then eventually flaking out for good because the shins never had a chance to recover.

I ended up skipping on Thursdays during this round of Insanity (not because I noticed the connection; it just happened to work out that way) and was able to complete the entire 60-days. I am determined to complete all SIX days each week on this new round. I'll see how the pain is next Friday and adjust as necessary the following week.


The schedule has two more Fit Tests before the final, but I probably won't do it again until the end. It's really tough on the body and it seems unnecessary to do it on a day when there's another hour-long workout scheduled. Its purpose is to track progress and I'm okay with waiting until the end to see that. However, if I remember, I'll take my body measurements on May 3rd. It is my birthday weekend, after all ;-)

Almost There

There are only 3 days remaining of my most recent attempt of the Insanity program. I've skipped at least once every 7 days, sometimes skipping up to 3 days a week. I missed the entire "Core Cardio & Balance" week because I was sick. I still wanted to finish it though. I didn't try to make up the days I skipped. I didn't get down on myself for it either. Even with the skipped days, I've stuck with this longer than I have with any other attempt. I've also performed better.

Tonight I will do Max Interval Plyo. Saturday I will do Max Cardio Conditioning & Insane Abs. Then Monday is the final Fit Test.

The final Fit Test will also mark the first Fit Test of another round of Insanity for me. I'm starting on Day 15 so that I can be on the same schedule as Shaun T and his "Shaunterage" for the Shaun T Bday Challenge.

Shaun announced on his Facebook page in February that he was going to go through his own Insanity program* starting March 4th so that he would finish on May 5th - just a few days after his 34th birthday. Well, May 5th just happens to be MY 34th birthday and I decided it sounded like a good day to finish what I hope to be a strong and solid push through the program. An intense workout program like this would strongly recommend that I take a week off before going through another round to prevent injury. I don't think this will be an issue for me though, since I had so many skips and breaks throughout this round.

*interesting side note: This will be Shaun T's first time going through the Insanity program from Start to Finish.

This most recent round of Insanity was the round that got me over the heart-monitor hump. My heart is finally strong enough to get me through a workout without exceeding my 185 bpm max rate. I now find myself taking breaks due to muscle fatigue rather than some stupid beeping alarm. Muscle soreness has reduced as well and my overall energy and attitude are excellent.

I will post my Fit Test results next week. It's quite possible that my numbers won't fluctuate much because my form has improved and therefore the moves are more difficult. Form > Speed!

Self-Portraits of Plyometric Cardio Circuit

This might be something that I'm alone in finding fascinating. Maybe.

I was doing the Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit and took a self-portrait during a rest period about 20 minutes into the workout. I didn't like the pic but the rest period was almost over so I decided I'd take another after the next round. When I saw the difference in face flushing & sweat, I thought it would be interesting to see how the changes progressed throughout the rest of the workout. Here is the progression!

How Our Dog Got Us Hooked On Walking

Sweetie and I started walking in March of 2012. Our dog, Max, needed an energy outlet. He cannot visit dog parks because he is not dog friendly. We decided we’d walk him around our neighborhood - generally not more than a mile or two. It wasn't ideal. There are no sidewalks, almost every other house has a dog in a fenced yard, and we encountered at least one loose dog on every walk – some more obedient to “stay” and big arm flapping than others. We changed our route a few times to no avail. Loose dogs were popping out everywhere (usually from someone’s front porch, *sigh*). This was especially frustrating because we live in a city with a leash law and these loose dog owners didn't seem to understand that it had nothing to do with their "friendly" dog and more to do with our not-so-friendly dog. "Oh, don't worry! He's friendly! He just wants to play!" GRRRR ...

Max was stressed. He loved his walks and got excited when we got his leash, but he’d start whining as soon as we started walking. He was tense and ready to lunge at everything. This was not what we wanted for him. We wanted him to burn energy, not be frightened every step of the way. In August, about 5 months in, Max injured his back. There’s no absolute way to know exactly how it happened, but we were certain that the constant lunging and barrel rolls at the end of his leash were not helping. He was on bed rest for a week.
Sweetie and I decided to start trying out other trails around town while Max was resting. This way, we could find out if it would work for him without the stress of finding out *with* him if it wasn't going to work. We walked a different trail every day of the week and found 2 do-able locations.

One was only an eighth of a mile so it would work great to ease him back into walking again. It was small enough that we would be able to see upon pulling up to the lot whether there was another dog there.
The other was a half-mile, so also short, but with hills. Ironically enough, it was right next to a dog park. This actually worked out to our favor because any dogs that came to that area were going to the park, not the trail. We were dog-free 90% of the time. It was sketchy though. Neither of us really wanted the other walking out there alone.

The week after Max had begun walking again, I had a work trip and Sweetie would be walking him on her own. She was texting me before and after each walk so I knew she was okay. One day, she didn't feel comfortable going to either of the trails and decided to try another one we’d talked about but hadn't previewed yet. That was Little Blue Trace Trail. I was very upset that she tried that alone, not knowing what kind of loose dogs she might encounter or what the clientele was like in that area. However, it turned out okay. They did encounter a few other dogs that were on leashes walking with their owners but the trail offers a wide strip of grass on either side of the pavement so she was able to give ample space.

From Facebook user that tagged the trail

When I returned from my work trip, we decided to take the trail that went in the opposite direction. Little Blue Trace Trail is 14 miles. The mile marker posts start at #1 out of the city, dare I say – the country, and the trail weaves its way to an end near a shopping center. Sweetie had started at the end, near the shopping center, on the paved section. We read some reviews from cyclists on the trail that there were less dog walkers and baby strollers further from the shopping center, on the crushed limestone surface. We figured it was worth a shot. It was probably the best decision we’d ever made. We have been walking on Little Blue Trace Trail ever since.

Native wildflowers

On support under the bridge From Facebook user that tagged the trail

From Facebook user that tagged the trail

This trail is beautiful! The short 2 - 3 mile section that we started with is close to civilization but you wouldn't know it unless you sat quietly and listened. There are mini-forests of trees and wild grasses lining either side of the trail. When there aren't trees, there’s a wide expanse of native grasses or neighboring farming fields. You get the impression that you really are taking a walk out into the country. We saw deer within 10 feet of us, more squirrels than warrant counting, blue birds, cardinals, eagles, hawks, cranes, and turkeys. That was actually the first time I’d ever seen a wild turkey!

This was not the deer within 10 feet.
They tend to stand still longer
the further away they are.

About a month after starting this trail, we decided to see what laid further out from our 2 mile marker. We eventually went from parking lot to parking lot (4.84 miles). Then we decided to drive a little further and start at the parking lot we’d walked to. It wasn't our favorite. There’s a sporting field complex along that section of trail which brought some trash and not as much nature. There was even a loose dog that was playing fetch with its owner in an unused soccer field.

In November it started getting dark before I got home from work so Sweetie was walking Max on her own again. They began exploring the trail further and further out. She was sending me beautiful pictures of mini-waterfalls and long expanses of grass fields.  I would walk with them on Sundays if the weather cooperated. I was up for going wherever they wanted to take me and for however long they wanted. I’m not great when it comes to jogging or running, but I can walk pretty much all day as long if I have the right shoes. At some point while I was gone, they improved their pace to about 3 mph, which is more of a speed walk that I wasn't ready for but that’s a different post.


Cue January.

The weather this year has been ridiculous! We've even had thunder snow! I didn't believe that was a real thing until it happened. It’s warm, it’s cold, it’s windy, it’s balmy, it's below freezing, it's in the 50's. Sometimes all in the span of one day, LOL!

We think the railroad is an abandoned one
but neither of us can figure it out for certain.
Still, it's beautiful!

Sweetie has declared 40-50, sunny, with a light-to-no breeze as the perfect walking conditions. I agree completely. Last Sunday (Jan 27th), I came home from work around 1:30 and immediately changed into walking shoes, exercise pants, a tshirt, and hoodie to go on a walk with Max & Sweetie. She suggested the trail section she'd just walked the prior week and I agreed. When we got there, I changed my mind and suggested we walk the opposite direction and explore more. We were 5 miles from the beginning of the trail. Neither of us were up for a 10-mile round trip walk but it sure was temping being that close! There were more structural beauties on this stretch of the trail. Abandoned rail power stations, bridges, and the overpass like you see in the above picture. About a mile in, I took off my hoodie and tied it around my waist. I couldn't believe it. Short sleeves in January! Missouri weather was officially INSANE! It had been in the low 20's just two days prior - and it was snowing two days later. *sigh*

If it weren't for Max, we wouldn't have been likely to explore trails. If we hadn't found this trail, walks wouldn't be nearly as peaceful and pleasurable as they are and we probably wouldn't mind as much missing them. These walks are both energizing and calming. They seem to help center us. When we walk together, it's an opportunity for us to just BE together. I love our walks and I love that our dog is who got us hooked on them!

Insanity Update - Fit Test #2

Last night was the second fit test (2 week mark) for the Insanity workout program. Here are my results:

I'm not entirely sure how I managed to decrease reps in Switch Kicks - or maybe I'm not sure how I managed to do so many on the first test.

Everything else saw a drastic increase. An even bigger accomplishment is that my heart rate monitor didn't alarm at me even once!

I took my body measurements when I finished the Fit Test. I use the Wii balance board with Wii Fit to weigh myself since we don't own a scale. Scales are evil and deceptive - it's best to just keep them out of the house. My weight didn't fluctuate at all. I showed a 0.00 weight change. I was pretty excited about that because I didn't gain! The last few times I've started the Insanity workouts, I gained weight in the first two weeks. I don't follow the meal plan that is provided with Insanity. I don't have a huge food budget and I don't eat horribly to begin with (mostly Tiers 1 - 3 on Michi's Ladder). The struggle is figuring out how much to eat. I started using the FatSecret calorie/exercise tracker app on my phone which has helped a lot.

As for inches - a total of 2.75 inches are gone around my body. The fact that I lost inches and not pounds just goes to verify that muscle really does weigh more than fat!

Here's the breakdown of inches:

Bust/Chest	-0.50
Waist	-0.50
Hips	-0.75
Thigh	-0.50
Calf	+0.25
Bicep	-0.50
Forearm	-0.25

My belt is back at the second notch and I'm feeling better both physically and mentally. I don't have any weird leg pains and my feet still feel good. I think I might just make it the entire 60 days this time! I'll update all my measurements again after the next Fit Test (Feb 18th).

Insanity: Take Three!

This is my third (or fourth? I lost count...) attempt at the Insanity workout program with Shaun T.

In previous attempts, I had not gotten further than the 3rd week of this 60-day program. The first two attempts were thwarted by injuries. The third attempt was just good ole' lack of dedication and motivation.

This time around, I'm with a group on Facebook. I am tracking my calories to make sure I'm eating enough - and not too much. I have the heart rate monitor and have recalculated my max heart rate as 186.

This is a huge time drain on my already cramped schedule but I finally came to terms with what I needed - both physically and mentally. The winter months are especially difficult for me. I discovered years ago that complete and utter exhaustion after strenuous exercise usually helps keep me in good spirits.

Last night (Monday) was the first day. I did the Fit Test. I actually completed every move on the Fit Test! This is a first for me, so I was pretty excited. Something to note, however: after 4 Globe Jumps, I literally could not physically attempt another jump. My heart rate monitor hadn't beeped at me yet, and I was waiting on the next move, so I checked to see what I was at. I expected to see somewhere around 180 since it's supposed to beep at 185.

It was 203.

Holy crap! Obviously I did something wrong and didn't have the alarm turned on. In any case, I figured I'd gone this long without adhering to the monitor that I'd go ahead and finish without worrying about exceeding my max heart rate range. This is probably the only reason I was able to complete every move. I do remember on previous attempts at this program, the monitor had me resting throughout entire rounds sometimes.

Anyway, here are my results for Day 1: Fit Test

And We're Walkin'!

Sweetie and I have started walking Max regularly. He had recently been laid up for a few weeks to recover from a pulled muscle and while he was resting, we were out discovering new places to walk him! We found a few paved trails we liked with little-to-no interaction with other dogs, both of which were under a mile each. While I was out of state for work, Sweetie encountered issues with both trails and went out in search (with Max) for a new trail. They discovered our new favorite trail together and thankfully everything worked out well!

This new trail is a 14-mile crushed gravel terrain that runs along one of the railway systems as well as a little river. There are plenty of native wildflowers and wildlife to keep both our eyes and Max's nose busy. We walk 2 miles if Max seems slow and 3 miles if he's pulling along.

We have walked the trail together 5 times so far and we've seen (among the more normal sightings) deer, great blue herons, a beaver, and a ginormous spider that I couldn't identify at the time but after some internet research appears to be a female wolf spider carrying her young. I know some people are heebie-jeebie about spider pics so here's a link to click if you *want* to see it. (http://ozarktrailguide.blogspot.com/2010/05/wolf-spider.html) You're welcome!

We've started carrying the flip-cam with us to catch video of the wildlife but I think they know we have the camera and are camera shy because ever since we started bringing it, the wildlife has either been too far away or too fast to catch before hiding.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the changes of summer to fall along this trail in the next month. 

1000 Squats in 10 Days Challenge

1000 squats in 10 days! This was another challenge presented to me by the same friend who had created the last event on Facebook and one I had no trouble getting on board for. I knew I could easily tackle 100 regular squats a day. In a previous workout routine, I was doing as many as 55 in five minutes (rotation of 5 pushups, 10 crunches, 15 squats for 5 minutes - did 11 rotations consistently for 4 days).

The challenge I presented to myself was to do a different squat variation each day, and possibly add a 5lb weight to each arm if I ended up repeating any variations.

On the second day, I realized a little research was in order for stretching. In addition to the shadows below, I also stretched by leaning to the left or right - trying to get close to a 90 degree bend. I noticed it stretched my inner thighs and I could do that while getting ready in the morning. 

By the third day, I realized I didn't really know very many squat variations. I turned to youtube and found Tom Greenwald to be the most helpful. Some of these variations looked more like lunges to me than squats, but the outcome seemed to be the same so I was up for it!

The sixth day was a Saturday. I was in the kitchen all afternoon cooking up lunches for the next few weeks and decided to try the Hindu style squats. They left me in complete muscle exhaustion after completing the last 20 of the 100 set within 45 minutes. Saturday evening I was having some difficulty going down stairs but otherwise was fine. Sunday morning, I was having difficulty walking. I pulled my ankle up to my butt during service to try and stretch it out but nothing seemed to make any difference. I didn't do any squats on Sunday. Monday I had jury duty selection, but besides that the pain in my quads had intensified. I was walking funny by this point. The pain was definitely lessened by more movement so I took the stairs for anything less than 4 flights. There's a LOT of sitting in jury duty selection though, so there was a lot of pain. When I got home I literally passed out. I slept from 7pm until 7am .When I woke, the pain was noticeably lessened in my thighs. I think my body and muscles just needed some rest!

Here's the detail day-by-day:

Day 1:
Completed regular style in the span of 4 sets throughout the day. No soreness, no fatigue. I really wasn't excited about doing them yet and obviously wasn't pushing myself.

Day 2:
Completed pulse (or "bouncing") style in the span of 2 sets within 3 hours. I was definitely pushing myself on this day. The last 10 of each set was burning in the quadriceps and when I stood up straight my hamstrings joined in on the warmth. My legs were also shaking - which is a good sign of muscle exhaustion!
Soreness was mostly in my inner thighs.

Day 3:
Completed wide-stance style. The first set I did 50 in about 4 minutes while I was in the bathroom. I should have gone pee first because I was a little unsteady sitting down after all of those. That was definitely me pushing through to the end. About 3 hours later, I went to do the last 50 over a scheduled five-minute break.  I had to stop after only 10. I walked it off and shook my legs, then tried again. I got another 20 out before I had to walk and shake again. Finally pushed out those last 20 just barely within the 5-minute mark of my break.
The wide-stance style was noticeably more difficult. I was apparently using a set of muscles that I don't use often and found out the next day exactly which muscles those were from the soreness!
Soreness on Day 3 was only in the front, back & sides of my thighs.

Day 4:
Completed "hold" style. Held the first squat position for 52 seconds. Tried again about 10 minutes later and held for 48 seconds. Both holds I had to grab the wall in front of me and sort of walk myself back to standing position because I felt "stuck".

Day 5:
Completed narrow-stance style. This style was the easiest by far of all the styles I had tried. I was able to do 50 at a time and finished within an hour.

Day 6:
Completed hindu stule. Very exhausting but so much fun! I did the first 50 at once, getting lost in the playfulness of the movements. I had to shake my legs to get the muscles to relax, did some cooking, and about 30 minutes later was really craving to finish the last 50. I did 30 more before my muscles felt shaky. Punched at my thighs for a few minutes to loosen them up and finished the last 20. Hindu style is unlike anything I've ever done. Complete muscle exhaustion that I didn't recover from for 2 days after.

Day 7:
None. Extreme soreness in quadriceps. Took some ibuprofen and did some stretching.

Day 8:
None. Soreness intensified in quadriceps. Difficult to walk. Went to bed and slept for 12 hours. I think my body and muscles needed to rest!

Day 9:
Woke up feeling much better and quadriceps were noticeably less sore. Completed 200 regular style in intervals of 30 every hour from 9am to 5pm. Decided I would finish the 1000 in easier styles as opposed to risking injury. Soreness would creep back in after sitting for about 15 minutes. Took a 3 mile walk that evening and it helped warm the muscles so I could do some deeper stretching.

Day 10:
Completed 200 in various styles on the top of every hour from 9-12. Switching it up within each set made it easier to do more at a time. I did 50 in each set (20 regular, 20 narrow, 10 wide). Still had some noticeable soreness but was able to walk without discomfort and kept stretching throughout the day.

1000 Push-ups In 10 Days

1000 push-ups in 10 days! It was a challenge presented to me by a friend who'd created an event on Facebook for others to join in the challenge with her. A seemingly impossible task when presented has been conquered (and more easily than I expected!). There was a LOT of pain on days 2 & 3, but after that my body resigned to its daily torture. See the details below for my day-to-day experiences during this journey!

Day 1: 

Completed 3 sets of 10 between 7-8am, 2 more sets of 10 the next hour, then 1 set of 10 each hour until 3:00pm

Soreness in traps, lats, teres major, serratus anterior, and abs after completing 3 sets of 10. 

Felt soreness bordering on pain in my lower back. Researched this and learned it could be due to improper form. As the hips dip toward the floor during the push-up, it places too much stress on the spine and the muscles supporting it. The last 5 push-ups of the day were done modified-style, with knees on the floor. 

Day 2:

Day 2 was rough. I woke up feeling like a big rubber band was pulled taught across my pecs. Holy lord.  I started out at 7am, doing 2 push-ups regular style, then the next 8 modified style. It wasn't my back that landed me to my knees, it was my entire upper body. I did another 10 modified style twenty minutes later while the dog was frolicking in the yard.  From then on, I was doing them every hour until 4:00, at which point I just did 20 so that I could be done with it for the day. 
It was like I was intentionally lowering myself onto spikes aimed at the upper armpit area of the pecs. Every. Single. Time.
Soreness today in pecs, traps, lats, teres major, serratus angerior, abs, and obliques.

Day 3:
Completed 5 sets of 20 between 7am and 11am. Performed "bench style" on surfaces ranging from 24-36 inches in height. Doing the push-ups in a different position seemed to help immensely. 
Soreness today in traps, deltoids, pecs, triceps, biceps, abs and obliques.

Day 4: 

Completed 2 sets of 5 with a ten-second rest in-between 10 times between 7am and 5pm. Performed regular style. Stretched for about a minute following each ten push-ups, which probably helped the soreness factor.  

Soreness lessened a lot. Still noticeable in armpit area of pecs, obliques, and abs (abs especially when I sneeze!)

Day 5:
Completed 10 sets of 10 between 7am and 4pm. Performed "bench style" on surfaces ranging from 20-30 inches in height.
Less soreness but still haven't been able to do more than 10 in a row - even though the bench style is easier. 

Day 6:
Day 6 fell on a Saturday. Weekends have proven (over YEARS of various workout routines) to be elusive when it comes to motivation for working out. I wasn't sure how this would go since it takes so little time and prep to actually do.  I completed 8 sets of 10 between 7am and 9pm. All but one set were performed "bench style" on the bathtub ledge. One set was performed regular style with a lot of breaks. 

Day 7:
Sundays are a really rough day for me in any aspect of movement. It's the end of the week. The end of 50+ hours of work and the 2nd day of very late nights followed by early mornings. I usually take a few naps and read on Sundays. Sometimes, Sweetie and I will watch a movie while laundry is going.  At the end of the day though, I had done 110! I completed 10 sets of 10 "bench style" and one set of 10 regular style with one break.

Day 8:
Completed 4 sets of 10 at 7am on the bathtub ledge. Then I decided I would push hard and do the rest of the sets this day regular style. Not only did I do all 7 remaining sets regular style (I had one set added to make up for the loss on Saturday), but I was able to do all 10 at a time during the last 2 sets! I was pretty excited about that!  I noticed on this day that I hadn't had soreness in a couple days. I was thankful for that but at the same time realized that it was likely due to not pushing myself to do the regular style push-ups. 

Day 9:
I had expected to feel a little more soreness on Day 9 because I'd started doing regular style push-ups again. The only noticeable soreness was in the deltoids and traps. Not bad! Woke up late so I didn't get any sets in before work. I had decided to only do regular style push-ups the last two days, which I can't do as many of at one time, so it took quite a bit longer throughout the day to get them in but I did it! Completed most of the sets doing 10 at a time, resting a few seconds, then another 10 at a time. I was able to do 15 at a time during my first set of the day but never was able to repeat that. The most I was able to do in one go (including rests) was 25. I actually inadvertently went 5 over my goal of 100 for the day during that bout of 25. I was just pushing to see how many I could get before I truly could not do a single extra. 

Day 10:
Completed the first set of the day with 15 at a time, a short rest then 5 more. At lunch I did 10 at a time, followed by a short rest, 5 more, another rest, and 5 more. Around 2:30 I did 20 at one time! I was pretty excited to see that barrier broken and I think the adreneline got the best of me because I tried to do more. I got 5 more in and they were shaky and questionable, LOL. The other sets had 10 and 20 with various rests. 

Time To Move On

I think I'm doomed to not finish schedules longer than a month. I even felt like I'd mixed this schedule up enough that I could hang on to it without getting bored. I was wrong. I only had 6 days left and I punked out on all of them.

So I'm moving on to the next schedule, which I found on Pinterest and was linked from Tumbler - so I really have no idea who came up with it. It seems like a good enough variety, and I don't think it will take too much time.



As with every schedule, I'll start on Monday to get back into the routine. With the nicer weather, Sweetie & I have been walking Max about a mile & a half as soon as I get home before we lose light. So I'll plan to do these as soon as I return from the walk. It will be a nice warmth!

I really liked that I wasn't doing a workout on the weekends during the revised Lifehacker workout. I think I'll stick to that and copy these workout slates onto index cards and just flip through them in order. That way  I still get the variety given from all of the days but I don't have to mock up an entire calendar to keep track.

First Time On A Foam Roller

I had pushed myself so far on Tuesday that on Thursday my calves were still screaming. I really should have done a proper cool-down and stretch after that stuff but I was just so jiggly in all areas that I wanted to lay down. Now I'm paying for it!

I asked my friend to bring her foam roller to work so I could try to work the soreness out over my lunch break. She showed me how to use it and I set out for a private place.

What I didn't realize until she showed me, was that when you get to a spot that hurts, you just hold still for 10-15 seconds. I was always of the assumption that you just continuously rolled back and forth - like a massage, I guess. But no, apparently maximum pain is the object of the game here.

Te gusta mis calcetines?

My wrists started hurting from holding myself up before I got all the way through both legs because every time I'd inch up from the 10-second hold, it would hurt again. I'm not exaggerating when I say that every inch between my ankle and knee-pit was tight and sore. I decided to give my wrists a break and just went with leg weight pressure instead of body weight pressure for the rest of my lunch break while I read.

I never realized how much these things hurt! I can only assume that it helped me some but I'm still very tight and sore in my calves. I still feel a stretch just from pointing my toes toward my knees.

I'm going to keep stretching throughout the day at my desk because I've got another 20-minute run scheduled for tonight. If it's raining, that means another round of jumping jacks or something similar. I WILL stretch afterward this time!

Pushing & Pizza

This week has been tough. The weather has been gloomy and rainy. We can't go for our nightly walks and there's no sunshine pouring through the windows. It really takes its toll on me and by the time I get home, the last thing I want to do is exercise.

Monday I skipped the workout all together. I did not want to run in place after having been able to stretch my legs outside for a full week. I also couldn't be bothered to decide on an alternative exercise that would suffice for replacing the run. By the time I was heading to bed, I felt like a complete slug. I was like that character with a black cloud hovering over their head. Or Eeyore.

Tuesday I knew better than to let myself skip again. I went downstairs and decided to do jumping jacks for 20 minutes to make up for the run I didn't do on Monday. Instead, I did jumping jacks until I couldn't stand it anymore and then lightly jogged in place (sometimes just walked in place) until the burning in my calves went away, then jumping jacks again. I felt like it was a satisfactory replacement since I was just as winded and sweaty and jello-y as I am when I finish a good run.

Then I did something strange. I decided I'd go ahead with that night's scheduled workout as well! It was Shoulder, Arms, & Abs so I figured my jiggly legs wouldn't be to bothered by it anyway. I was right, the workout was completely do-able and I finished it feeling great. I felt so great, that I went ahead and did the "Strength Rounds" that usually follow the run (which I had skipped because my legs were so wiggly). I only got 6 rounds out before I felt like my legs were going to give out under me during the squats.

Wednesday morning I woke up feeling a strangely familiar soreness. My entire body ached. I could feel each an every muscle that had been worked the night before - especially my calves. I hadn't felt that sore since I did the Insanity program.

That night when I got home, Sweetie had a headache and didn't want to make dinner. I offered to make pizza and she took me up on it. The caveat? She was ready to eat. So I skipped the Deck of Cards workout scheduled and made dinner, then ate dinner, then sunk my overstuffed belly into the couch and read Rules of Civility until bedtime. I didn't feel bad at all about skipping, and my attitude didn't cave either. I'm chalking it up to the pizza ;-)