Weekly Rundown- Not Bad, Just Different
Well, this was an interesting week! I wish I could say there was a ton of running, but I can’t. There were cardio alternatives though, and I switched up some things strength-wise. Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown! Let’s just see what happened in this odd week. Sunday Leg day at the gym! The most notable thing about this workout is that I put ten pound plates on the bar for my squats, for the first time. I didn’t quite get down low enough though, as you can see by this photo: I always get scared doing squats- scared of what, I couldn’t tell you. Scared that it will be hard? Or that I can’t do it? I vowed to try it again next time and get down lower. Monday Okay, sigh. My shin was acting up again so I got in the pool. Just to clarify, this is a recurring issue that pops up every time I try to run a little faster. It’s not that I can’t run; I’m just trying to prevent it from getting to that point. 45 minute pool run. Tuesday Inspired by Wendy’s post last week, I got out my old arch-nemesis, the pull up bar. I was able to do a hard at-home upper body strength workout with the 10 and 15 pound dumbbells I have- lateral raises, overhead shoulder press, and negatives on the pull up bar. The way I do them is, I put my knee in the band and pull myself up (with the band to assist me.) Then I slip my leg out of the band and sloooowly lower myself down with full body weight. It’s crazy how hard this is! I also did planks and side planks. Wednesday Instead of doing a long trail run, I decided to do a “long cardio” at the gym. I did the first 30 minutes on the stair climber (ugh) and then got on the treadmill for an hour. Again- ugh. I felt my shin when I first started running, but as long as I kept the treadmill at an incline, it was fine. Treadmill runs are so boring- I adjusted the incline and pace frequently just to break it up. Yes, I would rather have been out on the trail for 90 minutes! But this was a good substitute. Thursday Another 45 minute pool run. This time it was still dark, so I got to “run” with the full moon! (I thought of Kim.) But the biggest thing about this workout is that I listened to this episode of the Human Performance Outliers podcast, with Ben Patrick, the “Knees Over Toes” guy, talking about his top six strength moves. I’ve heard of him many times, but something just clicked this time. Once I was out of the pool, I looked up his moves on Youtube and decided to add them into my routine. Friday Leg day! Part 1 was at home. I did Knees Over Toes tibialis raises (these should help my shin!), goblet squats, and Nordic hamstring curls. or I should say, I attempted the Nordics but couldn’t quite do them- they are REALLY hard. Then, the gym where I pushed and pulled the sled! This is another Knees Over Toes move- he says it helps with achilles issues and plantar fasciitis. Your heels never touch the floor- you can see how this would strengthen the feet and calves. Then, back to the squat bar- I got down lower! After deadlifts and abs, I did hamstring curls- obviously my hamstrings are very weak, and I have to work up to doing the Nordic curls. Saturday Hmmm, my legs were sore today! That’s okay though. I got in a good 5 mile run before work. The humidity was 95% for this run, but it was early enough (just after sunrise) that it felt okay. I felt my shin before and after the run but not during, so… I guess it’s fine for now. The tibialis raises and sled pushes/pulls should fix everything! Sunday OFF! Sleeping late! Pumpkin pancakes! Reading and watching football! It’s going to be a nice, relaxing day off. I like my workouts, but I definitely know how to relax when the time comes. What do you like to do on your days off? Or do you not take days off? Have you heard of the Knees Over Toes workouts?