fitness bits!

Finally I've got round to writing a workout update! I've been doing my usual running intervals, taken my boyfriend's sister's dogs out a couple of times which is loads of fun, I'll try and remember my camera next time! The best (or worst..) workouts I've done lately have been the jokers from the crossfit hopper deck of workout cards! We had to slightly modify them to be able to do them in the flat with the equipment we have here but they were still really tough, don't worry!! The first one was the 'filthy fifty' - appropriate name! I finished this in just over 20 minutes - ouch!

• 50 box jumps
• 50 band slams
• 50 dumbell swings (10kg)
• 50 lunge jumps
• 50 v-ups
• 50 pushpress (used 12-15kg sandbag)
• 50 medicine ball slams
• 50 burpees (HELL)
• 50 double unders

This workout was really tough, but I love tough workouts, definately going to get my time under 20 mins next time!

The other joker workout was 'fight gone bad' we modified this quite a lot as we did this workout the day after an impromptu run with the dogs - it's amazing how much difference good footwear does! I was wearing flat plimsole converse type shoes and I was on the way to developing shin splints but luckily I took it easy and didn't do too much leg work the few days after and it subsided... anyway.. the workout!

You do three rounds with a minute on each station and the idea is to beat your score next time... I tried to beat Mike but he beat me as usual.. I did unintentionally do a harder move for the push press.. I was only supposed to take the sandbag to my chest but I did it above my head each time.. that was tough!

• Burpees 19 18 18
  
• High Pull 23 24 29
  
• Crunches 50 49 50
  
• Push Press 11 10 15
  
• Shadow Boxing -- -- --
• Totals 105 103 112 320

So next time I need to beat my scores! And maybe Mike... although as he scored 395 that is doubtful, but I always try, he's very fit so he's a good marker to aim for even if the only thing I ever beat him on is out sitting him on a wall sit!

We've been doing some fun static hold finishers lately, we both hold a position for as long as we can, wall sit, plank, bear hold, weights etc... The person who drops the hold first has a punishment from the other person, so when I dropped the plank first Mike gave me 50 crunches to do.. But when I beat him on a wall sit I gave him 50 lunge jumps... had to get him back for the crunches!

Some workouts

I seem to start every blog entry with an apology for being so rubbish at updating! I don't know why it's been so long since my last entry.. I have no excuse! Anyway... here's a few workouts I've done since I last updated, I've been interval running twice and done the barbell complex twice, with dumbbells as Mike uses the barbell but you've heard about those before so I'll tell you about some new ones!

This workout absolutely fried my legs, I was out of action for three days!!!! If you do this I would recommend lowering the number of squats if you struggle with them like I did otherwise you will not be able to get down onto a chair for the next three days (not a good look..) anyway here's how it goes, you do it in the order written;

50 chair dips
200 resistance band slams
200 squats (we were going to do 300!!! silly idea!)
200 crunches
50 chair dips

Amazingly only my legs were sore after this, I was really surprised as I normally think of squats as a fairly easy exercise! Oh I did three planks to finish too! just in case I hadn't done enough..?!

Magic 50
This is a workout by Ross Enamait see his website ross training for lots more useful workout info he also has three books out, all of which have great workouts for strength, endurance and conditioning and are well worth buying. For this workout I did Clean and Press instead of Snatch which slowed me down a bit but not too much. I used a dumbell with 11kg and finished the workout in 10.55.

10 Burpees
5 Clean and Press each arm
5 Swings each arm
repeat 5 times... it's harder than it sounds!!

After this I did a deadlift hold with 40kg three times for as long as I could.. then Mike wondered if he could deadlift me... he could of course! So I decided to see if I could deadlift him and to my surprise I could!!!

Max strength
Push press with the barbell 25kg 4x4
Wall band press
Calf raise using resistance band
Ab Rollouts
Tabata punchouts as a finisher

This was a pretty rubish workout, I was completely bored and I hurt my wrist so I don't think I really did as well as I should have done but never mind.. win some lose some..

ICT
10 Medicine ball Burpees (aka hell on earth)
20 Lateral jumps
30 Star jumps
20 Knee push-uos
10 Burpees
I managed 4 rounds in 14.01 and Mike did 5, I was a bit dissapointed at not keeping up with him but the medicine ball I used was the same weight as his so way too heavy for me considering he usually lifts more than double what I lift. I was still frustrated though, I don't like getting behind!!
After this we did a finisher
55 chair dips
70 resistance band slams
210 chinnies


On top of these workouts I've been working at my pushups and chinups, I can now do 2 chinups in one set and my max pushups in one go is 10 with good form not on my knees like I do in some workouts!

Cupcakes and workouts

Here's some cupcakes I made for my cousin's birthdays they both visited this weekend, so any excuse to get baking! They're the basic chocolate recipe from every vegans cupcake bible, vegan cupcakes take over the world, they seemed to go down well I didn't have one cause I didn't really like the frosting, my dad said it was good but I thought it tasted fatty.. Maybe the shortening I used wasn't right, I used Trex any UKer's use trex and have good/bad results? It's the first time I've used it..




Trudy likes the sun!


A Few Workouts I've done since I last posted
Running
Jogged to uni 1 mile
15 50m sprints with 50m jogs in between each sprint
jogged home

Strength Work
I did the nightmare workout again!! This time I kept it closer to the original and it was maybe even more horrible than last time but I felt great when I completed it, I did 5 rounds with 2 6kg dumb-bells.
-Bent Row
-Upright Row
-Military Press
-Split Squat (left/right)
-Thruster
-Straight-Legged Deadlift

I did a few other strength based workouts too but they weren't terribly exciting, I've been really tired lately and I've been finding the strength stuff harder than usual.. I've started a pull-up programme and a push-up programme so I'm hoping my numbers for each exercise will begin to improve soon, I'll keep you all posted!

Some workouts

I had a tough week last week so didn't really feel like posting. My hamster Missy died really suddenly and it was quite a shock, I miss her a lot she used to come out and play every night so it's strange without her.

I have quite a legnthy food post to come but I'm just going to do my last weeks workouts for now as I need to resize all the pics!

Workout 1
I think I did this last Friday.

Shadow boxing to warm up
Clean and Press 5 each arm, 9.5kg, 11kg, 13.5kg, 13.5kg
Bent over row 20kg reps 5 then 3
Assisted pull-ups and chin-ups reps 10-10-10-10
Push-ups reps 4-2-4-2
Hammer curls 8kg reps 8-8
Russian Twist 10kg reps 30-30

Workout 2
yesterday

Jogged to uni, 1 mile
Suicides! as bad as the name suggests!
4 reps of 50m, 100m, 150m, 200m
6 75m sprints

Workout 3
today.. (i just mispellt workout, woe-out that's about right, todays workout was HORRIBLE!!)

It was based on a Randy Couture workout, a barbell complex, this is the original workout
-Bent Row
-Upright Row
-Military Press
-Good Morning
-Split Squat (left/right)
-Thruster
-Straight-Legged Deadlift

I had to change a few things, I used a set of dumbells for example as Mike used the barbell, here is the exercises I did for round one and one half round (I twisted my knee doing lunges so I had to change the workout) I had 6kg on each barbell, that sounds puny but it was actually so hard I wanted to cry! I did 5.5 rounds half a round cause I had to stop at the lunges on the second go cause I was in pain, think I've twisted my knee somehow. gahh.

-Bent Row
-Upright Row
-Military Press
-Good Morning (cut after second round cause I couldn't do it with dumbells)
-Split Squat (left/right) - I did lunges rounds 1-2, from round 3 onwards I did a benchpress
-Thruster (squat to push press) from round 3 onwards I did a benchpress, it took me ages!
-Straight-Legged Deadlift

This workout was really nasty but I'm so happy I managed to finish it by round 3 I really didn't think I would be able to!

Food pics in the next post... coming up soda bread, vegan crunchie chocolate, maple cupcakes with a high protein, low fat frosting, sugar free, fat free almond cookies... until I put the chocolate chips in that is!!