Taking it Up a Notch

The end of the week and weekend got a little hectic and I wasn’t able to complete my review of last week’s workouts, namely my second set of weight training last week.  So before I move into this week, I wanted to briefly recap my last Monday and Friday sessions.  Partly this is because this was the session that really gave my strength training the jolt of life it had been desperately crying out for.  But also because I took the pictures, might as well post them!

For Monday, I focused on my lower body, with a little bit of core and arm work thrown in.  I had anticipated repeating this routine Wednesday.  But my plan to switch things up and challenge my muscles paid off- between this and my Tuesday morning spin class when I put in an above average effort, my quads were the most sore they have been in a very long time.  It hurt a bit to walk! So I decided it would be better to wait a few more days, and actually took Wednesday off all together for reasons I don’t really recall.  By Friday my legs felt good again, so I managed to squeeze in a repeat in the midst of a very eventful workday. 

So after a brief warm up and a plank to start, here were the exercises:

Stationary Lunge, starting position

Stationary Lunge, end position- front thigh should be more parallel to the floor

Hamstring Curls, start position

Hamstring Curls, end position

Side Plank, start position

Side Plank with Shoulder Press, end position

Now all of these exercises have been a part of my routine in other forms, but I changed them to give my muscles something to think about.  So instead of just alternating lunges, I did it all on one leg before switching and with 10 lbs dumbells in each hand.  I think this was the exercise that really got my quads burning- I had initially planned to incorporate bicep curls, but man this was much harder than anticipated on its own! I also added the chest press with 5 lbs dumbells to my hamstring curls, and the shoulder press with a 5 lbs weight to my side plank.  The last one was a move I haven’t done since last spring.  It’s a little easier now- but not much! My shoulders were also a little tender.

So these exercises really worked my body and totally reinvigorated my dedication to my strength training.  I’m going to post these in my strength training tab soon (hopefully).  I really recommend trying these for a great 30 minute or less work out.

In addition to this, my upper body work out and Tuesday spinning, I also managed to squeeze in a Power Hour yoga session on Monday, two short 3 mile runs and a Pilates class on Saturday, which I’m going to blog about later this week (again, hopefully).  I’m really getting back into the swing of things and seeking out new challenges for my body. Go me!