A Tough One

This morning I met Valerie at MFY for a quick workout. Todd, coach of Team Belladium, had held a strength training session that I missed while I was in Hawaii, but Valerie had the notes and I wanted to see what I'd missed. So we met and she took me through the workout. It started with about 15 minutes on the spin bike to warm up a little, and then we started the real workout. For everything, we were supposed to do around 2 sets of 10, and that's about what I did except where otherwise noted.

• Squat: 65lb for the first set, 75lb for the second set, definitely could have done more, but knew I had another workout coming
• Lunge: 10lb for the first set, 15lb for the second set, quick-style (because I could)
• Step up: 10lb for the first set, 15lb for the second set, 10 times each leg for each set, stepping up onto and then off of a bench
• Step over: keeping R foot on the bench the entire time, step from L to R to L with L foot, switch legs, 10 times each leg for each set
• Push up
• Triceps push up (we alternated 10 push ups, 10 triceps push ups, repeat)
• Single-arm row: I did what Will had required (only more because I'd forgotten what he'd said) with a 10-lb dumbbell
• Alphabet: write the alphabet with your leg, not just your ankle; this one was fun
• Plank: 1 set, front, side, side, 60 sec each
• Bicycle crunch: 1 set, I did crate crunch instead because it was required later, 30 reps, quick-style
• Take aways: 1 set, holding physio ball between legs, lift legs and lift arms to legs to grab ball, lower both, lift both, switch ball between feet and arms
• Reverse: 1 set, laying on stomach on physio ball, lift and lower legs with glutes, 10 times each leg for each set
• Jack knife: 1 set, feet on ball, roll ball toward stomach (I skipped these the second time around and finished crate crunch instead)
• Repeat plank, crunch, take aways, reverse, and jack knife

The real workout for the day was similar to another one I did, February 1, 2010 (with Will, though, and today I was solo). It's nice to have the workouts already typed out.

• GHR 40 seconds; 10 quick-style squats; 1-leg dead lift RIGHT leg, 15 reps, 45-lb bar; rebound 1-leg squat, RIGHT leg back, 30 reps
• Switch legs, then repeat, doing 3 times each leg
• 1-arm bench press, 25 lb, 3 breaths at top, 3 reps, switch arms, 6 sets of 3 each arm
• Rebound bent-over 1-arm row, 25-lb bar (or less or 15-lb or so dumbbell), 3 reps, switch arms, 6 sets of 3 each arm
• Crate crunch, 3×30 quick-style reps

That was what he told me to do. After Valerie and I finished, I started with the first thing on the list. And I completely failed. This was the first time in weeks that that's happened, and it frustrated me a lot. The reps were too many, the weight was too much, and I just couldn't manage. I tried again later, exactly as written even though Will told me I could cut the reps in half if necessary. It went way better the second time, though I did skip the last two because I had actually done those well earlier. I was happy to have accomplished this when I knew I could, and I realized it was probably that I was just hungry and tired earlier. After I got some food in me, calmed down a little, and took a little nap, I did much better.

What was most frustrating I think was that I knew I could do it, reps and weights and all, but I just couldn't and I ddin't know the reason. Once I figured it out and actually did it, I felt good. But when I couldn't do it and didn't now why, I felt like a failure. Oh the struggles I deal with that really don't matter in the long run!