The ‘I Still Can’t Move My Arms’ Workout & A Surprise!

Remember way back in May, when My Gazelle and I were being held hostage in our development and could not get to the gym on an especially gym-worthy day?

Are you kidding me?

You don’t remember?

It’s OK. I only remember because I was there. If you haven’t seen that post though, it comes highly recommended by me, since it includes pictures of my sexy future husband.

Hot sexy men aside, we were once again held hostage in our house last Sunday, this time due to Mother Nature’s decision to dump 20″ of snow on a cross section of the country that is completely unprepared for weather of that sort.

Despite the fact that the news channels were hyping it up to be “The Blizzard of 2009″ approximately 24 hours before it even began snowing, they weren’t ready.  Call me crazy, but I would’ve expected that the Highway Department received the memo.

Apparently not.

And thus, we were stuck in our house for two days, which wasn’t a total catastrophe, since I got a lot of baking done. The problem came in when I was scheduled for a date with the gym on Sunday, but they were closed.

Luckily, My Gazelle is studying to be a personal trainer, and he is obsessed with workout contraptions. As a police officer, his schedule is wonky, and sometimes he enjoys working out at home more than going to the gym. For this reason, we have the Bodylastics system, Elastic Bands, yoga mats, weighted balls, a TRX system, several wheely contraptions, as well as countless other “things” that I cannot identify.

We were thoroughly prepared to be snowed in, from a physical-fitness perspective.

And the workout we did, even 3 days later, still has me crying out in pain every time I try to scratch my nose.

No, really. I’m not kidding. I’ve developed this masterful way of raising my right arm slightly, then bending my head so that my nose can meet my arm halfway.

Ridiculous, yes. But, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

So, we busted out the TRX Suspension Trainer, a yoga mat, and the PowerWheel.

(This is not me.  She is like 5 million times more skilled than I).

At the time, I had no idea that these three things could make it impossible for me to type on my keyboard for more than 5 minutes without taking a break. My arms are literally unable to hold themselves up for any longer.

It’s been THREE days, people!

I must note that my hamstrings are also sore, but not even close to the same degree as my triceps.  Due to the pain that I’m still experiencing, I think it’s only fair to share this agony with you.

If you need a video explanation of any of the TRX exercises, just go here for the video tutorials.

Here is the ridiculous workout:

Dual Supersets (SS)–three sets of each…

SS#1:

• (1)TRX Incline Pushup immediately into an Overhead “Y” Raise (12-15 reps)
• (2)Standard Pushups (or 5 standards and 20 girly pushups if you’re me)

*Rest 1-2 minutes after doing both exercises, but not long enough to drop your heart rate too much. The idea of a superset is to get your heart rate up as if you’re doing cardio.

*Do a total of 3 sets, then move on to the next superset.

SS#2:

• (1)TRX Back Row (10 with palm facing upward grip, 10 with palm facing downward grip)
• (2)PowerWheel Pikes (12-15 reps) *This is where life became difficult for me. These things are no joke, and I wasn’t able to do them on my hands after the first 2. I moved to my elbows/forearms, and was able to finish.

Again, rest 1-2 minutes after each exercise block and before moving onto your next set. Do 3 sets, then move on to #3.

SS#3 (We made this one a triple-set):

• (1)TRX Front-Facing Squat to Biceps Curl to Triceps Push Down (Yep, pretty sure this is the one that got me good).
• (2) PowerWheel Hip Thrusts (hello, hamstrings!) & Medicine Ball Situps (15-20 reps of each)
• (3) PowerWheel Forward Roll-Outs (Um…hello core, and triceps, and ow…everything hurts!

After you finish 3 sets of this block, you should be sweating your arse off. Take a shower and a nap.

I can’t specifically say which exercise made me the most sore, but I am positive that the combination of both has led to my agony. I had never used the PowerWheel before, but I fully intend to make it part of my life at least twice a week from now on. I have dreams of doing more than 5 pikes without having to move to my elbows. Oh, what a happy day that will be!

If you have not yet invested in the TRX or the PowerWheel, you absolutely should. Both of these contraptions are great ways to use your own body weight to become stronger.

And, I want to help. PowerWheel is not paying me to tell you how great their product is, and they have no idea who this Jogger even is, but I want to give one of you lovelies your very own PowerWheel.

Happy Holidays!

Just leave me a comment and tell me about the oldest ornament on your Christmas tree. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, just tell me about your favorite holiday tradition or your best holiday memory.

Rules:
-One comment per person (I’ll find you, cheaters!)
-Contest closes at Midnight on Monday, December 28th.
Earn Extra Entries!
-Blog about this contest with a link to this contest post.
-Tweet about the contest, with @joggerslife in your tweet (just make sure to also email me (joggerslife at gmail dot com) if your Twitter name is completely different from the name on your blog comment.

Good luck!

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