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I have been slacking on the Sweatfest updates lately.  It’s not that I’m not working out/sweating/running.  Rather, I seem to be ALWAYS working out/sweating/running, so I have no time to update!  Lately, you can count on the fact that I’m doing one of the following things:

• Working
• Sweating (from some type of physical exertion or another)
• Cooking
• Cleaning
• Studying

That is all, with very few moments in between.

Little did I know that when My Gazelle started his black belt cycle, it would cause me to recommit myself to my true fitness goals.  Little did I know that I would be waking up at 4:45AM three days per week to sweat and cry and pout and be grumpy until my sweat was officially broken.

Because really…after I start sweating, I just want to suck it up and get it over with.  Especially at 5:30 in the morning!

I also didn’t know that I would be signing up for kickboxing class at My Gazelle’s martial arts school.  So, on two of the days that I wake up prior to the buttcrack of dawn, I also go to kickboxing class at 7PM.  After waking up at 4:45AM.

Not a short day.

I’m tired and usually in need of a nap by 10AM on most days, but I don’t feel that typical ‘sickandtiredofexercising’ exhausted feeling.  On the contrary, I feel exited about working out, and I look forward to the positive motion that I’m feeling.

I can do 20 push ups in a row, and that is equivalent to a miracle in my world.

The worst thing that can happen to anyone’s workout routine is boredom.  Personally, when I get bored, I start to mentally quit.  After spending so long training for races, and doing something that I’m not particularly good at (running), it’s nice to divert my attention to something that I am more suited for.

No, not women’s wrestling.

Although…I’m totally built for that.

Adding a little body weight training into my life has been very beneficial.  I’m stronger, getting leaner, and I feel much more stable when I run.  I’m still just as slow as I always was, but the important part is that I feel better.  My knees don’t hurt, my bursitis seems to be under control, and I’m not experiencing all of the discomfort that I was feeling from June-October while training for the marathon.

All of the workouts that I do in the morning with My Gazelle are workouts that he has written.  As you may or may not know, he is studying for his personal training certificate, and it seems that I have become his personal guinea pig.  He believes very strongly in the principles of plyometrics and using your own body weight as your challenge.  If you can’t lift your own body weight efficiently, then you’re not working out right.   As a result of our mornings together, I am getting stronger, we have an extra hour to spend together, and he is getting experience with training an unruly, whiny candyass crier.

I’m really just testing him…helping him become a better trainer.  Yep, that’s it.

Our workouts generally consist of several sets of many exercises, presented circuit-style with very little rest between circuits.  In the end, this basically just equates to an hour of pure sweat and agony.  The goal is always to combine cardio with ‘weight-training’ (used loosely, since it’s our own weight that we’re lifting), in order to get the most bang for our buck.

The workout this morning was especially hurtful.

• 10 Push ups

• 10 (he calls them) CannonBalls (I call them) Squat Thrusts

(we did the second type that are demonstrated in this video, with the jump)

• 20 Walking Lunges

• 20 Squats

(yes, I realize the quality of this video is terrible, but it was one of the only ones I could find that I agreed with).

• Sprint back to the starting line

We did five sets of these on the basketball court of the gym.  By the time we were done with the walking lunges, we were at the foul line on the other end of the court, and after doing 20 squats, we sprinted back.

Ok.  I confess.  HE sprinted back.  I jogged back.

I told you I’m a wussycandyass.

By the time that we did 3 sets of these, I was ready to keel over.  After getting yelled at and browbeaten by my trainer (who will be doing extra dishes this week…and ‘oops…I forgot to buy dishwasher soap…looks like you’re washing them by hand’), I was able to finish the last 2 sets and then we did abs.

If you haven’t tried a circuit-style workout of this type, I strongly suggest diving in.  It is a great way to keep your workout life interesting, while also turning up your effort level a few notches.

What’s your favorite way to sweat?   (Try to keep it clean, kids.)

Don’t forget that you can be a part of No Excuses Tuesday!  Just contact me to nominate yourself or someone else, and they’ll be featured on the blog.  As of today, I have exactly ZERO nominations for tomorrow, so unless someone comes through, I’ll have to dig into my bag of tricks and come up with something on my own!

* Have you joined my Facebook Group yet?

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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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* See how my training is going over here!

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*Check out my body image project!