2-17-09 Workout….First day in the gym since November 2008!
Considering that I have not worked out since November and have eaten a diet akin to King Henry the VIII, I did alright with last night’s workout.
For cardio, I got on the FreeMotion treadmill and did interval training for 30 minutes. I had my highest inclines at 9.0 and my pace was 4.0. I had never used the FreeMotion treadmill before and kind of snickered when I saw people holding onto the handles above their heads. When the treadmill lurched to the incline level of 9.0, I realized there was a purpose to those handles and it had nothing to do with being out of shape - they are there to keep you from falling off! I really enjoyed the interval training program on this machine and could feel it in my glutes and thighs so I felt like I was really doing something. I was feeling pretty pumped at the end of the 30 minute workout, so I continued another 15 minutes with the treadmill set on manual and just ran.
Ah, onto my strength training workout. This where I felt the effects of not working out in so long. I felt downright weak! Here’s what I did last night:
- Flat DB bench press - 20 lbs, 3 sets of 12. I completed the first set. Second set, I was at failure at 10 reps. And, by the third set, I was at failure by the 8th rep.
- Bicep curls using Nautilus machine - I only used this machine because I had difficulty finding free weights. (My fav for biceps are the preacher curls) - 20 lbs. 3 sets of 12. I completed the first set. Second set, I was at failure at 8 reps. And, by the third set, I was at failure by the 6th rep.
- Skull crushers (triceps) - 5 lbs. 3 sets of 12. No problemo. Probably because 5 lbs. was way too light. Couldn’t locate 7.5 lbs. dumbbell.
- Lat pulldown - 50 lbs. 3 sets of 12. Again, no problemo, but I did struggle a bit to complete 3rd set. I should have gone up in weight to get to failure, but hey, now I know what I need to do for the day I work upper body.
- Upright flyes (shoulders) - Nautilus machine. 20 lbs. 3 sets of 12. I completed the first set. Second set, I was at failure at 10 reps. And, by the third set, I was at failure by the 8th rep.
Tonight, it’s legs and abs and probably about 45 to 60 minutes of steady paced cardio which will probably consist of a good run.
TRAINING NOTES:
- Do strength training FIRST. I think part of the reason for not performing quite as well as I could have with my strength training is because I did cardio first. I was feeling a bit wiped from the get-go.
- Eat more. I ate clean yesterday but missed meals. I ate 3 times yesterday but didn’t consume many calories. I am prepared today and think I will see more of a difference in my performance tonight.
