yelserp2’s BodyBlog

OK, so this is my 5th week of doing the basic beginner full body workout.

4 sets of 8 reps of the following exercises (with various weights of DB’s):

squats

romanian deadlifts (thought they were stiff leg deadlifts)

chest press

bent over row

overhead press (standing)

biceps curls

triceps dips

The above exercises are done in series, repeated 4 times

then I do 3 sets of lat pulldowns

Then I leave the gym =)

I have been trying to do these exercises with the heaviest weights I can manage, while keeping good form through at least the 7th rep, maybe "pushing" the last (8th) rep.

While I have been intimidated at the gym, I think I am finally feeling a certain level of comfort and I think I may soon feel comfortable "improvising" the workout depending on how I am feeling. Someone even offered to work with me on some equipment today (alternating using it) but I declined as I am not quite ready for that =P (silly I know).

 So I think I have finally "firmed up" my goals. I think I am at around 20% body fat right now. I have been unsure if I should keep trying to lose BF, even though I clearly need to build muscle. I heard an interview with Tom Venuto that answered the question. He said suggested that women could diet down to 15% BF and then switch to a "lean" bulk. So that is my plan: keep lifting as heavy as I can, and keep working on losing BF.

 I think for this week and next I will continue to do the beginner full body workout 3x a week, with runs on the 4 other days, but I am researching a potential change, including 5×5 principles.

I hope this entry makes sense.

Today I ran the Decker Challenge half marathon in 2:06:05. It was cold (40 degrees at the start) and raining. I had heard a few scary stories about this course (the hills, the head winds, etc), and I was concerned with how I would perform. It is a tough course, but I run hills in my neighborhood and I ran in the rain and cold this week to prepare and check how I wanted to dress for those conditions. I think this helped me prepare for the race, and run it at a pace that is just a tad over the pace I ran in the Run for The Water 10 miler last month.

While I am very happy with my performance, there are a couple of things I would change. I used a garmin forerunner to monitor my pace. This helped me push myself at the beginning, when I sometimes run too conservatively, but was a bit of a distraction during the middle of the race, and I feel like I didn’t just let myself run "in the zone" like I typically do during those miles. I would like to find a way to use the Garmin when I need it, and not get distracted by it when I don’t. The other thing I would change would be NOT taking my waterproof jacket off at the halfway point. I started to second guess how I was dressed, and started to think I would be better without the jacket. I was soaked and frozen the last 3.5 miles.

 Overall very satisfying, even got emotional at the very end, couldn’t catch my breath and thought I might hyperventilate and not cross the finish line; how dumb would that be, DNF due to crying?

I had a blast at my first rockclimbing clinic. It was bouldering (no ropes/belay stuff) which was fine with me, as bouldering is what I am interested in. It was a young crowd (felt like everyone’s mother) but I really enjoyed it. I got a little frustrated in that my arms fatigued quickly, but I wanted to keep trying to climb. My hands were so tired, I had trouble tying my shoes before I left the gym. I will make it back to the rock gym some time this week. Going to the "regular" gym tomorrow for the first time in months.

I had a blast at my first rockclimbing clinic. It was bouldering (no ropes/belay stuff) which was fine with me, as bouldering is what I am interested in. It was a young crowd (felt like everyone’s mother) but I really enjoyed it. I got a little frustrated in that my arms fatigued quickly, but I wanted to keep trying to climb. My hands were so tired, I had trouble tying my shoes before I left the gym. I will make it back to the rock gym some time this week. Going to the "regular" gym tomorrow for the first time in months.

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