Thursday Circuits - emphasis on Push Ups

I attended Chris' circuits class today and there was a heavy emphasis on push ups. Not only was there a push-up station, a push up / mountain climber station, and a bench press station, but we also did 10 push-ups after each song ended, for the entire 45 minute class.

And the 2nd group exercise was doing step-ups for 30-45 seconds, followed by 10 push-ups, then more step-ups. The push-ups in this group were wide base, narrow grip, right leg up, left leg up, and normal for a total of 50.

I bet in the entire class we did close to 250 push ups.

Then at the end, before abs, we did arm-walks.

To me, it was quite a work-out.

• Dynaband Row - This actually goes between the curls and the run-in-place / side-hops station I described on Tuesday. Seated on the floor, row using a dynaband wrapped around the bar on the side of the room.
• Wrist Curls - Seated on the bar, we hold our arms still and just curl with the wrists. I used a 45 lb bar for this.
• Step Up With Weight - Stepping up onto an exercise step, holding a 17.5 lb dumbell in each arm.
• Push Ups - As I said, this is it's own station.

Weight = 191 lbs.

Tuesday Circuits

I attended circuits class yesterday with Matt as the instructor. We had 18 participants, not counting Matt.

It was a tough class, I thought, we did alot of arms and shoulders in our group exercises. After one set I was lucky enough to return to the Dips station afterwards. Going back to a station that works the same muscles you just worked is always an extra challenge.

The next stations for me to describe as I continue around the room:

• Step-Ups - repeated stepping up on to a bar, about 16-18 inches high, that runs around the side of the room. Most people always step up with the same foot first, but I always alternate. Also, I make sure to not hold on to the top bar while I'm stepping up.
• Alternate Straight & Hammer Curls - I used 17.5 lb dumbells for this exercise. Hammer curls are similar to regular curls but the wrist is twisted so the weight is up and down (like you hold a hammer.
• Alternate Jog In Place & Side-To-Side Hops - Another cardio station.

I happened to be lined up right next to Matt as we did our stations and suggested that he add a song by Quiet Riot to the next mix tape, to commemorate the untimely death of lead singer Kevin Dubrow. This led to a discussion on a possible mix tape of all dead artists. Blind Melon, Nirvana, Inxs, and Alice In Chains were some of the other artists mentioned.

Weight = 192 lbs

Thursday Circuits

I went to Circuits today. Chris was the instructor and we had 11 students for a total of 12. The next workout station, going around the room, is described below:

• Dips - with your arms on a bar about 18 inches off the ground, your back to the bar, and your legs extended out in front of you, dip your body down and then lift it back up (with your arms).

Unfortunately, due to where I started and where we finished class, I didn't get to do the next 2 stations after this, so the descriptions will just have to wait.

I can say that we did alot of legs today. There was a wall sit / lunges station, a squats / reverse lunges station, and a station for stepping up onto a box while holding weights. For our first group exercise, we did sprints. While 1 person sprinted, the other 11 of us ran in place with high knees. Then the 2nd group exercise was lunges, reverse lunges, & squats (with weights - I used 15 lb dumbells).

Then at the end of the class we did 10 push-ups, 10 squats, 9 push-ups, 9 squats, all the way down to 1.

My legs were a little sore before class, I can only imagine how they will feel tomorrow. I am planning on 3 more rest days (Friday - Saturday - Sunday) to help my achilles heal.

Weight = 193 lbs.

Tuesday Circuits

I went to Circuits class today. Usually on Tuesdays, Matt is the instructor, but today it was Chris. We only had 9 students, all guys.

I will continue from last week to describe the stations.

• Alternate Push-Ups / Mountain Climbers - I was able to do 2 sets of 10 of each exercise before we switched stations.
• Side Bends - Hold a weight (I used a 25 lb dumbell) in one arm and bend your trunk to the side, lowering that arm, then raise it back up. After several repetitions, switch arms.
• Alternate Squats / Reverse Lunges - We do this station with no weights. Do about 10 squates, then about 10 reverse lunges, then back to squats.
• Bent Over Lateral Raises - This is very difficlut for me. Kneeling down with 1 knee on the floor, bend your chest towards your other knee. With a dumbell in each arm, do a lateral raise, lifting your arms up and away from your body. I feel like I'm a bird, raising my wings. I used 12 lb dumbells in each arm.

We had some minor excitement in the fitness center after class. Jose hurt his knee pretty bad playing basketball. Some guys got his stuff from the locker room and he was waiting in the lobby for a ride to the hospital.

Weight = 191 lbs.

Thursday Circuits

After a rest day on Wednesday, I went to circuits class today. Chris was the instructor and we had about 9 students. As I've done in the past, I'll describe some of the stations:

• Crossover Crunches - crunches for your abs while twisting so that your right elbow goes towards your left knee, then alternating.
• Biceps Curls - standard biceps curls with dumbells. I used 20 lb weights in each arm.
• Bench Press - another pretty standard exercise. I used 30 lb dumbells on each side.
• Alternate Leg Lifts & V-Sits - I think everybody knows what leg lifts are. V-Sits are when you bring both your shoulders and hips off the ground at the same time, pulling your body into a sitting-V shape.

Those were my first 4 stations today. I'll describe some more next week.

Jeff and Carlos were joking about being sore and weak due to getting their flu shots yesterday. At least I think they were joking.

My right hamstring is just a little tender. My right achilles is still hurting. I'll probably run just a couple times a week for the rest of the year.

Tuesday Circuits

I went to the Tuesday Circuits class with Matt as the instructor. I'm done racing for the year so I'm going to do more classes and less running from now until next spring.

This week is the start of a new session so we had all new stations.

My right hamstring is still sore from the race so I took it easy on several stations such as step-ups. It will be good to get back into class and work out some different muscles, and give my legs a break a couple days each week.

At this point I'm still planning to run (very slowly) tonight with the Oberlin group.

Weight = 190 lbs.

Wednesday Cardio Conditioning Class

I wasn't on the pizza schedule tonight and my family wouldn't be home so I stayed after work for Chris' cardio conditioning class. Once again it was a small class, 5 students plus Chris. This was the last class for a while. Next Wednesday is Halloween and the following Wednesday is flu shot day.

And after that, the class may be moved to Mondays at 1 PM.

The highlight of today's class was Chris' idea that every time a song ended we had to stop whatever we were doing and do 10 pushups. Along with a set of 8 - hover - 7 - hover (down to 1) and another set of pushups where we did the down movement slowly (first 7 counts to get down, then 6 counts, ...) we probably did close to 200 pushups today.

My achilles is still giving me tremendous pain but I have pretty much resigned myself that I'm going to run through it for the next week and a half until these 2 races are done.

Tomorrow is probably a rest day as I am scheduled to give blood in the morning.

Weight = 186 lbs.

Tuesday Circuits

The weather was rainy outside today so I went to Circuits Class instead. Matt was the instructor, as he usually is on Tuesdays. Class was very full, with 18 people in all!

It seemed to me like we did alot of pushups, as well as quite a bit of cardo. It was a good class for me.

I hope the weather is better tomorrow so I can go to the track and get my 400's in.

Weight = 187 lbs

Marathon News, Thursday Circuits

I worked out today but before I write about that, I want to discuss several marathon races that happened recently.

First, congratulations to Ken, Randy, Keith, and Greg for their finishes in the Towpath Marathon and Half Marathon last weekend. Ken finished in the top 3 in his age group for the half-marathon. Randy, Keith, and Greg all finished in the top 10 in their respective age groups, Randy in the half and Keith and Greg in the full marathon. It was a wickedly hot day, congratulations on the effort even if the time wasn't what you were hoping for. The Towpath marathon had 380 finishers this year.

Meanwhile, about 350 miles to the west, similarly oppressive heat plagued one of the world's largest marathons, the Chicago Marathon. I expect most of you have heard about it already. The temperature there was in the high 80's. One runner died, several more were hospitalized, and the race was actually called off around 3 hours.

Any runners still on the course were advised to stop and walk. I don't know all the details about how they collected the runners, but this must have been a difficult decision for the race organizers. This story quotes several runners who claim that there wasn't enough water on the course. The heat, and how it affected the non-elite runners, is an even bigger story than the fact that the first 2 runners in the race finished just 0.05 seconds apart.

Finally, on a lighter note, this story I found on CNN describes how Roberto Madrazo, a Mexican politician, won his age group in the 2007 Berlin Marathon. Madrazo, age 55, crossed the line in an amazing time of 2:41. Race photographers also noticed that he was dressed differently than the other runners near him, wearing a jacket, hat, and long running pants.

Race organizers then reviewed his computer-chip times to see when he passed various checkpoints and discovered that he covered 9 miles in just 21 minutes. They promptly disqualified him for cheating!

Now for today's workout. I went to Circuits Class, led by Matt. Today was strange in that there were just 8 of us in the class, all men. It was a good class and I think now that it is fall, I will start going to Circuits on a more regular basis.

Weight = 187 lbs.

Cardio Conditioning Class

I had a meeting last night at 8 so in between work and the meeting I stayed for Chris' Wednesday night Cardio Conditioning Class. There were only 5 of us plus Chris, the instructor.

This class is very similar to circuits, without the stations. A little more running and cardo activity. One of the exercises from last night was 1 push-up, 1 jumping jack, 2 push-ups, 2 jumping jacks, all the way up to 10 of each.

Weight = 186 lbs.

Thursday Circuits

I went to circuits today for the first time since early May. That is, not counting the very similar Cardo Conditioning class from a couple weeks ago on Wednesday night.

Anyhow, circuits hasn't changed too much. It was a smaller class today with only 11 students plus Chris the instructor.

Chris' new idea / torture today was a series of pushups with "hovering" in the down push-up position: 8 push-ups, then hover, then 7 push-ups, then hover ... all the way down to 1 push-up. I failed miserably.

I'll probably do circuits a little more often now that Fall has arrived and the weather isn't always as nice out.

Wednesday Cardio Conditioning Class

I had to stay late at work tonight for a software upgrade we are performing at 8 PM. So last week when I saw a sign in the fitness center for a new Cardio Contitioning class, I decided to try to attend.

Well the class was pretty close to the Circuits class I used to attend (and will again once the weather makes it less comfortable to run outside). There were no stations, all group exercises, but the exercises were pretty much the same.

After a warm up of walking, jogging, & jumping jacks, we started off with a series of 1 jumping jack, 1 push-up, 2 jumping jacks, 2 push-ups, ... all the way up to 10 jumping jacks and 10 push ups.

It was a good class, but towards the end, after a series of lunges, squats, high-knees, and a couple sprints, my left hamstring got a little twinge. I hope I'm not injured again, but I think I'm taking the rest of the week off just to be safe.

Tuesday Circuits - With All New Stations

Matt taught Circuits today and we have all new stations. Attendance was down slightly, probably due to the great weather outside.

I'll start describing a few of the stations:

Squats, Wide Feet, Toes Out - We did this one with no extra weights.

Dynaband Triceps Pull-Downs - Kneeling on your knees, with a dynaband over the bar about 3-feet off the ground, you push your arms down, holding the dynaband for resistance.

Jump Rope - Since today was the first day I just did regular jump-rope but I also like to try crossing my arms and other tricks.

Weight = 185 lbs.

Thursday Circuits

I missed several days of working out:

• Saturday and Sunday - too busy
• Monday - forgot to bring my clothes (taken home due to fitness center laundry issues last week)
• Tuesday - off work - court date
• Wednesday - skipped - rain

So today was back at it in circuits class. Still with the same old stations. Chris was the instructor.

Weight = 184 lbs

Thursday Circuits, Giving Blood

We had circuits with Chris today and I felt MUCH better than Tuesday! It was a good workout!

Then in the afternoon I gave blood. This was my 2nd time this year and 3rd time overall. Besides the cookies and juice, everybody got a coupon for a free pie at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery.

Weight = 187 lbs. (after circuits)

Tuesday Circuits

Circuits was with Chris today since Matt has not returned from Boston yet.

I can't say much other than I survived the class. I've been feeling ill (mostly achy) since Monday afternoon.

Weight = 183 lbs

Thursday Circuits

We had a crowded class today, with 16 people. This was alot, especially for the last day before a holiday. The weather has been good lately but bad today so maybe the increased number of exercisers wanted to keep working out, but nobody went outside to run.

Matt was the instructor again today as Chris was out.

It was a good, tough class. Lots of upper-body stuff. Geoff jokingly suggested that Matt was trying to make us all "buff for the weekend."

Weight = 186 lbs.

Tuesday Circuits

Good circuits class today. Jeff said that I was quiet. I liked to think of myself as hard at work.

Continuing with my review of the stations:

Seated Military Press: I think I used 20 lb dumbbells for this. The chair we use is plastic and I always find myself leaning back slightly. Maybe this would be a better station sitting on a stool?

Bent Elbow Lateral Raises (Milk Jugs): With elbows out and hands chest high, raise your arms laterally, meanwhile twisting the dumbbells in your hands in a motion very similar to pouring a jug of milk. I used 17.5 lb dumbbells.

V-Sits / Leg Lifts: An abdominal station, alternating 10 sets of V-sits (sit up and lift your legs up at the same time, putting your body in a V shape) and leg lifts.

Fast Feet / Push-ups: Alternate 10 count of fast feet with 10 push-ups.

Squats: Leg squats with no weights. This seems almost like a rest or stretching station for me.

Crunches lying on side: Another spot to work on abs.

Push-ups with Elasto-Band: We use a stretchy-band like this, wrapped over your shoulders and held in your hands, to make push-ups even tougher.

This concludes the stations in this session of circuits.

Weight = 189 lbs

Thursday Circuits

Chris taught Circuits today. It was a good class as always.

Chris had us do this thing that reminds me of the statue of liberty. Holding a weight in one arm straight up, you go from standing to lying down, still holding the arm up. Then stand back up again, all the time keeping the weight (I used 15 lbs) above your head. Alternate arms and repeat.

The next station that I haven't described yet is bench press, with dumbells. I used a 30 lb dumbell in each arm.

Weight = 188 lbs

Tuesday Circuits

Matt led a tough circuits class today, lots of cardio with push-ups added in, and then some challenging squats. Just when my legs started to hurt, he would call out "hold it" and then "lower." Also some calf-raises were part of today's program.

From where I left off last week, the next 2 stations were:

Lying Triceps Extension: Lying on your back, hold a weight straight above your head, then lower it towards the top of your head, then raise it again. I used a single 17.5 lb dumbell for this but probably could have used a little more weight.

Step Up (both feet) With Weights: Step up onto a step (like used in "step" classes), holding a weight in each hand. I used a pair of 20 lb dumbells. I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong, but this is always an easy station for me.

Weight = 189 lbs