Sunday, July 15, 2018

A Week of Supersets and Aha! Moments

After a busy holiday week, last week went the other direction and things were mostly quiet on the home front. Not that I feel like doing much when the weather is either hot or rainy with a large side of humidity to go with both. I did get out and enjoy my brand new Oofos one afternoon when the sun was out (affiliate).


I also enjoyed my workouts this week. One thing I love about carb cycling (and I probably sound like a broken record) is the variety in the workouts. Even the strength training workouts vary day to day and week to week.

By the way - if you are interested, you can learn more about the Faster Way to Fat Loss® carb cycling program I did here (affiliate). The next round starts July 16!!

Interval Workouts:
I did elliptical sprints on Monday, which I bumped up to 25 this week. I think it might be time to increase the interval and recovery times instead of number to complete. I just haven't been feeling the same intensity as I used to. On Tuesday I grabbed an old yoga mat and headed to the park for another HIIT workout. Full-body workouts are always intense and this one was no different. My low intensity sustained state cool down walk literally cooled me off when it started raining.


Strength Training:
This week all of the strength workouts featured supersets ---> A superset is performed when two exercises are performed in a row without stopping. The exercises can work opposing muscles or similar muscle groups. Because there is no stopping between exercises each rep is more effective and more calories are burned than with a typical workout. Supersets are also good for boosting metabolism because your heart rate is up and your body works harder to recover.

I loved doing a week of supersets! It reminded me of how we did the exercises in Bodypump class with the break coming between tracks. It feels like you are pushing each muscle group to the max and then you move on to the next superset. 

It was also fun to have some exercises on the plan that were new to me or different from the usual, like face pulls. I had actually never done them before. They're tough!



Active Rest Days: 
Friday morning instead of yoga, I volunteered in the soup kitchen of a homeless shelter. Chopping, washing, rinsing, and serving sounds easy enough, but my arms and back muscles were tired after only two hours. Sunday I did Balancing Flow - a 30 minute Yoga with Adriene vinyasa video and then squeezed in a nice 2 mile walk with mrC. There is a strong monsoon warning and the winds are sooo nice, but too strong for us to get out on our SUP boards this weekend (affiliate).


I had a couple of aha! moments this week ---> non scale victories that gave me little boost in confidence.

1. During my leg day workout (which had a circuit warmup, 5 supersets, PLUS a treadmill hill repeat workout) I realized that two weeks ago I couldn't lift that weight or do that many reps and what seemed hard is now a warmup.

2. After seeing a number on the scale that discouraged me, I put on a pair of shorts that I hadn't worn because they were uncomfortably snug and they felt great.

Do you use supersets in your training?
What was your last aha! moment?

I’m linking up with Holly and Wendy for the Weekly Wrap!





18 comments:

  1. Your workouts look great! Are you working with a coach or do you use a plan?

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    1. My workouts are from the carb cycling program. I'm recycling them ;)

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  2. I almost always do super sets to maximize my workout time, usually pairing upper body with lower body. I really like how effective they are. Those aha moments are great!

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    1. They're definitely a workout time maximizer!

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  3. Volunteering at the soup kitchen has got to be tough (huge kudos for doing that!). I know how my neck and back hurt just cooking a big meal on a holiday! Your strength training is really paying off. I think I mentioned this before, but Fit in France does FWFL and has had great success. She used to link hwew but quit blogging. You can find her on Instagram though. Thanks for linking!

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  4. Love the aha moments! I feel like the way clothes fit is more telling than a number on the scale. Congrats to you!

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    1. I definitely got that reminder this week! It's so easy to get sucked into that darn thing, haha!

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  5. I tried carb cycling a few months ago. I was good until I had to do longer runs for my race and I was not able to do them without eating first. How did you handle that aspect?

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    1. Maybe a protein shake? This works for me when I do my workout later in the morning. You could also try breaking your fast earlier on those days and eat 100-200 calories before your run. Either of those options should help prevent your body from thinking it's going to starve and shutting down.

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  6. That is a great aha moment! I love supersets. Per your recommendation I tried the Popsugar workouts on YouTube and love them. Thanks!

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    1. Oh good! They have a lot to choose from too.

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  7. I love the supersets idea. My aha moment was realising when trying to plan in some strength training that I could use my free weights at home before or after running, a few times a week, rather than having to do big plans and work stuff out - also seeing this, oh, yes, I could pluck up the courage to do a class at the gym!

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  8. awesome week of workouts! When my knees cooperate, I love doing supersets for leg workouts.

    Sometimes the numbers on the scale can be deceiving. It's always great when you can fit a piece of clothing that used to be snug. That's a great NSV (non scale victory)!

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  9. Cloths are the best indicator. Well you know it was muscle now. I'd be curious about that carb cycle program, although I think that would be way hard to do while traveling a lot. I have been wanting to get a pair of those Oofas. Wish they weren't so darn expensive!

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  10. I just started strength training again and I love it! I finally found something that retains my interest. The workouts are varied and are never the same twice, which is what I need to maintain interest. Haven't done supersets yet but this week is HIIT week so we are definitely doing interval training!

    I'm glad you were able to wear the shorts and noticed that your weights were improving! It's always nice to see those small victories. Hope you rewarded yourself for reaching them!

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  11. I didn't realize it (until now), but I guess I do supersets on occasion LOL Our youngest daughter is really into strength-training, and says that term all the time, but I just thought it was a nickname she gave some of her moves...my bad.

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  12. Well done on another active week! Thanks for the explanation of super sets! Will try that out when I do my home strength work-outs. I am prone to taking longish breaks in between.

    The number on the scale often disappoints me but I love it when you see change through your clothes!

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