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!

Weekly Wrap - Let the Exercising Begin!

What a difference a week makes!

After nearly two weeks of being down with the flu, I made my big workout comeback. I took it slow though ---> I didn't want to go crazy and over-do it only to feel bad again. So, I eased into the week, made modifications and picked the workouts that felt right for me at the time just like I said in my goals for 2018.

FAB AB FEBRUARY Challenge - I'm happy to report that I have stayed on track and completed the sit-ups, push-ups and plank each day for 18 days now. I've never been strong at full push-ups, but this challenge (and maybe my time at Bodypump) is really helping ---> I can do 15 good ones at this point!

Monday - WALKING

After needing a nap Sunday afternoon, I decided to skip a big AWA group hike and went to the Lunar New Year Flower Market with mrC instead. This extra day of rest was just what I needed to be ready for my big comeback the rest of the week.

Tuesday - RUN - 2.0 miles

I had a pretty yucky run on Saturday, so I was ready for a redemption run. I thought intervals might help so I set my timer for 4:1 run:walk. mrC joined me and we walked down the big hill (because my knee is not a fan of downhill running) to get to a flat part of our neighborhood and ran an easy loop that took us along much of the waterfront. I was feeling good about things until it was time to head up the big hill, haha. I struggled but it was a normal feeling struggle up the hill.

Wednesday - HIKE

I joined the AWA group hike on Dragon's Back ---> one of my favorite Hong Kong trails. I knew that I could manage this one even if my energy wasn't back to 100% (although I was feeling like it was). I was fasting for Ash Wednesday, but felt really good for the whole hike.

Thursday - RUN - 3.05 miles

After a successful run on Tuesday, I went for a bit longer on this one and mrC joined me again. I didn't know how far I was going to go when I set out, but since the 4:1 intervals were feeling so good, I ended up looping through the park to finish with 3 miles. Even the run up the hill felt better this time.

Friday - TENNIS

After running past the tennis courts I mentioned to mrC that I'd like to play again sometime, so he booked us a court on what turned out to be the best weather day of the week. We didn't play tennis (like actual games) we just like to hit the balls around and got a really good workout. It was fun!

Saturday - RUN - 2.30 miles & LEG DAY

I thought I might sign-up for GRIT class, but for some reason I felt like going with mrC to the fitness center instead. After walking there together, I ran 2.3 miles on the treadmill still using my 4:1 intervals. Then I did a leg workout using drop sets: leg presses, calf raises, goblet squats, single leg deadlifts.

Sunday - YOGA

I used a Yoga with Adriene video for some active recovery. My legs were feeling a little tight from leg day (although not as sore as I thought they might) and got a nice stretch from the practice.

BCAAs ---> Last week I mentioned that I was going to be trying this supplement for the first time. I first heard about BCAA when I was doing the Faster Way to Fat Loss carb cycling program and then at Bodypump but for some reason I put off trying it. The flu fatigue finally motivated me to order some. I used it prior to every workout this week. So far I can tell you that I like the taste (a lot) and it reminds me of when I used Cytomax on my long runs.

How many full push-ups can you do?
Tell me something good about your week!

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