A Cross-Training Fool

That's what I've become!! (Well, mostly weights and core, but whatever.)

I'm doing pretty well NOT running. I'm not too bummed about it. I'm mostly bummed that I'm injured - not too bummed that I can't run. (If that makes any sense at all.) It's been nearly 4 weeks since my last run!

My heel's getting a LITTLE better. I'm still wearing that dang "night splint" when I sleep. It's still achy, but not down low at the base of my heel - it's achy mid-achilles. I'm doing what Dr. Folske says for these 5-6 weeks, but I hope I'm not being dumb by not getting a second opinion (including a scan of some sort to make sure everything is OK in there....).

Here's my training from the last 2 weeks:

Those symbols on the 15th, 17th, and 20th are from some trainer workouts. I did an hour of the "Have Mercy" Spinerval DVD on the 15th, then the next 36 minutes of the same DVD on the 17th, and then 100 minutes of easier spinning while watching a movie with Pharmie on the 20th (as I posted about here). To have 3 hours and 15 minutes of trainer time in one week is GREAT for me!

And I've put in my 2 biggest weeks of strength training ever. Usually, an average week is about 1:30 - 2:10 of strength time, with my biggest week (since I've been logging workouts with BT in Sept of 2009) being 2:48 - but that week included 90 minutes of moving rock that I called "strength work." (My biggest "normal" week besides that was 2:30.) These past 2 weeks, I've done 2:56 and 2:55. (And I normally work pretty "fast" in the gym. For example, the 38 minute strength workout on the 17th contained 4x chest, 3x core [machine], 3x bi, 3x tri, 3x lats, 2x back, 2x lower back, 2x shoulders, and then about 10 minutes of core in the studio.)

I never work the same muscle group 2 days in a row. So back-to-back days might be legs and core on one day, and then everything else the next. And I've been doing a lot to "shake up" my workouts. In fact, we'll call that my "Tip of the Week"....

So here's my "Tip of the Week:" Make sure to "mix it up" now and then. With my strength work, I find it's easy to fall into that "same old routine" that each of us have, and we NEED to give our muscles a different challenge now and then. Now's the time of year to be switching things up. So when I go to the gym to lift weights, I'll always have a different routine in mind. Here are the kinds of things I usually choose from:

• Lower weight than usual, but higher reps. I don't do enough of this.

• Higher weight than usual, but lower reps. For the burn. ;)

• All "body weight" exercises. (Push-ups, pull-ups, dips, leg-lifters, body-weight squats, etc.).

• Core: all machines (or anything in the "gym," like leg-lifters, etc.).

• Core: no machines (all in the studio).

• The "old routine." (Yes, I try to not do this all the time, but if I have 30-40 minutes, my old routine is an easy no-brainer.)

None of these routines would be good to do all the time. (Well, maybe lower weights and higher reps.) But because I'm always mixing it up, I end up getting a great, varied workout throughout the entire week. I think so, at least...

Oh, and those 2 short swims last week was me "mixing things up" in the pool. On the 23rd, I had a swim lesson. And on the 25th, I did a LOT of kicking drills - over 1000 yards of JUST KICKING! I need to hit the pool a little more, and I need to do some water running, too. Yuck.

To wrap up this random post, here's an up-to-date photo of my lovely Pharmie's growing bump as she got back from a run yesterday afternoon:

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