Light Workout

I’m still feeling a bit sick…but also started to develop some anxiety since I haven’t been to the gym in three days!  So, I decided to go today, but keep things “light.” No CrossFit’s today! I just wanted to do a little weight lifting to wake my muscles back up. It felt pretty good-although it took me forever to finally get outside and face the cold (it snowed yesterday in Dallas!).

I started with a five minute walk on the treadmill at a 2.5 incline. I didn’t necessarily want to break a sweat or be out of breath, just wanted to warm my legs up. Here’s the rest of today’s workout plan:

• Sumo Squat with Bicep Curls-3 sets of 15 holding 12lb. weights. This is basically a wide legged version of a squat. It works more of your inner thighs. When I squatted down, I simultaneously did the bicep curl. Here’s a video just showing the sumo squat.
• Lunge with Single Arm Dumbbell Press– 3 sets of 15 holding 12lb. weight. For this one, I lunged forward with my right leg, at the same time pressing my left arm up for a shoulder press. I was only doing one arm at a time. So my right arm was not holding any weights-it was simply by my side. Here’s a perfect example.
• Skull Crushers– 3 sets of 15 using 10lb. weights. Here’s an explanation.
• Chest Fly’s– 3 sets of 15 holding 12lb. weights. I just did standard chest fly’s on a bench. Here’s a picture of the correct way to perform these.
• Back Extension on Swiss Ball– 3 sets of 15. I like this exercise a lot. I always feel it in my back and hamstrings. You feel the burn but it almost feels good. All you need is a ball and a wall! Here’s a video demonstration.
• Side Lying Hip Abduction– 3 sets of 15 on each leg. These seem pretty standard and simple, but definitely start to burn mid way through. The trick with these is keeping your hips straight. When you get tired, it’s easier to let your hip shift forward and back. I always try to keep my hips in straight alignment with the rest of my body. Here’s a quick example.
• Cross Body Mountain Climbers– 3 sets of 12. This is almost like your basic Mountain Climber, but instead of bringing your knee straight into your chest, you’re bringing across the body-basically to the opposite elbow. This is a great, challenging workout not just for your core but also your shoulders. Here’s an example.
• Plank– 3 times 1 minute each. I’m trying to keep the plank in my workout routine. It’s a struggle staying in that position for a minute. I’m hoping to be able to increase the time on the plank soon, maybe 1 minute 20 seconds?

It was a pretty good workout. Nothing too intense. I tried to take my time and stayed hydrated throughout the workout. Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll be feeling a lot better so I can start running! Tomorrow’s going to be a great day regardless….Cliff and I are house hunting!! 🙂