Brutal Workout, yet fun

[Catrin]

I've no idea why I like such workouts - but I feel so good afterwards and am rarely sore the next morning... Tonight we did the following:

Warmup: Ran or power-walked for 6 minutes (I did 50/50, I am NOT a runner)

Then we each did one set of the following. Each "set" lasted for 2 full minutes - how many can you do in 2 minutes while keeping good form? We each had a partner and 1 partner would do the exercise while the other counted, then partners would switch places. A bit of friendly competition always enters when we do it this way which is a healthy thing.

Pushups (modified or full)
Crunches (any style desired)
Squats (body/air)
TRX Rows
Box Step Ups (knee high box)
Dynamax Ball Slams
Lunges down the track (or TRX)
Kettlebell Swings
Standing Plate Presses (25 or 10 pound plates)
Jumping Jacks

It doesn't look so hard on paper...doing it is quite the workout, fun stuff! This is a free class at my gym, it is a 6 week class that is based on the Murphy

We started the 6 weeks with the Murphy (All of us actually chose the the "intermediate Murphy", with the repetitions cut in half and running only 1/2 mile to start and 1/2 mile at the end), then for six weeks we meet for two 1 hour workouts a week to do exercises meant to make it possible for us to do better at the Murphy at the last session. Not bad for a free class

[roo4]

I dunno, that looks plenty hard on paper to me! Nice job.

[Catrin]

Even better is that I can see the payoff. I've had to change my riding schedule so I don't tweak overuse injuries, but I am becoming leaner and can tell a difference on the bike. I could REALLY tell a difference on the mountain bike when I finally returned to it two weeks ago.

Tonight's workout might mean I don't ride to work tomorrow though - no rest day since Monday and I want to mountain bike Saturday and do a long ride and perhaps a Bosu class Sunday. Tomorrow might need to be the rest day that I should have taken yesterday...

[kiwi rider]

I have been thinking of doing Crossfit. So you really notice a big difference riding. Hmmm I am a beginner road rider. May I ask specifically what the benefits are you see from doing this re riding your bike?
Thanks

[Catrin]

This isn't "Cross Fit" (I think that is a license thing), they call it "metabolic training" at my gym which is a sports and fitness research based university facility. Disclaimers are good They also don't use the somewhat military approach I've heard that crossfit instructors seem to be known for.

Personally, for me, I think the benefit is from good old-fashioned circuit training that has been paying off in unexpected ways (to me). For example, when I first moved to this gym in February, one of my knees was so shot that I really thought that I wouldn't ever really be able to run again without some drastic measure. That's changed, while I don't LIKE to run, apparently I can sprint. That is kind of cool

As far as bike specific improvements, my core is stronger, my upper body is stronger, and I think my glutes are getting stronger as well - all of which translate to being stronger on the bike. My legs were already quite strong. Upon returning to the mountain bike after being off it for 8 months (injury recovery) I found that I was stronger and had more endurance than I expected. I was still road riding during that time period, but not trail riding.

Cross training is important, and there are many different ways to do it I also like to do weights but it is good to mix things up.

[kiwi rider]

Thank you for your feedback. I am glad you are back on the bike!

[Irulan]

I have been thinking of doing Crossfit. So you really notice a big difference riding. Hmmm I am a beginner road rider. May I ask specifically what the benefits are you see from doing this re riding your bike?
Thanks

"Crossfit" is just one trademarked brand of high intensity, multidimensional physical fitness program. There's lots of good stuff out there. Most gyms offer some version of this. The thing about Crossfit is that it appears that the quality of the training really varies from super supportive to super competitive. I do pretty much the same thing, minus the super competitive focus to push for more and bigger, at my gym which is a physical therapy facility. They call it "functional fitness".

here is TE discussion on Crossfit

Benefits - better core, better all over body strength, less prone to injury, more flexibility... and that's just for starters.

Here' what we did in Functional Fitness today
Russian single leg goblet squats
dumbell row/punch
clock lunges @5 o clock
cord squat/chops
slider mountain climbers
row/kickback
stability walkout w/knee tuck
stability ball triple thread ( pelvic lift w/knee tuck)
single leg medicine ball slams
med ball toe touches
med ball v-up with press
push up with shoulder touch (pushup, touch one hand to opposite shoulder, then reverse)
20 of everything ( that's each side, not total.)
then 2 minutes of quadmill.
And THEN after two rounds of that, 20 each of pike, alternate leg pikes, boxer crunches, superman and one min of front and side planks. WHEW.

[Catrin]

Yep, that sounds like what they call "metabolic training" at my gym - similar kind of stuff. After a really hard workout like we had on Thursday, he moderated things quite a bit today. He doesn't do this often but it is fun. We went outside and "played games" but it was quite the workout that featured lots of different things with dynamax balls, a bit of running, pushups, etc. Back to our usual this Thursday. It was nice to be outside, especially since the big broiler in the sky will be kicking in...

[kiwi rider]

WOW...sounds like a great workout! Good for you!

[Irulan]

Cartrin, try bumping up your weights and working to failure.

[Catrin]

Cartrin, try bumping up your weights and working to failure.

I've started working with a new trainer in a small group training environment who told me he is really going to target that part of my body (after a very thorough and unusual fitness assessment). I've already seen some improvement since starting the metabolic/functional fitness style of training a few months back. We are going to redo the assessment in September and shooting for being able to chest press x amount weight by then - goals are good The group training uses the same functional/metabolic style of training, though his classes are more challenging than those I've been taking. I can do them though, and without soreness the next day.

That exercise you linked to looks brutal...errrr...awesome! Another goal to try once I get better at full pushups

[Irulan]

I can do them though, and without soreness the next day.

Now, maybe I am wrong but- I thought that working to failure and a little muscle soreness was food for you, in terms of making gains in strength. Is this wrong? (Wahine?). From what I've seen, if you don't push some you don't make many gains. So the thought is, if you aren't getting sore ever in your upper body, are you doing enough work to make the gains you'd like to see? If I'm wrong here someone set me straight. I come from a long ago body building background, and that's what I remember. (Cory Everson era)

[Catrin]

Now, maybe I am wrong but- I thought that working to failure and a little muscle soreness was food for you, in terms of making gains in strength. Is this wrong? (Wahine?). From what I've seen, if you don't push some you don't make many gains. So the thought is, if you aren't getting sore ever in your upper body, are you doing enough work to make the gains you'd like to see? If I'm wrong here someone set me straight. I come from a long ago body building background, and that's what I remember. (Cory Everson era)

good question, interesting to see if Wahine weighs in. I work in my sessions until my arms won't do it anymore - so I am reaching that point. My new trainer said the general lack of.soreness is a good sign that I am hydrating properly. Now, that being said, my deltoids were sore this morning - our "fun' workout yesterday was wild, fun, but just plain wild!

I've been trying to both ride and do the special Sunday workout, but something must give. Will have to stick to the weekday sessions and just go to the weekend version when the weather is bad.

[Wahine]

Soreness in moderation is a good thing.

Seriously, a little muscle soreness is good. It means you've taken the tissue a little beyond it's current capacity and that is a good way to stimulate growth. You're body will still respond to exercise even if you are not sore, but it might be a bit slower. If your muscles are so sore that you can barely move the next day, the longer recovery required to get over that workout might outweigh the benefits of pushing that hard. So what you want is a soreness that is kind of like a friendly reminder that you did something hard but not so sore that you have to change the way you move or your activity level.

That's the rule of thumb for power muscles, those are your big muscles that are prime movers like your delts, pecs, lats, glutes, quads, hams, calves.

Postural muscles are a different story. That includes the deep muscles of your core. If your deep core muscles get that same type of soreness, good for you. But if not, don't worry about whether or not you're working them enough, you'll still get good gains with consistent work. Those muscles are meant to function at a submaximal level and that's how they are wired to your nervous system. It's very hard to work them at a level that will cause delayed onset muscle soreness because of that hard wiring and it's not really necessary. In fact, if you try to do hard ballistic movements to work them that hard, your body will automatically switch to cheating with the prime movers because that's their job and you might not work those core muscles as much as you would think.

[Catrin]

Soreness in moderation is a good thing.

Seriously, a little muscle soreness is good. It means you've taken the tissue a little beyond it's current capacity and that is a good way to stimulate growth... So what you want is a soreness that is kind of like a friendly reminder that you did something hard but not so sore that you have to change the way you move or your activity level.

That's the rule of thumb for power muscles, those are your big muscles that are prime movers like your delts, pecs, lats, glutes, quads, hams, calves.

Postural muscles are a different story. That includes the deep muscles of your core. If your deep core muscles get that same type of soreness, good for you. But if not, don't worry about whether or not you're working them enough, you'll still get good gains with consistent work......

This makes a lot of sense, thank you. I've a strong lower body, and figure if I can do an almost 5 minute plank that my core has to be pretty strong as well, but strengthening my upper body has been quite the challenge, as mentioned earlier. The two group trainers I work with have quite different styles, so my body should find it difficult to adapt to the differences between them. My deltoids and triceps were sore yesterday, and a little this morning, so something seems to be working

I divide my two weekly group training sessions between them - and the new one emails out a "WOW - workout of the week" for us to do on our own. As the few I've seen so far appears to focus on some intense cardio/lower body work I just might skip this during the height of riding season - or just do it every other week, we shall see. I tend to push myself too hard as it is, especially in mid/late summer.

Wahine, we have done something like your Star of Power, and at one time he had three dynamax balls in motion It was torture and fun at the same time! This Sunday we were doing things like partner foam rolling/stretching, a pushup series, bear crawls and a rather lengthy shoulder series with kettlebells. It was upper body "fun day".