Quiz and Resistance Bands

On Thursday, we took a quiz in Core Training. We read an article and answered questions on the main benefits of core training. After that we did more strength training with the resistance bands.

Running

9/25 I ran about 4.5 miles. I ran down JPA and took the trail back behind OHill. It took me about 38 minutes and aside from my blister, I had no pain.

9/26 I ran about 5.25 miles. I ran down Emmet, up Preston and toward downtown. I ran for about 45 minutes. I felt pretty good except my hips were sore from core training yesterday and I have a blister forming on the arch of my right foot.

Resistance Bands

On Tuesday, we did our core workout with resistance bands. We took on many typical core exercises, like crunches and donkey kicks, but this time we added bands. The bands added more resistance to the moves, making them harder to complete. However, the bands also slowed down the workout so we ended up doing fewer but more controlled exercises. We also ended with a plank rotation and the push-up countdowns which still make me very sore the next day.

Day 7 and 8

Unfortunately, I had to miss both of these classes, because I wasn't feeling well. However, I have just begun running again and am looking forward to some core workouts for next week.

Day 6

Yesterday, we did another core workout using stations. I started off with the push-up station. Then we did several other stations to work our arms, butts, abs etc. It was a good workout and today I feel a bit sore in my shoulders.

Day 5

Yesterday we did core stations as opposed to the traditional core training class. I started off at station 6 which was planks. In this station we did all sorts of variations of the traditional plank. I can tell them I'm improving, but it definitely still tired me. Next we moved to the arms station. Instead of free weights, we took off our sneakers and did arm lifts using those as resistance. Because of the many repetitions, the  weight of the shoe was a good weight. After that we moved to lower abs. The last station we made it to was our butts. This station turned out to be a great workout, since I am still sore today. Between the lunges and the squats, I got a very good workout in. By that station (9) we ran out of time. I'd say it was a successful workout and I hope I am not sore for our next session tomorrow morning.

Day 4

Thursday was a lower abs day. We focused on a mix of plans and variations of the traditional crunch. We also incorporated some superman back exercises and ended the class with the push-up sequence. The push-up sequence has felt very difficult but I am happy to say that it has been getting easier - I'm taking that as a good sign. A day later, my lower abs are a bit sore but overall not bad compared to my soreness after the upper body workout.

Day 3

Today the focus of our core training class was on upper body strength. Most of the work outs involved plank, push-up and free weight variations. Out of all the core groups, I would say that my upper body is in need of the most improvement. When we did our planks, we switched between side, forward, leg raised, and dynamic stances. In the push-up routines, we did many that we have done before, but one new one was the triceps push-up. In this exercise, I put my hands shoulder-with apart below my rips, rested my knees on the ground, and twisted my wrists. I then lowered my body as if to do a normal pushup with bent elbows. This proved very difficult and will definitely be a great workout for improving my triceps strength. Then for the free weights, we did many variations of raising 5lb weights parallel to the floor in sets of ten. Thankfully, we interrupted our upper body routines with a few ab routines which was a much appreciated break. One interesting opportunity I learned today was an alternative to free weights. As we were getting tired in class, Jenna suggested that we instead take off our sneakers and use these in our reps. I imagine that idea will come in handy one of these days when I do not have access to free weights.

(Before class, I had a light breakfast of a banana and peanuts. After class I had a bowl of uncle sam cereal with grapes, kiwi, soy milk and banana.)