Week 15 (4/3-4/9)

Monday:

I'm back at the Body Flow class. I know I've been harping on this point for several different entries but I'm still really concerned about my lack of core strength and flexibility. One of the many reasons my fitness levels have increased at Harbor is due to the wide variety of class offerings.

Although several months ago I would not have considered classes like Body Flow. Now I realize how vital wellness classes are to my overall fitness goals. The class consists of a variety of different movements designed to improve core strength and flexibility. Just was I need!!

Tuesday:

Today is my normal strength day with Mike. Although I don't feel stronger the amount of weight I'm lifting is getting heavier and heavier each week. My workout plan consists of:
-Flat Bench Press
-Hammer Strength Machine Shoulder Presses
-Tricep Pull Downs
-Lat Pull Downs
-Straight Bar Bicep Curls
-Hanging Leg Lifts (straight leg and bent leg)

Wednesday:

I know this sounds geeky but I really looked forward to getting up early for the 30 minute mania class. After taking a week off I was excited to get back at it. Jake had a number of challenging stations and activities for us.

This is my speed work day for running. Today I met the group I'm running with down by the Lakeshore path. After a 1.5 mile warm up we did a pyramid of 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4 at around 85% and then finished with a 1/5 mile cool down.

Thursday:

My favorite workout of the week!! Boxing with Mike. Although Thursdays are one of my most challenging days at work I always look forward to this workout. Mike's goal for me is to complete 2-minute rounds 10 times. I'm still struggling to make it through the different rounds but I'm feeling much stronger. A new component that Mike added to the workout was dodging different punches. It was really hard for me to stay with it but I got progressively better as we moved through the workout. Here's the basic run down of some of the workout:
-Dynamic Warm-up: lunges, sandbag flips,etc.
-Jump Rope for two different intervals
-Rapids Fire jabs at the stable punching bag- two different intervals
-Four punch combinations- two different occasions
-Punch, Kick, and Knee Thrust combinations
-Anything goes(punches, elbows, kicks,etc) while straddling a punching bag

Saturday:

Continuing with the theme of flexibility I got out of bed early on to make the Yoga for Athletes class at the Harbor Wellness Center. Although this is a very challenging class for me I'm always glad that I've gone. I just wish it was a bit later and I could sleep in for longer, oh well!

After the class I had a nice 4 mile run through the Pheasant Branch Conservancy. All in all, a great day. I'm geared up for my long run on Sunday.

Week 14 (3/27-4/2)

Monday:

I’m still experimenting with flexibility classes and because Harbor has such an extensive number of classes I decided to try something new. Aqua Flow was a class that took place from 5:30-6:30 pm in the Warm Water Pool. It was surprisingly difficult. Again, it speaks to how much work I still need to do on my core!! Amber did a great job as the instructor. Although I don’t think it’s for me, it will definitely be something that I will continue to use from time to time.

Tuesday:

I did my normal weekly strength workout with Mike today. It was fairly uneventful.

**Because this was spring break I took the next few days off for the 30 minute mania class and my second session with Mike. I’ll pick back up with more detail next week. **