How’s everyone doing? I’m in a much chipper mood after being in quite a bit of an annoyed funk yesterday. It was just one of those days where you wake up on the wrong side of the bed and then a ton of really irritating things happens all throughout the day.
After dealing with some redonkulous crap to get to the gym, not making it on time to get a spot in BodyPump, seeing a line with 10+ people for cardio machines, I decided to take my annoyance down a notch by going to Target to buy some food and pick up the latest issue of Runner’s World.
Target always makes me happy (sad, I know), so I willed myself to go to the gym to complete at least 2 miles. If I still wasn’t in the mood after that, I could go home. Well, I only got in 2 miles, but at least I did something.
One really good thing about yesterday, however, was my meal from Three Sisters Cafe. I was in a time crunch, so I popped by for the veggie sandwich on wheat and a small cup of their chili.
The perfect meal for a not-so-perfect day.
It’s Been A Long Time
Awhile back, I wrote a post about being ready for a personal trainer. As mentioned, I definitely was not ready to see a personal trainer at the time and didn’t get to see the full benefits of working out with one. After a six month break, I finally have decided to go back…on a much smaller scale of course.
I’ve decided to go once a month or so to get new workout ideas, get correctly measured for inches and body fat, and get some running-specific tips (my trainer is a marathoner). He offered to give me a free session for the new year, so I obviously took him up on it. Turns out, I guess I did change a lot in those six months. Off the top of my head, these are the most obvious changes: depending on the day, I’ve lost between 10-14 lbs, I run and am fully trained for a half marathon, I have some muscle definition, my posture has improved, and I have a happier disposition. He was impressed and proud of me for getting to this point.
Anyway, this post isn’t to brag about myself (but man it feels good to get my accomplishments down in writing!). Rather, I thought I’d share with you the workout I completed today. I told him I want to focus on total-body workouts that especially involve my (very weak) core. Honestly, I don’t know how to quickly describe what he has me do, so hopefully the explanations help. We started out by taking down my measurements before moving on the following. Remember: please consult with a professional before starting something new or don’t blame me.
Warm up: 5 minute jog on the treadmill while we caught up
Strength Workout:
-8 Wide-leg Narrow Tricep Push-ups w/Reach: starting with feet wide and hands touching in push-up position, do a full push-up followed immediately by reaching one arm in front of you while in starting position. Alternate arms after each push-up
-8 One-legged Bent Over Chest Fly: Standing on one leg with the other behind, lean forward with a straight back and perform chest flies with weights (he had me use 8lbs).
-8 Tricep Dips w/Reach: Similar to the push-up, do a standard bench dip, but reach out one of your arms while in starting position, alternating after each rep.
–Static Squat to One-legged Squat w/Floor Touch: Hold a standard squat for 30 seconds, and follow with 8 single leg squats on one leg, touching the floor with each rep while back is straight. Hold another standard squat for 30 seconds, followed by 8 reps on the other leg.
Repeat this circuit 3 times.
Core Workout:
–Nonstop Alternating Planks: Starting in plank position, hold a standard plank for 5 seconds and move immediately to a side plank and hold for 5 seconds. Return to standard plank for 5 seconds before going to the other side for 5 seconds. Repeat this until you have completed 8 planks on each side.
Repeat the plank sequence 3 times.
WOW…what a doozy! Each of the strength moves he had me do also engaged my core so that I was constantly having to use my entire body. I felt challenged in a way I haven’t since I first took a BodyPump class. I’ll definitely be adding some of these into my workouts and will continue to post after each session so that you can pretend you have a trainer, too. Just remember to keep good form. Oh, and I also did a 3 mile run afterwards with some speed intervals.
Time to chillax over here, so have a great night!
Fit on the Rocks 
Nice work out! I know, I have a love-hate relationship with Target too! Glad your day was better today, hope you have a great night!
That sounds like a great workout! I certainly need to work on my core, so you’ve given me some great ideas!
Man! You must have a busy gym. Ours was swamped today too! Mondays & Tuesdays are the WORST in our gym. congrats on the accomplishments!! that’s a lot to gain in 6 months!!! i’d be so proud!
Wow – your accomplishments over just 6 months are amazing!! Way to go! I’ve never gone to a personal trainer but it seems like it would be worth it to get some new ideas on how to keep improving.
Oh, and Target always makes me happy too 🙂
Way to get to the gym yesterday despite all the obstacles. It’s better than nothing! I think that’s great that you’re able to see so much progress from a trainer. I’m excited to hear more about it!
Thanks, Jessica! Actually, all of that was without my trainer. I was lazy when I was seeing him before and only worked out during my sessions with him. I realized I was wasting money and needed to make changes on my own first. Here I go with round 2, and hopefully see better results this time around 🙂
Brag all you want! You’ve worked hard!! It’s good to have a trainer when you have the eating down right! I had one for 3 months and didn’t lose a lb cause I was still eating shitty! Good luck and let’s make that run happen!
Congratulations on all of your accomplishments. Man, your session sounds brutal. I probably would have started crying. LOL
Sounds like you had an awesome work out, definitely worth bragging about! And this post makes me want a personal trainer! Someone to keep it interesting, hold me accountable and say good things about me when I happen to rock it!
It’s definitely nice to see one when you’ve got a base level of fitness and want to up your game. They’ll make you feel like you’ve never worked out in your entire life until that session.
way to go on your 6 month update! it’s nice to see where you started and how far you’ve come, huh? keeps ya motivated! i think i may hit up a trainer in a few months too – someone to tell me how best to get some lean muscle back!
What a great workout! I am weak in my core area too and I have been slacking off on working out. Got to start working out my core again!
Also, congrats on your accomplishment! That is such an improvement. You should be so proud. 🙂
Good job !! Keep going =)
That workout looks intense! Congrats on all your accomplishments! You’re not bragging, I can see why you’d be very proud of yourself!
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