My Workout Week

Wonder what I do for my workouts? Here is a breakdown of a week in my workouts, complete with sets and reps!

Monday

Warm Up

20 jumping jacks

20 high knees

20 standing side crunches

10 burpees

Workout - 4 Sets

12 stability ball cross crunches (each side) holding a 20 lb weight

10 V ups

30 sec side plank (each side)

12 stability ball reverse hypers

10 flutter kicks (each leg)

Rest 1 min

Cool Down

A few quick stretches and a protein shake

1.5 hr roller derby practice

Tuesday

1.5 hr roller derby practice

Wednesday

Warm Up

20 jumping jacks

20 high knees

20 butt kicks

12 push ups

Workout - 3 Sets

10 squats holding a 20 lb dumbbells in each hand

10 lunges holding a 20 lb dumbbells in each hand

10 single leg calf raises (each side) holding a 20 lb dumbbell on the same side as the leg being worked

12 clam shells (each side) with a 15 lbs resistance band around my legs

10 hip adductions (each side) with a 30 lb resistance tube

Rest 1 min

Cool Down

A few quick stretches and a protein shake

Thursday

1.5 hr roller derby practice

Friday

Rest day

Saturday

Warm Up

20 jumping jacks

20 high knees

20 butt kicks

10 Burpees

Workout - 3 Sets

12 push ups (from toes)

8 lateral arm raises holding a 8 lb dumbbell in each hand

12 tricep dips from a bench

10 front arm raises holding a 20 lb dumbbell

8 assisted chin ups

Cool Down

A few quick stretches and a protein shake

Sunday

Warm Up - around half a football field

Run

Side shuffle

Backwards run

Grapevine

Grapevine

Run

Side shuffle

Backwards run

Agility Run- 3 Sets

Start facing sides, sprint 5 yards to your left, turn around and sprint 10 yards, turn around and sprint 5 yards back your starting place
Rest 1 min
Repeat heading in the other direction

Plyometrics - 3 Sets

10 hops forward, backwards, right, and left

10 single leg hops (each leg) forward, backwards, right, and left
8 tuck jumps

8 continuous long jumps

Cool Down

Jog around the entire football field

That is a week in my workout! I have a few different core, leg, upper body, and agility workouts I rotate through to ensure a full body workout and to keep things interesting! My husband and I also add in one or two outdoor skating sessions in the summer time.

The Importance of Warm Up

Earlier this summer, a close friend of mine organized a Gutsy Walk. Gutsy Walks take place across Canada, and are a fundraiser for Crohn’s and Colitis (check it out here http://www.gutsywalk.ca/Home.aspx). She asked me to help lead the warm-up for this 5 km walk, and I of course agreed! Now take a moment to think, when was the last time you warmed up for a walk, a jog, or even weight lifting? Now I’m not talking about doing a few arm circles, cracking your neck, and starting your workout. I’m talking about a good 5 to 10 minute warm up. If you don’t warm up for your workouts, it’s time to start. Warming up helps you reduce injury, “wake up” your muscles, and mentally prepare.

Reducing injury is the reason most people know to warm up. But how does it work? Warming up increases your body temperature. At a higher body temperature, your muscles can contract and relax faster, which reduces the chance of injury. You might argue that your body will warm up as you do the workout. Let’s use an extreme example to show the importance of warming up. Imagine that you want to sprint right now. You stand up and just sprint as fast as you can. Does that sound appealing to you? I cringe at the idea and can feel my hamstrings instantly giving out. Now imagine you had a good warm up, you are already breathing a bit heavy and sweat is starting to form on your body. Now you sprint! That scenario sounds much better right? The importance of the warm up is to gradually increase your body temperature. The gradual increase of your heart rate will also reduce the chance of exercise-induced cardiac abnormalities. So warming up will help reduce heart and muscle injuries!

Next, warming up will also “wake up” your muscles. Before a workout you want to prepare your muscles for the activity and movement that will be involved. The gradual heart rate increase has more benefits than just injury prevention; it also increases blood flow to your muscles. Why is this good?  Blood brings oxygen and nutrients to your muscles, which is used to create energy. By doing a proper warm up, you are ensuring your muscles are getting all the nutrients they need for your workout. Additionally, your warm up should incorporate movements that you will be doing in your actual workout. This will prepare your muscles for the proper movement, and increase your flexibility range during your workout. Use your warm up to make sure your muscles are ready to perform for you when you need them most.

Finally, use your warm up for some mental preparation. I know I've sluggishly started a workout before, not really feeling it but still committing to the workout.  Taking the time to do a proper warm up will help you focus your mind to the task at hand. While going through your warm up, take time to think about each movement you are making, mentally connect with your body. Take some time to think and visualise your workout for the day. Your mind should be just as warmed up as your body for your workout.

By taking time to warm up and mentally prepare, you will reduce chances of injury and increase your performance during your workout. Do a good 5 to 10 minute warm up that focuses on the range of motion you will be doing during the workout. Check out the reference links below for some warm up ideas.

References

http://www.24hourfitness.com/resources/fitness/articles/warm_up.html

http://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/the-real-reason-you-should-warm-up

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek32.htm

https://runnersconnect.net/running-training-articles/common-misconceptions-about-warm-ups/

My Shoulder Injury

Just a little under a week ago, June 4th, I was doing some 100m sprint runs as part of my athletic power training. I went out with the goal of doing 6 to 10 runs, taking about a 3 minute rest between each run. I had just completed my 6th run and was definitely feeling it, this was the first time I had done sprint runs, so I wasn’t surprised. As I rested for my 3 minutes I thought “I’ll do one more, just push myself to get in 7 runs.” Seemed reasonable, I was huffing and puffing, but my time for each run was only 1 or 2 seconds off, so I figured I could get one more in. Well, it turns out I was wrong! Right at the end of my 7th sprint a sharp pain shot through my right arm. The pain almost immediately subsided, but arm felt weak for some time after. So I stopped my sprints and took it easy for the rest of the day.

The next day my arm was feeling better, didn’t feel weak at all! However… certain positions and usage of my right arm caused that pain to quickly shoot into my arm again. I did my own Google search, as one does, and figured I probably pinched a nerve in my shoulder. A personal Google search is obviously not the best way to get diagnosed, and I don’t recommend people do that. However, it’s a nice way to get a bit of a base before seeing a professional. I luckily already had a physio appointment booked for later that week, so I just waited it out until then.

The physio appointment was 4 days away, and I didn’t want to just sit around and get lazy. I knew what kind of motion caused the pain, anything where my arm was pulled back, so I had a good starting point! I did some lower body and some core workouts that didn’t put any stress on my arm. I also did some low impact cardio, aerobics really, that didn’t require me to swing my arms aggressively.

Adding in the lower body, core, and aerobics has held me over for a bit, but I’m feeling a bit imbalanced with the loss of my upper body workouts. Luckily I have seen a professional and been diagnosed with the cause; I strained my rotator cuff. Another lucky thing for me is it seems to be quite minor. I have a full range of motion, and only specific actions will cause pain. Armed with this knowledge I can add some upper body workouts to my routine that don’t aggravate my rotator cuff. Also, as a good precaution to my health, if I don’t have any improvements in 1 month, I will make an appointment with my Doctor!

Check out this article for some exercise ideas to strengthen your rotator cuff!
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark71.htm