Shoulders and Cyclng

I worked out my shoulders this morning and decided to keep it really light after last week's injury.  I also stayed seated for my dumbbell raises and all went well this morning.  I think my shoulders don't look as tight as they typically do, so I REALLY need to lose some weight.  HA HA.  I also worked my lower back and lower abs this morning.

For lunch, I hope to get a decent bike ride in.  I did wake up this morning where I felt yesterday's run more than I did yesterday, so I don't know how my legs will hold up.  I'll still push it as much as I can just to get some good training in. 

Just a Morning Run

I was torn this morning as to what I wanted to do for a workout.  I was invited to go out for lunch, so I only had one for today so it was between working out my legs or running.  I haven't ran yet this week, and I won't have any time to do so except this morning, so I opted to do that.  I know I also want to or need to train my legs, but based on my current goals, a run would be more suitable as well.

I ran about 5.8 miles in 50 minutes with a 3 minute cool down totaling over 6 miles in the end.  It was at a faster average pace than I've been doing, so it seems like I'm making some improvements despite only running once a week.  I wonder if I'll be feeling it later on.  Oh well.

Catching Up Again

I haven't blogged since Thursday, but that doesn't mean I haven't exercised.  It just means I've been too lazy to write what I've been doing. 

On Thursday, I wasn't able to ride since I still had problems with my mid-back that made it uncomfortable to move certain ways and even to breathe.   Instead, I did get some cardio by getting on the spin bike and taking it easy. 

On Friday, I woke up like I was going to the gym and would have worked my arms.  However, I could still feel the tightness on my back where  I didn't want to chance aggravating it more.  Instead, I went back to bed.  I did spin again on Friday and by that time, I felt better than when I spun on Thursday so I kicked it up a little more.

On Saturday, it was our crazy ride and all I can say about it was that was the worse cramping I ever had.  I definitely could have prepared better for it, but I knew having been on a Met-Rx diet for the last two weeks wasn't going to fare well for me.  Oh well, I still had "fun."

Sunday, I rested and didn't do a thing.

Yesterday, I woke up early like I was going to the gym, but I decided I was going to skip cardio to recover more from Saturday.  I could have done cardio, but I thought I'd rest a little and back in bed I went.  I did work chest at lunch yesterday, and I decided I'd go heavy just because I wanted to see where I was strength wise.  I managed to put up 325 lbs. on the bench after hitting 315 just before.  I think if I went straight from 275, I may have been able to hit 335.  Maybe I'll find out next week. 

Today, I got in and got my back worked out.  Unlike yesterday where I did mostly progressive resistance sets, I went back to pyramid sets but did do some heavy back.  I don't really know why I'm doing this because it never helps my cycling, but I think it keeps the weight training interesting for me.  Maybe I'll go back to straight light sets again someday when I'm motivated to do well at a race.

For lunch today, it'll be a ride with the guys.  I'll train on my Cervelo since I plan to use that next month at the Pasadena Gran Fondo.  I will use my carbon wheels to train on, but I'll likely go back to my Eastons for the actual event. 

Resting, Back, Getting Hurt, and We'll See

I rested yesterday since I was feeling tired from the training on Monday and Tuesday.  Plus, it was my birthday where I just wanted to recover.  My calves were feeling a little worked from my Monday run, which caused a major cramp on my Tuesday ride, so I thought I'd actually give my legs a break.  I didn't even do weights.  Wow.

I did make it in to the gym this morning, and my plan was to stay light.  I felt good from the rest and was going to try to get a lot of reps in to get a good work out.  On my 3rd exercise, front dumbbell raises, I was on my 2nd set when all of a sudden I felt something where I had to put the weights down.  I couldn't localize where exactly, but all I know is I couldn't breathe.  Now that my adrenalin is back down, I think a muscle in my mid-back got a little strained.  I tried to resume the exercise, but couldn't so I only finished up with one more exercise and a lower ab set. 

I'm sitting here writing this wondering if I'll be able to make it in to work today.  If I am, I also wonder if I'll be able to ride at lunch.  I'm going to have to make these assessments after trying to roll out my back and seeing if that helps.  Oh I hope it does.

Weekend Overtraining, Yesterday and Today

Overtraining can be defined a couple ways:  training to the point where one doesn't give muscles or the body enough time to rest to recover OR training beyond what the body can supply in the form of fuel.  On Saturday, I pretty much experienced both.  After training every day last week with both cardio and weights, I thought I'd be able to do a ride to my sister's house on Saturday since it was only 60 miles away.  I did opt to take a hillier route, and I probably should have pulled back some earlier, but I was being dumb.  On top of the training, I've been on low carbs the whole week including the Friday night before, so by the time I was in the canyons, I felt like I was completely out of fuel.  The honey gels helped but after more climbing, I bonked on the trails parallel to the 91.  I made it to a gas station there just as I noticed my front tire was flat, so after having a Pepsi and fixing my flat, I was ready to finish the remaining 11 miles.  Admittedly, I had called Lisa to pick me up there since I felt so flat, but I changed my mind and pushed on.  By the time I arrived at my sister's house though, Lisa said I looked like I had no color.  My ears also wouldn't stop popping for a couple hours, which after doing some research on the Internet says I had just way overdone it.

I was going to ride my bike down to San Diego on Sunday but my above experience was enough to knock some sense into me.  I ended up driving down with Lisa, but I did go bodyboarding.  I did eat more this day though, so I didn't feel too depleted.

Yesterday, I worked my chest in the morning and ran 6 miles later in the afternoon, which means the training has resumed.  I also ate pretty good, so I guess I'm back to normal.  Going into this weekend, however, I will pull back on Friday and get some rest in preparation for a big ride on Saturday.

Today, I trained my back and got my core training in.  I was going to follow my mode of throwing in a heavy set in each of the exercises performed, but I went back to just light and fast with lots of reps.  I should know better that working heavy will mean more responsiveness to the intensit, which my muscles may respond to more in the form of growth.  That will just mean my cycling will suffer as it had the year before. 

I do hope to get a ride in at lunch today after being off the bike for the last 2 days, so I'm hoping I do okay at lunch.  My legs are feeling a little tired from yesterday's run, but I'll suck it up and do what I can. 

Diet Progress, Motivation, Yesterday and Today's Training

What a week!  It's Friday and I feel good about making it through this week after having restarted my diet where my carbs were fairly low with only my oatmeal in the morning (which I skipped on Monday) being my source of starchy carbs.  I've had other carbs, but mostly fibrous or simple carbs (i.e. sugars). 

I spiked my motivation again to stay on my diet by stepping on the scale a couple days ago.  I've been avoiding it because for a while to regain some strength for some of the rides I was preparing for since my performance had been horrible.  My performance did improve as a result since I did start eating again (even started drinking again), but it came at the expense of additional weight.  I'm now hovering around 154-155, so I need to get back on track and try to get back to 150 and then push on from there to see where I can get.  The problem is, I've also been training a little heavier again, so I can't really say the weight I'm gaining is bad weight.  However, ANY weight I gain regardless of whether it's fat or muscle is just more to carry up the hills.  Oh the dilemma. 

Yesterday, I rode in the morning and did think about my weight to motivate me to push as hard as I could.  It worked, but I was seriously turned inside out as a result.  I could feel the lack of carbs midway through the ride, but I pushed on anyway.  I hadn't felt that inside out for a while, and I'm sure the lack of carbs was probably the biggest factor.  Okay, so running, cycling, spinning and the leg training I did earlier in the week probably contributed to it also.  Aha. 

I also got in a shoulder workout yesterday during lunch, and it was okay.  I was still feeling a little unsettled from the morning, so that kept me from being able to crank up the intensity but it was good enough.  I also got in an ab workout.

For this morning, I got to train my arms and finally included my triceps again.  I've been saving my triceps for my riding since they get worked when I climb off the seat but on the drop.  I didn't get to do too many exercises, but good enough.  I did do some heavier weights following my MO for the week, but it did make me wonder why I'm doing this when it can potentially promote growth and slow me down on the bike again.  Oh the dilemma.

For lunch, I don't know what I want to do yet, but I know training would make me feel good.  My legs feel good so I may jump on the spin bike, I may run, or I may do the elliptical.  I have a weekend with a lot of activities planned, so I may need to pull back some and get some rest...or not.  We'll see.

Leg Day and Lunch Cardio

It's been a while since I did weights with legs, so I wasn't going to go too crazy today.  Plus, my legs were a little tired from my run on Monday and yesterday's ride.  I did calf extensions, leg presses, leg extensions, and seated leg curls today.  For each exercise except leg extensions, I did a high rep light set, 1-2 heavy sets, and returned back to a lighter high rep set.  Since I did leg extensions, I was going up for my 2nd heavy set and I felt a little tension below my weight belt where I decided to call it a day.  Not sure what that was, but I didn't think it was worth it to get hurt.   It felt better after I walked it off.

For today's cardio, I think I'll try and jump in the spin class if one is held.  Optionally, I'm considering spinning on my own, doing elliptical or maybe get a light run in.  I suppose I'll choose last minute depending on how I feel later...or shall I say how my legs feel later. 

Diet, Back Day and Lunch Ride

I was pretty good on my diet yesterday and had minimal carbs and a good amount of protein.  I was suppose to have Met-Rx 4x but I only had 3 since Lisa made me some hand rolls with celery and crab meat instead (no rice).  As a snack last night, I ate red peppers and hummus and when I got hungry again, I ate some sugar snap peas.  This is my popcorn substitute.  Aha.

I woke up and my lower back wasn't as tight as it has been, which was surprising considering my 6.7 mile run yesterday on the treadmill.  I got a back workout today with 4 different exercises followed by some ab work.  I am bumping up the resistance significantly at least for one set of each exercise for more strength training now that I don't have any big climbing rides in store.  It also makes the workout more interesting for me.

For today's lunch ride, I'm hoping for something a little more flat, so maybe we'll ride up to Portola and back.  My legs feel pretty good, so I think it should be a good ride.  

Catching Up, Ride Analysis, and Today

It's been almost a week since I last blog, so what have I done since.

Wednesday, I rode in the morning with a couple guys and did a 28 miler.  At lunch time, I worked my shoulders at the gym.  Both were good workouts.

Thursday, I ended up staying in bed in the morning to start resting and then worked biceps at work along with a half hour of elliptical during lunch.

Friday, I did absolutely no exercises and had lunch with Lisa at work instead.  Noah and I had Carribean food as my pre-ride meal, but since my red snapper didn't come with a lot of carbs, I picked up a couple apple fritters after.  Totally unorthodox diet, but what can you expect when you hang with Noah?

For Saturday, I did the Ride around the Bear ride and had a pretty good outing.  It wasn't the fastest, but I got to do it pretty much at the pace I wanted to.  It's fun to ride with the guys, but I was totally happy just getting some hill climbing in on my own.  I passed a ton of people, got passed by a no more than a handful of people (no women or grey hairs - woo hoo) and finished the ride half hour sooner than in the past.  Granted it was a little lonely at times (especially during that dreadful climb up to Onyx), but I didn't have any cramps, my legs felt fine after, and I didn't have any problems with not having enough food.  I did it with less than 5 bottles of electrolytes, 1 package of shot bloks, 1 waffle, and 3 gels.  Not bad during the 6.5 hours of elapsed time.

I rested yesterday, although again, my legs were fine where I actually thought it would be nice to go for a bike ride with the family.  Instead, I lounged around just to give my lower back a rest.  It's been bugging me even before yesterday's ride, especially in the morning, so I thought I'd just keep off my feet as much as I can.

Today, I worked out my chest and will be resetting my diet in preparation for a trip I have planned for next month.  I was also working a little harder at the gym today and will probably mix it up with some heavier weights for a little while to change it up and stimulate the muscles differently.  I was sweating after, which made it quite apparent that I forgot to use deodorant this morning.  HA HA

For lunch today, I think I'm suppose to eat with the guys, but I'll be eating very light if I do.  I plan on going back to a mostly Met-Rx meal as much as my body can tolerate since my immediate goals are more aesthetic than performance, so we'll see how that works out for me.  I will try and get a run in today and if not at lunch, I'll do so after work just to keep this type of training up.

Morning Battle, Back Workout and Lunch Ride

Every morning is a battle to get up to go to the gym, but thankfully, most of the battles are won where I make it in vs. going back to sleep.  I probably could use a little more rest leading up to this weekend, but I think I should be able to do that toward the latter part of this week.  I always feel better when I get my workout done, and I get to through my day with less guilt from anything I may have indulged in the night before. 

I got in and got my back worked out with 4 different exercises, but only managed to work my abs after since the lower back machine I like to use was taken.  Like yesterday, I threw in a couple heavy sets within the exercises I performed just to keep it interesting.  I also focused on speed during my exercises concentrating on going from the top to the bottom of the movement as fast as I could.  It was a good one.

For lunch today, I plan to ride with the guys and continue to test out my Cervelo.  Since the chain dropped twice on me on Sunday, I really need to make sure it no longer happens.  Juan adjusted it again yesterday, so I'm hoping it will be good to go for this Saturday.  We'll see.

Slow Out of the Gates, Chest Day and Lunch Cardio

After yesterday's ride, it was quite difficult to get up and going this morning.  My lower back felt a little tight and my legs fatigue where some extra sleep could have done the body good.  However, Lisa made some barbecue ribs last night where I definitely indulged.  Thus, this morning's motivation for my workout was pure and simple guilt.  It worked.

I got in and worked my chest managing to get all of my five exercises in:  3 different chest presses and 2 different cable crossovers.  I also managed to work my lower back and abs as well.  Good enough.

For lunch today, I probably will do a light spin but I am contemplating the elliptical just to change things up.  I want to keep it fairly low intensity-wise just so my legs can recover from the weekend and be ready for this Saturday. 

Almost More Cycling, Shoulders and Run

I was really torn between whether I wanted to commute to work on my bike today or work out.  If I had ridden my bike, I was still going to run at lunch as well and thought that that may be too much.  In one way though, I thought it would be a good way to prepare for all the work I'll be doing next week for the ride up Bear.  In the end, I decided against it and managed to go ahead and workout instead. 

For this morning, I did do my shoulders and got 4 exercises in plus a couple core exercises too.  I kept it very light today and just banged out the high rep sets as fast as I could.  I almost did more weights during my shoulder press as a final set just to change it up, but I was wiped after so many reps.  I did push through after feeling like I couldn't go anymore and forced myself to do a 2-3 more reps...that hurt!

For lunch today, I plan to do a 6+ mile run since I need to stay on top of this training.  I'll be running alone, so I plan on just zoning out and getting it done.  I would only have ran 4.5 if I rode my bike, so the additional 1.5-2 miles will be for the additional calories I want to burn today.  That should get me ready for the weekend.