Workout A consisted of 7 main exercises and then a final matrix of squats and lunges ... my legs were shaking by the end of it.
Again, upon first glance the workout doesn't seem tough. Three sets of six for only seven exercises? No sweat ... how wrong was I?!
After some dynamic stretching, I started with a 1 km warm-up. I'm still aiming to run a complete km. It shouldn't be difficult. It's not difficult, but I just can't seem to run ... yet. I will get there. Today I just threw in 2 30-second jogs and completed the km in 9.57 minutes. I'm going to keep my warm-up the same for my weight training days.
Then I moved on to the weights. My right arm was still a bit shaky from Friday's Body Pump class, but overall I think I did well. As with any new routine it took me a bit of time to get each pose right and determine which weight to use. In the end, it was all fine -- really good, in fact. Can't wait to see how workout B turns out.
The matrix of squats and lunges at the end was quite challenging. Again, at first glance you'd think, 48 squats and 24 lunges (per leg) was nothing -- but half of each exercise involved jumping in between reps ... that definitely took it up a notch! I totally understand why they recommended a rest period that was double the time it took to actually complete the set!
So, the final numbers for Workout A1 in Phase 3 of NROL4W look like this:
| | Feb. 12, 2012 |
| One-armed dumbbell snatch | 7 kg |
| Dumbbell single-leg Romanian deadlift | 8 kg |
| Barbell bent-over row | 25 kg |
| Dumbbell single-arm overhead squat | 4 kg+8kg |
| Dumbbell incline bench press | 8 kg |
| Plank (90 sec) | bw |
| Reverse wood chop | 8 kg |
Overall, it was really enjoyable. I don't see any problem with getting back into this routine.
Today was a pure cardio day - I worked out on the cross-trainer for an hour (7.67 km/671 calories), followed by half an hour on the treadmill (2.7 km/182 calories). My legs were really wobbly by the time I got on the treadmill. I didn't have any particular goal in mind -- I just wanted to walk for half an hour. I thought I'd change things up and walk on an incline (which I don't do nearly often enough). I kept it low, only at 2% ... but I hope to improve my stamina and endurance as the days go by.
I was hoping to have had time to restart my physiotherapy for my knee ... but it just didn't happen. I need to make it a priority from now on.
So far this week has started out great ... Looking forward to Workout B and Zumba tomorrow!!
I really do need to get this book - I'm terrified to try any of these exercises and stick to the weight machines at my gym, but I think you're getting a far better workout.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the physio for your knee. From experience, it can make a huge difference.