Emissary2Ornj's PR tracker

[Emissary2Ornj]

I've been keeping track of my workouts on a spreadsheet and over at Fitocracy. I thought Fitocracy was overkill, but I like seeing those points roll up every time I log activity.  My plan for my DBL is to keep track of my PRs for individual exercises here. This may not be updated every time I do a workout. 

 

Brief history: I started lurking around NF forums in the fall (2012) and tried out the Beginner's Bodyweight Workout for about 6 or 8 weeks. I really liked it, and the changes I was feeling in my body. My general goal is to be the strongest, fastest, healthiest Emissary I can be. I was athletically inclined as a kid so it feels great to have upped my activity level again. Squats are a strength; push ups are a weakness. I'm currently 7 workouts into the Rebel Fitness Guide's Level 1 Rookie section, so my PRs are of the exercises contained therein. I expect to branch out as I gain confidence and master the movements. I hope to keep challenging myself as I move through each level.

Okay, enough. Exercises w/posted weights are done using Bodylastics resistance bands. Notes interspersed throughout.

Baseline (numbers are per set; I'll only post # of sets if I do more than 2):

Legs:

Bodyweight squats: 20

 

Lunges (walking or back): 10 each leg

Step ups: 10 each leg

Straight-leg deadlift: 15 @ 8lbs (I'm short. 5'2" short. I have a hard time getting my bands to accomodate that. I'm going to try good mornings with the bands. I will report.)

 

Push:

Incline push ups (hip height): 15

Overhead press: 15 @ 8lbs

 

Pull:

Lat pull-downs: 15@ 8lbs

One arm row: 15 @ 16lbs

 

Total body/core:

Hip raises: 10

Plank: 20 seconds

Bird dog: 8 each side

 

Current:

Legs:

Squats: 15 (I know, I've regressed. The Fitness Guide has you starting out at 15 per set and I forgot that I had been doing 20 w/the BBW. Now I know what to do next time!)

Straight-leg deadlift: 15 @ 16lbs

 

Push:

Incline push ups (mid-thigh height): 15 (I'm slowly lowering them; sometimes this depends on available equipment. Usually I'm working out in a playground/park setting.)

Overhead press: 15 @ 11lbs (Wow, I'm wobbly!)

 

 

Pull:

Lat pull-downs: 15@ 16lbs

Let me ups: 10
Upright resistance band 2-arm row: 15 @ 26lbs

 

Total body/core:

Plank: 85 seconds (this one makes me excited!)

More updates as numbers increase!

[Emissary2Ornj]

Today's workout:

Total body/core:

Plank: 50 seconds

 

I actually may have 60 seconds on the first plank I did today - I didn't hear my timer right away. Not recording it, though! Also forgot to add squats in. Maybe I should change them to a more difficult kind instead of adding reps? *runs off to research Bulgarian squats*

[Emissary2Ornj]

Current:
Legs:
Squats: 20 (3 sets)
Good mornings: 15 @ 22lbs of resistance (3 sets)
 

Push:

Incline push ups (mid-thigh height): 15 
 
Pull:
Lat pull-downs: 15@ 26lbs (3 sets)
 
Total body/core:
Plank: 50 seconds (this one makes me excited!)
Bird dogs: 15 each side

 

Intervals:

Warm up x 4 minutes

Run x 30 seconds

Walk x 3min 30 seconds

repeat x 4

Cool down/stretch

 

I started these baby intervals a couple weeks ago in preparation for leveling up in the Rebel Fitness Guide. I've mentioned elsewhere my propensity to shin splints. So far I've felt a little tightness but no pain during exercise in my lower legs. However, my lower back and hips are a bit jacked after 1 1/2 weeks so I've backed off. Also I've done something to my right hamstring or deep glute (or the sciatica's flaring up, not sure) so I'm watching that and not overloading it. To deal, I'm postponing my next workout till Saturday. This week's been tough but I'm still in the battle.

[Emissary2Ornj]

Calorie/Carb log for 2nd challenge

 

Monday 3/4
Calories: 1,206

Carbs: 130g

 

Tuesday 3/5

Calories: 2,059

Carbs: 241g

 

Wednesday 3/6

Calories: 2,008

Carbs: 362g

 

Thursday 3/7
Calories: 1,592

Carbs: 166g

 

Friday 3/8

Calories: 1835

Carbs: 208g

[Emissary2Ornj]

So this challenge (# 4 for me) I'm doing Beginner Bodyweight Exercises 3 x a week and making sure I accomplish more than the last time I worked out. I'm testing exercises as I go - my lower back is still touchy. Not sure how far I'll be able to take the squats, for instance, and hip thrusts are out for right now. I can still get a great workout in, though. Here's how week 1 has gone.

 

Monday: 

45 jumping jacks, 55 seconds of plank position, 30 10-lb one-arm dumbbell rows (each side), 30 waist-high incline pushups, 30 bodyweight squats, & 30 bodyweight back lunges. Felt like jelly after!

 

Wednesday:

60 JJs, 75 secs of PP, 45 8-lb 1arm DB rows, 30 hip-high IPs, 45 BW squats, 30 BLs. Woot! (Oops, slacked off on the weight of the dumbbell rows. D'oh.) Definite DOMS going on, but it felt good to work through it. 

 

Friday:

95 JJS, 70 secs of PP, 45 8-lb DB rows, 30 hip-high IPs, 45 BW squats, 31 BLs. Really watching the squats w/my back. May back off on them a bit (fewer reps per set?) and max out the lunges. Also, probably won't be adding lower pushups for a while. Elbows like to complain (not muscles - joints, I mean.) It doesn't look like much progress on paper from Wednesday to Friday, but it's MORE. It counts. 

 

Wow! It looks so cool to see it on paper! And I had that great, shaky, I've-just-done-something-hard feeling after every workout. Bam! Onward to next week!

[Emissary2Ornj]

Monday's workout: in a community playground, mid-afternoon, weather warm and humid but breezy. 

 

Thoughts: a family came in when I was 1/3 of the way into it, kept going anyway - bam! Also, I hate mulch and ants while in the plank position.

 

Numbers: 105 JJs, 91 secs of PP, 45 16-lb 1-arm band rows, 30 BW squats, 30 hip-high IPs, 40 BLs. 

Reaction: Being outside and not in the shade made the workout harder for sure. Was definitely sweating. I really prefer to work out in the morning... I'll add another set of jumping jacks and an arm workout Wednesday. Maybe another lunge set? Just to keep the legs working harder every time.

 

Wednesday:

150 JJs, 105 secs of PP, 45 13-lb standing resistance band rows, 30 BW squats, 57 hip-high IPs, 45 BLs. Bam!

 

Wow. It's so cool seeing the numbers go up! I did an extra set each of JJs and incline push ups today. I chose an empty shelter to work out under so it was cement instead of mulch (better) and scattered bird droppings instead of ants. Yuck. Also, I thought I was gonna be all bad and crank the band resistance up to 26lbs (I really want to go after pull ups in a bad way). Then I did two-arm rows instead of using one arm!    Duh. I make me laugh!

 

Friday:

150 JJs, 115 secs of PP, 15 inverted bodyweight rows, 45 BW squats, 60 hip-high IPs, 45 BLs. 

 

The lunges were really hard today- what's up w/that? Also - the inverted rows? Just the next step toward doing pullups. 

[Emissary2Ornj]

Monday: Did not do a bodyweight circuit workout beeeecaaaaaause..... I went KAYAKING!!! not the exciting, white water kind, but the slow river kind - for two hours which is still a great arm/shoulder/back workout. (It counted as 1,000 points on Fitocracy; isn't that rad?!) 

 

Tuesday:

Just had a great workout! I'm outside logging it now - eating breakfast, too. (Wait, isn't that against my intake goal for this challenge? Oops.)

 

It's interesting all the things that go through my mind when I'm walking to my workout spot... sometimes my body is this little kid dragging his heels and tugging to get his hand out of Mom's grip, whining "Do I have to?" Anyway, numbers:

 

135 JJs, 195 secs of PP, 60 52-lb 1-arm band rows, 40 BW squats, 57 mid-thi​gh high IPs, 60 BLs. Also: 1st time to do 4 full circuits!!!

 

Um. *is sheepish* I may have forgotten that I already had 26 pounds worth of bands set up when I doubled them over to do my 1-arm rows. That's why the big jump. Can't be a bad thing, right? 

 

Thursday:

135 JJs, 230 secs of PP, 30 inverted BW rows, 60 BW squats, 47 IPs (can't remember height), 60 BLs

 

Saturday:

165 JJs, 250 secs of PP, 36 inverted BW rows, 60 BW squats, 60 hip height IPs, 76 BLs. 

[Emissary2Ornj]

This week, I just started eating smoothies for breakfast. Out of curiosity, I want to figure out the macros in them and keep the data here. I won't be counting calories or anything, just want to see how satisfied/full I feel after each breakfast, if there's an increase in muscle definition, and if eating a meal like this for breakfast impacts what I eat the rest of the day. 

 

First, some ballpark (and totally inexpert calculations based on this awesome post here) daily macronutrient goals, given a 1,650 calorie/day requirement:

 

Protein: 136-170g/day

Fat: 54-136g/day

Carbs: 150g/day

 

Today's smoothie (a typical one for me):

Protein: 40g

Fats: 22g

Carbs: 17.9g

 

1 day of macro totals:

Cals: 1529

Protein: 76g

Fat: 80g

Carbs: 134g

 

Another day, so far:

Cals: 900

Protein: 73g

Fat: 45g

Carbs: 52g

[Emissary2Ornj]

Wow. So my plan was to do 4 circuits again today, adding an extra set of jumping jacks and an arm or leg set. However, I sat down as soon as I finished the 4th circuit, got mad at myself for sitting down, got back up after about 15 seconds, and killed a whole 5th circuit!!! Good grief. I better be sore after this!

 

Monday:

165 JJs, 386 secs of PP, 50 inverted BW rows, 77 BW squats, 76 hip high IPs, 77 BLs

 

Bam.

 

Wednesday:

For various reasons (don't wanna get bored, it's time to add weight, need to do MOAR!) I changed my workout up today. Instead of circuits I did each exercise by itself w/60 seconds of rest between each set. This made for fewer total reps done but man, my arms and upper legs are jelly! (Also, adding weight really upped the points earned on Fitocracy, cool) Here's the damage done:

 

15 JJs, 144 secs of PP, 39 inverted BW rows, 45 8-13lb resistance band squats, 72 hip high IPs, 60 8-13lb resistance band BLs

 

Thoughts:

Prolly won't be tracking JJs anymore if I continue to do them only in my warm up.

 

Also - I actually tracked my plank times with a stopwatch today. Decided the first rep to just go for it and see how long I could hold it. According to the in-my-head counting I usually do, I've made it to 90 seconds. The stopwatch said I held for 84 seconds today. And I was awfully wobbly the last 10. Um. *is sheepish* *tries to defend self but just sounds whiny* I honestly do try to keep my counting slow when I'm doing it on my own. Maybe it was a factor of not doing circuits? Anyway - I have been doing more each time, whether they were seconds or third-seconds. *sigh* Going to be using the stopwatch a lot more, I see. I don't cut corners. 

 

Hope to add more weight Friday on the lunges at least. Still figuring out my form for the squats. 

 

Those inverted rows are hard! Love them. Glad to be sore. 

 

Um. I did a workout Friday. Just didn't post the numbers. It's on Fitocracy, though.... 

[Emissary2Ornj]

Monday:

Glad to be back on track after a slow weekend. No playground today so I couldn't do my beloved Let Me Ups. Still did 813 points worth fo Fitocracy work - enough to level up!

 

135 JJs, 180 secs of PP, 60 21-lb standing resistance band rows, 60 13-lb RB squats, 70 waist-high IPs, 60 13-lb RB rear lunges. 

 

Wednesday:

Oof-dah! I have got to get out there earlier. Walked to the park around 8 this morning and it already felt about 85degF. The last circuit was ugly, wobbly, a killer - whatever you wanna call it. Adding RBs to my squats and lunges is a cool thing though my elbows are feeling it. Need to start taping them, I think. Here 't is:

 

135 JJs, 170 secs of PP, 34 LMUs, 60 5 and 18-lb RB squats, 60 waist-high IPs, 60 18-lb RB rear lunges

 

There were a couple different factors playing into my lackluster performance today, I believe: the heat/humidity zapped me (work out earlier!) and I went to bed hungry last night (eat more protein/fat for supper!). Goals for Friday: lower my incline pushups more and add more weight to my lunges. Keep form-checking my squats.

 

Friday:

My head was just not in the game today. Felt pretty apathetic, in fact. At least my body was present. Rt knee's bothering me so I KT taped it overnight and through the work out. A little extra support felt good. Lower back is feeling the banded squats, too so I dropped the weight on them again. Felt much better. I've learned I can't force that lumbar-sacral area too much if I want to keep working out. Numbers:

 

140 JJs, 190 secs of PP, 35 LMUs, 60 8-lb RB squats, 68 mid-thigh high IPs, 60 21-lb RB rear lunges

 

I'm getting the feeling I need to change it up. Not sure if I need to settle w/what I'm doing - 'cause I'm getting awesome workouts in every time - or if I do need to switch out of circuits and into sets and reps w/rests in between. I also need to go read Steve's fitness guide where he talks about taking a week off every now and then. I might be due for one of those...