Last night kicked my butt!
Here is my training plan á la Justin:
1. Stairs
2. Wall Sit
3. Dumbbell Pullover
4. 1 Arm Row
5. Dumbbell Biceps Curl on Ball
6. Dumbbell Bench Press on Ball
7. Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Press
8. Abdominal Crunch Hold on Ball
9. Bows & Toes
I was surprised at how difficult the biceps curls were last night. I had to use extreme focus and determination to complete 40 of them (each arm) and, in the end, I could barely complete Bows & Toes because of arm exhaustion. But I presume Justin would say those are signs of a good workout and that I’m not to go down in the weights.
I’ll use my internal trainer and push myself to keep improving. The cool thing is that I really can feel a difference, even only a week back into it.
Weightiness
Ok, so no pictures of hair color, but I did workout.
Here’s the story:
I started with wall sits and moved on to dumbbell exercises. It seemed like everything had a greater impact on my muscles than normal, but I just attributed that to the lapse in working out. Halfway through my regimen, I was really working hard—I could handle it, but it took a lot of mental power to do so. As I recorded the last of my exercises on my training log, I realized that I had been using the same weights Brian lifts. No wonder my arms were shaking. No wonder I kind of felt like vomiting. I have to say, though, that I felt really good at the end of it all, and felt even better at 3am when I had to wake up this morning.
Justin says I can’t go back now. I think I’m ok with that.
Recap o’ the week
SO SORRY that I have not blogged. Isn’t that rude, saying you’re going to do a daily journal and then lying? Well, please give me another chance and read this recap o’ the week to catch up.
Monday: Walked at a fast pace on the treadmill, but only for 20 minutes. This is the amount of time Justin has designated for me, though, so I guess I shouldn’t beat myself up.
Tuesday: First round of 2-set workouts. Stairs are still the most difficult: did 8 reps, which doesn’t quite add up to the 40 I should be doing. But, dang! It kicks my butt. (Hopefully, it’ll firm it too.)
Wednesday: Skipped my workout! This was due to meandering so much throughout the morning that all my duties and schoolwork stacked up in the evening. Brian came home from Wyoming, so I relaxed with him.
Thursday: 45 minutes on the treadmill! Now, that’s what I call a great workout. I was sweating so much. Gross. : )
So, my plan for tomorrow is to do a short 20 minutes of walking as well as my weights so that I can make up that one lost day.
Did it
One full week of workouts, and I loved it!
Thanks, Justin.
So, the easiest part for me is the treadmill. It’s addictive—and the brainless, escape to another place part of it brings relaxation in a strange way. I mean, my heart is pumping and it’s making me sweat, but I get to zone out or think about great things.
The hardest part is still those dang stairs. It will come as my legs grow in strength. I think I’ll measure my success by how many stair reps I can do.
Shakin’ all over
But it feels good.
(FYI: I wrote this last evening)
The most difficult parts of my workout tonight were the stairs and the dumbell biceps curl on the ball. Oh my goodness… I thought running up and down stairs would be relatively easy, that the bench press or bows & toes would crush me, but that was not so. The stairs were a horrid, burning fiasco that I WILL conquer, but only after my body gets used to this idea of daily exercise.
For now, I’m exhausted.
I do what Justin says
From now on, I do what Justin says. I trust Justin completely, seeing Brian’s results and the way he’s engaged in his health. It’s inspiring.
Besides, it’s not like Justin doesn’t have amazing credentials or astute interpersonal skills.
Justin’s plan for me rotates days of cardio with days of training. I use dumbells, the stairs, an exercise ball, and my own body weight for this process. Today I am on my own for the first time doing these exercises with the weights, so we’ll see if I can remember everything Brian showed me Sunday.
Walking tonight
Brian has a friend in California who is like a brother to him. Justin is a youth minister, an athlete, and has been a personal trainer. So, sweet Justin came up with a physical fitness plan for me to follow over the next 8 weeks. Brian has already been doing this and has seen a transformation take place in his body.
Tonight is my official first day on this plan. He has me walking a simple 15 minutes on the treadmill, and I think he’s starting me off easy because he knows of my horrible ankle injury from 2 years ago. Or he may just know my fitness level is low.
