This past week of workouts ended up being a week that I really needed. While I have been working toward getting back to where I’ve been in all aspects of my workout, I know that my rowing has been the hardest thing for me. It’s the one thing that I had no option to do while working out at home. I did lifting weights and I did cardio, but rowing can’t be replicated without a rowing machine as much as you try. So it’s been hard to get back to my rowing. But this past week really gave me the chance to do a lot of great rowing work.
Monday’s workout was at my usual time since I had to work holiday hours on Monday. But I do appreciate having a routine so keeping my workout the same is something I probably would have done no matter what. The workout was a mix of endurance, strength, and power and a lot of it allowed us to choose what we wanted to do.
For cardio, we had 3 different options. I’ll give the distances for the treadmill since that’s the easiest to break down. The first option was to do a 1.5-mile run. The second option was to do 2 rounds of a .75-mile run with a minute of recovery between the rounds. And the third option was 5 rounds of a .3-mile run with 30 seconds of recovery between each round. I was finally starting to almost feel like myself again, so I decided to try to challenge myself and do the long distance at once. I ended up not being able to do that, and I didn’t exactly follow any of the plans because I did a little bit of longer distance mixed with some shorter ones. But I always tried to keep my breaks about 30 seconds long (enough time for me to drink some water).
On the rower, we also had 3 options. The first was a 2000-meter row with 50 squat jacks and 50 pulsing half squats after. The second was 2 rounds of a 1000-meter row with 25 of each type of squat after each round. And the last option was 5 rounds of a 400-meter row with 10 of each type of squat after each round. I went with the 400-meter rows since I knew that I couldn’t handle the higher number of squats at one time. But I was able to do every row without taking a break, so I was very happy with that.
On the floor, we had increasing reps of squats, bridge rows on the straps, step-ups (which I did as lunges), push-ups, plank jacks, and sit-ups. We started at 5 reps for each exercise and went up by 5 reps each round. I did have to modify the push-ups and plank jacks to be using the bench, but that’s pretty normal for me to have to do.
Wednesday’s workout was an endurance day, and it was a pretty tough endurance workout. But I took advantage of that to challenge myself a bit and I had some great wins during the workout.
For cardio, we had rounds of push paces with base paces. We had 2 rounds with 3-minute push paces to start with a 90-second base after the first one and a 1-minute base after the second. Then we had 2 rounds of 2-minute push paces with a 1-minute base after the first and a 30-second all-out after the second. For the push paces, I did increase my resistance on the bike a bit to try to get used to that level. I’m hoping I will be increasing my base pace level soon and using it for a push pace is a way to get there. The push paces were hard since they were so long, but I was very happy with how I did with my speed and how far I had gotten by the end of the block.
On the rower, we had rows plus exercises. And the rows were all about cutting the distance in half. We started with an 800-meter row, then a 400-meter row, and a 200-meter row. Between each of those rows, we had forward and back hops. Then we had a 400-meter row, 200-meter row, and 100-meter row with squats between each row. Since being back after the shutdown, having endurance on the rower has been one of my biggest challenges. But I managed to row the 800-meter row without taking a break! I was actually able to row all the rows I did without a break (I only got to the second 400-meter one). That’s something I’ve been hoping I’d be able to do and I was so happy to see that I could do it. I still have a way to go with getting my rowing endurance back, but this was a big step forward.
And on the floor, we had 1 block with 2 mini-blocks in it. The first mini-block had bench tap squats, goblet squats, and scissor crunches. And the second mini-block had sumo squats, squats to upward rotations, and sit-ups. I was pretty exhausted after the rowing block, so I was slow on the floor. We had 3 rounds of the first mini-block before moving on to the second, and I only got 1 round of the second mini-block before the workout was done.
Friday’s workout was a mix of endurance, strength, and power and I had another great rowing day. I was already feeling great about myself after Wednesday’s workout, but I think having another chance to prove myself was what I needed to know that it wasn’t just a fluke.
For cardio, we had 2 similar blocks. We started with some push paces and base bases with no incline and then we had rounds of all-outs with increasing inclines/resistance levels. The all-outs were always 30-seconds long, but when we were at some of the top levels it was very hard to keep going. I felt like I was pedaling through jello, but I kept going. And it was good they were only 30-seconds each because I don’t know how much longer I could have kept going.
On the rower, we started with an 800-meter row. And just like on Wednesday, my goal was to do the entire thing without stopping. I worked on breaking down how much further I had to go to keep myself motivated, and it worked because I was able to do the entire thing again with no breaks. After the row, we had jumping jacks (which I modified so I wasn’t jumping) and then 2 rounds of a 400-meter row with squats between the rows. The 400-meter rows were also without breaks for me, but it was hard to do that when I was so tired after the 800-meter row.
And on the floor, we had 2 blocks. The first block had hip hinge swings, squats to hammer curls, reverse grip low rows, and plank jacks. We started at 20 reps each and the reps went down by 5 each round. And the second block had deadlifts to upright rows, squats to high rows on the straps, and plank jacks to pop jacks. For the plank jacks and pop jacks in both blocks, I did my usual modification by using the bench.
And if all that awesome rowing wasn’t enough, I had an even harder challenge in the Saturday workout. The workout was an endurance day and the idea was that you kept moving the entire block in each section of the room.
Cardio and rowing were on the same timer for the entire time. Both started with a 3-minute push followed by a 90-second base. Then it was a 2 1/2-minute push with a 75-second base. Next was a 2-minute push and 1-minute base. The last push section was a 90-second push with a 45-second base. And then we ended with a 30-second all-out.
For cardio, I did pretty great with this challenge. I had my resistance level up 1 higher than I have been using a lot so that was a good way to push myself. And I am pretty good and not taking breaks on the bike except when I need to drink some water. I can’t do a 14-minute block without drinking a little water and I’m not coordinated or talented enough to drink water without stopping.
And on the rower, I knew I would need to take a break eventually. Even though we can row very slow for a base row, I can’t row for 14 minutes straight. But I wanted to at least make it to 800-meters on the rower (even though I didn’t know if that would happen during a push or base row). Once I made it to 800-meters, I decided to keep going and push myself to get to 1000-meters. And I did make it and then took a little break to get my feet out of the rower to stretch (my hips can be a bit sore on the rower) and to drink some water. I took a few other short breaks after that first one, but I’m just proud I made it to 1000-meters without stopping!
And on the floor, we had 2 groups of exercises and the challenge was to do each group of exercises without stopping. The first group had weighted squats, bicep curls, front squats, uppercuts, deadlifts, and hip hinge low rows. And the second group of exercises had static crunches with scissor kicks, heel touches, and bicycle crunches. For the weighted exercises, I had to go a bit lower on the weight so I didn’t have to switch weights in the middle of things. And for the core work, I did modify them a bit. But I was able to do each section without stopping and only took my breaks between the sections.
I had no idea this past week was going to be a week full of great rowing accomplishments for me, but I needed it. I have been down on myself for a while about how my rowing endurance hasn’t been close to what I was used to. And while I’m still not back to my old self, this past week was a real sign that I’m getting closer to being back there and that hopefully, it won’t be long before I’m getting some new PRs!
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