Tag Archives: fitness

After what felt like a million weeks of tough or painful workout weeks, I finally had a week where I felt really great. It wasn’t all perfect, but honestly, it was so much better than the last few weeks. And when I did have pain issues, it was mainly my fault because I had been working out so hard.

Monday’s workout was a good and challenging one. We had 2 blocks for each section of the room and the first block was about 11 minutes long and the second block was only 2 1/2 minutes long.

For cardio, the long block was all about working with inclines. We had rounds of 2 minutes at inclines with 1 minute recovering without incline. During the incline work, we did a lower incline for the first minute and increased it by 1 for the second minute. And we just kept working up the inclines each time we got back to them. I did get higher with the resistance levels than I normally do, but they weren’t super high compared to some of the workouts we’ve had. And in the shorter block, we had 30-second intervals with all-outs and recoveries. Those weren’t with an incline, so I was able to get much faster on the bike than I had gotten in the first block.

On the rower, the first block was all about 400-meter rows. We had a row and then we had rainbows with a medicine ball. Then we had another row followed by halos with a medicine ball. We went back and forth for the entire block and we were supposed to try to get the row to be a push row. And in the second block, we were timed with cardio and did the all-outs with recoveries after.

On the floor, the first block had exercises and we had a range of reps that we were supposed to get to. We had single-arm low rows with weights, push-ups, and step-ups (which I did as lunges). And for the last block, we were timed with the rest of the room and did kneeling hammer curls and static planks. I tried to go heavy with my weights since we had a range of reps to do, but I think I’m almost between the weights we have options for because one was too easy and the other was too hard. But I know I’ll get there.

Wednesday’s workout was a benchmark day. We had the 200-meter row, which I feel like I haven’t done as a benchmark in a long time. I think pretty much all of my PRs are from before the pandemic, and I know I’m still working back to what I was able to do then. So I went into this workout just hoping I would be able to be close to my PR.

I started with cardio and it was a pretty simple workout since we were supposed to save our energy for the benchmark. We had 3 blocks that were 4-minutes long. In the first 2 blocks, it was a distance challenge and we were told to do something close to a push pace. In the last block, we did the distance challenge for the first 3 1/2-minutes and then had an all-out for the last 30-seconds. I kept the resistance level on the bike at my push level for the blocks, but I didn’t pedal as fast as I probably could have.

On the rower, the first block was to prepare us for the benchmark. We had rounds of a 200-meter row with squats after each row. We were supposed to focus on form and make sure we were warmed up for the benchmark. The second block was the benchmark, and I was pretty disappointed in myself. I felt like I just couldn’t get into a good rhythm and I did a lot worse than I should have. So I was grateful when we were given another chance in the last block to do the benchmark again. I did it and I took almost 2 seconds off of my time (which is a lot for a short benchmark). I’m still not back to my PR, but I’m 1 1/2 seconds off which isn’t that bad!

On the floor, we also had 3 blocks. The first block had low rows on the straps, tricep extensions on the straps, and plank punches. The second block had sumo squats to upright rows and pull-ups on the straps (which I did as high rows). And the last block had single-arm shoulder presses and single-arm low rows with weights. And for the last 30-seconds, we had squats to finish out the workout.

I was surprised at how ready I was for Thursday’s workout. I was afraid I would be tired or sore from the benchmark, but I lucked out. It turned out that I needed that energy and enthusiasm for the workout because this one was a tough one in the best way!

For cardio, we had 2 blocks. The first block was timed on our own. We had different distances to go and as the distances went down we were supposed to increase our speed. So the first distance was supposed to be between a base and push pace. The second distance was supposed to be at a push pace. The third was between a push pace and all-out. And I did set the resistance levels on the bike to match those guidelines. Between each distance we were supposed to do, we had step out squats and lunges, which were a bit harder for me to do. The second block was timed by our coach and we had rounds of 30-second all-outs and 45-second walking recoveries.

The floor and the rower were timed together for all 3 blocks. And all of the blocks had intervals that were 30-seconds and 45-seconds. For the first 2 blocks on the rower, we had push rows for 30-seconds and base rows for 45-seconds. The stroke rates were on the lower end so we were supposed to make sure we kept the rate below a specific number. And in the last block, we had 30-second all-out rows and then 45-seconds to do 10 lunges, and then we had the rest of the time to recover.

On the floor, we had 30-seconds of an exercise and then in the 45-second intervals we had a specific number of an exercise to do and then we got to use the rest of the time to rest. The first block had sumo deadlifts and hand-release push-ups. The second block had goblet squats and plank side reaches. And the last block had burpees and plank jacks. All of the blocks felt like they were never-ending, but the floor was crazy tough! But I really enjoyed it and felt like I was able to really push myself for the first time in a while.

While I wasn’t sore after my benchmark workout, I think I overdid it a bit on Thursday because I was sore for Friday’s workout. It was mainly tightness in my hips, which can mean so many different things for me. I do think it was due to the workout and not something more serious because I was getting some relief as I stretched when I could during and after the workout. Being sore did affect the workout a bit for me, but it wasn’t as bad as what other pain has done to me.

For cardio, we had 3 blocks and they were all focused on doing all-outs. The first block had 4 rounds of a 30-second all-out with increasing walking recoveries between each one. The second block had 3 rounds of a 45-second all-out with 45-second recoveries in between. And the last block had 2 rounds of a 1-minute all-out with 1-minute recoveries in between. For the first two blocks, I was fine with doing my normal resistance level for my all-outs. I was struggling a little, but it was a good struggle and what we should have to deal with during an all-out. But for the 1-minute all-outs, I really noticed it hurting me more so I decreased the resistance level on the bike to make sure I didn’t push myself a dangerous amount.

On the rower, we had 1 long block. We started with a 3-minute row and we were supposed to keep our stroke rate below 28 strokes per minute. This wasn’t too hard for me since that’s basically what I normally row at. After the row, we had tricep extensions and lunges with a front press with a medicine ball. I modified things so I didn’t do the lunges since my hips were so sore and I just did the front press. But I did use a heavier medicine ball than I normally would to make up for that. After the exercises, we had a 90-second row and a 45-second row with the exercises in between each one. And for the last minute of the block, we had a 1-minute all-out row along with the treadmills.

And on the floor, we also had 1 long block with 3 mini-blocks in it. We were supposed to do each mini-block twice before moving on to the next one. We had leg lifts with the straps and lateral lunges, squats to y-raises and hip hinge reverse fly, and plank blast-offs and suitcase squats. I didn’t finish the second round of the last mini-block before we got to the last minute of class where we were supposed to do a minute of push-ups to knee tucks. I tried doing those but I really was hurting and my hips were really stiff so I just did push-ups and then held a plank once I couldn’t do any more push-ups.

Even with the few struggles I had during this past week, I really had one of the better weeks I’ve had in a while for my workouts. I needed this. I’ve had enough struggles lately and needed a week where I didn’t have to do so much to work around my limitations. I know I’ll have another bad workout week soon when I have to deal with nausea, but I’m glad I got a break from that feeling. And hopefully, the way I feel after this past week will help me get through the harder weeks I might have soon.

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Because I knew during this past week of workouts I should be pretty much done moving stuff from my house to the condo, I assumed it would be a good week. For the most part I was right, but of course, life always has plot twists.

Monday’s workout was one that I did not do in the beginning half of the month. Just like I have felt for a lot of this month, I was a bit sore from doing some moving things, but at least I was feeling better than I had the week before.

For cardio, we had one long block. We started with a 3 1/2-minute push pace and then had a 1-minute base pace. We then had a 3-minute and 2 1/2-minute push paces with 1-minute base paces after each. And we ended with a 1-minute push pace and a 1-minute all-out. The longer push paces were tough, especially with only 1-minute base paces after. So I had to be a bit more mindful of how I was feeling during the push paces to make sure I could get back to my base and not need to rest or do what is usually my recovery speed on the bike.

On the rower, we had 2 blocks. For the first block, we had rounds of 300-meter rows with squat jacks after each row. We weren’t supposed to reset the rower while working and we noted our distance at the end of the block. In the second block, we did our rows times with the treadmill with a 2 1/2-minute push, 1-minute base, 1-minute push, and 1-minute all-out. And the goal was to beat the distance from the first block in the second block. We also were supposed to focus on strength rows and keep the stroke rate between 22 and 24 for the entire time.

And on the floor, we really only had 1 block but we had a 2-minute finisher at the end. In the block, we had lateral step-ups (I did lunges instead), roll-outs on the straps, single-arm low rows with weights, and plank step-outs. And for the finisher, we had 1 minute of bicycle crunches and 1 minute of holding a plank. I was pretty shakey during the plank, but I tried to just keep adjusting between being on my toes and knees so I could at least maintain some sort of a plank for the entire minute.

Wednesday’s workout was another new one for me. And it was a really tough day. I was recovering from food poisoning (or whatever else I had) so I was pretty weak and I know I was dehydrated. But I wanted to go and try to do whatever I could do because that would be better than doing nothing. But I was frustrated with how I was feeling because I really was hoping that this would be a good week for me.

For cardio, we had an interesting workout. It started with a 3-minute push pace and a 30-second all-out. Then we had 3 minutes of recovering and going back to a base pace before another 30-second all-out. We repeated that pattern with the 3 minutes to recover and get to a base pace before an all-out for a total of 3 times. Those 3 minutes were both recovery and base, which I don’t think we have ever done before. So we really had to focus on how long we would recover since we weren’t told when to be back at a base pace. I tried to keep my recovery time to about a minute each time and then really try to be at a base pace. I know I didn’t always do that because of feeling weak, but I at least tried.

On the rower, we had a 14-minute row. Honestly, this was brutal for me. I think this would be difficult no matter how I was feeling, but this day it was even worse. I knew I couldn’t row the entire time, so I just rowed and rested when I needed to. I know that I didn’t do great and my end distance was much lower than it should have been. But I also know that I didn’t give up and I was really trying.

And on the floor, we had one long block that has 2 parts to it. The first part was only done once. We had low rows on the straps, tricep extensions on the straps, and single-leg airplanes (which are similar to single-leg deadlifts so I did them while balancing on the wall). After doing those once, we moved on to the rest of the workout. For the rest of the time except for the last 30-seconds, we had alternative hip hinge rows with weights, overhead tricep extensions with weights, and deadlifts. We were supposed to go heavy with the weights and I did go heavy for my rows and deadlifts. They weren’t the heaviest I’ve ever used for those exercises, but they were heavier than what I normally use. And for the last 30 seconds, we had a v-up hold. That was really tough for me with my hips, but I kept my knees bent which does help. And when I fell out of the hold I just got back into it.

By Thursday, I was still feeling a bit weak and I know I was dehydrated but I was doing better than I was on Wednesday. And it’s a good thing I was doing better because this workout was a benchmark challenge day. It was the 12-minute distance challenge, which I’ve done a few times before. I still haven’t gotten back to my pre-pandemic PR, but I have been getting closer. I knew that because of how I felt I wouldn’t be getting a PR, but I just wanted to see what I would be able to do.

Since it was a 3 group class and the challenge was 12 minutes long, the challenge took up almost the entire block. We did start with a 1-minute warm-up and 1-minute recovery before we all reset the machines to start the challenge. I kept my resistance level at my base pace level and tried to do intervals with pedaling faster for a bit and then going a bit slower to recovery. I did need to take some breaks to drink water, but I really didn’t take that many. And when we were done, I actually tied my distance from my last attempt which was much better than I expected!

On the rower, we started with a 400-meter row and did lunges after that. We continued to alternate between rowing and lunges but we decreased the row by 50 meters each time. The row wasn’t supposed to be too hard since people who started on the rower would be doing the row before the benchmark, and I was glad that it wasn’t too hard so I could feel like I could do it.

And the floor was also a bit easier since 2 groups in the class would do it before the benchmark. We had one long block with 3 mini-blocks of 2 exercises each in it. We did each mini-block 2 times before moving to the next one. We had mini-band walkouts and squats to leg lifts, lunges to plank walkouts, and step downs and toe taps. For the step downs, I was able to lower the bench so I could try to do them instead of doing a different exercise. I still went really slow and had to take time to find my balance, but I’m glad I went for it.

Friday’s workout was a repeat class I had done in the first half of the month. I will say, I do like this format with repeating workouts so I can compare how I did a few weeks ago to now. I might not have a ton of improvement, but I do notice where things are better for me or where I was able to push myself a bit more. And this class had an extra bonus. One of the coaches that I have known since almost when I started at Orangetheory but who I hadn’t seen in years was taking class! It was so awesome to get to see him again and I was so happy to have a little random mini-reunion!

For this workout, we had 2 blocks for cardio with hill intervals. Everything except the all-outs were 1-minute long. For each block we had 3 rounds of a 1-minute hill and then 1-minute with no incline but they were all at base pace. And the hill/resistance level increased each time. But the first block was a slightly higher hill so the second block was a little easier. And after 3 rounds of the intervals, we had a 30-second all-out at the end. The hills were mostly at resistance levels that are higher than what I usually use, but since I’ve had to do that a lot recently, it was a bit easier. It’s still really tough, but I can see how I might need to increase the levels I use soon.

On the rower, we had one long block. We started with 2 rounds of a 400-meter row with lateral hops and high knees after each row. Then we had an 800-meter row, which ended up being the last thing that I got to do in the block. I was feeling a lot better and I think I’m almost fully recovered, but my rowing is always the part of the workout where I feel I have the most setbacks and hardest time getting back to where I was.

And on the floor, we had 2 blocks. The first block had push-ups, squats, bicep curls, and pull-ups on the straps (which I did as high and low rows on the straps). And the second block had chest presses and squat jumps (which I did as squats with calf raises). I did my push-ups as reverse push-ups so I made sure my chest touched the floor, which makes them harder. And I did try to go heavy with the weights for my chest press.

I’ve now done a full month with my workouts being on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday becuase of my move; and I think I’m going to stick with this for a bit longer. There is a week coming up where I will have to adjust things based on my schedule, but I am liking having all my workouts done during the week and not feeling like I’m using up so much of my Saturdays with a later workout. If the workout was a little earlier (or I didn’t work on Saturdays), maybe I would feel different. I know I was going back and forth with doing all weekday workouts and I’m glad I was almost forced into it for this month so I could really see how I feel about them.

And hopefully this coming week will have even less pain during my workouts and I can really feel like it’s a normal workout week again.

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This past week of workouts was tough for me because I was dealing with pain and nausea for several workouts plus I was dealing with extra pain because of all the work I’m doing with moving. Since it’s been over 12 years since I moved last, I think I forgot how exhausting it can be and how physically draining it is. But I also know I’m in better shape now than I was 12 years ago, so at least that’s an advantage I have. But it still added to the difficulty of my workouts during the week.

Monday’s workout was not too crazy, but after moving super heavy boxes over the weekend (and still having some bruises from doing that), it was a bit harder for me than it needed to be. But I was also worried I was also going to be nauseous and wasn’t, so that was something positive for me to focus on.

For cardio, we had rounds of a push pace to a base pace. But the base pace was supposed to be at an incline. And the incline it was supposed to be at would be the equivalent of my push pace resistance level on the bike. So for the entire block, I kept the bike at my push pace resistance level but tried to go faster during the push pace segments. We started at 30-seconds for the push and base pace and it went up by 15 seconds each round until we got to 75-seconds and then we went down by 15 seconds each round. And we ended with a 30-second all-out and I really tried to go a lot faster for that but I was pretty tired at the end of the block.

On the rower, we worked on 200-meter rows and 100-meter rows, but the bigger focus was on what we could do with 100-meter rows. We had 3 rounds of the 200-meter row with squats in-between each row. Then we had 3 rounds of a 100-meter row with rest between each one. And the goal was to rest enough to do a real all-out row for each of the 100-meter rows. We repeated that pattern for the entire block. I did pretty well for my 100-meter rows. They weren’t PRs, but they were a lot faster than I normally would be able to go.

And on the floor, we had 1 long block but it was split into 2 mini-blocks. And within each mini-block, we were not supposed to rest between exercises since they were designed to do back to back. We did each mini-block 3 times before moving to the other one. The first mini-block had chest presses with weights and push-ups and the second mini-block had squats and lunges. I did go pretty heavy for my chest presses and squats, especially since my Monday coach was the one who helped me move the heavy boxes and he had joked that he knew that I could do heavier in my workouts after seeing what I could do when moving boxes. And the last 30-seconds of the floor was a finisher move of an isolated push-up hold, which really tired out my arms!

Wednesday’s workout was a signature workout: Inferno. However, this signature workout isn’t exactly the same when you are in a 3 group class so it might have been a little easier than the 2 group class. But I didn’t mind it being easier because I was starting to feel nauseous. I wasn’t feeling that horrible, but it definitely affected my workouts.

For cardio, we had 2 blocks. The first block had push paces that ranged from 30-seconds to 1-minute and we always had a 30-second base pace after each push. And it ended with a 30-second all-out. And the second block had push paces that were always 1-minute and the base paces ranged from 30-seconds to 75-seconds and it ended with a 1-minute all-out.

On the rower, I really ended up modifying the workout to work for me and how I was feeling. We were supposed to start with a 100-meter row and then do 20 side-to-side hops before going back on the rower. And each time we got onto the rower, we were supposed to increase the row by 100-meters. But I knew I couldn’t do the hops and getting on and off the rower was going to take up a lot of my time. So I just tried to row for the entire block as much as I could. I did have to take breaks to rest and let the nausea pass, but I tried to keep rowing even if I had to go really slowly.

And on the floor, we had 2 blocks. The first block focused on push movements and the second block focused on pull movements. The first block had chest presses on the straps, chest flies with weights, and overhead tricep extensions. And the second block had low rows on the straps, hip hinge reverse flies, and hammer curls. And the last minute of the workout was supposed to be a minute of full burpees. I used the bench for my hands, but I wasn’t able to do the push-ups for the full burpees and did regular ones instead.

On Thursday, I was feeling a bit worse than Wednesday, but I also was dealing with some other body aches. I tried to take some painkillers before class, but because my workouts are so early they don’t usually get to kick in until toward the end of class. This workout seemed to have a bit more strength-based elements in it, but it was still a mix of endurance, strength, and power.

For cardio, we had 2 blocks that had the same pattern. We had 3 rounds of 1-minute intervals of a base pace at an incline and a base pace without an incline with a 30-second all-out at the end. The first block had higher inclines and the resistance level on the bike was always above what I use for my all-outs. In the second block, they were a bit lower so I was around my all-out level for all the intervals plus during my all-out.

On the rower, we had one long block. We started with a 400-meter row and the goal was to do it as a base or push row so you wouldn’t be totally exhausted when it was done. Then we were supposed to do lateral hops and high knees before doing an 800-meter row. Because of how I was feeling, I knew I couldn’t do the lateral hops so I just doubled up on marching in place instead of high knees. We also had 2-minutes during the workout that we were supposed to do just the exercises and not row. During that, I alternated doing squats and marching in place. And we ended with a 30-second all-out row.

And on the floor, we also had 2 blocks. The first block had push-ups, squats to bicep curls, and pull-ups on the straps. I did high and low rows on the straps instead of the pull-ups, but I was able to do the push-ups on the ground instead of using the bench. And the second block had chest presses and squat jumps. And I did the squat jumps as squats to calf raises. And when cardio and rowing had their all-out, we had a finisher exercise. We were supposed to do isolated squat jacks which I modified to still have the isolated squat but did steps to the sides instead.

Friday was the hardest day of the week for me. I was in a lot of pain and had a lot of nausea, but I also did a lot of crazy stuff for the move on Thursday night that I was still feeling. So I was trying my best and just did what I could.

For cardio, it was a power focus. We had 2 blocks that were very similar. We started with a 1-minute push pace and then had rounds of all-outs and walking recoveries. In the first block, all the all-outs were 1-minute, and in the second block, they were all 30-seconds. And the walking recoveries started at 30-seconds and then went to 45-seconds and 1-minute so we had more recovery time as we worked through the block. I was able to do pretty decently with the all-outs, but I know I wasn’t pedaling as fast as I would have liked. But I was happy that I didn’t have to take as many breaks as I was worried I would need to.

For the rower, we focused on strength rows which means that you want to row slowly and not race through each distance. The goal was to not go higher than 24 strokes per minute, which for me isn’t too slow. But it’s still a challenge to make sure you don’t start rowing faster. In the first block, we had 300-meter rows and then did rainbows with a medicine ball between each row. And in the second block, we had 200-meter rows with front presses with a medicine ball between each row. Since these were strength rows, I didn’t have to worry about pushing through too much during the rows. I was supposed to go slowly, so I did. I did need a few breaks to let the nausea pass, but it wasn’t as bad as I know it can get.

And on the floor, we also had 2 blocks. All the exercises on the floor were with weights. The first block had halos, scaptions, and good mornings. And the second block had uppercuts, tricep kickbacks, and goblet squats. I know I didn’t go that heavy with the weights, but I tried to go heavier for almost all the exercises and my body just couldn’t do it. But at least I tried.

With all the things working against me, I’m happy with the work that I was able to do. And this week, it’s going to be interesting. As I write this post, I’m not sure when I will start sleeping (and showering) at my new place. But I will likely be switching to living at the condo more than my current place at some point this week. So that will change my routine a little bit with the workouts. It won’t change too much since I’m not moving that far away, but it will be a little different because I will either have to drive on a road that has more traffic or deal with waiting at an intersection for a bit longer because I will be crossing the light rail path. It’s not a huge difference, but when the drive is currently only 5-10 minutes, adding 3-4 minutes does make a difference. But I’m still excited to move and get into my new routine for my commute to my workouts!

And hopefully, this week won’t be too stressful or too bad with pain and nausea. But I know that there’s a good chance it will be tougher than this past week.

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I was back to my 4 workouts this past week. I wasn’t doing my regular schedule because I needed my Saturday to be free after work, but I was able to add in a workout on Thursday morning. As I’ve said before, there are some pros and cons to doing all weekday workouts before work. I still don’t know if I’d want to change that to be my regular schedule, but I do like having it as an option when I need it to be. And this month I might need to do that more often since I will probably want as much time on Saturdays as possible to pack and move (and I wouldn’t be doing that on Thursday mornings when I would work out).

Monday’s workout was an endurance day. I was coming off a longer break than I’m used to from my workouts since my last workout was the Thursday before. But sometimes a long break is good because I might be more rested and recovered to do a tough workout.

Cardio was 2 blocks and they were basically the same work. The first block started with a 2-minute push pace. Then we had a 1-minute base pace, 90-second push pace, 45-second base pace, and ended with a 1-minute all-out. The second block had the same intervals as the first but in the opposite order. So we started with a 1-minute push pace and ended with a 2-minute distance challenge (we never have an all-out that is longer than a minute). The goal was to go further in the second block than in the first, and I was just barely able to do that, but I got it done.

Rowing was also 2 blocks that were very similar. We had a 500-meter, 300-meter, and 150-meter row in each block. In the first block, we had medicine ball power jacks between each row, which I did as squats to overhead presses. And in the second block, we had front jacks with the medicine ball, which I did as squats to front presses.

On the floor, we had 2 blocks and the idea was to do all the exercises in the block using the same weights and not taking a break between exercises. The first block had incline chest flys, close grip chest presses, and seated rows. And the second block had uppercuts, shoulder presses, and hip hinge high rows. After doing each set of exercises, we were supposed to do either front and back hops or lateral hops. I did marching in place instead but even with that modification, it made the floor work so tough!

Wednesday was a power day and it really felt like a power day with all the short intervals and lower reps. We had 3 blocks for each section of the workout and they were all 4 minutes long.

For cardio, the first block had a 75-second push pace, 30-second base pace, 75-second run/all-out, 30-second recovery, and 30-second all-out. In the second block, the 75-second intervals were all 60-seconds and the 30-second base pace and recovery were 45-seconds. And in the last block, the 75-second intervals were 45-seconds and the base pace and recovery were 60-seconds. But for all the blocks, we ended with a 30-second all-out.

On the rower, it seemed like we had more exercises than rowing. We had rounds of medicine ball power jacks (which I did as squats to overhead presses) and static squat bicep curls before we got onto the rower and rowed until the treadmills were in their recovery. The rowers did the same recovery and then did the all-out with cardio. I was always on the rower for only a bit of time before we had a recovery, so I was able to go pretty hard for it. And since I hadn’t done much rowing, doing the 30-second all-outs went really well for me too.

And on the floor, we had 2 exercises for each of the blocks. We had reverse grip single-arm low rows and skater lunges, single-arm swings and high rows on the straps, and single-leg deadlifts (which I did as regular deadlifts) and plank low rows. I really felt like I worked harder in this workout than I had in a while, so I was exhausted when the class was done, but it was a good exhaustion.

Thursday was a mix of endurance, strength, and power and I, unfortunately, didn’t sleep well the night before so I was having a bit of a bad hip day so I knew I might need to make a lot of modifications. But I think I did better than I thought I could do.

For cardio, we had 2 blocks. The first block was more of a strength block with 1-minute base paces at inclines followed by base paces without inclines and a 30-second all-out at the end. I was using the resistance levels on the bike, but I wasn’t pedaling as fast as I probably would have if I was feeling ok. And the second block was more of a power block with rounds of a 30-second push pace, 30-second all-out, and 1-minute of recovery.

On the rower, we had 1 block. We started with a 30-second row and then we had bicep curls and rainbows with a medicine ball. The bicep curls were supposed to be in a squat and the rainbows were supposed to be balanced on one leg. But for both exercises, I did them just standing. Then we had a 60-second row followed by the exercises and a 90-second row followed by the exercises. After completing that, we started back at the 30-second row. I made it to the 60-second row for the second time when the rowing block was done.

And on the floor, we had 2 blocks. The first block had split stance single-arm low rows (which I did as hip hinge single-arm low rows), ground to presses, and four-point planks. And the second block had suitcase squats, bicep curls, and hip bridge tricep extensions. I tried to keep a hip bridge for the tricep extensions, but it was starting to hurt so I did as many as I could and then just did them with my feet and hips on the ground.

And for Friday’s workout, things changed up a bit. The workouts at Orangetheory usually are themed to one type of workout. They are endurance day, strength day, power day, or an ESP day which have elements of all types of workouts. But that is consistent with all sections of the room. So even on an ESP day, there is a mix of endurance, strength, and power for the entire workout. But for April, they are making all the workouts ESP days, but each section of the room will have a specific focus. So one section will be an endurance focus, another will be a power focus, and the last will be a strength focus. And which section is which will be switching up every day. For this workout, we had endurance for cardio, power for the rower, and strength on the floor. And the entire workout had the theme of “work and rest” so we were supposed to rest while working out instead of rushing from one thing to another.

For cardio, we had rounds of push paces followed by base paces. All the base paces were 2-minutes long, which was the rest time for cardio. And we had a 1-minute, 4-minute, and 3-minute push pace with a 30-second all-out to finish the cardio block. Because this was my 3rd day in a row and I had done a lot of work around my place for getting ready to move, I was a bit sore during the workout. I tried not to stop during the base paces, but I did have to do that to stretch out my hip a few times.

On the rower, we had 3 different distances for rowing. We did 200-meters, 150-meters, and 100-meters. And between each row, we had an exercise with a medicine ball.  The first time we did the 3 distances we were supposed to do a lunge with an overhead press, but I just did a standing overhead press. The second time we did the rows we had good mornings. And the third time we had halos. I didn’t make it to the round with the halos because I did try to recover a bit between the rowing and exercises. We were supposed to make each row similar to an all-out, and because I really did rest and didn’t rush I was able to get my wattage on the rower much higher than what I normally can do. So I guess resting really worked for me! And even with the rest, I felt like I was working so much harder during the active row so it balanced out a bit.

And on the floor, we had 2 mini-blocks within one long block. And again, we were supposed to rest between exercises so we could do the best reps we could do. The first mini-block had lunges and Arnold presses and the second mini-block had lateral lunges and hammer curls to bicep curls. We also were supposed to try to increase the weights we used every round we did for the exercises. I didn’t use weights for my lunges, but I did work on increasing the weights for the other exercises. And again, I think the rest that we were supposed to do between each exercise helped me do better on the floor than I normally would do.

We had been told about the new format for April for the past few weeks, but now that I’ve done one of the workouts I’m even more excited to see how this month goes. I think it will be an interesting challenge for me and I think I will learn new things about how I work out and how I can maximize each type of class. And we will be repeating some of the workouts we do from the first half of the month again in the second half of the month, so hopefully, I can see some improvements in a few weeks!

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I know that some of my workout recaps are probably a bit boring and repetitive. But honestly, boring is something I want in my life from time to time. I deal with enough issues in my workouts with various health issues, so having a normal week is something I love. And I do find myself able to push myself more when things feel normal and routine, so I see them as some of my best weeks.

Monday’s workout was a mix of endurance and strength. I think it was a bit more endurance for me, but I got some good strength work in there too.

Cardio was one long block and it was all about 90-second push paces. The base paces between each push pace ranged from 45-seconds to 90-seconds. The push paces weren’t too bad on their own, but to only have 45-seconds at a base pace after was really tough. And we ended with a 1-minute push pace and a 30-second all-out. I tried to go hard for the all-out since it was the only one, but I was feeling tired at the end of the block.

Rowing was also one long block. We started with a 600-meter row and then we had lunges. That was the workout for the entire block, but the row went down by 100-meters each time. I really want to be able to row without breaks again, but I’m just not there for the longer rows. So I was taking breaks for most of the rows I got to do in the workout.

And on the floor, we had 2 blocks that had a lot of Bosu work. The first block had weighted front squats, burpees, and reverse extensions. For the burpees and extensions, we were supposed to use the Bosu but I only did about half of the burpees with it. And the second block had lateral raises to front raises, squats, and side plank dips. The raises and plank work were supposed to be on the Bosu, but I did them on the floor without it. I usually can do the raises while kneeling on the Bosu, but I was feeling really unbalanced and didn’t want to use up too much time trying to find my balance and not have as much time to do the exercises.

Wednesday was a strength day, and I was starting to have a few more issues with my hips. I have noticed this is happening more and more often and I can’t fix things the same way I used to, so I’m a bit worried. But it might be after walking weird after my foot thing, so I’m just trying to wait it out a bit before I really get worried.

For cardio, we had 2 blocks. The first block had a 2-minute push pace, a 1-minute base pace, a 2-minute base pace on an incline, a 1-minute base pace, and a 30-second all-out on an incline. The second block was the same work, but we had the 2-minute base pace at an incline first and the 2-minute push pace second. The resistance level I used for it was what is normally my all-out level, so doing that for 2 minutes was really tough.

On the rower, we worked on stroke drills. In the first block, we had to row 100-meters and count how many strokes it took. The goal was to make the number as low as possible because after each row, we took the number of strokes it took and did that number of reps for a squat chest press with a medicine ball. The second block had us doing a 250-meter row and then using that number of strokes for a front jack with the medicine ball (which I did as an overhead press).

And on the floor, the first block had single-arm chest presses, bench tap squats with bicep curls, and single-arm hip hinge low rows. And the second block had kneeling single-arm shoulder presses and plank pull-throughs.

Friday’s workout was a mix of endurance, strength, and power but to me, it felt like it focused most on endurance and strength.

Cardio had 2 blocks and the first block was more endurance. We had rounds of push paces to 30-second base paces. The push paces started at 30-seconds and went up to 90-seconds before going back down and having a 30-second all-out at the end. 30-seconds of a base pace isn’t that long, especially when you just did a 90-second push pace. The second block had 30-second base paces with inclines and 1-minute base paces with no incline in-between. The resistance levels I used on the bike were really high, at least 2 higher than my normal all-out level, so I felt like I was barely moving for a lot of that second block.

The rower was 1 long block. We started with a 100-meter row and then we were supposed to do foot exchanges after each row. Then we had a 200-meter, 400-meter, and 800-meter row before going back down. But the foot exchanges were too tough on my hip and it was hard for me to get on and off the rower, so I just tried to row for the entire block as much as I could and took breaks when I needed them.

And the floor was 2 blocks. The first block was using the TRX straps. We had reverse lunges holding onto the straps (I tried doing as many of these as possible before doing regular lunges), Y raises, and reach and rotates. And the second block was supposed to be with a single set of weights for all exercises. We had closed grip chest presses, seated low rows, and squat to shoulder presses. I had to pick I weight I could do the shoulder presses with, so I went a little lighter for the chest presses but because I limited my breaks it still felt tough.

Saturday’s workout was a Dri-Tri prep day. There have been a few of these this month, but I have missed the first two. But they are designed to get you ready for the Dri-Tri, which is coming up! This prep day was to prepare for the cardio portion.

Cardio was one long block with timed runs/push paces followed by a 1-minute base pace. We started with a 5-minute run and each time after the base pace, the run went down by 1 minute. After a 1-minute run/push and a 1-minute base pace, we had a 4-minute progressive push pace. We were supposed to increase the speed/resistance level every minute, but my body was so tired by that point so I did it every other minute. And then we ended with a 1-minute all-out. I didn’t make it to the distance I normally would in that time for the Dri-Tri, but it was a good prep day and a nice challenge.

And the floor was also one long block. We had 5 different exercises for the block. Each exercise was done for 8, 6, 4, and 2 reps before doing a 250-meter row and then moving on to the next exercise. So essentially, we did 20 reps and then a row. But because the exercises were done per side, you switched so you had 8 reps on the right and then 8 on the left, 6 on the right and then 6 on the left, and so on. The exercises were lunges, single-arm shoulder presses, single-leg deadlifts (which I did as regular deadlifts), side plank rotations, and step-ups. Because we have the newer benches now and they can go pretty low to the ground, I was able to do step-ups instead of lunges. They were a tough challenge for me since I never really do them, but I’m glad I tried.

I really was happy how this past week went, even with the hip issues that I had and continue to have. And because I do have the Dri-Tri coming up, I’m glad I’m feeling pretty amazing now because there is a chance that the Dri-Tri will be on what will possibly be my worst day for pain and nausea.

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