administrivia: cycle 5

This camp thing seems to be a work in progress (much like the presidency of the U.S. LOL). I have been thinking of ways to better the experience for everyone and have come up with the following:

Hell Week and Game Week
These are going away. The objective of training “not to suck at life” is to introduce stimulus that are intense, constantly varied, and which cannot be predicted. As such it is better if you don’t know what’s in store for your daily training. If your mind is not prepared, your body will be “caught by surprise” thus emulating real life, reducing any chances for plateaus, and increasing the overall benefit of your workouts. We’ll still have grueling and fun workouts but you won’t know when they are coming!

Benchmark Workouts
Every cycle we will perform one or more benchmark workouts. These will be repeated throughout the year. Results will be posted in the blog under the training category. By comparing results you will have a chance to gauge your fitness evolution and make changes to your training or diet to achieve different results.

Awards
Some cycles will see the awarding of PowerGal and Most Improved Player. Others will have a sort of competition for prize money or a special gift. You won’t know what we are doing until the last day of the cycle when we will either take an onsite vote for the awards or reveal what the terms (workout, points, prizes, etc) of the competition are. Again, routine is the enemy and I’d like to keep your mind “on its toes” too!

Payment
I will be sending each of you a Paypal invoice with your dues for cycle 5. This is just a convenient and secure way of paying electronically by credit card or bank account even if you don’t have or want a Paypal account. If you wish you can still pay by check on the first day of the cycle (in which case, please ignore the invoice).

administrivia: 06.27.08

This Friday we’re doing 4 x 880s which is fancy talk for 8 laps (aka 2 miles) around the track. They won’t be run continuously because we will be working on speed.

After the speed training, the regular workout will follow. See y’all there!

administrivia: week of 06.16.08

1. Vinyasa Flow class on 06.15.08 – Please note that it has been postponed to allow you to enjoy the entire day with dad in honor of Father’s Day. Stay tuned for the new date.

2. 12 laps of Fartlek training on Friday 06.20.08 – Part of the training on Friday will involve 3.1 miles of fartlek work (aka speed play or continuous interval training). Any gals who are interested in doing the entirety of this workout should not bring weights to class on that day. For anyone not interested in the running portion there will be a different workout with the usual elements so please do bring your weights. Of course you are also welcomed to try as much of the running as you’d like and then join the regular workout in progress.

the fitness wagon

Stumptuous.com has a brilliant write up on staying motivated to exercise: http://stumptuous.com/cms/displayarticle.php?aid=62

Posited:

1. decide to make working out a priority
2. keep a workout journal
3. make it fun
4. surround yourself with motivational things
5. have someone else motivate you
6. keep a routine
7. keep yourself free of injury
8. consider the alternative

Awesome quote from Charlie Moody of misc.fitness.weights:

I look in the mirror: if I see any trace of the sad, exhausted, pale, weak, fat, whipped wage-slave desk-jockey I used to be, I’m ready to lift some weight. I’m reminded of my sister (nothing personal), who’s spent her life doing all the stuff other people want her to do, and all the stuff she figures she should do. A couple of weeks ago, she asked me with tears in her eyes when would it be her turn to have a life and do what she wants? All I could tell her was, “It’ll be your turn when you get off the hamster wheel and take a fucking turn.” It’s up to you. No one else. You’ll find the time to work out when you DECIDE you’re gonna work out. You’ll eat and rest and take care of yourself because you decide you deserve it, you need it, you want it, and NO ONE is going to keep you from it. Not even you. I’m a beginner, too, and no-one’s gonna watch what I eat for me, no-one’s gonna lift an ounce of my weight. I can make up any story I want about it, but stories are bullshit: I can be a warrior, or I can be a victim. For the warrior, no excuses; for the victim, only excuses.

Bottom line, it happens to the best of us. Life (and shit) happens. You have to be ready for the unexpected and plan accordingly. If everything else fails and you cannot exercise, take a breather, regroup, and get back on the saddle as soon as possible. All is not lost just because you missed a couple days at the gym.

Fitness and being healthy are not optional. Here’s your Rx.

we need to rest!

Here are some articles that posit that too much of a good thing, in this case exercise, can actually be detrimental to your health. Overtraining is often not a problem of training too much but of resting too little. 😉

Yay for couching it once in a while!

University of Maryland Research – Is too much exercise a bad thing?

 

Smith College – How much exercise is too much?

 

Runner’s World – Are you overtraining?