Burpee Try-outs

When the gym I belonged to closed I swore I would never get wired into a gym membership again.
But I do occasionally drop into the community gym. (Despite the sucky equipment.) For variety, I have outfitted my office with plenty of equipment I use. Including bands, free weights, kettlebells, and my ball.
Despite this stuff I am always on the look-out for new ways to strengthen up. Which lead me to CrossFit. They have a lot of workout material online (including videos) and are wizards at providing variety.
Just check out one of their WOD.
A popular workout is the Burpee.

And there are many variants to this one routine:

• No-pushup burpee
• Non-jump burpee
• Long-jump burpee
• Jump-tack burpee
• Jump-over burpee
• One-armed burpee (Holy crap)

I was only able to perform 5 of these in sequence before my shoulder strength gave out. But impressed with the full body workout. Conclusion – a great workout!
(For instruction examples see YouTube Body Building or visit a local CrossFit.)

The Burpee was supposedly named after a person - Lieutenant Thomas Burpee (1757-1839) of the American Revolution. -Wiki

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Mind Games

This week’s theme at Runner's Lounge TIaRT is.... "No one ever told me this about running..."
That you end up habitually competing with yourself. And there tends to be no winner in this struggle. You either run too slow – with no reasons to quantify the results.
Or
You run faster than expected, but feel dreadful afterwards! And deep inside you still believe you should be running faster...

Juneathon Day 25
Biking 4 miles spotting 1 Rottweiler.
Kettlebell 20 Minute Workout
100 pushups 10,12,8,8,12

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Perseverance - Juneathon Day 21

• "Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained." -- Marie Curie

Juneathon Day 21
Elliptical 30 mins [On the TV - Renaissance Art]
Kettlebell swings 3 x 38
100 pushups 5,7,5,5,8

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Kettlebell Workout

In regards to kettlebell swinging; I discovered listening to audio is a lot easier than trying to follow someone on video.
Gin Miller's Calorie Burner Workout with Kettlebells
I think it has to do with momentum ...


(Image wiki)

I end up swinging faster or slower than the demonstrator. Trying to adjust can lead to bad form (dangerous) and set yourself up for a potential injury. IMHO
Of course I’ve watch a few zillion YouTube’s first to get the right technique down. But now I just crank this audio workout up and take it at my own pace.
BTW -> Kettlebell swinging is a terrific workout for your core.
Easy20/Easy30 Audio Kettlebell Workout

Juneathon Day 11
Kettlebell workout 25 mins
100 Push ups 3,4,2,3,4

What is a Juneathon?

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Define Fitness

fit•ness
1. The state or condition of being fit; suitability or appropriateness.
2. Good health or physical condition, especially as the result of exercise and proper nutrition.
3. The extent to which an organism is adapted to or able to produce offspring in a particular environment.

Definitons from: American Heritage® Dictionary

I have divided it into 4 components.


aer•o•bics
“A system of physical conditioning designed to enhance circulatory and respiratory efficiency that involves vigorous sustained exercise, such as jogging, swimming, or cycling.”
My Spin: running, biking – though it takes hills to get my HR up, swinging the kettlebell, power walking, using the stair climber or elliptical.

strength train•ing
“Strength training is the use of resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength, anaerobic endurance and size of skeletal muscles.”
My Spin: gym workouts, home weights, kettlebell lifting, abdominal work, squats, (trying out some lunges.)

di.et
The usual food and drink of a person or animal.
My Spin: Vegetarian diet for over 15 years. Indulgence – chocolate!

rest
1. The refreshing quiet or repose of sleep: a good night's rest.
2. Refreshing ease or inactivity after exertion or labor: to allow an hour for rest.
My Spin: Not allowed until all the work is done. Results -> tired most days now. This is the area I need to work on. Take a day off – OMG! I feel as guilty as a kid skipping school.
But I really must explore the reasons for this malaise. Surely, it can’t be the aging process?

What do you do - for fitness?

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Jogger - not a Runner?

Just finished off an informative article in this month's Runner’s World on Kara Goucher, my namesake. And, after going over her daily routines, I feel totally unqualified to call myself a runner.

Comparisons:

Kara G is 30 years old.

Kara R is older!

Sometimes runs twice a day.

Feels lucky to run once a day.

Runs everyday when training.

Runs 3-4 times a week -> 52 weeks year.

Has been known to wear a 10 pound vest running.

Owns a fleecy vest she wears in the winter.

Has a fancy treadmill.

Has a sturdy elliptical in her bedroom.

Listens to Nickelback.

Listens to Nickelback.

Strength training nearly every day.

Goes to the gym once a week – Swings the Kettlebell twice a week.

Wears bun shorts.

Wears shorts with 3 inch inseam.

Has a massage therapist.

Gets a daily massage from FS : )

Has a sports psychologists.

Reads twitter updates by other runners.

Eats eggs and cheese, or oatmeal for breakfast.

Eats oatmeal, Cream of Wheat with raisins and toast!

Takes Ice baths.

Soaks in Hot baths with a LUSH soap presence.

Takes easy runs on Sundays.

Never runs on Sundays. (Unless it's a race day!)

Maybe I should change my handle from runnerkara to joggerkara?

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Good Luck Kara Goucher at The Boston Marathon.

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Keep Your Metabolism Stoked

As we age our metabolism slows down. But can this process be changed?
"Metabolic rate is the number of calories our body requires to keep going."
When measuring our Basal metabolic rate (BMR) - the energy your body requires at rest, scientists found that it decreases with age and with loss of muscle.
As you can see by this Wiki entry the metabolism system in the body is a very complex process. (Remember the Krebs’s cycle?)

Two facts about slowing metabolism are clear.

1. Many older people are less active. When people retire – they begin a more a sedentary lifestyle.
2. It appears older people eat less - hard to believe but true. "When younger men and older men were doing the same amount of exercise and eating the same amount of calories, the basal metabolic rate remained unaltered.”

So:

1. Keep active - forever!
2. Build muscle as it requires more energy to maintain. Try adding some kettlebell swings which workout those big core muscles.
3. Don’t skip breakfast - Ever! "Your metabolism slows while you sleep, and it doesn't rev back up until you eat again."
4. Get enough sleep.
5. And keep on running!

What’s your BMR? ( I need around 2000 calories a day!)

REF. Metabolism-metabolic-rate

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The Deltoideus

I did not run on all fours today but with every step I could feel my shoulders. (No, I wasn't joggling either.)
The result of too many pull-overs and floor presses with the Kettlebell yesterday.
After checking with Wiki, I discovered that the size of the deltoid muscle is massive!

"The Deltoideus (Deltoid muscle) is a large, thick, triangular muscle, which covers the shoulder-joint in front, behind, and laterally. - Henry Gray"

I had no idea that it encompassed the top, back and front of the shoulder. Or that it is divided into anterior, posterior and lateral zones. Will someone please massage my posterior deltoid now?

I have to admit the shoulder discomfort and Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s podcast took my mind off all the miles passing by...
Colleen’s podcast was on animals testing. I had to fast forward some parts as images of tortured animals stay with me.
BTW - I’ve been checking my cosmetics, shampoos and lotions for this bunny symbol.

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Week 2 Training Complete

“It’s only 13.1 miles.”
These words transmit a Morse code message to my very core. “I can do it – I’ve done it before.” But I still struggle with the Me in that equation. Dash Dash Dot
The training began in earnest this week.
A race pace workout, a magic mile TT and some fast 3x800s. Outside the schedule I went to the gym, and did the kettlebell swing. (And had time to do the wash!)
Next week - the Long Runs begin.
+
I finally listened to one of the Runner’s Lounge podcasts. Check out this weeks for the inside scoop on race selection. (And yes - post race grub does factor in : )

Graphics by Wordle - Beautiful Word Clouds

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Behold the Kettlebell

It's not that the gym visits don’t work – they do; but after 13 years I’ve become uninterested / bored.
So starting now, and through the New Year, I will be experimenting with other methods to tone muscles. (Please send me any of your suggestions.)

Behold the Kettlebell



Description
These babies come in many sizes and styles. They apparently originated in Russia - but there is speculation that "kettlebells were used by Greek athletes and gladiators thousands of years ago."
I had to scan the internet to find the appropriate weight for my fitness level. Recommend starting size was 8kg or about 15 pounds.

Performance
It appeared much smaller than it’s stated weight. And came packaged with an informative DVD.
BTW. There is no shortage of good and bad techniques demonstrated over at YouTube. Noted: Many folks listen to Metallica while swinging these things around...

Summary
The most difficult routine for me so far was the Turkish Getup. It takes practice! I was concerned about my back. And of course the obvious fear of hitting myself in the head. I also discovered my right side is way stronger than my left. My favorite routine was the front squats. Doing squats with a solid wt in front feels great!
How I feel today: I have no ill effects except for a stiff left hand – my back is OK. The hamstrings and shoulders feel like they had an all over workout. So far - so good :0

Have a great Monday!

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