Category Archives: Butt

Back on Track (1/11 – 1/17)

This week has been a much stronger week of workouts!  I’m hoping to start getting in a few mega runs soon!!!

Sunday 1/11  45 supine rolls, great for your core and also your upper back.

Make sure your elbows are pushing down to the floor
Make sure your elbows are pushing down to the floor
crunch up but keep your elbows pushing into the floor the entire time
crunch up but keep your elbows pushing into the floor the entire time

I got in a 6 mile run (45:01) at a faster pace than I had been running for awhile followed by an easy mile.

Monday 1/12  45 double knee in to a full body extension with arms extended.

Knees in (excuse the blurry photo - hard to get a good mirror picture!!)
Knees in
(excuse the blurry photo – hard to get a good mirror picture!!)
extend legs and arms (both arms are actually supposed to be overhead but that didn't work to take a picture)
extend legs and arms
(both arms are actually supposed to be overhead but that didn’t work to take a picture)

I did a DVD that I don’t do often but it really is a good one – MashUp Conditioning.  This DVD has 7 different workouts (called Tempos) that are 15 minutes each.  Each segment has strength, HIIT, core.  I did Tempos 5,6 and 7.

Tuesday 1/13  45 plies with heels up.

easy part
easy part
down
down

I always love the feeling in my inner thighs when I do plies!!!

I ran 10 miles!!!  (75:33) I finished off the workout with an easy mile.

Wednesday 1/14  45 step-up to knee, step down and lunge back.  This move is similar to one that Josie (YumYucky) did – stairless step climbing.

step up with left leg
step up with left leg
right knee up
right knee up
step down and lunge back with the left leg
step down and lunge back with the left leg

After I did 45 like that and had shaky legs, I switched the whole pattern for another set!!

step up with right leg
step up with right leg
left knee up
left knee up
lunge back with right leg
lunge back with right leg

Fun move – and my heart rate really got up since it is all lower body work.

I did one of my 10 Minute Solution DVDs – Tone Trouble Zones.  This workout uses a band –

the green one for this workout
the green one at the bottom  for this workout

and is very effective.

I also walked 2.45 miles with a 10% incline (had some DVRed shows to catch up on!!).

Thursday 1/15  45 single leg bridges with one leg crossed over the other and the supporting foot on a stability ball.  This move is from Nellie’s (Brooklyn Active Mama) weekly Wednesday workout.

ready
ready
up and squeeze
up and squeeze

YIKES!!  This move was hard!!  Probably why my hamstrings are sore today (2 days later!!).

have to work both sides
have to work both sides
squeeze and lift
squeeze and lift

This was another day of running – 8 miles in 59:37 followed by 1.75 easy miles.

Friday 1/16  45 side leg abduction with band.

ready to lift the right leg
ready to lift the right leg
lift and hold
lift and hold

I love moves like this because while it works the hip of the leg lifting, the standing leg also starts shaking!!!

ready for the other leg
ready for the other leg
lift - hold!!
lift – hold!!

I don’t know if you can tell but while I lifted my leg I also pulled on the band for some extra resistance.

I did Denise Austin’s Personal Training System.  This is a full body workout with about 20 minutes of cardio followed by 10 minutes of lower body, 10 minutes upper body, 10 minutes core and 10 minutes of stretching.

Saturday 1/17  45 bow lifts.

easy part
easy part
lift chest and legs (knees off ground!)
lift chest and legs (knees off ground!)

Pretty sure this is the first time I’ve ever done any of the pictures in our bedroom – I have to stay out of the light today and this room is one of the best choices.

Overall this was a really good week of workouts.  I’m still incorporating a lot of the moves from physical therapy into my workouts – just amping them up a little.  And, my running speed is starting to pick back up!!  Now I think I’m ready to slowly increase my mileage again!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

 

Accepting Limitations (12/14 – 12/20)

Yesterday at physical therapy  we talked some about limitations and accepting the fact that sometimes we never “get back” to the point we used to be.  I told the therapist that I was not ready to give up on long runs or fast runs so I need to pursue this whole leg issue further.    I will continue to do the strengthening moves and work on good alignment but I think it is time for the next step – visiting my orthopedic surgeon.

Sunday 12/14  45 torso and leg lifts while laying face down.

ready
ready
lift and squeeze
lift and squeeze

By holding my hands back instead of in front this changed the move and degree that I could raise.  When I do a basic superman I never get quite as much lift!

Monday 12/15  45 side plank crunch (bring top knee in).

ready to work
ready to work
crunch in
crunch in

I liked this move!!  And, of course, I had to flip over and do another set of 45.

side 2
side 2
crunch
crunch

I ran 9 miles – furthest run in awhile in 71:10 followed by 1.5 easy miles.   I spent over an hour and a half on the treadmill which is a record these days.

Tuesday 12/16  45 burpees with plank jack push-up.

Yikes – I haven’t done many burpees or push-ups in awhile and this was tough!!!

After that I went with an easier workout – Burn & Firm Pilates.

Wednesday 12/17  45 overhead circles with medicine ball (8 pound).

try to keep torso straight
try to keep torso straight

I circled clockwise for 45 reps and then switched direction for another set –

harder than it looks
harder than it looks

This move is good for your core but I also felt it in my forearms later in the day!!!

I ran a slowish 5 miles – 43:27 followed by 3.5 easy miles.  My leg was very achey after this run!!!

Thursday 12/18  45 double crosses (for core).

right over left
right over left
open
open
left over right
left over right

This was hard for me!!!  I counted a right over left + a left over right as 1 rep.

I did one of my DVDs that has lots of 10 minute workouts – Quick Fix Toning.  I did 6 sections for a nice full body hour workout.

Friday 12/19  45 leg lifts to back on a diagonal (a therapy move).

ready
ready
lift and squeeze
lift and squeeze

I’m really working on staying straight and not tilting my body on these moves while strengthening my hips.

ready for the other side
ready for the other side
lift
lift

I did an 8 mile run – 64:31 followed by an easy 1.5 miles.

Saturday 12/20  45 clams with a band.  My therapist wants me to do clams more often but I told her I never really feel them – she said to use a small band – I definitely felt them today!!!

ready
ready
open top leg
open top leg

My hip was burning by the time I finished all 45!!!  Then I flipped over to do more!

side 2
side 2
open
open

So, I’m struggling with the fact that even though I can run it might be making my leg worse – this week it has hurt a lot more than last week.  I  don’t want to do any permanent damage but I need to run!!!

Happy Saturday!!!

Kim

Therapy Moves (12/7 – 12/13)

This week a lot of the daily moves were from PT – not sure that any of it is helping but I am running again so I will keep trying these things!

Sunday 12/7  45 single leg inner thigh raise with foot tap.

start
start
lift and touch foot
lift and touch foot

I’m supposed to be working on single leg moves while working on keeping my alignment straight.  (Notice Hunter working in the background??  Nice, huh?!)

ready for side 2
ready for side 2
lift and touch foot (stay straight!)
lift and touch foot (stay straight!)

Monday 12/8 45 plank (elbow) with knee in to leg lift.  (right – left = 1 rep)

ready
ready
left knee in
left knee in
push leg back and lift
push leg back and lift
right knee in
right knee in
right leg up
right leg up

I haven’t done any planking in over 3 weeks so this was tough!!!

It was a running day!!! 7 miles in 55:50 followed by 1.5 easy miles.

Tuesday 12/9  45 back kicks.

ready position
ready position
push foot back
push foot back

After the first set of 45 I had to switch sides and do 45 more.

ready to start again
ready to start again
push back
push back

I did a DVD that I hadn’t done in a long time – Reebok Cardio Tone.  This was just over an hour of cardio based toning – fun times!!!

Wednesday 12/10  45 medicine ball crunches with legs straight up and hands holding ball reaching to feet.

easy part
easy part
reach ball to toes
reach ball to toes

And, another day of running!!!  8 miles in 63:57 followed by 1.5 easy miles.

Thursday 12/11  45 single leg squat while on a step – push leg off ground down in front of step.

ready position
ready position
down
down

The left side wasn’t too bad!  But, then I had to switch and do the move on my right leg (the one with all of the problems!!).

ready
ready
down
down

You can tell that I couldn’t go nearly as low on this side:(

I did a weight lifting DVD – Get Ripped & Chiseled.  WOW!!!  I haven’t lifted in over 3 weeks and I have been sore for the last 2 days!  Love it!!!

Friday 12/12  45 front straight leg lifts with small band around ankle.

start
start
lift front
lift front

Part of the challenge on this is to stay straight (trying to work on my alignment).  BTW – I noticed after the fact that I had my T-shirt on backwards – classy!!!

2nd side
2nd side
lift leg front
lift leg front

This was my 3rd running day of the week!!  6 miles in 48:00 minutes followed by 1.4 easy miles.

Saturday 12/13  45 back leg lift with band (my special therapy band:).

ready
ready
lift leg back
lift leg back

Still trying to work on balance with good alignment!

ready for side 2
ready for side 2
lift leg to back
lift leg to back

The rest of the day consisted of about 6 hours of shopping, a cello concert at the library, and a couple of hours of cleaning and ironing at the venue – not a true workout but lots of moving!!!

I’m not running the speeds or distances that I really want to run but I”m happy that I’ve been running again!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

Thankful for the Things I CAN Do!! (11/23 – 11/29)

This week I decided to push myself a bit even if it “hurt” and I ended up feeling very thankful for all that my body is capable of doing!!!

Sunday 11/23  45 calf pulses with feet front, feet out and feet in.

ready
ready (toes out)
up
up

I just bounced up and down – this was a fun way to work my calves!!!

toes turned out
toes straight ahead
up
up
toes turned in
toes turned in
up
up

Since this was such an easy move I decided 3 sets of 45 was good!

Monday 11/24  45 double crunches with feet on a chair (lift butt while crunching up).

ready
ready
crunch and lift butt
crunch and lift butt

I decided to try running some this week.
Today started with a 3 mile walk/jog followed by 5 slow miles of running and a mile cool-down.

Tuesday 11/25  45 plie squat on upside down wobble balls.

ready
ready
down
down

I did one of my favorite workouts ever – Les Mills Combat:  Extreme Cardio Fighter – 60 minutes of a super fun workout!!!

Wednesday 11/26  45 bridges with alternating foot lift and touch (right – left = 1 rep).

ready position
ready position
lift left foot and reach with right hand
lift left foot and reach with right hand

Return to start and switch sides –

lift right hand - reach with left hand
lift right hand – reach with left hand

This was a challenge to keep my butt up the entire time!!!

I decided to try running again.
2 miles of walking/jogging  followed by 5 miles at a moderate pace and an easy mile cool-down.

Thursday 11/27  45 pulsing lunges with feet on upside down wobble balls.

down
down
part way up
part way up

This move was a challenge because of the balance aspect!!!  (The hardest part was getting set up on the wobble balls!!!)  After I did the first set, I switched around and put the other foot on the front ball.

down
down
part way up
part way up

I think this is the first Thanksgiving in at least 5 years (probably way more!!) that I didn’t do a hard workout in the morning!!!

Friday 11/28  45 butt lifts with legs up and a medicine ball (8 pounds) in between feet.

ready
ready
up
up

I’m happy that I didn’t drop the ball on my face!!!

I ran 7 miles (57:51) and then did an easy mile cool down.

Saturday 11/29  45 twisting crunches on a stability ball while holding an 8 pound medicine ball.

You can see that the move is a twist to each side and then a crunch.  This was a great core workout!!!

Overall, I’m happy with this week of workouts.  The running is slow and sort of painful but it is good for my mental state!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

Something Is Better than Nothing

Basically this week has been one of very minimal workouts.  But…I still did a 45 everyday!!!

Sunday 11/16  45 low duck walks.

Duck Walk

Duck Walk

So, this is a move I actually did while we were cleaning the apartment – the layer of filth was deep and after I scrubbed all the walls I duck walked the entire perimeter of the apartment cleaning the baseboards and floor line.  (this ended up being way more than 45 duck walk steps!!!)

Can you see the dirt on the baseboard?!

Monday 11/17  45 roll-ups with one leg straight and one bent.

left leg out - ready to go
left leg out – ready to go
roll up
roll up

(keeping your hands under your back helps you remember to keep your back pressed to the floor!!)

right leg extended
right leg extended
roll/crunch up
roll/crunch up

This was a new (to me) move and I liked it!!!

Because I new that this was one of my last chances, for a few days, I tried to run.  Didn’t happen.  I walked 4.5 miles with a 9% incline after running 2 miles super slow.

Tuesday 11/18  45 single arm reverse curls to shoulder press while standing on upside down wobble balls.

ready
ready
right arm - reverse curl (curl with palm down)
right arm – reverse curl (curl with palm down)
press up
press up

I did all 45 with my right arm then switched and started over.

left arm curl
left arm curl
press
press

I had to work my arms since I knew it would be the last time for a few weeks!!!

I walked 6.5 miles with a 10% incline – fun times for sure!!!

Wednesday 11/19  45 raises (upper and lower) while on stomach.

easy part
easy part
lift and hole 3 count
lift and hold 3 count

I don’t work my back enough but I really liked this move!!!

Thursday 11/20  45 inner thigh lifts with foot touch (non-lifting foot on wobble ball).

ready to work the right leg and balance on the left
ready to work the right leg and balance on the left
lift right leg - touch foot with left hand
lift right leg – touch foot with left hand

This move went quickly.  I had to do 45 on each leg of course!

balance on right leg, lift left foot
balance on right leg, lift left foot
lift foot up - touch with right hand
lift foot up – touch with right hand

Friday 11/21  45 flutter kicks while on back (right – left = 1 rep).

"easy" part
“easy” part
right foot up, left foot down
right foot up, left foot down
left foot up, right foot down
left foot up, right foot down

This move went quickly and is a great way to work the core.

Saturday 11/22  45 leg extensions with the figure 8 band.

right leg
right leg
extend
extend

And, I had to work my left leg!!  (I held the band in my right arm still because when I tried it in my left it rubbed right over my stitches.

Left leg
Left leg
extend
extend

I’m hoping to add in a bit more next week – I hate not working out!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim