Category Archives: Core

Butt, Core, Fitness, Hamstrings, Lunges, Quad, Recovery

Taking it Easy (8/31 – 9/6)

September 6, 2014 Kim 40 Comments

This week was all about taking it easy with the workouts after last weeks high mileage. And, my legs needed the break – they were tired!!!

Sunday 8/31 – 44 jump lunges (straight up and down in lunge position).

This was a fun way to get the heart rate up!! It was hard to catch a good picture of me jumping:)

And, then I had to switch legs and do some more jumps –

Hunter did a pretty good job snapping a picture while I was in the air!!

Monday 9/1 – 44 reverse lunge to single leg T-stand.

push off heel of right foot and come up to T

My right hip was dying by the time I finished all 44 of these!!! And, then I had to work my left hip!

Can you tell that my balance isn’t as good on my left side? I’m not very parallel in that last picture!!!

Tuesday 9/2 – 44 front step to runners lunge.

step front with right leg - all the way down (left leg should be straight - that's about as straight as mine gets!) — step front with right leg – all the way down (left leg should be straight – that’s about as straight as mine gets!)

Push off of right foot back to standing –

I did all 44 with my right leg and then shared with my left!!

I did Fat Burning Pilates (very low impact) and then walked with a 9% incline for 3.25 miles.

Wednesday 9/3 – 44 pulsing lunges with foot on stability ball.

left foot on ball - down — left foot on ball – down

The hardest part of this was staying balanced and not toppling over!!!

right foot on ball - down — right foot on ball – down

Today was Turbo Jam – Ab Jam (this was a fun ab workout that I always forget about!) and 4.4 miles walking at 9% incline.

Thursday 9/4 – 44 stationary side lunges with one foot on a wobble disc.

down (although this picture doesn't show me down very far!) — down (although this picture doesn’t show me down very far!)

I did all 44 to the right and then switched feet so I could do more!

I pulled out a DVD that I rarely do – Shape Pilates. I did all 4 of the 15 minute sections for a decent workout.

Friday 9/5 – 44 step-ups onto foot stool.

And, because I’ve been way more tired than normal this week, I actually slept till 6:00 instead of getting up to workout!

Saturday 9/6 – 44 single leg squats with opposite leg extension. (and because I’m super classy, I’m going to show you the pictures I took in my bathroom mirror after my shower)

These were hard – between staying balanced and trying to coordinate the move it was a nice little challenge!!! And, I don’t want my legs to feel left out of a move so I did another set of 44 on the left leg.

No running this week – I will probably do a couple super easy runs early next week and then hopefully be ready for Thursday!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

Biceps, BOSU, Butt, Core, Fitness, Push-Ups, Running

Tired Running Legs (8/24 – 8/30)

August 30, 2014 Kim 32 Comments

This week was all about really pushing my legs past the point of being tired and then running just a little bit more and I’m happy to say I achieved that by Friday’s run!!!

Sunday 8/24 – 44 reverse frogs while on a stability ball. (Hopefully the pictures help explain the move.)

start facedown on ball with hands on ground, heels together

lift legs up (squeeze butt) keeping heels together

Don’t mind the fact that I look crooked in the picture above – it’s hard staying on the ball!!

slowly lower toes to the ground to finish the first rep

This move was sort of fun – I liked the slow moving holds and squeezes!! I’m not really a fan of how large my backside looks in the pictures though – oops!!

Monday 8/25 – 44 bicep curls while standing on upside down BOSU (10 pound DBs)

The act of staying balanced on the BOSU made these curls much harder than a standard curl – super fun!!

Run – 12 miles in 91:40 followed by 0.4 easy miles

Tuesday 8/26 – 44 plank with feet on upside down BOSU – alternate toe taps to the sides (right/left tap = 1 rep).

Not sure why it looks like my arms are bowed or too close in – hmmm…..

Run 10 miles – 82:35 followed by 0.8 miles

After taking Hunter to school I changed into dry clothes (I sweat a LOT when I run) and ran some more!

Run 10 miles – 86:38 followed by 2 easy miles

Wednesday 8/27 – 44 alternating side bends while standing on an upside down BOSU (12 pound DBs).

I liked this move – I love the little crunch in my obliques while doing side bends and the fact that I had the extra balance challenge was a bonus!!

Run 10 miles – 77:12 followed 1.05 miles nice and easy!!

Thursday 8/28 – 44 push-ups with toes on upside down BOSU.

You can see how hard it is to stay balanced on the BOSU – it tips back a lot!!

Not gonna lie – these were hard!!! I don’t think I’ve been doing enough push-ups lately!!!

Run – 8 miles in 57:45 + 0.5 miles (I was pressed for time so I thought I would do a harder run since I’ve been logging lots of slower miles).

Friday 8/29 – 44 body extended to V-sit on upside down BOSU.

I wobbled a lot on these!! And, this was one of those moves that I felt in my core and also in my hip flexors!!

Run – 10 miles in 79:47 followed by 3 easy miles.

This was my final long run before my upcoming race. My goal this week was to run enough that my legs were fatigued but still able to turn-over pretty well. I’m happy with how the week went!!

Saturday 8/30 – 44 calf stretches on upside down BOSU. This move felt good after all of the running!!

I had fun this week doing moves on my BOSU in a more nontraditional way!!!

So in 5 days (Monday – Friday), I ran 60 miles at a good pace + 7.75 easy miles. (my easy miles are always a mix of slow running that ends with walking)

The next week and a half will still have plenty of daily 44s but the workouts will be fairly light and I’m not planning to do any long or hard runs.

Happy Saturday!!

Kim

Chest, Core, Fitness, Hamstrings, Plank, Push-Ups, Running, Treadmill

Running, running, running (8/17-8/23)

August 23, 2014 Kim 38 Comments

This week was all about running!!!!

Sunday 8/17 – 44 barbell clean and press with a row.

bring bar down by flipping it and keeping it close to your body

row - squeeze shoulders — row – squeeze shoulders

I liked this move because I felt like it worked pretty much every muscle in my body!!!

Monday 8/18 – 44 stair push-up with a jump.

This move was fun – it got my heart rate up and because of the angle of the push-ups I was sore for a few days!!!

This was the starting day of a long run streak:
10 miles in 79:41 + 1.5 miles easy.

Tuesday 8/19 – 44 stability ball single leg oblique punches with a dumbbell.

pull left knee in and punch with right hand

I did all 44 on one side and then switched sides for another set.

These were hard – the hardest part was keeping my balance – part of why the pictures are blurrier than normal!!!

And a shorter, faster run:
7 miles in 50:22 with an easy mile to finish.

Wednesday 8/20 – 44 plie squat jumps with a small band around my ankles and a lateral raise with dumbbells (5 pounds).

You can’t really tell that I jumped but I did!!!

Back to a double digit run at a slower pace:
10.5 miles in 86:50 + 0.7 miles

Thursday 8/21 – 44 triangle leg taps (this move is from Taylor @ Lifting Revolution – bodyweight workout for your lower body.

ready (I think I was supposed to have my legs a bit lower - oops!!) — ready (I think I was supposed to have my legs a bit lower – oops!!)

I counted a left & right tap as 1 rep. By the end of all 44 my hip flexors were dying!!!

A long run at a quicker pace:
11 miles in 86:56 + 0.6 miles

Friday 8/22 – 44 butt kicks in plank (also from Taylor and the bodyweight workout for your lower body).

I sort of kicked to my opposite side. And, when I went back to link to Taylor’s site I realized that I”m an idiot – she did them on her elbows – oh, well – a great move either way!!!

Another double digit run:
10 miles in 77:23 followed by 1.1 easy miles.

Saturday 8/23 – 44 squat pulses while standing on dumbbells.

(hard to take pictures of pulses without them being blurry!!)

Today I did a shorter run outside while Hunter had cross country practice – wish it would have been earlier since it was already close to 85 degrees!!!

4 easy miles and then 20+ minutes walking around waiting for Hunter and the other kids to get back to the school.

Overall it was a good week:
52.5 miles + 4.9 easy miles for a total of 57.4 miles.

I have a few more days of long runs planned and then I’m going to back off a bit. (Can you tell I have a race coming up????)

Happy Saturday!!

Kim

Core, Fitness, Plank, Running, Shoulders

Trying New Things (8/10-8/16)

August 16, 2014 Kim 42 Comments

As I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten more set in my ways. However, I still like to try new things. This morning I tried to make a GIF following the incredible instructions that Taylor (Lifting Revolution) shared earlier this week. (I haven’t mastered it yet!!!)

I also like to try new moves and workout programs as often as possible!!! I have a super fun new program to try next week!

Sunday 8/10 – 44 leg crunches while balancing on wobble disc.

I did keep my hands on the ground the entire time – otherwise I didn’t feel like I could work my abs or hip flexors at all because I just kept falling off!

Monday 8/11 – 44 sit-ups with feet elevated.

These are always hard for me!!!

I decided to switch my lifting program from Chalean Extreme to Les Mills Body Pump. I started with Pump & Burn and I was definitely feeling the burn by the end!!!

After lifting I ran.
8 miles in 59:20 followed by 0.35 to cool down (I was out of time!!!).

Tuesday 8/12 – 44 kneeling crunches.

This is one of those moves that isn’t big and you have to really focus on the crunch to feel it!!!

Another day of running – 10 miles in 76:54 followed by 1.8 easy miles.

Wednesday 8/13 – 44 alternating straight leg/arm dead bugs.

right leg down, right arm back — left leg down, right arm back

I tried to make this a fluid motion and not let my hands or feet touch the ground during the down part!! (Right leg extended, left leg extended = 1 rep)

Another day of lifting with Les Mills Body Pump – Pump & Shred. Not gonna lie – body pump always makes me sore and tired!!!

I wanted a little cardio but not a run so I did Turbo Jam – Cardio Party 2. Always a fun way to work out!!!

Thursday 8/14 – 44 extended plank with a wrist, elbow, shoulder touch. (Right hand touch left wrist, left hand to right wrist, right hand to left elbow…..for 1 rep!!!)

This move I got from Monique (Burpees to Bubbly) the other day as part of her 7 minute body weight upper body burner. 44 of these was a little ambitious but it was a great challenge!!!

And, 11 miles of running in 81:25 followed by 0.4 miles easy.

Friday 8/15 – 44 carwash sweeps while in plank on elbow.

I tried to keep my body as level as possible while sweeping my arms around!! (a right sweep and left sweep = 1 rep)

I needed a little break from body pump so I did Jillian Michaels KickBox Fast Fix – love working out with Jillian!!!

Saturday 8/16 – 44 straight leg crunches with feet on a stability ball.

Today was another day of running (gotta keep my miles up a little longer!!!).
12 miles in 85:45 followed by 1.25 easy miles.

41 hard miles plus 3.8 easy miles for a close to 50 mile week. Probably need to bump that up next week but the whole time factor gets in my way!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

Back, Core, Fitness, Hamstrings, Plank, Plyo, Running

Mixing Things Up While On Vacation (7/13-7/19)

July 19, 2014 Kim 59 Comments

Even though I was on a little vacation this past week, I still wanted to get in a good week of workouts. It was fun to just mix things up and do a variety of things using what I had available!!!

Sunday 7/13 – 44 cat-cow with a crunch.

Not sure why I don’t do this move more often – it was nice especially after spending a chunk of the day cleaning the venue!!!

Monday 7/14 – 44 Jumping Jacks with tucks.

This was a great way to get my heart rate way up!!! And, since I had to get a lot done before leaving for my trip, I only did my lifting workout – Chalean Extreme Push Circuit 2.

Tuesday 7/15 – 44 incline sit-ups and 44 incline crunches. The fitness center at the hotel had one of my favorite pieces of equipment from years ago so I made good use of it!!!

all the way up - touch feet — all the way up – touch feet

Personally, I think the full sit-ups are easier than the crunches!!

up just to the point that you can feel your abs contracting — up just to the point that you can still feel your abs contracting

Stacy and I did a nice 7 mile run – LOTS of hills!!! I also did a bunch of push-ups on the incline bench and a long squat series with 2, 30 pound dumbbells.

Wednesday 7/16 – 44 hill repeats. During our run Tuesday, we had to run up this killer hill to get to a gorgeous park. I decided that it would make a great 44 to run up and down it!!

Umm…this was a tough workout!!! (Stacy decided to do her own indoor workout inside of running up and down the hill.)

Not super fast but that’s because there was no possible way to get up that hill fast!!! Even on the downhill part, my heart rate never fully recovered! Not sure I would repeat this exact workout!!!

Thursday 7/17 – 44 decline plank with alternate shoulder taps (right-left = 1 rep).

ready - feet on bench — ready – feet on bench

So, you can tell that I’m sweaty and we are in our hotel room – I actually did this after our run!!

We just did an easy run – both of us were sore from our previous workouts!!! 3 miles up the hill from yesterday and around a gorgeous park followed by 3 miles of walking — it was great to just walk for a change!!!

Friday 7/18 – 44 alternating hamstring curls.

I did these Friday night but Chris took the pictures for me this morning – I figure it still counts as keeping up with my daily moves even if I don’t get it done until 10:00 pm!!!!

Saturday 7/19 – 44 back extensions with ball pass.

bring arms behind and hand ball off to other hand

I only did 44 total but I did reverse the direction of the ball pass so that I did 22 each way. I know my low back is an area I don’t work often enough!!

And, I did my favorite lifting program – Chalean Extreme Push Circuit 3.

Overall it was a decent week of working out – a little lighter than normal in some ways but fun to do some different things!!!

Happy Saturday!!

Kim

Day With KT

Category Archives: Core

Taking it Easy (8/31 – 9/6)

Tired Running Legs (8/24 – 8/30)

Running, running, running (8/17-8/23)

Trying New Things (8/10-8/16)

Mixing Things Up While On Vacation (7/13-7/19)

Fitness – Food – Fun