Category Archives: Plank

BOSU, Butt, Core, Fitness, Foam Roller, Plank, Recovery, Running, Squats, Triceps

Rest (3/29 – 4/4)

April 5, 2015 Kim 14 Comments

Rest is not something I’m good at or even enjoy that much. However, other than my daily 45s I have now taken 7 days off!! I can’t even remember the last time I did that willingly!

Sunday 3/29 – 45 seated twists.

Return to center –

This was a new (to me) version of an oblique twist – you can definitely feel it in your obliques but it takes out the lower core work that you get in a reclined Russian Twist.

I did a one person race. I ran a loop around our neighborhood that is about 2.15 miles over and over.

Look how cute Chris is - he set up an aid table and a lap counter!!! — Look how cute Chris is – he set up an aid table and a lap counter!!!

Hunter ran 2 loops with me and walked my final loop — Hunter ran 2 non-consecutive loops with me and walked my final loop

Jordan also ran 2 loops with me — Jordan also ran 2 (consecutive) loops with me

I decided that 25 miles was good for the day!! I was only taking a sip of water after each lap and I don’t think that 12 sips in over 4 hours was enough for me!!

Monday 3/30 – 45 foam roller ab tuck. This move is one that Lindsay (CotterCrunch) included in her 3 New Core Moves post a couple weeks ago.

Holding a plank while completing all 45 reps was definitely a challenge!!!

Tuesday 3/31 – 45 low squats while on wobble balls – holding medicine ball – bring elbows to knees.

Adding the balance challenge with the wobble balls was fun!

Wednesday 4/1 – 45 plank walk-ups from floor to BOSU.

At some point I started wondering if I should do 2 sets of 45 – one with the right hand leading and one with the left hand leading. I decided to just go with one set so I alternated lead hands every 5 reps.

Thursday 4/2 – 45 cross body mountain climbers with feet on ledge.

Return to start and bring left knee in –

Left foot in - twist — Left foot in – twist

Obviously this move went faster when I wasn’t trying to pose for a picture!! I liked doing the mountain climbers with my feet up – it changed the feel of the move a little. Right-left = 1 rep.

Friday 4/3 – 45 decline tricep dips (feet on chair – hands on floor).

This move was small but I definitely felt it in my triceps!!!

Saturday 4/4 – 45 diamond butt lifts.

start (feet together - knees point out) — start (feet together – knees point out)

squeeze butt and lift thighs off the ground

This was another small move but very effective!!!

Since I’m actually writing this on Sunday (Easter) and I didn’t work out today, I have successfully managed to take 7 days off without going crazy!!!

Happy Easter (or Passover) or Sunday!!!

Kim

Core, Fitness, Foam Roller, Plank, Running

Mixing It Up Again (3/22 – 3/28)

March 28, 2015 Kim 23 Comments

This week I have been mixing my workouts up again after months of heavy running. I can tell it’s been awhile because I have actually been sore several days which is rare for me!!!

Sunday 3/22 – 45 second hold in 4 different planks.

This was a recovery and driving day – 7 hours to get back from Texas.

Monday 3/23 – 45 minutes on the elliptical.

Not my favorite piece of equipment but even though I only ran 19 miles Saturday, the mud factor took a bit out of my legs so I needed to recover another day.

Tuesday 3/24 – 45 plie side bends with ankle reach (right-left=1 rep). This is a move from Josie (Yum Yucky) in her 5-minute slimming workout.

Return to the middle.

Staying in plie for all 45 reps was HARD!!! And, my obliques have been sore since Tuesday!!!

I just walked 6miles at a 10% incline so that I could watch Dancing with the Stars.

Wednesday 3/25 – 45 single leg BOSU hops. This is another move from a blog friend!! Allie (VitaTrain4Life) showed this move as part of her intense strength training the other day.

This move was hard!!! I did all 45 with my right leg before switching and doing another set of 45 with my left leg.

I did Les Mills Pump – Combat. It’s one of my favorites and I enjoyed punching and kicking!

Thursday 3/26 – 45 standing medicine ball crunches – single knee in. I got so many great moves from blog friends this week!! This move is one of Nellie’s (BrooklynActiveMama) Weekly Wednesday Workouts.

pull knee in and bring ball down - crunch — pull knee in and bring ball down – crunch

I tried to keep my balance and float my leg back each time but did have to tap my toe a few times. And, of course, I had to switch and do another set of 45 with my left leg.

lift knee and bring arms down with a crunch

This was a fun move with the balance challenge.

I finally ran again!! 6 miles in 47:51 + 2 easy miles.

Friday 3/27 – 45 plank to down dog with hands on a foam roller.

I really liked this move – great core work and stretching!!!

I did one of my 10 Minute Solution workouts – Ultimate Boot Camp. Normally I do all 5 sections but I only did 3 this time.

Saturday 3/28 – 45 standing leg circles (hands behind head).

The funny thing with this move is that I felt it as much in my standing ankle as the thigh of the leg circling. Gotta love working on balance/stability!

It was nice to add in a variety of workouts again but I still plan to keep my mileage up.

Happy Saturday!!

Kim

Core, Fitness, Hamstrings, Plank, Running

Stability Balls and Running (2/1 – 2/7)

February 7, 2015 Kim 32 Comments

This was a good week of workouts! And, I’m happy that all of my morning workouts were back at 5:00am again!!!

Sunday 2/1 – 45 seated quad lifts with a dumbbell between my feet.

I got in a nice run – 8 miles in 59:21 followed by 2.5 easy miles.

Monday 2/2 – 45 reverse curls with a stability ball under my legs.

ready - just holding the ball in place is HARD!!! — ready – just holding the ball in place is HARD!!!

My workout started with Jillian Michaels Hard Body Level 1. I thought about doing Level 2 also but knew that I would end up just going through the motions. Instead I did Kathy Smiths Tummy Trimmers – Standing Abs.

Tuesday 2/3 – 45 front-back sweep with foot while staying in a semi-squat.

I counted a front-back-front as 1 full rep. And, of course, after my left quad was on fire I had to switch and work my other leg!!!

After my quads were nice and shaky, I hopped on the treadmill for the first part of my run!
11 miles in 87:33 followed by 0.5 miles easy

I had to get off to take Hunter to school. After I got back home I hopped back on the treadmill and ran some more.
6 miles in 47:39 followed by 2.5 easy miles.

A decent running day of 17 good miles and 3 easy!!!

Wednesday 2/4 – 45 stability ball plank front-back rolls. This move is one that I saw in the cool video that Gigi (GiGi Eats Celebrities) showed the other day with her interview at Drench Fitness.

I’m not sure that my form was super because this move was hard!!

You can’t really tell that the ball moved much but trust me – you can feel this move!!!

I did a workout that is sort of fun while still focusing on toning – Skinny Bitch Fitness. Jordan walked through right at the end and saw the name of the DVD – he was not impressed!!!

Thursday 2/5 – 45 hamstring curls using the stability ball. This move came from the same video interview (see Wednesday) that GiGi did.

use your hamstrings to roll the ball toward you

Since I workout at home, I’m always looking for new hamstring moves – this was a great one!!!

I did another run. 11 miles – 82:14 followed by 0.75 easy miles.

Friday 2/6 – 45 full sit-up to toe touch.

I never rested my shoulders on the floor during my reps. The toe touch part was a nice stretch. I don’t do full sit-ups often anymore but I liked this version!

I decided that even though I needed a “rest” day I still wanted to workout some so I did Core Fusion Body Sculpt. This is a great body workout that is mostly body weight (you use light weights in the upper body portion) – it is about working the muscle to exhaustion!!

Saturday 2/7 – 45 soccer kicks.

This move is quick and fun!! Just lift your leg up and touch the inside part of your foot. I counted a right-left as 1 rep.

This was another day of running!!! I tried to push just a little faster than I have been lately.
7 miles – 47:54 followed by an 1 easy mile.

Even though I didn’t take any full rest days this week, I did several workouts that are like a rest while still getting in some activity.

4 days of running with 43 hard miles and 7.25 easy miles to finish the week just over 50 miles!!!

Happy Saturday!

Kim

Back, Calves, Core, Fitness, Plank, Recovery, Running, Shoulders, Squats, Treadmill

Heavy Running Week (1/18 – 1/24)

January 24, 2015 Kim 31 Comments

This week I more than doubled my total miles for the month – a mega long run will do that I guess!!

Sunday 1/18 – 45 arm lifts (elbows bent) to side while in elbow plank.

Return to plank –

I counted a right and left lift as one rep – this was HARD!!!

Monday 1/19 – 45 shoulder work – extend arms straight up in front – open them to the sides – lower – repeat. I only used 5 pound DB because my shoulders are weak!!!

Slowly lower the weights back down to complete the move.

This was a running day – 6 miles (47:10) + 2.1 easy miles. I wanted to see how much sweating would burn my face – it wasn’t too bad!!

Tuesday 1/20 – 45 plie – jump to squat – jump back to plie – stay low the entire time.

From plie, jump to get into a squat (point toes forward) –

Obviously I kept the squat fairly wide!!! From the squat – jump back to a plie position. Since you stay low the entire time, your legs will definitely start to feel the burn!!

I did a DVD that I hadn’t done in awhile – Jari Love’s Get Extremely Ripped 1000 Hardcore. This was about 70-75 minutes of hard work. I liked the mix of cardio and weights. Because Jari Love uses high reps for all moves, my heart rate stayed high the entire time!!!

Wednesday 1/21 – 45 miles of running!!!

This took 6 hours, 35 minutes, 18 seconds!! Normally I do this on my actual birthday but this year I figured as long as I did it while I was 45 it would count!

Thursday 1/22 – 45 single leg calf raises.

I thought this would be a nice stretch after Wednesday’s run. Ummm….it was hard to do 45!!! And, of course, I had to switch legs.

Friday 1/23 – 45 heel taps while in a prone position.

lift legs and squeeze (nice photo bomb – Jordan!!)

This is a great move for your lower back since you are working to keep your legs up the entire time!!!

Saturday 1/24 – 45 shin strengtheners.

lay on back - legs up - point toes — lay on back – legs up – point toes

I used to do this move a lot more to help prevent shin splints. You can also turn your toes out to the sides or in. Another option is to vary the speed that you use for this move.

I decided to do an easy workout to try and workout the residual soreness in my quads from the long run so I did – Fat Burning Pilates. I think that is was a good way to get a little movement today!!!

Happy Saturday!!

Kim

Back, Butt, Core, Fitness, Hamstrings, Plank, Push-Ups, Resistance Bands, Running

Accepting Limitations (12/14 – 12/20)

December 20, 2014 Kim 61 Comments

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.

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).

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

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).

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

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).

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).

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

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!!!

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

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