I had previously hoped to run outside after work yesterday, but it was still somewhat warm, plus Vegas got some rare rain so we had a bunch of humidity to go with it. I also felt some soreness in both hamstrings, but nothing I couldn’t have easily run through.
Mostly, however, I was rather tired, closer to going to sleep than feeling energetic enough to run a few miles outside through warm overcast. The elliptical is always far more do-able in that condition, so I stuck to 45 minutes of that and strength training.
I had in fact felt rather tired the last couple evenings despite decent sleep, but feel markedly better today. I wasn’t training super hard the last few days or sleeping poorly. Sometimes I guess you just get tired during stretches.
(Well, that and sometimes you train a bunch on both days of a weekend and don’t actually get a full day of rest. Whoops!)
For birthday weekend I’m still considering a long weekender to Flagstaff or Big Bear, though staying home doesn’t look too bad either. Both locales have forecasted highs that weekend in the 50’s with lows around 30(F), around the same conditions as my last visit to Big Bear. So I’d be fairly comfortable in those conditions.
Or instead of using the two days off from work I could bank them and use them in December. I’ve hinted about new training plans for after Indy, and while I remain close to the vest about those for now (too much still TBD) I could use the days off in December for that. Plus, if I really wanted to travel that weekend, it’s not like I couldn’t have it both ways. It would just be another weekend road trip where I’d leave Friday night and come back Sunday afternoon.
I’ll figure it out in a bit. This weekend, meanwhile, I’m staying in town and not planning to train too hard. Sunday will be a day off from training (usual caveats: if bored will hit the spin bike and read a bit). If feeling up to a long run Saturday morning I will take it, but I do have errands to run that day so no pressure to get in much of a long workout that day. The next weekend will be a big workout.
Conditions are balmy today so I’ll see about getting out for a run, if nothing else to acclimate to conditions closer to what Indy will feel like.
I think I found a good split for upper body strength training that best minimizes training on overactive muscles while getting extra work into underactives that need the work. As mentioned before my strength workouts are always 20 minutes long, with 30 second breaks unless switching exercises.
Currently I leave my A-Block (Pull exercises) as they are: Lat Pulldowns, Seated Cable Rows, Face Pulls and/or Hanging Raises, and finally Hammer Curls. The format is 4 sets, 1st and last set 12 reps light weight, middle sets 8 reps heavy weight. (In the case of the Hanging Raises I do 1st and last as 12 reps knee raises, then middle sets 8 reps straight leg raises).
Now with my B-Block (push exercises), I basically combine chest and shoulder presses into one by doing a block of incline bench presses (same 4-set sequence as listed above). Then I once again do Seated Cable Rows, except just a flat 4 sets of a lighter weight (no heavy 8 rep sets). Then I either find the abductor machine and do Seated Hip Abductions, or find open floor space and do bodyweight ATG Split Squat lunges (these are just 4 sets, 12 reps 8 reps 8 reps 12 reps). Then I do either Tricep Extensions or Tricep Press-Downs, and if there’s time left I’ll finish by mixing in some squat jumps or goblet squats depending on feel and space/equipment available.
I swapped a redundant pull exercise into the Push workout to work an upper back muscle group that for me and many others is underactive, but at more of a light shakeout intensity in case they are still tired or sore from the A-Block workout.
Note I de-emphasize leg exercises. Obviously, I do a ton of running and cross training, and I don’t want to overtax those lower body muscles, but still want to work on key underactive muscles (e.g. the hip abductions focus on the gluteus medius, a typically underactive muscle that in my case may have been a contributing factor to my recent hamstring/groin issues). The latter squat exercises are basically optional, though they can help develop strength/power that will be useful.
At this point I strength train about twice a week, one day the A-Block and one day the B-Block. I usually do one or both on the weekend, as machines and equipment tend to be freer around that time, though sometimes (like last night) I’m able to do some during the weeknights.
