Jude and I did Crossfit on Friday noon and then again on Saturday morning. I was not too sore from earlier in the week but Jude was pretty sore from CF on Thursday night and then Cardio Pilates on Friday Morning.
To finish off the week, we did 'the stairs' on Capitol Hill. Seattle has lots of outdoor stairs because we have so many hills. And these particular stairs are popular for getting a workout. Actually there is a pair of stairs a block apart each going up about 13 flights although I am not sure what that actually elevation change is.
Anyway, we are training for the Columbia Tower stair climb (Bigclimb.org) in March. It is 69 floors and it ends up being mostly a sprint. I did it 2 years ago with a 12 minute time. My goal is to cut that down to at least 10 minutes. So I have been sprinting up the Capitol hill steps for the past few weeks getting back into shape. Yesterday, I did 12 'laps' - some sprinting, some walking but all taking 2 steps at a time. It is a great workout!
Today, I am not sore in my legs but my triceps and upper body is a bit sore from Crossfit yesterday. I'll stretch it out when I do my Pilates workout with a couple of clients.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Long Time Coming
It's been several months since my last entry. You can just assume a combination of busy-ness, laziness and neglect. But I have not been idle in that time.
I have continued my Crossfit workouts and have really started to see and feel changes in my strength. But as I was telling a Pilates client yesterday, "If you really want to make changes in your body, you have to really work hard. I mean the kind of workout that leaves either laying on the floor panting or crying."
Other workouts, Pilates included, are going to change one's body but just not as fast. Our bodies crave stasis to conserve energy and as such they will try to sabotage our efforts to make changes. I feel a bit of anxiety every time I go to Crossfit because I know that I am going to be wiped out. But the rewards of having done something you didn't think you were capable of are great.
And lately, because of Crossfit, I am finding Pilates so incredibly valuable for its complexity, flexibility, range of motion and requirement for a complete body integration. After all Joe Pilates worked a lot with dancers in NYC; a dancer already has a level of fitness and strength so the classical advanced Pilates reformer work can be viewed almost as a restorative - getting the body back in balance with itself.
I have continued my Crossfit workouts and have really started to see and feel changes in my strength. But as I was telling a Pilates client yesterday, "If you really want to make changes in your body, you have to really work hard. I mean the kind of workout that leaves either laying on the floor panting or crying."
Other workouts, Pilates included, are going to change one's body but just not as fast. Our bodies crave stasis to conserve energy and as such they will try to sabotage our efforts to make changes. I feel a bit of anxiety every time I go to Crossfit because I know that I am going to be wiped out. But the rewards of having done something you didn't think you were capable of are great.
And lately, because of Crossfit, I am finding Pilates so incredibly valuable for its complexity, flexibility, range of motion and requirement for a complete body integration. After all Joe Pilates worked a lot with dancers in NYC; a dancer already has a level of fitness and strength so the classical advanced Pilates reformer work can be viewed almost as a restorative - getting the body back in balance with itself.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Precision versus Speed?
I just came back from Crossfit where, as usual, we had an intense workout: 8 rounds of 20 second intervals(with a 20 second rest in between each exercise) of: Deadlift high pulls, Push-ups and v-ups (teasers by Pilates terminology). Doesn't sound like much but I was grunting and swearing up a storm. During my rest intervals, I was observing the other Crossfitters especially the really strong power boys. I realize that Crossfit tends to choose power and speed over technique and precision where Pilates emphasizes just the opposite. Is it better to choose one over the other? I don't honestly know. Because I teach Pilates, the technique choice makes more sense to me in the long run.
During the push-up sequence, I was really paying attention to my technique because when I was working with my trainer at Athletic Engineering, we discovered that the lower fibers of my right Serratus anterior (kind of the armpit muscle) are not engaging which makes my right shoulder 'wing out' and have started causing some impingement problems. So I was really getting to full extension on my pushups and really focusing on my armpit area. It made the work so much harder and I think once I get over being sore in the next few days, it will make my shoulders function so much better.
Clearly, power and speed and precision and technique are all critical. My hypothesis is that by doing both Pilates and Crossfit and Yoga and Functional training, I will continue to work on my body in all of the ways necessary to keep me healthy and functional and strong and flexible as I age. 'Cause I ain't getting any younger!
During the push-up sequence, I was really paying attention to my technique because when I was working with my trainer at Athletic Engineering, we discovered that the lower fibers of my right Serratus anterior (kind of the armpit muscle) are not engaging which makes my right shoulder 'wing out' and have started causing some impingement problems. So I was really getting to full extension on my pushups and really focusing on my armpit area. It made the work so much harder and I think once I get over being sore in the next few days, it will make my shoulders function so much better.
Clearly, power and speed and precision and technique are all critical. My hypothesis is that by doing both Pilates and Crossfit and Yoga and Functional training, I will continue to work on my body in all of the ways necessary to keep me healthy and functional and strong and flexible as I age. 'Cause I ain't getting any younger!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Workout Myth #1- Recovery time?
It's Friday and I woke up feeling pretty good. I usually am a little muscle sore from my various workouts and it feels good - makes me feel alive and like I am working towards something. Yesterday ended up being a 3 workout day: 2 Pilates workouts and a Crossfit workout.
Now I know a bunch of people get alarmed when you tell them you workout everyday and more than an hour a day. That doesn't make sense to me. Any Olympic athlete, gymnast, ballet dancer or any professional athlete didn't get to where they are on one hour a day 5 days a week. They push themselves. Even Madonna or an actor training for a physical role will workout like crazy to get ready.
But don't you need a day to recover? My response is: If your legs or arms or glutes are fried then yes you need some time to recover but that is just logical and listening to your body. Abs can be cranked on every day because there is so much blood running through them to help with recovery.
So some days I wake up and discover that my hamstrings or glutes or arms are super sore so I give them some time to recover. I also try to get a little extra sleep to help with that process. And then I go at it again. And again, and again.
Today will probably be a no workout day unless I run the stairs because I am going to the ballet tonight to see those athletes work their bodies in amazing ways. BTW, it's Midsummer Night's Dream
Now I know a bunch of people get alarmed when you tell them you workout everyday and more than an hour a day. That doesn't make sense to me. Any Olympic athlete, gymnast, ballet dancer or any professional athlete didn't get to where they are on one hour a day 5 days a week. They push themselves. Even Madonna or an actor training for a physical role will workout like crazy to get ready.
But don't you need a day to recover? My response is: If your legs or arms or glutes are fried then yes you need some time to recover but that is just logical and listening to your body. Abs can be cranked on every day because there is so much blood running through them to help with recovery.
So some days I wake up and discover that my hamstrings or glutes or arms are super sore so I give them some time to recover. I also try to get a little extra sleep to help with that process. And then I go at it again. And again, and again.
Today will probably be a no workout day unless I run the stairs because I am going to the ballet tonight to see those athletes work their bodies in amazing ways. BTW, it's Midsummer Night's Dream
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