It was so nice out today, I figured I would go for a 5K run over to my college campus, followed by a light weightlifting routine. After speaking to a UBC track coach, I have come to realize that full-body and leg-specific resistance training should play a considerable part in my training routine if I'm looking to make some gains.
The 5K run went pretty well - I'm not really into timing myself too strictly right now, but I imagine it was around 20-25 minutes, taking crosswalks and traffic lights into account. My legs are a little stiff from the race yesterday, so I started off easy, climbing the Burnaby Heights hills with ease. Closer to my destination, I picked up the pace because Sloan came up on the ol' MP3 player. Yessssss. No point in Sloan down eh? (womp-womp)
Once at the gym, 5K behind me, I did a nice stretch, since my back tightened up when I stopped running. I'll always remember leading the stretches as player/coach of my highschool rugby squad, and going with the ol' "head-to-toe" strategy. First, roll the neck back and forth, then rotate the shoulders, arms and traps, upper, lower back and obliques, then hips, glutes, hamstrings, etc etc winding up with the ankles and feet.
After the warmup/stretch it's right into the weight routine. Here's what I did:
Box Step with Knee Drive: 2-3sets x 15reps (each leg)
(You can do these on a Bosu Ball with the flat side up, or just a bench)
Bench Dips: 2-3sets x 15 reps
(great for the triceps, also good for the core if you keep your legs and back straight)
Dumbbell lunges: 2-3sets x 15reps (each leg)
(Do these in place if the gym is busy, otherwise head out into the hallway)
Oblique crunches: 3sets x 20reps
(There's a machine for this, I believe it's called the Roman Chair)
Squat to shoulder presses: 2-3sets x 15reps
(Grab a barbell with light-ish weight, make sure to keep your back straight, using a weightlifting belt if available)
Push-ups: 2-3 sets x 15 reps
(Lowering slowly, powering up)
One leg squats: 2-3 sets x 15reps (each leg)
(I do these on the Bosu Ball (round side up) to add a little extra ankle and calf workout)
Supermans (Supermen?): 3sets x 20reps
(Lying on your belly, lift your left leg/right arm & vice versa. Deep breaths.)
Cool down: 10 minutes of light jogging/walking on the treadmill followed by plenty of stretching (head-to-toe).
After my workout, I sat down in a common area & relaxed for a bit, just in time to catch the end of the Canada-Switzerland hockey game. Our boys looked okay, beating the Swiss 4-1. Next up, the USA.
I could have jogged home, it was such a nice day, but I decided to take public transit so I could swing by the grocery store. Like Ol' Mother Hubbard, my cupboards were bare. I picked up some veggies, brown rice, chicken breast and hoi sin sauce. You can probably guess where I'm going with this - stir fry heaven!
Tomorrow is a rest day, but that doesn't mean loafing around. I find that 20-30 minutes of light activity like walking or cycling works well on a rest day, so that's exactly what I'll do. Judging by the red sky, it's going to be perfect walking weather tomorrow. I'll leave the rest up to you.
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