Feeling the Burn

Today, I got in one last high-intensity weighlifting workout before my company gets here and I relax a bit and enjoy the weekend. I'm sure I'll get in a run or two this weekend, but there will be no heavy lifting on the docket as my body has earned a couple of days rest in that department. My last two workouts (inspired by workouts at pbfingers.com) looked like this:


Thursday's Upper Body Circuit:

• Bent-over Rows and Biceps Curls Superset-- 3 sets of 15 with heavy weight
• Push-Ups, Upright Rows and Side Shoulder Raises Superset -- 3 sets of 15 with heavy weight
• Chest Press and Front Shoulder Raises Superset -- 3 sets of 15 with moderate weight
• Skull-Crushers and Close-Grip Bench Press Superset -- 3 sets of 15 with moderate weight
• 5 minutes of various plank exercises
• 20 minutes on the elliptical at quick pace with a varying incline

Today's Lower Body Workout:

• Giant set using 15 lb dumbbells and 3 sets of 15 of the following exercises:
• Chair step-ups
• Squats
• Deadlifts
• Lunges
• Superset using a 35-lb kettlebell and 3 sets of 20 of the following exercises:
• Kettlebell swings
• Sumo squats
• Superset using body weight, a stability ball, and 3 sets of 15 of the following exercises:
• Hamstring ball curls
• Plank roll ups
• Stability ball planks
• Superset using body weight and 3 sets of 20 on an exercise mat:
• Side leg lifts
• Mountain climbers
• Plyometric circuit:
• 100 high knees
• 100 butt kicks
• 100 jumping jacks
• 100 jump ropes
• 100 heismans

I had an interesting conversation with a friend last night and we were discussing training approaches and injury risk. I have found that I do not get injured as long as I am training smart, which means listening to my body, giving myself rest days, not training the same body part 2 days in a row, keeping my mileage in check (I don't need to run 5+ miles every day, 2 or 3 easy miles once in a while is a GOOD thing), and I try not to compare myself to others. I'm only competing against myself and I see the biggest improvement when I train smart, which sometimes means more isn't always better. Sometimes the secret to getting stronger is getting some rest to come back rejuvenated to make some gains. Just some food for thought. Treat your body well--balance is KEY! Gotta throw some easy days into the mix. Happy Friday.