new abdominal routine

a facebook friend who i have never met but who has incredible and enviable abs encouraged me to mix up my ab routine and not do the same exercise in a 2 week period because abs adapt so easily as compared with other muscle groups

soo. . .

abs
4 sets of 10 lower abs - leg lifts on dip machine
4 sets of 15 twist with medicine ball (balance on glutes and bring ball to each side quickly)
4 sets of 10 push ups with bosu ball (1/2 ball)

back
i am incorporating more supersets and drop sets
3 sets of 15 assisted pull ups
3 sets of 12 dumbbell rows 25#
3 sets of 10 hammer strength 45# each side
superset 3 sets of 10 tbar row (35#) and 10 deadlifts (65# and 85#)
3 sets of 12 back extensions
cable row drop set 2 sets of 2-4-6-8-10 reps (105# down to 45#)
lat pull downs 3 sets of 15 forget what weight i used

thinking

10 min stairmaster

muscle group worked: abs, back

20 minutes stairmaster
10 minutes climb stairs (28 flights)

wake up

1:30 hours walk on trail

10 minutes stairmaster

muscle group worked: back
lat pull downs 70# and 85#
seated row 90# and 105#
one arm dumbbell row 25#
t bar row 35#

talk to cute guy

20 minutes stairmaster

try to act cool and casual despite sweat and exertion when cute guy waves bye-bye as he heads out the door

right now

10 minutes stairmaster

muscle group worked: abs, back
lat pull downs 85#, tbar row 35#, hammer strength 55# each side

20 minutes stairmaster (interval)
20 minutes run on treadmill

on the trail

run on trail 42:00 (~5 miles)

10 minutes elliptical crosstrainer

5 rounds of
10 thrusters (45#)
10 pull ups
20 sit ups

muscle groups worked: back, abs

20 minutes stairmaster

blast from the past

10 minutes stairmaster

muscle group worked: back, legs, abs
getting stronger, but i am sick yet again (upper respiratory infection, sore throat, general malaise)

20 minutes stairmaster
by this point i had been in the gym 2:15, so i cut my cardio short

When I was 18 years old, so about 13 years ago, I met and dated this guy James* for several years, and James was emotionally, verbally, and physically abusive to me. James was a textbook narcissist (exaggerated sense of self-importance, preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success/power/brilliance, believes he is special, requires excessive admiration, sense of entitlement, takes advangage of others, lacks empathy, is envious of others, and displays arrogant or haughty behavior). I was young and lacked any semblance of self-esteem whatsoever, and I fell for his charm at first. The relationship ended when we finally broke up and he began stalking me. I called the police, who confronted him, and thankfully I never heard from him again.

Until today.

You can read all about my encounter with James here.

key

10 minutes stairmaster

muscle group worked: abs, back
light abs
55# on each side of overhand hammer strength machine
45# on each side of underhand hammer strength machine
i have not done deadlifts the past two weeks

20 minutes stairmaster

my legs are extremely sore, and cardio of any kind is very challenging.

tired

10 minutes warm up on stairmaster

muscle group worked: back

20 minutes stairmaster

pump

10 minutes stairmaster
60 flights of stairs with 20# vest
40 flights with no vest

time to complete: 37:24

muscle group worked: back, abs
I did light abs with low weight and high reps.
3 sets of 8 pull ups with assistance
deadlift 95# (3 sets of 10) to 115# (1 set of 8)
dumbbell row 25# to 30#

eyeliner

5 rounds of
15 thrusters (35#)
15 kettlebell swings (20#)
15 sit ups

time to complete: 8:43

10 minutes stairmaster
50 flights with 20# weight vest
50 flights with no weight vest

muscle group worked: back

shifting

Sarah
5 rounds of
50 m walking lunges (about 40 lunges)
20 kettlebell swings (20#)
30 sit ups

40 minutes Stairmaster

muscle group worked: back
My goal is to be able to do regular pull ups. I am starting to do them first in my workout, probably twice a week. I used the pull up machine. During my workout, I saw three men use the same machine, and they all had either the same weight I used or more weight (which makes it easier, as the weight on the machine is a counterbalance to one's own body weight). That made me feel strong.

I am emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted. This has been a rough week for me. I am contemplating taking a rest day each week. I have been advised to do so by numerous people. However, it is difficult for me to do so. I have an office job, and I need physical activity. It helps me feel more balanced, I sleep better, I feel less anxious, and I simply enjoy exercise.

grit

Sarah
5 rounds of
50 m walking lunges
30 sit ups
20 kettlebell swings (25#)

time to complete: 13:23

20 minutes Stairmaster
19:50 50 flights of stairs with 20# vest

muscle group worked: back

climb to the moon

If I climb 5 miles a day for 155 years, I will have climbed the distance from the earth to the moon.

modified Fran
5 rounds of
10 thrusters (45#)
10 pull ups (modified - on Smith rack)

time to complete: 4:46
This one was very challenging, but not overly so.

40 minutes on Stairmaster

muscle group worked: back

I went to the new gym again, and I enjoyed it. It is nice to be able to use slightly different equipment; I feel like I am able to get some variety.

running with scissors

30 minutes Stairmaster
50 flights of stairs with 17# vest (18:55)

muscle group worked: back, abs

those eyes

Some woman at the gym stared at me with laser beam eyes for a good ten seconds as I stared right back. What is it they say about if you stare at someone for six seconds without breaking eye contact you either want to kill them or have sex with them?

I said to her, "What are you staring at? Do not get loud with me. I will cut you."

Fran
21 thrusters (45#)
21 pull ups (modified)
15 thrusters (45#)
15 pull ups (modified)
9 thrusters (45#)
9 pull ups (modified)

time to complete: 3:55
I beat my time from my last round of Fran a few weeks ago, when I used only 35# for thrusters, and got 4:08.

50 flights of stairs with 15# weight vest
time to complete: 19:11
My heart rate was around 155

muscle group worked: back, abs
My back is getting stronger. I am able to do four sets of 8-10 reps of 95-115 pounds with good form.

she's got bette davis eyes

Betty

5 rounds of
12 push press (45#)
20 box jumps (modified)

time to complete: 6:36

50-55 flights of stairs with 12 lb weight vest
time to complete: 19:33

muscle group worked: back

the state of being true

Verity

5 rounds of
20 box jumps (modified)
20 push ups (half modified, half regular)
20 sit ups

time to complete: 8:26

I have been doing the Stairmaster for over a year, and a few months ago, I began running flights of regular stairs.  I took about a month off but resumed the real stairs and earned a personal record.

50 flights of stairs
time to complete: 14:15

muscle group worked: back