Workout

Of the

Week

Wednesdays

Wednesdays are now officially your WOW Wednesdays! (Thanks to Boyfriend for that idea! And thanks to Boyfriend for the original workout that I adapted into this one!)

Each Wednesday I’ll post a new workout that I’ve done that week, and challenge you to try it! There will be descriptions for each exercise, and videos if I can find them.

I’ve done this workout twice so far- once last week, and again yesterday. Last week I used a 20 pound kettlebell and a 40 pound bar. I also had the Upright Rows at the set of 8 – but that was too much for me at 40 pounds. I modified it as I went last week, and stuck to that modification when I did it again this week. That workout is listed below, with the weights I used in parenthesis. You can click on each exercise for a demonstration of how to perform them.

14 Calorie Row (level 6)

12 Single Arm Kettlebell Swings (25#)

10 Medicine Ball Slams (20#)

8 Barbell Sumo Squats (40#)

6 Barbell Overhead Press (40#)

4 Barbell Upright Row (40#)

Complete two rounds, maximum effort, only resting during transition from one exercise to the next. Rest for two to five minutes, and repeat. Complete for time.

Don’t skip your warm up or cool down! At least five minutes. I typically do an incline walk on the treadmill, a slow row, or jump rope.  

 

Last week I completed the first two rounds in 8:15, and the second in 7:46.

I aimed to beat my time this week, but wasn’t sure if I would or not. Yesterday I was feeling pretty sluggish and didn’t have much energy. BUT – I knew it would be a fast workout, and the harder I pushed, the quicker I would be done!

My first two rounds I finished in 7:43. Faster, but just barely! (Just barely is good enough in my book.) I took two minutes to rest, and at that point thought best case scenario would have me maintaining the same pace. But again – I knew the harder I pushed the better I would feel.

The second two rounds I finished in….

7:23.

What?!

It’s not the most intense workout I’ve done. But seeing that time drop so substantially made me feel so great.

Hard work does pay off! Don’t let your mind trick your body otherwise.

 

Notes:

This workout does require a good bit of equipment. Some movements are adaptable for little to no equipment with a bit of ingenuity. If you need suggestions for modifications, leave me a comment! 

Medicine Ball Slams do not have to be performed by bringing the ball behind your head like the link shows. Doing so would be a great way to incorporate a bit more triceps, though. When I do them I lift the ball straight up, and slam it straight down. I aim for the ball to land between my toes – at the top of my feet, but not too far out in front. I catch the ball on the bounce, and immediately lift it back up and begin again.

For the barbell sequence, you can perform each exercise without putting the bar down. For the sumo squats, keep the bar across your back. Transitioning to the overhead press, lift the bar overhead and begin the press from about collar bone level. I did as many strict presses as I could – relying on just my arms and shoulders to lift. As I got a little more tired I allowed myself a small jump-up as I lifted.

The barbell upright rows were the hardest for me. I used the same 40 pound bar for all of these, and lifting that much here was a challenge (…which is why I only did four of them).

 

 

Today two of my coworkers and I completed CrossFit Open’s 18.2 workout. We did 18.1 last week – it was a killer, but it was so much fun!

18.2?

Ya’ll.

My legs are still a little shaky. (We skipped 18.2A, in case anyone is keeping track – we all agreed that it was a little too challenging for us.) I had a lofty goal of finishing around six minutes. When the first coworker finished just under eight minutes this morning, I knew six would be out of my reach when I did it this afternoon. And it was – I finished last out of us three, at 11:05.

But I know I pushed myself as hard as I could, and that’s what I care about. 

I’m not a CrossFit-er by any means. I’ve never gone to a CrossFit gym and I’m about 50/50 on what I like and dislike about it.

But I can say that the family CrossFit builds is pretty cool.

Having an opportunity for my coworkers and I to come together to do such hard workouts and cheer each other on is awesome team building. Plus, being asked what we’re doing gets to start conversations with other coworkers that we might otherwise miss out on.

It’s also a common interest with Boyfriend. Being able to talk to each other about our workouts, and challenge, encourage, and inspire each other to try something new and difficult helps our long distance seem a little less distant.

The videos of people all shapes and sizes, disabilities, ages, etc… pushing themselves to compete and complete these workouts is incredible. If you are needing some motivation to go workout, check out this video.

 

These workouts are challenging, that’s certain. But it’s not impossible.

 

Challenge yourself! Make modifications if you need to. Just get it done!

Carving out a few minutes of your day to take care of yourself makes all the other stressful parts of life just a little bit more manageable – for me at least. And hopefully, for you too.

HAPPY EXERCISING! 

Of course, always talk to your doctor before starting a new workout regimen. If you know your body shouldn’t do something, listen to it. Push yourself, but only as far as you know is safe.