Me+:
This post starts out sad and has a happy ending (the kind where everything works out in the end). As you already know from reading previous posts I have had some minor problems with my shoulders in the past year. It was nothing that some anti-inflammatories, some massage therapy and some rest and ice couldn't fix. I also learned that I can't just do whatever I want at the gym anymore. Although I was at the park a week ago and I can still do the following: cartwheel, round off, front and back walk overs (I think I am retired from hand springs).
I did something again to my left shoulder on the weekend (from all of the nothing that I did). I thought about cancelling my session on Sunday night, but the only thing that stopped me what I was actually writing a blog post about our Friday workout and it made me look forward to our Monday workout. I wasn't sure what I would be able to to even do at the gym, but I knew that Kyle would take care of me.
Monday morning prior to my workout was annoying. I always eat my food in the car on my wa to the gym (it's about a 20 minute drive). I put it in a container with no lid, so I can just nibble as I drive. Today I ate out of my cup holder and passenger seat because everything spilled out. I also dropped my blackberry (this is not new news) however its always bummer when you drop it hard enough that he back comes off and the battery goes flying. I don't think that is very good for the phone and it takes forever to turn back on. Lastly, I also forgot my water so I had to use a random plastic water bottle that was in the backseat of my car. Kyle offered to let me borrow money from the swear jar (Katrina, if you are reading this I am not sure he is authorized to do this) so I could buy a water.
Let me get to the workout part:
Warm Up
step mill & shoulder stretching
Workout (I hope this makes sense)
1st round
16 walking lunges (with 15 lb dumbells)
2nd round
16 walking lunges (with 15 lb dumbells)
45 second rope pull (not over head)
3rd round
16 walking lunges (with 15 lb dumbells)
45 second rope pull (not over head)
should retraction (12 reps each side)
4th round
16 walking lunges (with 15 lb dumbells)
45 second rope pull (not over head)
should retraction (12 reps each side)
leg curl (75 lbs) 8 reps
5th round
16 walking lunges (with 15 lb dumbells)
45 second rope pull (not over head)
should retraction with 3 lbs (12 reps each side)
leg curl (75 lbs) 8 reps
shoulder rotation with 5 lbs (8-10 reps)
6th round
16 walking lunges (with 15 lb dumbells)
45 second rope pull (not over head)
...we ran out of time-we only have an hour people. You could definitely try this workout-you just have to make sure and time your rest in between exercises-only 60-75 seconds.
Happy Ending: I was able to walk away from a one hour workout with my shoulders actually feeling BETTER then when I had started. Huh. How? We didn't do any overhead work. Also, the swear jar remained untouched.
P.S. Do you remember by best fitness advice from an earlier post? Have a workout buddy? Here are two more of my workout buddies. I look fake happy (I am on the left) and we are out west in Victoria BC.
This is what happens when you exercise. You are always happy. Even when you get caught in the rain. We also crushed cupcakes right after this, which may have played a role in our happiness.
My Trainer:
It was a shame to have Tara come in with a sore shoulder. I know she’s tough, but I’ve had the chance to work with a lot of shoulder injuries and the last thing I wanted was for her to leave worse than when she came. A few quick changes to the program and we were off. Typically Tara does a great job explaining what we did in our session, but I would like to add a few things.
We started a new training cycle called R.A.M.P. training that I learned at Kevin Darby’s Functional Assessment and Exercise Progressions course. In essence, it consists of adding a new exercise (that makes sense to client ability, structural balance, and goals) every set, and then starting from the beginning. It is geared to have one set of the final lift done, 2 sets of the second last lift, and so on. It has proven very effective in the past – and is a lot of fun to train! The only real adjustments were making sure she wasn’t doing anything overhead (or past 30 degrees).
Though it flustered her at the time (it would anyone) Tara’s eating out of a cup holder was kinda amusing to me … just eat at home already. I could not eat on the way to a workout, if I expected to hold onto that food throughout, but I’m not ready to argue that with her yet. Yes, Tara declined my offer of water at the gym, and why she choose to rat me out to Katrina is beyond me. Katrina is our Club Administrator, with whom I share an office. Katrina and I founded a swear jar last month so that, even behind closed doors, our professionalism was always top notch (that’s my story anyways). She is one of the most liked people in our gym without a doubt, and if she actually reads this – I’m willing to bet she gets enough of me throughout the week – I’m sorry for compromising our swear jar … never again dam**t.
A Swear Jar (I know some of you are very visual).
Crap – that was my last quarter.
Happy Reading,
Me+ My Trainer
