Working out anyway

[avram]

I was considering blowing off my workout today, but after seeing three different people on my Friends page talk about not working out today, I decided to be virtuous on behalf of y’all. Also, today was the first day in a week when I haven’t weighed in at less than the day before (and after yesterday’s nice cardio workout too, most unfair). And hey, it’s lower-body day, the least arduous of my workouts.

• Weight: 275
• Dumbbell squats:
  • 15 reps with pair of 18-lb weights.
  • 15 reps with pair of 18-lb weights.
  • 15 reps with pair of 21-lb weights.
  • Standing quad stretch after each set.
• Dumbbell straight-back straight-leg deadlift:
  • 15 reps with pair of 21-lb weights.
  • 15 reps with pair of 21-lb weights.
  • 15 reps with pair of 21-lb weights.
  • Hamstring stretch after each set.
• Single-legged calf raise:
  • 20 reps with 9-lb weight.
  • 20 reps with 9-lb weight.
  • Step straight-leg calf stretch after each set.
• Ab crunches:
  • 20 reps of Hot Point crunches.
  • 20 reps of Hot Point crunches.
  • 20 reps of penguin crunches.
  • 20 reps of penguin crunches.

I’m trying out a new LJ client. I’d been using iJournal for a while, but gotten tired of some of its quirks, so now I’m giving Xjournal a try. It looks like it has more useful features. (Both MacOS X only.)

Comments

[avram]

They're both ab crunch variants that I found in Hot Point Fitness, a fitness plan I was following last August.

The basic Hot Point ab crunch is just like the nromal ab crunch you're probably familair with, but before you start you draw in your ab muscles, and while you're doing your set of 20 you never let your back go all the way back down to the floor (or mat, or bench, or whatever).

For penguin crunches you get into the normal crunch position -- lying on your back, knees drawn up -- but with your hands down at your sides. Draw in your ab muscles, lift yourself up and stay up, while alternately tapping your ankles with your hands, 20 times each hand. From above you should look sort of like a penguin waddling.