Feeling sluggish from poor sleep and the heat today, it was an extra challenge to get the motivation up to get started on today's workout, but it was so worth it, especially for feeling really great now that it's finished! :D
Today's main workout was a 30 minute "brutal" core one with Daniel, one that may have been done sometime before, but wasn't on the favorites list. However, it is now on the favorites list, even though it's "brutal" and Abs! Even though the intervals were long (50 sec), and the format was repetitive ABAB, it was still interesting, and definitely challenging enough without being discouragingly difficult. It's doubtful that would have been the case 6 months ago when first returning to fitness after a 5+ month injury hiatus.
Also did the scheduled EC cardio+core with Kelli today, which was suprisingly fun - even the cardio intervals (which thankfully weren't HIIT today, that's coming up tomorrow, haha!), perhaps because the intervals were only 20 seconds instead of 45 or 50. :D It was a 20-minute stand-alone core-focused workout with warm-up and cool-down which was well-structured and interesting, with some less common exercises like lizard lunges, push-pull high knees, and stutter jacks. Unlike the usual FB HIIT exercises, none of the cardio exercises had to be modified for injuries and it was doable as-is (whoop!).
Loved that there were 2 cool downs and stretches between the main and EC workouts which didn't overlap. It felt great to get in the extra stretching, especially after yesterday's hot day of hiking. :D
It's been a slow, stepwise return from injury to re-build a fairly decent level of fitness again - starting wtih FB Low Impact R2 2xs-3xs/week, then FB Blend 3xs-4xs/week, then FB Complete 4-5xs/week with a week-long break after the 1000 calorie workout week, then FB Fit R3 6xs/week as scheduled (which kicked really hard in the first 2 weeks, but finally felt doable the last 2 weeks).
It has been a very slow, intentional, patiently paced return - starting with the easiest foundational basics so as to be able to completely, intently focus on proper form and mind-on-muscle awareness and retrain both the body and the brain to do everything properly in the very best, most effective, safest way possible, as well as to correct imbalances - without rushing ahead to the harder stuff and missing out on the priceless gem of gaining proper form and muscle activation.
The consistency of simply showing up and doing something purposefully and mindfully every day, even if only a 10-15 minute light cardio or Pilates workout, and deliberately making the time and choosing the patience to relearn and retrain for proper form and muscle awareness through repeating all of the very basics is paying off. Yesterday's hiking in the blistering heat wouldn't have been possible without the strong foundation these slow, intentional 6 months has rebuilt - and rebuilt much better than before thanks to having finally gained the necessary mind-on-muscle awareness, muscle activation, and excellent form via a return to the basics with a deliberate focus on those aspects for the first time in a history of competitive sports and fitness. It is very much worth stepping back and mastering these crucial foundational components in order to not only prevent injury but also gain even higher levels of fitness in the future. The myth that more is better is long-since busted - better quality and better form is always much better than more. :)
2 Week Abs Challenge β Day 8 - complete!
Feeling sluggish from poor sleep and the heat today, it was an extra challenge to get the motivation up to get started on today's workout, but it was so worth it, especially for feeling really great now that it's finished! :D
Today's main workout was a 30 minute "brutal" core one with Daniel, one that may have been done sometime before, but wasn't on the favorites list. However, it is now on the favorites list, even though it's "brutal" and Abs! Even though the intervals were long (50 sec), and the format was repetitive ABAB, it was still interesting, and definitely challenging enough without being discouragingly difficult. It's doubtful that would have been the case 6 months ago when first returning to fitness after a 5+ month injury hiatus.
Also did the scheduled EC cardio+core with Kelli today, which was suprisingly fun - even the cardio intervals (which thankfully weren't HIIT today, that's coming up tomorrow, haha!), perhaps because the intervals were only 20 seconds instead of 45 or 50. :D It was a 20-minute stand-alone core-focused workout with warm-up and cool-down which was well-structured and interesting, with some less common exercises like lizard lunges, push-pull high knees, and stutter jacks. Unlike the usual FB HIIT exercises, none of the cardio exercises had to be modified for injuries and it was doable as-is (whoop!).
Loved that there were 2 cool downs and stretches between the main and EC workouts which didn't overlap. It felt great to get in the extra stretching, especially after yesterday's hot day of hiking. :D
It's been a slow, stepwise return from injury to re-build a fairly decent level of fitness again - starting wtih FB Low Impact R2 2xs-3xs/week, then FB Blend 3xs-4xs/week, then FB Complete 4-5xs/week with a week-long break after the 1000 calorie workout week, then FB Fit R3 6xs/week as scheduled (which kicked really hard in the first 2 weeks, but finally felt doable the last 2 weeks).
It has been a very slow, intentional, patiently paced return - starting with the easiest foundational basics so as to be able to completely, intently focus on proper form and mind-on-muscle awareness and retrain both the body and the brain to do everything properly in the very best, most effective, safest way possible, as well as to correct imbalances - without rushing ahead to the harder stuff and missing out on the priceless gem of gaining proper form and muscle activation.
The consistency of simply showing up and doing something purposefully and mindfully every day, even if only a 10-15 minute light cardio or Pilates workout, and deliberately making the time and choosing the patience to relearn and retrain for proper form and muscle awareness through repeating all of the very basics is paying off. Yesterday's hiking in the blistering heat wouldn't have been possible without the strong foundation these slow, intentional 6 months has rebuilt - and rebuilt much better than before thanks to having finally gained the necessary mind-on-muscle awareness, muscle activation, and excellent form via a return to the basics with a deliberate focus on those aspects for the first time in a history of competitive sports and fitness. It is very much worth stepping back and mastering these crucial foundational components in order to not only prevent injury but also gain even higher levels of fitness in the future. The myth that more is better is long-since busted - better quality and better form is always much better than more. :)