rmc: For ab work, I'd recommend the basics: crunches, reverse crunches, bicycle crunches, crunches with a medicine ball either held straight above your chest or sit-ups with a medicine ball that you toss against a wall on the "up" part of the move, planks, superwomen, etc.
All great ideas, thanks Ferumbras! I guess my problem is not so much knowing what to do, but actually doing it. The way my gym is laid out, there's really not a lot of convenient space for doing "floor" work and once I'm home from the gym, I sometimes don't even have enough steam left to climb the stairs to shower, much less do another set of exercises! I'm going to try to motivate myself to do the ab work either before I go to the gym or maybe first thing in AM or in the evening. I'll have to see if making it a separate workout will make me more or less likely to do it.
I never do ab work at the gym, always at home unless it's part of a class I'm taking. Maybe put on a half-hour show you like to have as background and help time your ab workout?
May 1st-7th
Worked out 5 out of 6 days (started a day late). I managed at least 60 minutes each day.
May 8th-14th
Three days of working out, but that was expected given the conference. However, those three were good days, with at least 60 minutes each.
May 15th-21st
Only 3 workout days this week, but they were good ones, and given I was away for the first part of the week and then twisted my ankle, I'm not going to beat myself up over it.
May 22nd-31st
5/22: l1d2 30 Day Shred; arm hooping
5/23: l1d3 30 Day Shred; hula hooping workout
5/24: kickboxing class; l1d4 30 Day Shred x2; arm hooping
5/25: got 2/3 of the way through l1d5 of 30 Day Shred, but my ankle really started hurting, so I guess today's a rest day
5/26: rest day, ankle's still bugging me
5/27: l1d5 30 Day Shred; balance ball upper body workout
5/28: l1d6 30 Day Shred; w1d1 c25k
5/29: l1d7 30 Day Shred; balance ball upper body workout
5/30: l1d8 30 Day Shred; w1d2 c25k
I've been thinking of my June exercise goal and, now that I seem to have going to the gym under my belt (for now at least), I think I'm going to focus on pushing myself when I get there. Maybe #calories burned or amount of time doing cardio or # of sets . . . not sure yet. I want to set realistic goals, but sometimes I find myself wussing out. "Anything is better than nothing" and "Whatever I do, it's more than I used to do" are two favorite excuses when I'm ambivalent about my workout.
Great to see everyone still making progress! I walked a lot in New York, many hours a day for several days. It was great!
I set up the June Exercise Challenge thread for people like rmc9142 who are thinking ahead. I think I'm going to add a couple of things to my minutes goal -- a goal to do two or more forms of exercise in a day at least 10 times and a goal to walk outside for 30 minutes or more at least 10 times.
Who met their May goals? I will post a summary.
Last edited by gardenerjoy; 05-31-2011 at 11:53 AM.
For this month I would like to get in five workouts each week. I usally workout for at least a hour but there are times when I dont. I do a variety of things from weights to classes at my gym. My other goal is to get a workout in on the weekend no matter what it is! I always slack on weekend
5/1 20 mins stair climber
5/2 30 mins elliptical
5/3 60 mins step and sculpt
5/4 60 mins kickboxing 60 mins body to pump
5/9 60 min step
5/10 25mins elliptical 60mins low impact/box
5/11 1 hr kickboxing, 1hr body to pump 20min walk
5/12 1hr low impact
5/16 25min jog 45mins step 20mins weights
5/17 20mins jog 45 min low impact box 15min weights
5/18 60mins kickboxing 60mins body to pump
5/21 80mins hike
5/23 15 min walk, 60min step
5/24 20mins elliptical 60min low impact/box 40 min walk
5/25 45 min walk/jog
5/31 30 mins ellipical, 45mins low impact and weights
May goals: Gym 5x/week (30-60 mins. cardio 5x, weights 3x), Volleyball 1-2x week, walk on non-gym days (as long as the weather holds)
1: Rest day
2: 50 min. elliptical, 30 min. weights, 2 hrs. volleyball
3: 1 hr. racquetball, 2 hrs. volleyball
4: 45 min. elliptical, 35 min. weights
5: 60 minute walk (semi rest day, no gym)
6: 1 hr. racquetball, 45 mins. weights
7: 50 min. elliptical
8: Rest day
9: 33 min. elliptical, 45 min. weights
10: 60 min. elliptical
11: 40 min. elliptical, 35 min. weights
12: Rest day - walk to the park with kids
13: 45 min. racquetball
14: Unplanned Rest Day
15: 65 min. elliptical
16: 57 minute walk (3.7 miles), 2 hrs volleyball
17: 30 min. elliptical, 35 min. weights, 2 hrs. volleyball
18: 50 min elliptical
19: Rest Day
20: 60 min racquetball
21: Out of town
22: Rest Day
23: 40 min elliptical (intervals), 25 min weights, 2 hrs volleyball
24: 65 min elliptical
25: 30 min elliptical, 35 min weights
26: Rest Day
27: 1 hr racquetball
28: 45 min elliptical
29: Company in town
30: 2 hrs volleyball
31: Errands, couldn't get to the gym during childcare hours.
Total exercise minutes so far: 1,900
I had so hoped to hit 2,000 minutes this month, but I'll sure as heck take 1,900 with a smile. There's always June!
ETA: I forgot about volleyball last night!! New total exercise minutes for May: 2,020! Woohoo!!
Monthly Totals 420mins Strength & 914mins Cardio & Dog walk 17x’s
Did fantastic with my cardio goals 314minutes over my goal
Not so good with the strength training fell short 180minutes
Didn't quite make all of the dog walks for the month fell short by 3/4 x's
May 1 -
May 2 -
May 3 -
May 4 -
May 5 - 50 minutes on the treadmill
May 6 -
May 7 -
May 8 -
May 9 - 40 minutes on the treadmill
May 10 - upper body, lower body + 20 minutes treadmill (60 minutes total)
May 11 - 40 minutes on the treadmill
May 12 - abs, upper body, lower body + 25 minutes on the treadmill (65 minutes total)
May 13 - 55 minutes on the treadmill
May 14 -
May 15 - 2 mile walk outside (30 minutes)
May 16 - upper body, lower body + balance exercises + 35 minutes treadmill (80 minutes total)
May 17 - 40 minutes on the treadmill
May 18 - upper body, lower body + 20 minutes treadmill (60 minutes total)
May 19 -
May 20 - 25 minutes on the treadmill
May 21 -
May 22 -
May 23 -
May 24 - 45 minutes on the treadmill
May 25 -
May 26 - upper body + 30 minutes on treadmill (50 minutes total)
May 27 - 35 minutes on the treadmill
May 28 - 60 minutes on the treadmill
May 29 - abs, upper body, lower body, balance + 25 minutes treadmill (70 minutes total)
May 30 -
May 31 - 35 minutes on the treadmill
Total: 840/1350 minutes
This month was not a stellar one for me. Oh well, it's on to June! See you all there.
Goals for this month is to make sure I workout 6 days a week w/o missing a workout and to work very hard while I'm working out.
1 - Rest Day!
2 - Cut The Cheese/Hardcore Abs Girl workout from bodyrock.tv (14 mins.) + Tracey Staehle's Cardio Sweatfest (30 mins.)
3 - Bob Harper's Pure Burn (68 mins.) - ooooh weeeee!
4 - Burpees Are Forever & Ever from bodyrock.tv (12 mins.) + The Firm's Zero in 10 Bikini section (10 mins.) + Cathe's STS Pilates Abs workout (19 mins.)
5 - Lalo Fuentes' Lalofit (55 mins)
6 - Hot Body Workout from bodyrock.tv (15 mins.) + Cathe's Cardio Fusion (warm-up only) + Kim Fowler's The OM Zone Yoga Upper & Core (?? mins.)
7 - Rest Day!
8 - My Homemade Backyard Plate Legs Workout! Completed: Squats w/ Walking Lunges (4 sets/10 reps/using a pair of 25lb plates) + Deadlifts (3 sets/12 reps/using a pair of 25lb plates) + Leg Presses w/ Lunge off of stair (3 sets/10 reps on each leg/using a pair of 25lb plates) + Squats (3 sets/10 reps/ using a pair of 25lb plates) + Jump Rope Skipping (6 rounds of 30 secs. effort & 30 secs. rest) 9 - n/a
10 - Jacked Up Chick Workout by bodyrock.tv (not timed, # of reps recorded) + IMAX 3 and 1st combo blast (warm-up purposes) + Cathe's Muscle Max Upper Body (42 mins.)
16 - Practiced a few poses using the Bikram Yoga style. Will make up today's regularly scheduled workout on the 21st
17 - STS, Meso# 3, Week# 1, Disc 25 (Chest & Back - 68 mins.) + I'm Into Your Workout by bodyrock.tv (12 mins.)
18 - No warm-up cuz I forgot (silly me!) - Put It Down On Me workout by bodyrock.tv (12 mins.) + knee balancing on stability ball for about 20 mins. (this exercise is the last exercise on this video if you don't know what it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N5_k7uWTPw)
19- Cathe Intensity (Step Only - 36 mins.)
20- STS, Meso# 3, Week# 1, Disc 27 (Shoulders, Biceps & Triceps - 61 mins.)
21 - Cathe's Drill Max (Cardio Blast Timesaver - 39 mins.)
22 - Cathe's Lower Body Blast (Timesaver w/ no blasts - 49 mins.)
23 - bodyrock.tv Dirty Bit workout (12 mins)
24 - Rest Day 'cuz my knees were hurting from the 22nd & 23rd. My body was telling me to sit the heck down somewhere.
25 - STS Meso# 3, Week# 2, Disc 28 (Chest & Back - 65 mins.)
pink sparkle: 20 workouts [updated 5/7 22 workouts] Ms Perception: C25K 3 days/wk, 30DS 2 days/wk starting 5/10 Matilda08: five workouts each week, a workout each weekend carvedmarmalade: 600 mins of cardio, 600 mins of strength & walk the dogs 5x a week takingcontrol: log exercise here Gale02: Gym 5x/week (30-60 mins. cardio 5x, weights 3x), Volleyball 1-2x week, Walk on Saturday (as long as the weather holds) Demona: Insanity Workout surrendertolis: 1500 minutes ShrinkingAmy: 1000 minutes Tricia Fierce: Insanity workout osaunt: 500 minutes Ekicna: 30 minutes a day phillygirl2011: 1000 minutes chickadee32: 1350 minutes ready4skinny: gym 5 days a week (2 classes M, T, Th, - 1 class W, F), Start C 2 5k - M - W - F - Rain or shine, track fitness on LS rmc9142: go to the gym at least 5 times each week Ferumbras: work out every day, 30 minutes of strength/core and 30 minutes of cardio gardenerjoy: 1200 minutes ms23: 1200 minutes SBD Sass: workout 6 days a week, work very hard while working out Trolsk: gym 3xweek, ride bike to school or walk, swim 1xweek, run 2xweek PopcornGal: 25 miles
Oh well, it's on to June! See you all there. 
