Time for the weekly workout recap. This is a new weekly series that I’ve started in the last couple of months. I think it’s easier to give you a holistic view of the week and how I felt throughout than to sprinkle it throughout the week. I’m kind of trying to do the same thing with food too if you haven’t noticed by recapping several days at a time.
This workout week was packed with noteworthy stuff. Two things in particular that I want to go more in depth about.
1. I practiced ashtanga for the first time in over a year.
Ashtanga is a self-guided practice where you perform a set series of poses. It’s a very physical practice with lots of chatarungas, twisting and binding. Check out this post for a full explanation of ashtanga and a video of me performing the back bend sequence. I used to practice ashtanga 2-4 times per week and I had a stronger and more open practice than ever before. Ashtanga takes a lot of discipline because it is a solo practice and I’ve let it go over the last couple of years. For some reason I was REALLY craving it this week so I practiced after I taught one day. It felt so good and so right and it’s definitely going to become a regular thing again. I would love to get at least one practice in per week to start.
2. I taught my last BodyPump class at the Y.
I have been teaching BodyPump at the Y for over five years now. I have been teaching Thursdays at 6 p.m. for four years. Last week I taught my last Thursday class. I used to team teach this class with another instructor (Andre, who is in this photo) and a few months ago the Y decided that for budget reasons we couldn’t team teach anymore. Andre and I ended up rotating the Thursday class so I was only teaching twice a month. I was offered a permanent class at the same time at the yoga studio and couldn’t turn down a more stable, higher paying class now that I’ve transitioned back into teaching and training full-time.
I LOVE BODYPUMP and I’m SOOOO sad to give up the class but remember that talk I gave in the video blog about dealing with stress and being smart about my time…well, it was time to give up this class. I taught it at a Y that is located in a bank building downtown so it was always a two hour ordeal to drive there, park, teach and get home. It just isn’t the best use of my time anymore. 🙁 I am hoping to keep subbing and to stay on payroll at the Y because I support the organization with all of my heart and love being there!
I will seriously forever credit BodyPump for the muscles and strong body I have. It made me fall in love with strength training and totally changed my body.
Now, on to the day-by-day recaps.
Monday
90 minute hot yoga class + taught spin
The plan was yoga only but I received an SOS that we needed a spin sub at the club or we’d have to cancel class so I happily jumped in. Good lord, teaching spin is a totally different animal than taking spin. So much energy expended. I looked like I had just finished hot yoga when I finished the class.
Tuesday
REST. I was planning on a CrossFit/strength workout buuuuttttt got talked into skipping it in favor of dinner/wine catch up with a girlfriend instead.
Wednesday
Ashtanga practice + CrossFit
I usually yoga on Wednesday evenings but after coaching two classes through this workout I had to stay and take class and try it for myself. I was NERVOUS starting this WOD. This kind of chipper is intimidating to me for some reason. Here’s how it went down…I subbed 300 singles for the 100 doubles and it lit a FIRE under me to get my doubles because it took so freaking long to do the singles. I lost so much time. I did the handstand push ups RX, 115 pounds for deadlifts, 20″ for box jumps, 12 pound wall ball and a slightly lighter kettlebell for the alternating swings. This was a really tough WOD and I finished in just over 15 minutes feeling completely wiped out.
Thursday
1 mile run with Sullie + taught BodyPump
Friday
30 minute treadmill hill and sprint intervals
Saturday
The craziest CrossFit WOD ever (video demo below) + 75 front & back squats at 85 pounds (5 sets of 15) and 50 GHD sit ups (5 sets of 10) + 50 double unders for practice
I was looking for workout inspiration and checked the CrossFit main site. I found a girl wod, Marguerita, that was programmed last week and looked too fun and ridiculous not to try.
50 rounds for time of…
1 burpee
1 push up
1 jumping jack
1 sit up
1 hand stand
It was hard! The worst part was standing back up from the sit up. It was a major hip flexor burner with all the jumping back and forth and sitting up. It took me a little over 18 minutes and I was dripping in sweat when it was done.
After the WOD I did some squats and GHD sit ups and then practiced double unders…and subsequently looked like I’d received 50 lashes. Why are they so hard!?
Sunday
2.5 mile run with Sullie + 60 minute hot yoga class
I taught and practiced a different variation of handstand today with fingertips facing out instead of in. It provided an extra wrist stretch and balance challenge.
And that about wraps it up! 🙂
That looks like a fun WOD! I hate getting up and down so that would be a huge challenge.
Hi Jen! I’m an avid yoga practitioner and on-and-off runner. (My knees don’t react well to high-mileage training.) I’ve recently started taking BodyPump as a way to learn the basics of strength training, which has always intimidated me. I’m loving it! But I was wondering how frequently you’d recommend going to BodyPump in order to achieve both physical benefits and a confidence boost.
I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had to give up your BodyPump class, but congratulations on taking another step to cut down on stress and over-commitment. Thanks in advance for any advice.
that WOD looks so tough (and so fun)! i just tried out my first ever hot yoga class today and fell in love. i am hoping to make it back to the studio at least once every week or two as my schedule allows because i had such a great experience!
That’s the building I work in! Wish I had known – I totally would haven come to take your class! Congrats on getting another weekly yoga class , though 🙂
I need to get back into a regular yoga routine STAT. Love the handstand pic 🙂
That looks like so much fun! Totally get the giving up a class when you have to, I had to do that once before and it was hard, but worth it in the end and I don’t regret it one bit!
Btw, what if you’re not so good at handstands? lol you look like you were maybe falling out of it at the end there hahaha but still better than I would be!
So sad you had to give up Bodypump, but I am so happy you were able to listen to your gut and do what works best for you!! Bodypump will always be there 🙂 I am sure there will be plenty of subbing opportunities in the future!!
Great workouts! Sad that you are not teaching Body Pump anymore but sometimes you just have to make the right decision for YOU and not other people. 🙂 Have a great Monday!
I love Bodypump so much too – it has given me amazing lady muscles – especially my back & shoulders.
Wow. It is a lot of sport !
That WOD seriously has me wanting to try it! It sounds fun…in a crazy way. We did that variation of headstand last week in the advanced class I take. It is HARD! I had to do it against a wall and still never felt completely balanced