Strength Training – Back, Biceps – Dec 9,2008

I spent the weekend sending a personal mail to all my contacts about contributing to the marathon. The response has been good so far. As on today, I am at $837 and the target is to raise $1500. So, if you are reading this blog and believe in the need to do help the children, I urge you to go the webpage below and contribute!

http://www.ashanet.org/dallas/soh/Srinivasan_profile_2008.html

After taking a couple of days off after the long run, I went back to the gym to do some upper body strength training. I will doing the easy run in the evening. Having been away from the Gym for a week, it was little tough to get back to pumping some Iron but I managed to get some basic training done for back and biceps. Here are the set of exercises that I did:

Workout Date	Workout Name	Body Part	Exercise	Set	Reps	Wt	Tempo	Notes
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Cardio	Elliptical	1	0	0		75 calories
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Abs	Bench Leg Raise lying, Lower Abs	1	20	0		Sit on a bench, while holding the bench behind the back on both sides, lift the entire lower body up and down again to the ground. Look up all the time
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Abs	Bench Upper Abs	1	20	0.0		Sit on a bench, while holding the bench behind the back on both sides, pull the chest back and bend the knees towards the chest and push it back to a 45 degree angle above the ground. Look up all the time
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Reactive	Step Ups	1	20	25		Stand Up on a exercise bench (mushy one) with one leg and balance. Alternate legs, push with heel, make sure you balance.
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Abs	Bench Leg Raise lying, Lower Abs	2	20	0		Sit on a bench, while holding the bench behind the back on both sides, lift the entire lower body up and down again to the ground. Look up all the time
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Abs	Bench Upper Abs	2	20	0.0		Sit on a bench, while holding the bench behind the back on both sides, pull the chest back and bend the knees towards the chest and push it back to a 45 degree angle above the ground. Look up all the time
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Reactive	Step Ups	2	20	25		Stand Up on a exercise bench (mushy one) with one leg and balance. Alternate legs, push with heel, make sure you balance.
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Abs	Bench Leg Raise lying, Lower Abs	3	20	0		Sit on a bench, while holding the bench behind the back on both sides, lift the entire lower body up and down again to the ground. Look up all the time
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Abs	Bench Upper Abs	3	20	0.0		Sit on a bench, while holding the bench behind the back on both sides, pull the chest back and bend the knees towards the chest and push it back to a 45 degree angle above the ground. Look up all the time
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Reactive	Step Ups	3	20	25		Stand Up on a exercise bench (mushy one) with one leg and balance. Alternate legs, push with heel, make sure you balance.
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Back	Rope Pulldowns	1	15	105		Wide grip rope pull sitting
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Back	Rope Pulldowns	2	15	105		Wide grip rope pull sitting
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Back	Rope Pulldowns	3	15	105		Wide grip rope pull sitting
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Back	Rope Pulldowns	4	15	105		Wide grip rope pull sitting
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Biceps	Cable Rope Curl	1	10	15.0		On the rope machine (where you do lats), lock the elbos and pull the rope up and down with both hands
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Abs	Ball upper abs	1	20	0		Lie on the ball with hands on ears and come up with upper abs
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Biceps	Cable Rope Curl	2	10	15.0		On the rope machine (where you do lats), lock the elbos and pull the rope up and down with both hands
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Abs	Ball upper abs	2	20	0		Lie on the ball with hands on ears and come up with upper abs
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Biceps	Cable Rope Curl	3	10	15.0		On the rope machine (where you do lats), lock the elbos and pull the rope up and down with both hands
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Abs	Ball upper abs	3	20	0		Lie on the ball with hands on ears and come up with upper abs
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Biceps	Cable Rope Curl	3	10	15.0		On the rope machine (where you do lats), lock the elbos and pull the rope up and down with both hands
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Quadriceps	Squat	1	20	40		Holding dumb bells weights in both hands, do squats with chest in straight position and bend down with gluts
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Abs	Machine Pull Ups - Lower Abs	1	20	0		On the Abs Pull machine, lie down on the back and pull your weight up
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Quadriceps	Squat	2	20	40		Holding dumb bells weights in both hands, do squats with chest in straight position and bend down with gluts
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Abs	Machine Pull Ups - Lower Abs	2	20	0		On the Abs Pull machine, lie down on the back and pull your weight up
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Quadriceps	Squat	3	20	40		Holding dumb bells weights in both hands, do squats with chest in straight position and bend down with gluts
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Abs	Machine Pull Ups - Lower Abs	3	20	0		On the Abs Pull machine, lie down on the back and pull your weight up
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Quadriceps	Squat	4	20	40		Holding dumb bells weights in both hands, do squats with chest in straight position and bend down with gluts
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Lats	Seated Row Machine	1	15	70		On the row machine, sit with palms facing up with close grip and pull it all the way back and back to the front
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Lats	Seated Row Machine	2	15	70		On the row machine, sit with palms facing up with close grip and pull it all the way back and back to the front
9-Dec-08	Back,Biceps	Lats	Seated Row Machine	3	15	70		On the row machine, sit with palms facing up with close grip and pull it all the way back and back to the front

The Last Long Run – Dec 7,2008

Today was the last long run before the marathon next week (Dec-14,2008). Since it was only 9 miles, we started at 7 am (an hour later than usual). It was a mildly cold morning. We started at the 9 min/mile pace for the first mile and then slowly speeded up a bit to 8:50 min/mile. After about 4 miles, we stopped for half a minute for water. Then we speeded up again. At this point, the entire pace group was split with 4 of us doing about 8:40 min/mile and the rest lagging behind. I finished strongly while still feeling fresh. All the training during the week seems to have helped for the weekend run. I was happy to have a good last long run before the marathon.

Some aggregate stats from the training for the past 4 months:

• 50 hours of running
  
• 325 Miles run
  
• 20 hours of Cycling
  
• 220 Miles of Cycling
  
• 50 hours of Strength Training
  
• 75,000 calories burnt
  
• Body weight loss of 25 pounds
  
• Body Fat Percent loss of 8%
  
• Total Cholesterol decreased by 45
  
• Triglycerides decreased by 50
  
• Target Funds to be raised for Children: $1500 (Raised $600 so far)
  
• Fun from the Experience – Priceless !
  

The already well known conclusion from the above stats is that running is great for your health, discover a lot about nature when running on trails, build endurance, develop resilience, discipline and above all the satisfaction of helping the children through the funds raised.

All the training for the past 4 months comes down to next Sunday (Dec-14), when the marathon starts in Dallas downtown at 8:00 am. If you are in or around the Dallas area, be sure to come cheer the Asha team at the marathon next week ! We will be in blue Asha T-Shirts and there will be a Asha booth at Mile-9 refreshments station.

If you have not already donated to Asha Strides of Hope, I request you to do it now at :

http://www.ashanet.org/dallas/soh/Srinivasan_profile_2008.html

 

Here are the stats from the GPS for today's long run:

Activity	Type	Activity	Type	Miles	Time (HH:MM:SS)	Avg. Pace (min/Mile)	Avg. Speed	Calories Burnt
Morning	Morning	Evening	Evening
Running	Long Run	None	None	9:02	1:18:35	8:42	6.9	1173

Tempo Run – Dec 4, 2008

After the weekday long run in the evening yesterday, I went for another short tempo run for 5 miles in the evening. It was colder than yesterday but I was wearing my jacket for the run which helped a bit. I reached the trail at 5 pm when it was already getting dark. I decided to do a non stop 5 mile run and stop only if I am completely tired. After finishing the first mile in 8:25, I was feeling really good and did the next 1.5 mile's at the same pace. At this point, I turned around to come back to the starting point. I was a little tired but decided to do another mile before taking a break. After doing another mile, I felt better and skipped the break and finished the last 1.5 miles to finish the entire 5 miles non-stop. Although, it requires a bit more effort to run in the cold (it was 39F when I ran today), the advantage is that you don't sweat but you run the risk of not drinking enough fluids since you are not sweating. So, I make it a point to drink some Gatorade / water every mile and half. This will help you a lot especially in the long runs where you suddenly realize that you need fluids and run the risk of dehydration.

Here are the stats from the GPS:

Activity

Type

Activity

Type

Miles

Time (HH:MM:SS)

Avg. Pace (min/Mile)

Avg. Speed

Calories Burnt

Avg. Heart Rate

Morning

Morning

Evening

Evening

None

None

Running

Tempo Run

5:01

0:42:27

8:28

7.1

648

172

Weekday Long Run – Dec 3,2008

This is my longest weekday run before the marathon. Since I woke up late in the morning, I was running in the evening. I reached the trail at 4:30 pm. It was not so cold when I started but it was windy. The advantage was that I had wind on my back after a mile. That helped a bit and I was able to finish the first 5 miles without stopping at 8:30 min/mile. After the 4.5 miles, I was returning back and had the wind blowing on my face. This made things really difficult and the pace slowed down to 8:45 min/mile. I took a break again after 6 miles to have some water. At this point, I was really tired and took a break for 3 minutes. After this, I ran for about a mile and half and took a break for a couple of minutes again before I finished the final 1.5 miles. It was really dark by the time I finished and the average pace was 8:37 min/mile. Once again, it was the cold and wind that was very troubling for the second half of the run. It is getting really tough for me to run in the cold and wind. Here are the stats from the GPS:

Activity	Type	Activity	Type	Miles	Time (HH:MM:SS)	Avg. Pace (min/Mile)	Avg. Speed	Calories Burnt	Avg. Heart Rate
Morning	Morning	Evening	Evening
None	None	Running	Long Run	9:01	1:17:43	8:37	7	1157	169

Tempo Run – Dec 2,2008

After the quick workout, I reached the trail to run about 5 miles. Since it was cold, I had to run with a jacket on. After finishing the first mile, I took a quick break and did the next 2 miles. Since I am not yet used to running the cold weather, I am not able to endure the cold and run for a long time continuously. I am taking a one or two minute breaks after every one or two miles. I need to improve the endurance and running in the cold. There is always a bit of extra resistance when you run in trousers and a jacket on instead of running of in shorts and T-Shirt. I am hoping a for a milder day on the day of the marathon!

Here are the stats from GPS:

 

Activity

Type

Activity

Type

Miles

Time (HH:MM:SS)

Avg. Pace (min/Mile)

Avg. Speed

Calories Burnt

Avg. Heart Rate

Morning

Morning

Evening

Evening

Strength

Shoulder,Chest

Running

Tempo Run

5:01

0:41:39

8:19

7.2

641

169

Strength Training – Shoulder, Chest – Dec 2,2008

After a couple of days of break, the calf was doing better. I woke up late and so decided to do some strength training in the morning before doing the running. The only interesting thing in the gym was trying to learn the skipping with the ropes which I have never been good at. Here are the other exercises that I did:

Workout Date	Workout Name	Body Part	Exercise	Order	Set #	Reps	Weight	Tempo	Notes
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Cardio	Elliptical	1	1	0	0		85 Calories
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Abs	Floor Lower Abs	2	1	15	0		Lie on the floor, hold a bar behind the back with both hands and bend the legs so that the legs are perpendicualr to the groupd and bring it back to a parallel position to the ground.
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Reactive	Step Ups	3	1	16	25		With dumbbells in both hands, stand up on a Bench with one leg and balance. Alternate legs, push with heel, make sure you balance.
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Reactive	Skipping	4	1	10			Skipping using a rope
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Chest	Rope Chest Pull	5	1	10	35		On rope machine , facing the back towards the machine, stand with one leg forward and another back, pull the rope straight forward with arms as straight as possible. Make sure that the shoulders don't raise and the impact is on the chest (setting: 5 on the height of the machine)
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Abs	Lower Abs	6	2	15			Lie on the floor, hold a bar behind the back with both hands and bend the legs so that the legs are perpendicualr to the groupd and bring it back to a parallel position to the ground.
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Reactive	Step Ups	7	2	16	25		With dumbbells in both hands, stand up on a Bench with one leg and balance. Alternate legs, push with heel, make sure you balance.
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Reactive	Skipping	8	2	10			Skipping using a rope
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Chest	Rope Chest Pull	9	2	12	35		On rope machine , facing the back towards the machine, stand with one leg forward and another back, pull the rope straight forward with arms as straight as possible. Make sure that the shoulders don't raise and the impact is on the chest (setting: 5 on the height of the machine)
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Abs	Lower Abs	10	3	15			Lie on the floor, hold a bar behind the back with both hands and bend the legs so that the legs are perpendicualr to the groupd and bring it back to a parallel position to the ground.
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Reactive	Step Ups	11	3	16	25		With dumbbells in both hands, stand up on a Bench with one leg and balance. Alternate legs, push with heel, make sure you balance.
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Reactive	Skipping	12	3	10			Skipping using a rope
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Chest	Rope Chest Pull	13	3	12	35		On rope machine , facing the back towards the machine, stand with one leg forward and another back, pull the rope straight forward with arms as straight as possible. Make sure that the shoulders don't raise and the impact is on the chest (setting: 5 on the height of the machine)
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Reactive	Skipping	14	1	10			Skipping using a rope
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Shoulder	Machine Shoulder Press	15	1	10	40.0		On the shoulder press machine, push it up and bring it down again.
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Reactive	Skipping	16	2	10			Skipping using a rope
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Shoulder	Machine Shoulder Press	17	2	10	40.0		On the shoulder press machine, push it up and bring it down again.
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Reactive	Skipping	18	3	10			Skipping using a rope
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Shoulder	Machine Shoulder Press	19	3	10	40.0		On the shoulder press machine, push it up and bring it down again.
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Reactive	Skipping	20	4	10			Skipping using a rope
2-Dec-08	Chest, Shoulder	Shoulder	Machine Shoulder Press	21	4	10	40.0		On the shoulder press machine, push it up and bring it down again.