Tough Mudder Training Starts Next Week

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tough mudder logoWhen I started my weight loss journey, one of my workout goals was to do a Tough Mudder by 2015.  Well that was two years ago and I’m targeting the   June 2015 Tough Mudder in Scotland as my designated mudder.

I’ve read that only 78% of those who enter a Tough Mudder actually finish it. Yikes! If I want a shot at entering (and finishing!) the Scottish mudder then I need to get my butt in gear and start training.

Mudderling Overview
I’ve picked the Mudderling Boot Camp workout to get me started. Since I workout 6 days a week already, I’m hopeful I can advance to the Maybe Mudder level fairly quickly.

The Mudderling level includes a 5-minute warm up followed by 3 circuits (a mix of cardio and weight training), and a 5-minute cool down. Tough Mudder recommends doing this boot camp 3 times a week and 2 more days of cardio training.

All circuits are 10-minutes in length with the cardio exercises lasting 2-minutes each and each strength exercise lasts 1-minute. All circuits end with a 1-minute rest.

Circuit 1

Circuit 2

Circuit 3

  • High knees
  • Pull ups (My great white!)
  • Quick feet
  • Balance series – Draw a plus sign on the sidewalk. Stand on one leg and hop clockwise to each quadrant. Then hop counter-clockwise. Switch legs.
  • Tire run – Stand on one leg then shift weight to the opposite leg. Continue alternating legs. Keep butt down, knees high and pace fast.
  • Plank

The exercises are designed to work each part of my body and prepare me for the different Tough Mudder obstacles.

The good news is that I’ve performed most of these workouts with my trainer. The quick feet, balance series, tire run and crawl outs are new to me. I watched some YouTube videos and it looks like nothing I can’t handle.

The bad news — I can’t do a pull up to save my life! And arm hangs isn’t going to happen either. So I’ll keep working on the assisted pull up machine. So I guess I have a new goal — do 1 non-machine assisted pull up by June 2015.

Since the exercises are a mix of cardio and strength, I’m planning to do these circuits after my regular session with my trainer. So Monday, Wednesday and Saturday are my designated Tough Mudder training days. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday are for cardio and yoga. Sunday is my new rest day.

I don’t expect to ever get to the point of being the World’s Toughest Mudder — the people who can do that Vegas event are incredible (check out the video below and you’ll see what I mean). I’m doing this for fun (yes, crawling in muddy water under barbed wire sounds like fun to me). And to give my workouts some focus.

Day 4 of My August Flabby Arm Challenge

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This is my Triceps Bench Dip schedule for August. I'm really excited to see any changes to my arms by the end of the month.

This is my Triceps Bench Dip schedule for August. I’m really excited to see any changes to my arms by the end of the month.

It’s Day 4 of my August Flabby Arm Challenge and my triceps are feeling the heat. I’ve tweaked my planned workout a bit. I’m doing triceps bench dips nearly every day during the month of August (resting every 5th day). Every other day, in addition to the dips, I’ll do one exercise with a dumbbell.

That should whip my triceps into shape.

While working with my trainer this morning I did triceps dumbbell extensions – 2 sets of 15 with 10-pound weights. I felt exhausted, and expect lots of soreness later tonight. Just need to do 20 triceps dips and I’m home free today.

Besides looking to see more muscle definition, I’m curious to see if I lose any more inches off my arms by the end of the month.

August Flabby Arm Challenge: Say Bye-Bye To Bat Wings

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August is my Flabby Arm Challenge month. I'll do daily exercises to tone and shape my triceps. Thanks to a tip from my trainer, I'm adding a weekly trip to the batting cage as one of my workouts!

August is my Flabby Arm Challenge month. I’ll do daily exercises to tone and shape my triceps. Thanks to a tip from my trainer, I’m adding a weekly trip to the batting cage as one of my workouts!

I chatted with my trainer yesterday about the best toning exercises for my arms. My bat wings (you know the part under your arms that shake when you wave goodbye) are definitely smaller since I started my weight loss journey. Toning and shaping are a priority as I continue to shed pounds.

Sadly we can’t target specific areas of our bodies for weight loss. But you can do some exercises to help give shape to muscles as you lose your body fat.

August Flabby Arm Challenge – (A.K.A. Toning The Triceps)
As part of my August challenge (yes, I’m starting to plan that far ahead!), I’ve decided to focus on my triceps. Below are videos of the exercises I’ll during the month. I’ll rotate which ones I do every other day, but my triceps will get a workout.

During my talk with my trainer she gave me a great idea for the best arm workout – hitting baseballs. Yep, batting practice is one of the best ways to tone your arms. You work 3 key arm muscles – deltoid, biceps and triceps. Your shoulders and core also come along for the ride too.

She told me she likes to go out with a bucket of baseballs, toss each ball in the air and swing away with her bat. Working at it for an hour I can burn up to 250-350 calories. Sweet!

The big pluses – it gets me out of the gym and trying something new in my workout rotation.

Well I don’t have a bucket of baseballs, but I do have several batting cages near me.

My Saturday is open. Maybe after my Weight Watchers meeting I’ll swing away.

Tricep Exercises
Try these exercises to help your triceps.

Triceps Bench Dips

Triceps Dumbbell Extensions

Skull Crushers

Triceps Rope Pulldowns

Triceps Push Ups

 

Related Articles: 
Attacking Flabby Arms: 30-Day Push Up Challenge (Dottotrot.com)

Searching for Weight Loss Motivation

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I'm up 7 pounds the last 2 weeks. Time for some soul searching this weekend and I think I put my finger on the problem.

I’m up 7 pounds the last 2 weeks. Time for some soul-searching this weekend and I think I put my finger on the problem.

I didn’t get a chance to officially weigh in on Saturday as we had a surprise birthday party to attend. That didn’t stop me from stepping on my home scale. Before I stepped on it I knew the news wouldn’t be good. Just too much wine and eating out the last two weeks. My suspicions were spot on. I’m up 7 pounds. Ugh!

Maybe the weight gain is what pushed me to get the Fitbit One this weekend. All I know I was on my best behavior during the birthday party…until the red velvet cupcakes showed up. In my defense, they were teeny tiny. I took a small bite of a cupcake and feed the rest to my husband. I did this about 7 times…

So going into the birthday party I was feeling awfully frustrated with myself. Once there, we met up with old friends we haven’t seen in ages. I got so many compliments on my weight loss that my perspective on my gain started changing. Read More

Tough Mudder Clock Is Ticking

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I’m so excited about tying my 5K training to an actual date that I’ve decided its time to do the same for Tough Mudder. Once I hit 200 pounds I promised myself I’d start training for a mudder. Well I’m 12 pounds shy of hitting that mark. Why wait? Besides, starting now will keep me focus on eating healthy.

Because of the difficulty level, I decided that if I’m going to do a mudder it should be in a fun place so I can get in a little R&R afterwards. So I’m circling the June 20 & 21 on my calendar. That gives me two options – British Columbia or Scotland!

Registering is the easy part. I need to save up for plane tickets and a hotel room. I’m hoping by December 1 I’ll save enough know which one I can go to.

Of course there is a rumor that my gym is organizing a team and training program for a 2015 mudder. Hmmmm…if so, then I may do that instead. I’ll have a better chance at crossing the finish line on a team than flying solo.

In any event, I’ve given myself a year to prepare myself. I downloaded the Tough Mudder training guide and it’s looking like lots of pull-ups, sit ups, planks, burpees, squats, mountain climbers and lunges are in my future.

Sigh…pull-ups and burpees are my natural enemy. But I will conquer them.

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Yep, I’m A Curvy Runner…And Lovin’ It

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If I can stay injury free my next 5K is slated for Sept. 12 and I'm training to run the whole, dang thing!

If I can stay injury free my next 5K is slated for Sept. 12 and I’m training to run the whole, dang thing!

I’ve set the date for my first 5K that I intend to run – September 12. That gives me 11 weeks to continue my training. It feels great to have a date to work towards. Lately I’ve felt pretty aimless in my 5K training. Don’t get me wrong, I love running, but it’s just nice to work towards something more concrete.

I plan to do a total of 4 races this year. I’m not sure if I’ll physically be able to completely run my first 5K of 2014, but by the time my last race of the year rolls around I’m confident 3.1 miles will feel like nothing. Read More

Keeping My Diet On Track At FitBloggin’14

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fitblogginI leave for Savannah, GA this week and I worked out a plan to help keep my carb count on track while I’m away. I’ve eaten 20-25g of carbs a day the last two weeks. For my trip to FitBloggin, my goal is to keep my carb count under 50g/day.

I’ll have 4 days where I won’t do any cooking – two of those days spent in a car. That means I won’t have 100% control over the food I eat.

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Try This 30-Day Challenge For Weight Loss

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From our pals at Authority Nutrition comes a great new 30-Day Challenge I can’t wait to try!

Nap challengeOK, this is just silly, but it helps drive home the point that catching quality zzz’s is a big part of weight loss. You need a good night’s sleep to reset your hormones. While I attribute my recent 7 pound gain to bad eating, it’s no coincidence that my insomnia kicked in at the same time.

The amount and quality of sleep helps keep your appetite-regulating hormones (Ghrelin and Leptin) in check. Not enough sleep and Ghrelin, which tells you to eat, runs wild in your body.  When I get a full 8 hours a night I don’t eat as much because Leptin (which tells me I’m full) is doing its job and keeping Ghrelin at bay.

This week I’m doing better on the food front, keeping to 20-25g of carbs a day. I’m also getting about 7-8 hours of sleep each night this week too! In fact, I took a 20 minute cat nap this afternoon and feel great. How great? I’m going out for a 2nd run today!

Virtual Walk — Slow Slog To Louisville, KY

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Despite injuries, I racked up enough cardio miles in May to virtually walk to Louisville, KY.

Despite injuries, I racked up enough cardio miles in May to virtually walk to Louisville, KY.

Due to injuries, my virtual walk to Denver slowed a bit. I walked and ran less than 3 miles for the month thanks to a very painful Achilles tendon. With the help of my spin class, May wasn’t a total disaster as I logged nearly 140 miles on a stationary bike.

I’m ahead of my 72-mile monthly average, but I’m still disappointed and frustrated. It seems like every month I re-injure something below my waist. So for June I decided I needed to add another cardio routine into the mix that takes some pressure off my legs. Now is the time to open up my wallet to finally buy that blasted swimsuit. Hopefully I can fit in 1-2 hours of swimming a week into my schedule. Read More

Join The 30-Day Abs Challenge

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Join the 30 Day Ab Challenge for June. So far 2.5 million have signed up via Facebook.

Join the 30 Day Abs Challenge for June. So far 2.5 million have signed up via Facebook.

This is awesome. My friend — Miss E — who loves monthly challenges as much as I do, shared an invite a girl set up via Facebook.  The invite was a simple way keep herself accountable. Well her friends shared and now this challenge is ginormous — 2.5 million people (and counting).

The timing is perfect as I had a lousy day on the scale (more on that tomorrow). Thanks to my cheat days, I gained a chunk and it went straight to my waist and stomach.  An abs challenge is just what the doctor ordered (as well as getting back to diet basics).

I’m doing Day 1 — 15 sit ups, 5 crunches, 5 leg raises and 10 planks — in the next 5 minutes.  Won’t you join me? You know you want to.