The Test Results

Are in, and my Spartanettes did wonderful, not only did everyone improve, but everyone killed it. I am so proud of you all. Below are your times, and look forward to the next "Test" on Monday.

Wed July 30th
Name Time Difference
Amy C 11:25 3:19
Kari 11:38 5:10
Girlie 11:49 7:45
Debralea 12:59 7:38
Denise 13:16 NA

Great job to you all, keep up the Good work.

Rain or no Rain..

We will be playing todays workout by ear. Lets see how the weather cooperates. We can then decide if we will have a workout or if we will postpone. there is always "the Dungeon" so you dont fall behind.

Diets, my two favorites

Your options..

1) If you can do without bread and carbs, then you can do Atkins, South Beach or the TNT. TNT is my favorite because you can eat veggies (as much as you want) and some carbs before and after your workouts. The nice thing about this, is there is no calorie counting, just stay away from Carbs and you will be golden. You consume as much as 20 Net Carbs per day. Fiber does not count, so for example if you have a meal that has 50G Carbs, and 45G’s are Fiber, you would only count 5 towards your 20.
Example Day:

Breakfast: Omelete (Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, mushrooms, Cheese, Spinach) topped with Sour Cream) and a glass of Crystal Light (Sunrise)

Mid morning Snack: a low carb bar, or Macadamia nuts and HEB Beef Sticks

Lunch: Grilled chicken Salad (Grilled Chicken, Avocadoes, tomatoes, Olives, Brocolli, Cheese and Ranch)

Late Snack: Tablespoon of Peanut butter

Dinner: Steak (Any steak and size or Fish) Asparagus, Side Salad with anything.

Always drink your weight X.60 for the amount of ounces. So, lets say you weigh 147Lbs, then you would multiply 147X.60=88.20 ounces per day.
Vitamins: Multi Vitamin, Omega 3


2) The zone Diet.. The only downfall to this is that you have to be conscious of gram counting. Follow the guidelines below and you will be golden. The nice thing about this is you can eat whatever you want, but its about balance.
Example Day:
Breakfast:
2 Egg Whites/ Turkey Sausage/ and 1 Cup Oatmeal

Lunch: Two Beef Fajita Tacos (Only 1.5 tortillas and about 4 oz of beef)
Apple

Snack: 100 calorie Popcorn with 3 oz of Beef nuggets (From HEB)

Dinner: 3 oz Chicken, Black Beans (One Cup) and a salad

Your main goal is to eat as many times as you want, but NEVER exceed the Grams below. You need balance and can eat whatever you want, but make sure that you balance out your food.

Protein: 20G
Carbs: 30G
Fat: 10G

Rule of thumb, count 1-2-3.. Example: If you have a meal that has 20G of protein, divide by 2 and that equals your FAT, and multiply times 1.5. This way you can calculate your Grams.

Hope this helps and last thing, when eating, try and stay away from HIGH Glycemic Index foods. See my blog on the right side for High Glycemic Foods.

The Big Test Week

This is the big week I have been waiting for. This week, we will have our "Test" to see how much you have improved since last month when you started working out. I am expecting some big numbers, and cant wait to see the results.
Today will be a stamina workout, so you wont or should not be sore the next day or two. As mentioned today, I need to move Wed's workout to Thursday, and Thursday is going to be "Test" day.
Make sure to get some good rest, eat good and stay hydrated Wed and Thursday, this way you have a great session on Thursday and really see some results. I am anxious to see how well you are all going to do, and cant wait.
Next week, I would like for you all to attend a YOGA session so we can switch it up a bit. maybe we can do a Thursday class, and also we will probably do some Track work.

Great Dungeon Wed, Spartanettes

What a great workout for the ladies yesterday. Everyone really pushed and did a great job. I have really seen a huge improvement in you all.

The day started with a smooth 1 mile jog, then it was two rounds of Plyometrics, an indian run and abs.

Next week, we will have an outside workout, and on Wed is "The Test". I am curious to see how much each of you has improved since our last test. After "The Test" we will have a second test (Back to back) with new exercises. We will be losing one to two of our spartanettes, so what a send off gift this will be.

Dungeon Tonight!

Expect a quick, and intense workout tonight. You should be used to the basic dungeon workouts by now. We should be doing about the same things as we have before. By now, you should see your cardio getting stronger and your body is doing things you never thought you would be able to do.
I am very proud of all my Spartanettes.

BC Monday and weekend thoughts

Ladies, we are on today, and we will be meeting at the Battlefield (AKA the school). Today's workout (I promise) will be relatively easy, but a bit longer than normal. Expect about 45 minutes to an hour. We will be working on various exercises and will check out everyones stamina. Next week is going to be one month since we did our "Test" and i want to see where everyone is on their progress.
I have mentioned so many times how important diet is, and I truly saw the differnce in my own personal workout on Saturday. On Friday night the wife and I decided to go to a Mexican restaurant and altough I did not eat Horrible, I did enjoy a few much needed items. I ate the standard Mexican food items (Beans, Rice, Tortillas and of course Chips!) not to mention two frosty beers. I ate enough where I felt pleasant and felt happy with my two beers.
On Saturday, I had my long run and really felt the difference of not eating good. Normally i would have ate cleaner, leaner foods like vegetables with Chicken and tons of water, not beer. As I started my run on Saturday, I started off slower than normal and started cramping up and never really picked up the pace. Being that I ran 7 miles, it wold have been wise to have eaten better, but you live and learn. The point I am trying to make is that no matter how much you run, or how in shape you are or think you are, you need to eat good and fuel your body.
Onward.

Improve your running.

Here is good info on how to improve your running:

Run the Right Way
Improve your form—and performance—with these five tips
In any sport, optimizing your form will lead to better performance and fewer injuries. That is especially true in running, says Tim Hilden, a trainer and physical therapist at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine in Boulder, Colo. Protect you muscles and joints and become a more efficient runner with his tips: 1.) Lighten UpRunning "hard," or striking your feet on the ground with maximum force, increases the levels of force sent through the body. This can cause new injuries—or worsen existing conditions—creating an uncomfortable running experience. To run more lightly, concentrate on softening the sound your foot makes when it hits the ground.2.) Watch the LeanLeaning too far forward increases the load to the front of your knee and limits proper arm movement, which can slow you down. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and lean forward at the ankles until your weight just shifts to the balls of your feet. This is your ideal running angle.3.) Use Your Arms to Drive Your LegsYour upper and lower body should always be in sync. Just watch elite sprinters. Move your arms briskly when you run, and your legs will perform at their best. You'll also burn more calories.4.) Watch Your CadenceKeep a brisk rhythm. Your muscles will end up being better engaged, and you'll actually use less effort, allowing you to go farther. Focus on making each step quicker without going faster and shortening the amount of time that your foot is in contact with the ground.5.) Check Your GaitIf you experience any kind of pain, something is wrong. Even if you don't hurt, there may be flaws in your gait that can be corrected. Work on your form, invest in some new shoes, and if that still doesn't help, go see an expert at a running specialty shop who can evaluate you professionally.

Monday Marathon Camp!

Today will be a fun workout, the intensity will not be high, but will be a longer session opposed to other sessions. As I have mentioned before, when we go long, the workouts are not as intense. Today we will be working on stamina and we will be doing a lot of group exercises. Make sure that today above all you bring plenty to drink and stay hydrated.
On a side note, a big Congratulations to Girlie for knocking out a mile and a half run at Town lake on Saturday. Great job, followed by a great session of Yoga.

See you girls tonight.

Weekend Activities

Today is Day off, no workout planned today. Time to relax and let muscles heal.
Exciting weekend is lined up for fitness enthusiasts. Tomorrow morning, heading out to Town lake so that Spartanette (Girlie) can get a 1.5-2.00 mile run and Hubbie a 6 miler. Following this leisure run, we are heading to Gold's gym for a cool session of Yoga. Yoga is at Tech Ridge at 11:30. Join us if you can.
Sunday is bike ride day, heading out to the Hills of P-Ville for a 30-40 mile ride, gonna try and get out early to beat the heat.

The Developing Spartanettes

What can a month of working out twice a week really do for you? Last night we had two Spartanettes come out and put their cardio to a test. Due to the limited amount of Spartanettes yesterday I decided to switch things up a bit, and challenge Girlie and Amy. We did the "Test" again (two weeks early) and Coach was happy with the results.
Both Spartanettes have managed to decrease their time, altough it is unofficial, coach was very very happy with the progress.
I look forward to the next Test, I am curious to see how much everyone has improved..
Camp will be held again next Monday, and is going to be a longer, but not very intense camp. Try to get some good nutrition in your system and stay hydrated. Bring plenty to drink and be ready for a good fun workout.
For those of you who have been sick or have not been able to attend due to other circumstances, try and get some walking in this weekend along with some stretching. If possible, get a bout of Yoga in.

Wednesday Treat.

Spartanettes, today is going to be our longest workout, but not as intense. We will be working on a few things and only a few should get your heart rate going, but not as much as normal. You can expect a pretty easy workout today compared to the last two dungeon workouts, but do expect a longer workout.
We will be doing a full body workout, and Tons of Abs. We need to work on Core exercises and stamina. Since today is probably going to be another HOT day, please make sure to drink TONS of water and bring either a lot of water or Gatorade with you. Being that today will be at least an hour workout (Not including warm up time) you will need tons of fluids. Make sure as always to eat something at least an hour before your workout.
As I have mentioned before, try and get 30 minutes to an hour of stretching per week, and if you can work in some YOGA make sure to do so. You should see your cardiovascular endurance improving by now, and I have really seen a tremndous difference. Since we only workout two days a week, you also need to make sure you are either attending all workouts, and then adding a third or even a fourth workout to your own routine. Add maybe a day of 45 minute walking, and or some easy cardio, swimming, biking etc.
If your concern is to drop Lbs make sure to fine tune your diet, Diet is about 80% of your weight loss. You can do all the working out you want, but if you are not watching what you are eating, you will not only see a difference in your performance, but also on the scale.
Look forward to seeing you tonight.

ONWARD.

Tis the season to start running.

Goal #3 for 2009, my First Marathon.. My training starts this week for the SA Rock N Roll Marathon on Nov 15th, 2009. This week should be an easy week, running a total of 15 miles. Training starts tomorrow.
For you Spartanettes, I would like to challenge you to run either your first or another 5K in October. In October, Pflugerville is hosting the first Pfall Pfreak out to beneift Rowe Lane Elementary on October 24th. This would be a great time to start running and train for your first 5K. Below is a training schedule you can follow on your own that will get you ready for your first 5K. In addition to the Spartanette training, you can follow the schedule below and start your training.
The training is for 8 weeks, so you have plenty of time to start training. I would not start until probabaly the middle part of August. This way, your conditioning is better and you can start running the full distances rather than walk/run at first until you get in shape.
Week Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
1 Rest or run/walk 1.5 m run Rest or run/walk 1.5 m run Rest 1.5 m run 30- 60 min walk
2 Rest or run/walk 1.75 m run Rest or run/walk 1.5 m run Rest 1.75 m run 35-60 min walk
3 Rest or run/walk 2 mi run Rest or run/walk 1.5 m run Rest 2 MI run 40-60 min walk
4 Rest or run/walk 2.25 m run Rest or run/walk 1.5 m run Rest 2.25 m run 45-60 min walk
5 Rest or run/walk 2.5 m run Rest or run/walk 2 m run Rest 2.5 m run 50-60 min walk
6 Rest or run/walk 2.75 m run Rest or run/walk 2 m run Rest 2.75 m run 55-60 min walk
7 Rest or run/walk 3 m run Rest or run/walk 2 m run Rest 3 m run 60 min walk
8 Rest or run/walk 3 m run Rest or run/walk 2 m run Rest Rest 5-K Race

The schedule above is from Hal Higdon, whose schedule I followed during my first Half Marathon and I will be following his Marathon Training Guide.

You will also want to change your diet, and details will follow. If you are interested in doing your first 5K or another, let me know.
I want to also say how proud I am of my wife who ran a full mile in 9:53 on Friday. She did great, and this is such an incredible task since Danielle could not run more than 1/4 mile a month ago.. Way to go, Girlie!!!
Rain or Shine, we are on Tonight for Spartanette Camp.

Camp is on Today!

Ladies,
Camp is on today, but will be held at “Dungeon” AKA Otero House. Please let me know if you plan on attending so I can plan accordingly. Our address is below:

19704 Vilamoura


Go past the school and past the Golf club, when you pass the Golf hole on the left (#10) take the first left (Vilamoura) and go exactly ½ mile and we are on the left side.

Thanks
Pete
771-6781