Left it all on the floor

Working in sports journalism, one of the biggest cliches I hear from players and coaches at all levels and in all sports is, "We left it all on the (insert field, court, ice, etc.)." Well, today, I'm going to join the club and state that I left it all on the floor at the gym. I did a full round of circuit training and pushed myself to full muscle failure in the process. Don't be alarmed, muscle failure is a good thing. I pushed all my muscle groups on the machines and in my cardio to the point of utter exhaustion. You know, that point where you just want to roll over and lie there, because your muscles will not work for a little while. That's the beauty of the circuit training. It can be as difficult as you make it and I really went all out today. The ladies filling in the stations following me probably thought I was crazy, because I was huffing, puffing and sweating like a mad man. Good stuff. Now hopefully I won't be in too much pain in the morning. I certainly left it all on the floor, though.

Total distance: 30 minutes of circuit training

More circuit training

After taking a few days off I got back to it today. I decided I wanted to do the circuit training again, but I wanted a little extra, so I rode the bike for about 15 minutes to get warmed up and get my blood flowing.

Grilled chicken, pecans, lettuce, spinach, blue cheese, apples and craisins.

I did the same circuit as last week, but I pushed myself a little harder this time around. I was already sucking wind by the 10th station (out of 20). When it was all said in done, I was happy with myself for not half-assing, so I rewarded myself with Wendy's for lunch. Not burgers and fries, though. I inhaled one of their apple pecan chicken salads. Those things are super tasty and don't pack more than 400 calories. It's quite filling, too.

Total distance: 5 miles cycling, 30 minutes circuit training

Circuit training

I did my first session of circuit training today. It was tough, but not so much that I felt like vomiting. I suppose that's what I was most afraid of. Here's the gist of how it works.

The circuit training section at the gym

1 minute intense cardio (jumping jacks, high knees, running in place, mountain climbers, etc.)
30 second rest
1 minute weight training
30 second rest
Repeat through all 20 stations (10 cardio & 10 weight)

There is a light on the wall that alternates between green and red to set your pace. It really gives you a full-body workout, mixing cardio and weight training. You really get an upper body and lower body mixture of exercises. There are even two ab stations in the mix.

Anyway, it's not a gigantic workout, but something nice I can throw into the mix once or twice a week to supplement everything else I do.

Total distance: N/A (30 minutes of circuit training)