Pre-Marathon Strength Training: Week 2 Workout Log

Only four days late on this workout log for week two... I find it harder to write recaps about training right now since it's weight lifting focused, and there's not much I can say that's interesting there. Still, I like to keep a record here, so I'm going to keep them up until the end of July when I start marathon training.

Blog Stuff

Quick "housekeeping" note: I added a page to my header titled "Resources". It's basically just links to websites, apps, etc. that I like and use, and I also listed my favorite pieces of running clothing there. (Note: No affiliate links, in case you care. Honestly I don't even know how to set that up...)

The Resources page also has a link to my Pinterest page. A few weeks ago I cleaned it up and have been pinning every good running-related article I've read recently, with boards being categorized into things like "Running Workouts", "Strength for Runners", "Playlists", "Healthy Running", etc. There are also, of course, the normal boards for recipes and cookies and such. Figured I'd point it out to those of you who just can't get enough reading about running! Might be helpful.

Outside Magazine's Article on Overtraining Syndrome

If you recall, I mentioned that part of the reason I didn't want to run RnR San Diego was because my legs were feeling like total lead in the weeks leading up to the race, and I couldn't hold any speed whatsoever. I read this Outside Magazine article on overtraining this week, and while I don't think it's exactly what happened (since I peaked in the mid-30s mileage-wise), I think the stress of personal and work things on top of training led to a similar effect for my body.

I also think it's just a valuable article to read since so often in the running world we see people being glorified for more, more, more. More mileage, more marathons, more of everything. One thing that my trainer in Orange County really hammered into me when I trained with her (before she moved to NYC, sniff sniff...) was the importance of rest and recovery. She was a former professional runner, so she was someone who had worked at the highest level of the sport, and she constantly stressed the importance of real rest in order to truly recover. In fact, she said it was even more important for those of us who aren't professionals, and don't have the benefits of very little stress other than training and competing.


Week 2 Workout Log

Ok, on to a recap of last week's strength workouts. I did three out of four of them, and moved the workouts around a bit due to some firm events.

Monday: Intervals on treadmill + lower body lifting workout

Can't complain about the treadmill view!

Cardio: 5 minute w/u; 1 minute sprinting, 1 minute easy for 20 minutes; 5 minute c/d. 3.50 miles total.

Weights: Upped the barbell by 5 lbs (from 45 lbs to 50 lbs) and felt good.


Tuesday: Mini progression run on treadmill + chest and back lifting workout

Cardio: 2 mile progression run on treadmill, increasing speed every 1/2-1/4 mile as I progressed for a fast finish.

Weights: Upped all the weights slightly. Chest press still giving me major problems I didn't used to have -- apparently I lost a lot of muscle in my pecs while taking time off from lifting?


Wednesday: Off.

I was planning to run, but when the second most senior partner in the firm asks you to hit some balls on a driving range because you're on his golf team at that Friday's event, you go. It was supposed to be for the summer associates, but since I was on his team, he ended up spending most of his time giving me pointers. I'd never played golf before, but was able to hit a few decent shots by the end of the hour.

Unfortunately, though, the partner wanted to take us all to dinner afterwards, so I wasn't able to fit in the run I'd intended on doing. I mean, I wasn't that bummed, because we went to Taco Asylum, which has really fun and inventive tacos. But it didn't help my running or leaning out goals for the month. Why are tacos so delicious and impossible to say no to?


Thursday: Intervals on treadmill + lower body lifting workout

Cardio: 5 minute w/u; 30 seconds sprinting, 30 seconds easy for 20 minutes; 5 minute c/d. 3.54 miles total.

Weights: Again, upped the weights from the previous week a bit. I hate around the world lunges. I think because they take so long.


Friday: 1 mile "run" + 3 hours of "golf"

Set out to run but it was overcast and humid, my body felt tired, and I'd gotten a late start so running more than a mile meant that I was choosing between washing my hair or not. Since we had a firm event that evening, I decided to opt for cleanliness and only got in a mile.

I think I mentioned last week that while I want to maintain a strong base, I also don't want to force myself to run a bunch of runs that are miserable right now. I want to enter marathon training feeling excited to train. Since I knew I was on track for decent mileage for the week, I felt fine cutting it short and just doing a mile-long loop of the area.

Spent three hours "golfing" (quotes because I don't golf, so I can't really describe me hitting a golf ball with a club as anything other than a rough approximation of golf) with my firm as part of a summer associate event before eating delicious, delicious tacos at a partner's house. Yes, more tacos. Goddamnit, California, why do you have so much fantastic Mexican food.

Although let's be honest, if by some cruel twist of fate I had to choose between having access to amazing Mexican food and losing those pounds for marathon training, I'd choose the Mexican food every time.


Saturday: 8 miles on trails + 7 mile hike (~2500 ft elevation gain in total)

Saturday was SUCH A GREAT DAY. It was basically nonstop friends, food and being outside for almost the entire day. I met up with Kristina for 8 miles on trails in the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, which was really fun, and then Sourabh and I drove up to Santa Monica and met up with our friends Leah and Björn for a 7 mile hike up Los Liones Trail in the Pacific Palisades.

We'd planned an afternoon hike so we would be able to enjoy what are supposedly stunning vistas of Santa Monica and the Malibu coastline, but that damn June Gloom didn't go away until we'd almost gotten back to the trailhead.

I think it's pretty funny how Californians seem to love June Gloom. "It's so cloudy! I love it!" people in my office have said to me. After 18 years of the Pacific Northwest and then 8 years of the Northeast, I am a total glutton for sun. I'm sure I'll eventually succumb and start loving the two months of cloudy mornings, too, but for now, I am resolute in my love of all things sunny and cannot wait for June Gloom to end.

Gloom over Santa Monica

Anyway, enough of my ridiculous bitching about a couple months of not-quite-perfect weather. (SORRY.)

We had a fantastic dinner at Art's Table in Santa Monica (get the Sloppy Fries, which are fries with a fantastic sloppy joe mix and smoked cheddar sauce). We were slightly food shamed by the waitress for ordering so much. She doubted our ability to finish everything we ordered, but we proved her wrong. Then we dealt with 405 traffic to get back to Orange County. It's the worst, guys. Always. For no reason. Every time we go to LA, we spend half the drive talking about how grateful we are not to deal with LA traffic on a regular basis.


Sunday: ~45 minutes yoga

We spent most of Sunday doing errands, which included buying Sourabh some sandals. Which turned into me buying a pair of Birkenstocks (these) because I need to get serious about foot health and not wear awful shoes with zero support anymore. Now if I could only find a good, work-appropriate flat with support that isn't heinously ugly... Any suggestions?

I had planned to do the skipped biceps/triceps lifting workout from Friday on Sunday, but I was having a lot of muscle pain in my neck/shoulders, so I decided an upper body lifting workout wasn't the best idea. Instead, I signed up for Jasyoga to try out their athlete-focused recovery yoga routines. I did about 45 minutes worth, and also used my yoga therapy balls to try to knead out the knots.

I highly recommend those balls, especially if you have hamstring issues. When I went to Finish Line Physical Therapy while in NYC in May, the physical therapist said they're one of the most effective ways to get at hamstrings. This video has a good overview of how to use them.


Total Mileage = 18 miles (25 if you count the hike)

Dynamic Warm-Up Routine

In the past three weeks of training logs, I've mentioned the dynamic warm-up routine I do prior to all runs and workouts. I checked with Melanie, my trainer, and she said it was okay to share. In fact, she said it was great to "share it to help other people."

There are lots and lots and lots of articles about the importance of warming up. I just always ignored them. This training cycle, though, I've been really diligent about properly warming up prior to a workout and foam rolling after, and so far I'm feeling great.

Here's the routine Melanie taught me. I do this:

• after a 1/2 mile warm-up on the treadmill before each weights workout,
• before any easy run, and
• after a slow mile warm-up for any speed or tempo running workout.

I also try to move my arms, shoulders and neck around, increasing mobility. A tight neck and shoulders on the run can definitely slow you down if they tighten up, and if you work at a desk all day, you likely suffer from some tightness there.

Dynamic Warm-Up Routine

For each exercise, I aim to do ten, taking a step between each one to keep my body moving throughout this routine. If it's something like a knee hug, then I do 20 so that each leg gets ten stretches.

I asked my dad to snap some pictures of me demonstrating the stretches when we were at the beach last Wednesday. And yes, I am trying to smile in all these shots, but sometimes I forgot and instead just look kind of pained. I promise these exercises are not painful, though!

Knee Hug

Pull your knee in to your torso and hug your shin as close as you comfortably can, stretching your hamstrings and glutes. Ideally your knee should reach up to your armpit. Gently lower your leg, step forward then repeat on the other side.

Quad Stretch

BAD form here, sorry Make sure your thigh is forming a straight line from your torso, not veering out.

That's better...

Lift your leg behind you with bent knee and grab your foot without leaning forward -- hips and torso should be in a straight line, stretching both your quad and hip. Release, step forward and repeat on the other leg.

Hip Stretch

This can be added after the quad stretch if your hips are particularly tight (mine always are). It's essentially a walking pigeon pose. Grab your foot with the hand on the standing leg side and your shin with your other hand. Slowly let your knee hang as much as possible, creating a figure 4 if possible, stretching out your hip flexor. Gently release your leg, step foward, then repeat on the other leg.

Bend and Squat

Known as the more forward of the Legally Blonde pick-up moves, first you fold at the hips and (try to) touch the ground with your fingers, stretching your hamstrings. Stand up straight, then take a step forward and do a body weight squat. Hinge at the hips to sit back with weight in your heels, without letting your knees knock inward, stretching your hamstrings and glutes. Stand up straight, take a step forward and repeat.

Walking Hamstring Stretch

Hinging at the hips, bend over with a straight back. As you bend, try to keep a straight line from your head to the foot of the lifting leg, stretching the hamstring of the standing leg. Move slowly at first as this is a deeper hamstring stretch than kicking your leg forward (hence why I like it!). Slowly lower, stand up straight and step forward, then kick the other leg back. 

Side Lunge

Lunge laterally to one side, keeping a straight back and sinking into the heel of the foot on the bent leg. Keep the other leg straight with the foot on the ground. Next, lunge toward the other side. Push off that foot to bring both legs together before repeating. I do five in each direction.

Happy stretching!

Training for Training

Two weeks ago, I started an intensive training program with a former pro runner who now trains at my local Equinox. I went in for an EquiFit analysis, to measure my body fat, inches, etc. I'd lost a bit of weight simply from being busy and not eating that much through the whole sister's wedding, moving cross-country thing. But I also hadn't been in any semblance of a fitness regime and I really wanted to get back into concentrated training. I missed having purpose to my workouts rather than aimlessly lifting things now and then at the gym.

I wasn't very pleased with my EquiFit results. Sure, my weight was down, but my body fat was up from marathon training (shocker, right?), and every run has reminded me that I'm not in the same shape I was last year. Which is fine -- priorities change. But I want to train for a spring half marathon PR, not just run a race, and I want to take advantage of the incredible running weather California has.

My mom visited last week, and in the middle of October, she was walking in a sundress on the beach. Like I said, incredible weather.

Since I'd mentioned that my interest was in running, Equinox paired me up with Melanie, a former pro runner. She showed me the kind of plan she'd put me through (strength training three times a week -- twice with her and once on my own, cardio three times a week, nutritional guidance, and I had to promise to foam roll and stretch). I chatted with Sourabh and he agreed with my idea that training for six weeks was a good idea since it takes six weeks to form a habit (supposedly), meaning this would help me get back into the running/fitness groove. Essentially, I'm training to get ready for ... training.

Two weeks down and four to go! Here's some of what we've been focused on:

Hip Mobility

Several of the exercises we've been doing focus on my tight hips. Melanie wants to increase mobility and range of movement. She's had me doing lateral movements over hurdles and side lateral squats. I've also been instructed to foam roll my hips and stretch them as much as possible throughout the day while sitting at the desk.

I want to be as mobile as ... this dog? On the beach? Yeah, if you hadn't noticed, I'm just sticking California pictures in here.

Attention to Heart Rate

I've just started my third week and so far I've been surprised with the strides I've made. On Saturday, I needed to do steady state cardio with the aim being a 150ish heart rate (roughly 60% of my max heart rate). After warming up, I started around a 9:00 mile, thinking that was probably right. Nope. Not even close. I ended up running 30 minutes at around an 8:15 pace.

That's fast for me, especially at my current fitness level, or at least that's what my brain said. I didn't think I'd be able to hang on for the prescribed amount of time. But I'm nothing if not a teacher's pet, and Melanie tasked me with hitting that heart rate for a set amount of time, so I did it. And honestly I could have kept running for a while longer which I don't think I'd ever have realized if I hadn't been monitoring the heart rate and letting that set the speed.

Actually related: I had an awesome interval run along the Back Bay yesterday using the heart rate levels as a guide for effort.

I've never utilized heart rate training before and am really enjoying learning more about my cardiovascular performance. It's making me pay attention to the science of running and exercise much more than in the past. I'm really excited to put the knowledge I'm gaining about my cardiovascular potential to use when I start officially half marathon training (probably December, I'm thinking).

Protein, Protein, Protein

In order to lean out and build up the leg muscles that will fire me down the road toward a shiny PR, Melanie focused on my protein intake. Melanie has me at more than 150 grams of protein a day which I was in no way, shape or form getting previously, mainly because I wasn't focusing on it and I gravitate more toward carbs. But there are a lot of simple things I've done that have made it easier -- instead of morning-of oatmeal, doing overnight oatmeal with Greek yogurt. Eating cottage cheese with chopped up strawberries as a late afternoon snack. Finding protein-rich carbs like quinoa, farro and, of course, oats.

In no way did Melanie suggest giving up carbs, but as she noted, they come pretty naturally (to me, especially), and getting enough protein during these six weeks is going to be the focus.

Last night's sunset. California is really, really, ridiculously good looking.

I feel like I have to include a major caveat to this post. Equinox memberships are expensive. My first year was heavily subsidized by my previous firm, but going forward we're paying the normal one-location rate. Working with a trainer at Equinox is also expensive.

You might have noticed -- or at least, I hope it's come across -- that while I've mentioned long hours, I have never complained about my job as a corporate lawyer. Yes, obviously, part of that is simply the fact that it is poor form to complain about your job online (the Internets never forget!). Part of it is that I *generally* like my work. But another large part is that there are few jobs where I could, as a 26 year-old, make a very good salary. Sure, right now I'm using it to pay off my massive student debt, but it still allows me to indulge in good food and spend money on luxuries like an expensive six week training program.

I am never going to try to prescribe this kind of training to anyone else because it would be incredibly privileged and ostrich-like to assume that everyone can just hire a trainer for an intensive get-me-back-on-the-road-to-running-fitness plan. I feel very lucky that I have the ability to do this (and that Sourabh worked an extra month this summer which made up for the unexpected four weeks I was unemployed!). However, maybe by sharing what Melanie is having me work on, it can be a bit helpful or, at the very least, a bit interesting.

Anyone have any questions about this strength and heart rate-focused base building?

Workout: Runner's Boot Camp

On Saturday afternoon, I hosted a free Runner's Boot Camp taught by my trainer, Amanda. It was the first workout event that I've hosted through this blog and it was so exciting to see it be such a success!

Liz, Rebecca, Lynette, Heather, me, Laura, Ashley, and Michelle!

There were a few cancellations, so nine of us were put through our paces in this challenging workout. We were the "survivors," as evidenced by our oh-so-hardcore pose at the end. Apparently I missed the memo to smile and instead used my... uh... thug duck face?

Just because I love you, I asked Amanda's permission, and we're sharing with you the workout, the playlist, and even what we ate. So basically, you can recreate the whole afternoon!


The Class
We all gathered in Amanda's beautiful backyard for the class. She not only taught the class for free, she also opened up her home to us! And yes, this is in Manhattan. Gorgeous, right?

Amanda certainly brought it to this class! We started with a dynamic warm-up that had everyone sweating immediately. Then we moved on to the two circuits: legs and core. We did legs twice before moving on to two rounds of the core circuit. Amanda finished us up with some stretches that focus on the calves and hamstrings, AKA those areas that are consistently tight.

Amanda certainly brought it to this class! At one point, probably during the star jumps that Amanda threw in between the circuits as a special surprise, Ashley looked over and saying, "thanks, Jen!" I'd earlier convinced her she could totally handle the class after our long run that morning. Oops. Hope your legs are recovered, Ashley!

The whole class felt like a big sweaty party, with people laughing and making jokes throughout, and chatting during every single break. I'm not sure I've ever had such a fun workout!


The Workout
I am SO excited to share with you all the exact amazing workout that Amanda conducted!

What was particularly cool about class was that Amanda explained why she was leading us through these exercises, telling us that the hips and glutes were often the weakest muscles on runners, and those weaknesses lead to imbalances and injuries. She recommended strength training at least twice a week to combat those problems.

The Food and Drinks!
No workout is complete without refueling and rehydrating, right??

From Amanda's Instagram

After class, we hydrated with Amanda's incredible watermelon slushie and 2B drinks, who kindly sent me a sample pack last week and whose products I'll be reviewing (with a giveaway!). Amanda made the oh-so-refreshing drink by blending frozen watermelon, fresh mint, water, a squeeze of lime, and a drizzle of agave (Amanda uses Conscious Agave, which is a good brand for this sweetener).

For snacks, I provided a few cut-up Picky Bars and Amanda set out berries. We snacked, chatted, and enjoyed the quiet backyard space that is so rare in New York City!

The Playlist
Amanda put me in charge of the playlist, a responsibility I gladly accepted since I love putting together fun playlists and sharing my latest favorite music.

The first song should run the length of the dynamic warm-up and the cool-down should hit right around the final song, the lovely "Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World" arrangement by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.


Finally... thank you!
A HUGE thank you to Amanda for leading us in this amazing class and providing such a lovely space for the class to be held. Everyone kept raving about the class and how amazing Amanda was afterwards. She has been an incredible influence in my life, from getting me to start running to helping me clean up my diet and learn to love healthy, fresh foods. I was so glad that I could share Amanda's sunny attitude and tough training with others!

Thank you also to everyone who attended. It was a fantastic afternoon, and I hope to hold another event soon!

Fit Blog Gear Review: Saucony Kinvaras, Reebok SubLites and Yoga LBT

Today, I'm sharing a few of my favorite fitness finds from FitBlog 2013! At this point I've been able to wear them enough to truly judge their quality, and I am super happy with these items.

Remember this? Yes, FITNESS Magazine was incredibly generous with giving us an assortment of things to try out. The shoes and top we were given were stand-outs to me and have been added into my regular rotation of workout gear.

Saucony Kinvara 4 running shoes

I am loving these Saucony Kinvara 4's for short runs! They're so easy breezy and the neon yellow is super fun. I need a supportive shoe for longer runs, and need to roll out my foot after running in these for a few days in a row, but these fantastically light shoes are great for short distances.

I normally hate traveling in closed-toed shoes but I wore these on my trip to Cuba for both travel days and a walking-around-town day and felt great. They're just so light, without sacrificing comfort.

Some stats from Saucony:

Offset: 4mmHeel: 22mmForefoot: 18mmWeight: 6.7 oz (women), 7.7 oz (men)The redesigned upper continues to utilize FlexFilm for a lightweight, seamless feel. Kinvara loyalists will love the upgrade from ProGrid to PowerGrid in the heel landing zone for even smoother transitions and an improved overall ride.

I'm thinking these will be my speed and short run shoe, my Mizuno Wave Inspires will be my short-mid distance shoe (4-6 miles), and my Brooks Adrenalines will continue to be my "long" run shoe. Anything at 6 miles or more and I seem to need extra support to avoid foot pain. I know some runners run marathons in these, though, so it's all about what works for your feet.

Reebok Yoga Long Bra Top

I wasn't sure about this Reebok Yoga Long Bra Top tank when I received it. For some reason, it just seemed really shapeless on the hanger. Then I tried it on when my laundry pile was huge and I needed something for a Refine Method class, and lo and behold, it was adorable! I love the cut and how it hangs. It's body-conscious yet roomy in the middle for those days when you don't want something super tight (and after two weeks of vacation and graduation festivities, I didn't really want anything too tight!).

My favorite part is the back detail, though. I love that little triangle cutout!  I assume it would cause weird tan lines if you were working out in the sun, but for indoors workouts, it just looks awesome. This top comes in mint green, which is my current favorite color, so I might need to pick up another one!

The bra top is not that supportive, but as a solid B cup I find it to be fine for a workout like Refine Method, which has some jogging in place and jumping jacks. Wouldn't recommend it for an active workout for someone who needs or likes more support, and I won't be wearing it running, but it'd be fine for yoga even for larger-chested ladies.

(By the way, we also got a Sparkly Soul headband in our FitBlog bag. I've mentioned them before so am not going to review the headband here. But as you can see from my picture of the Reebok top, they are my go-to workout headband, and I love them. Thanks for the sponsorship, Sparkly Soul! I <3 you!)

Reebok SubLite Train 1.0 cross-training shoes

Finally, this is probably my favorite item -- the Reebok SubLite Train 1.0! I love these for cross training. I have terrible balance, in part because my right knee turns inward slightly, which isn't great for any kind of balance-oriented exercise. It's hard for me to get the full benefit of a lot of exercises when I'm standing on my right leg. I've had way fewer issues, however, since I started using these since they provide much greater stability!

From Reebok:

• Medial support harness keeps your foot centered for stability

• 3D SubLite foam midsole for lightweight cushioning that is responsive and durable

• Raised dual density heel counter for the added stability you need for lateral workout movements

My trainer, Amanda, actually pointed them out and said she loved them when I wore them to a training session. Obviously the mint green laces and accents are also awesome! These are fine for some brief cardio moves, like jogging in place at Refine Method, but ideally shouldn't be worn for running. These should last me a while, but I've been pleased enough with them that whenever they wear out, I plan on getting another pair.


Do you have separate cross-training shoes? What shoes are you running in right now? Do you use different short and long run shoes?

Lacking Motivation + Fast 'n' Sweaty Strength Circuit

I've been having a hard time motivating myself to work out the past few days. While I normally love to sweat (despite being lazy), I have a few theories about why it's been tougher to get myself moving. The weather has been rainy on and off every day since my Friday run. I have to drive somewhere if I don't want to run down my road, which has no sidewalks. I often have trouble motivating myself when I'm doing a gym workout and not taking a class. I hate the treadmill for anything but speed work. And Sourabh arrived on Sunday evening, so I've wanted to spend some time relaxing with him, since technically this time in Washington State is my "vacation."

what can I say? I just want to curl up like this guy 

However. I tapered before my New Year's Eve half-marathon and then had a week off after it, resting to rehab my left IT band and right hamstring, only taking a yoga class and doing a 2 mile run. At this point, that's 2.5 weeks of minimal activity and I have a solid goal for the NYC Half in March.

While I'm not pushing myself to get intense workouts in this week, I really need to remember that a few minutes of working out makes me feel much, much better, and I don't want to lose any more fitness than I already have from 2.5 weeks off. Spoiler alert: as I learned last night after completing the below circuit, I've lost a lot of strength.

I mean c'mon, don't you want to snuggle with Fritz rather than drive somewhere in the rain? 

Right before dinner last night, realizing I didn't want to go another day without getting a strength workout in, I put together a quick circuit that would hit the main muscle groups. I didn't want to find my parents' weights, so I just used body weight exercises that can be done anywhere.


This circuit can be done in 15 minutes if you do it two times and 30 minutes if you do it four times. Doing it twice and pairing it with 30 minutes of cardio (perhaps a spinning or treadmill speed workout?) gets you a complete 45 minute workout.

Try to complete as many reps of each exercise as you can in the 1 minute. For extra motivation, have a piece of paper and pen with you and keep track of how many reps you complete during each minute, then try to beat that number the next time through the circuit!

Take a 10-30 second break in between exercises if necessary, but try not to rest until you finish the circuit. That will keep your heart rate up meaning you'll burn more calories!

Unsure of what any of these exercises are? I found some great YouTube videos to help!

Sumo Squats (hits different muscles than a regular squat!)
Moving Plank
Lunges
Tricep Dips
Squats
Push-Ups (demonstrates both modified knee push-ups and regular push-ups)
Plank

By the way, I love moving planks. The exercise is like push-ups and planks got married and had a beautiful, evil child who's here to tighten your core AND give you killer arms. If you do nothing else, watch that YouTube video and add it to your next strength workout!

Do you go through periods of feeling unmotivated to work out? Do you have any favorite strength exercises?

Spinning Interval Workout

Despite the unseasonal warmth New York is currently experiencing, I'm sure we'll soon be back to the cold of a Northeast winter. Although I like running in the cold, it also gets dark earlier, so there are plenty of times when you're just not going to want to run.

Whether for cross-training or as a winter run replacement, here's a spinning workout I suggested to a friend today. What I love about this is that it's very customizable -- it's all about what high and low resistance is for you. My friend is just getting back to cardio after having health problems, so she can do this at the level that is best for her, while a cardio fiend could put the resistance up crazy high and get their sweat on.

Warm Up and Cool-Down -- this should be a level that warms up your body without making it work too hard. For me, I put the resistance at 5-6 for the warm and 1-3 for cool-down.

Low Resistance -- this should be a level that makes you sweat but is something you could keep up for a long, long time. For me, I put the resistance at 7-9.

High Resistance -- the goal is to keep your RPM at the same level through both low and hard resistance. It should be hard to keep up the RPM at this resistance, and you should be breathing a lot harder. For me, I put the resistance at 12-14 here.

Weights -- you can use between 2-8 lb weights for this workout. The goal is to feel burning and barely be able to complete the last rep you do in a minute, but don't sacrifice form to higher weight. I typically use 5 lb weights for the horizontal row and 8 lb weights for the bicep curls and shoulder presses.

Core Work -- be sure to tighten your abs (suck in your belly button) and sit up straight as you do the arm exercises for proper form and to work your core.

Want more? Feel free to double the intervals and make the cool-down a full 5 minutes for a 40 minute workout.

Here's what the arm exercises should look like:

Bicep Curls

(source)

Overhead Shoulder Press

(source)

Horizontal Row

this movement, but using free weights
(source)

Sweat and enjoy!

Do you spin in the winter or for cross-training? Do you take a class or do it on your own?