Labor Day Weekend Workouts

I can't believe that I am in the home stretch for the Beast. This coming Saturday is the Spartan Super which I am looking at as a tune up for the Beast two weeks later. This means preparing like I am going to do the Beast. I started tapering meaning that last Thursday was my last lifting day until after I finish my two Tough Mudders in October. What I did this weekend is going to start to look like what I will be doing until November.

Saturday was an active rest day. My new active rest routine is following a 30 minute beginner yoga video on YouTube (http://youtu.be/JPkNZwTFpxU). This will help my flexibility and mobility as well as improve my balance. I have ignored stretching and flexibility for 41 years so this is challenging and I hope to get excited as I improve from a beginner to better than a beginner. 

Sunday I went to a Spartan Training Class. This is at a box gym in Jersey City and conducted by a guy who actively participates in obstacle course races. Although I don't like the idea of a packaged workout, I do view this as an opportunity to connect with other people who do obstacle races and hopefully I can find some OCR buddies as my social circle is just not cutting it.

Monday was another active rest day with yoga. This time I used the 40 minute beginner video (http://youtu.be/wrP4lTlYUM4). The significant difference between the two is that this one really works the hips and groin and has much less emphasis on balance. I like mixing up the two.

Tuesday was my first endurance / HIIT / body weight workout routine. I ran to the Weehawken soccer park and did this circuit twice:

• 5 pistol squats each side
• 10 2-1-2 push ups (2 seconds down, hold for 1 second, 2 seconds up)
• 10 ring rows (like TRX)
• Pull Ups
• 20 bench dips
• 20 sit ups
• 20 dips

I then ran to and up the hill, down the staircase and turned around going up the staircase and down the hill, returning to the soccer park where I did the above circuit again (once) and continued by run home. The entire workout took 1:30 from leaving the door to walking back in and included endurance training with the runs, high intensity with the body weight circuit, hill run and stair run, and strength with the body weight circuit. I really like this workout to keep in shape and top form during the part of the year where I have four tough races within nine weeks.