This was an unusual week and I'm all for it! I love routine but as long as I get the important stuff done and some fun too, variety is the spice of life. This week I had two back-to-back gym sessions - I was offered a free slot on the Tuesday since Monday was a bank holiday (Irish & British term for public holiday). I also threw in some extra walks, and ended the week with a music festival.
This post is linked with the Weekly rundown link-up, hosted by Deborah and Kim. It’s where fitness bloggers get together to share their ups and downs with fitness and training, whether it’s about strength, running, cycling or something else. It’s great for accountability as well as inspiring and supporting garden each other. We also include some bits from everyday life if we want to. Let’s get into it!
Monday - walking
Happy Star Wars day! Today the gym was closed because of the May bank holiday. I did all my dynamic hip stretches and went for a walk. I walked to the sea, the walk with the massive uphill on the way back. My peroneals weren't happy at all - but it was a good walk of about 5,5 km.
Tuesday - walk + gym
My gym appointment was just before lunch and I decided to walk to town. This is a beautiful walk! But I've been wrong about the distance. I'm quite sure my watch has said 8,6 km but I now think that must have been the time I took a small detour. Today it was definitely 6,7 km to town. That's nothing! In good enough weather and when I have the time, walking to town for whatever reason is a no-brainer!
It was a good session in the gym but my quads were unusually tired and I'm not sure it was because of my walk - perhaps it was more about the hill walk the day before. Still, after the first set of squats I felt back on track. Since I'd have two back-to-back sessions, we did a split program. Today was legs and shoulders and I did standard squats, Romanian deadlifts, split squats, spiderman, upright rows, shoulder presses, forward raises and bent-over lateral raises.
Wednesday - gym
Back to the gym for back and chest. I did dumbell rows, parachutes, two-dumbbell pullovers, barbell rows, barbell chest press, flyes, declined push-ups (with feet on a bench) and inclined dumbbell chest press. I did really well with the barbell chest press today but oof my muscles were tired in the last two exercises. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it to 12 reps with the last one but kept pushing to failure which is the most important thing.
Thursday
Another good day for a walk! I did my hip stretches, a plank and jumping jacks but then sat with some code until after lunch when I felt I needed to move. I went about 4 km, it was windy but mild. We've come to the time of the year when 12 degrees suddenly feel warm! There's something in the late spring air that makes it - perhaps because the ground is warmed up a bit? The wind was friendly and didn't disturb much. I walked half of my favourite "cow loop".
I felt immersed by all the lush green, and the angry clouds never turned into anything but just dark clouds. Wendy said in a comment last week that the green is like a balm to the soul, and I couldn't agree more!
Friday - gym
I started the day with a garden walk! I didn't expect anything big (I really need to plant more perennials that will be in bloom at this time of the year) but was surprised to see buds on the rugosa roses. What a treat! This means they'll be healthy and fit for cuttings early this year. I have more space to fill with these roses, and it's hard to find rugosa roses in shops so cuttings is the way to go, but you have to wait until they bloom or at least have buds. Last year that didn't happen until we were more or less on our way to Italy. I left some cuttings with the neighbour and hoped for the best, and while I got some good ones from another variety, the rugosa cuttings didn't survive.
In the afternoon I had a good session in the gym, with lunges, sumo deadlifts, dumbbell rows, good mornings, dumbbell chest press, inclined flyes, lateral raises and barbell shoulder presses. I'm happy to report that my right side lower back/glute isn't giving me troubles anymore. I only felt it very subtly in the last few reps of good mornings. Big success! I'll keep doing all my stretches regularly as long as I live!
I'm also realising that despite any struggles I may have with Renegade rows or Bulgarians, barbell lunges remain my hardest and least successful exercise. I don't know if it has to do with a heavier weight (compared to when I do them with dumbbells) or that it's specifically with the bar, which adds a whole different balance component to it. I might try at home with an empty bar to see how it feels and to develop a strategy, like I did with the Bulgarians some year ago - but without overdoing it. Other than the lunge frustration, it was a great session.
In the evening, we had planned to go to a bluegrass session but on the Thursday I had been reminded that there was the annual fiddle fair in a village an hour away, so I looked it up and we went there to see some bands instead. It was a lovely night!! The weather was fantastic and we sat outside a pub for a drink and took a stroll on the pier before the gig. We basically spend our life right now either training or working, so we really need to get out for something different now and then! The first band was a mix between oldtime/swing and oldtime country and they were fantastic! After them came a young oldtime band and they were so inspiring!! I felt I have to act now to get my shit together with the guitar. I haven't been able to get back to my practice habits since 2023 and I keep complaining that I'm so mediocre but how strange is that if I don't practice???
We got our tickets late and didn't get good seats so I only got these photos from afar:
Saturday
The weather was very uninviting with a lot of wind so I stayed inside. I let my hips rest in peace today but did a plank and a short arm workout with bicep curls and a brachialis exercise with resistance band that is good for the guitar muscles. Yes, I meant it yesterday when I wanted to get my shit together! So today I sat an hour or two with the guitar practising old fiddle tunes I want to get back to. I also made a work plan for music practice.
Sunday
It's the 10th of May and we woke up to a nice sunshine BUT... 3 degrees (about 37F). WTAF? Ok, it will warm up during the day but there's also a strong wind. My husband chose to do his long run on the treadmill. I'm choosing to stay indoors and plan to do a core workout and the hip TLC.
Hope you had a good week and some nice weather.
Comments
I'm loving all of the beautiful pictures in this post - so much green!
Interestingly, my dad never planted crops until after what he called "the tenth of May cold spell," so maybe you have that in Ireland, too!
We definitely have cold spells like that and I remember in Sweden people said to never plant anything before the 1st of June, and they were always right, there's always a cold spell in the beginning of June! Here it's probably earlier but people have a lot of ideas about when to do this and that! My neighbour says you should only prune your shrubs during months that contain an "r"!
Running or thinking bout when to run... my life. LOL
A fiddle fair sounds so far. My ex-hubby played.
As always LOVE your photos. Keep them coming.
Haha, that sounds like a good life to me!
The fiddle fair night was so good. Definitely what we needed for some good times and new inspiration.
Ha, "we basically spend our life right now either training or working" sounds so familiar! I can't wait to do "normal stuff" again. That spontaneous fiddle fair trip sounded so good! Sometimes you need something that wakes is relaxing and enjoy the creativity of others.
Also, your reaction to the young old-time band was interesting because you immediately pinpointed the (painfully true) root cause: it's consistency and PRACTICE that moves the needle, talent alone is not enough. Thanks for that reminder, Susanne, I needed to hear that too!
Our weather in Cape Town is ghastly at the moment. A storm that started on Sunday and will last to Tuesday.... If only I had a treadmill!
Oh, I'm sorry about your weather! Hope you can run again soon!
Yes, very true about the consistency vs "talent". I personally think that talent is a myth. There may be genetics involved in certain things (like sports, to some extent) but neuroplasticity of the brain is a thing and with most things we want to learn it's all about putting in the work. I believe all the talk about "talent" discourages many people to even try doing something they want, thinking they are not "gifted enough". I played the guitar daily during the pandemic and in 2022 I played Beaumont rag quite well, even on video (I still have it somewhere)! I'm determined to get back to that level. And my concertina skills improved dramatically during a period when Noel Hill gave some regular online classes for a few months which made me practice a lot more.
Those photos from your walks are so, so beautiful!!! I'm so envious. Although if I lived there I would want to be outside running or walking every day and would never want to go to the gym.
Nice job in the gym. Yes, lunges are hard! Practicing them with just the bar sounds good- somehow it is harder with the bar than with dumbbells, I don't know why. I should also practice them slowly with no weight- I'm thinking my form is off and that's why my knee feels a little tweaked.
Yay for the guitar practice! I wish I could hear you play.
Whoa, don't overestimate the friendliness of the outdoors here, haha! But running here would certainly be a refreshing contrast to your hot Florida running.
I think the bar adds a lot more challenge to the balance with lunges (and Bulgarians), and I feel like if I lose balance with the dumbbells I have more control if I fall. But it's good to work on balance... it's just that I don't quite get the strength part of the exercise right. I tried barefoot lunges today without weights. As expected it felt harder, but not at all as bad as when I tried some year ago. I did get more stretch in the feet than when I have shoes and I think you are right that it must be a great way to build strong feet. I'll definitely do it again!
And regarding the guitar - no, I don't think so! LOL!
Oof, I can relate to lunges, in general, no matter what weight. I don’t have a barbell, but the dumbbells are still a challenge because I feel like they bump into my legs a lot (as if balancing isn’t tough enough). Ugh! Your pics are so beautiful! I think the one for Monday almost looks like a quaint painting ;-)
I really liked that Monday photo too! And I can relate to the problem with dumbbells during lunges. But I promise you that they're still far easier with the dumbbells than with the bar!
Wow! It looks like you had some solid workouts this week. I'm glad to hear that you're glute is no longer giving you issues, hopefully it stays that way.
Yes! I'm so glad it has improved! I feel it on and off but it doesn't disturb my training anymore and I'm so grateful for that.
Sounds like you had great gym sessions and great walks this week. I really love the scenery in your pictures.
I think renegade rows are just the (alternating) rows, but push-ups are often added in the mix.
I am learning I should do lunges slowly to get my form right — otherwise my knees cave in or go out from whatever muscles aren’t as strong as the others.
Yes, there is a lot to watch for in the lunge form! I used to have that problem with knees going in different directions, especially with the right leg. It doesn't seem to be as pronounced as it used to be, but I haven't filmed myself lunging for a while so it's hard to say how much it's improved.
The landscape is so pretty now! I'm so blessed having this scenery at my doorstep, at any time of the year but especially at this time of the year when the trees are green too.
It looks like you had a more positive week all around! For me, front lunges give me issues. Easy to switch out things that give us trouble. Hope your temps improve this week!
Yes, it was a good week and the warmer weather (except today) really helps lift up the mood.
Front lunges certainly have a lot of hard elements to them. But there are so many other exercises for the same muscle groups. I'll keep doing them, obviously as long as I work with this coach, but I need that balance component so I don't mind them, except I wish I could do them better.
It sounds like a very fulfilling and positive week for you! And yes, I was admiring all that GREEN when I saw that you shared my comment. I'm really enjoying all the green right now. It's just so lovely.
The 3 lifts that give you trouble--renegades, bulgarians, and barbell lunges--are the same for me. When they are on the workout board, I want to run away. Instead, I attempt to do them and then modify. The gym had a really evil movement involving renegade rows and pushups between each row; once they had us do alternating arm renegades, and I just lay on the floor. I mean COME ON
I always thought Renegade rows with push-ups between each row AND alternating arm was the norm!! At least that's what I've been told but perhaps there are variations and I simply get the hard variety. They are absolutely brutal! I do planks and shoulder taps at home now to help build core endurance. I completely know what you mean with wanting to run away!
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