20 Pull-ups Challenge – Test Time

Friday-Friday-Friday!

If you successfully completed week 8 of the  20 Pull-ups Challenge you’re ready for the final test. Take two days off. Eat well and remember to drink water. Now you should be able to do 20 pull-ups. If you couldn’t, don’t give up. Repeat week 7 and then 8 and retest yourself.

Due to a technical difficulty paired with depleted glycogen stores I will be repeating week 7 again.  It’s not all bad though, because of last week’s debacle I accidentally found out that I can do 12 pull-ups!

Let me know how your week goes.

20 Pull-ups Challenge: Week 8 – The Workout

Here is the final week’s workout of the challenge!

Week 8 20 Pull-ups Challenge workout.  Remember that you must have successfully completed last week’s workout before progressing (I am a week behind you).

Week 8: 20 pull-ups challenge workout and a little motivation to keep us going…

“We will either find a way, or make one. “ – Hannibal

Day 1: Rest 120 seconds between each set (longer if required)

Set 1: 5 pull-ups

Set 2: 6 pull-ups

Set 3: 7 pull-ups

Set 4: 8 pull-ups

Set 5: 9 pull-ups

Day 2: Rest 90 seconds between each set (longer if required)

Set 1: 8 pull-ups

Set 2: 9 pull-ups

Set 3: 10 pull-ups

Set 4: 11 pull-ups

Set 5: 12 pull-ups (holy crap)

Day 3: Rest 120 seconds between each set (longer if required)

Set 1: 13 pull-ups

Set 2: 11 pull-ups

Set 3: 9 pull-ups

Set 4: 7 pull-ups

Set 5: max pull-ups

Good luck my friends I know that you can do it!  Next week is test week…gulp.

Register now for May/June Studio sessions

Processing

I woke up early yesterday morning eager and excited to take in the coverage of the Boston Marathon.  As anyone in the running world will tell you, running the Boston Marathon is as good as it gets, and for the second year in a row I actually knew someone running with the big dogs.

Just like last year, a few of us got together to watch the start of the race.  And what was cool was that both D and Soraiya ran Boston last year.  Listening to them recount how they felt at the start line as we watched this year’s athletes get ready to embark on the race of their life, really made the morning special.

I followed the coverage most of the morning and continued to stay in contact via text with Conny in Boston as her husband Colin ran.  The athlete tracking this year was spot on, so as he hit check points on the course I was able to text her his location, times and expected finishing time.  It was all very exciting.  As he crossed the finish line our little running world lit up our social media network with words of elation.

I took a short break from my computer while I got ready to go for a celebratory run (we runners do that).  I stopped quickly to check in one last time before heading out the door and was drawn to a post from the other side of the country written in capitals, asking anyone in Boston to check in and let people know that they were ok.  Below was a comment that CNN was reporting explosions at the Boston Marathon.

As I turned on the TV my body went numb.  Thankfully I was able to make contact with my friends quickly and knew that they were ok, and spent the rest of the day with a sad heart watching the images of chaos and desperation and listening to the devastating recounts of the events following the explosions.

Why…

Like many others, this morning I laced up in honour of the lives lost and for those who were affected by yesterday’s tragedy in Boston.

I don’t have a Boston Marathon shirt of my own (and the events of yesterday have not entirely broken my dreams of one day owning one), instead I sported Boston colours while I had my ass handed to me as I chased the back of Soraiya’s Boston long sleeve up and down, again, again, again, again what will now be known to me as my heartbreak hill.

Hug your kids and loved one’s a little tighter, not just today, everyday.

20 Pull-ups Challenge: Week 7 – The Workout

TGIF!  If you have reached this point you only have 2 training weeks to go.  Before you do anything give yourself a big hug and a pat on the back.

Here is the week 7 20 Pull-ups Challenge workout.  Remember that you must have successfully completed last week’s workout before progressing (I will be hanging back this week to perfect my week 6).

Week 7: 20 pull-ups challenge workout and a little motivation to keep us going…

“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” – Friedrich Neitzche

Day 1: Rest 120 seconds between each set (longer if required)

Set 1: 4 pull-ups

Set 2: 5 pull-ups

Set 3: 6 ull-ups

Set 4: 6 pull-ups

Set 5: 7 pull-ups

Day 2: Rest 90 seconds between each set (longer if required)

Set 1: 8 pull-ups

Set 2: 7 pull-ups

Set 3: 8 pull-ups

Set 4: 7 pull-ups

Set 5: 8 pull-ups

Day 3: Rest 120 seconds between each set (longer if required)

Set 1: 5 pull-ups

Set 2: 6 pull-ups

Set 3: 8 pull-ups

Set 4: 9 pull-ups

Set 5: 10 pull-ups (double digits baby!)

Remember also that what doesn’t kill you makes you freaking awesome!

20 Pull-ups Challenge: Week 6 In Review

After squeaking through last week, I knew that this week’s pull-up workout was going to be a bit of a challenge.   Now don’t get me wrong, each week has challenged me in it’s own special way, but last week was different and with all that had been going on, I really had to dig deep to pull it off (ba-dum-dum-chsh).

Rested and ready to go, day 1 was ok until the final set of 7 pull-ups.  I was good until I hit 5, 6 was a grunt and 7 was plain old pitiful, but the set was completed.  My arms vibrated for the first 20 minutes of my spin class that followed.

I was feeling a pretty anxious as I went into day 2 because the total pull-ups for the workout went from 27 to 31.  I had hoped for a miraculous weight loss over the weekend because I knew that was the only way I was going to be able to get through the session, but that didn’t happen and neither did my final 7 pull-ups.  Well 5 did, the 6^th was questionable and number 7…I had nothing left.  I even tried to repeat the last set but only managed to do 4.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t screaming mad.  The difference between failure and completion was 1 freaking pull-up.  To top it off I knew that I would make it through day 3 because the number of pull-ups decreased instead of increasing and would finish off with a rep max and it wouldn’t matter the number, as long as there was a number, which I knew that there would be. GRRRRRRR!

After a moment or two, ok five of berating myself in my mind as I walked around the gym with my head down, life according to D gave me a little bitch slap…first world problems…if this is the biggest problem that you have today.  Yes, I was behaving poorly and somewhere between sets 4 and 5 I had seemed to forget that this is a challenge, it is supposed to challenge me.

So fueled by tenacity and with a big smile on my face, I am happily (she says with grit teeth) going to repeat week 6 while you all progress to week 7, and if I don’t make it next week, I will repeat it again damn it.

How did your week go?

20 Pull-ups Challenge: Week 6 -The Workout

Happy Friday friends!

Here is the week 6 20 Pull-ups Challenge workout.  Remember that you must have successfully completed last week’s workout before progressing.

Week 6: 20 pull-ups challenge workout and a little motivation to keep us going…

“From a certain point onward there is no longer any turning back. That is the point that must be reached.” – Franz Kafka

Day 1: Rest 120 seconds between each set (longer if required)

Set 1: 5 pull-ups

Set 2: 4 pull-ups

Set 3: 5 pull-ups

Set 4: 6 pull-ups

Set 5: 7 pull-ups (gulp)

Day 2: Rest 90 seconds between each set (longer if required)

Set 1: 7 pull-ups

Set 2: 6 pull-ups

Set 3: 5 pull-ups

Set 4: 6 pull-ups

Set 5: 7 pull-ups

Day 3: Rest 120 seconds between each set (longer if required)

Set 1: 8 pull-ups (double gulp)

Set 2: 6 pull-ups

Set 3: 5 pull-ups

Set 4: 4 pull-ups

Set 5: max pull-ups

No turning back now!

20 Pull-ups Challenge: Week 5 – In Review

Logic would say that if one wants to increase the amount of pull-ups one does, one’s weight should not also increase during the process (and believe me when you are trying to finish those final few sets, arms quivering, eyes closed, face beet red, making that grunting sound from the back of your throat that you may have mocked people in the past for doing, EVERY pound or portion of a pound of the weight you are trying to pull-up counts). As my husband will tell you, I checked logic at the door long ago, and with no help at all from the Easter bunny, I made it through week 5 only by the skin of my teeth. But I did make it!

The way the week worked out, days 2 and 3 were done back to back, and boy did I pay for it, y-ouch. And I was a bit disappointed that my rep max for day 3 set 5 was a pitiful 5 pull-ups, but I am owning it.

Now back on track and with 62 hours of rest before, some well placed cardio and a belly full of spinach, look out week 6 I am coming for you!

How did your week go?

Back On Track Day

I have been referencing today for the past few weeks. It’s not a day that anyone in my household has been particularly looking forward to, so when the alarm went off at 6:45 this morning, there was nothing we could do about it, spring break was over and April 2^nd aka get back on track day had arrived.  But how unfortunate that it did two days after Easter with fridge (and freezer) full of chocolate and an unfinished bottle of Oyster Bay.

I decided somewhere between 3:00 and 4:00am yesterday that I should take a page from my own manual as an aid to get me on track.  So as all good things came to an end, without hesitation and an additional snooze I was out of bed without argument armed with my Weekly Food and Activity Journal and ready to fight the good fight this morning!

After a balanced breakfast, a smooth drop off at school in a clean car, followed by an inspiring trail run, which lead to signing up for a goal race in June (anyone want to join me for Seek the Peak again this year?) and a new writing project, a spinach salad topped with citrus grilled chicken for lunch, my lawn is mowed (ok that wasn’t me but it looks fantastic), and it’s not even 2:00pm yet.

So yeah, I may not be entirely on track (I forgot my morning snack), but I am definitely back.

How’s your day?

Print your Weekly Food and Activity Journal

20 Pull-ups Challenge: Week 5 – The Workout

I hope that your Friday is good!

It would seem that since the Tough Mudder posted on their Facebook page that less than 25% of their participants make it across the Funky Monkey (TM’s equivalent of the monkey bars) a few more of you have jumped on this challenge. For those of you that still haven’t, it’s not too late.

Here is the week 5 20 Pull-ups Challenge workout.  Remember that you must have successfully completed last week’s workout before progressing.

Week 5: 20 pull-ups challenge workout and a little motivation to keep us going…

“Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.” – E. Joseph Crossman

Day 1: Rest 120 seconds between each set (longer if required)

Set 1: 4 pull-ups

Set 2: 3 pull-ups

Set 3: 4 pull-ups

Set 4: 3 pull-ups

Set 5: 4 pull-ups

Day 2: Rest 90 seconds between each set (longer if required)

Set 1: 5 pull-ups

Set 2: 3 pull-ups

Set 3: 4 pull-ups

Set 4: 3 pull-ups

Set 5: 5 pull-ups

Day 3: Rest 120 seconds between each set (longer if required)

Set 1: 6 pull-ups (yikes!)

Set 2: 5 pull-ups

Set 3: 4 pull-ups

Set 4: 3 pull-ups

Set 5: max pull-ups

You know that you don’t want to be part of that 75%.

Next Page »