Checking In on a Flailing Flower

[Periwinkle]

December 30 Accomplishments:
Warm Up: Universal Warmup
PPL: Day 19 - Ab day, no weights; 2 min rest time: elbow planks 2 min/set, side elbow planks 2 min/set, reverse crunches 14 reps/set, back extensions 10 reps/set
Knee Push-Ups Challenge - Day 20
Stretching: Fighter's Stretching

The last 30 sec of the elbow planks were brutal. I had to do what I've done in the past and do ten second count downs in my head to get me through. My abs definitely needed more time to recover, so I stuck to the 2 min rest times.

December 31 Accomplishments:
Warm Up: Fighter's Warmup
PPL: Day 20 - 10 lb weights all exercises, rest time 90s: squats 12 reps/set, reverse lunges 12 reps/set, calf raises 16 reps/set, goblet squats 12 reps/set, single leg deadlifts 6reps/side/set
Knee Push-Ups Challenge - Day 21 (6 knee pushups, 4 regular pushups)/set
Stretching: Finisher

January 1 Accomplishments:
Warm Up: 4-Minute Warmup
PPL: Day 21 - 8 lb weights: lateral raises 10 reps/set, bent over lateral raises 10 reps/set; 10 lb weights: Arnold press 10 reps/set, chest fly 10 reps/set, chest press 10reps/set
50 jumping jacks after each exercise
Knee Push-Ups Challenge - Day 22
Stretching: Stretched

January 2 Accomplishments:
Warm Up: 4-Minute Warmup
PPL: Day 22 - 10 lb weights all exercises: bicep curls 12 reps/set, upright rows 10reps/set, shrugs 10 reps/set, alternating bicep curls 12 reps/set, kneeling rows 8 reps/arm/set
50 jumping jacks after each exercise
Knee Push-Ups Challenge - Day 23 (6 knee pushups, 4 regular pushups)/set
Stretching: Stretched

 

[WolfDreamer]

Well done! I love that you call them "accomplishments." That is a very inspiring mindset.

 

[Periwinkle]

January 3 Accomplishments:
Warm Up: Universal Warmup
PPL: Day 23 - Ab day - no weights: leg raises 12 reps/set, windshield wipers 12 reps/set, hollow hold 4 one minute sets, back extensions 10 reps/set
Knee Push-Ups Challenge - Day 24
Stretching: Fighter's Stretching

January 4 Accomplishments:
No exercise. The anxiety of driving on barely plowed roads drains a lot of energy, but I made it to work and back home safely.

January 5 Accomplishments:
Warm Up: Fighter's Warmup
PPL: Day 24 10 lb weights all exercises: lunge step-ups 12 reps/set, side lunges 12 reps/set, calf raises 16 reps/set, deadlifts 10 reps/set, single leg deadlifts 6 reps/side/set
Knee Push-Ups Challenge - Day 25 (6 knee/5 reg)/set
Stretching: Finisher

January 6 Accomplishments:
No exercise. I got some drumming in, tho.

January 7 Accomplishments:
Warm Up: 4-Minute Warmup
PPL: Day 25 8 lb weights: lateral raises 10 reps/set, 10 lb weights: shoulder press 10 reps/set, tricep kickbacks 10 reps/set, chest press 14 reps/set, chest fly 10 reps/set, pullovers 10 reps/set
Knee Push-Ups Challenge - Day 26
Stretching: Stretched

January 8 Accomplishments:
No exercise. The cold weather is very easy to blame for not exercising. It seems so much better to cuddle in a blanket with my cats. I may not have exercised, but I did do some drumming.

January 9 Accomplishments:
Warm Up: 4-Minute Warmup
PPL: Day 26 10 lb weights all exercises: bicep curls 12 reps/set, upright rows 10 reps/set, bent over rows 10 reps/set, shrugs 10 reps/set, hammer curls 12 reps/set, renegade rows 8 reps/arm/set
Knee Push-Ups Challenge - Day 27 (6 knee/5 reg)/set
Stretching: Stretched

I'm so close to finishing this program. Just two more days! I think exercising is getting a bit too much for me and is starting to compete with drumming. I might do a training plan with more rest days after this program. Drumming is pretty physical, so it might be a good idea to have less exercise days.

In other news, I baked more bread. This time it was looking promising. The dough rose beautifully, but I made the mistake of giving it a bit more time in a probably too warm environment (on stove top after oven had been on) and it deflated! So, instead of underproofing, I overproofed the dough. Why is baking bread so hard? It was still edible, tho.

 

[Periwinkle]

January 10 Accomplishments:
Celebrated my birthday with pizza and a movie. I originally had other plans, but it snowed and I didn't feel like driving through that.

January 11 Accomplishments:
Warm Up: Universal Warmup
PPL: Day 27 Ab day, no weights: Could not hold a plank for 2.5 minutes. I just went til failure for both the elbow and side elbow planks. I managed to hold for nearly 2 minutes each time, plank crunches 14 reps/set, and back extensions 10 reps/set
Knee Push-Ups Challenge - Day 28
Stretching: (I forgot to write this down and I can't remember if I did any stretching. If I did, it was fairly easy and short.)

January 12 Accomplishments:
Warm Up: Fighter's Warmup
PPL: Day 28 10 lb weights all exercises: Squats 12 reps/set, reverse lunges 12 reps/set, calf raises 16 reps/set, side lunges 12 reps/set, goblet squats 12 reps/set, single leg deadlifts 6 reps/side/set
Knee Push-Ups Challenge - Day 29 (6 knee/6 reg)/set
Stretching: Finisher

January 13 Accomplishments:
Knee Push-Ups Challenge - Day 30

Today was a day to finish the challenge and rest. I'm gonna look through the programs one last time, but tomorrow will probably be the start of following a training plan. I picked one that has exercise days that line up with when I'm the only one in the apartment. I think that's been another one of my issues.

 

[FlowersandPetals]

Happy belated birthday and congratulations on finishing the knee pushups challenge!

 

[MadamMeow]

Congrats for Knee Pushups!

And I hope you had a happy birthday!

 

[Mamatigerj]

Wishing you a belated Happy Birthday! And congratulations on finishing PPL and Knee push-ups!!

 

[Periwinkle]

I didn't really find a program that I felt would help balance all the things in my life. So, I went with the Gladiator training plan. There's three rest days, but Ive planned for two casual training days that are ab workouts. I've been working on it for a couple weeks and have a month planned out. I think it's decently balanced and I tried to make it more difficult as the month progresses. I'm no professional with this stuff, I just picked out workouts for a month, then ordered them by what I thought looked like easiest to hardest. Are the workouts have the same same difficulty, except for the second fullbody workout day. There is a reason for that. I choose the second fullbody strength day to be at a hard difficulty with no weights so I could try out some more difficult exercises like basic burpees, jumping lunges, etc. I choose workouts where the most for those exercises is 5 per set.

January 14 Accomplishments:
Fullbody Strength Day
Warm Up: 4-Minute Warmup
Workout: Daily Dumbbells - Level III - 10 lb weights, 8lb weights for lateral raises
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 1 - 5 sets of 10
Stretching: Fighter's Stretching

January 15 Accomplishments:
Ab Day
Warm Up: Fighter's Warmup
Workout: Croptop Workout
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 2 - 5 sets of 10
Stretching: Fighter's Stretching

January 16 Accomplishments:
Upperbody Strength Day
Warm Up: 4-Minute Warmup
Workout: Trim & Tone Arms - 10 lb weights, 8lb weights for lateral raises
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 3 - 4 sets 13, 13, 12, 12
Stretching: Stretched

I have officially switched to regular push ups. I didn't feel like I had to use my knees at all during any of these sets. I did push my limits today, but I didn't fail, so I might keep doing the 4 sets instead of 5.

Also, thanks everyone for the birthday wishes and the congrats for finishing the program and challenge.

 

[Periwinkle]

January 17 Accomplishments:
Lowerbody Strength Day
Warm Up: Fighter's Warmup
Workout: Great Choice - Level III
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 4 - 4 sets 13, 13, 12, 12
Stretching: Far Point

January 18 Accomplishments:
Rest Day - Planks
Workout: One Minute Plank
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 5 - 4 sets 13, 13, 12, 12
One Minute plank was probably too easy for me, but this is a rest day.

January 19 Accomplishments:
Fullbody Strength Day
Warm Up: Fighter's Warmup
Workout: Renegade Princess - Level III
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 6 - 4 sets 13, 13, 12, 12
Stretching: Far Point

January 20 Accomplishments:
Rest Day - Challenge Only
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 7 - 4 sets 13, 13, 12, 12

January 21 Accomplishments:
Fullbody Strength Day
Warm Up: 4-Minute Warmup
Workout: Winter Arc - Level III
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 8 - 4 sets 13, 13, 12, 12
Stretching: Fighter's Stretching

One thing I forgot to mention with the push up challenge: I'm either doing them during the rest time between sets of the workouts or doing them throughout the day. So, not one after the other with a bit of rest between.

 

[Periwinkle]

January 22 Accomplishments:
Rest Day - Abs
Warm Up: Universal Warmup
Workout: Abs, Please - Level III
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 9 - 4 sets 13, 13, 12, 12
Stretching: Fighter's Stretching

January 23 Accomplishments:
Upperbody Strength Day
Warm Up: 4-Minute Warmup
Workout: Second Spring - Level III
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 10 - 4 sets 13, 13, 12, 12
Stretching: Stretched

January 24 Accomplishments:
Lowerbody Strength Day
Warm Up: Fighter's Warmup
Workout: Super Legs - Level III
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 11 - 3 sets 16, 17, 17
Stretching: Far Point

January 25 Accomplishments:
Rest Day - Challenge Only
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 12 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16

January 26 Accomplishments:
Fullbody Strength Day
Warm Up: 4-Minute Warmup
Workout: Woman of Action - Level III
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 13 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16
Stretching: Fighter's Stretching

January 27 Accomplishments:
Rest Day - Planks
Workout: 2-Minute Plank
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 14 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16

January 28 Accomplishments:
Fullbody Strength Day
Warm Up: 4-Minute Warmup
Workout: Orion - Level II
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 15 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16
Stretching: Fighter's Stretching

January 29 Accomplishments:
Rest Day - Abs
Warm Up: Fighter's Warmup
Workout: Selkie - Level II
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 16 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16

January 30 and 31 Accomplishments:
Was very tired on the 30th due to sleep issues. So, took that and the following day to rest instead of exercise.

February 1 Accomplishments:
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 17 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16

My cat has started to want cuddles during some exercises. It's a bit hard to do ab workouts when a cat decides to sit on your stomach. We compromised by cuddling during rest time.
I've increased how many push-ups I can do at once! I kinda did this on a whim. I just wanted to see how many I could do at once.
This past week has been tiring. I'm thinking of either doing a different plan or changing the workouts. I might also look at the programs again. I was only looking at difficulty 3, but since I know I can do more difficult exercises, I might look at difficulty 4.

 

[FlowersandPetals]

to your cat!

 

[Periwinkle]

February 2 Accomplishments:
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 18 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16

February 3 Accomplishments:
Warmup: 4-Minute Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 1: Level II - Push ups: 12, 12, 12, 12
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 19 - 17 (Started the challenge before I started the program) total push ups for the day: 65
Stretching: Far Point

February 4 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Fighter's Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 2: Level II
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 20 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16
Stretching: Fighter's Stretching

February 5 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Fighter's Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 3: Level II
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 21 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16
Stretching: Far Point

Decided to go with the Total Body Strength+ program. The training plan was fine, but it was a little too much to try to balance out.

 

[Periwinkle]

February 6 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Universal Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 4: Level II - Leg raises: 12, 12, 12, 12
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 22 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16
Stretching: Morning Stretching

February 7 Accomplishments:
Warmup: 4-Minute Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 5: Level II - Pushups: 12, 12, 12, 12, Plank Walkouts: 12, 12, 12, 12
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 23 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16 (did these throughout the day, before looking at and doing the program)
Stretching: Far Point

February 8 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Universal Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 6: Level II
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 24 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16
Stretching: Fighter's Stretching

February 9 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Fighter's Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 7: Level II
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 25 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16
Stretching: Fighter's Stretching

February 10 Accomplishments:
Felt tired and took a day of rest.

February 11 Accomplishments:
Warmup: 4-Minute Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 8: Level II - Knee in and twists: 12, 12, 12, 12
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 26 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16
Stretching: Morning Stretching

February 12 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Fighter's Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 9: Level II - Side to side lunges: 12, 12, 12, 12; Pushups: 13, 13, 12, 12
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 27 - Completed with program
Stretching: Far Point

February 13 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Universal Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 10: Level II
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 28 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16
Stretching: Morning Stretching

February 14 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Fighter's Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 11: Level II
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 29 - 3 sets 17, 17, 16
Stretching: Finisher

February 15 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Universal Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 12: Level II
50 Push-Ups a Day Challenge: Day 30 - 3 sets 18, 20, 18 (This was the last day, so I just went for the max I could do at a time)
Stretching: Morning Stretching

February 16 Accomplishments:
Warmup: 4-Minute Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 13: Level II - Pushups: 16, 16, 16, 16
Stretching: Fighter's Stretching

I've started to log my exercise in a notebook and I've been forgetting about this thread.
I finished the 50 pushups a day challenge! I'm not sure which challenge I'm going to do next, tho.

 

[MadamMeow]

Congrats for 50 Push-Ups a Day!

 

[Mamatigerj]

Cheers!

 

[Anek]

Congrats!

 

[Periwinkle]

February 17 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Universal Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 14: Level II
Stretching: Morning Stretching

February 18 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Universal Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 15: Level II
Stretching: Morning Stretching

February 19 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Universal Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 16: Level II - Butterfly situps: 12, 12, 12, 12
Stretching: Fighter's Stretching

February 20 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Fighter's Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 17: Level I - Plank walk out and pushup combo: 12, 12, 12
Stretching: Far Point

Those combos took a lot out of me. I was getting short of breath and decided to do Level I instead of II. I also took the next couple days to rest. Don't know if it was the exercise itself or a combination of things going on - everyone getting sick around me, anxiety over waiting for apartment maintenance to come by, etc. Basically, I took the safe than sorry route since it seemed like I was getting short of breath sooner than usual.

February 23 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Fighter's Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 18: Level II
Stretching: Fighter's Stretching

 

[Periwinkle]

February 24 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Fighter's Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 19: Level II
Stretching: The Finisher

February 25 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Universal Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 20: Level II - Leg circles: 12, 12, 12, 12
Stretching: Far Point

February 26 Accomplishments:
Warmup: 4-Minute Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 21: Level II - leg raise, plank rotation, and push up combo: 8, 6, 6, 6
Stretching: Far Point

February 27 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Universal Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 22: Level II
Stretching: Far Point

March 1 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Universal Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 23: Level II
Stretching: Morning Stretching

March 2 Accomplishments:
Warmup: Fighter's Warmup
Program: Total Body Strength+ Day 24: Level II
Stretching: Far Point

For the past week, I've been mentally and physically exhausted. Not going to go into too much details. I'll just say I had to get off news sites and social media for a while because I was getting too depressed and mad. I'm going to continue from where I left off tomorrow.