May, June & July 2024

Days 1-7: 10-12 reps x 6 minute AMRAP; Tabata HIIT

Days 8-14:  8-10 reps x 3 sets; 30 second HIIT

Days 15: - 21:  6-8 reps x 4 sets; no HIIT

Days 22-end:  12-15 reps x 3 sets; 45/15 HIIT

Reverse order second month; Random order third month

Day 1: Legs

Leg Sled

Bird dog (5 second hold) 10 x 2 sets

Single leg glute bridge 8 x 3 sets

single leg deadlift 8x 3 sets

Goblet squat 10 x 3 sets

Weighted Step Ups

Lean Backs

Banded Monster Walk

Squats

Glute Builder

Calf Machine

Barbell Deadlift

Glute Machine

Leg extension

Sumo deadlift

prone glute lift on ball squeezing ring

side lunges on slider

Day 2: Chest & Back

Push Ups w/ back extension

Straight arm lat pull down

Weighted Push Ups

Barbell row

dumbbell incline bench press

Dumbbell V lift

Bicep push up

HIIT:  12-15 minutes bike, stair climber

Day 3: Run & Core

Day 4: Arms, Adductors, Abductors

arm circles

bicep curl to overhead triceps press

shoulder press

bicep curl

dips

reverse fly

hammer curl

triceps push up

cable lateral raise

cable cross body curl

cable reverse grip triceps press down

HIIT:

battle ropes

box jumps

donkey kicks

plie squat jumps

Day 5:  20/25 minute AMRAP

Week 1 (ladder):

10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 4, etc.

trap bar deadlifts

push ups

walking lunges

bear crawls

kettlebell swings (double reps)

plank jack up downs

Week 2:

10 pull ups

hill sprint

10 renegade rows (per side)

10 burpees

10 inverted row

10 lunge jumps

10 V-ups

20 mountain climbers (per side)

Week 3:  Eccentric

Week 4:  Muscular endurance work

Back Yard Campout

 We've never gone camping together as a family, so we thought we would give it a try.  The local parks were all full, but our back yard was available.  So we put the tent out back and piled the sleeping bags inside.  First, smores (on the grill because who wants to start a fire in their lawn?).

Then, we played games on the back porch while the sun set.  When it was fully dark, the kids piled into the tent for all of about five minutes.  Our plan was thwarted by Tiger attacking the tent, multiple times. It apparently was very entertaining or dangerous to Tiger.  One by one, the kids retreated back to their beds inside.  Oh well.  You can't say we didn't try.  It turns out that smores on the grill are delicious, but cats and camping do not mix.

Spring Adventure

 For this Spring Break we ventured north to Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio.

First stop:  the Lost Sea in Tennessee.  There was some trepidation at the thought of getting on a boat in a cave deep under a mountain, but, hey, what's an adventure without some tears?  We were all smiles by the time we exited the cave.

Our next stop was the Cumberland Gap, where we hiked a little and saw an amazing view of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.  It started raining on us a little, which turned out to be par for the course for this trip and nothing we couldn't handle.  

Then we headed to Lexington for the night.  The rain that we encountered on the way ushered in a cold front that made the rest of our Spring trip feel more like a Winter adventure.  The next day we visited Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate and then headed for the Ark Encounter, where we were rained upon, nearly blown away and just generally frozen.  But it was still so neat to see the life-size replica.

Then we headed to our home for the next three nights - a small apartment on the other side of the river from Cincinnati.  Thursday morning, we embarked on a two-hour drive to Hocking Hills, Ohio, for some mesmerizing natural formations and hiking.  Because of the frigid temperatures, we made a pit stop at the Walmart to clear out their clearance bin of all their gloves and hats.  On our hike we encountered sleet, rain. mud, waterfalls, rock climbing, towering hemlock trees, massive boulders, and steep cliffs.  What was originally supposed to be a two-hour hike turned into three and a half hours (and seven miles!) because of the slow conditions.  Judson was in heaven!  Caleb, not so much.  He was pouting and hiking way ahead of the rest of us.  We may have lost Caleb along the way, but we found him after a few minutes frantic search (and with the help of some other friendly hikers).  I think we all learned an important lesson that day:  don't go so far ahead of the rest of the group that you can't turn back and see them and definitely stop when you reach any important crossroads.  I simultaneously wanted to berate him and give him a gigantic hug when we finally found him wondering in the (wrong) parking lot.  At the end of that day, we treated our muddy selves to some ice cream on the way back to the city and then Skyline chili in Cincinnati.  

For our last day, we visited the Creation Museum (where it sleeted on us again!) and then went to a Cincinnati Reds game.  With all of our muddy, mismatched clothes, we closely resembled a pack of homeless people as we wondered around the museum and the city.  But we were warm(ish).  (Not pictured:  me wearing three shirts, a blue jean jacket, a toboggan, and one of Wren's shirts wrapped around my neck like a scarf with the hood over my head.  I was definitely the leader of the hobo pack.) 

Two things I learned for sure on this trip:  anywhere can be a fun adventure as long we're together and...it's never too cold for ice cream!

Easter Weekend 2024

 

March & April 2024

 

Week 1 (1-7): 10-12 reps x 6 minute AMRAP; Tabata HIIT

Week 2 (8-14): 8-10 reps x 3 sets; 30 second HIIT

Week 3 (15-21): 6-8 reps x 4 sets; no HIIT

Week 4 (22-end): 12-15 reps x 3 sets; 45/15 HIIT

Weeks 5-8: Same as above but in reverse order

Day 1:  AMRAP

(FP) 15 minutes (1st month)/20 minutes (2nd month):

1 hill sprint

10 push ups

100 jump rope

10 weighted step ups

10 plank jack up downs

20 air squats

20 kettlebell swings

4 dumbbell thrusters

Steady state cardio remaining time

(LP) Pilates

Day 2:  

banded lateral squat walk

skydivers

triceps dips

slider lateral lunge touch down (quick)

lat pull down

triceps push up

all fours banded lateral leg lift

reverse grip bent over row

reverse grip triceps press down

scissor legs (inner thigh)

angled press

forearm plank press up

HIIT:

mountain climbers

turkish get up right

plank jacks

turkish get up left

speed bag

v up roll to back extension

Day 3:

Sled push 

Ladder 1 (10-8-6-4-2):

goblet squat

woman maker

biceps curl

Ladder 2 (10-8-6-4-2):

walking lunges

box jumps

hammer curl

leg extension

close grip pull up

pistol squat (per side)

calf raises

Day 4:

HIIT:

battle ropes

full moon

medicine ball slam

BOSU reverse side plank

kettlebell swing

single arm slider

reverse grip lateral raise

reverse fly

wall squat with medicine ball squeeze

hand stand push up

reverse grip reverse fly

isometric head press

V lift

face pull

Day 5:

EMOM:

3 times through (15 minutes total)

    banded clamshell 10 per side

    high knees 20

    spider push up 10

    jump rope 20

    lying slider ham curl 10

    hackey sack 20

    curtsy lunges 10

    jumping jacks 20

    barbell overhead squat 10

    butt kicks 20

glute ham developer

banded donkey kickback

bosu single leg push up (alternating)

barbell bench press

toes to bar on bench

hip thrust

barbell deadlift

iron cross plank

snatch

Day 6:  AMRAP

(FP) 20 minutes (1st month)/25 minutes (2nd month):

dumbbell thruster 10

sled push 30/40 meters

renegade row 5 (each arm)

sled push 30/40 meters

dumbbell walking lunge 10 (each leg)

sled push 30/40 meters

(LP) long walk

Day 7: Eccentric Focus

Day 8-11:  Repeat Days 2-5

Sunday Stroll

 Sundays are for strolling through the woods...

And stopping at your favorite ice cream place for some after-hike-refreshments.