Girl, you are a serious strength trainer! Looking at all those reps and numbers makes me feel, simply by reading the words, that I've absorbed a teeny, inspiring bit of your tough, hard-core attitude. Whew!

Hope you're feeling better.

go harder. over-reach. overdo. you know you want to:)

Whew. How'dja do *any* HITT rowing after all those reps? I don't think I could do it. You are seriously tough.

You are right about the HIIT on the rower. It feels intense but wonderful too. My pace always drops over the 25 (or 30) minutes, no matter how hard I try to sustain it. But that's the point. The 2 min intervals on HI are at the limit of what the body can sustain anaerobically so they truly push your body and test your mind. Most of the time I can hold the pattern (if not the pace) but sometimes I can't. And when I can't I remind myself that the training that truly pushes me is the training that is building me, making me more powerful. When I break under the 2 min HI (which sometimes happens during the 4th or 5th cycle) I move to a 1 min sprint, 1 min rest, 1 min sprint, 2 min rest. This I can sustain, even though the pace continues to drop over the training session. I always finish the sessions with my legs feeling wobbly. But the results are undeniable.

You might want to try working in a 30 minute continuous pace row every 6th week to see how your capabilities are exploding. Just a thought.

Say, did you get my note from 11/02 about rowing technique? Don't know how much rowing you do but I noticed you mentioned your lower back (from the roman-chair). You probably know this but I wanted to mention that it is important to push primarily with the legs during the rowing stroke rather than pulling with the back or arms. The legs should provide 70% of the power for each stroke.

Have a fun weekend!
BD

I'm SO glad to see you excited and "pumped" about getting back to lifting. I'm also glad to know you are feeling well enough to do so. It's perfectly fine to take it easy. Like you said, you don't want to kill yourself with it in the beginning. Definitely - ease into it. You'll be back where you were in no time flat. I guarantee it.

p.s. This is perfect timing, too. Because starting Monday, I'm back to the serious lifting after taking most of the summer off. I'm anxious and nervous at the same time. But you are giving me wonderful motivation and inspiration, as usual. Thanks, babe! :)

Crunches "until [you] couldn't move." That rocks. It makes me want to go out and do the same, right now. Except that I have to work.