Workouts and Meals for Week of 10-1-12

So last week's meals and workouts did not go quite as scheduled.  I ended up skipping Friday's workout as I was unbelievably sore from Wednesday.  The ball slams really worked my legs and I was limping around on sore legs until Saturday.  We celebrated two birthdays last week as well, and ended up being taken out or going out to dinner ourselves three times.  While I did well at most of these meals, I went off the track Saturday at my son's birthday party--had pizza and beer...and paid for it later.

So this morning I tried to make up for it with a long, fairly hard ride through Temecula wine country with Michelle and our friends Dave and Karrie.  We put in a nice 24 miler before it got too hot.

It was a beautiful morning, fairly light on traffic, with lots of hot air balloons in the sky as you can see in the background.  We also left early enough to beat the heat.  Mostly rolling country roads with a few tough (and one killer) climbs (about 1900 total feet of climbing). 

Biking has really become my favorite way to follow the Primal Blueprint's recommendation for Low Level Aerobic Activity.  In addition to my workouts, as listed below, I walk my dogs 1-2 miles a day, try to run many errands on bike and even commute to work by bike whenever possible, and each weekend, try to get in one nice long, leisurely ride.  It's all part of my plan to avoid the Chronic Cardio of the past that always led to burnout and injury.  As I approach one full year of following the plan, it seems to be working.  One adjustment that has really helped keep me motivated on my rides has been ditching my road bike.  As many of you know, I had a pretty nasty accident on my road bike back in June that led to a broken arm (at the shoulder joint) that I'm still, slowly, recovering from.  I never felt particularly stable on my ultralight road bike with its extremely thin racing wheels, and my accident made me question why someone committed to recreational riding, commuting, and touring was on a racing-style road bike in the first place.  So I sold it and bought a Surly Long Haul Trucker:

It's got a more relaxed geometry, which is easy on my back, a solid steel frame, and larger wheels.  It gives up something in terms of speed, but I don't miss that, and what it makes up for in comfort will keep me riding longer and with more enjoyment.  I'll also be able to use it for some touring, including my dream ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles that I'm committed to doing sometime within the next two years.  In the meantime, it's been great for everything from my weekend 25-40 milers to a quick ride to Plowboys to stock up on veggies for dinner.

Here's this week's plan:

Workouts

Monday, 10/1

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups
• 15 air squats

Workout (3 rounds):

• 30 Russian Swings
• 30 second plank

Wednesday, 10/3

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 rolling v-sits
• 10 mountain climbers
• 10 fire hyrdrants
• 10 twist lunges

Workout (5 rounds):

• 15 ball slams
• 10 split lunges

Friday, 10/5

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups
• 15 air squats

Workout (3 rounds)

• 30 Russian Swings
• 20 air squats
• 20 toes-to-bar or leg lifts

Meals

Monday, 10/1

Sirlion burgers with fried egg on bed of lettuce and tomatoes

Tuesday, 10/2

Italian Meatballs with Red Sauce & Italian Sausage over spaghetti squash with salad

Wednesday, 10/3

Gyros with Greek Salad

Thursday, 10/4

Slow smoked chicken leg quarters with bacon-blue cheese Brussels Sprouts

Friday, 10/5

Grilled shrimp and tilapia with steamed green beans and salad

Saturday, 10/6

Dinner out with grandma and grampy to celebrate birthdays!

Sunday, 10/7

Slow-cooked barbecued hot wings with rapini and salad