Trying out weight training

Elizabeth Templin McCamic

Last week, I met fellow blogger Ellyn at the Dowd Y to get a few tips on weight training, a subject Ellyn knows a thing or two about.

One of my goals for this year was to work on becoming stronger, but with so many options, I wasn't sure where to get started. Ellyn and I talked about free weights and machines and mapped out a plan for me to follow for the next few weeks.

As I build up my strength, I'm going to start doing two or three circuits on machines at my gym two times a week. Then, once I'm feeling a little more confident about what I'm doing and how much I can lift, I'll start working with free weights and adding other challenges. I'm still keeping up with my cardio routine, running a few times a week.

For me, it feels great to have a plan and feel a little more focused. I've had success with running because I had a clear plan and time commitment. I hope following the same path helps me meet my strength-building goals.

Now, to update you on the 100-day burpee challenge:

So far the challenge is going pretty well, though we did miss a couple days and then made up for them the next day. I would not recommend this path. Last night, I did 33 burpees when I was supposed to do only 17 (but I missed doing burpees on Sunday, so it was time to get caught up). I can see how this could get out of hand very quickly as our daily burpee commitment grows.

We also have not done a great job getting the burpees done early in the day. I'll just say that doing burpees right before bed is not ideal. The burpees really get your heart pumping, which is not conducive for sleep. I have pledged to knock them out earlier in the day this week.

I have seen my burpee form improve. For a while, I was placing my arms too far in front of my body during the pushup part, which was making my right shoulder ache. Now I'm being more careful about my arm placement and that seems to have fixed the problem.