So I'm working on balance. I want to balance my desire to do the raddest things, with the desire not to get hurt trying. I want to get better at balancing, as all of my favorite activities (seen above) seem to revolve around it. I also want to balance having high quality workouts, without spending a lot of time coming up with them. Furthermore, I want to balance getting stronger with doing exercises that feel meaningful.
It is the last point, in particular, that brings me here. I love hiking, running, skiing, climbing, and I like yoga. For a lot of these sports, extra core and muscle strength goes a long way. The thing is, I don't just want to do loads of ups to get there - sit-ups, pull-ups, push-ups, etc... I recently discovered Mov-Nat, which kind of awoke me to the idea that you can get stronger just by doing simple natural movement.
The issue? Well... I find that kind of boring too. So what to do? Well, what are the goals? What does overall fitness look like? I found a link that proposed that it encompasses five things: Full body strength, cardio (multiple zones), warming up well, consistency, and 'lifestyle'. I feel like that's a good start. It mentions that flexibility is good, so let's throw that in there too.
So now let's look at a theme that's emerging (and challenging) - overall fitness requires a lot of things. Let's say it requires balanced leg strength (quads, hams, calves), and upper body strength (muscles for days here). Let's also say it requires all different types of cardio - long distance, steady state, and high intensity. Let's go further and say it requires flexibility of all of those things. Then let's also add that you should be doing this stuff as often as possible. Also, as a nurse, let's throw in the variable of a bunch of 12 hour night shifts in a row, to make life even more interesting.
So what does this give you? Well my big goal with all of this stuff is efficiency and to have fun. I find that climbing and skiing are Type 1 fun, and tend to hit some power endurance for their respective muscle groups. Running tends to be more endurance, but it also helps. Thennn - then is where I'm at now. Thenn you have a couple of challenges. You want to get strong, but you don't have a lot of time, and you don't have much of a gym at home.
So what to do? Well the current idea is basically PT + Yoga + Core. But do you do a full body workout? What if you climb the next day? Also, PT is generally about 20', and yoga is usually about 30', and core is usually about 15'. So nice idea, but you're trying not to spend an hour every day. So maybe you do PT + core one day, and Yoga + Strength another? But what does that look like?
It is the last point, in particular, that brings me here. I love hiking, running, skiing, climbing, and I like yoga. For a lot of these sports, extra core and muscle strength goes a long way. The thing is, I don't just want to do loads of ups to get there - sit-ups, pull-ups, push-ups, etc... I recently discovered Mov-Nat, which kind of awoke me to the idea that you can get stronger just by doing simple natural movement.
The issue? Well... I find that kind of boring too. So what to do? Well, what are the goals? What does overall fitness look like? I found a link that proposed that it encompasses five things: Full body strength, cardio (multiple zones), warming up well, consistency, and 'lifestyle'. I feel like that's a good start. It mentions that flexibility is good, so let's throw that in there too.
So now let's look at a theme that's emerging (and challenging) - overall fitness requires a lot of things. Let's say it requires balanced leg strength (quads, hams, calves), and upper body strength (muscles for days here). Let's also say it requires all different types of cardio - long distance, steady state, and high intensity. Let's go further and say it requires flexibility of all of those things. Then let's also add that you should be doing this stuff as often as possible. Also, as a nurse, let's throw in the variable of a bunch of 12 hour night shifts in a row, to make life even more interesting.
So what does this give you? Well my big goal with all of this stuff is efficiency and to have fun. I find that climbing and skiing are Type 1 fun, and tend to hit some power endurance for their respective muscle groups. Running tends to be more endurance, but it also helps. Thennn - then is where I'm at now. Thenn you have a couple of challenges. You want to get strong, but you don't have a lot of time, and you don't have much of a gym at home.
So what to do? Well the current idea is basically PT + Yoga + Core. But do you do a full body workout? What if you climb the next day? Also, PT is generally about 20', and yoga is usually about 30', and core is usually about 15'. So nice idea, but you're trying not to spend an hour every day. So maybe you do PT + core one day, and Yoga + Strength another? But what does that look like?
So maybe you do a yoga video like this? In a lot of yoga videos, you do a flow, then you do some power, then you do the relaxation. Maybe during your power section you take a break and dive into this:
A Day: Push ups Squats | B Day: Pull Ups and Chin Ups |
Core stuff: Plank Russian twist (skiier version) Sit ups One arm side plank One arm one leg plank reverse plank superman back bridge side hip raise (Hanging knee ups if available) | Extra flexibility Stuff: Adductor stretch Hamstrings stretch Groin stretch Piriformis Hip and Quad stretch calfff abdominal (achieved in yoga) oblique hip back (sit and twist) |
Okay, so another gem found from the Training for Climbing book. The goals of Strength and Fitness Training for climbing include: optimize body composition, increase flexibility and mobility, antagonist and stabilizer muscle training, improve aerobic capacity and recovering ability, and eventually increase climbing-specific strength, power, and endurance.
So my goal is basically to use climbing (and some skiing) as a reason to get into full body shape. From everything I've looked at - it seems like that it is a pretty solid option. Yoga and running also offer similar benefits, although running certainly does not require as much arm strength, even though Runners World does a good job of advocating for it.
OH - and, another big point I like - that regularly varying the workout helps sustain motivation and basically helps you keep getting stronger.
So how do I do that? I feel like I barely have one workout now, let alone the variety I would need to keep this sustainable.
Again, short answer, basically go with some basic formats and just switch it up. Climbing tends to include PT. Running tends to be pretty stand alone. PT days can include some core, and yoga days can include some strength.
Another decent option is to use running events and climbing trips to help with stoke.
I'm not sure if this really makes me feel that much better, but I did a little research, did some reflection, and now I'm actually gonna do a little workout. TBC I suppose...
(okay - little last note. I think my goal was to come up with completed workouts I could just fall back on. For the sake of variety - I feel like that system is basically flawed, so... success?)
So my goal is basically to use climbing (and some skiing) as a reason to get into full body shape. From everything I've looked at - it seems like that it is a pretty solid option. Yoga and running also offer similar benefits, although running certainly does not require as much arm strength, even though Runners World does a good job of advocating for it.
OH - and, another big point I like - that regularly varying the workout helps sustain motivation and basically helps you keep getting stronger.
So how do I do that? I feel like I barely have one workout now, let alone the variety I would need to keep this sustainable.
Again, short answer, basically go with some basic formats and just switch it up. Climbing tends to include PT. Running tends to be pretty stand alone. PT days can include some core, and yoga days can include some strength.
Another decent option is to use running events and climbing trips to help with stoke.
I'm not sure if this really makes me feel that much better, but I did a little research, did some reflection, and now I'm actually gonna do a little workout. TBC I suppose...
(okay - little last note. I think my goal was to come up with completed workouts I could just fall back on. For the sake of variety - I feel like that system is basically flawed, so... success?)