It was scheduled to be another high calorie day...taking Holly out to lunch for her birthday and more leftovers that evening...so I planned a double. I started with time on the trainer since there was a steady rain falling that didn’t look like it would be quitting. I managed and hour before heading out to lunch at Appleby’s where I had a Paleo lunch of Caesar’s salad with grilled chicken breast...and the rest of Jack’s bacon cheese burger.
I swung by Kim’s place and picked her up for another Survival Workout. She complained of muscle soreness in the shoulders and abs from our Friday workout. “I really didn’t expect my abs to hurt. I do quite a bit for them and we only did the one set,” she said.
“That’s the Survival Workout. You’re constantly using core like doing the picnic table hop, high skips, pole climb, rock lifts and even maintaining balance climbing and descending those slippery hills. Your body is making constant adjustments when you do this kind of work...and the core is involved in all of it,” I reminded her.
She started with 20 push-ups while I was knocking out my second highest total ever at 74...a good start to challenging my 3-set pr. Once on the trail, I noticed the unusual way she was holding her arms, cocked and away from her body, as we walked. “You trying to show off your pump? Too big to let them dangle now?” I asked. There is something unusual going on when you’re using the muscles of the upper body in this fashion. The extra blood flow necessary to do the moves swells the muscles and makes you ‘huge’ for awhile afterwards. Kim’s arms were swollen to the size of my wrist...pretty slender but pumped for her.
I had her do a set on the picnic table, which taxes her heavily, before side stepping up the steepest trail in the park. I managed to run it just behind her...the first running I’ve done since the knee trouble began two weeks ago. She was exhausted when we hit the top...and exhausting her aerobically is no easy task. We recovered quickly and were soon moving through the woods and down a root-covered trail and back to the main bridle path. I like this particular trail because the roots require agile feet when moving at a slow running pace. I had her bounding side to side over a fallen log and then lifting more heavy rocks as we wound our way to the cabins and more push-ups. I managed another 72 and would now need 71 on my final set to break my pr.
I was reminded of the need to have someone of similar strength levels when doing certain team moves...like the rock pass. Standing back to back and holding a heavy rock, I swiveled at the waist to my left to hand her the rock. She took it...sort of...and because of the weight and the mud on it from my throwing it...dropped it to the ground. She moved her feet quickly, showing cave-man like agility.
“Okay...too heavy,” I said. She tried picking it up...got it about waist high...tried to throw it like she’d seen me do earlier...and let go. It traveled out about three inches away...and then down.
“Yep. Too heavy,” she said.
We crossed Clear Creek twice, soaking our feet in the water running high from yesterday’s rains. We were working with rocks at one of the final stations when I noticed three deer peering at us from the protection of the woods. I pointed them out to Kim, who shuddered. “They’re soooo creepy,” she said. I’d forgotten how deer frighten her like I worry about grizzly’s. When we hit our final station it was practically dark and when a buck snorted its displeasure at our presence, I thought she was going to run the remaining distance to the car...which would have been a nice addition to the workout.
We reached the car and I encouraged her to knock out another 15 push-ups. I told her what I needed to do to break my pr. I was less than optimistic as I passed 30 and could feel the burn beginning. By 50 I was beginning to think I could make it and at 60 I was sure. I hit 72 and kept going until a final collapse at 80. I was shocked that I managed a single set pr on my last set and that I’d crushed my previous 3-set total by 11. There’s something to be said for having someone along to push you.
Reza...if you’re reading this...Kim is challenging you to a Survival Workout showdown on her return visit for the Christmas holidays. Good luck...she is a beast.
Survival Workout: 75 minutes. Bike duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150 for SW, 120 for bike.
Calories burned: 700 for SW, 800 for bike.
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