Changing up the Survival Workout...

Monday, January 30, 2012
I’ve been dogging it lately regarding the Survival Workout.  I suppose dogging it isn’t completely accurate…my right forearm just below my elbow has been extremely painful when doing some of the routine and this has kept me away.  Since it never seems to get any better though, I took Marla through a full workout Saturday and returned today to have at it again.

I managed 90 push-ups to start, but skipped the log lift…something that has given me constant trouble with the arm.  Instead, I decided I’d do extra cardio/sprint activities throughout the course.  I started with 60 high skips down the trail and then turned from the trail and sprinted into the woods.  Leaping and dodging through trees and downed logs had my heart pumping and my senses alive for the next 60 seconds.  When I made it back to the trail, my heart was pounding around 170 beats per minute.  I jogged slowly to my next station…dips and then picnic table hops.  It was still icy, but I managed 60 seconds here before sidestepping up a steep bridle trail for two minutes.  I returned to the bottom and performed more lifts, but did another set of 60 high skips followed by a 50-yard sprint on an icy bridle trail. 

Getting over Clear Creek on slippery, ice-covered rocks was challenging, as well.  I made it to the swing set and climbed up the pole noticing that there was no pain in the forearm…then I came back down and found it.  Apparently lowering my body puts a strain on the muscle group that lifting me does not.  In any event, my climbing was through for the session. 

I did four more sprints and another set of high skips on my return to the car and managed a set of pull-ups on a tree branch without pain.  The movements that cause me trouble are very specific…which is good because I’m figuring out what I can’t do.  I had jogged between stations for most of the workout and found that the combination of the jogging and all the sprint and lower body exertions had left me more tired than I’d been on a Survival Workout since last summer.  It took an injury to get me to push myself in a different direction and the results were great.  I’d taken a workout that was getting maybe too easy and given it a makeover that had pushed to new limits.  I needed that.  Don’t we all.

Survival Workout: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150.
Calories burned:  600.