Rachel Chrissluis Fitness Activities
My current work-out schedule (has been about the same for the past few months except for the Bikram yoga which I just added in 2 weeks ago, switching it for more frequent Kickboxing classe. This regimin will change in 4 weeks when I go travel in Europe and then again mid-June when I settle in the Baltimore area)
- Sunday: 8:30 am Spinning, 9:30 am Spinning, 10:30 am Kickboxing
- Monday: 9:30 am Spinning, afternoon Bikram yoga, 7:30 pm Spinning
- Tuesday: 8:30 am Spinning, evening: none or Bikram yoga or Spinning
- Wednesday: 9:30 am Spinning, 6:30 pm Kickboxing, 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm Spinning
- Thursday: 8:30 am Spinning, afternoon: Bikram yoga
- Friday: 9:30 am Spinning, afternoon Bikram yoga OR evening 6:30 pm Spinning (or both)
- Saturday: 10:15 am Spinning, 11:00 am walk/jog, 11:30 am Kickboxing
Most off-Bikram days I go in the sauna for 30 minutes. If I feel like mixing things up a bit I’ll take a Boxing, Kickboxing, and/or Urban Rebounding class in the city just for fun.
If I have plans that interfere with this work-out schedule I either miss a work-out (there are enough that I can miss a few a week no problem) or add in a walk/jog session on the treadmill or outside.
Weights: I don’t schedule in resistance training time but instead I do weights sporadically between classes. During Spinning classes, almost all of the hills are really resistance training disguised as cardio, so I am able to avoid spending too much time doing lower body weight training in the weight room. However, I always do 3 sets of 12-reps of dead-lifts with a 65-pound barbell at least twice per week- it makes me feel powerful! As for my upper body, my favorite parts to train are my deltoids and biceps, but we must remember the wee-lonely triceps and back. Luckily again for me, kickboxing and Bikram yoga certainly give these parts a real run for their money!!
A word on having a day ‘off’: I am 100% in favor of a ‘rest day’ each week, and always force myself to take one. As a rule, that ‘rest day’ will incorporate some form of light activity- anything from a walk outdoors to a recovery bike ride. Instead of scheduling in this day each week I find it much more convenient to listen to my body or work the ‘rest day’ around my schedule. If I know I will be out of town all day on a certain day of the week then that day will be the ‘rest day’. If Bikram and 3 spin classes really kick my butt then the next day might be my ‘rest day’.
A word on over-training: In my experience, over-training happens when you do not give yourself a ‘rest day’ and when you are sleep deprived. How do you know you are over-training? Typically you will feel sluggish, fatigued, and not energized during a work-out. With proper nutrition and hydration, adequate sleep and naps, a ‘rest day’ each week, and a brief stretching routine after each work-out, you should not encounter problems with over-training and should in fact be able to push yourself to the limit!!
Have fun, work hard, and play harder!!!!!
Posted in Fitness.