Soreness level: low to moderate

I'm a little sore this morning after last night's workout, but only in a few places. I'm sure it's more because of poor form than overworking, so I need to take a closer look at my technique next time. Looking forward to going back on Friday!

Question of the day: For those who have done weightlifting or other strength training, did you take classes or learn the basics from books or online resources?

First workout!

Tonight I had my first workout over at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. In preparation for this momentous occasion, I read up on a few possible beginner routines to follow and used SparkPeople to generate a strength training program to try. This was really my first ever solo workout, so I was pretty nervous about getting started and kept putting it off throughout the day. It was about 9pm before I finally got over to the Rec to work out. 

Before I got started, I took some time to walk through the weight room and learn the layout and figure out which machines they had available. They didn't have all of the specific machines from my selected routine, but they had machines that worked the same muscles, so I was able to figure out pretty easily which machines I needed. Once I felt confident enough about what machines I would need to use, I headed back upstairs to the treadmills to warm up. I had a bit of fun varying my pace to find what worked. I think I may do more of my walking on a treadmill from now on - it's so much easier to get a good pace going that way.

Once I was nicely warmed up, I headed back downstairs and hit the weight machines. I spent some time on chest press, leg extension, lat pull, leg curl, triceps curl, biceps curl, back extension, and abdominal. I started out on pretty low weights for everything and decided to do just one set of each exercise, around 12 reps, just to get a feel for the machines and the basic form. When I was finished, I stretched and headed home, feeling pretty good about my first attempt at weightlifting. We'll see how I feel tomorrow!

Question of the day: Do you prefer to work out at a gym or at/around home?

Getting ready to pump it up!

Since the start of the year, I have made a number of healthy lifestyle changes in the effort to lose weight and improve my physical health. Today marks the beginning of a 30-day immersion experience for my research composition class. I decided to use this project as the jumping-off point for a resistance training program to complement the diet I began in mid-January and the fitness walking I gradually added over the following weeks. I will start my resistance training with two sessions per week of moderate-intensity, two set training, and work my way up to three weekly sessions of moderate-intensity, three set training. I'll also be extending my cardio workout schedule to 60 min/day on the off days, and 30 min/day on resistance training days.

My main goal with this project is that by the end of 30 days I will have a solid start for a long-term resistance training program. I hope to start seeing noticeable results in improved strength, energy, and endurance as a result of strength training combined with increased aerobic exercise. I will use this blog to track my progress along the way. I'm excited to get started and share my experiences with all of you!

Question of the day: What is your favorite workout song?