LIIFT 4 Summary

I feel like I need to do a write-up for this program, but I'm not really sure how to structure something analogous to a "race report" for a strength training program? 

Program: Beachbody-on-Demand's LIIFT4
Structure: 30-40min workouts, 4 days a week, with dumbbell lifts, HIIT and core components for 8 weeks
Motivation: wanted some sort of strength training program to fill the gap between 5K training and mile training... well, before COVID-19 came along

Execution: did all workouts, though I probably could have gone a little harder on most of them; continued to run ~30mi/week (no real speedwork-- just miles) throughout the program, with long runs of 10mi each Saturday; did not follow program nutrition guidelines (but did limit calorie intake and use macros)

Before and After:

Pics

 

I see ZERO difference here... I mean, really, could you tell me which was the "before" and which was the "after"? 

Stats

...but here are some legit stats that show the progress. My arms did gain a bit, but my torso lost. I've seen a decided difference in how my clothes fit, especially my running shorts (I've needed to use the drawstring on all of them these past few weeks to keep them from falling off). 

Oh, and according to my variable and usually inaccurate scale, I've gone from 142lbs to 134lbs during this time... though I'll keep it real and say my weight fluctuates +/-5lbs on a regular basis and we don't have a really reliable scale. 

Reflections:

Program

• Four days a week of 30-40min was exactly the right level of commitment for me
• I liked having new workouts each time, and not having to repeat the same video each week, but the program also had consistency in terms of: exercises performed, structure of the workout (I knew what to expect in advance), and type of workout (all weights, 50% weights/50% HIIT, or a combination)
• Tracking my weights each week gave me a sense of progress
• Having both bodyweight and dumbbell "lifts" was great, and the adjustable weights I own (5lb through 25lb) were the right size for the program (for me)

Nutrition

• Beachbody-on-Demand's nutrition plan basically involves consuming certain amounts of veggies, fruits, carbs, proteins, and fats each day, all measured via volume-based containers. I was unwilling to use those containers to measure all my food, and never found a good tool that could convert my recipes or snacks into equivalent containers. I found many things I ate converted into odd-ball values, like "1/4 red, 1/2 green, 1/8 blue", and there wasn't a good way to track how many containers I'd had. 
• Instead, I continued my normal use of MyFitnessPal, limiting my calories to 1500 (net), and using 40% carbs, 40% protein, and 20% fat for my macro goals
• It was really hard, especially at first, to get enough protein in my diet. My go-to snacks have turned from Cheerios and Triscuits to hard-boiled eggs (or just the egg whites) and beef jerky. I also started drinking protein shakes post-workout and eating a lot more greek yogurt. 
• I also did not abstain from alcohol like the program recommends. In fact, with COVID-19, I've probably had more alcohol the past eight weeks than I normally do (though it's only been a drink per night). 

Results

• I'm super disappointed by the lack of difference in my before/after pics
• I'm super excited by how well my clothes fit, and how strong I feel
• sidenote: I had a full day of manual labor yesterday, which involved lots of carrying heavy things up and down flights of stairs. I had zero problems doing this manual labor, woke up only slightly sore, and still felt good enough to go run 10 miles at a 9:30ish/mi avg pace. That ought to tell me something about my fitness level
• I love that I proved to myself I can commit and execute a consistent strength training regimen, at home, "alone"
• I'm also proud to have increased weights on a lot of exercises throughout the program:
•   

Moving On

• I'm not really feeling like going into mile training quite yet... especially since I'm pretty certain my goal race isn't going to happen in-person
• I do want to keep lifting. I'll probably see what my Beachbody coach recommends for a follow-up program, but I might even re-do LIIFT4 since I liked it so much. I wish I had some heavier dumbbells though... 

What's Next?

I wanna run another marathon.

I don't mean racing a marathon. I'm totally checked out from training right now. I am, however, really all about finding an experience to have. Running Publix pregnant last year was an experience, an accomplishment, and not really stressful or challenging. It was a celebration. I'd like to have another one of those, please-- a five-hour celebration. 


Considering my life can't handle that right now, I'll have to settle for just enjoying moments along the way right now. I'm taking a two-month break from serious training to unwind before Mile Training. 

Since I'll be taking it easy on the track, I figure I can focus on my body. I considered doing Fit4Mom's "BodyBack" transformation to do something completely different. I'd still run 3-4x a week, but this would be an eight-week session with (2)-60min HIT workouts a week plus a focus on body composition via measurements and nutrition. 

Oh, wait... it's $349 fora single  eight week session and throws a major wrench in my schedule due to the classtimes? 

Never mind.




Then I looked at online body transformation programs that would give me specific enough plans for weight training and eating with enough flexibility to: 1) keep me running 20-30mpw and 2) not impact my family's meals or have me cooking separate food for my kids. It's TOUGH to find something like that, and looks like I'll probably have to create my own on this front. Ugh. That's a lot of work. Also ugh: I don't know much about this stuff.

Once upon a time, I had a good experience with some ChaLEAN Extreme DVDs from the Beachbody company. Between that and having some FB friends who do them, I decided to explore that option... and found myself talking to Nicole of http://fitnessfatale.com/.

She's a marathoner, a mom, and has done these programs in conjunction with mom-ing and running. Slam. Dunk. 

I'm starting up her program on March 16, and planning on doing an 8-week strength program (LIIFT4) with their nutrition program. The whole deal still costs a bit more than I'd like to spend, but the bulk of the charge actually covers an entire year of access to the workout videos, not just an 8 week term. Sweet.

So, I signed up, shelled out the $$$, and am trying to get my head in the game to accept changing some of what I'm doing and learning new things so that I can achieve the goals my current lifestyle just isn't capable of reaching. 

Let's do this. 

Sweet, Sweet Achievement

At the beginning of the year, I embarked on a diet overhaul sort of thing with the loose goals of:

• get lighter --> get faster (approximately 10lbs would be a good goal per various "racing weight" calculators-- I don't do BMI since I'm much more muscular than the average person)
• fit into this adorable pair of polka dot shorts that I bought post-baby, wore for a season, and then couldn't fit into after going through marathon training and eating whatever I felt like
• look and feel better about myself (not that I felt bad before) 

I've already reaped most of the benefits of this diet overhaul (lighter, faster, feel better, fit into my shorts), and am so glad I stuck with it. Yesterday, though, I had my second weekly weigh-in at my goal weight of 135, which means it's not a fluke. I actually did it. I stayed mindful of what I was putting into my body, exercised and trained correctly, and kept my eye on the prize, prioritizing the delayed, long-term gains over instant gratification. 

Seeing that number on the scale and this glorious little rainbow on MyFItnessPal was the icing on the cake (though I don't like icing, so maybe it's more like the 1st place AG finish when you just set a new PR) makes me SO. FREAKING. PROUD. of myself. 

I DID IT! 

While the number is nice and results just what I was hoping for, what makes this so sweet is all of the effort and focus that went into it. If I'd have just woken up one day and instantly been where I am with my fitness, it wouldn't mean as much to me. Reflecting on the hours of planning, training, and cooking, and the seemingly inconsequential little choices that all added up to big changes makes this victory so incredibly meaningful. 

I did it the right way, the healthy way. 
I did it in a slow-and-steady way that I know I can maintain. 
I'm so proud of myself. :D

Running for Sanity

Monday
Did: 2mi @ 9:21/mi avg, bootcamp
Felt a little sore spot in my calf for the first time since the initial tightness onset. :/ It showed up on my way to the train and came in and out for the rest of the day. Blergh. 

Bootcamp was good. Lots of arm work, which resulted in some sore triceps on Tuesday morning. Yay! 


Tuesday
Did: 6.34 @ 8:55/mi avg
It was just B, C, and me for #10KTuesday this morning. Right off the bat, I felt like I was being pulled along by C, and going a lot faster than I wanted to. A little before the turnaround, she asked B and me if this was a progression run for us. I laughed and said, "No way. I'm just trying to run easy for my calf."

"Oh, well, y'all are going pretty fast for me. I'm not going to go below a 9 on the way back."

Evidently, we'd ramped up REALLY quickly:

No wonder I felt like I was going faster than I wanted to.
I was. 

I really can't believe I just knocked out a 10K at a sub-9 pace that felt SO easy. Maybe one of the things that helped was that I spent the entire run focusing on not leaning back. I have a really bad habit of leaning back when I run. I first became aware of it a couple years ago at a track meet, where there's this sweet picture of me in the final leg of the 4x100... leaning back. Since then, I've had a few other pieces of photographic documentation of this flaw in my running form, as well as Coach Courtney noting it during our SpeedworkThursday track sessions.

After seeing this picture from Saturday's "race", I've vowed to spend the next few weeks focusing on my form. It'll serve me well when I get healthy and can resume speedwork, and give me something to focus on while I can't think about going fast. Plus, if today's run is any indication, it seems like it'll help me get a lot faster too! 

Would you believe this is in the final 400m of the race?
Yeah, me neither.

Wednesday
Did: sweet rest day, Big 5
...though I could have used more actual sleep. 


Thursday
Did: 4.6 easy @ 9:14/mi
Way more of a therapy session than a run :P Totally worth getting up at 4am for. Also, didn't feel my calf at all today. One more run without awareness, and Coach will let me resume speedwork!!! 


Friday
Did: bootcamp nothing
Got home from quartet gig at 10pm last night, still hadn't done everything I needed for work today. Got up at 4:30, but then realized bootcamp would only stress me out more. SInce it doesn't start until 5:30, I wouldn't be done until 6:15, which would mean I'd either need to:

1) use dry shampoo and shower pills there to get ready for work, and still not get into the office until 8
2) rush back home to shower, and risk not getting to MARTA early enough to find parking... not get into the office until 8 or 8:30, pending how far I had to go for parking... and then have to deal with extra driving on the way home

Plus, I had a presentation to give that I hadn't even started on. All signs pointed to "skip bootcamp and go into the office early".  

I did do my 7 minutes of Bedtime Yoga... does that count? :P


Saturday
Did: 10.5mi with the stroller @ 9:40/mi
SUPER proud of this run. I was only planning on eight, but Shelly (one of the Running Mamas) was hoping for ten since she's doing the Flying Pig half in a couple weeks, so that's what we set out for. I love that I have the confidence to embark on a double-digit run with the stroller without a second thought about whether or not I could get through it. My only concern was whether or not baby boy would be able to stay comfortable for 1:40ish. 

We stopped for a quick stretch at the halfway point, and a water/snack break on the way back. Otherwise, things went pretty well. I was a little disappointed that I noticed my calf (nothing major, but still "awareness", which means no speedwork for another bit), but attribute that to not warming up quite enough. I also had a little hip weirdness, but nothing that ever made me consider stopping or slowing. 

great weather for a run
(especially on the shaded greenway!)

my little running buddy <3 

Sunday
Did: 4mi with stroller thunderstormed out 
With 90% chance of thunderstorms, the Running Mamas opted against taking the kiddos out and settled for an indoor playdate instead. At 11am, we still hadn't gotten any storms or even heavy rain come through. Sooooo, that was annoying. Oh well. 




Reflections
...so, three rest days this week. I can't even remember the last time that happened (and I wasn't sick). It feels weird, and I'm so ready to have work calm down a little bit and get back in the swing of things. 

Body Composition Test

A group from ATC is charity running the NYC Marathon. Their latest fundraiser was an opportunity to learn your body fat percentage (and other composition stats) by getting "tanked", which refers to a hydrostatic body composition test. I've done the Tanita scale and handheld versions, but never something like this, and decided it was worthwhile use of my funds. 

Being a runner, I naively assumed I was pretty healthy, and would blow this test out of the water. 

The printout has a chart showing age-graded percentage and percentiles, categorized as:
Essential Fat
Healthy Range
Optimum Health
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor

I'm not even in the "good" range. I'm on the bad side of "fair", closer to "poor". 

Yeah, total wake-up call. Just because you're one of the faster people in the training program, running 40+ miles a week, and can fit into a certain size clothing does NOT mean you're healthy. 

Biggest shocker: I'm in the 35th percentile.

That means 65% of people my age have a lower body fat percentage than I do. 

Of course, I felt a bit bad about myself after learning that. I mean, it's hard to be told "there's something sub-optimal about you" in any setting, especially something as personal as your own body, and especially when you have this illusion that you ARE healthy, or at least better than more than 35% of people your age.

So, I took a step back and decided to look back on where I've been this past year:

January 2016, 7 Weeks Postpartum (Tanita Scale)
Weight: 150.6lb
Body Fat: 28.6%

March 2016, 4mo Postpartum
Weight: 144.2lb
Body Fat: 25.9%

August 2016, 8mo Postpartum
Weight: 139.2lb
Body Fat: 24.3%


That made me feel better. I may still be overweight and over-body fat, but I've made remarkable progress this year. Also, I did have a baby less than a year ago, and I know that changed my fat content a LOT. Back in 2013, I was at 21% (which, for reference, would have only put me in the "good" classification). So, I've got a ways to go to get back there, but this also isn't the season/time to focus on that.

Right now, my focus is the Chicago Marathon. Marathon training isn't a good way to lose weight, and it certainly isn't a good way to build muscle... especially the way I do it, with minimal (if any) strength training. 

Sounds like I've got a great motivational springboard for my post-Chicago fitness goals, though. 2017 will be the the year of strength training and shorter distance running. :D