21st Century Martial Arts: Workout Summary, Day 70

Moving right along!

I've dropped another 4 pounds since June 19, bringing my total weight loss to 16 pounds. Started at 249 (ouch), currently 233 (still ouch, but better than 249).

The weight's been coming off, but I'm concerned about hitting another plateau again soon. Whenever you work out like this, there's eventually a balance point where I'm losing fat, but gaining muscle mass, so the numbers will begin to even out. This is where some people get frustrated with their workouts, even the ones who know this is going to happen! When that begins to occur, I'll need to shake up my workouts a little bit more.

Next week, I'll be integrating more of my workouts with my student team. We'll be holding two workouts each day, Monday through Thursday, each with a different focus and intended intensity level to avoid burnout and overtraining injuries. Here's the layout of my schedule with my student team:

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I'll be integrating my kicking workouts in with my team during morning sessions, and then doing strength & conditioning in the afternoon sessions. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'll be doing bag work and target practice in the morning, and self-defense techniques in the afternoon sessions. Fridays will remain my 'free day', and my student team will rest that day also. I'll be hiking on Saturdays with my student team, and on Sundays, my student team will have another day of rest.

In addition to that, I've been hiking almost every afternoon for roughly 3 miles, while my summer schedule permits me to. I've been lagging on getting my bike fixed, but I've come to enjoy the peace and quiet of the trails, plus there's far less crazy drivers on the trails. :)

In the evenings, I head to the gym for a 45-60 minute cardio workout which involves some time on the exercise bike (occasionally switched with the elliptical), followed by a 1 mile cooldown walk on the treadmill which I haven't really been keeping track of. Then I can sit in the sauna and hot tub to relax my aching body, shower, and then head home.

It's a lot right now. It consumes a lot of time because right now, I have a lot of time and I want to stay active as much as possible. Once the end of August arrives, I'll be back on my regular teaching schedule and I will have to accomplish more within less time. I plan to increase my intensity levels at that time. That shift ought to shake up my workouts, and I hope that it'll help me to blast through any plateau that I encounter between now and then.

Tally for the week:

Hiking: 22 miles (7.5 Sat, 3.5 Mon, 3.5 Tues, 3.5 Wed, 4 Thurs)
Cycling (stationary): 30 miles (5 per day: Sat-Thurs)
Running (elliptical): 3 miles (Sun)
Basics: 45m (15m Sun, Tues, Thurs)
Forms: 36 (12 Sun, Tues, Thurs)
Bag Work: 12m (4x60s: Sun, Tues, Thurs)
Kicks: 2400 (600 Sun, Mon, Tues, Thurs)
Push-ups: 425 (125 Sat, 150 Mon, 150 Wed)
Crunches: 600 (200 Sat, 200 Mon, 200 Wed)
Squats: 400 (100 Sat, 150 Mon, 150 Wed)
Lunges: 150 (Wed)

Total since Day 1: