Fit Chick in the City » challenge http://fitchickinthecity.com Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:15:41 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 The Girly Kind http://fitchickinthecity.com/2009/08/27/the-girly-kind/ http://fitchickinthecity.com/2009/08/27/the-girly-kind/#comments Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:03:14 +0000 Jess http://fitchickinthecity.com/?p=1238 My arms are shaking as I type this post.  I finally got around to doing this today.  Not just my regular push-ups, but a push-up experiment.  It turns out I can do 113 girl modified push-ups with good form.  That’s after doing these exercises (10 reps and 2 sets each) and a yoga class earlier in the day.

today's challenge3

How many modified push-ups are you able to do with good form at one time?

Next week we’ll do a military style push-up test to compare.  I already know that I can only do about 35.  I would much rather do 35 regular push-ups instead of 100′s of modified push-ups.  Surprisingly, my shoulders were burning like crazy towards the end.   I’m going to be sore tomorrow and I hope you are too! ;)

When you think about what exercises to include in your workout do you choose easier exercises that require more repetition?  Or do you choose a more challenging exercise and perform fewer reps?

]]> http://fitchickinthecity.com/2009/08/27/the-girly-kind/feed/ 10 To the Max http://fitchickinthecity.com/2009/08/18/to-the-max/ http://fitchickinthecity.com/2009/08/18/to-the-max/#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 02:21:21 +0000 Jess http://fitchickinthecity.com/2009/08/18/to-the-max/ Time for a TEST!!!

We have a love/hate relationship with numbers. Today, I’m going to talk to you about one that you probably don’t obsess about. Let me introduce you to a your VO2 max. You’ve probably heard of this before, but what does it all mean and why does it matter?

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VO2 Max is a number that indicates your cardiovascular fitness level. Specifically, It is the maximum capacity that your body can transport and utilize oxygen during progressive exercise. A higher VO2 Max = a higher cardiovascular fitness level.

Why is this number important? Like any other fitness assessment it can be used as a baseline measurement to gauge your fitness level and to see if your workout program is working. Increasing this number will help you run faster for longer. It will do the same for any other endurance sport.

I do want to state that VO2 max will not predict who will win the race. Three time Tour de France winner, Greg LeMond’s VO2 max was calculated at 92.5 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. While the seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is calculated at 85 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute.

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Raise your hand if you know your V02 Max. That’s what I thought (Note, I did not raise my hand).

A true VO2 Max test must should be performed in a lab under a physicians supervision. It’s also very costly. What you can do on your own is a sub maximal test. One sub maximal test is the Cooper 1.5 mile walk/run test. Its pretty simple.

What you need: a stopwatch and a standard 1/4 mile track or a known course of 1.5 miles
What to do:
Record the time it takes you to walk/run 1.5 miles. This should be done at a hard effort.
  1. Record the time it takes you to walk/run 1.5 miles. This should be done at a hard effort.
  2. Upon completion, convert elapsed time by dividing any seconds by 60. For example: 10 minutes 25 seconds = 10 minutes, 25/60 = 10.42 minutes.
  3. Once elapsed time is determined divide 2413.5 by elapsed time and multiply by .2. Add 3.5.
This number is your estimated VO2 max.
I plan to take this test myself tomorrow and will report back. I challenge you to take this test sometime within the next 7 days. That way you’ll have a new number to focus on that doesn’t have anything to do with what size clothes you wear or how many calories you consume.
VO2 Max Norms for Women Source: Vivian H. Heyward, Advanced Fitness Assessment & Exercise Prescription, 3rd Edition, The Copper Institute for Aerobics Research, Dallas TX, 1998.
VO2 Max values for Women as measured in ml/kg/min
Age Very Poor Poor Fair Good Excellent Superior
13-19 <25.0 25.0-30.9 31.0-34.9 35.0-38.9 39.0-41.9 >41.9
20-29 <23.6 23.6-28.9 29.0-32.9 33.0-36.9 37.0-41.0 >41.0
30-39 <22.8 22.8-26.9 27.0-31.4 31.5-35.6 35.7-40.0 >40.0
40-49 <21.0 21.0-24.4 24.5-28.9 29.0-32.8 32.9-36.9 >36.9
50-59 <20.2 20.2-22.7 22.8-26.9 27.0-31.4 31.5-35.7 >35.7
60+ <17.5 17.5-20.1 20.2-24.4 24.5-30.2 30.3-31.4 >31.4



]]> http://fitchickinthecity.com/2009/08/18/to-the-max/feed/ 5 The Running Fairy http://fitchickinthecity.com/2009/08/11/the-running-fairy/ http://fitchickinthecity.com/2009/08/11/the-running-fairy/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 02:03:59 +0000 Jess http://fitchickinthecity.com/?p=905 Just a quick post before I head to bed.  When I came home from work tonight this was waiting for me.

HPIM1583

It seems someone must have read my earlier post and thought I was up for a challenge. :)  I’ve never been one for gadgets.  However, I really want my 800 meter repeats to be on target.

HPIM1572

Pretty sure I have the best Hubby ever!  I totally wasn’t expecting this!  However, if I keep referring to my husband as a fairy, no doubt this will be my last surprise.

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