Filler Week: Mace + Something New
It’s Monday, and I’m feeling a little tired this morning, but not unmotivated. I’m ready for a good solid workout. I’m one week out from Aunt Flo’s visit, and I don’t want to sit around on my ass this week, I also don’t want to start Valkyrie Month over again just to have to stop and break for my cycle, so I need something else to fill that gap.
I’m still going to be running Mace training this week, I want to continue to double down though, and do Mace plus another workout, to keep my endurance building steadily. Good thing I have the entire Micro Squad video library to shuffle through and find one that fits what I’m looking for. I am in the last stretch of my Luteal phase, so I definitely want to take it a little lighter on the workout intensity, but I still feel very capable and want to move my body.
The Micro Squad’s video library is extensive. I’ve only ever browsed through geek gym, and Valkyrie Squad, and I’m excited to test out some of the variety of workouts this week. There’s gentle stretching and pilates, high intensity pilates, bala weights, and so so much to choose from. I’m definitely going to do core reset to warm up still, and maybe some shoulder mobility, because I didn’t touch my mace all weekend.
I think I found the one I’m going to do. It’s called Lazy Legs with Sam, and it’s a quick 15 minute workout with ankle weights. The whole workout is done laying down, so I’ve grabbed my yoga blocks just in case I need the support.
We started with some leg circles to warm up the hips, and I felt my muscles warming up immediately. Those laying down leg circles are wildly effective, or maybe it’s the ankle weights doing the warming. Then we did some hip bridges, which were already a part of my core reset warm up, so these were like a nice repeat for some glute activation. Some Side laying moves followed, with leg lifts and kicks, and let me tell you, my side glutes were positively screaming about this. Those sad little glute medius muscles were definitely feeling abused, but those babies need to toughen up anyway. They totally cramped up at one point and I just laid there silently screaming while rubbing my butt. It was an emotional moment for all involved.
Once my butt cheek stopped cramping, I pressed play again and kept going. Switching sides and getting everything thoroughly worked through. Those ankle weights do more than you think they do, it’s just one silly little pound, and yet my legs and booty were definitely feeling the difference. There were a few more moves left, and they were all just challenging enough with the weights that I definitely got a good workout in. Highly recommend this workout for days that you might be a little lower in energy but still want to feel the burn of a workout. Since Mace is so shoulder and arm intensive, even on moves like squats and lunges, I knew I wanted a workout with little to no arm work, and I got exactly what I wanted with the Lazy Legs workout.
Typically I wait a few hours between my morning workout and my mace workout, but since I only spent 15 minutes on the legs today, I’m going to head right into Mace and continue to warm my body up and workout. Today’s Mace work includes Flag Presses and step back lunges. I’m adding a mace rotation to the lunges so there’s some lateral movement in there somewhere, and to break up the monotony of a 2 move AMRAP workout. It get’s a bit boring, quickly, I might add, when it’s only 2 moves for a solid 15 minutes. Like come on, I need more than that. So I’ve been modifying just a bit since we started Mace last week. Adding a rotation, or lateral move between the two up down up down movements helps keep me focused and attentive to my form and my work, and not mindlessly just trying to get through it.
I am sweaty. My legs are shaking. My arms are shaking. And my core is on fire. I’d say I got a decent af workout in for being a little on the tired side today. I wasn’t paying attention and I wore my ankle weights through my mace workout too, and I am done.
There is a very real thunder storm over head right now, and it’s raining hard. I’m unsure of how long it’s supposed to last, if it’s going to be all day or just part of it, so I don’t know about a walk today.
I got all the laundry and meal prep and everything done over the weekend, so I have no real housework to do today other than whatever dishes we pile up. I am going to make some snacky power ball type things for later this week, because I find myself having the munchies every single day lately, and I want to heave a healthy, maybe more filling option so I’m not just digging through the pantry or fridge. Other than that, I intend on spending the day studying and taking a quiz, powering through some recipe drafts for the next two weeks, and in general just getting some computer work done.
Gotta stay on that grind baby, I refuse to lose.
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