Yard work and cardio… that counts as weights, right?

Early… June?  I think?  Maybe late May?  Aww man… I’m bad at dates…

Even if yard work doesn’t count as weights, I can take the claim that I’ve started weight training again: After my physical therapist cleared me on Thursday, I was practicing deadlifts, clean and jerk, and snatch lifts at the gym on Sunday.  Granted, it was just with the bar… but still.  a 45lb bar is a heck of a lot better than not doing the lifts at all.

I started in with the lifting after I got to Evolution – everything I’ve read says that it’s safer to do weights before cardio, so I’ve been sticking with that tactic for now.  They went pretty well… like I mentioned, I didn’t put any plates on the bar, even for the deadlifts, since this was more of a “remind my body how to move, and how to react to weighted movements” exercise.

And my body reacted well!  Really well – I felt some twingy pain through the leg motions, but nothing that I haven’t learned to expect.  It wasn’t damaging pain, instead it was more where my body was remembering how to move, and the joints were being reminded how to carry the load that they’re designed for.

Slowly but surely, right? The theme that stayed true for the rest of the workout, and the rest of the day worth of yard work.

The cardio was at altitude, because working out in an altitude room is cool.  Also, the cheapest place to get access to all the machines I want.  But let’s stick with cool… because how many people can say that they spent 45min alternating between jogging and walking at 14,200ft?

Okay, probably a lot.  But still.  Not many Portlandians.

Then, I started into the real training: Cleaning.

Cleaning the garage – Not something you’d think of as working out, but after having a broken leg I can promise you that this wasn’t an easy task.  Honestly, it was really good training.  Constant motion, bending, kneeling, moving and carrying.  Lots of rearranging and sweeping and clearing and dragging; all things that shouldn’t be particularly difficult… but require strength and balance and dexterity.  Which are exactly what I’m working on right now.