With the Style Challenge last week, I decided to push off my usual Workout Wednesday post in favor of a fashion-focused one.

But I am BACK. Well, kind of back. I think I’m honestly STILL recovering from this past weekend. With the exception of Sunday, I didn’t drink at all but it’s amazing how my body likes to punish me for enjoying a few {too many} adult beverages. It’s like it would honestly rather have green juice and a run than Champagne Slushies & Lemon Drops. Who am I!? 😉 All kidding aside, I was incredibly proud of the week of workouts I accomplished prior to heading to Texas so I wanted to share what an intense week looks like for me. Because it’s not all the time one is ‘funemployed’ I would say the week I am sharing is more of an exception for me than the rule. If I had my way, I would love to take group classes every day but my typical schedule just doesn’t allow that; instead I fit in about 3 classes per week and use my home equipment or run on the other days. In reality I think I actually OVER did it a bit so when Sunday came, I was thankful to just get outside and walk! Here is what was on my agenda:

Monday – Cycle + TRX

Finally tried Elevate’s ‘Cycle + TRX’ class that has you spinning for about 25 minutes followed by 20ish minutes working with your body weight on a wall full of TRX bands. The spinning portion seemed to fly by but I was definitely winded when we moved to the floor. The TRX work was a combination of upper & lower body moves followed by a round of abs. I absolutely love body weight circuits so this class was the perfect start to my week. I wore my own Garmin watch w/ a heart rate monitor and ended up burning 348 calories in the 45 minute class.

Tuesday – Barre

After not taking real Barre classes in over a year {with the exception of Cassidy’s Bachelorette party}, I was super nervous. The tempo of Elevate’s Barre class was definitely slower-paced than I have done in the past but it was a nice way to ease back into it. I was definitely shaking once we fatigued each muscle group and I loved the way Becki ended the class with abs. *I wasn’t nearly as sore afterwards as I was expecting so I’m not sure if that means I’m in better shape than I thought or if it was a bit too beginner for me. I plan to try at least one more of these classes to really tell!*

Wednesday – OrangeTheory

It was ‘Peak Performance Week’ in the studio and I walked into Wednesday’s class dreading the daily challenge: Longest Plank Hold. Since I always try & start class on the treadmill I decided to stick with that even though I knew that would mean doing my plank at least 35 minutes into class. KILLER. The entire 58 minutes was dedicated to strength which meant incline work on the treads, long sets on the rower and heavy weights on the floor. Lets just say I was completely unimpressed with my plank time so I’m keeping it to myself! 😉 The winning female of the day held hers for 11:01. You read that right…eleven freaking minutes. No thanks! I did manage to burn 588 calories and 7 splat points by the end though.

Thursday – OrangeTheory

Today’s challenge was fastest mile and I was convinced if I could run mine under 8 minutes on the treadmill, I would be happy. Well when I walked into the studio I saw that the leading female time was 6:54 and I figured I mine as well try and get close to that! I finished my mile in 7:04!!! Not awesome but definitely much better than I was expecting and now I plan to push that down in the mid-6s for the Fall Challenge. Endurance was the theme of the day so right after I completed my mile it was right into quarter-mile sprints followed by a row/squat & row/lunge series and I ended on the weight floor with some intense ab work with the TRX bands and ab dolly. 627 calories were burned in 57 minutes but I think the real number that stood out to me was the 24 splat points.

Friday – OrangeTheory

I have never done back-to-back-to-back OTF classes and after the 586 calories and 11 splat points I gained in the 55 minute class, I see why. My body was tired! The final day of the Peak Performance Challenge was a 2,500 meter row. Again, my target time was around 8 minutes so when I crossed the invisible 2500m finish line in 7:46 I was beyond ecstatic. I’m not sure if I was happier about my time or just having it done. Either way, the rest of the class was a blur because I was super exhausted.

Saturday – Cycle + Sculpt

Another one of Elevate’s unique Spinning-combo classes and again, it did not disappoint. This 45 minute sweat {so much sweat!} session combines some light free-weights with the typical cycling format and I like how things were constantly changed up. Sarah’s energy & enthusiasm are totally contagious so even though I seriously considered cancelling class because I just wanted to sleep in, I am so glad I didn’t. I felt refreshed and rejuvenated after the class and really feel like after only a few classes, I could be getting hooked on them! 🙂

Sunday – Walk

The best walk EVER. After really pushing my body all week, I needed a leisurely walk. The early morning humidity was real but seeing the sun rise and having some quiet time was much needed. Beckett {& sometimes Kyle!} loves coming with me so it’s a nice little bonding time for us. Our neighborhood is surprisingly hilly so I actually do feel like I get a fairly good workout in during our 30-45 minutes outside. Because I knew I’d be in the car nearly 10 hours this day, a walk was the perfect way to get some blood flowing without getting sore.