Ice Cold Morning Workout - The Triad of Death!

With temperatures in low 20s this morning, my garage gym thermometer was at 44 degrees when I brought in the heater. By the end of my workout it was only 47.6 degrees in the garage. Despite the cold, which I have grown to like, I had a great workout. I have found that doing these cold workouts help me to avoid that cold burning feeling in my chest when I run in the cold. As of now my breathing has adapted.

The first piece of good news this morning was my weight which is near where I want it to be at 169.8. I want to be at around 166-167 by my January 23rd trail race at the Whitewater Center. I don't see that being a problem. Tomorrow I will hit Renaissance Park with my work buddies. Temps are supposed to hit the mid-50s tomorrow at lunch so the nice weather will be a welcomed break from the constant cold as of late.

The other piece of good news today was that I did 13 pull-ups in my warm up this morning - a new personal record. My ultimate goal is 20 but I am not setting a date for it. Losing weight certainly makes doing pull-ups easier.

Today's workout I have dubbed "The Triad of Death" or "TOD" for short. I needed a quick workout so I can be in and out of my garage quickly before getting hypothermia but still kick my butt. The TOD is a tabata (20 seconds full guns interval followed by 10 seconds of rest) with three exercises - thus the TRIAD. The three exercises can be done in any order but I prefer...

1) Jump Rope - I shoot for 50 revolutions per 20 second segment. I usually get to about 47 or 48 but anything over 42-44 is good.
2) Thrusters with two 16kg (35lb) kettlebells. This is basically a kettlebell squat while you press and lower the kettlebell to coincide with your movement. Try for 7 reps minimum.
3) 2 Handed Kettlebell Swing with the 24kg (53lb) kettlebell. Try for 10-12 swings or more.

The first time I did this I lasted only 10 intervals so today my goal was at least twelve or more. I ended up with thirteen before throwing in the towel and dying on on my gym floor. I did this workout with bare feet and after the workout my feet needed to thaw a bit. The floor heater only helps so much over the space of my garage. The handle of my 53lb kettlebell was also ice cold as well. Other than that I love working out in the cold. When you can break a sweat within the 6 minute duration of my workout with the room temperature in the mid-40s (which I did) I know I worked hard.

The TOD is a great test of endurance and will. The thrusters were what really wore me out the most. I did accomplish my goal for the workout so I was quite pleased. This is way tougher than my typical trail run so I figure if I can last a long time doing this workout, my runs should get a heck of lot easier too. Next time we go for 15 or more intervals!