Fitness notes...

Monday, 2011.11.28 
96kg, 40 min.

Hula hoop: 1-2 min. x 4

Flail: ~1 min. x 4

Ab wheel: 15, 18, 18

Neck harness: 30, 40, 50 (all four vectors)

Grip crushing:
Heavy 150: 6 closes
CoC #1.5: 6 closes
CoC #2: 3/3, 3/3
[1 close r.h., very near close l.h.]
CoC #1.5: 6 closes r.h., 6 reps l.h.
CoC #1.5: 20 sec. negative
Heavy 150: 30 sec. negative

Fitness notes...

From recent workouts I've had with (or, alas, without) my brother:

Monday, 2011.11.21

WARMUP:
Medicine pill tosses
Mace chop
Stretching

[My brother:
Squat - 10, 5 - 30kg, 40kg,
Dead - 7, 5, 3 - 40kg, 45kg, 50kg
Press - 8, 10 - 15kg, 20kg, 25kg
Pullup - --
Bench/Pushup - --]

[Me:
Squat - 10, 10, 10 @ 30kg, 40kg, 50kg
Dead - 10, 5, 8 @ 40kg, 45kg, 50kg
Press - 10, 10 @ 15kg, 20kg, 25kg
Pullup - 10, 8, 6
Bench/Pushup - 30, 30, 25 ]


Thursday, 2011.11.25

Front squat 10, 12, 8 @ 55kg-85kg

DB flye 12, 15, 15 @ 18kg-24kg

Deadlift 10, 12, 15 @ 55kg-85kg

Standing db press 12, 10, 10 @ 15kg-22kg

Bent row 10, 12, 12 @ 55kg-85kg

Curl 10, 12, 15 @ 37kg


Sunday, 2011.11.27

Warmup:
Medicine pill drills
Ropes

Front squat 12, 12 @ 50kg, 70kg

DB flye 15 @ 22kg
Pushups 30 @ bdw

Deadlift 10, 15 @ 70kg

Curl 12, 15 @ 37kg

Tricep extension 12, 15 @ 12kg

Bent row 15 @ 37

Fitness notes…

Friday, 2011.11.18
40 min., 95kg

Hula hoop: 1 min. x 3

Jump rope: 50, 100, 120, 125

Neck harness: 30, 35, 45, 40 all four directions

Ab wheel: 14, 17, 20

Flail: 30 sec. per hand both directions x 2

Grip crushing:
Heavy 150: 10 closes
CoC #1.5: 6 closes
CoC #2: 3/3, 3/3
[One solid close r.h.!]
CoC #1.5: 20 sec. hold
Heavy 150: 30 sec. hold

+++

Felt very good to close the #2 again! I was surprised I managed it, and so handily. I only applied chalk for my #2 attempt. I was also very close to a close on my first l.h. attempt. I guess giving my hands a rest for a couple weeks did some good. The hula hoop (esp. a mildly weighted one) is one of the bet all-around exericses devices I've ever used: works the core and hips, activates legs and shoulders (with arms raised), can work arms and wrists, and can work as a skipping trainer spun around each foot, or even as a jump rope!

Fitness notes…

Wednesday, 16.11.2011
94.5kg, 25–30 mins.

Medicine pill drills:

Overhead toss 12, 12, 20
[Two hand press, see]

Bent water bucket 24, 24, 30
[Shovel the pill up side to side; very good for biceps]

Bent high shovel 12, 12, 15 left & right
[Hoist the pill up high to one side with a mini squat bringing back down]

Sack toss-flip between legs 12, 12, 15
[Start in hiked position, rise up and toss-flip the pill to catch and return down]

Toss from hand to hand 12, 12
[Toss it, great for biceps!]

One-hand press 12, 12, 15 left & right
[Stabilize with the opposing hand on the way down and press evenly up]

Goblet toss-catch 12, 15, 20
[Toss the pill upwards like a baby and catch it at quasi-terminal velocity, with a semi-squat]

Hula hoop 30 sec. x 3
[Hoola hoop is great for the core, but also great for shoulders and wrists]

3+4 spring shrug 12, 15, 20 left & right

•••

In case you forgot (??), my medicine pill is an ~11kg (~24 lbs.) globule in the fashion of a medicine ball. This was a high-energy workout and really felt good. I also did a brief set, not worthy of mention, of back and forth rotations of the pill, as a kinder, gentler version of the hand to hand toss: very good for the core.

Fitness notes…

Well, I'm finally getting back into my grip training.

This afternoon…

Flail: 30+ sec. per hand per side

Heavy 150: 10 closes l.h., r.h.

CoC #1.5: 10 l.h. [with a little help], r.h.

CoC #2: 3/3
[Three alternating attempts to close it.]

CoC #1.5: 6 closes l.h. with 1 hard hold (20 sec.), 8 closes r.h. with 1 hard close (20 sec.)

Ab wheel: 14, 17, 20

Hula hoop: 1–2 mins x 3

Neck harness: 30, 35, 40

I'm approximately where I was in late September. It's time get back on the ball. And yes, the hula hoop is a genuine, kick-ass piece of exercise equipment.

Fitness notes…

The past couple weeks have been busy. Wedding. Lots of work. Studies. Ear infections, and the like. But I have managed to do some exercise! Roughly, from memory:

Monday, 2011.11.7
Mace curls: 10, 12, 15 @ 12kg
Mace tricep extensions: 10, 12, 15 @ 12kg
Pushups: 25, 30, 35
Mace squats: 10, 12, 15 (reps per side) @ 12kg
Neck harness: 20, 30, 40

Thursday, 2011.11.10
Mace curls: 10, 12, 15 @ 12kg
Mace tricep extensions: 10, 12, 15 @ 12kg
Ab wheel: 12, 15, 18
Mace squats: 10, 12, 15 @ 12kg
Neck harness: 30, 35, 40

Saturday, 2011.11.12
Swimming: 30 mins, 1200m (breast:crawl::2:1)

Sunday, 2011.11.13
Stairs: 9 floors jog up, walk down
Sling pullup: 5, 10, 10
Ab wheel: 5, 12, 15
Neck harness: 20, 30, 40
Pushups: 25, 30, 35

I'm a weak, fat man (well, not entirely weak… nor fat… but…), but it's good of me to keep up with my health, even so. Plus!!! I sprung for a pair of MBT Kahula walking shoes. (Not to be confused with Kahlua drinking shoes.) I think they will not only help activate my posture muscles, but should also reduce the pressure on my heels and knees from standing teaching all the time.

Ah, Louis. How I've missed some old school rhetoric like yours.

To channel Our David, though: One can always recognize the false, but never the true. For the latter is only had by faith.

David, your dig at the Pope as a Nazi (on "Chad"'s Facebook so 'long' 'ago') said more to me about your deepest instincts than you probably would have liked to admit. I accede to any similar incrimination of yours based on my own obiter dicta.

Fitness notes...

Did a few basic calisthenics in the afternoon, but then when I got home at home, I did something more like a proper workout.

Sunday, 30. October 2011
93kg, 30 min.

Standing mace curl: 10, 12, 12 @ 12kg

Standing 2" db press: 10, 10, 12 @ 12kg

Bent 2" db row: 15, 15, 15 @ 12kg

Pushup: 30, 30, 30

Lunge with 12kg mace: 10/10, 10/10, 10/10

Fitness notes… again…

I suffered from a serious lack of motivation the past couple weeks. But I'm back on the ball.

Saturday I did mace drills &c.…

Standing curls: 8, 9, 12 @ 12kg
Tricep extensions: 8, 9, 12 @ 12kg
Butter churns: ~25–30 x 3 @ 12kg 
[Held the mace head-down and "churned butter" to work the biceps, delts, core, and pecs. Alternated hand positions every couple reps for more dynamic actuation.] 
One-arm bent rows: 10, 12, 15 @ 12kg 
2" db presses: 8, 10, 12 @ 21kg
Ab wheel: 16, 18, 20
Pushups: 30, 25, 30
Running: 30 min.

Something I really like about the mace, is that you can move your hands closer together (i.e. move outside "fulcrum" hand farther in from the bell), and thereby increase the relative weight.

Sunday I did running and grip training (separated by dinner)…

Running: 30 min.
[I found a stone about halfway through and have taken to jogging with it in hand, switching hands every couple minutes.] 
Grip:
Heavy 150: 10 closes
CoC #1.5: 10 closes
CoC #2: 3/2 reps, no closes
CoC #1.5: 10 closes

I had no doubts I have lost grip strength, but I shall simply get it back and persist.

The workout routine I want to try for now is this:

Day A: Running + Biceps and Back
Mace/db curls
Sling pullups
Mace shovel
Run

Day B: Running + Triceps and Chest
Tricep extensions
Chest expanders
Pushups
Ab wheel

Day C: Running + Shoulders and Core
Standing press
Shrugs
Butter churn
Ab wheel
Run

Day D: Running + Grip
Grip work
Run

10/26 will be Day A

Fitness notes…

Monday, 2011.10.10

95kg, 20 min. 

Heavy 150: 6 closes

CoC #1.5: 6 closes

CoC #2: 4/2 

[4 helped closes per hand, followed by 2 more helped closes per hand.] 

CoC #1.5: 6/4 

[6 closes per hand, followed by 4 helped closes.] 

+ + + 

The past few days I've been making a new "toy" and have only gotten in ab wheel rolls, presses, rows, etc. to "maintain".  

I was working on the toy this evening, the construction of which taxed my forearms, so I'm not terribly surprised by my dismal performance this grip session. I used no chalk on my first two sets, which is good. Onward.

+ + +

After dinner (at a delicious beef place nearby) I did 20 minutes of various drills (rows, presses, curls, extensions, etc.) with my (now 11kg) mace, 2" dumbbell, and new 10kg "medicine pillar" toy. Good stuff. 

Fitness notes…

Tuesday, 2011.10.4
95kg, 30–40 min.

Warmup:
Jog and stretch (5–10 mins)

Grip crushing:
Heavy 150: 6 closes
CoC #1.5: 6 closes
CoC #2: 4 reps
[1-2 closes r.h., 0 closes l.h.]
CoC #2: forced negative ~30 sec.
Heavy 150 & CoC #1.5: ~30 sec
[Had the Heavy 150  in my r.h. and the CoC #1.5 in my l.h., then, after a few minutes, had the Heavy 150 in my l.h. and the CoC #1.5 my r.h.]

Stairs: 10 stories: run up… and walk down with wing chun drills x 5

Ab wheel: 12, 16, 20

∃ is {& exist;}
∀ is {& forall;}
↔ is {& harr;}
≡  is {& equiv;}
∴ is {& there4;}
¤ is {& #164;}
◊ is shift+alt/option v (auf 'ner deutschen Tastatur)
∩  {& #x2229;} (Where members of set X are members of A both  and B.)
U is… U (Where members of set X are members of either A or B.)

Fitness notes…

Sunday, 2011.10.2
96kg, 30 min.

Stairs and wing chun strap:

Jogged up 11 floors, walked down doing wing chun calisthenics. 5 times up and down and then a cooldown jog. Pulse was between 140–180 for half an hour. Good.

Fitness notes...

Friday, 2011.9.30
96kg, 40 min.

Gut wrench:
Lateral twist: 20/20, 20/20 @ 20kg
Drawing water: 20/20, 20/20 @ 20kg
Squat-press: 20/20, 20/20 @ 20kg
Grapple: 20/20, 20/20 @ 20kg

Mace:
Chop: 20/20, 30/30 @ 10kg
Tricep extension: 12/12, 20/20 @ 10kg

Overhead "off-kilter" squat: 10/10, 15/15 @ 20kg
[Used the gut wrench as the bar, and since the weights are on the head of the bar, each sub-set of squats is off-kilter towards the weighted head. Good for the core and traps.]

Standing 2" db press: 10/10, 12/12 @ 20kg

Barrel pushup: 30, 35

+++

I was exhausted and hot after this workout, but I'm glad I did it.

*****************

Saturday, 2011.10.1
96kg, 30 min.

Jogging: 5 min., 2 min., 2 min., 2 min., 2 min., 3 min.
[Warmup, then 2 min. after rows and ab wheels and then a short rest before sling pullups, and a then final loop.]

Underhand 2" bar bent-over row: 12, 12, 15 @ 50kg+

Ab wheel: 18, 20, 22

Sling pullup-leg lifts: 9, 9, 9

+ + +

My wife was right: I'm glad I opted to do this workout instead of just vegging.

Fitness notes...

Saturday, 2011.9.24

One-hand db press: 10/10 x 4 @ 20kg

Reverse db hike: 10 x 4 @ 20kg

Lateral pec pull:
25 x 3 @ 2-springs
[I stood lateral to a couple of springs latched to a window and did lateral pulls to work my pecs.]


Saturday, 2011.9.25

Gut wrencher:
[An old friend, whose services I haven't used in a while. Still faithful, he is!]
Lateral twist: 20/20, 20/20 @ 11kg, 13kg
[The / indicates I did each motion with a differing hand on top of the other.]
Drawing water: 20/20, 20/20 @ 13kg
[/ indidates one hand versus the other.]  
Grappling: 20/20, 20/20 @ 13kg
[Ibid.]

Wrist roller:
up/down: 10.5kg
[I used a new rolling clothes hanger to mount my arms on to accentuate forearm effort.]
up/down: 8kg
up/down: 8kg

Fitness notes...

Thursday, 2011.9.22
95kg, 30 min. (or so)

BOKKEN DRILLS (chop-steps):
sagittal: 10/10 x 3
diagonal: 10/10 x 3
horizontal: 10/10 x 3

MACE DRILLS:
overhead swing: 10/10 x 3
chop-step: 10/10 x 3
shovel-step: 10/10 x 3

CIRCUIT:
Hindu squat: 40, 45
Ab wheel: 15, 18
Pullup/leg lift: 10, 9

+ + +

I liked this workout, because, while it wasn't as "heavy" as I sometimes go, and ended with one less set of volume than I had intended, I kept the intensity high and the rests short.

The only thing novel to report are the pullups. I slung a... sling on the banister overhead and did pullups combined with a straight-leg leg lift. Good stuff. Next time I will make the grips wider, since tonight's width focused more on my traps than my lats.

Happily (yes), my forearms were sore today. Grip training and thick-bar rows for the win!  

Fitness notes...

Wednesday, 2011.9.21
95kg, 35 min.

WARMUP:
Barrel press-squat: 10, 10
Bokken: 12, 12 x sagittal, diagonal, hoizontal

Grip training:
Heavy 150: 6 closes
CoC #1.5: 6 closes
CoC #2: 6 reps l.h. (no closes), 6 reps r.h. (3 closes!)
CoC #2: 5 reps per hand, 1 close r.h. 
CoC #1.5: negative 30 sec. hold

Hindu squat: 50, 50

Bent-over underhand row: 15, 20 @ 50kg+

Hindu pushup: 25, 25

+ + +

That's right, ladies and gents, I've reached about 3 solid closes on the CoC #2. My wife and I have agreed that when I can do 6 closes on the #2, she'll buy me the CoC# 2.5. And after THAT? Well, it's on to the #3! I have a coworker who "gives" me only 6 months to close the #3. A generous estimate, and a good challenge! I was genuinely surprised that I closed the #2 as I did tonight. The first close evinced a righteous krnch as the handles met, so... I really am getting there. Just goes to show how important recovery and the wing chun band (...and ample doses of whiskey...) are.

I liked how the underhand rows worked my biceps. It was a relief to find I had miscalculated my 2" barbell weight in my last notes, so my maintenance workouts aren't too appallingly removed from my actual gym sessions.

Oh, I almost forgot, but the highlight of tonight's workout was that, on my negative crush with the #1.5, lymphatic fluid from a cut on my right pinky got squeezed out! Maybe I'l upload a (blurry) photo of the crime scene. All man, baby, stay tuned!

['Twas whilst re-reading this update, that I thought of a brutal compound exercise, and tried it... though nearly with perilous results! Bent-over overhand row, into swinging curl up to chest, into standing barbell press, into overhead press and squat, back down into bent-over row. Not for the faint of heart, or drunk.]

Fitness notes...

Wednesday, 2011.9.15
94 kg, 40 min.

Bokken drills (chop-step):
Vertical: 20, 20, 20
Diagonal: 20, 20, 20
Horizontal: 20, 20, 20

Mace drills:
Overhead swing: 10, 12 @ 10kg
Shovel: 10, 12 @ 10kg
Chop: 10, 12 @ 10kg

Ab wheel: 16, 18, 20

Neck harness: 30, 40, 50


Thursday, 2011.9.15
94.5kg, 20 min.

Pullups/chinups: 7/7
[Weak sauce, I know. I was just testing a new, tentative setup I tried in a nearby stairwell. I love our new apartment, but it DRIVES ME CRAZY that there are no obviously good spots for doing pullups! It's been a habit, nay, compulsion, of mine since high school to recon any place I stay for handy pullup spots. Alas, in our new place, I'm having to be very creative and dogged in making such spots a reality.]

Mace drills:
Curls: 10, 15 @ 8kg
Press: 10, 15 @ 8kg
Hike: 10, 15 @ 8kg
[Bend over with the mace between your legs, and stand upright to bring the mace into a pause at the uppermost chopping position. good for hamstrings, lower back, core, shoulders, and triceps.]


Friday, 2011.9.16
95kg, 30 min.

Barrel drills:
Press/squat: 10, 15 @ 14kg
[Press the barrel overhead, then squat and rise to lower the barrel to the chest, and repeat.]
Curl/tricep: 10, 15 @ 14kg
[Grab the circular edges of the barrel, horizontal, in a curl position. Curl up and raise into a tricep extension. Repeat.]
Hoist press: 10, 15 @ 14kg
[Grab the edges of the barrel, horizontal, as with the curl motion, but then twist and hoist it overhead, as if quickly loading baggage into an overhead compartment.]

Mace drills:
Shovel: 10, 15 @ 10kg
Chop: 10, 15 @ 10kg

Shrug: 15/15, 15/15 @ 50kg+
[Some at the waist, some overhead.]

Bent row: 12, 15 @ 50kg+
[Should try Yates rows next time.]

Barrel pushup: 15, 20


Tuesday, 2011.9.20
95kg, 30 min.

Ab wheel: 16, 20

Flail: ~30 sec. per hand per direction

Hindu squat: 50, 50

Hindu pushup: 25, 25

Mace chop: 20, 20 @ 10kg

+ + +

Saturday and Sunday my wife and I were at a "pre-Cana" seminar, so, between that and my classes and every durned thing else, I had no time for "a serious workout." None the less, after each meal, my wife and went for a walk and I used my wing chun band as we walked.

As for "the barrel", last week I picked up a huge cylinder of black plastic. It's .57 meters tall and .31 meters in diameter, and weighs 14 kg. It's just fun. Very "strong man" feel to it (overhead presses, swings, bear hugs, etc.).

I just saw something in passing about how "anything over 12 reps is considered a 'maintenance' workout." I'd have to concur. I'm doing what I'm doing these days just to stay fit, feel good, and maintain a psychological and physiological basis for when I get back in the gym.

Fitness notes...

Saturday, 2011.9.10
94kg, 20 min.

"Wing chun" band drills:
[The slings {see below} may be the best training equipment I have purchased, but my "wing chun band" is, without a doubt, the best piece of equipment I have ever found {on the ground during a rain storm, no less!}. It's just a ring of 2mm-thick rubber, about 2 inches wide, but it is pure gold in my athletic mind. I use it for simulated wing chun punching and blocking, wrist strengthening, calf extensions, grip/pinch training, neck training, etc. You name it. I carry it with me nearly all the time and do little drills on the fly, but last night I did a more concentrated session to count as part of my workout.]

Neck harness: 30, 40, 50 (all four vectors)

Ab wheel: 30, 30
[Less extended roll-outs but I liked doing higher reps.]

Sunday, 2011.9.11
94kg, 40 min.

Bokken drills:
[All drills done with stepping motions to and fro.]
Front chop: 24 reps x 3
Diagonal chop: 30  reps x 3
Side chop: 30 reps x 3

Mace drills:
Overhead swoop: 8/8 x 2
Shovel walk: 15/15 x 2
Chopping wood: 15/15 x 2
Overhead press: 8/8 x 2

Chest expander drills:
[Did these with my wife. What a great gal! She held one handle of a two-spring chest expander and I yanked away from her. Then I held my handle and she yanked, etc.]
Yank & hold: 30/30
Lateral yank: 30/30
Core twist: 30/30

Judo drills:
[I impressed even myself with these. I invented the "technology" on the spot. The loading slings I bought months ago are possibly the best training device I have ever invested in. I had the idea tonight to loop one end around the handle of a four-spring chest expander and loop the other end on a banister peg. Then I just did a lot of judo throws, pulls, etc. Good shit. The slack in the sling gives it a lifelike feel, while the tension of the expander gives it a battle feel.]

Flail drills: 30 sec. each way each hand x 3

+ + +

Interestingly, I have lost more weight. I'm now only 94kg! Time to get back in the gym? Stay tuned.

Fitness notes...

Wednesday, 2011.9.7 
95kg, 25 min.

Hindu squat: 50, 55

Hindu pushup: 20, 25

Ab wheel: 20, 24, 12

Grip training:
Heavy 150: 6 closes
CoC #1.5: 6 closes
CoC #2: 3 reps [1 close r.h., 0 closes l.h.]

CoC #2: 3 reps [0 closes]
CoC #1.5: 10 closes

+ + +

Felt even more authority on the #2 tonight. In fact, I didn't even think I had closed it, since it happened so quickly, but my wife confirmed. So I am now just on this side of "owning" the #2. I will invest--or allow my wife to spoil me with--a #2.5 once I get 3 closes with both hands. Hindu squats felt good tonight; I will start to get in sets of 60 and I think I should do 30-rep sets for the pushups. Stay tuned. 

Fitness notes...

Saturday, 2011.9.3 95kg, 45 min.

AFTERNOON SESSION:
Hindu squat: 45, 50
Hindu pushup: 20, 25
Flail: 20 sec., 20 sec.
Standing DB curl: 6, 6 @ 21kg  

EVENING SESSION:
Hindu squat: 50, 55, 55
Hindu pushup: 25, 25, 25
Ab wheel: 14, 20, 24  
Grip training:
Heavy 150: 6/3
CoC #1.5: 6
CoC #2: 4 reps
[At least 1 close for sure, maybe 2! Hooray!]
CoC #2: 4 reps
CoC #1.5: 10–12 closes

+ + +

So, ladies and gentlemen, I have closed the #2 at last. It will take at least a month more of training, I think, until I can close it 3–4 times with my right hand and 1–2 times with my left hand. It felt easier than I expected, and the last crunch of effort I added to close the gap was hugely satisfying. Onward.

Fitness notes…

Monday, 2011.8.29
95kg, 30 min.

Walking: 20 min.

Hindu squat: 55, 55

Hindu pushup: 30, 30

Sling pullup: 10, 12

Random sling action for core and pecs: )/!&§/

It was a veritable walk in the park, and wiv me woife, no less!

Fitness notes…

Thursday, 2011.8.25
95kg, 45 min.

Walking: 35 min.

Hindu squat: 55, 55

Hindu pushup: 30, 30

Sling row: 5, 5, 5
[These were fun, since I pivoted on my left foot, right foot, and both feet (5,5,5) on the trunk of a tree, and pulled up to the branch over which my sling was slung.]

Sling pullup: 8
[A straight hang from the sling on a branch.]

Ab wheel: 25

[The above was all one session of walking, broken up by the exercises. Sling pullups are harder but I have to admit I've lost some back strength. How many times have I had to say that? Ha! On the other hand, Hindu pushups are getting "easier", so I'm doing more per set.]


Friday, 2011.8.26
95kg, 30 min.

Walking: 20 min.

Hindu squat: 55, 55

Hindu pushup: 30, 30

Sling row: 15

Pullup: 12


Saturday, 2011.8.27
95kg, 30 min.

Neck bridge: 50 sec. x 3

Neck harness: 30, 40, 50 reps (all four vectors)

Ab wheel: 15, 18, 21, 4

Grip crushers:
Heavy 150: 10 closes
Heavy 150: 3 closes
CoC #1.5: 20 closes
[These took a while, kind of like a grip "breathing squat" set.]
CoC #2: 7 reps
(Used some alternate hand assistance on last couple reps.]

Fitness notes...

MONDAY, 2011.8.24

95kg, 15 min.

[I've actually lost a tad of weight but I figure I fluctuate around 95kg okay-la.]

Grip training:

Heavy 150: 5 closes

CoC #1.5: 6 closes

CoC #2: 3 reps

CoC #2: 3 reps

CoC #1.5: iso hold 20 sec.

Heavy 150: iso hold 30 sec.

+ + +

Last night I did 55 Hindu squats, 30 Hindu pushups, and 20 ab wheel reps. The squats felt interminable ("Only 35!?"), the pushups were a great pump, and the ab reps were deep and long.

This morning I did about a minute of flail work for each hand and my forearms were still the slightest bit sore from Saturday's session, so perhaps my extremely close attempts (1st rep of both sets) could have been closes if I had been "totally" recuperated. But whatever. Tonight felt good and there was not too great a discrepancy between my left and right hands. I will give my wrists at least 4 days of rest before attempting #2 again.

Work is picking up. Stay tuned.

Fitness notes...

Saturday, 2011.8.20
95kg

MORNING:
Hindu squat: 55
Hindu pushup: 25
Standing db curl: 10 @ 21kg

AFTERNOON:
Grip training:

CoC #1.5: 3 closes

CoC #1.5: 6 closes

CoC #2: 3 reps

CoC #2: 3 reps

CoC #2: iso crush (~10 sec.)

CoC #1.5: iso crush (~30 sec.)

NIGHT:

Sling pullup: 8, 8, 8
[Pullups from a hanging loading sling, hands in the loops.]

Hindu squat: 45, 45, 45

Hindu pushup: 20, 22, 25

Ab wheel: 25, 20

+++

I did the night session after a hot pot dinner with inlaws in Sanxia, and I could feel the lack of circulation in my limbs. But I simply couldn't go without more exercise before bed. I wasn't in a masochistic mood, so I settled for what you see. It dawned on me during the drills that diverting blood from my gut to my muscles might well interfere with my digestion, and my gut-status today seems to bear that out. On the positive side, I am getting higher reps that roll longer and deeper each wheel with the ab wheel. Core Power!

I have still not bested the CoC #2, but I learned some good things this time around. First, I have lost my edge/momentum on the #2 (but not the other grippers!) because I have not been training heavily the past few months. I am sure my lack of squats and deads, etc. have reduced the testosterone boost I was enjoying in my victory over the #1.5.

Second, or perhaps as just a sub-point of the first, I realized how integral the crush training is for the entire torso. I discovered this (afresh) since I sprained my lower neck from my exertions with the #2. Successful gripping force must be applied with the entire shoulder-lat-arm system, and my lack of heavy back training left my inner traps vulnerable to the exertions.

Third, my left hand is almost equal in strength now with my right hand.

Fourth, I need to get back on a twice-a-week regimen and must use the #2 each time. It felt great grappling with the #2 again after a couple weeks of mostly flail, overcrushing, Qin Na drills, and higher reps. My tendons don't feel strained so I will have another crack at the #2 on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, I will begin a more serious home regimen this Wednesday:

Sling pullups,
Hindu pushups,
Hindu squats,
Ab wheel,
Pushups,
and
Neck bridging.
[3 sets >12, 3 sets >25, 3 sets >55, 3 sets >20, 3 sets >40, 3 sets >50 sec.]

On off-days I will do two or three sets of lunges, Hindu pushups, and flail in the morning. In the interims I will do my twice-weekly grip training. The neck harness can be more sporadic. I also hope to take a 20-minute or so walk with my wife after every dinner.

Enjoyed a lovely (and apparently rather healing) weekend with my in-laws in Sanxia. I and my wife are taking steps to advance our educational credentials and goals, saving what money we can, and I have my eye on a couple graduate programs. MUST. KEEP. WRITING.

Fitness notes...

SUNDAY, 2011.8.14

95kg, 25 mins.

Hindu squat: 20, 55, 55

Hindu pushup: 15, 25, 25

Flail: 20-30 sec. each hand each vector

Standing DB curl: 6, 8, 10 @ 21kg

Grip training:

Qin Na exercises: 3 sets to burning fatigue

Heavy 150: 20 reps (20 closes r.h., 17 closes l.h.)

MONDAY, 2011.8.15

95kg, 30 mins.

Hindu squat: 50, 55, 60

Hindu pushup: 25, 25, 25

Neck harness: 30, 40, 50 (all four vectors)

Pullup: 12, 11, 10

[Alas, a good bit of kipping and a final negative. On the bright side, pullups on a sling-bar are probably harder, and my grip was pretty fatigued from last night's and today's qin na drills.]

Ab wheel: 15, 15, 15

WEDNESDAY, 2011.8.17
95kg, 15 mins.

Ab wheel: 20, 20, 20

Qin Na drills

Heavy 150: 35 closes

Fitness notes…

Monday, 2011.8.8
95kg, 25 mins.

Hindu squat: 25, 55, 55

Hindu pushup: 10, 25, 25

Flail: 20 sec. per hand per direction x 3

Standing DB curl: 5, 5, 5 @ 21kg

Ab wheel: 10, 15, 20

+++

Lost some days due to visiting the in-laws (and that damned Angry Birds game!). Have dropped some body fat, as I've been eating less ambitiously. Must focus on my creative writing. Mass in Sanxia this weekend was a glorious surprise: scrupulous liturgical decorum, Gregorian chant, sung Creed, communion by mouth, a rich compelling homily, etc.

----------------------------

TUESDAY, 2011.8.9
95kg, 25 mins

Hindu squat: 20, 50, 55

Hindu pushup: 10, 25, 25

Flail: 25 sec. per hand per direction x 3

Standing DB curl: 7, 7, 7 @ 21kg

Ab wheel: 10, 12, 14

-------------------------

Wednesday, 2011.8.10
95kg, 10 mins.

Grip training:
Heavy 150: 10 closes l.h., r.h.
Heavy 150: 10 closes l.h., r.h.
CoC #1.5: 5 closes l.h., 6 closes r.h., 5 reps l.h., 4 reps r.h.
CoC #1.5: 3 closes l.h., r.h.
Heavy 150: 12 closes l.h., r.h.

Fitness notes…

Monday, 2011.8.1

95kg, 25 mins.

Hindu squat: 55, 55, 45

Hindu pushup: 25, 25, 20

Ab wheel: 15, 15, 12

Crush grip training:

Heavy 150: 6 closes l.h., r.h.

CoC #1.5: 6 closes l.h., r.h.

CoC #2: 6 reps, no closes

CoC #1.5: negative, 30 seconds l.h, r.h.

+ + +

I think the flail is really helping my left hand catch up. In fact, it seems to be making my left hand better at negatives than my right hand! I slacked the last couple days, so it was nice to get back on the daily regimen.

+++++++++++++

Tuesday, 2011.8.2
95kg, 30 min.

Hindu squat: 55, 55, 55

Hindu pushup: 25, 25, 25

Neck harness: 30, 40, 50 tugs (all 4 vectors)

Flail: 30+ sec. each hand each direction

Fitness notes…

Tuesday, 2011.7.26

95kg, 30 mins

Hindu squats: 55, 55, 55

Hindu pushups: 25, 30, 25

Flail: 30+ secs. (per hand per direction) x 3

Wednesday, 2011.7.27

95kg, 30 mins

Neck harness: 30, 35, 40, 30 (all 4 vectors)

Hindu squats: 55, 55

Hindu pushups: 25, 30

Grip crushing training (interwoven with other exercises):

Gyro ball: warmup

Heavy 150: 12

CoC #1.5: 10

CoC #2: 3

CoC #1.5: negative (25 sec.)

Heavy 150: negative (40 sec.)

* * *

Whoa, folks, I'm actually getting big. My strength on certain exercises has surely gone down (on, say, the Big Three), but my BMI and stamina have gone up. Which is good. Plus, I'm actually looking big these days. Not huge, but big. Stay tuned.

Oh, and I got married and am back in full swing as a writer. I've been reading tons of fiction lately, which is a big change for me (in fact I should say it's a big renaissance). It all feels so good! Praise God!

Fitness notes...

Saturday, 2011.7.23

95.5kg, 30 min.

2" bar standing curl: 10/5, 10/5 @ 42kg

[10 reps neutral grip, 5 reps narrower grip]

2" db standing curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 20kg, 23kg, 23kg

[Added 2 reps for the right arm after each set, since, mysteriously, my left arm curls much stronger than my right arm.]

Neck harness: 30, 35, 40 (all four vectors)

2" bar standing press: 15, 15, 15, 12 @ 42kg, 47kg, 52kg, 52kg

2" bar shrug: 25, 23, 25, 25 @ 42kg, 47kg, 52kg, 52kg

Fitness notes...

Friday, 2011.7.22
95.5kg, 45 min.

Hindu squats: 55 x 4

Hindu pushups: 25, 27, 30, 27

Flail: 30 sec. (per direction per hand) x 4

Ab wheel: 12 x 4

Fitness notes...

SATURDAY, 2011.7.16

95kg, 30 min.

Ab wheel: 12 x 4

2" bar standing press: 15 x 4 @ 52kg

2" bar bent row: 20 x 4 @ 52kg

Standing db curl: 12, 10, 9, 8 @ 21kg, 21kg, 21kg, 25kg

Pushup: 30, 30

+ + +

[Monday, 2011.7.18]

By the way, as an aside, incidentally, and for what it's worth, for at least a week now I have been doing a morning routine of at least one set of: at least 55 Hindu squats, at least 25 Hindu pushups, at least half a minute of flail-spinning for both hands in both directions. Legs, chest, arms, and core. Maybe ten minutes. Lovely. For now I will hold off on including neck bridges, since I already train my neck separately.

+ + +

Monday, 2011.7.18

Grip crush training

95kg, 15 min.

Heavy red (no bands): 6 closes

Heavy 150: 6 closes

CoC #1.5: 6 closes

CoC #2: 6 reps (no closes)

CoC# 1.5: 6 closes r.h., 6 reps (4 closes) l.h.

Heavy 150: 6 closes

Not a terribly impressive showing, but I'm cutting myself some slack because a) I trained the flail longer than usual this morning and b) I packed and moved a lot of books and furniture tonight just a couple hours before training. Live to close another day!

Fitness notes…

Monday, 2011.7.11
50 min., 95kg

Pullups: 15, 14, 13

5-spring expander flyes & pushups: 10 & 15, 10 & 20, 12 & 10 clap-ups

2" seated db curls: 10, 9, 9 @ 15kg, 17.5kg, 20kg

2" seated db tricep extensions: 12, 10, 8 @ 18kg, 19kg, 20kg

db lunges: 14, 12, 10 @ 30kg, 35kg, 40kg

Ab wheel: 25

Fitness notes…

Saturday, 2011.7.9

My birthday!

Gut wrench: 30, 30, 30 @ 10kg

Drawing water (per side): 16, 16, 16 @ 10kg

Grappling: 36, 39, 42 @ 10kg

9-spring expander shrugs: 20, 22, 24
[I stood on the handles of 5- and 4-spring chest expanders and shrugged the opposition.]

Neck harness tugs: 30, 30, 30 (4 vectors)

+ + +

A nice day. Had fun with students, was treated to a great lunch and some nice cakes, finally got to watch Grosse Point Blank, and have a larger than expected dinner coming into shape for tomorrow evening. God bless us everyone.

Fitness notes…

Thursday, 2011.7.7
Swimming:
35 min, 1200m (500m breast & turbine, 700m crawl)


Friday, 2011.7.8
[The following exercises were done around my grip training, since the first set was basically a warmup and I wanted to avoid having other sets drain my grip strength until I was finished with the crushers.]
45 min., 94kg

Crushing grip:
Warmup: gryo ball, flail, stretching

Heavy 150: 12 closes

CoC #1.5: 12 closes r.h., 12 reps l.h.
[only 8 closes l.h.]

CoC #2: 4 reps
[~2 closes r.h., ø closes l.h.]

CoC #1.5: overcrush 30 sec.

Heavy 150: overcrush 45 sec.
[l.h. slippage last ~10 sec.]

Gut wrench: 24, 24, 24, 24 @ 14kg

Drawing water: 12/12, 12/12, 12/12, 12/12 @ 14kg

Ab wheel: 15, 18, 21, 24

Neck harness tug: 30, 30, 35, 35
[all 4 vectors]

Rope skips: 120, 135, 75
[My shins/calves were killing me by the last set! Woe is I!]

+ + +

I will be taking it easy on my wrists, especially my left arm, for the next few days. The last few reps on some sets were really painful (the release, I mean). Some icing, stretching, muscle rub, etc. Next time I train, however, I will go for higher intensity and lower volume. To wit…

a little gyro ball,
10 reps with the Heavy 150,
6 reps with the #1.5,
and then at least 6 all-out efforts on closing and semi-closing the #2.
And then no overcrushing.

The session after that, however, will consist solely of overcrushing and negatives, to wit…

warmup with the Heavy 150,
overcrush the #1.5 close to a minute,
negative (forced close) with the #2,
and a final overcrush with the Heavy 150.

I guess I'm also going to have to lay off the jump rope for a while, and then maybe just do a set of 120 every couple days until my legs get used to it. Meanwhile I will keep swimming three times a week and going for jogs and power walks. I should get back into doing Hindu squats and Hindu pushups, but that's a passing note to self.

I love training my neck, though it is just a hobby exercise. I should mix in bridging like I used to do.

My bout of illness last week and a more conscientious diet has me around 94kg, maybe 95kg, so it's nice to be leaner and have more stamina. I've invested in a bottle of ω-3 fatty acid (fish oil pills) and was given a bag of yeast grains (with vitamin-B supplements), so I'm hoping I expect to feel more chipper in the next months. I've also gotten towards a nearly pescatarian diet and "go vegetarian" every Friday.

I bought a couple more 10lb plates tonight and now I've set up my two db's and my 2" db with a minimum weight (~20kg) which I can just add to without having to sling all the weights back and forth.

I'm looking to try a couple new restaurants tomorrow, Saturday, which is one of my busiest work days. I've been cleaning up my room(s), which is satisfying.

A great burden is lifting from my shoulders these days and a cloud of depression from May and June has left me. Onward! To become the man God knows I can be (again)!

Fitness notes…

Tuesday 2011.7.5 Crushing grip:

Heavy 150: 10 closes
[no chalk]

CoC #1.5: 12 closes r.h., 12 closes l.h.
[no chalk; gave very mild assistance on last closes r.h. & gave assistance on last closes l.h.]

CoC #2: 3 reps
[no closes]

CoC #1.5: overcrush 15 sec.

Heavy 150: overcrush 35 sec.


Wednesday 2011.7.6

WARMUP: Jumping jacks, Indian clubs

One-arm db row: 12, 12, 10 @ 33kg

Five-spring expander flye: 12, 12, 12

2" bar standing curl: 12, 12, 10 @ 33kg, 34kg, 42kg

One-arm overhead tricep extension: 12, 12, 12 @ 14kg, 17kg, 19kg

2" bar front squat: 20, 18, 18 @ 38kg, 42kg, 46kg

FOLLOW UP:

Skip bolo (per leg): ~2 min.

One-arm db row (per arm): 12 @ 33kg

Jump rope & striding: 1 min. & 1 min. x 2

Pushup: 50

2" bar standing curl: 12 @ 46kg

One-arm overhead tricep extension (per arm): 12 @ 19kg

+ + +

I was coming off a draining weekend––a cold and a bad case of gastritis––so I'm not surprised I was not up to snuff on much here. But I have to keep at it. Patience, Humility, Confidence…

Fitness notes…

Thursday, 30.6.11

Swim: 1000m (a mix of breast, back, and crawl… the pool water was at half volume since the water was being replaced)

Fitness notes…

Saturday, 25.6.11
Pullups: 14, 14, 14
2" bar bench: 15/15 [neutral/wide], 16, 12 @ 50kg, 55kg, 60kg
2" db standing curl: 15, 12, 10 @ 14kg, 18kg, 22kg
db tricep press: 15, 12, 10 @ 12kg, 16kg, 18kg
2" bar front squat: 15, 12, 10 @ 50kg, 55kg, 60kg

Sunday, 26.6.11
swim: 2200m
[200m breast & back, 1500m crawl, 500m breast]

Monday, 27.6.11
Jump rope & striding: 800 skips, 10 min. striding, 750 skips, 5 min. striding
[Striding is power-walking slowed by the presence of one's gf.]

Tuesday, 28.6.11
Jumping jacks / jump rope: 50/100, 100/50
Gut wrench: 32 x 3 @ 12kg
Drawing water: 16/16 x 3 @ 12kg
Grapple up: 16/16 x 3 @ 12kg
Ab wheel: 20 x 3
Neck iso's: 30 x 3 [all 4 angles]

Wednesday, 29.6.11
Swim: [40 minutes of… aquatic motion… I was teaching my gf how to swim]
Gut wrench: 30 x 3 @ 14kg
Drawing water: 15/15 x 3 @ 14kg
Grapple up: 15/15 x 3 @ 14kg
Ab wheel: 12 x 3
Neck iso's: 30 x 3 [all 4 angles]
Crushing grip:
Heavy 150: 10 closes, 5 closes
CoC #1.5: 10 closes
CoC #2: 4 reps [1 close r.h.]
CoC #1.5: 20 sec. overcrush r.h., 20 sec. overcrush l.h. [l.h. came open last few seconds]
Heavy 150 (without using pinky): 2 closes
CoC #1.5 (without using pinky): 1 close

+ + +

The crush training on Wednesday was interwoven with sets of core drills. Frankly, I was stunned by my grip performance tonight. I was diffident about training grip tonight and was therefore shocked, indeed, confused, by how well I did. 10 closes for both hands on the CoC #1.5! Yes, I also closed the CoC #2 with my right hand, but I want to do so with more authority before saying I've really done so. After some persuading (against buying, mind you!), my gf agreed that she will wait until I can close the #2 with both hands before she buys the #2.5 for me. I can only surmise two factors for my success: 1) I have been using my flail at random times and the motion ("greasing the groove"?) may be the right kind of therapy for my forearms; 2) I did some solid overcrush training (also spontaneously) last week with my "naked" red crushers (i.e. with the rubber bands removed) and that seems to have boosted my grip. I think the wider grip of the handles helps my pinky, which is the weak spot especially on my left hand. Despite having done a good deal with the crushers tonight, I feel no pain or stiffness. Just confidence! If only other crush maniacs knew how beneficial swimming and jump rope is for crushing, haha!

Fitness notes…

Thursday, 2011.6.23
Swim: 30mins: 1100m freestyle (50m/50m of breast/back)

+ + +

I focused on "being long" without overgliding and my spl (strokes per [50m] lap) went from 42–44 last time to 38–40 this time. I had trouble coordinating my exhalations under water before turning into a breath on every 3rd stroke. Doing as I normally do, though, felt more or less copacetic, so I think some of the problem is building up the respiratory stamina to make do with how much air I can reasonably and efficiently get each breath. Apropos, I felt a lot less tired this time, which suggests my aerobic capacity is improving, slowly but surely. I think the only way I'll be able to swim 2–3km is by going to the pool in the morning, or maybe Wednesday nights, when I get off work an hour earlier than most nights.

+ + +

Friday, 2011.6.24

And tonight, not long after getting home after viewing Terrence Malick's… highly ruminative… often touching… and long-awaited Tree of Life…, I did the following (or so) for grip:

Midi red gripper [WITHOUT RUBBER BANDS]: negative/overcrush @ ~30 secs
Midi red gripper ("): negative/overcrush @ ~15 secs
Heavy red gripper (") negative/overcrush @ ~30 secs
Heavy Grips 150: negative/overcrush @ ~15 secs

Gym regimen - June 2011

Wednesday, 2011.6.22

CARDIO

Jog: 600m, 600m

Jump rope: 150, 150

WEIGHTS

db bent-over row: 12, 12, 12 @ 32kg, 36kg, 40kg

db bench: 12, 10, 10 @ 30kg, 34kg, 38kg

2" db seated curl: 15, 12, 10 @ 20kg, 22kg, 24kg

tricep extension: 12 @ 5-spring expander, 12 @ 5-spring expander, 20 @ 12kg

front squat: 20 @ 9kg, 20 @ 36kg

Also did 3 sets of 30 neck iso's in all four directions last night.

Fitness notes…

Saturday, 18 June 2011

swimming: 40 mins: 1200m
[I "kanked" my knee Saturday morning, specifically the LCL, helping my gf move her scooter… which is to say I impatiently yanked in the direction she wanted to turn it and the 50-c.c. chassis chopped into my knee. I screamed, despite myself, and nearly stumbled. It was weak and sore the rest of the day, but I still went for a swim, though only freestyle didn't hurt it. It feels better now.]

Monday, 20 June 2011

swimming: 30 mins: 1000m
[My cardio is improving, but I still need to shed some gut fat. And I am "in my reletnless way" about improving my swimming technique (again once more). Shoulders never move, exhale underwater, touch buttocks on end of stroke, high elbows, rotate hips, forward fingers extend during inhalation, scissor-kick instead of foot-thrashing, etc.]

Grip training:

Warmup: gyro ball, flail
Heavy Grips 150: 10
[all closes, l.h. & r.h. {though the l.h. had to work!}]
COC #1.5: 10
[r.h. 9 closes? l.h. closes?]
CoC #2: 5
[ø closes… but withing a millimeter with the r.h.!]
CoC #1.5: hard negative
[~12 secs l.h., ~20 secs r.h.]

I did most of the left-hand crushes with the gripper inverted, which showed that that hand is not so far behind my right hand. So, all is well-ish. There was a distinctly more painful patch in my left hand, around the abductor pollicis longus area of the forearm. Onward!

Gym regimen - June 2011

This eczema in the crotch is becoming a real bore. I've got three different tubes of medicine for it, as well as some "Anti-Flamme" I apply now and then (with whisky, to dull the shrieking burn), and some Seba moisturzier and Seba soap. Frankly, I'm at a a loss. If I make it dry (with 痱子粉), I get bumps in the morning. If I make it wet (with etc.), I get a nagging rash. Tonight, I was so wound up, that I was crabby with my gf… until I did the following in my gym-room (in circuits, mind you):

chest expander flye 3-spring: 12
chest expander flye 4-spring: 12
chest expander flye 5-spring: 12
chest expander flye 7-spring: 6
[The c-e handles are latched under the stool legs as I lie on the stool.]

db rows: 12 @ 33kg
db rows: 12 @ 33kg
db rows: 12 @ 33kg
[Could have gone much, much heavier, but I need to invest in heavier plates, when the time comes.]

db tricep extension: 15 @ 11g (only first set)
2" db tricep extension: 12 @ 15kg (second set)
2" db tricep extension: 10 @ 15kg (third set)

tricep extension chest expander 3-string: 12
tricep extension chest expander 4-string: 12
tricep extension chest expander 5-string: 10

chest expander 3-string curl: 12 (only one set)
db curl: 10 @ 21kg
2" db curl: 9 @ 15kg

chest expander 9-spring: 15
chest expander 9-spring: 18
chest expander 9-spring: 20

neck harness raises: 15 @ 7kg
neck harness raises: 15 @ 7kg
neck harness raises: 15 @ 9kg

+ + +

In all this, I may have done a few more reps for my right arm on flexes and and few more reps for my left arm on extensions. But let the numbers stand.

The chest expander (c-e's) flyes were nice, but I need to keep tweaking the angle. I don't want to ovetax my shoulders on a chest exercise. Indeed, on the last set of tricep extensons with the c-e, I went from behind the back to in front of the chest, since I could tell the behind-the-back was ultimately more of (or just as much of) a trial for my shoulders as for my triceps.

It's uncanny to me that my left-arm curls are so much easier than my right-arm curls, yet my right-hand crushes "pwn" my left-hand crushes.

I finally found a way to make a neck harness, after many months of pondering: a mid-size dog chest harness put on my head with weights hooked below. Voilà. I also discovered later that a good way to use the harness is to latch it onto a doorknob and then do iso's in all four angles.

The latest from…

I'm kind of missing the gym. Oh, that heavy deadlift. And, oh, those heavy shrugs. Even a real squat rack. Ahhh…. Hard it is to go "native", but I am hoping to swim at least three times a week, which is nice, and I do still plan to workout "heavy" twice a week. In-betweens will be grip training. More jump roping and jogging. Must shed some of my fat-piggedness.

In any even, yesterday I did…

Pullups: 14, 14, 14
db chest press (per hand): 12 @ 30kg, 14 @ 30kg, 12 @ 32kg
2" db seated curl: 12 @ 15kg, 10 @ 17kg, 9 @ 19kg
2" db tricep extension: 12 @ 12kg, 14 @ 11kg

Tonight I did…

• 40 mins of swimming:

• ~1km (100m breaststroke & 100m "leg turbine", 600m freestyle)

• random crushing session:

• Heavy Grips 150 x 2 closes with overcrush, CoC #1.5 x 2 closes, CoC #2 x 1 attempt

Recent doings…

I've been well out of the loop, I know, but this is mainly because I've picked up some new extra classes and have moved into a larger apartment. What I should have posted in the past week or two is roughly (from memory) the following:

6 June 2011
Warmup: gryo ball, flail
Midi Red gripper: 10, 9
Heavy Grips 150: 9, 8
CoC #1.5: 8, 8 (l.h. 4 closes? r.h. 8)
CoC #2: 8, 6 (l.h. 3 closes? r.h. 4 closes?)

9 June 2011
Warmup: flail, gyro ball
1" wrist roller:
2" wrist roller:
Wrist levering:
4x4 pinch block:
1x4 pinch block:

10 June 2011
Sling rows: 15, 15
Kettlebag curls: 12 @ 9kg
Kettlebag-sledgehammer curls: 12, 10 @ 12kg
Pushups: 50, 50

11 June 2011
Kettlebag sledgehammer curls: 12, 12 @ 12kg
Pushups: 50, 50
Kettlebag delt flyes and press: 5/5/5, 5/5/5 @ 9kg
Tricep extensions: two chest-expander coils

14 June 2011
Swimming:
35 mins, 800m: 100m breaststroke, 100m legs only, 100m freestyle, 300m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 100m freestyle
[It wasn't until about 350m that my old training came back: hands slice in high and close to the head, torwue the hips and shoulders, stretch each stroke. By the end, I had remembered to count how many strokes I took per 50m: 42, 41, 39, 38. A good progression! I need to get my cardio back up to snuff. How I love swimming!]

Grip training:
Warmup: Midi Red gripper (10 closes), gyro ball
Heavy Grips 150: 9 reps (l.h. 6 closes? r.h. 9 closes)
CoC #1.5: 9 (r.h. 7 closes? l.h. 4 closes?)
CoC #2: 1, 1 (ø closes)
Heavy Grips 150: 9
[I finally determined tonight a major factor in the disparity between my right and left hands: the design of the crushers favors the right hand! To wit, in the right hand, the spring inserted into the handle in the thenar-phalanx joint is nearly a centimeter from the flesh. By contrast, when the gripper is "flipped" into the left hand, the thenar spring is only a couple millimeters from the flesh.

I have discovered the handicap in this, namely, that the closer the origin handle is to the palm of the hand, the less leverage that hand has. This is because, as the fingers closer towards the palm, the sooner they "run into" the palm, the less power, indeed, the less geometric space they have to crush inwardly. Those extra millimeters in the right hand give the right fingers the essential extra geometric leverage to crush, a space lacking in the left hand. Indeed, this is why setting the gripper correctly is so important. The thenar handle is placed towards the center of the palm precisely to increase the leverage of the fingers to close to that handle. A gripper casually set too far back in my right hand will make that hand as weak as my left hand.

The upshot is that I think I have taken to training my left hand with the gripper (at least a heavy gripper) upside down. This puts the thenar spring farther from the flesh and gives it a "right hand feel." To wit, whilst writing this note, I ran into my training room and did a few upside reps for my left hand (Heavy Grips 150 x 4, CoC #1.5 x 2, CoC #2 x 1), just to see how it felt. And it felt stronger, considering I was already tapped out from a proper grip session a couple hours before.

Oh, and, incidentally, if you're psychotic, or me, you'll notice a difference between June 14's grip training and the previous crush training is that I did fewer reps for warmups so I'd have "more left" for the heavy grip training.]

I've also done some random drills while watching movies: chest expander curls, shrugs, bowshots, tricep extensions, etc. But, frankly, due to a very unpleasant case of eczema in the thigh-groin region (!), I've basically been unable to do serious lower-body training. Which is immensely frustrating and irritating. That's what finally got me back into the pool, and I invested in a book of 30 tickets to keep my feet to the fire, as it were (a little sunken capital is good for rationality).

Home workouts, making them faster…

Because swapping plates and pipes is too time-consuming for workouts in my room, I'll be switching to whatever is most efficient, namely, sticking to exercises that use the same equipment until the next moves need different equipment.

Even Keel 1

WARMUP

PULL Bent over row (wide T-bell or 2" bb):

PUSH 2" bb one-arm standing press:

PULL 2" db seated curl:

PUSH 2" bb BP:

PUSH Front squat (pike bar):

PULL Snatch DL (pike bar):

An interlude with the pike before I stick to moves with the 2" bb.

The above three exercises all use the 2" bb, so it's just a matter of adding and removing plates. Using a near-standard grip on the DL would allow me to use more weight, though I love the snatch DL. I may use my pike for that, since it's wider and can hold tons of weight. If so, though, I'd need to do the DL last.

Even Keel Workout 2

WARMUP

PULL Pullup:

PUSH Squat or Lunges:

PULL 2" bb curl or EZ bar curl:

PUSH Tricep extension:

PULL Stiff-leg DL:

PUSH db flye:

+++

Another way to think about it…

PIKE BAR:

Bent rows

DLs

Squats

Bench

DUMBBELLS & "KETTLEBAGS":

Curls

Presses

One-arm row

Tricep extensions

2" BARBELL:

Standing press

Curls

Tricep extensions

Bench press

Gym regimen - June 2011

[The following notes are a bit of a "slurry", i.e. the numbers are probably off in many details, since I shuffled a lot of plates, some in pounds and some in kilograms, and pipes in two sessions, before and after work, and this was the first time I did a "full-on" Even Keel workout at home.

I have, in fact, chosen to let my gym membership expire. Mainly, I want to save time and money. Having been at the gym the past year has given me great gains in my strength, knowledge, and skill, but it's a basic principle of mine that real strength can always be developed, even without "real" equipment.

Even so, my biggest worries were these:

Without a gym… How can I substitute for heavy squatting? How can I train heavy deadlifts? How can I train my back as heavily? How can I improve my bench press and chest without a real bench?

Well, in order:

Heavy squatting is simulated by doing…

one-leg squats (or intervals or double- and one-leg squats),

heavy lunges,

extremely deep though-slightly-lighter squats,

jumpies,

piggyback squats [squatting with someone holding onto you… and a barbell],

squats with a backpack full of weights on your back,

and even "body-board" presses [I just made those up! Imagine a sheet of sturdy ply wood, or a mesh of lumber, on your feet as you lie on the ground and a friend pies on the board.]

Heavy deadlifting is simulated with…

heavy stiff-leg deadlifts,

prone hamstring curls [lie facedown, have someone, or something very secure, pin your feet to the ground, and then rise up as from a prostrated bow. I sort of just invented that.],

hanging leg curls [hang from a pullup bar and lift a weights chain/bag with your feet],

or prone leg pulls [lie facedown and have someone pull your feet down as your try to keep the soles of your feet parallel to the ground. Again, I may have just invented that.].

Heavy back training comes from…

weighted pullups (!),

heavy bent over rows (one- and two-arm),

deep and explosive leaning sling rows, á la Lifeline slings [you can also wear a backpack with weights inside to add more weight; something pretty much like these loop-handled loading slings are what I use],

face pulls,

heavy shrugs (standard, overhead, Hise shrugs, etc.),

and pullovers.

Heavy benching can be simulated by…

weighted pushups (and pushups with hands/fingers/feet in various positions),

medicine-/sports-ball, sling, and one-arm pushups,

plyo (clapping) pushups,

planching [ha! good luck, schlub!],

handstand pushups,

muscle-ups,

heavy floor presses,

heavy db flyes,

thick barbell benching,

and pullovers-with-press.

I've always known "you don't need a gym to get strong," but I did decide about a year+ ago to see what regular time at a gym would do for me. I am pleased with my results. I will most likely be in a gym again in the future, but for now I want to push myself with more bodyweight and home training. Patience, humility, confidence….]

Wednesday, 1 June 2011

95kg

SESSION 1, 45 mins:

Chest expander flye: 15, 15

[I pinned one handle of each expander under a leg of a bench on which I lie and did some wide-angled flyes.]

db flye: 12, 14, 12 @ 30kg (per arm)

Front squat (2" bar): 15, 12, 12 @ 60–65kg

Romanian db DL: 14, 13, 12 @ 60kg, 64kg

Standing db tricep extension + rear tricep extension: 8/5, 10/6, 10/5 @ 12kg, 10kg, 12kg

Seated db curl: 12, 10, 8 @ 11kg, 14kg, 18kg

Bent-over row: 14, 14, 14 @ 65–70kg

SESSION 2, 30 mins:

Front squat (2" bar): 12, 12 @ 65kg

db flye: 12, 8 @ 32kg, 34kg

Romanian db DL: 14, 14 @ 68kg

Standing db tricep extension + rear tricep extension: 10/5, 10/5 @ 12kg

Seated db curl: 12, 8 @ 19kg, 21kg

Bent-over row: 14, 12, 10 @ 65–70kg

+ + +

Lots of sweat and chalk. I will take tomorrow off and train core and grip (sans crusher!) Friday. Obviously, some of my new home regimen would be safer, and more productive, with a spotter, so I am trying to convince a friend to join me.

Grip training…

Monday, 30 May 2011

20 mins, 95kg

WARMUP: gyro ball, stretching

Midi red gripper: 14, 12

Heavy Grips 150: 10, 8

(l.h. not all closes)

CoC #1.5: 6, 6; 6, 6; 1 forced negative (~15 secs r.h./l.h.)

(5 closes r.h., 3 closes l.h.)

(4 closes r.h., 2 (?) closes l.h.)

Heavy Grips 150: 10, 10

COOLDOWN: Gyro ball, stretching

+++

Rather depressing. I wasn't really "up" for this workout, but I knew I had to stick to my training. I was so nonplussed that I didn't think to do more than 6 reps for my right hand. I was of half a mind to let my gf see me try the CoC #2 for the first time, but she had to catch a bus and, clearly, trying it right now would be quixotic. I dreamt last night, though, that I did close the #2, so let's hope my subconscious imaging stays positive!

On the bright side, my gf landed a job and a nice apartment all in about a week last week and I have gotten back on the Chinese-studies horse (primarily learning "four-character proverbs"). I was sucked into my semi-annual "9/11 riddles" vortex last week.

+ + +

"POST-OP"

Got home, chilled a bit with Michael Sandel's "Justice lectures" lectures (before and during the workout), and did the following…

Leg-band raises: 25, 25

Gut wrench: 30, 30 @ 14kg

Drawing water: 15/15, 15/15 @ 14kg

Chopping mace: 15/15, 15/15 @ 8kg

Shoveling mace: 15/15, 15/15 @ 8kg

Ab wheel: 20, 20

Heavy Grips 150: 10 r.h., 12 l.h.

CoC #1.5: 6 r.h. (6 closes), 6 l.h. (4 closes)

Gym regimen - May 2011

SATURDAY, 28 May 2011
Even Keel 1
60 mins, 95kg

WARMUP

Bent over row (wide T-bell): 20, 22, 25 @ 40kg, 42kg, 42kg

2" bb BP: 20, 23, 25, 17 @ ~52kg, ~52kg, ~52kg, ~60kg

Snatch DL: 20, 20, 20 @ ~52kg, ~56kg, ~56kg

2" db standing press: 8, 16, 16 @ 22kg, 15kg, 17kg

2" db seated curl: 16, 14, 12 (r.h.)/15 (l.h.) @ 12kg, 16kg, 18kg

Front squat (2" bb): 15, 14, 12 @ ~52kg

+++

I did all this in my room tonight. Lots of time spent on switching out plates but it was an intense workout. Afterward I and my gf went to a hot spring for recovery. The weights are approximate (~) since I still don't know how heavy my 2" barbell and dumbbell are. I seem have shed more weight, but my strength has increased. So, good.

Tired now, sleep I will!

Core work, etc.…

FRIDAY 27 May 2011

SESSION 1 (afternoon)

WARMUP: chest expanders, etc.

Leg-band raises: 25, 25

Gut wrench: 30, 30 @ 11kg

Drawing water: 15/15, 15/15 @ 11kg

db pullover: 20, 20 @ 9kg
[I liked using my two 10lb db's for these. Keeping the heads together gave a nice additional squeeze to the pecs.]

Ab wheel: 20, 20

SESSION 2 (night)

WARMUP: chest expanders, etc.

Reverse bench (2" bar): 15, 20, 20 @ ~43kg
[I say ~43kg since I still don't know how heavy my 2" barbell is.]

Wide grip bench (2" bar): 10, 15, 10 @ ~43kg
[See above.]

2" bar curl: 18, 18, 18 @ ~25kg
[See above. I used a more or less half and half mix of wide/neutral and close grip.]

db pullover: 15, 15, 15 @ 9kg

Gut wrench: 30, 30 @ 11kg

Drawing water: 15/15, 15/15 @ 11kg

Ab roller: 20, 20

Grip training…

Wednesday, 25 May 2011

SESSION 1 (20 mins)

WARMUP: gyroball, flail, stretching

Forearm bar: 10/10, 10/10 @ 10kg x 3

Finger-board roller: 4kg x 3

1" wrist roller: 10kg x 3

2" wrist roller: 10kg x 3

Levering:
Extension: 15/15 @ 1kg x2
Flexion: 15/15 @ 1kg x 2
Rotation: 15/15 @ 1kg x 2
Plate planing: 1kg --> release x 2

Pinching:
4x4 @ 10kg --> release x 2
2x4 @ 10kg --> release x 2
1x4 @ 10kg --> release x 2

SESSION 2 (15 mins)

WARMUP: gyroball, flail, stretching

Finger-board roller: 4kg x 2

1" wrist roller: 11kg x 3

2" wrist roller: 11kg x 3

Levering:
Extension: 15/15 @ 2kg x 2
Flexion: 15/15 @ 2kg x 2
Plate planing: 2kg --> release x 2

Pinching [cf. LINK for visuals]:
4x4 --> release @ 11kg
2x4 --> release @ 11kg
1x4 --> release @ 11kg

+ + +

I have written "release" instead of "failure" since "failure" is a taboo word. All the same, for my iso drills, I held it until couldn't hold it any longer, which is laymanese for "to failure."

So called "plate planing" is something I discussed in my 15 May notes: I hold the plate attached to my leverage bar (a table leg) and keep it level for time. You can throw in some tilting, twisting, etc., but I'm not looking to overtax my wrists again.

Oh yes, my abs are sore from my core workout a couple nights ago and my legs are really sore from my higher volume Even Keel workout yesterday. I'm actually eager to do another high volume workout next week, about 5kg higher on all (big) lifts. My biceps, triceps, and pecs are not really sore at all, so I need to go heavier next time.

It's nice to feel my wrists getting stronger without pain, but I know today was a heavy load for them, so I will take things easy tomorrow and ice my hands. Even Keel on Friday and then another crush session Saturday (or Sunday)!

Gym regimen - May 2011

Even Keel Workout 2
60 mins, 97kg

WARMUP

CIRCUIT:

SQ: 15, 12, 9 @ 90kg, 95kg, 100kg

Incline BP: 15, 12, 11 @ 60kg, 65kg, 70kg

DL: 15, 12, 9 @ 100kg, 105kg, 110kg

Bar pushdown: 15, 12, 12 @ 25kg, 30kg, 35kg

Hyper-pronated seated db curl: 15, 12, 12 @ 12kg, 14.5kg, 17kg

Seated lever row: 15, 12, 9 @ 90kg, 100kg, 110kg

+++

Pretty tough. I'm interested to see how the past two weeks effect my next month of "heavy ascent."

Grip training…

Sunday, 22 May 2011
15 mins, 97kg

WARMUP

CIRCUIT:

Red midi: 12, 10

Heavy Grips 150: 10, 8

CoC #1.5: 10, 6
[r.h. 8? closes, l.h. 4? closes;
r.h. 4 closes, l.h. 2 closes;
external aid on last reps for l.h]

Heavy Grips 150: 15
[some external aid on last few reps r.h. and last several reps l.h.]

Red midi: 25

+ + +

What can I say? I couldn't resist. I will go to the gym Tuesday so I wanted Monday between then and a grip workout. My right hand has really come along (authority!) and it won't be long before it's ready for the CoC #2.* Even so, I decided tonight that I will stick to the following regimen:

day x (as above): crush training, 15–20 mins
day y (2–3 days later): other grip training (curling, pinching, flexing, etc.) 15–20 mins
day z (2–3 days later): crush training like on day x
x,y,z, etc.

The rate of x,y,z days will also, of course, depend on how my forearms feel. No reason to crush against the goads, as it were. Also, I will stick to this regimen until my left hand catches up with my right. That means there will be a "harbor" period during which my right hand will be treading water while my left hand improves. I must resist the temptation to add more for my right hand. I think I will let my right hand improve until I get 12 closes with it and then maintain that till my left hand catches up.

* I got a Heavy Grips 150lb last week and tonight I put it to the test (though I had tried it Friday night just for a couple fun squeezes). It's a good medium between the CoC #1.5 and my red midi gripper. But it won't be long until I will want to use a Heavy Grips 200. The craftsmanship of CoC's really shows compared to Heavy Grips.

+++++++++++++++++++

MONDAY, 24 May 2011
30 mins, 97kg
Ab/Core workout

WARMUP: chest expander moves

Band leg raises: 25, 25
[Secure yoga/pilates bands to the floor and raise legs; kind of like reverse leg throws]

Gut wrench: 60, 60

Drawing water: 15/15, 15/15

Bar spar: 20/20, 20/20

Ab wheel: 40, 40

Gym regimen - May 2011

Friday, 20 May 2011
Even Keel 1 Workout
50 mins, 97kg

WARMUP

CIRCUIT:

Pullup: 10/5, 10/5, 10/5

BP: 11, 9, 6 @ 75kg, 80kg, 85kg
[Close call on rep 11 of set 1, but I got it racked. Slight spotter help on tail end of sets 2 and 3.]

Snatch DL: 12, 9, 6 @ 100kg, 105kg, 110kg
[Straps on sets 2 and 3.]

Standing press (EZ bar): 12, 9, 6 @ 45kg, 50kg, 55kg

Spider curl (EZ bar): 12, 9, 8 @ 35kg, 40kg, 45kg

Front squat: 12, 9, 8 @ 65kg, 70kg, 75kg

“COOLDOWN” (later that night):

Reverse grip BP: 15, 15, 20 @ 30kg, 30kg, 40kg

Wide grip BP: 20, 20 @ 30kg, 40kg

2" bar curl (neutral/close): 10, 10, 10/10 @ 30kg

Gut wrench: 20/20 @ 10kg

Drawing water: 15/15 @ 10kg

Bar spar: 10/10/10/10 @ 1okg

+ + +

Higher volume was not simply going through the motions. A real challenge, in fact, on the big lifts, at least. I will go even lighter next week on a higher rep volume (e.g. 15, 12, 9). My forearms are coming along, not so creaky or "skittish" as before. I got a Heavy Grips 150 (about 17 lbs. lighter than a CoC #1.5) last night and did give it a shot. I got an easy-ish 4 closes or so with my right hand and a much less authoritative 2 closes with my left hand. I will do some calisthenics and rope skipping this evening, just to keep my spirits and momentum up. I will save some non-crushing grip work for tomorrow, then do Even Keel 2 Monday or Tuesday.

Home workout…

18 May 2011
Core work
30 mins, 98kg

CIRCUIT:

Gut wrench ––
steering: 15/15 @ 10–15kg x 3
drawing water: 15/15 @ 10–15kg x 3

Plate pullover: 25 @ 15kg x 3

CIRCUIT:

Ab roller: 15, 15, 15

Bar-spar: 25/25 @ 15kg x 3

CIRCUIT:

Mace bell––
Chopping: 15/15 @ 8kg x 2
Digging: 15/15 @ 8kg x 2
Overhead swings/swoops: 10/5 @ 8kg

[Notes, in case I myself forget what they mean:

/'s mean I did the drill for both sides, left and right.

My last 5 reps of the bar-sparring were two-handed in the center, but the first 20 reps were 4 subsets of 10 reps per side.

Bar-sparring is just getting under the gut wrench bar to grapple with it like an opponent over me.

Steering is just swinging the gut wrench from left to right with both arms straight.

Drawing water is a one-handed drill where I stand oblique to the gut wrench, let it drop in my hand towards the floor, stop it for a gut flex, and raise it to stand up, and repeat.

The mace bells are pretty standard mace movements, but also draw on the shovelglove regimen. The key, for core work, is to keep the lower back locked, so that the end of every motion "goes into the gut." The shoulders swings were just brutal. My forearms were complaining too, heh! Need another good night of sleep. Amen.]

Gym regimen - May 2011

Even Keel Workout 2
50 mins, 97kg

WARMUP

CIRCUIT:

SQ: 12, 9, 6 @ 100kg, 105kg, 110kg

Incline BP: 12, 9, 8 @ 65kg, 70kg, 75kg

DL: 12, 9, 6 @ 120kg, 130kg, 140kg
[Straps on set 3.]

Bar pushdown: 12, 9, 8 @ 30kg, 35kg, 40kg

Seated db curl: 12, 9, 6 @ 17kg, 19.5kg, 22kg

Seated lever row: 12, 9, 6 @ 105kg, 110kg, 120kg

+ + +

The nice thing was the rain cooled things off, though it was still extremely humid. I got a poor night of sleep last night so I was a bit undercharged for this workout. The Evil Squat is always a bear. As I was warming up, I felt to myself, "Wait, this is happening too quickly, after I warmup, I have to really train! Help!" A very mental workout. By the time I finished my first set of squats, I said, "12, 10, 8 is insane! I'll just do my old 12, 9, 6 rep scheme." I did break the mold on the bench press and tricep pushdown, since it felt good to push through.

My arms were pretty fried on the curls. On my last set of seated rows, I chalked up, though a little voice inside––my Grip Challenge Demon––told me to go chalk-free, so I'd have more of a grip challenge on the rows. "Eff that," I barked back, "I don't want a grip challenge, I want my wrists to be well." My wrists weren't too painful after the workout, so they are recovering. Give them another week and then I'll try some grip training without much crushing.

Speaking of which, last night I made a pinching block, a 2x4 wrist roller, and another simple flail from a sledgehammer handle and a chain (inspired by this webpage (scroll down), which has oodles of other homemade "grip quip", as I call it. [Actually, I was just puttering with some extra pipe I had and constructed a full metal flail!]).

Grip training…

Sunday, 15 May 2011
20 mins, 97kg

WARMUP:
Gyro ball
Pipe-chain flail
[I made this up last night. Loop a chain around a capped pipe and spin. Numerous variations based on weight and girth of pipe, length and weight of chain, hand position and rotation speed, etc.]
Eagle catcher

CIRCUIT:

Midi red: 10, 8

Heavy red: 8, 6

CoC #1.5: 6, 6
[4 closes r.h., 3 closes l.h.; 3 closes r.h., 2 closes l.h.]

1" wrist roller: 10kg x 3

2" wrist roller: 10kg x 3

2" finger roll: 1kg x 1
[I made this up. Hold both ends of the pipe and roll with fingers. Gotta go light!]

Extensor-flexor levering: 15-15, 15-15 @ 1kg

Plate hold: 1kg x 1 min
[I also improvised this. Hold the plate on the head of the leverage bar. You can rotate, twist, tilt, etc. the bar, but I just held the bar level, which was an awesome pump.]

+++

Had a reality check recently: I've only been working on my #1.5 for two weeks and have only been "seriously training" my grip for a couple months. Ergo, I need to slow down a tad, keep my wits, and forestall injury. I was reading various grip training sites earlier and was struck by how frequently the phrase "after a couple/few months" was used. A couple months, not weeks! I trained my grip quite heavily last Wednesday and my forearms, especially my left hand, were tender for a few days afterward. Life didn't make things better. In one class the following day, for example, two little girls asked me to lift them up, which I did (sucker!), and my forearms were aching for a little afterwards. An hour or two later a coworker asked to see the #1.5. He couldn't close it and wanted to see me do it. So I did (sucker!), once for each hand. Cue forearm aching for a couple hours.

The next night I hung out with some guys at a pool hall and gave a gyroscope "power ball" to one friend as a gift, whereupon a few other guys wanted to play with it. I got into the fun too (sucker!) and after we left one guy swung by to check out my home-gym equipment. Naturally I showed him the grippers and he tried to close the #1.5. He got very close with his right hand but had no chance with his left hand. The upshot is that he asked to see me close it, so I did (sucker!), a couple times for each hand. Cue forearm aching once more! I think it was the hard negatives I have been doing the last few workouts which have overtaxed my tendons. When I get back to crushing, I will "settle" for maximum efforts, even if they're "partials".

Last week my gf surprised me with a CoC #2 as a "Mother's Day gift" she asked me to pick up upon delivery (sucker!). She joked that I would tear it open and try it, but I explained that I'm actually afraid of it. My tendons have been complaining since late last week so last night I soaked my wrists in hot water and then iced them for at least half an hour. I decided to train today so I could take Monday off before training at the gym Tuesday. I lacked a certain confidence today and kept things short. I will ice my wrists again tonight but will not do any crushing at all, apart from what's involved in my normal workout, for a week. Meanwhile I will do plenty of icing and stretching. The week after I will see about a crushing workout, but won't do any hard negatives or extreme stabilizing work. This is good, actually, since I haven't been put in check by an injury for several weeks, even months. Very humbling, which is a path to virtue, too! So it's time to slow my roll and keep focused on prayer and study as I actively recover.

On top of that, the next two weeks I am doing a recovery cycle at higher volume (a 12, 10, 8 rep scheme at 90% of last week's intensity next week and at 95% the week after). I made some solid gains in the past month on my pilot run of the Even Keel regimen, so now it's time to get my endurance back up. Maybe that can be a real cycle: 4 weeks of Even Keel followed by 2 weeks of active recovery and higher volume. I have also taken to jogging again and need to keep at training my core.

Stay tuned.

Gym regimen - May 2011

Friday, 13 May 2011
Even Keel 1 Workout
60 mins, 97kg

WARMUP

CIRCUIT:

Pullup: 15, 11 + 5kg, 10 + 7kg

BP: 8, 6, 4 @ 75kg, 85kg, 95kg
[Spotter on rep 4 of set 3.]

Snatch DL: 8, 6, 6 @ 105kg, 120kg, 130kg
[Straps on sets 2 and 3.]

Standing press (EZ bar): 8, 6, 4 @ 45kg, 55kg, 65kg

Spider curl (EZ bar): 8 + 2, 6 + 4, 6 + 6 @ 35kg, 45kg, 50kg
[Wide + narrow grip.]

Front squat: 8, 6, 6 @ 70kg, 80kg, 85kg

“COOLDOWN”:

Reverse grip BP: 10 @ 60kg

Wide grip BP: 14 @ 70kg

Narrow grip BP: 13 @ 50kg

2” bar curl (narrow/wide): 5/5 @ 40kg

Grip goals…

Make a Rolling Thunder handle:
2" pipe, 6" length x 1
1–2' chain and carabener or oval lock
1.5"/1" T-coupling
1" pipe, 1' length
1"/2" flared coupling

Make 2 x 2 wrist/finger "roller":
LINK

Try cable fly negatives:
Set plates
Get handles into position at sagittal plane or so
Attach safety lock (oval lock or carabener)
Hold for time

Warmup with chain-flail:
Loop chain on pipe and spin!

Ice forearms every couple days:
Hot water… not so much

Gym regimen - May 2011

Wednesday, 11 May 2011

Grip training

30-40 mins, 97.5kg

WARMUP

Midi red: 12, 10

Heavy red: 7, 6

CoC #1.5:

6 [4 closes on right hand, 3 closes on left hand]

6 [3 closes on r.h., 2 closes on l.h.]

1 hard-neg ~20 secs

1 hard-neg ~10 secs

Midi red strap hold (1kg?):

l.h. ~30 secs

r.h. ~30 secs

l.h. ~20 secs

Leaning towel grab: 1+ min, 40 secs

[I wrapped the towel around an emergency crane post by the window and leaned by while grabbing the towel. Hard to go to failure on these, but they're quite unpleasant.]

Stool leveraging (brachioradialis, extensor, rotation)

r.h. 15, 15, 25 x 2

l.h. 20, 20, 30 x 2

+ + +

I did this workout at my cram school in a classroom not being used from 5-6PM, which was a boon, since I could blast the A/C and not be a sweaty beast for my next class.

My right hand is taking the lead over my left hand, so I need to do some supplemental training for my left hand. I had trouble keeping the gripper set right in my hand today. I have found my left pinky doesn't wrap far enough around my midi- and heavy-red grippers, so I am having to compensate for a posture weakness in that.

It should be another month before I invest in a #2 CoC. I think if I did a light warmup and tried for max closes on the #1.5 now, I could do 6 and 5 r.h./l.h. Stay tuned.

Gym regimen - May 2011

Even Keel Workout 2

50 mins, 97kg

WARMUP

CIRCUIT:

SQ: 8, 6, 4 @ 100kg, 112.5kg, 122.5kg

[When I asked the owner for a spot, he declined, saying, "That's… too dangerous. Do you really… need to do that heavy? We have a rack, etc." Weak sauce!]

Incline BP: 8, 6, 5* @ 70kg, 77.5kg, 85kg; Reverse-grip BP: 25 @ 40kg [LINK]

[Spotter on set 3. He and another guy commented on "how heavy" it was, "too heavy," might better I get a more suitable spotter next time. Weak sauce again! Reverse BP was a little awkward, as expected, but I think it will help my upper pecs.]

DL: 8, 6, 6* @ 110kg, 130kg, 160kg

[Straps on set 3. Quite a pump.]

Bar pushdown: 10, 8, 6 @ 35kg, 40kg, 45kg

Seated lever row: 10, 8, 8 @ 100kg, 115kg, 130kg

Seated db curl: 8, 6, 6 @ 18kg, 22kg, 22kg

+ + +

I think I should try db DLs this week or next week. Maybe it will simulate the feeling of a trap bar. I won't train grip again until Wednesday and will train Even Keel 1 Thursday. Saturday I'll train grip and do some floor presses (incl. reverse grips), core work, overhead squats, all lightish stuff, at home. I'm hoping to complete ten more chapters of SCG by next Monday. Stay tuned. It's nice not being distracted by Facebook anymore.

Grip training…

Saturday, 7 May 2011

30 mins

Warmup

Midi Red gripper: 12, 10

Heavy Red gripper: 10, 8

CoC #1.5: 8, 6, 1 hard-neg (~20 secs), 1 hard-neg (~10 secs)

Forearm bar: 12/12, 12/12 @ 14kg

Forearm curl (two-handed grab): 15, 12 @ 10kg

Extensor levering (table leg+): 12, 12 @ 1kg

Plate pinch: to-failure x 2 @ 12kg

[I inserted a 2kg palte between two 5kg plates, which was unwieldy to set up, but added a nice fail-detector: as my grip weakens, the 2kg-plate scrapes downward.]

2" dumbbell throttle: to-failure x 2 @ 12kg

2" wrist roller: 12kg x 3

+ + +

This was a scorching workout! I hurried home after class and had to train fast so we could get to a movie (Thor, which was better than I expected, not that I had low expectations, though I would have opted out of a 3D viewing) on time.

I closed the #1.5 twice with both hands, though my right hand had greater authority. Maybe it will only be a couple more months until I invest in #2!

I did a nice little ab/core workout tonight (gut wrencher, mace bell, ab wheel, etc.).

I'd like to do Even Keel #2 tomorrow, maybe in the early afternoon. I want a good night of sleep.

I had a disturbing dream last night about not being able to find my scooter/motorcycle in what was an existential blend of my college campus and my life as a teacher in Taiwan, as well as about covert cartel operations going on in my mom's house, unbeknownst to us for years. Well, God bless and Happy Mother's Day!