Gym regimen - December 2012

Friday, 1 December 2012 
10 x 10 
225 lbs, 60 min. 

CIRCUIT 1
FSQ - 130 lbs x 10
"Chandelier" - 100 lbs x 10
T-bar row - 100 lbs x 10

CIRCUIT 2
FSQ - 130 lbs x 10 x 4
"Chandelier" - 100 lbs x 10 x 4
T-bar row - 100 lbs x 10 x 4

CIRCUIT 3
FSQ - 130 lbs x 10
"Chandelier" - 100 lbs x 10
T-bar row - 100 lbs x 10

CIRCUIT 4 
FSQ - 130 lbs x 10 x 4
"Chandelier" - 100 lbs x 10 x 4
T-bar row - 100 lbs x 10 x 4

FINISH
Crunch machine - 90 lbs, 100 lbs, 110 lbs x 16, 14, 12 
Farmer walk - 180 lbs x 35 sec. x 3

Was recovering from a cold so I went lighter than I otherwise might have. I also had to "get out of my head" and into my motions for this workout. Chandeliers rock! 

Gym regimen - December 2012

Saturday, 1 December 2012 
10 x 10 
225 lbs, 60 min. 

CIRCUIT 1
SQ - 170 lbs x 10
BP - 160 lbs x 10
Cable pulldown - 150 lbs x 10

CIRCUIT 2
SQ - 170 lbs x 10 x 4
BP - 150 lbs x 10 x 4
Cable pulldown - 150 lbs x 10  x 4


CIRCUIT 3
SQ - 170 lbs x 10 x 5
BP - 150 lbs x 10, 10, 10, 8, 9* 
Cable pulldown - 150 lbs x 10 x 5

FINISH
Farmer walk - 180 lbs x 35 sec. x 3

Gym regimen - November 2012

Tuesday, 27 November 2012 
Even Keel "B"
50-60 min., 223 lbs.

Warm-up 
motions, stretching, imaging

Circuit 1 
FSQ : 9, 6, 3 @ 175, 200, 230 lbs.
Dips : 12, 11, 11
DL : 9, 6, 3 @ 275, 300, 330 lbs.

Circuit 2
Cable flye-away : 9, 9, 8 @ 120 lbs.
T-bar row : 9, 6, 4 @ 145, 155, 165 lbs.
Spider curl : 9, 9, 12 @ 70 lbs.

Finish 
N/A

Gym regimen - November 2012

Wednesday, 21 November 2012 
Even Keel "A" 
60+ min., 220 lbs. 

Warm-up -
motions, stretching, imaging

Circuit 1
SQ : 10, 8, 6, 6 @ 195, 225, 250, 260 lbs.
Decline BP : 10, 8, 6, 8 @ 165, 185, 205, 225 lbs.
SDL : 9, 7, 5, 3 @ 205, 230, 260, 305 lbs.

Circuit 2
db press (seated) : 9, 8, 6 @ 90, 100, 110 lbs.
PU (neutral grip) : 13, 11, 8
Squeeze-press : 10, 8, 8 @ 130 lbs.

Finish -
Farmer walk : 30 sec. @ 180 lbs. x 3

+++

Today was a busy day. An appointment at Homeland Security about immigration. Then a breakfast with my mom and wife and daughter at the Cool Moose Cafe. Then a run to Sam's to get Pampers. Then setting up a bank account for me and my wife. So by the time I got to the gym, I was a bit edgy and had no "zip". Plus, the past few days I haven't slept enough. So today was one of those "mental" workouts.

I should have gone heavier on my 4th set of SQ. Even so, I made gains in terms of stamina and strength. Slow and steady.,..

I did the decline BP just to "confuse" my muscles. I got a spot on the 4th set, which he counted as 9 reps, but I think it was only 8, so I'll just not count his spotted 9th rep.

I only used chalk on the 4th set of SDL, and no hook grip. I discovered that the key to a good grip is to press the hands down hard around the bar with your elbows perpendicular to the floor. If you start with your elbows tucked at all towards your body, the bar will roll down the palm and onto the fingers as the arms straighten.

On circuit 2 I didn't overdo anything. Felt confident in all lifts.  

The farmer walk was pretty grueling, but I can feel I've gained more stamina and power from it compared to the two prior efforts.

Happy Thanksgiving, stay tuned, and God bless!

Gym regimen - November 2012

Saturday, 17 November 2012 
Even Keel "B"
60 min., 218 lbs.

Warm-up 
motions, stretching, imaging

Circuit 1 
FSQ : 10, 8, 6, 5 @ 155, 175, 195, 215 lbs.
Dips : 12, 12, 12, 12
DL : 9, 7, 6, 5 @ 225, 255, 285, 315 lbs.

Circuit 2
Flye-away : 8, 8, 7 @ 140 lbs.
T-bar row : 9, 7, 6 @ 145, 150, 155 lbs.
Spider curl : 9, 9, 6 @ 60, 70, 80 lbs.

Finish 
Farmer walk : 30 sec. @ 180 lbs. x 3

+ + +

Sunday, 18 November 2012 
25 min. 

Planche walks
Hanging leg inversions
Neck tugs (with lawn mower and resistance bands) 

+ + + 

Monday, 19 November 2012 
30 min.

Medicine ball & Sledgehammer throws + walking equipment to and from the park

+ + +

The chalk not only made my hook grip work, at last (plus I made sure to tuck the web of my thumb deep around the bar), but the hook grip also gave me good results on the DL.

The T-bar row was humbling, since it lopped off about 70 lbs. from my cable row. My mid-back is still sore, which is great.

In the same vein, my pecs are more sore than they've been in a long time--two days running now--, so I guess the flye-away did its job this time in spades.

My core and neck are also sore from what I did Sunday.

Training in the park today was fun. A father and his daughter were there trying to shoot a gas rocket, and a teenage boy was pitching baseballs at the tennis court fence. As I did my hammer throws, my daughter grunted and cooed in time. Nice cool, overcast weather. Thanksgiving weather. 

Weight!

Well, I just used my mom's "Withings" scale system and it indicates I'm only 210 lbs! That was on carpet, so I tried it on a tile floor and it showed 219 lbs. My mom said it's "adjusted for soft surfaces" (whatever that means), so I tried it again and got 210 lbs again.

This is extremely irritating. The scale at the gym says I'm over 220 lbs, so unless I'm wearing 10 lbs of clothing at the gym (!), I've got a loooong way to go to my goal of 242 lbs (110 kg).

This angers me more than I can express, not so much because I may be lighter than I thought--after all, a higher power-to-weight ratio is a good thing--, but mainly because, once again, "advanced technology" makes life more frustrating. I just want to know my weight, not my electrolyte balance, my BMI, fat ratio, my density on a hard vs. soft surface, etc. JUST MY WEIGHT! So now I'll have to go to Publix to weigh myself on their old-school scale. I plan to hit the gym later today, so hopefully I can test the gym scale with some plates.

Gym regimen -- November 2012

Tuesday, 14 November 2012 
Even Keel "A" 
50-60 min., 220lbs (100kg)

Warm-up
stretching, motions, imaging

Circuit 1
SQ : 9, 6, 6 @ 225lbs, 245lbs, 265lbs
Gironda neck press : 10, 6, 6 @ 155lbs, 175lbs, 185lbs
SDL : 9, 5, 1/1/1 @ 205lbs, 245lbs, 285lbs

Circuit 2
bb press : 9, 6, 5 @ 100lbs, 110lbs, 120lbs
PU (neutral grip) : 13, 11, 10
Squeeze-press : 9, 4/4, 6/4 @ 130lbs, 140lbs/130lbs, 130lbs

Finish
N/A

+ + +

My stomach felt upset all day but I still went to the gym. I saw gains in all lifts.

I was very frustrated by my grip problems on the SDL. I can't get the hook grip right!!

My 3rd set of PU were overhanded on the bar, but used only fingers.

140lbs was too much for 2nd set of squeeze-press. The last 4 reps of 3rd set were regular db presses.

I'm hoping to get a B workout in before we go out of town for Thanksgiving.

By the way, my latest off-day experiment has been in sledgehammer tossing, medicine ball drills, and chain flinging. The effort of carrying the equipment to and from the field is also part of the workout. Fun times!

Gym regimen - November 2012

Friday, 9 November 2012
Even Keel "B" 
60 min., 219 lbs. (98kg)

Warm-up 
motions, stretching, imaging (I used a bar this time, instead of a mop handle. Cool feeling.)

Circuit 1
FSQ - 9, 6, 4, 10 @ 165lbs, 185lbs, 205lbs, 135lbs
Dips - 11, 11, 11, 12 (-40lbs assist)
DL -  9, 6, 6, 6 @ 225lbs, 255lbs, 300lbs, 245lbs

Circuit 2
Flye-away - 8, 8, 9* @ 130lbs (Really 9 reps? I guess I had a good rest for the last set!)
Pulldown - 9, 9, 8 @ 190lbs, 200lbs, 210lbs
Supine cable curl - 10, 10, 9 @ 120lbs, 130lbs, 140lbs

Finish 
N/A

+  +  +

The election depressed me and I didn't sleep enough some days this week, plus I had eaten an early lunch without an afternoon coffee, so I was feeling weak for this workout. I went down in weight on FSQ and DL compared to last week, though I believe I could have done more on DL. I once again forgot to bring my notes from the previous workout, so I was flying blind.  On the other hand, I went up in weight on every other exercise and added nearly a pound of body weight. Happily, I found a slightly wider dip stand and felt a really good pump on the flyeaway.

I worked out much of my gloom about the election and my intellectual hobby these days matches my pre-workout theme song, Rage Against the Machine's "Know Your Enemy". We all lose and all err, but only losers stay defeated, only fools remain ignorant. No retreat, no surrender.  Stay tuned.

Gym regimen - November 2012

Monday, 5 November 2012 
Even Keel "A" 
60 min., 218lbs (98kg)

Warm-up
stretching, motions, imaging

Circuit 1
SQ : 9, 6, 6 @ 215lbs, 240lbs, 255lbs
Gironda neck press : 9, 9, 6* @ 135lbs, 165lbs, 185lbs
SDL : 9, 5, 4* @ 205lbs, 255lbs, 285lbs

Circuit 2
bb press :12, 6, 7 @ 90lbs, 100lbs, 110lbs
PU (neutral grip) : 13, 10, 10
Squeeze-press : 12, 7, 9 @ 120lbs, 130lbs, 130lbs

Finish
N/A

+ + + 

Braced with my feet on 6th rep of 3rd set of neck press. Used straps on 3rd set of SDL. Really want to get back to the hook grip, but it's eluded me for the past few months; just doesn't feel right like before. I'm not going to hit the gym again, not in a heavy way, at least, until Friday. Body needs a rest! I've been sooo hungry all evening.

Go vote--upward, not forward!

Gym regimen - November 2012

Friday, 2 November 2012
Even Keel "B" 
50-60 min., 218 lbs. (98.5kg)

Warm-up 
motions, stretching, imaging

Circuit 1
FSQ - 9, 6, 3 @ 185lbs, 205lbs, 225lbs
Dips - 10, 10, 10
DL -  9, 6, 4 @ 225lbs, 275lbs, 315lbs

Circuit 2
Pulldown (close V-handle) - 9, 9, 6 @ 190lbs, 200lbs, 210lbs
Flye-away - 9, 9, 9 @ 120lbs
Supine cable curl - 9, 9, 9 @ 110lbs, 120lbs, 130lbs

Finish 
db farmer walk : 20-25 sec. w/ 190 lbs. x 3

+   +   +

I didn't post my records from last weeks workouts and then left the notes at work on Friday, so I can't show any detailed comparisons. Nonetheless, my A regimen last week was up in every exercise from the week before and this B workout is, I'm pretty certain, up from last week, too. Actually, the DL felt a little too easy. But... patience, humility, confidence, double progression.

I decided to switch dips into circuit 1 instead of the flye-aways, mainly because dips are harder and thus fit better with the compound, HIT nature of circuit 1. I also liked staying at the same weight for the flye-aways, since it took out the psychological snag I have sometimes with heavier weights in chest training.

Felt a little squishy on the first two sets of FSQ, but that was largely due to mental distractions (guy on a cell phone behind me talking about money, etc.). I'm still not totally sure about my foot position on the FSQ, but I loved going wider than usual on my SQ for regimen A. I had bruises on my delts the next day from the FSQ--hoorah!

The farmer walks at the end were a lot of fun. (Errm, as in "fun".) I've decided to train my abs mostly by daily vacuuming and off-day planche/plank training. A nice idea: finish my workouts with a farmer-walk/high leg raise triplet circuit.

Also, I hadn't mentioned it before, but on off-days what I like to do (aside from procrastinate, read and think about how I should be training) is the following, which I've done three or four times in the past couple weeks: jump rope, sledge hammer drills, medicine ball drills, jump rope, repeat x 3, then finish with hand balancing.

Onward (but not FORWARD)!

Gym regimen - October 2012

Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Even Keel "A"
50 min., 216 lbs. (98kg)

Warm-up
stretching, motions, imaging

Circuit 1 
SQ : 9, 6, 6 @ 185lbs, 205lbs, 245lbs
Gironda neck press : 9, 9, 6 @ 115lbs, 150lbs, 185lbs
SDL :9, 6, 4 @ 205lbs, 225lbs, 245lbs

Circuit 2 
Press : 9, 8, 6* @ 90lbs, 100lbs, 110lbs
PU : 15***, 13***, 10*** [the last three reps were "jump-ups" wherein I dropped into a squat and jumped up to the bar for a rep]
Squeeze press : 10, 10, 8 @ 100lbs, 110lbs, 120lbs

Finish
Abs : high leg lifts : 10, 9, 8

Gym regimen - October 2012

Friday, 26 October 2012
Even Keel "B"
50 min., 216 lbs (98kg)

Warm-up 
stretching, motions, imaging

Circuit 1
FSQ : 9, 6, 5 @ 155lbs, 175lbs, 195lbs
Flye-away : 10, 10, 10 @ 90lbs, 100lbs, 110lbs
DL : 9, 6, 6 @ 235lbs, 255lbs, 275lbs

Circuit 2
Pulldown : 9, 7, 6 @ 190lbs, 200lbs, 210lbs
Dips : 8, 8, 8
Supine cable curl : 12, 10, 10 @ 90lbs, 100lbs, 110lbs

Finish
N/A

Gym regimen - October 2012

Monday, 22 October 2012
Even Keel (A)
50 min., 216 lbs. (98kg)

Warm-up - stretching, motions

..........Circuit 1
SQ : 10, 8, 8 @ 160lbs, 180lbs, 205lbs
Gironda neck press : 10, 8, 6 @ 115lbs, 135lbs, 175lbs
SDL : 10, 8, 6 @ 160lbs, 205lbs, 225lbs
..........Circuit 2
Press : 10, 8, 6 @ 90lbs, 100lbs, 110lbs
Squeeze press : 10, 8, 8 @ 100lbs, 110lbs, 120lbs
PU : 13, 10, 8
..........Abs
High leg raises : 10, 9, 8 

+++

A much more satisfying workout than last week. I weighed in at 221lbs, as expected. Better form on all exercises. No bolts of pain. Good warm-up. Stay tuned.

(I intend to post the differences in my volume this week compared to last week. Basically, while I did more volume last week, it was too much too soon, and I trained at higher intensity this week.)

Gym regimen - October 2012

Thursday, 18 October 2012
Even Keel (B)
50 min., 213 lbs (96.5kg)

Warm-up: stretching, motions, aerobic (bike and ski machines)

...........Circuit 1
FSQ: 9, 6, 3 @ Overhead lunges : 20, 20, 20 @ 20lbs, 30lbs, 40lbs
Flye-away : 8, 8, 8 @ 80lbs, 90lbs, 100lbs
DL : 9, 6, 6 @ Standing shrug : 10, 10, 10 @ 250lbs, 300lbs, 350lbs

...........Circuit 2
Seated pulldown : 10, 8, 6 @ 180lbs
Quasi-Gironda dips : 10, 9, 7**
Supine cable curl (rope handle) : 10, 9, 6 @ 87lbs, 98lbs, 120lbs

Abs: 8 high knee raises, 8 leg raise-rotations, 8 high knee raises

+ + +

My legs have been extremely sore for the past three days. Walking, kneeling, getting into and out my car, descending stairs, kneeling, etc. have been delicate acts, indeed. Today, warming up on my first overhead squat (bar only), I felt a bolt of pain shoot down my right thigh from knee to groin. Monday's squatting and deadlifting, after so long away, had really shocked my legs. So, after a few minutes of ginger stretching and re-assessing, I decided to convert my SQ and DL into aerobic work and heavy shrugs. Humility, Patience, Confidence, Adaptation. The overhead lunges felt good, a brisk anaerobic challenge.

I did my flye-aways differently than the author from whom I learned them (Roman Fitness System). For him, one rep = press + flye open + return (to pecs), whereas for me, one rep = press + flye + flye shut (over chest) + lower to pecs for a new rep to press.

The lat pulldown felt awesome, very tough, with the neutral grip bar. It really opened and activated my lats.

Next time I'll use strict Gironda form for the dips, by turning my knuckles inward. This time I used a standard hand position and tucked my knees up.

By "high" knee raises, I mean that my feet went over the pull-up car on most reps and over my head on all reps. Oof!

I've gained 2lbs this week and seem to have lost some body fat. 222lbs by next Monday?!

Gym regimen - Oct 2012 - and some nostalgia...

15 October 2012
Even Keel "A"
210 lbs (95kg), 50 min.

Warmup - motions
...........Circuit 1
SQ - 10, 10, 4 @ 185 lbs, 205 lbs, 215 lbs
Gironda neck press - 10, 8, 6 @ 115 lbs, 135 lbs, 155 lbs
SDL - 10, 6, 4 @ 185 lbs, 205 lbs, 215 lbs
...........Circuit 2
Press - 10, 6, 4 @ 90 lbs, 100 lbs, 110 lbs
Squeeze-press - 10, 10, 10 @ 85 lbs, 85 lbs, 110 lbs (I foolishly used uneven db's the first set, so I flipped them the second set to balance things out.)
PU (neutral) - 12*, 9*, 6* (Included leg lifts on concentric rise.) 

I'll be keeping my notes in pounds from here on out, at least until I'm back in Taiwan, or some other metric-based area. Just for curiosity's sake, I'll present the above data in metric units and compare them to my last Even Keel "A" workout nearly four months ago.

...........Circuit 1
SQ - 10, 10, 4 @ 84kg, 93kg, 97.5kg 
Gironda neck press - 10, 8, 6 @ 52kg, 61kg, 70kg 
SDL - 10, 6, 4 @ 84kg, 93kg, 97.5kg 
...........Circuit 2 
Press - 10, 6, 4 @ 41kg, 45kg, 50kg 
Squeeze-press - 10, 10, 10 @ 38.5kg, 38.5kg, 50kg 
PU (neutral) - 12*, 9*, 6* 

I have never done a Gironda neck press until today, so I have no prior basis for comparison. On 24 June, 2012 I did the following:

50 min., 99kg

...........Circuit 1
SQ: 10, 6, 5 @ 90, 105, 120
BP: 10, 8, 6* @ 75, 85, 95 (not comparable to the Gironda neck press, but there it is)
SDL: 10, 6, 5* @ 90, 110, 127.5
...........Circuit 2
Press: 9, 6, 3* @ 50, 55, 60
db flye: 12, 10, 8 @ 36, 40.5, 45
PU: 8/3, 8/3, Ø

Obviously, I've fallen behind, but there's no need to rush into injury. Today was a "recon" and refresher workout. Patience, humility, confidence, progression.

Now, out of further curiosity's sake, I'll present my stats, in an order revised to match what I trained today, from my first Even Keel "A" workout (on 8 February 2012), after having been out of the gym for several months, possibly a year. Those numbers should more closely resemble today's efforts. Indeed, my body weight then and now is roughly the same.

50 min., 96kg

...........Circuit 1
Squat 9, 6, 3 @ 70kg, 82.5kg, 100kg
Bench press 9, 6, 3** @ 70kg, 80kg, 90kg [Major spot for last 2 reps of set 3.]
Snatch DL 8, 6, 4* @ 110kg, 110kg, 120kg [Used straps for last 2 sets of set 3. They cut like razors, must buy my own!]
...........Circuit 2
Standing military press 9, 6, 4 @ 28kg, 42kg, 48kg
Bench EZ curl 9, 6, 4* @ 23kg, 28kg, 38kg [Body cheat on rep 4 of set 3 and then a 10-second negative to finish.]
Pullup 12, 9 + 5kg, 7 + 5kg 

It's good to see that the last two months of conditioning and greasing the groove (dips, pullups, T-bell swings, pushups, Jungle Gym, etc.) have put me in a position slightly better than where I was in February 2012. I had minimal 'body English' and no spotting in today's workout. I invested in some high quality protein, creatine, and glucosamine after the workout, so I'm expecting to hit 100kg (220lbs) in a week or two. Wish me pluck!

Revised Even Keel regimen, for reference...

Joined Olympia Gym on Normandy Blvd. this weekend. Will start back up again with Even Keel, then work into the Dan-John+Lee-Apperson three-day split I brainstormed yesterday. 

Even Keel A
...........Circuit 1
SQ: 10, 6, 5 @ 90, 105, 120
Gironda BP: 10, 8, 6* @ 75, 85, 95
SDL: 10, 6, 5* @ 90, 110, 127.5  
...........Circuit 2
Press: 9, 6, 3* @ 50, 55, 60
Squeeze press: 12, 10, 8 @ 36, 40.5, 45
PU: 8/3, 8/3, Ø

Even Keel B
...........Circuit 1
FSQ: 9, 6, 3 @ 75, 85, 100
Flye-away: 9, 6, 6* @ 70, 80, 85
DL: 9, 6, 6 @ 110, 120, 140
...........Circuit 2
Wide dips: 12, 10, 10 @ 50kg
Seated pulldown: 9, 6, 6 @ 111, 113, 115
Seated cable curl: 10, 9, 8* @ 50, 54, 58

This plus that...

This session of brainstorming, care of Dan John + Lee Apperson yielded:

Monday: 30% x 15, 70% x 8, 90% x 3 (or failure) 
SQ - PUSH
BP - PUSH
DL - PULL

Wednesday: 30% x 5, 40% x 5, 50% x 5, 60% x 5, 70% x 5
Overhead Squat - PUSH
CJ - PULL-PUSH
SDL - PULL

Friday: 30% x 12, 50% x 12, 70% x 6 (or failure) 
FSQ - PUSH 
IBP - PUSH
weighted PU - PULL 

After some further reading, care of Roman Fitness System, I'd amend this, like so:

Monday: 30% x 15, 70% x 8, 90% x 3 (or failure) 
SQ - PUSH
Gironda BP or Wide Dips - PUSH
DL - PULL

Wednesday: 30% x 5, 40% x 5, 50% x 5, 60% x 5, 70% x 5
Overhead Squat - PUSH
CJ - PULL-PUSH
SDL - PULL

Friday: 30% x 12, 50% x 12, 70% x 6 (or failure) 
FSQ - PUSH 
Squeeze Press or Fly-Away - PUSH
weighted PU - PULL

Lastly, here is a good cautionary post on these issues: http://www.rookiejournal.com/vince-gironda-neck-press-chest-builder-or-shoulder-destroyer.html

Grip training & fitness update - August 2012

Sunday, 26 August 2012
30 min., 99kg

In the following order… 

Jumping jacks, T-bell swings, med ball slams

Jumping jacks, T-bell swings, med ball slams

Stretching

Hand standing

CoC #2 - 4 reps (2 closes)

Hand standing

CoC #1.5 - 10 closes (+3 l.h.)

Hand standing

CoC #1.5 - 10 closes

Jumping jacks, T-bell swings, med ball slams

+ + +

Monday, 27 August 2012
De Lisle SEAL exercises - beginner

Warm-up & stretching - 15'

Upper body - 11'30"

Lower body - 9'15"

Aerobic - ø

TOTAL TIME - 35'45"

[I was interrupted by family just at the end of my lower body routine, so it could have been a little faster, and I probably would have gone for a run. I'll be doing this routine every (week)day for the next two weeks, though, so giving myself a little break today will have to be fine.]

Fitness update - August 2012

Monday, 20 August 2012
De Lisle SEAL Exercises - Beginner

Warm-up & Stretching - 15'00"

Upper Body - 11'15"

Lower Body - 9'45"

Aerobic - T-bell swings, jump rope, medicine ball toss-catch-hike - 8'20"

TOTAL TIME: 44'20" 


Tuesday, 21 August 2012
Greasing the Groove

16 push-ups x 8 sets

20 T-bell swings x 8 sets

3 eagle loop chin-ups x 4 sets


Wednesday, 22 August 2012
De Lisle SEAL Exercises - Beginner

Warm-up & Stretching - 14'00"

Upper Body - 12'20"

Lower Body - 10'20"

Aerobic - ø

TOTAL TIME: 36'40" (projected 45'00" if I had done aerobic)

An interesting thing about this workout is that I used the sling-bar and eagle loops for most of my pull-ups.


UPDATE:

Friday, 24 August 2012
De Lisle SEAL Exercises

Warm-up & stretching - 15'50"

Upper body - 14'30"

Lower body - 9'50"

Aerobic - 8'20"

TOTAL TIME: 48'30"

My upper-body time was longer today because I did more reps. Instead of doing a 1-2-1 pyramid for pull-ups, for instance, I did a 2-2-2 pyramid. Instead of doing a 2-4-2 push-up pyramid, likewise, I did a 3-4-3 pyramid. Next week I go to a M-F routine but I will limit myself to

Fitness notes - August 2012

Friday, 17 August 2012
49'30", 100kg

Warm-up + Stretching - 16'

Upper body - 13'30"

Lower body - 11'30"

Aerboic - 8'30"
T-bell swings - 20, 20 @ 15kg 
FSQ - 20, 20 @ 23kg 
Medicine ball lunges - 20, 20 @ 5.4kg
Medicine ball high kicks - 20, 20 @ 5.4kg

--------
TOTAL - 49'30"

My time increased by about 4 minutes from last time, but again I lost some time on tweaking equipment in a small garage, and did a minute more of aerobic. 

+ + + + + 

Sunday, 19 August 2012
25 min., 100kg

Warm-up - resistance bands, stretching, hangs

Medicine ball toss-and-twist - 40 x 3 @ 5.4kg

Medicine ball overhead toss - 10, 10, 10/10 x 3 @ 5.4.kg

T-bell swings - 20 x 3 @ 15kg

Grip crushing - CoC #2 - 8, 8, 8
[Two closes l.h., Three closes r.h.]

+ + + 

I liked working my forearms by hanging from my dowel-sling set-up: the dowel rotates in the loops, thus a little like the "rolling thunder". Plus, it's a good stretch.

For the toss-and-twists, I tossed the medicine ball up and caught it off to one side, then the other, etc. Good core and hip work.

For the overhead toss, I tossed the medicine ball up and caught it with one hand ten times, then the other hand ten times, then from hand to hand twenty times.

My new approach with Captains of Crush is not to wear out my grip with a lot of pyramids. Rather, I'm going straight for the #2 most of the time. Also, instead of doing a lot of reps in a row for each hand, I alternate hands each rep, so I'm "fresh" for every attempt. 

First day of school tomorrow. Very early mornings for me from here on out. Feeling a bit skittish, but excited. Pre-game butterflies, you might say. I also really want to keep up my SEAL exercise regimen. I'm going to draw up a spreadsheet of my times so I can chart my progress.

Fitness update - August 2012

Wednesday, 15 August 2012
45 min., 100kg

Warm-up: Jumping jacks, lunges, medicine ball tosses - 5 min.

Stretching: 10'

Upper body: 11'30"

Lower body: 10'20"

Aerobic: 7'30"
T-bell swings - 25 @ 15kg x 2
Lunges with 5kg medicine ball - 24 x 2
Walking medicine ball tosses - 15 x 2
Walking high kicks with medicine ball - 20 x 2 
Medicine ball slams - 20 @ 5kg

+ + +

I used a sling I had hung over a rafter, with a sturdy dowel in the loops, for my reverse and narrow-grip pull-ups, as well as for my hanging knee lifts. Next week I'd like to start using my eagle loops for reverse, close-grip, wide-grip pull-ups, and knee lifts.

My time on the circuits dropped again, which is nice, even allowing for some delays due to messing with equipment here and there. I like using a lumbar support I found on a chair at home for my ab exercises (it's the Ab Mat on the cheap!). Due to my shin splints, I did not run or jump, but the drills I did were a good challenge.

I think I'll practice head stands, hand standing, and grip crushing tomorrow.

Fitness update - August 2012 …

Tuesday, 14 August 2012 
40 min., 100kg

Warmup: 3/8 mile jog, 20 medicine ball slams, stretching - 10 min.

----

T-bell swing: 20 @ 15kg x 6

Hand stand: 4 sessions, some good holds

----

Grip training:

CoC #1.5 : 10 closes

CoC #2 : 1 close + 4 reps

CoC #1.5 : 10 closes r.h., 10 reps (8 closes) l.h.

+ + + +

This whole workout took about 40 minutes. My shin splints are a problem, to be sure, and I may need to replace jogging/sprinting with lunges, box jumps, striding, calf raises, split jumps, goblet squats, and high kicks for a while.

Closing the CoC #2 was a nice surprise! I guess doing more pull-ups and push-ups and hand stands has paid off. Apparently, "greasing the groove" with my eagle loops a week or two ago was very beneficial. As such, I intend to replace the reverse grip pull-ups (aka "chin-ups") and wide-grip pull-ups in the SEAL regimen I'm doing with eagle loops pull-ups.

Fitness notes... August 2012

This Saturday (11 August) morning I spent about an hour on trimming hedges and yard clean-up. Then in the afternoon I did the following: 

First...

Warmup & stretching : 5-10 min.

Jump rope : 100 skips x 3

T-bell swings : 25 @ 33 lbs. x 3

Medicine ball slams : 20 @ 12 lbs. x 3

Then...

Running :
200 yard warm-up
100 yard sprint + jog back x 4

+ + + + +

I took it easy on Sunday.

+ + + + +

Yesterday I did Lisle's beginner Navy SEAL regimen. 

Warmup : jumping jacks, T-bell swings, medicine ball slams

Stretching : 10 minutes

Upper body : 11'30"

Lower body : 11'10"

Running : 1 mile in 8'20"

My total time went from 56 minutes (August 10) to 47 minutes and my mile-time went from 8'50" to 8'20". Knowing the exercises better made the drills go faster and I felt much less "dead" for the run compared to last time. Unfortunately, though, halfway through the mile I seemed to be pretty dehydrated: my arms weren't sweating! Plus, at the end of the run, my lower legs were killing me. Shin splints. Need to ice them and take things slowly.

Fitness update... Life update...

Where were we? And where should I start?

The latter half of July, at least, was consumed by preparations to move my family to Florida for a new teaching job. My last workout in the gym was around July 12, I guess. Likewise, the first half of August has been consumed by settling into a new home and job. But fitness is a must.

From then until now, in order to maintain fitness, I've mainly been applying Rich Bryda's methods, a lot of "greasing the groove", in other words. I was doing 100+ pull-ups every day for two weeks, and then 200+ T-bell swings, and nearly 100 pull-ups the past week. I have assembled a T-bell, purchased a "real" 12-lb. medicine all (yippee!), hung my eagle loops up in the garage as soon as I arrived, and just today purchased a great floor rug to serve as a jump rope mat (face-down) and as a handstand pad (face-up). I'm itching to get some gymnastic rings, but I will wait until Christmas.

I'm going to be very busy with a new job-- a "real" teaching job, mind you, which entails lots of red tape and new-teacher meetings and on-going steps for certification (oooyyyy...)-- so I'm trying to find a realistic but rewarding regimen for the present and next few weeks. To wit....

At my favorite used bookstore, Chamblin Book Mine, I stumbled upon Mark De Lisle's 1996 Navy SEAL Exercises (though it now goes by the less judicious name, The Navy SEAL Workout). I was impressed and have decided to give it a go for the next twelve weeks. Two reasons I liked what Lisle was offering were 1) he places major emphasis on stretching before, during, and after working out, and 2) he provides beginner, intermediate, and advanced regimens. It's also a very low-hype book, with a classically deceptively simple pyramid structure. All in all, there's a magnificent emphasis on progression and discipline.

So, I decided to begin today... at the beginner level. Not that I have no background in fitness training, but I realized that, between my new responsibilities as a teacher and the cumulative demands of the intermediate (versus beginner) regimen, I should give my body time to progress and "desire" more challenges as time goes on.

So, my workout today was:

Lisle SEAL-B
20'
22'
8'51"

Without reproducing the whole book here, I'll explain the regimen and my goals for the next twelve weeks.

I. Warmup and stretching
A. I'll do jump rope, T-bell swings, medicine ball drills, etc. to warmup, and go through the whole series of stretching as Lisle advises.
1. This, he says, should take 15-20 minutes. It took me about 20 minutes today, mostly because I had to keep referring to the book, which took up extra time.

II. Upper Body
A. Pull-ups - 5 kinds
B. Dips - 4 sets of 5
C. Push-ups - 4 kinds

III. Lower Body
A. 15 kinds of abdominal and core exercises, divided into 5 triplets, with a "cobra stretch" (fore, port, starboard) between each triplet

IV. Running / Swimming
A. Lisle specifies running, jogging, sprinting, stairs, etc. and freestyle, side stroke, and breast stroke
1. Happily, I have access to a pool at my school... and roads wherever I am. Stairs, though, are harder to come by here than in Taiwan! 

As Lisle specifies, I rest 15 seconds between each exercise. I take a slightly longer water break between exercise changes (I.A. to I.B., from upper to lower body, and before running).

(Indeed, I bought a Timex Expedition Classic watch for this new regimen! Granted, it will serve me well in class and in the gym, but, gosh, there's nothing like inspiration. Maybe I like Lisle's program because it reminds me so much of my crew training.)

The upper and lower body circuits took me 22 minutes and I ran for 8'51" (a mile and change). All in all, therefore, counting transition times, this took me under and hour. Very reasonable.

For the first two weeks I do this only on MWF. On "off" days, I will do a combo of T-bell swings, jump rope, medicine ball drills, hand/headstands, and grip training.

The beginner pyramid is a "measly" 1-2-1 for each kind of pull-up, 4 sets of 5 dips, and 2-4-2 for each kind of push-up. The key is not to sacrifice form on any rep.

After 2 weeks (weeks 1 and 2), up the pyramids (on MWF) to 1-2-3-2-1, 4 sets of 5, and 2-4-6-4-2.

After 4 weeks, switch to training M-F.

Once those first four weeks have passed, I will move to the intermediate regimen for MWF. The pyramid structure is too tedious to explain here, but it's a good jump up from the beginner load. After two weeks on MWF, I will do the intermediate regimen M-F.

I'm so pleased with Lisle's program, I also recently acquired his newer Navy SEAL Breakthrough to Master Level Fitness, and I'd actually recommend it over the first SEAL Exercises book. It provides a much better organized weekly schedule, I like the choice of stretches better, and the inclusion of actual leg exercises (!) in the lower body routine is more satisfying. Once a rower....

Stay tuned.

Gym regimen - July 2012

Friday, 13 July 2012
modified Quick Mass workout
45 min. + 10 min., 103kg

I've been feeling a bit run down all week (last weekend was grueling and during the summer in Taiwan I tend to get "sweat colds" from the oscillations between heat, sweat, chills, warm winds, etc.), so I decided to mix things up for this workout. I was very pleased with the results. I basically split my rearranged order for the Quick Mass workout into two circuits (A and B––creative, huh?). I ended up tacking on a "second session" for my back and abs so I could try out a couple new toys I had made.

Warmup: motions, stretching, imaging, etc.

Session 1

SQ:  5, 4, 5 @ 100, 105, 110

FSQ: 5, 4, 5 @ 85, 90, 100

BP: 5, 4, 7* @ 90, 92.5, 95

[Spotter on last rep of last set. Should go a smidgen heavier next time.]

bb curl: 5, 5, 6 @ 45

[Should go a tad heavier next time.]

Leg curl: 5, 5, 3 @ 62

[Too heavy!!! Hope my hams are okay this weekend.]

Standing calf raise: 8, 8, 8 @ 105–110

"Session 2"

[The weights below are estimates, since I wasn't really counting them as part of my workout. I was just trying out my  handmade eagle loops.] 

One-arm cable row: 10 @ 35

Eagle loop PU: ~10–15 reps @ bdw with various finger configurations 

Eagle loop one-arm cable row: 10 @ 35

Ab pulldown: 12, 18 @ 30

Fitness notes - July 2012

Wednesday, 11 July 2012
20–30 min., 104kg 

I felt too nervous trying handwalking and handstands on the stone floor in the quad outside my apartment, which made it hard to focus and really try, so I ended up doing wall stands. I used four interlocking rubber mats to protect my head on the floor.

Stretching

Wall stands: 5–15 sec. several times

Wall-aided salamba sirsasana (asana column): 5–15 sec. several times

Tripod headstands: 10–30 sec. several times

By the end of this workout, sweat was literally dripping off of me. 

The key, I realized today, for training the salamba sirsasana, is to move my body a little farther from the wall each time I practice, so I can gradually learn to balance with confidence, until I can do it without a wall at all. 

Thursday, 12 July 2012
30–40 min., 103kg

I was still quite sore from my Quick Mass workout on Tuesday, but I was also antsy and needed some kind of exercise, so I walked the track for thirty minutes while practicing Pimsleur Spanish. Every lap I did about 50 meters of jump rope jogging, followed by another 50 skips or so in place. After all that, I practice handstands for about ten minutes. Boy howdy, what a difference practicing on a firm, safe surface made! I wasn't scared of crashing onto stone (as I had been Wednesday night), but also wasn't weakened by an uneven grassy surface (as I was last week). I did several good tries at handwalking, and held a few handstands for nearly ten seconds. The key, as Patrick Barrett in How to Do a Handstand advises, is that I didn't just blindly hop up into a handstand again and again. Rather, I analyzed how I fell, to which side I leaned, etc., and tried to correct for those flaws on the next attempt. I really felt secure when I tucked my buttocks and pointed my toes upward as high, so to speak, as they could go. My traps have been nicely sore from the handstands, though my neck is a bit kinked from last night's practice.

Until next time!

Gym regimen - July 2012

Tuesday, 10 July 2012
Quick Mass workout
45–47 min., 104kg

This weekend I decided to rearrange the order of the Quick Mass workout. I wanted to be able give all I can to "the big lifts" (squat, bench press, row, bb curl, etc.). I read a lot of stuff by Rich Bryda this weekend, and had a lot of my ideas about strength training challenged. I highly recommend Bryda's materials. He gets right to the point and guarantees results without hype. While Bryda's persepctive (basically, "focus on the total number of reps in a given time period, especially as performed over several sets") took some of the wind out of the sails for me with this Quick Mass workout, I'm going to stick to it, since I know it's a short term tactic, and I know why I'm doing it. 

Oh, and you'll notice my bodyweight is up to 104kg, maybe more by now. So I've accomplished one goal before returning to the USA.

I had a really draining weekend, and was out too late last night due to my birthday revelry, so I was not feeling 100% at all tonight. In any event, here's what I did….

Warmup: stretching, motions, imaging, etc.

SQ: 10 @ 120

Leg extension: 10 @ 95

bb curl: 10* @ 50

[Lots of body English on these –– but NO WONDER, since I did 50kg, falsely thinking I'd done the same weight last Thursday, though I'd really only done 42.5kg! D'oh! To make up for the eccentric body cheating, I did good concentric negatives on the last few reps.]

BP: 10* @ 90

[I'd originally wanted to do BP before curls, but "Sonic the Chesthog" was on the bench for a long time, and I just didn't feel like cutting in. These felt pretty good, and the spot on the final rep made it a nice "high intensity" set.]

Leg curl: 10 @ 56 (?)

Standing calf raise:  15 @ 105 (?)

Press: 10* @ 55

[I felt stronger on these last week, but, of course, I had done them before my bench and other exercises, as the original Quick Mass order had it.]

PU: 10*** @ bdw + 7.5

[I was getting pooped. Three decent negatives at the end.]

Seated tricep press: 12 @ 35

[Too light!]

Neutral grip semi-supine PU: 12 / 3 @ bdw

[I improvised these, since I didn't want to deal with an annoyingly easy seated cable row. I grabbed the neutral handles, rested my toes on the window ledge in front of the pullup tower, and rowed up semi-prone. Then I did three reps of neutral grip pullups. Fried.]

db pullover: 12 @ 25

[Really felt these. Even so, I should use the EZ bar next time for a heavier weight.]

Bench dip: 20

[Meh.]

Ab wheel: 20

[Forehead to the floor.]

Fitness notes - July 2012

July 3 -
Tuesday I walked laps around the track for half and hour while listening to Pimsleur Spanish. Every two laps I did half a lap of bounding. Really felt it the next day!

July 4 -
Wednesday I did another 30-minute "Pimsleur walk" (without bounding), followed by about ten minutes of handwalking / free handstanding practice. I'd say I'm at an intermediate level, in so far as I I'm confident about hopping up into a handstand, I can do decent bent-leg handwalking, can hold some good straight handstands for a few seconds now and then, and am very comfortable tumbling down to try again. Having an open, grassy area makes such a difference. One other encouraging factor is that, according to Patrick Barrett in How to Do a Handstand, it's harder to handstand on grassy, uneven surfaces, so, who knows, maybe I'd do even better on a basketball court. In college I was known to amble on my hands down the dorm room hallway from time to time, so it's just a matter of getting that feeling back. Hand balancing is so much fun, even in failure!

July 5 -
Thursday I did  a Quick Mass workout.

July 6 -
Friday night I rode a bike around Sanxia for about half an hour, then came home and trained my tripod headstand with leg motions, and did some stretching. Felt a good soreness in my neck and traps the next day or two. High five!

July 7 -
Saturday I rode my bike for about half an hour and, in between, did ten minutes of handstand training. Believe it or not, I felt most sore in my right glute and left hamstring. All the hopping up and landing worked my lower body harder than my upper body. In the course of reading the next day, I found that Barrett explicitly mentions this fact in his How to Do a Handstand.

July 8 -
Sunday we had a lunch and family time with my mother-in-law's family, and by the time I got home, I was pooped. Rest is the other half of training! I was incredibly hungry all weekend, and by Sunday night I was up to 104kg.

July 9 -
It was my birthday, and a grueling day dealing with visas, buses, the baby, etc. so I ended up having some beers with a friend. Not the best form of recovery, but hey, I'm not Arnie. OR AM I???

Gym regimen - July 2012

Thursday, 5 July 2012
Quick Mass workout
45 min., 101kg

Warmup: stretching, motions, etc.

SQ: 10 @ 120

Leg extension: 10 @ 91

Leg curl: 9 @ 56 (?)

EZ bar pullover: 10 @ 35

Press: 10 @ 55

Lat pulldown: 10 @ 115

BP: 9 (+1) @ 87.5
[Had a good spot for last rep.]

bb curl: 10 @ 42.5

Seated tricep press: 11 @ 37.5

PU: 10 (+1) @ bdw
[A negative for last rep.]

Bench dip: 20 @ bdw

Standing calf raise: 15 @ 100

Leg lifts: 10 (hanging) / 15 (on dip tower)

+ + +

I rushed to get this done Thursday after work before we headed up to Sanxia, since I knew it would be a long weekend. As it turned out, I wasn't able to get back into the gym until the following Tuesday, so I'm really glad I got this workout in. 

Brainstorming, thanks to Dan John…

A "three-way" split idea. Not a three-day split, mind you, since proper rest might require three days between workouts, etc. Listen to your body, not a calendar. Rest between workouts until adequately recovered.

%s mentioned below are based on 1RM (known or estimated). EXERCISE : WEIGHT x REPS

Warmups much as Dan John describes them in the first paragraph here.

I came up with the following pretty much off the top of my head, based on what I think are the best "all-around", "essential" strength and conditioning movements for the moderately seriously "fitness-minded" person.

Core principles include: "K.I.S.S.", "Less is more", "It's all about Push-Pull", "specificity", and "double progression".

KEY POINT: These are not circuits, though circuits are my wont. As such, each set would provide enough intensity to make gains but also require a limited enough volume, not haunted by the specter of numerous follow-up, accessory exercises, as to allow for maximal focus and effort each time around. Note that he first two sets on Monday are basically just warmup sets, so its effectively a "one-set" workout, despite its formally triplicate structure. As Clarence Bass puts it:

Monday: 30% x 15, 70% x 8, 90% x 3 (or failure) 
SQ - PUSH
BP - PUSH
DL - PULL

Wednesday: 30% x 5, 40% x 5, 50% x 5, 60% x 5, 70% x 5
Overhead Squat - PUSH
CJ - PULL-PUSH
SDL - PULL

Friday: 30% x 12, 50% x 12, 70% x 6 (or failure) 
FSQ - PUSH 
IBP - PUSH
weighted PU - PULL

Purely guesstimating, for me this would look roughly like so:

Monday: 30% x 15, 70% x 8, 90% x 3 (or failure) 
SQ - 50 x 15, 90 x 8, 125 x 3 
BP - 35 x 15, 70 x 8, 95 x 3
DL - 50 x 15, 105 x 8, 135 x 3

Wednesday: 30% x 5, 40% x 5, 50% x 5, 60% x 5, 70% x 5
OSQ - 30 x 5, 40 x 5, 45 x 5, 55 x 5, 65 x 5
CJ - 25 x 5, 30 x 5, 35 x 5, 42 x 5, 50 x 5 
SDL - 45 x 5, 55 x 5, 70 x 5, 85 x 5, 100 x 5

Friday: 30% x 12, 50% x 12, 70% x 6 (or failure) 
FSQ - 35 x 12, 55 x 12, 80 x 6
IBP - 30 x 12, 45 x 12, 65 x 6 
weighted PU - bdw + 5 x 12, bdw + 7.5 x 12, bdw + 10 x 6 

If you bothered to parse all that, it would actually be three uniquely grueling workouts, all under 45 minutes, I wager. The extra time can be filled with focused stretching, aerobic work, or hobby movements.

Monday would build power.

Wednesday would build stamina, speed, core, neuromuscular coordination, mental focus, and better technique.

Friday would augment both Monday and Wednesday, without demanding too much after two such arduous workouts.

Off-days could be given to focused abcore training, grip training, yoga, swimming, sprinting, walking, track and field drills, Tabata sessions, whatever.  (Incidentally, I think the best exercises for the Tabata method are thrusters, burpees, jumping pullups, and what I call jumpie-pullups [viz. start in a deep knee bend position, jump up into a pullups, descend into knee bend squat, repeat].)

I'm really eager to try this out.

I've been told the 5 x 5 is best for beginners and serious powerlifters, though even that latter benefit has been contested by a muscle-head friend of mine, so my goal is to complete at least a month of the Quick Mass regimen, then switch back to my Even Keel regimen for six weeks, and then try the above, if my gym is suitable for Olympic lifts.

Gym regimen - July 2012

Monday, 2 July 2012
Quick Mass workout
45–47 min., 101kg 

This was a diagnostic workout. I've pretty much always done circuits with progressive intensity, so I'm instinctively skeptical about a one-set "HIT" workout like this. But I'm committed to it for at least a month, so I needed this workout to assess things like: what my "one-set max" is, how long the routine takes, how long I should rest between exercises, how to make some exercises intense enough to merit a true one-set effort as stipulated by the article the lead of which I'm taking, etc. The good thing is, this is basically a higher metabolic-load, double-progression regimen, so it's rooted in solid principles. As it turns out, I can afford a good minute of rest between each workout. I blazed through the first six exercises, but took a much needed 2–3 minute break before continuing. I was on calf raises after less than 40 minutes! Hence, I tacked on some aerobic ski machine time to reach at least 45 minutes. I'll go for a walk with intermittent skipping tomorrow, and then, because I must visit Taipei Friday through Sunday, I'll do the Tabata workout with "thrusters" and some headstands on Friday.

SQ - 9 @ 120

[Just right. Maybe 10 reps on Wed.]

Leg extension - 10 @ 71

[Too light!] 

Leg curl - 10 @ 45

[Not too light (my hams have been sore since my DL last Thursday!), but I can go heavier next time.]

db pullover - 12 @ 25

[Too light! Will probably need the EZ bar to lift at least 40kg.]

Press - 8* @ 60

[Brutal! Body English on last few reps.]

Seated cable row - 15 @ 63

[Too light! Should use the bent-over row machine with big plates.]

BP - 9* @ 90

[Seemed about right. Spotter helped on last rep or so.]

Standing bb curl - 10 @ 40

[Just right! Kept my elbows tucked in and I squeezed high.]

Seated tricep press (EZ bar) - 10 @ 35

[Just right.]

PU - 9* @ bdw + 7.5

[Just about right. Did a couple negatives to finish.]

Chair dips - 10 @ bdw + 15

[Need to go heavier – this time I put a 15kg plate in my lap, which was awkward – or just go for high reps to failure.]

(Standing) Calf raises - 15 @ 90

[A little too light, or at least I didn't go low enough on the concentric return. Shoulds would help, as the platform rather cuts into the foot.]

Leg lifts - 15 / 10 / 15 / 15

[I did two sets of hanging leg lifts – fried my forearms! – then two sets of dip leg lifts. Pretty strict form, not knee raises.] 

Ski machine - 6 min.

[I was pooped.]

Gym regimen - June 2012

Thursday, 28 June 2012
Even Keel (B)
50 min., 99kg

Warmup: stretching, motions with plates (stiff-legged rows [had my hams tight and sore the whole workout! sadface], squatting, overhand cable curls, pulldowns, etc.), etc.

Circuit 1

FSQ: 9, 6, 3 @ 75, 85, 100

IBP: 9, 6, 6* @ 70, 80, 85

[I felt insecure on these until the 3rd set. My pecs felt over-trained, maybe because I did some headstand and handstand training recently. Spotter helped on last 2 reps of 3rd set. My legs were shaking like leaves with exertion, but I squeezed the hell out of the bar and stabilized to get the bar up. Got some thumbs-up from a couple guys in the gym. Meh.] 

DL: 9, 6, 6 @ 110, 120, 140

[Chalk is my friend! I killed the 3rd set. My back was achy a little while afterwards and my hams are going to hate me today and this weekend, but it was nice to dig deep on one of my favorite lifts. Got some more thumbs-up and mild "wooting" from some guys in the gym.] 

Circuit 2

db BP: 12, 10, 10 @ 50kg

[I'm "forced" to use higher volume on these since I'm already using the heaviest db's in the gym. Once I start at my new high school teaching job, I'm sure I won't have the same problem in their weight room. I can't wait!] 

Seated pulldown: 9, 6, 6 @ 111, 113, 115

[I'm already pulling the whole stack on these, too. Quite a challenge after all that deadlifting. High five!] 

Seated cable curl (narrow grip): 10, 9, 8* @ 50, 54, 58

[Used a little body English on the last set but ended with a penitential negative. Good long-head pump!] 

+ + +

Another typhoon is on the way, so the air has been awfully muggy and dusty. Maybe there are some foul ions in the mix, too. The point is that for the first 20 minutes or so of this workout, I was feeling alternately sluggish and wired. I've gone back to taking a B-complex multivitamin in the morning, and creatine monohydrate pre- and post-workout, so maybe I was a bit dehydrated at first. Around midway through, I started feeling more focused and energized. My dilemma was that I didn't want to slack - I never want to - but I also didn't want to train so hard going into my Quick Mass 3-day split regimen next Monday that  I'd begin depleted and quickly over-train. I decided to give my best and may the devil take care.

Fitness notes & grip training…

Tuesday, 26 June 2012
45 min., 99kg

Warmup: Stretching, flail, gyro ball

Headstands + motions: 2 min. X 3 

Hula hoop: 2 min. X 3

Grip crushing:
Heavy 150: 6 closes
CoC #1.5: 4 closes
CoC #2: 6 reps
CoC #1.5: 8 closes
Heavy 150: 16 closes

[Again, both my left and right hand were very close to closing the #2, but that "critical gap" persisted to defy me. In fact, strangely, my left almost seemed to feel stronger than my right hand by the 6th rep. Yet my right hand was clearly stronger in terms of stamina on my two, final "ramp-down" sets. This reminds me of a difference about long-fiber, slow-twitch muscle tissue I recently read about in a good article, "Why Bodybuilders Are More Jacked than Powerlifters". The key point is how, while Fred "Dr. Squat" Hatfield roundly defeated Tom "Big Wheels" Platz in a 1RM, Platz "dusted" Hatfield in a high volume competition. So it seems my left hand is catching up in sheer quasi-1RM power, though it definitely still lags behind my right hand in stamina. I decided not to do any forced closes this time, since past experience has taught me that doing them too regularly leads to tendon strain, which sets my progress back for unneeded recovery.]

Jump rope: 5 min. (w/ small breaks every 150 skips or so)

Gym regimen - June 2012

Sunday, 24 June 2012
Even Keel (A)
50 min., 99kg

Thumbs up, kiddies, my neck and abs were nice and tender today from yesterday's ab-core-calf-neck-grip melee. I keep losing weight, albeit incrementally (it's fat, I reckon), but my numbers keep going up (gradually), so I think I'm on the right track. I've been on the Even Keel regimen since a little after mid-May (I'm including some training I did at home before actually hitting the gym, as a necessary preparation after having been out of the gym too long). However, I do want to try a new regimen for July, which I shall explain below. My wife and I were up late last night (baby boss!), so this afternoon I took a much needed nap. I woke up at 1900 and got to the gym near 2000. It closes at 2100. So while there were very few people in the gym (hooray!), I was still a little groggy from the nap. It was, in short, a mental workout; but not without happy efforts. 

Circuit 1

SQ: 10, 6, 5 @ 90, 105, 120

[I added an extra rep to set 1, and dug deep for 5 reps on set 3.]

BP: 10, 8, 6* @ 75, 85, 95

[Added a rep to set 1, 2 reps to set 2, and 3 reps to set 3, though I slight spotting on the tail-end of set 3. Definitely a new PR plateau. Felt very good.]

SDL: 10, 6, 5* @ 90, 110, 127.5

[Used straps on set 3. I meant to do 125kg, but accidentally put a 5kg plate on the right side instead of a 2.5kg plate, as on the left side. Split the difference.]

Circuit 2

Press: 9, 6, 3* @ 50, 55, 60

[Brutal effort. I guess my BP efforts had taken a lot out of my press, so I had to use a modified split jerk motion on set 3.]

db flye: 12, 10, 8 @ 36, 40.5, 45

[Giving my chest that extra attention, as always. I didn't feel I was overly activating my biceps on these, but, seeing as I did them on the fly (!), I ought to brush up on proper form and see how they feel next time I have a go.]

PU: 8/3, 8/3, Ø

[I did wide-grip pullups, then switched to neutral-grip pullups. By the third set, the gym was closing and I was pretty much "done". Not a tremendous showing, I know, but I think I adequately blasted my back and arms with the SDL. As I like to say and hope, with weight training, there's always next time (otherwise you're wasting your time)! Apropos, here's a good article that mentions the neutral-grip pullup in connection with arm development.]

+ + +

Now, about the new regimen I want to try in July.

New program I want to try for July: The 3-day split "Quick Mass" workout from Bodybuilding.com. The webpage also includes a handy printable format for log-keeping. It's designed to take 45-47 minutes, Mon/Wed/Fri, and all exercises are 1 set of 8-10 reps TO FAILURE. I will alternate form each Wed workout for * selected exercises. Off-days are for hula hoop, jump rope, walking, swimming, headstands, bridging, neck, AND GRIP CRUSHING! I want to go back to a 3-day split not only to increase my metabolic demands, but also to try something different that fits nicely into a month+.

Here's the goods:

*Barbell squat / FSQ -

Leg extension -

Leg curl -

db pullover -

Press -

*Seated cable row / Bent row -

BP -

*Standing bb curl / Close-grip spider curl -

Seated tricep press -

PU -

Dips -

(Standing) Calf raises -

Crunches / Leg lifts -

I'll do my Even Keel (B) workout this week, then start this Quick Mass workout next week (July 2).

Stay tuned.

Fitness notes…

Saturday, 23 June 2012
30 min. / 45 min., 99kg

An active day. My wife went to the baby shower of a friend's wife, so we "guys" headed to a pool to chill out and swim. First we got limbered up in the massage-jet pool I enjoyed (once I regained my breath) one of the coldest ice baths I've ever felt. Then….

Freestyle swimming: 30 min., 1 km

Then we picked up our ladies and I got my cranky baby home to feed, shower, and cool off (poor kid goes nuts in Taiwan's humid air without A/C, especially when surrounded for hours by so many looming strangers). Originally I wanted to go to the gym, but it was late so I decided to train at home and hit the gym tomorrow.

Jump rope : 100+ skips X 3

Wrist roller : twice X 3 + four times X 1 @ 16kg

Neck flexes : 15, 20, 25, 20 @ 9.5kg

Ab wheel : 12, 15, 18, 15

Gut wrench : 40/40 (standing rotation / grappling crunches) X 3 @ 14kg

Fitness & grip training notes...

Thursday, 21 June 2012
45–50 mins., 99kg

Grip training - 

Warmup: Flail, gyro ball, stretching, etc.

Hula hoop: 2 min. X 4 (between crusher sets)

Heavy 150: 7 closes

CoC #1.5: 4 closes

CoC #2: 6 reps (no closes)
[But damn close, and nearly equally on both hands, to boot! I didn't use chalk until this, third, set and the forced closes. Going chalk-free is a psychological boost. I think I might get the #2 closed next time with my right hand. As I say, though, I was pleased to see that my left hand did nearly as well (or as poorly?) as my right hand. I'm all for balance. I think the exertion involved with the #2 and the forced closes, combined with the handstands, has given me a headache. Well.]

CoC #2: forced close - 20 sec.

CoC #1.5: forced close - 30 sec.

Ab/core training -

Handstand: 3 cycles + leg motions (~2 min.)

Cross-crunches: 40 X 3

Leg lifts: 30 X 3

Rowing crunches: 40 X 3

+ + + 

Last night I did several failed attempts at the salamba sursasana, then about three headstands, then a couple sets of crossover crunches and leg lifts.  

Gym regimen - June 2012

Monday, 18 June 2012
Even Keel (B) 
100 min., 99kg 

This workout took longer than I like because the gym was more crowded than usual at 8pm. So I had to let the squat rats and partial-range-of-motion meatheads (PROMOmeats) dissipate before I could get down to bidness. Plus, at various times I had to observe my buddy's form on some lifts, which was cool, because at least he's improving. As for my bodyweight, I remain under 100kg, but am certainly getting stronger (cf. FSQ, IBP, DL, db BP, and cable curl compared to last time for the most salient gains).

+ + + 

Warmup: exercise bike, stretching, motions, waiting, etc.

Circuit 1

FSQ: 9, 6, 3 @ 70kg, 82.5kg, 95kg

IBP: 9, 6, 3*/2* @ 70kg, 80kg, 90kg/80kg

[My buddy gave me a manly spot on the 3rd rep of the 3rd set, then peeled off 10kg for me to do an already drained and spotted 2 reps at 80kg. 好fu!]

DL: 9, 6, 5 @ 110kg, 125kg, 140kg

[CHALK! Chalk made so much of a difference! I really broke through on my 3rd set, without those debilitating grip problems, thanks to chalk. Still, I really need to figure out the hook grip again. Weird muscle amnesia.]

Circuit 2

Seated pulldown: 9, 6, 6 @ 50kg, 51kg, 52kg

[Felt surprisingly drained on these––thanks to the evil deadlift! :) ]

db BP: 12, 12, 12, 12* @ 45kg, 50kg, 50kg, 50kg

[I've got to keep giving my pecs special attention. It wasn't until the last rep of the (spontaneously extra) last set that I truly needed a spot. Thanks, Justin!]

 
supine cable curl: 50kg, 54.5kg, 59kg

[Used a "powerflex" plate (?). Good times. Body English on some of these reps is actually part of the pump: getting that handle all the way to the forehead and releasing slowly. Long head (close-grip) focus FTW.]

Fitness notes…

Sunday, 17 June 2012
35 min., 99kg

I went for a 25-minute jog to a bookstore, grabbed a few books, then jogged back. Felt very good. If by good you mean, "I felt like a lumbering heap of bricks in a bag."

When I got home, I did some tripod handstands using my fists instead of open palms. I felt as secure with those as I felt with open-palm headstands a couple weeks ago. Progress. Yeah.

I don't really mind not gaining weight right now, since I'm cutting fat while still getting stronger (cf. 18 June 2012 Even Keel notes). I know jump rope, hula hoop, and running are the best "gut-busters" out there, so I need to bring them into my regimen. It's not that I mind having a large abdomen, since I know what strength is 'behind' it; I guess I just don't want any "freeloading gut" if I can avoid it, capisce?

Fitness notes...

Saturday, 16 June 2012
30-40 mins., 99kg

Tripod headstand: 1 min. + motions X 3 (cycles)

[I did this just so I could get a workout in before the looming, ominous "all you can ate buffet" to which we treated my in-laws.]

Supine leg lifts: 15/15/10, 15/15/10


Pinches: Sleeping mat (Overhand, Finger-palm, Thumb-fingers) X 3

[I used a quasi-tatami mat, common in Taiwan. I pinched it overhand till failure (which was mere seconds usually, due to the give of the fabric and the sheer ungainliness of the thing), then along one of its seams like hoisting a sack without using your thumbs, then the same thing but with the emphasis on my index and bird-finger and thumb. Nice improv challenge, good for the brachioradialis. Easily quantifiable by time.]

Walking (+ 3-brick block pinching): 30 mins. (10 mins.)

[Later that night, once the buffet had had its way with us, I was sent on an errand, so I decided to walk and complete a lesson on Pimsleur Spanish II. This made for a 30-minute walk, around the midpoint of which I found a block, made of three bricks, on the sidewalk. So I commenced with pinch-grip farmer-walks, in each hand until failure until I got back home. Another cool improv challenge. The stone may have weighed 10kg.]

Fitness notes…

Thursday, 14 June 2012
40 min., 99kg

I guess I've lost some weight. 

Hula hoop: 5 min., 5 min. 

Tripod headstand + leg motions: 1 min., 1 min.

[On the 2nd cycle I rose up from the crow pose (kakasana), which was a satisfying challenge. Eventually, I'd like to cycle out of and back into the kakasana with leg motions (split, side-split, pedaling, etc.).] 

Supine leg lifts: 10/10/10, 15/15/10

Ab wheel: 12, 18

Neck bridge: 1 min., 1 min.

Chakrasana (wheel pose) + eka pada urdhva dhanurasana (the "lightning rod", as I call it): ~1 min., ~1 min.

I didn't even try the salamba sirsasana! Too tired, early to bed tonight!

Some of my workout music: 

Gym regimen - June 2012

Wednesday, 13 June 2012
50–60 min., 100kg
Even Keel (A)

Warmup: motions, stretching, etc.

Circuit 1

SQ: 9, 6, 3 @ 100kg, 110kg, 120kg

BP: 9, 6, 7* @ 80kg, 85kg, 90kg

[Slight spot on 7th rep of 3rd set.]

SDL: 9, 6, 3* @ 100kg, 120kg, 130kg

[Wrists straps for 3rd set.]

Circuit 2

Press (EZ bar): 9, 6, 3* @ 50kg, 55kg, 60kg

[Did a negative on 3rd rep of 3rd set to "make up for" a little body English I used in the 3rd set.]

PU: 12 @ bdw

[Some body English and negatives on the last couple reps.] 

Seated pulldown: 8, 8 @ 115kg

[It was too much of a hassle to work in with the other two guys on the pullup tower, so I did the pulldown instead. It was a solid challenge, good pump.]

Spider curl (EZ bar, narrow grip): 9, 6, 9 @ 40kg, 42.5kg, 45kg

[Another good pump with the long head focus.]

* * *

I can't say I felt tired in this workout, but I could tell my body was less than 100% after my grip training and extensive core/neck training yesterday. It was a "mental" workout, to be sure. SQ felt good. I didn't go as heavy as last time on the BP, but I widened my grip a bit to ensure my elbows were tucked, and ended up doing more volume than last time (1660kg on June 5th vs. 1860kg tonight).

I made good increases in everything else, but definitely need a full recovery. So perhaps my next workout will be on Sunday, maybe even next Monday. As always, I must keep things in perspective: I've only been back on a serious weightlifting regimen since May 27 (or May 21, at the earliest)––just two or three weeks! The road is long. Gains are counted by months and years. Patience, Humility, Confidence, Progression.

Stay tuned.

P.S. I forgot to mention that I worked out barefoot, which was actually pretty cool.

Grip training & misc.…

Tuesday, 12 June 2012
50 min., 100kg

Warmup: gyro ball, stretching, etc.

Heavy 150: 6 closes both hands

CoC #1.5: 3 closes both hands 

CoC #2: 3, 3 NO CLOSES

[I wasn't surprised or discouraged by this lackluster performance. I've been giving my forearms a lot of regular challenges lately, with the gyro ball, flail, handstands, deadlifts, etc. So I believe I'm in a "congealing" period between plateaux. My palm and finger strength has gotten stronger, now I just need to be better about doing two good crusher sessions per week.]

CoC #2 - forced close/hold: 10–15 sec.

CoC #1.5 - forced close/hold: 20 sec.

* * *

Hula hoop: 3 min., 3 min., 3 min., 3 min.

[I added some side-to-side steps, which felt even more aerobic.]

Neck bridge + upward bow (i.e. the chakrāsana or ūrdhvadhanurāsanam): 1 min., 2:30 min.

[I would have gone longer on the first cycle but too little padding made it quite uncomfortable on my forehead. I had fun on the second cycle, throwing in one-leg extensions in the upward bow (i.e. the Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurāsana). I tried it from the neck bridge position, but I'm not "there" yet.]

Tripod headstand + bent-arm crow pose: 3 cycles

[By cycle I mean a complete motion through set-up and return to the crow pose.]

Salamba sirsasana: several unsuccessful attempts, one successful with my wife stabilizing my ankles

Active recovery…

My active recovery these days is a mix from any of the following:

• grip training (plate pinches, flail, gyro ball, crushers, etc.),
• conditioning (jump rope, Hindu squats & pushups, burpees, tumbling, dueling ropes, lassoing, etc.),
• core work (hula hoop, planking, leg raises, ab wheel, etc.),
• headstanding,
• [I really ought to add some jogging, stairs, and swimming into my program.] 

Apropos the last, I'm getting better at it and my goal is to become skilled at handstands and handwalking, or "the lost art of hand balancing". I've gotten much better at working my legs and core in a headstand tripod (i.e. raising up and lowering down slowly, holding front- and side-splits, cycling, etc.). As such, my next goals are i) training to hold the tripod for time (even 30 seconds would be nice), and ii) doing the sirsasana. I held it once for a few seconds last night, but mostly it was just good practice for tumbling. Heh.

Last night I also did four sets of the gyro ball, the flail, hula hoop, and supine leg raises. Felt good. In the last week I've shed some fat, and dipped back under 100kg, but I can tell I've put on muscle in its place. Patience, Humility, Condfidence. Stay tuned.

Gym regimen - June 2012

Friday, 8 June 2012
Even Keel (B)
100kg, 50+ min.

Warmup: stretching, motions, etc.

FSQ (EZ bar): 9, 6, 4 @ 70kg, 80kg, 90kg
[If you thought the FSQ was awkward, try it with an EZ bar without a squat rack! Yikes! But I did get a few cool small abrasions on my shoulders and collarbones.]

IBP: 9, 6, 6, 4 @ 70kg, 75kg, 80kg, 85kg
[Let's call this another PR! I threw in the 4th set on a whim, and surprised myself. I guess the headstand practice is helping.]

DL (EZ bar): 9, 6, 10 @ 90kg, 110kg, 120kg
[Actually felt good on the EZ bar, since the slight curvature seemed to provide a better grip. Alas, though, it can only load so much weight.]

db IBP: 5/5, 10, 10 @ 41kg/50kg, 50kg, 50kg
[Maybe I need to switch to dips and pushups, since I'm already doing every set with the heaviest db's in my gym.]

Seated cable curl: 12, 12, 10 @ 41kg, 45.5kg, 55kg
[Working the long (outer) head felt great! A super pump. I'll be training the next two weeks with a long-head emphasis.]

Machine FSQ: 9, 9, 9 @ 146-172, 158-185, 169-199lbs [66-90kg]
[The machine said there was a weight gradient over the course of extension: from starting to finishing weight. It felt good to work my quads, reminded me a bit of my rowing days.]

Variety, spices, and all that…

This blog recently reminded of a silver, if not golden, rule of weight training: MIX IT UP.

I'm very pleased with my Even Keel regimen, and intend to keep at it at least until I find a gym in America (ca. July or August 2012). Even so, I do research to keep myself on my toes.

So, here are two ideas I've had recently that I think will help keep my body "on its toes".

1. Alternate weekly or twice-weekly based on geometry.

That is, even if I stick with an A-B Even Keel routine, let's have, say, week 1 of 4 focus on the quads vs. hamstrings (with a higher back squat and front squats vs. a lower and wider back squat), the long vs. short bicep heads (with narrow vs. wide grips, respectively), the greater vs. lesser pectorals (with wider vs. closer grips), mid-back vs. wide-back pulls (with closer and higher vs. wider and lower position), etc.

2. Every 6–8 weeks, switch to a month of 5x5.

I.e. do my bi-weekly Even Keel workouts for 6–8 weeks, then switch to a month of higher volume "cutting" work on a 5x5 regimen.

Oh, and a third goal:

3. Flesh out my strength and grip training with "beast skills". 

My current main goal is the handstand and hand-walking, and to master/close the CoC #2.5, before I get to the #3.

Gym regimen - June 2012

Tuesday, 5 June 2012

60 min., 100kg

Even Keel (A)

Warmup: motions, stretching, etc. 

Circuit 1

SQ: 9, 6, 3 @ 90kg, 105kg, 120kg 

BP: 9, 6, 5** @ 75kg, 85kg, 95kg 

[My buddy spotted me on 4th rep of 3rd set and saved me on 5th rep of 3rd set heheh!] 

SDL: 9, 6, 3* @ 100kg, 115kg, 130kg 

[Used straps for 3rd set.]

Circuit 2 

Press (EZ bar): 9, 6, 6 @ 45kg, 50kg, 55kg 

[Felt alright, could have gone heavier, I'll give it a whirl next week.] 

PU: 12, 11*, 11* @ bdw 

[Felt pretty good, but, understandably, a lot of me is fried after my SQ-BP-SDL circuit.] 

Spider curl (EZ bar): 9, 6, 3 @ 35kg, 40kg, 45kg 

[These are awesome(ly evil) right after pullups.]  

++++++++

I felt pretty charged up for this workout, and it was nice to get some "real weight" on the bar for my squat, after a long hiatus. 

Also, new PR for bench press. I figure doing 3 solid reps 95kg on my last set of a circuit puts me in the 110kg 1RM range. 

Stay tuned. 

Gym regimen - May 2012

Thursday, 31 May 2012
Even Keel (B)
99kg, 60 min.

Warmup - Stretching, motions, etc.

FSQ: 8, 6, 4 @ 80kg, 85kg, 90kg

IBP: 8, 6, 5 @ 70kg, 77.5kg, 82.5kg

DL: 8, 6, 4 @ 100kg, 110kg, 130kg

Lat pulldown: 9, 12, 9 @ 76kg, 91kg, 105kg

db IBP: 12, 15, 13 @ 32kg, 41kg, 50kg

plank cable curl: 12, 15, 12 @ 27kg, 36kg, 45kg

+ + +

I'll be brief.

1. NEVER DRINK ANY ALCOHOL BEFORE ANOTHER WORKOUT AGAIN!!!

2. This was a shorter workout since my buddy & I were both focused on our own goals/exercises.

3. Once again, my biggest obstacle to a massive DL is my grip. Let the straps come in, now and then.

4. Felt a bit weaker on the IBP than I did on the BP on Sunday, but, see point 1.

5. Frustrated as always that my current gym, Merry Gym, has only two 55lb db's for me to do my db IBP. Still, high volume on accessory exercises is its own kind of good, too.

6. I'm stunned and pleased I'm putting on solid weight. 99kg for sure now the past couple days, 100kg by this weekend.

Fitness notes - at last!

Monday 21 May 12 

45 min., 96kg

Flail 1 min x hand x vector x 3 
Heavy 150  5 closes
CoC1.5  5 closes
CoC 2  3 reps !close LH, 1 close 2 reps RH
CoC 1.5  6 closes
Heavy 150 10 closes 

Hula 2 min x 6 (between crush reps)
52kg FSQ 2" bar 15 x 3
52 kg Press 2" bar 12, 14, 16
52kg Rag row 2" bar 12, 15, 16
52kg Rag shrug 2" bar 12, 12, 15 

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

Tuesday 22 May 12 A.M.

96kg, 25 min. 

2" bar curl 6, 6, 6 x 52kg 
2" bar press 10, 12, 12 x 52kg
2" bell press (two-hand) tri press 15, 20, 20 x 28kg

Tuesday 22 May 12 P.M.

96kg, 25 min. 

Hula 5 mins x 3
Wall sit 1.25 min x 3
Neck lifts 15, 18, 20 @ 5kg, 7.5kg, 10kg
Plate pinch 10kg x 30 sec. 

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

Thursday 24 May 12 p.m.

97kg, 45 min.

 Stool incline pushups 25, 25, 30
Wall sit 1.25 min. x 4 
1" wrist roll ext/flex 2x x 3 
2" db press 12, 15, 15 @ 
Hula 2 min. x 4 

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

Saturday 26 May 12

97kg, 30 min. 

Tripod (headstand) extensions 3 x 3
Chest expander rows 15 x 3
Supine row ups 15 x 3
Neck bridge ~1 min. x 3
Ab wheel 15, 15
Rope holds to failure x 3

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

Tuesday 29 May 2012

98kg 

20-25 min ski machine 

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

Wednesday 30 May 2012

99kg, 40 min.

Hula 10 min  

Jump rope 250, 200, 150 skips  

Neck flex 15, 15, 20 @ 7.5, 9.5, 9.5kg 

Ab wheel 15, 15