Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Conditioning/Detraining
60 min., 97.5kg

WARMUP:
• Chin Na exercises (擒拿手躁): eagle claw, crane claw, flying wing, finger roll x 3

[LINK TO demo video]

• Stairs: Up and down ten floors: 12 min.
• Stretching

Behold the power of Fugazi!

Gut wrench: standing Russian twist: 40, 40, 40, 40 @ 15kg

Gut wrench: floor grappling: 40, 40, 40, 40 @ 15kg

Jump rope: 200, 250, 400, 500

Neck lift: 15, 20, 25, 15 @ 6kg, 9kg, 13kg, 13kg

* * *
I can't deny that watching Warrior last night put an ember or two under my bum. I won't say that having traps like Tom Hardy had in that movie means you're as strong as they make you look… but they sure as hell can't hurt.

Fitness notes…

Tuesday, 28 Feb 2012
Grip training
30 min., 97kg

WARM UP:
• Flail: 30 sec. per hand per vector
• 1'' wrist roller: 2x @ 2.5kg

[Unless specifically noted, the number of reps (e.g. 2x) indicates how many times I did both a flexion-and-unravel and extension-and-unravel exertion. So, 1x means I extended the weight up and unraveled, and then flesed it up and unraveled it (or vice versa).]

• Gut wrench: 60x @ 11kg

[Unless otherwise noted, gut wrench reps are just (semi-)standing “Russian twists”.]

• Hula hoop: 4 min.

GRIP TRAINING:
Heavy 150: 8 reps l.h (5 closes), 8 closes r.h.

CoC #1.5: 6 reps l.h. (3 closes), 6 closes r.h.

Gut wrench: 60x @ 11kg

CoC #2: 6 reps l.h., 6 reps r.h.

Hula hoop: 3 min.

CoC #1.5: 5 reps l.h., 5 closes r.h.

Gut wrench: 60x @ 11kg

Heavy 150: 30 sec. iso. l.h./r.h.

Hula hoop: 3 min.

1'' wrist roller: 3x @ 2.5kg

1'' wrist roller: flexion 3x @ 7.5kg

* * *

According to my records, the last time I really trained grip, was on November 28, 2011. At that time, I think I could only manage one good right-handed close on the CoC #3. So, from one angle, I've fallen behind in a bad way. In another sense, though, it's not like I was at an Olympian level before, so I can and will, God willing, catch up with and surpass myself this time around. Granted, a look at prior notes shows me that what I've really lost is not the power to close #2, but a solid mastery I had over the #1.5, managing 10 closes with both hands twice in one training session (back in October)!

Patience. Humility. Confidence. Progression.

P.S. One cool tidbit: I burst some capillaries in my left pinky and ring finger, as evidenced by the small, purple, and, alas, ephemeral contusions on the fingerprints of those fingers.

Gym regimen - February 2012

Monday, 27 February 2012
Even Keel 2 (CIRCUIT B)
min., kg

MY PROPOSED WORKOUT FOR NEXT TIME, HERE NOW SO I CAN IMAGE IT BETTER...

[I did image it better! This was a great workout! I achieved and/or surpassed all my key goals. Taking enough days off, doing some "detraining" Sunday morning (flail, springs, medicine ball, lunges, etc.), and hitting the hot spring last night for a couple hours paid off, I guess.]

FSQ: 9, 6, 4 @ 70kg, 85kg, 100kg

[I owned these. Felt great.]

bb IBP: 9, 6, 3 @ 65kg, 70kg, 85kg

[Small help on last rep of set 3.]

DL: 9, 6, 6 @ 100kg, 115kg, 130kg

[Got my feet closer together and these felt awesome. No chalk! The weather's been colder lately, so when summer comes, I'll have to use chalk. The Evil Deadlift demands it.]

db spider curl: 10, 10, 8/4 (L) & 4/8 (R) @ 11kg, 16kg, 16kg/18kg (per arm)

[This was a glitch. On my last set, I incautiously grabbed a 35lb and a 40lb db, did 8 reps, wondering why my left arm felt so much stronger, and then switched the 40lb and 35lb db to finish with 4 reps.]

Cable tri pushdown: 10, 8, 6 @ 36kg, 45kg, 54kg

[I asked the boss how much each unmarked plate weighed, and he said 10lbs, but I have my doubts. I'll have to check out my old tri pushdown data to see if these numbers are plausible. … SCANNING … Yes, these numbers seem plausible, especially if I am stronger in general than I was last year.]

Pulldown row: 10, 10, 10 @ 80kg, 91kg 100kg

[This machine is annoying, because when lean back for a deeper row, the seat hops up a notch or two every rep or so. I might jam a chopstick down in the lock next time. Hrmph.]

bb IDB: 8, 6, 3 @ 60kg, 70kg, 75kg

[I finished with these just to give my chest more love. It's got to catch up with my back and legs!]

* * *

Below is the workout as I first planned it:

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

bb IBP: 9, 6, 3 @ 65kg, 75kg, 85kg ~achieved

db spider curl: 10, 8, * @ 15kg, 18kg, 21kg surpassed

DL: 9, 6, 3 @ 100kg, 115kg, 130kg surpassed

Cable tri pushdown: 10, 8, 6 @ 25kg, 35kg, 40kg surpassed

Pulldown row: 9, 6, * @ 80kg, 90kg 100kg surpassed

My training program/cycle? And yours?

The reason I'm doing the Even Keel regimen, is, as I've said, not only because I saw the best results with it compared to two previous regimens I'd tried (viz. my "A1234 Regimen" (more details here), which was a muscle group routine spread over four sessions a week, followed by my "Ur-Workout" (seedling notes here), a full-body workout I foolishly did three times a week, back when I used to weigh a mere 87 or 88kg), but also because it fits my schedule better.

[Allow me a little nostalgia: I decided to take up weightlifting "for realz" in June 2010. I weighed 87kg. I trained at 中力 gym until May 2011, at which point weighed a solid (or solenoidal?) 98kg. I kept using my own equipment at home, with a big emphasis on grip training, until fall 2011, during which time I got married, then got ready to be a parent. This February I decided to return to a gym "for realz". I weighed 95kg. Less than three weeks later, I weigh 97kg. Presumably, if I keep it up for another year, now that I know a little better what I'm doing, I'll weigh about 110kg. That's my goal, anyway. This Crossfit table {PDF!} presents good goals I also have for the major lifts in the "Advanced" bracket.]

Yet the most important thing about it is that it makes recovery an essential part of training. I call it the "even keel" regimen precisely because it saves from the Charybdis of overtraining this or that muscle group and the Scylla of punishing my body based on some arbitrary (or even "scientifically proven") timetable. I only train once my body feels ready to train (which is not to say when I "feel like it"!). As I like to tell people (myself included), "Rest is the missing exercise from most regimens, and the most difficult in all of them."

Along those lines, let me cite one article I've just been reading, and then segue into this post's main topic: how I'm trying to calculate/schedule my training period. According to Dr. John M. Berardi, Ph.D., in his (astute but whimsical) article, "Weight Lifting and Post Exercise Muscle Recovery" (first published at www.fitdv.com, Mar 2002):

During conventional weight lifting, muscle force production (strength) is diminished for at least 1 to 3 days after the damage has occurred. … [W]hile the muscle is healing, its ability to "refuel" with carbohydrate is decreased because of disruption of the muscle glucose transport mechanisms. This means that no matter how many carbohydrates you eat, you simply can't get your muscle energy back up to normal for at least 48 hours after exercise. So don't convince yourself that pigging out on pizza and beer will help you recover more quickly from your sore muscles. …

[T]he only way to get improve your muscle size and muscle strength is to allow adequate recovery time between performing exercises with the same muscle groups. Without adequate recovery of calcium balance, muscle energy, and muscle protein content, your muscle force will be lower with each subsequent workout, thereby reducing the quality of the workout in terms of the weight lifted. … [U]nless you wait until full structural recovery occurs, you will simply be destroying the new muscle tissue being formed to replace the damaged tissue. And this is no way to get bigger.

So how long should one wait between weight lifting bouts using the same body part? … [I]t appears that when doing intense weight lifting workouts and letting nature take it's [sic] course, a period of 7 or more days may be a good starting point.

Seven days! Or more! As a starting point for rest! I think most "gym rats" would find that kind of advice insulting and "weak". But my experience with the Even Keel regimen bears out Dr. Berardi's opinion. (Not that I got the idea for the even keel from a loser!) Further, Berardi recommends at least "7 days" of rest between heavy training in the context of "detraining" and "recovery techniques", which he discusses in the sidebars of the article cited.

Now, I may be hypocritical, but, since I'm not training as heavily as professional, nor even as heavily as serious amateur, lifters, I'll stick with my 4–5 day rest period.

In any case, to cite Berardi again:

Detraining is defined as a prolonged period of reduced exercise volume or muscle inactivity. Interestingly, although frequent and intense exercise is needed to yield gains in muscle strength and size, detraining studies have demonstrated that muscle strength and power can be maintained with intense workouts separated by as much as 10-14 days.

The data suggest that two weeks is the extreme of rest for heavy trainers, so I feel my off-day training with hula hoop, jump rope, neck training, ab wheel, grip training, swimming, etc., is enough detraining for now. Interestingly, after my baby is born, my schedule might be so much busier that I'm forced into an ideal regimen with 7+ days of rest!

Interestingly, Lee Apperson says virtually the same thing in his discussion of training periodization:

[E]ven though you are always adding weight to the bar it is done in small (8 ounces or 1 pound at most) increments and the change in weight is often imperceptible. … You can really build up training like this, but you have to really recover fully between workouts, or you won't grow. A week of rest is often taken between workouts.

With that in mind, I'll now talk about cycles. Seeing as I developed my Even Keel program from him, I must defer once more to Lee Apperson on the issue of cycles. In a word:

You don't NEED CYCLES to progress, they help but they are not some magic formula. You need to workout progressively on a regular basis, that is all that is needed in the final analysis of weight training. In many ways cycles complicates training unnecessarily. Bodypart recovery also does this. … Training is simple. Don't complicate it.

FORGET Bodypart recovery: Your body recovers as an organism. … [T]rain with a "total body" mindset. If you are tired from legs, don't do arms or anything else till you recover. Train with a mind toward total body training and recovery. Do uppers one day and legs 2 to 3 days later, repeat forever.

… Train hard for 6 to 10 weeks then take a week off or switch to light workouts. Lift progressively. Slowly add weight or reps to your exercises over time using linear progression. Forget cycles, just lift and get stronger.

There you have it. Intensity. Rest. Progression. Variation. Apperson's blunt exhortation––"Forget cycles and just progress!"––matches up exactly with the main lesson I've learned from reading John Wood's emails: progression, by any means, in any increment, is the key to victory. Indeed, I'll lay out in one sentence what I think is the core of strength training.

Ready?

Strength (S) is a function of muscle mass (M), and M increases as a result of sustained progression (SP), whether a progression in the number of reps (R) at a fixed weight or in the amount of weight (W) for a fixed number of reps.

S = f(M), M α SP, SP = R x W

If all you did were five or six exercises (from a repertoire of maybe a dozen), adding a little weight each time, or a rep or two more each time, alternating that progression forever, you would see dramatic gains.

But I anticipate myself.

Now Apperson is being hyperbolic, since he himself followed an annual competitive cycle. Apperson, then, doesn't mean to forget about progression, he just means to stop fixating on a tedious schedule. So, to put it in terms of this article, my basic plan for my program-cycle is this:

MICROCYCLE: ((Even Keel A + Even Keel B) / 7 to 10 days) + Detraining & Recovery x every day or two

MACROCYCLE: (12 Microcycles + 2 Cycles of Conditioning) x ?

I returned to the gym February 8, so my first macrocyle should wrap up in mid- or late May. This Thursday was actually only the first phase of my 3rd Even Keel microcycle. When the 12 (or so) weeks are up––and I will only stick to this schema, of course, if my body keeps progressing without injury, otherwise, I'll just adapt!––, I'll do two weeks of high-rep conditioning (at about 60% intensity), bodyweight drills, super-slow reps, isometrics, (more) swimming, etc. And then it will be back onto another macrocycle of Even Keel.

Or perhaps not.

For a while now, I've been toying with an idea I'd love to try, which relates to the 'anticipatory' points I made about progression.

One of my tags for this blog is "The Big Three"––the Squat, the Deadlift, the Bench––, and one of my tenets is simplicity. So… what if… I only trained… The Big Three!

Call it the Big Time regimen.

Big Time A
Aerobic warmup & stretching
SQ / FSQ: 5 x 5 @ 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%
BP / IBP: 5 x 5 @ 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%
DL / SDL: 5 x 5 @ 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%

Big Time B
Aerobic warmup & stretching
FSQ / SQ: 5 x 5 @ 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%
IBP / BP: 5 x 5 @ 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%
CJ: 5 x 5 @ 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%

(CJ means the Clean and Jerk. Percentages refer to a fraction of my single-rep max on any exercise. If one session I do SQ, the next session I do FSQ. If one session I do DL, the next session I do SDL. And so on. I could also alternate db's for bb now and then.)

Unusually for me, the Big Time would not use compound sets, i.e., for day A, I would do all five sets of five reps of SQ, then do all my BP sets, then finish with all DL. No session should take more than 45 minutes.

One problem with implementing this program is that 中力 is entirely too small for me to do CJs. I don't anticipate being at 中力 after July, however, so that's not a big deal.

Now, let me see how this feels. (You should have stopped reading this long ago, you know that, right?)

I reckon my max SQ right now is 140kg (my max FSQ being 115kg). My max BP is probably 100kg (and my max IBP maybe 90kg). My max DL is maybe 160kg––with lots of chalk and a hook grip!––and my SDL max might be 145kg. As for my max CJ, I have no idea, since it's a very technical lift, and I need time and even coaching to master the sheer mechanics of it. So let's just say my max is 80kg.

Assuming the above is basically accurate…

Big Time A
SQ: 5 x 5 @ 70kg, 85kg, 100kg, 115kg, 130kg
BP: 5 x 5 @ 50kg, 60kg, 70kg, 80kg, 90kg
FSQ: 5 x 5 @ 60kg, 72.5kg, 85kg, 100kg, 112.5kg

Big Time B
IBP: 5 x 5 @ 45kg, 55kg, 65kg, 75kg, 85kg
DL: 5 x 5 @ 80kg, 95kg, 110kg, 125kg, 140kg
CJ: 5 x 5 @ 40kg, 47.5kg, 55kg, 62.5kg, 70kg

That's very respectable, and, in my mind, attractively doable! All in due time, I suppose. Patience. Humility. Confidence. Progression.

Stay tuned….

Gym regimen - February 2012

Thursday, 23 Feb 2012
Even Keel CIRCUIT A
~60 min., 97kg

Ski machine warmup: 5 min.

SQ 9, 6, 8 @ 85kg, 95kg, 110kg
[Perhaps it was the shoes, perhaps it was being rested, perhaps it was having some "real squat guys" in the gym with me, but, for whatever reason, I went for 5 extra reps on my last set––and could have done more. Good to know. Next time I do Even Keel A, I'll shoot for something like this: 9, 6, 3 @ 90kg, 100kg, 120kg.]

PU 9, 9, 6 @ bdw + 7kg, bdw + 7kg, bdw + 7kg

BP 9, 6, 4 @ 70kg, 82.5kg, 90kg

SDL 9, 6, 3 @ 100kg, 110kg, 130kg
[Back felt good, grip was the problem, of which more presently.]

Press 9, 6, 6* @ 38kg, 43kg, 48kg
[A dash of split-step body-cheating on the final rep, but closed with a nice negative.]

EZ-bar bench curl 9, 6, 7* @ 28kg, 33kg, 40kg
[Trainer guy spotted on the last 1 or 2 reps of set 3. Nice groans!]

BP: 6, 6, 5, 3 @ 50kg, 60kg, 70kg, 75kg
[I did this set on a whim, since I want to train my chest harder. Got a small spot on final two reps.]

+ + +

Good things: I went heavier on pretty much everything this time compared to my previous A workout.

Bad things: I might start going home first and then going to the gym later, since I'm pretty sure that now that the college semester has started, there will be a pack of serious college lifters in the gym probably every time I go. They are very welcoming about "working in", but it's a delay and a jam I might just prefer to avoid. My hunch is that, while the number of people in the gym might be greater at, say, 8pm, the number of people who will use what I want to use (esp. the SQ rack), so going later might shift the balance in my favor.

Another annoying thing is that it was muggy and rainy today, so gripping the bar for SDL was annoying. Fortunately, the college lifters let me use some of their chalk, though I felt restrained since it wasn't my own, and I'd rather have lots of chalk than just a little. I also had trouble "getting a grip on" the hook grip. I had it solidly "in hand" for 2 reps of my last set, but then things got slippery or just unwieldy.

Tonight I was reminded why weightlifting is truly a sport, not just a means to fitness. Real lifts (i.e. semi-/full-body resistance movements) require precision timing, full-body coordination, and total focus. Part of my problem is, I was focusing more on the moisture of the bar than on the placement of it in my fingers. NOTE: DL grip should be in the crux the finger joints, not in the palm.

I'm quite tired. Tomorrow, perhaps, I will train my grip. I'm of a mind to do so with heavy bar holds and heavy shrugs (ideally combined). I'm still not sure when I should incorporate my CoC grip training proper.

Stay tuned.

Fitness notes…

Mon., 20 Feb 2012
30 min., 96.5kg

Hula hoop: 4 min. x 3

Neck lifts: 10, 12, 15 @ 14kg, 9kg, 11kg

Jump rope: 150 x 3

Ab wheel: 13, 16, 20

•

Tue., 21 Feb 2012
25 min., 97kg

Hula hoop: 3 min. x 2

Flail: ~30 sec. per hand per vector

Jump rope: 120 x 3

•

Wed., 22 Feb 2012
25 min., 97kg

Reverse leg press: 12 x 4 @ 30kg (?)

Standing calf raise: 15/15 x 3 @ 40kg (?)

db shrug: 15, 20, 30, 20 @ 45kg, 50kg

Ski machine: 5–6 min. (HB ~155)

Cable crossover: 15, 15 @ 30kg, 40kg (?)

+ + +

I went to the gym tonight on a whim, as I was feeling "rambunctious". I did it mainly to work out some soreness and just… cuz the gym's right on my way home, and stuff. Since it was an intuitive workout, you'll notice I paid little attention to exact weights and reps. (Indeed, the above data for Wednesday's workout just now is fudged for my own convenience.) It just so happened a buddy of mine was there (can I get a discount for introducing new memebrs!?), so hopefully we can spot each other when our schedules overlap.

Sunday I decided to switch my neck training from my harness iso's to plate lifts, not only so I can be more precise in my progression, but also because I think my neck will respond better than to the harness for gains in mass and strength––just like any muscle tissue. The harness is good for working the whole spinal shaft and core, but the db neck lifts really isolate the muscle and allow for greater range of motion. I really felt it the next day (w00t)! Last night's lifts didn't leave me as sore, but there's always "neckst" time.

Tonight I was really hoping to do some heavy shrugs (a pleonasm, in my book), but there was a pack of admittedly serious young squatters on the rack so I just made do with 美力's rather paltry dumbbell section. I did the reverse leg press to give my lower back some blood flow but didn't want to go to heavy on any big muscles, since I intend to do my Even Keel A workout tomorrow night.

Oh, and last night on the way home, I saw an MMA dojo and dropped in for information. It's not expensive, but is probably not a prudent investment at this juncture. Even so, I had huge respect for the establishment as soon as I perused their equipment: dozens of jump ropes, medicine balls, punching bags, Smith machine for bench and squat, mats for grappling, etc. I'd love to get some basic combat training, though my heart still pines for my old judo lessons. We'll see. God help me, I'm going to use my health while I still have it.

Stay tuned.

Gym regimen - February 2012

Sunday, 19 Feb 2012
Even Keel 2 (CIRCUIT B)
50 min., 96.5kg

Front squat (FSQ): 9, 6, 3 @ 70kg, 80kg, 90kg

Dumbbell (db) incline bench: 9, 9, 6 @ 18kg, 22kg, 25kg (per arm)

Seated hyper-supinated db curl: 9, 6, 10 @ 13.5kg, 18kg, 20kg

Snatch deadlift (SDL): 9, 8, 6 @ 50kg, 60kg, 80kg

db tricep extension: 12, 10, 12 (per arm) @ 8kg, 10kg, 13.5kg

Pulldown row: 9, 6, 9 @ 80kg, 85kg 95kg

+ + +

Thanks to hula hooping, strtching, some medicinal adhesive pads, and massage, my left lumbar is feeling a lot better. I did play it safe, however, on the SDL tonight. I felt like dying my first set of FSQ, but my last set was a just-right challenge. It felt good to go for higher reps on other exercises, like curls, extensions, and the incline press. I still felt sore Saturday, plus I went to my friend's birthday party, so I delayed this workout till tonight (Sunday).

I am happy to report I finally witnessed someone else using the SQ rack! He was a young Taiwanese guy, and I guess tonight was his SQ night, since in the span of 40 minutes I saw him do several sets of 6-10 reps ranging from 70-100kg. Since I tried a new pair of shoes tonight, I noticed the shoes he was wearing, and cringed. He had on a pair of squishy heeled Nike-somethings. I paid close attention to his ankles, and, sure enough, I noticed small wobbling in them due to the softness of his soles' (not to say the softness of his soul).

My new shoes are an experiment, since they are just a NT$450 pair of flat, airless rubber-soled, laterally velcroed shoes, from which I also removed the liners, so now the soles are as flat as can be. I can't say I felt much of a difference, but I think I will be able to tell more on the SQ later this week. For all I know, though, the shoes might have helped me finish all three sets of FSQ as well as I managed to do.

I also tried some knee sleeves tonight, and rubbed in some muscle warmer before donning them. I figure increased circulation is all for the good, but again I can't say I felt a substantial difference with them on versus with them off. Maybe I can try some sets with and without them, but having them on tonight felt good.

Another small victory is that I decided to move my DLs to the bar on the floor across from the SQ rack. It usually just lies there, but last week I used it for military presses, and it dawned on me I could use it for DLs straight from the floor. Success!

The main achievement of this workout is that I went heavier on all lifts except for those which I needed to protect my lumbar on. My weight has also gone up to 96.5kg. High five. Stay tuned.

Gym regimen - February 2012

Wednesday, 15 Feb 2012
Even Keel CIRCUIT A
60 min., 96kg

Squat 9, 6, 6 @ 80kg, 90kg, 105kg
[Evinced some good gym-man grunts/groans on the last few reps.]

Pullup 12, 8, 8* @ bdw, bdw + 5kg, bdw + 10kg
[Rep 8 of set 3 was a negative.]

Bench press 9, 6, 3* @ 65kg, 80kg, 90kg
[Spot for last rep of set 3.]

Snatch DL 8, 6, 3 @ 85kg, 90kg, 105kg
[Big drop from last time, most likely due to a strained left erector spinae.]

Standing military press 9, 6, 3* @ 30kg, 45kg, 55kg
[A dash of body cheating on the last rep, but closed with a nice negative.]

Bench EZ curl 9, 6, 8 @ 24kg, 28kg, 38kg
[I've decided I will do accessory lifts –– i.e. moves ancillary to the Big Three –– closer to failure than according to a strict rep system. If I can do more on the press, I'll do more. More on the curl, more curls. Etc. This also ended with some nice grunts/groans for the audience.]

+ + +

I almost did not work out tonight, as I have been depressed for days about some family issues. But I'm glad I went. The endorphins did me well, and it's always nice to follow through with one's commitments. I think I'll be ready for the gym on Saturday, but I need to stay off the deadlift, I think, for at least a week. In lieu of it, I'll do some Supermans, hula hooping, bird dogs, incline/decline back bridges, etc.

Stay tuned.

Gym regimen - February 2012

Saturday, 11 Feb 2012
Even Keel 2
50 min., 96kg

Front squat (SQ): 9, 6, 3 @ 70kg, 70kg, 85kg

Dumbbell (db) incline bench: 9, 6, 6 @ 16kg, 20kg, 25kg (per arm)

Seated hyper-supinated db curl: 9, 6, 4 @ 11kg, 16kg, 20kg

Deadlift (DL): 9, 6, 5 @ 85kg, 100kg, 120kg

db tricep extension: 9, 6, 4 (per arm) @ 7kg, 11kg, 16kg

Bent row: 9, 6, 4 @ 60kg, 68kg 73kg

+ + +

Hmmm, nonplussed, I am. The catch bar in the squat rack is really annoying. I can (and will) look on the bright side by saying that the rack forces allows me to do partial deadlifts, which certainly have benefits. I am, however, also of more than half a mind to construct a wooden platform to stand on so the bar is as far from my feet as a complete floor deadlift would require. Not only do I like having the options (the freedom) to do a partial or full DL, but I also miss that bone-compressing rush of a full DL!

Another annoying thing about my new gym is this: the db rack only goes up to 55lbs! Today I did my last set of incline bench presses with 55lbs and added 3 more reps than I'd planned because it was too easy! If I can't find plate-loaded db's there, I'll bring in my own and go to pressing barbell plates when I need them (soon).

Another gripe: the bent-row machine (get rid of it and just use a barbell in the corner!) is now under the hanging TV set, so I must be careful not to bump my head. Truly a bent row!

All in all, though, it's nice to have such a dependable gym so close to my home.

Stay tuned.

Gym regimen - February 2012

Wednesday, 8 Feb 2012
Even Keel CIRCUIT A
50 min., 96kg

Squat 9, 6, 3 @ 70kg, 82.5kg, 100kg

Pullup 12, 9, 7 @ bdw, bdw + 5kg, bdw + 5kg

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!]

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.]

+ + +

Happily enough, the gym (台中美力健身房) was not very crowded when I arrived at 1830. However, the weather was miserable today, so fewer people than usual might have come today. I'll have to see what it's like next week, when the weather, hopefully, is nicer. I asked the owner and he said the busiest time is about 2000, since most people are just getting off work and/or eating dinner at 1830, so it looks like my after-work workout will work out, after all (!).

It's a small gym, which is probably its greatest defect, and I had minute flashes of annoyance as I got familiar with the equipment, navigating the passages, and handling the plates. It's all good: I'll just need to be patient and just improve my transitions. The gym is very well stocked and everyone there seems gym-savvy and courteous.

As I said, tonight's was a diagnostic workout, so, frankly, I was fully prepared to suck. Fortunately, though, I was surprised at how strong I seemed to be, even after half a year out of the gym. Indeed, after my first set of pullups, at least one person applauded and more than a couple time various people chatted openly about my power of gave me vigorous thumbs-up. There was one giant younger fellow there, whom I am fairly certain I trained against years ago in judo. He's an impressive specimen, though I note he worked his chest and abs, with some stair machine, for pretty much the entire duration of my workout, so he must be more of a bodybuilder and he's definitely a gym rat. I ain't got time for all that, alas!

Squatting felt good, and it's awesome to have a proper squat rack! (It was slanted from the wall a bit, though, which made foot placement a little confusing, but I will adjust it next time and hone my own perception, regardless.)

Evidently my rope pullups paid off, since I felt pretty strong on pullups tonight.

The biggest surprise was how strong I felt on the bench. A solid 90kg rep in my last set after half a year away, hooray!

The deadlift is probably my biggest disappointment, mainly because the rack at the gym is narrow and doesn't allow me to put the bar on the floor. This is because there are catch bars fixed about a foot above the floor, so not only can I not put the bar on the floor, but I also can't do a very wide snatch grip, unless, I suppose, I want to crush my fingers. The best solution I see for now is to stand on a couple flat plates to get my feet approximately level with the plates on the bar. As noted above, the straps at 美力 are narrow and really cut into my wrists. I'm afraid the owner won't like me using chalk, either, so I'll have to find a solution in due time. Meanwhile, I'll use my one good strap (no idea where the other went!) and cushion my other wrist with a sweat band.

I stunned a couple people with my standing press, which did feel good, but I've lost a good 10kg from where I left off last year. I like doing strict form, which means heels and toes 90°apart. I may have been overreaching tonight, since I let my lower back go concave a few times.

Finally, I was confused about how much to curl, so I'll have to keep experimenting to find the right weight.

Now, where were we?

The past several weeks I have not been weightlifting so much, but I have maintained a pretty satisfying, nearly daily, regiment (except the week I lost to eating and relaxing during Chinese New Year!).

I'm improving at skip rope, and do it almost every day.

I do/have been doing a modified "battling ropes" routine every few days.

Hula hooping is a frequent exercise.

Lots of flail and some good mace drills.

Lots of neck-leash training.

Ab wheel.

Jogging.

Rope pullups.

Also, the past week or two, I was teaching soccer and basketball for a winter camp at my wife's other branch school, so I've done stretching and warmups every morning. Playing with the kids freestyle was so much fun: I felt my old love for and instinct in soccer surge back! Hope to start playing soccer now and then. Great game!

I will begin a new job this Wednesday and on the way home, I pass what will be my new gym. That's right, chilluns, I'm going back to the gym for weightlifting! I'll return to my twice-a-week "Even Keel" routine, with which I saw the best results even in just the month before I left my previous gym.

The Even Keel is all about personal awareness, mindful recovery (i.e. rest as the most important exercise), and the Big Three.

On off-days, I'll do my usual antics: skip rope, soccer, hula hoop, ab wheel, neck training, etc.

My goal is to bulk up to at least 100kg, which I failed to do last year, and to get PRs on all main lifts by the end of 2012.

One thing I'd like to get back to is a morning calisthenic of Hindu squats and pushups, but with a baby on the way, I have a feeling the gym and some off-day fitness will be hard enough to maintain.

One thing I surely must resurrect is my grip training!

In any event, so I can restore the habit of keeping a fitness log, here is what I did yesterday:

Flail: 30 sec, each way, L & R

Hula hoop: 2 min x 3 (half at gut, half at hips)

Neck leash: (10–12 sec deep iso x 3) x 3

1" roller: flex x 2 / extend x 2 @ 2kg (arms propped on top of fridge)

TNT roller: flex x 2 / extend x 2 @ 2kg (")

2" roller: flex x 2 / extend x 2 @ 2kg (")

1" roller: flex x 2 / extend x 2 @ 2kg (")

+ + +

For my neck leash, I usually do small jerking contractions, but today I leaned deeper and held the iso for 10–12 seconds. Higher intensity, lower volume: good. For the rollers, I began by extending up and flex-uncurling –– as one rep –– and then flexed up to extend-uncurl –– as one rep. I did two such reps per set.

For my Even Keel regimen, I'll train every Saturday and then on Tuesday or Wednesday, depending how my body feels. My first day of work is Wednesday, so I'll hit the gym right after work.

(In the future, I will need to go pick up our daughter, wait for my wife to get home, and then get to the gym by 8PM or so. Then again, if I keep my workout to an hour, I can make it in time. Either way, I'm hoping it won't be too crowded at those times!)

Tomorrow will basically be a diagnostic workout, to see how I can maximize the available equipment for my Even Keel, and, especially, to gauge where I am after half a year outside a gym.

CIRCUIT A:

Squat 9, 6, 3 @ kg

Pullup 10+, 10+, 10+ (weighted)

Bench press 9, 6, 3 @ kg

Snatch DL 9, 6, 3 @ kg

Standing military press 9, 6, 3 @ kg

Bench/Spider curl 9, 6, 3 @ kg


CIRCUIT B:

Front squat 9, 6, 3 @ kg

Incline bench press 9, 6, 3 @ kg

Seated hyper-supinated DB curl 9, 6, 3 @ kg

Deadlift 9, 6, 3 @ kg

Pushdowns/Pullovers 9, 6, 3 @ kg

Row 9, 6, 3 @ kg

I have tweaked the rep scheme (9-6-3) in order to focus on the intensity of each rep and to keep the workout short.

Stay tuned.