Everlast Training Camp... and reality

The tail end of this post shows what I did Monday for this week.

Tuesday, 5 Feb 2013
24 min., 220 lbs.
heart - 160-180 bpm  

Stretching warm up

Jump rope - 45 sec.
Jumping jacks - 45 sec.
Burpees - 45 sec.
Jump rope - 45 sec.
Hill climbers - 45 sec.
Squat jumps - 45 sec.
Jump rope - 45 sec.
Knee highs - 45 sec.
Shadow boxing - 45 sec.
-------------------
CIRCUIT x 2

Wednesday, 6 Feb 2013
 I came home and almost immediately fell asleep for two hours. Then I decided to take the day off and took the family out for dinner. 

Thursday, 7 Feb 2013
25 min., 219 lbs.
heart - 160-180 bpm  

Stretching & 45 sec./45 sec. jump rope warm up

Jump rope - 45 sec.
Jumping jacks - 45 sec.
Burpees - 45 sec.
Jump rope - 45 sec.
Hill climbers - 45 sec.
Squat jumps - 45 sec.
Jump rope - 45 sec.
Knee highs - 45 sec.
Shadow boxing - 45 sec.
-------------------
CIRCUIT x 2

Now I want to post something I wrote on Facebook asking friends for advice. 

Need some input on my fitness regimen, specifically what the line should be between pushing through the pain and resting by doing other exercises for a little while. For the past couple weeks I've been doing the Everlast "Training Camp" workout. M, W, F is a strength building circuit of 8 exercises twice. Tu, Th, Sa are aerobic conditioning along the same lines. The first week involves 30 second intervals for the conditioning exercises, with no rest between them until the one minute break between the first and second circuits (strength circuit allows for 30 second tests between exercises). Each week adds 15-30 second to the intervals.

Now, as it is a boxing program, jump rope is a big part of it. For the past few years I've primarily trained weight and plyometrics, and have terribly neglected the cardio side of things, at least as far as loss of lower body IMPACT exercises go. Every time I try to make jump rope a regular thing (this is the third or fourth time in as many years), I suffer shin splints, but this time I'm determined to overcome them. I've had relative success by using the golf ball under the foot massage, a massage cylinder, NSAIDs, ice, stretching, and rest. Even so, when I go for a quick sprint (upstairs or to my classroom, for example), my soleus and inner lower shin really ache for a while. Yesterday I got home and pretty much immediately took a two hour nap, and then decided to take the day off from training (given my training the past few years, I knew I could afford a missed day of strength training). Well, I got back on track today with the conditioning circuit and holy cow I felt like a bag of rusted bolts. Plus, once I got inside, I lay on the floor for a few minutes, stunned at how badly my lower legs ached. I know I'm getting fitter, since I'm technically doing more effort each time, but I still basically feel like I'm never fully rested or recovered. Today for example I felt a slight shortness of breath after a burst of teaching activity. The training is making FEEL weaker, even though I know objectively and rationally that it's making me stronger. Another issue is that this regimen is partially aimed at losing weight, so I'm reducing my Celtic intake.

Anyway, I'm thinking of taking tomorrow off (though I'm sure I'll work up a sweat breaking in my new heavy bag/speed bag stand), going for a walk or bike ride, doing a strength circuit Saturday, taking Sunday today off, and getting back to it in full swing Monday. However, my quandary is whether I should even progress to the next time bracket until I can do the circuits strictly as advised by the training pamphlet. I won't lie; those breaks have a way of stretching past 30 seconds and I have a way of pausing for air during some conditioning exercises. On the other hand, maybe it's designed just to be hell week after week, and is to be scaled by whatever means as long as you stick with it. It's hard to believe I'm THAT out of shape compared to the average purchaser of the jump rope that includes the Training Camp booklet, but this is a humbling endeavour any way you cut it. Perhaps I should do the exercises at a little lower intensity?

Friday I drove to pick up my Everlast dual bag stand, got a double end bag while I was at it, and had a little fun with the heavy bag and speed bag once I got everything set up.

 

Heavy bag, jump ropes, and power tower -- what else do you need?

 I got the swivel you see for free (the one included in the stand is, apparently, dumpy), but it didn't match the holes on the stand's board, so I installed it in my garage ceiling. Meh.

 Enough space, not hit too hard by the sun but also not in the breezeless back of the garage. 

 My advanced jump rope station: a long rectangle of carpet folded in half, stacked on top of a plywood board on another rectangle of carpet on the ground.

 My Lifeline Jungle Gym XT does well on this branch. I also attach my double end bag here (anchored by two 20 lb. dumbbells I place in that nearest tire). Again, not without breeze but also with shade.

 This is my main neck trainer, and also how I 'invented' "Necker lunges."  It's a Lifeline cable expander thingie, with the handles latched onto a large hook I screwed into the wood over the doorjamb. For a while I did suspension pushups, rows, and pistol squats with another suspension trainer I have, but then decided that was too much strain on the wood, so now I only do neck exercises from it. Each red cord is about 30 lbs of resistance, and doubled through the carabiner, I can get a total of 180 lbs of resistance. What's that blue thing? Why, it's a large dog harness I bought a couple years ago in Taiwan. I place it on my head and the cords provide the resistance from any angle I like. 

Saturday, 9 Feb 2013 

30 min., 219 lbs. 
(I woke up Friday with a wicked little kink in the left side of my neck. I did the following workout after a couple hours of yard work.)

A. Jump rope 45 sec. THEN double end bag sparring 45 sec. x 5
THEN 
B. Three-round Everlast heavy bag workout
Round 1: 5 hits, squat, 5 hits, rest, repeat x 3 min.
Round 2: 15 sec. on the bag, 15 sec. rest, repeat x 3 min.
Round 3: 5 squats, parry left, 5 squats, parry right, 15 sec. on the bag, repeat x 3 min.

My shins didn't hurt too bad.

+++

So, I hit a wall and need to re-strategize. Where do things stand with the Everlast Training Camp? I think I'll space out the workouts like so:

Monday: Strength circuit
Tuesday: swim or bike or jog or bag training 
Wednesday: Conditioning circuit
Thursday: swim or bike or jog or bag training
Friday: Strength circuit
Saturday: Conditioning circuit
Sunday: total rest

I'll do this until I can do each 45-sec. interval without cheating or pausing, before moving to a longer interval. As I say, rest is the key exercise in any exercise plan.