Catching up…

Fortunately, the title refers to my posting here, not my fitness goals! I even managed to rope some friends into working out with me at my home back in June. There are far too many detailed workout records to present now (or perhaps ever) that I've done since my last post here, but basically: these days I'm training exclusively at home, I canceled my gym membership, and I've settled on three basic kinds of workouts through which I cycle each week. Until I get a bicycle, an ergometer, and/or regular access to a pool, or decide to get back into weightlifting full-time again, I don't see these routines changing any time soon. They are what I think are long-term, well rounded fitness routines for maintaining a high metabolic rate, cardiac fitness, speed, power, and neuromuscular coordination.

First, a boxing/calisthenics day (heavy bag, double end bag, speed bag, jump rope, kettlebell, medicine ball, battling ropes, mountain climbers, Hindu squats, etc.). It's been great to get back behind the gloves. It was simply too hot to do much boxing over the summer, since I box outside under a tree or in my garage with no fans or A/C.

Second, a tire and sledge hammer day––that's right, I finally got a GIANT TIRE! It's a Michelin 23.5 R 25 that weighs in close to 900 lbs. I call it Ferdinand. I use it for sledge hits, box jumps, med ball slams, moguls (or donkey hops), kettlebell, flips, tire tennis, etc. Here are some videos I made not too long ago about this. I would like to upload other videos I made in the past highlighting other exercises, but when will I find the time? Stay tuned!  Errmmm...







Third, a gymnastics and bodyweight day (dips, rows, pullups, pikeups, jack knives, pushups, L-sits, pistol squats, etc.) using my Jungle Gym XT. I'd like to get a set of wooden gymnastic rings, so that I can have all four points suspended for the motions, but I need to hold my horses. Budget. (And I know I could get another suspension trained for about $20 but I want to get rings, since they enable different maneuvers than standard trainers, and, apparently, "just feel better."

I also mix in grip training during the week with an Ivanko-style multi-grip crusher, Captains of Crush, eagle-loops hangs, rotations, gyro ball, etc. How I miss my spinning flail!

On truly "off days" I at least try to get in 20–30 minutes with the Bodyblade or brisk walking, or even just some intermittent planking.

I began focusing a lot on my core and abs a few weeks ago, after a couple years of taking my abs for granted (not taking their beauty for granted––as if!––but taking their development for granted as a result of squats, deadlifts, and other full-body exercises). As they say, "Your waistline is your lifeline," and I can't deny it's been invigorating and calming to have a tighter, flatter stomach again.

Also, without even really noticing it, I dropped below my goal of 206 lbs. I'm now about 204 lbs, but expect I will gain a few pounds of muscle once my gymnastic and sledge/tire wourkouts add up over the winter months.  

Let me close with two specific workouts, to give you an idea of how I'm training. Granted, these were mini-workouts, but you get the idea.

Yesterday my workout was this:

sledge/tire
15 min., BPM 150-180

5/5 sagittal hits
5/5 low baseball hits
20 med ball slams (inside Ferdinand)
10 abduction jump-ups (from inside Ferdinand)
10 box jumps*
short REST
repeat 3 more times

* My friend told me that the best way to do box jumps is from a low platform onto the floor and then up onto the box. Since, however, I find that jumping backwards off of Ferdinand onto cinder blocks is too dangerous, and jumping onto the ground and then stepping onto the blocks for a new box jump is too low-intensity, I discovered a good semi-solution: jump off of the box (Ferdinand) into a wide stance and then immediately hop a couple inches forward to bring your feet closer together and then immediately explode up into the box jump. This not only keeps the intensity high and approximates the low-ground-high routine that my friend recommends, but also incorporates adduction and abduction into an otherwise one- or maybe two-plane exercise. 

Tonight I "took it easy" and only trained:

grip and core
20 min.

Bodyblade and crusher warm-up, forearm stretching

loop hangs -
2-finger 5 sec.
3-finger 8 sec.
4-finger 11 sec.
REST
repeat 3 more times

multi-crusher (4th from bottom notch) -
10 R/L
8 R/L
6 R/L
4 R/L
2 R/L
(then I inverted the gripper so the handles form a V instead of the normal A shape)
2 L, 2 R...
(pretty much until I couldn't do anymore)

dip-sits -
(I slowly press up from a hanging dip into an L-sit, hold it for 10 sec., and slowly dip down)
short REST
repeat 6 more times