Grip training ... and then a Shurg Rush - 30 April 2014

Crush grip training
30 min., 224 lbs 
MOOD: felt ready but got easily distracted at times... because I trained in my office and babies were around; all right-hand reps and closes were "with authority" 

warm-up (9 min) - space mace, light grippers, stretching

CoC #1.5 - 6/6 closes
CoC #2 - L 1 close, R 1 close, L near close, R 1 close
CoC #2 (chalk) - L near close, R 1 close, L 1 close, R 1 close
CoC #1.5 iso-hold - L 20 sec, R 25 sec. (used an envelope as gap-release indicator)
CoC #1.5 - L 8 closes, R 8 closes

74-lb dino-db hold - L 33 sec., R 36 sec.
74-lb dino-db hold - L 35 sec, R 37 sec.

[Then about an hour later I got to the gym for trap day...] 

Shurg Rush
50 min, 224 lbs 
MOOD: felt stoked and focused, worked quickly but not carelessly 

hypers - 18, 15 + 10 lbs, 12 + 25 lbs, 9 + 45 lbs
Hindu squats - 40

Kelso db shrug - 12, 10, 10 @ 85 lbs
Hindu squats - 40

bench shrug - 12, 10, 12 @ 225, 245, 265 lbs
Hindu squats - 40

dip shrug - 12, 10, 10 @ 70 lbs
Hindu squats - 40

snatch shrug - 6, 8, 8 @ 235, 225, 225 lbs
Hindu squats - 40

rear shrug - 6, 6, 6 @ 275 lbs
Hindu squats - 40

+ + +

At one point, as I did Hindu squats--which I assure you the vast majority of gym rats don't even know about, and probably even fewer would be willing to try--I heard one older gym bro muttering to another older gym bro, "Oh, he's workin' his legs and his back. Heh. Yeah, mumble grumble, etc." Was it about me? I don't know. But as I found myself surrounded by dudes who do uneven straight bar curls in the squat rack, shout about "thowin' them bitches [25 lb dumbbells]", and have as large a torso as their legs are puny... I just had to look to the future. I'm doing what works for me, and it's bound to raise some eyebrows. To wit, I got queried yet again about bench shrugs. I'm happy to share new ideas.

Patience, Humility, Confidence, Persistence... Stay tuned.

P.S. Since I know that my millions of readers are as interested in the minutiae as I am, I should add that the above figures for my grip training indicate a significant step forward--or, if you will, a significant return to where I was in last 2012. I believe that by summer I will have a CoC #2.5 to train with. 

Even Keel - 28 April 2014

Even Keel 1A
75 min., 222 lbs 
MOOD: a bit groggy, DOMS in my quads, splurged on a Cytomax

Warm-up: 10 min.

FSQ: 5x5 @ 225 lbs

db BP: 5x5 @ 90 lbs

SDL: 6, 4, 2, 2 @ 225, 235, 255, 275 lbs

db MP: 10, 8, 7 @ 55 lbs

PU: 12, 11, 7

EZ bar spider curl: 12, 10, 9 @ 60, 70, 80 lbs

+ + + 

I don't like my workotus to take too long, but I'm taking Pavel's advice that "power thrives on time". I took at least a few minutes between each set, so that I could give maximum effort. I was a little hastier with my pullups and curls, but at that point I just wanted to git 'er done.

Also, I sort of contracted myself out to make some cement kettlebells for a trainer at the gym. I'll make a 16 and a 36 pounder. The 16 pounder will just need a 2-gallon bucket, but for the 36 pounder I'm going to try embedding two 10-lb plates in the cement. Should be fun.

Heavy-ass weight!

No delusions of grandeur here, don't worry. I don't even consider myself a bodybuilder.

All the same, Coleman's quote is immortal. Just replace "bodybuilder" with your strength-training goal and it fits.

Today was a "life fitness day". I didn't hit the gym. I didn't touch a metal weight of any kind. The most I did in terms of "fitness" training, in fact, was some core work I'll describe below.

Today I woke up, played with my kids for a bit, then drank some milk and a beer (!), and napped again for a few hours.

Then I really got up, had some oatmeal and eggs and coffee and my usual humble supplements. Then I did some core work before my wife and I took the babies on a stroller walk for nearly an hour. When we got back I practiced hand balancing for about 10 minutes, between bursts of yard work, which then shifted to me mowing the front yard.

But here I am rambling--and on my own blog, no less!

The core work I did this morning is, according to Tamir B. Katz, M.D., a "flat bridge".

Or you could just call it a straight bitch.

Of which more in a moment.

I started with two 50-second neck bridges. Felt great on the hamstrings and back.

Then I rolled over into a butts-up headstand... and slowly backed my feet up until I was into a basically horizontal, hands-free plank position.

On my forehead.

Yeah. That's the flat bridge which Katz presents.

I held that for 30 seconds, twice.

Then I tried it again for another 30 seconds.

I can't find an image of what Katz advises, so here are some photo grabs from a pre-publication version of his book that I printed out a few years ago:

When I got inside from mowing the yard, I tried Katz's flat bridge again for 30 seconds. Then I tried it on a chair, thinking that a higher elevation might provide a way to train the exercise more progressively and less aggressively.

How wrong I was.

Friends, I tell you: Just stick with the floor.

The two fulcra are how far back you position your feet and and how "flat" you put your face on the mat. The closer your feet are, and the higher your rest on the crown of your head, the easier it is. And vice versa.

Anyway, what are the heavy-ass weights which birthed the title of this post?

Amidst hand balancing and yard work, I finally got my "bigger" dino-dumbbell out of the plastic bucket this evening.

And, holy cats, is it ungainly.

It's at least 10 lbs heavier than I had intended, and, honestly, may not even be symmetrically heavy.

Which...makes it that much cooler, in a weird, dinosaur way.

That bad boy weighs in at just shy of 74 lbs, with a 2-inch grip. 

I chipped off a little bit of it today trying to get it out of the bucket, but if I want to, I can just patch it up with a few dollops of cement. Seeing, however, as it's heavy-as-shit already, I will not be doing any patching up until it gets more chipped over time. 

Even Keel - 25 April 2014

Even Keel 1B
70 min, 224 lbs 

DL: 6, 4, 3, 1/4 @ 235, 285, 325, 355 lbs 
[Used chalk on what was supposed to be the only rep in the last set, but then I did four more reps with a hook grip. LIGHTWEIGHT! Perhaps a PR. One nice little detail is that I used the thicker, powerlifting bar. Grip Strong Or Die.] 

pullover-press: 10, 10, 10 @ 50, 60, 70 lbs. 
[in line with the bench] 

FSQ: 5x5 @ 205 lbs. 
[Nut'n but a peanut.] 

Pendlay row: 5x5 @ 165 lbs 

bb guillotine: 12, 9, 8* @ 145, 165, 185 lbs. 
[spotter on last rep of last set] 

db spider curl: 12, 12, 12 @ 50, 60, 70 lbs 

+ + +

The DOMS in my hammies from the Shurg Rush (viz. hypers) gave me second thoughts about working out heavy today, but, as always, "how you feel is a lie." If I do feel wrecked tomorrow--which I doubt--I've got the weekend to recover. 

I hope to post a photo of my 60+ lb dino-dumbbell tomorrow. I will probably train grip tomorrow or Sunday. 

Fitness update...

Thursday, 24 April 2014

Space mace - 2 min.

Mace - 5-6 min.

kb swings -
20/20 x 6 single-hand
100/10/10 double-hand/single-hand 

db snatch -
5/5 x 3 @ 35 lbs.

kb swing -
120 double-hand/single-hand

My traps felt nice and toasty afterwards. A little DOMS from the Shurg Rush. Nice.

Also, the kb swings fried my grip. Also nice.

Tomorrow:

Even Keel 1B

DL: 5,3,2,1 @  
pullover-press: 10, 10, 10 @ 
FSQ: 5x5 @
Pendlay row: 5x5 @ 
bb guillotine: 12, 9, 6 @ 
spider curl: 12, 9, 6 @ 

Shurg Rush! - 23 April 2014

[Not a typo; just a nerdy joke. And I'm not even a gamer.]

Shurg Rush
60 min., 226 lbs. 
MOOD: excited, alert, yet calm, with tinges of somatic fatigue; want to sleep early tonight!

ZSQ: 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 3, 3 @ 55, 85, 105, 155, 185, 195, 205 lbs.

hypers: 12, 10, 8 @ bdw, bdw + 10, bdw + 25 lbs
[Since I wasn't trying to work my hammies, I braced my legs at the knee joint.]

"The" Kelso Shrug: 12, 12, 12 @ 90 lbs
[I tried these at 55° and 35°, with over- and underhand grips. Given my bench options, 35° seems a better fit, and I felt the overhand grip more in my lower traps... although Kelso defines "The Kelso Shrug" as an underhand grip focusing more on the lats and lowers traps. Working out these kinks is part of why this workout took an hour; once I get the hang of things, I'm hoping to curtail it to 45 minutes. I would have liked to go a bit heavier, but, along with heeding Kelso's advice to start light until you get familiar with the motions, these shrugs, as with spider curls, are easier to do if a spotter helps get the bar in your hands. I will try it with dumbbells next time. Range of motion, for the win!]

bench shrug: 12, 12, 12 @ 235 lbs.
[spotter for the break -- "Never seen those before!"]

dip shrug: 12, 12, 12 @ bdw + 60 lbs.
[felt awesome]

snatch shrug: 12, 10, 8 @ 205, 225, 245
[My only frustration with these was that, unless I wanted to SDL the bar into a standing position and then shrug, I had to shrug from the lower squat-rack braces. This was fine, except for the fact that it prevented me from taking a truly wide-snatch grip. I was distracted by the fear of pinching my fingers with the bar when I set it down. The widest grip was about an inch outside the outer knurling gap. All the same, two hours after this workout, I can feel that warm stiffness in my neck. I'm curious to see how I feel tomorrow and the next day.]

overhead shrug: 12, 10, 8 @ 165, 185, 205 lbs
[I tried my first set from a squat rack, which was precarious, so I moved over to the power rack, setting the pins in the highest slots. Then I stood the loaded bar up, with straight arms, as if finishing a jerk in slow motion. The key to this, or, really, any, shrug, is the squeeze and hold.]

+ + + 

If you didn't catch on, the idea behind the Shurg Rush is train the entire spinal column from the bottom up.

When I got to the gym, three of the usual high school gym rats were there, and they were still at it when I walked out the door. Ahh, youth.

Only... well... the ringleader was a chunky, middle-aged Bro who had them doing every possible mainstream "pec exercise": incline bench, pec deck, dip machine, flat bench, Nautilus press, etc. Those poor, poor youth--they never squat. Like so many, they're just in it for T-shirt muscles. Pecs and bi's, pecs and bi's, pecs and bi's. (Yes, they even do dips-with-chains-draped-over-the-neck, presumably just in case a sports drink photographer or cologne mogul happens to be in the gym.) Sure, you could argue that today was just their pec day, like it was my trap day, but I see them doing almost literally the exact same workout every time I see them, which is at least twice a week. It's sad, but perhaps over time they'll wake up to the fundamentals.

Grip training + AYCE = WINNING!

Grip training
30 min., 225 lbs.
MOOD: felt groggy and a bit cranky when I got home; spent some time puttering in the garage and eventually felt ready

warm-up: space mace, ghetto gripper, stretching, Chin Na movements (10 min.)

CoC #1.5 - 6 closes

CoC #2 - LH 1 near-close, RH 1 close
[I squeezed so hard on my first LH attempt that at the release I got dizzy enough to have to brace myself on my heavy bag. Fun times!]

CoC #2 - LH 1 near-close, RH 1 close

CoC #2 - LH 1 body-English close, RH 1 close

CoC #1.5 iso-squeeze - LH/RH 15 sec./15 sec.
[used a piece of a thin metal rule to detect when the ends separated]

1.5" pinch block @ 24 lbs. - LH 47 sec., RH 55 sec.
1.5" pinch block @ 24 lbs. - LH 50 sec., RH 50 sec.
[This last set reminded me how grip training is intensely, perhaps uniquely, "mental" in its intensity. I could almost feel myself willing my fingers to clamp harder near the end of my first RH pinch. Then I did the same for my second LH pinch, yet, significantly, let my mind wander during my last RH pinch.]

+ + +

And then, boys and girls, I did a Bad Thing: I gave into the urge to SQUAT MOAR and drove up to the gym for a set of FSQ.

FSQ: 8, 6, 3, 3, 3, 2 @ 145, 195, 215, 235, 255, 275 lbs.

+ + + 

Hooray: I believe those two reps at 275 are a new PR for me.

I'm pretty certain that I could front squat 285, which was the figure I estimated was 90% of my back squat. Once I achieve that FSQ, I will reintegrate SQ into my regimen.

All such certainties aside, however, I am willing to wait until I actually FSQ a couple reps at 285 before bringing back the SQ, and even when I do so, I'll be opting for a high-bar, narrowish-stance, Olympicky SQ instead of the low bar powerlifting SQ. FSQ helps your liftoff on the DL, and my Kelso Shurg Rush program is intended to augment the back-extension phase.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

This FSQ set was a perfect example of the benefit I got from Perryman's Squat Every Day. Just as some fellows tell their wives that they're headed to the store for some milk, I rather spontaneously told my wife, "I'm going to go squat, be back soon." I went in my Birkenstocks, shorts, a T-shirt and a sweatshirt, bee-lined for the squat rack, and got the whole set done in about 20 minutes. Before my very last rep, I took a long moment to collect my thoughts, assess my abilities, and then drove down for what turned out to be a second PR. ("How you feel is a lie.") Admittedly, I thought I was about to tip forward halfway up, but I pulled through, let out a small bark at the top, racked the bar, and stepped away, saying, "Well, wasn't that something?"

Felt. Totally. Awesome!

Speaking of "feeleens," I had some DOMS today in my thighs, and was of a mind to take it easy, but I keep coming back to the mysterious and too little known truth that it's extremely difficult to (really) "overtrain" squats.

Tomorrow is a Shurg Rush, and I will be throwing in a set of HSQ or ZSQ. Stay tuned.

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

P.S. 

Almost forgot. I made my workout cards today, so I'm just as curious as you are what my Even Keel 1A workout is for next week. I've already got this week's 1B programmed. 

P.P.S. 

My first dino-db is complete! Turns out, lubricating the container actually makes it harder to extract the dried cement, since it forms a moisture lock with the plastic. It's about 34 lbs. and the handle ended up being a little longer than I wanted. The measurement I had taken of the first side of cement, and used for the second portion, was too high: once the water evaporated, the concrete itself finished "shorter away" from my intended handle width. Oh well. I laid the first half of my next, 60+ lbs dino-db today, which was a nifty wrist warm-up for my grip session, to boot. 

The new half is darker until residual moisture and silicone lubricant are gone. If you want to make one of these for yourself, here's a little heads-up: when setting the second half, you need to drill a small hole in the handle so that air in the pipe can escape and allow the fresh cement to fill the pipe. Oh, also, you should tap all around the bucket to get as many air bubbles out of the cement to the surface. Happily enough, this procedure splashed some of the cement onto the handle, which gives an otherwise smooth pipe some nice grit.

Even Keel notes... (and why I can't entirely forsake AYCE...)

[Below I have struck out some of my falsely projected figures from yesterday.] 

Even Keel 1A
70 min. (incl. warm-up), 225 lbs. 

MOOD: felt excited and pretty focused; I'd like to get done closer to an hour next time around, though, since today I was feeling out the new regimen; plus I met a fairly cool, knowledgeable guy #bromance

FSQ: 5x5 @ 265 225, 215 lbs
 
db BP: 5, 5, 5, 5, 8 @ 90, 85 lbs 

SDL: 6, 4, 2 3 @ 215, 225, 235 lbs
 
PU: reps x 3 12, 9, 6
 
db MP: 12, 9, 6 @ 60, 65, 70 55, 50, 50 lbs
 
spider curl: 12, 9, 6 @ 50, 60, 70 lbs   

+ + +

Okay, yeah: dumbbells are harder. When I asked for a spot on my last set of bench presses today, I started to explain that I'm used to a barbell and dumbbells... "are way more work," the guy finished for me. I chuckled. "Kuh-RAY-zee!" I used to incorporate dumbbells more in the past, I guess, but over the past few months I got transfixed by the barbell. Don't get me wrong, the barbell is still awesome, and irreplaceable for some key lifts, but I can tell that this shift to dumbbells will be good for me. 

As for my projections on the FSQ, I had forgotten that my previous performances around 265 lbs were done in triples or doubles. Anything over a triple is virtually a different lift. My AYCE triples had me doing a total of maybe 18 reps, whereas a 5x5 requires 25 reps, so I quickly realized that I'm going to need some time to bounce back from going stale last week and taking some days off. Indeed, I couldn't help but feeling that I'm going to want to maintain daily squats--once you go AYCE, you never go back!--, even if that's all I do at the gym, even for only ten minutes, on off days. 

As for the barbell, I am choosing to use the thicker, powerlifting bar on everything but cleans and snatches, since there is only one (Olympic) bar at my gym with properly rolling sleeves. Gotta Get Grip. I used chalk on some SDL and PU, but over time I'm hoping to compensate with sheer grip strength. 

Speaking of grip, I'm curious to see if, due to today's exertion, my grip session tomorrow is not spectacular. Stay tuned. 

Possibly --> 

FSQ: 6, 4, 3, 3, 3 
Grip warmup
CoC #1.5 
CoC #2 
CoC #2 
CoC #1.5 
plate pinch
farmer carry 

AYCE was nice but...

Yeah. 

But seriously, AYCE quickly became an addictive program, but... 

I want to have more time for other training modalities. 

I'm just not enough of a gym rat to do a daily gym session. 

Perryman helped me exorcise the specter of "overtraining" but I found AYCE too hard to program, and I wasn't seeing the gains I expected from it (blame my poor sleep lifestyle, I know). 

So I'm going back to what I know works for me: Even Keel! 

This will give me more time for recovery, more time for grip training, and more time for "just messing around" with plyometrics, kettlebells, tires and hammers, sprinting, handstands, and so on. 

One adjustment I'm making compared to how I did Even Keel in Taiwan, is the rep scheme: for big, compound lifts I'm using a 5x5 scheme, while for smaller exercises I'm going for more volume. Another change is that I'm switching over to dumbbells on as many exercises as I can. One more tweak is that I will throw in unilateral lifts and compounds at times. I also struck upon what I hope is a sustainable and successful programming method, albeit with help from an old stand-by, the deck of cards conditioning challenge. As my millions of readers know, I am prone to adjusting things from one week to the next, as I love to try out new exercises and methods. For a while this adaptability was making me insecure and confused, but then it dawned on me that I should just work with my impulse for novelty. So, this weekend I wrote down my favorite exercises, divided into five groups (squat, deadlift, pull/row, press, and curls [because even I am allowed a little lifter's vanity]). I will be making cards (or straws or tickets) for each exercise, storing them in five different cups (or buckets or whatever), and then pretty much drawing them at random to fill in the following grid: 

A
squat (heavier)
chest/triceps/shoulders
deadlift (lighter)
chest/triceps/shoulders
back/pull
biceps

B
deadlift (heavier)
chest/triceps/shoulders
squat (lighter)
back/pull
chest/triceps/shoulders
biceps

The hub of the workout is the squat and deadlift, so I can always expect to do those lifts every time. I think this will keep things mentally stimulating, and will prevent muscle adaptation. I like the idea of not knowing exactly what challenge I'll be facing until about an hour before I get to the gym. I realize that "imaging" is very important, but this program does not work against imaging. Everything I'm doing here is to help me a) get better at squatting and deadlifting, and b) get stronger overall. Imaging is there to help me become more and more efficient with the first parameter. The variations on a muscular theme are there to achieve the second one. 

Anyway. 

Until I make my Lifting Lotto, here's what I've got projected for tomorrow: 

FSQ: 5x5 @ 265 
db BP: 5x5 @ 90 
SDL: 6, 4, 2 @ 225 
PU: reps x 3
db MP: 12, 9, 6 @ 60, 65, 70 lbs
spider curl: 12, 9, 6 @ 50, 60, 70 lbs   

I'm excited about presenting some exercise that will crop up in the upcoming workouts--I discovered some very neat ones this weekend, as a matter of fact--but I'll let the pattern emerge over time. If I lay it all out now, I'll just look even worse for, inevitably, changing it in a couple weeks. ;) 

Patience... Humility... Confidence... 

Gettin' the ol' gang back t'gether...

After close to a year and a half out of the game, I'm now officially and seriously back into "grip training" mode. My brain has reactivated the algorithm that I ran non-stop a couple years ago, namely, looking at everything as a possible grip training device or opportunity. I look at the ground nervously, wondering if I can fit in some handstands without upsetting people around me. Clothes pins with rubber bands wrapped around them become finger-pinch trainers. Toothpicks and matchsticks become finger levers (i.e. brace a matchstick on two fingernails or knuckles and try snapping it in half with the finger in between). Beans, rice and sand in a bucket are training tools. All steel pipe is a rolling thunder waiting to be made. And so on.

In the last few weeks, I've not only taken up formal grip training again, but have also either assembled or laid the ground for assembling a DIY titan's telegraph key, something-like-Joe-Kinney's-secret-weapon, thick-handle dumbbells, and some pool-noodle Fat-Gripz. And today I splurged on some plumbing supplies to make one of my favorite old tools, which I left behind in Taiwan a couple years ago.

The Space Mace. 

Hold the long end somewhere and make the spinny end go round for a while without smashing your teeth. The higher you lift it, the more it activates your deltoids, and the more you involve the elbow, the more your biceps get worked. If you spin it horizontally, it activates your pectorals quite a bit. The whole time, of course, your forearm is getting fried. You can also spin it upside down for a whole different kinda burn, but be warned that I've had the spinner fall off as the friction gradually loosened the cap. The Space Mace (I coined that name, if not the device) feels a bit like a gyro ball, but the leverage produced by the heavy bar (2' x 3/4") achieves a different whole-torso effect, and the number of possible grip positions, distances from the torso, and angles makes it a unique challenge. If nothing else, trying to keep the rotation in rhythm is mentally soothing. How I've missed it!

I would have liked to get a thicker handle, but I wanted to get in and out of The Home Depot today, so I just took whatever was cheapest and available. I'll probably end up wrapping the handle with tape etc. to thicken it, but for now, as a warmup, endurance, and rehab device, it's fine. Granted, because so many pieces are involved,* it was a little costly ($34), but it can double as a variably weighted wrist lever,** so I effectively paid for two devices in one.

As you can see, I've also taken to wearing wrist bands most of the time, in order to keep my wrists warm and more prone to recovery. I'm also taking a daily glucosamine pill, so, yes, friends, you might say, it's on, like Tron.



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

* 2' x 3/4" pipe, 3/4" coupling, 4" x 3/4" nipple, 3/4" cap, 1" T-coupling, 1" x 5" nipple, and 1" cap ... though I splurged on that last bit, since it's not essential: it just adds an aesthetic finish and more weight.

** Just unscrew the cap and remove the spinning T-coupling, then add and secure a weight plate of your choice to the upper segment of 3/4" pipe. 

Grip session PLUS

[See update at bottom...] 

Crush training
27 min., 225 lbs.

Warm-up (10 min.) - gyro ball, Chin-Na drills, stretching

Ghetto Gripper* - 10 closes

CoC #1.5 - 6 closes

CoC #2 -
1 near-close L, 1 close R
1 near-close L, 1 close R

CoC #1.5 - 10 closes

Ghetto Trainer - 20 closes

[...deal with babies...relocate to garage...] 

Hand balancing - 5 min.
one-arm db snatch - 5/5, 5/5 @ 35 lbs.
one-arm kb swing - 80 @ 35 lbs. [switched hands every ten swings]
one-arm db snatch - 5/5, 5/5 @ 35 lbs.
one-arm kb swing - 80 @ 35 lbs. [ditto]
[^ 15 min.]

+ + +

Yesterday I began assembling my first dino-bells. I call them dino-bells in honor of Brooks Kubik's Dinosaur Training. I will make a 30 lb. and 60 lb. dino-db with a 5" grip width, and a 125 lb. dino-bar with about 4' of grip width. I am using 2" electrical conduit, plastic buckets, and Sakrete. I forgot to spray silicone lubricant into the bucket when I set the first 15 lb. "plate" yesterday, so it will either come off with some help from a rubber mallet, or my 30 lb. dino-db will have both ends covered in white plastic, and I'll have to invest in a third bucket. I'm giving each batch at least a day and a half before I mess with it, so hopefully I can set up the other half of the 30 lb. dino db tomorrow.**  

At The Home Depot, when I asked the plumbing helper to cut the conduit into shorter segments, he said, "That grip's too thick, it's too hard to handle." I explained that that's the entire point of making such devices, but as I learned long ago, thick bar and "rough" training is counterintuitive almost anywhere you go. 

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

* Yesterday I got a spring clamp for a dollar at The Home Depot. I gave my Heavy Grips 150 to a friend when I left Taiwan, so I need something again for warm-up reps. The Ghetto Gripper feels like the Captains of Crush Point Five, I reckon. If I need it to be tougher, of course, I'll just wrap rubber bands around the pincers, like I did with an alligator clamp back in Taiwan.

** UPDATE 20 April 2014 - The rubber mallet worked like a charm. This half currently weighs a little more than 18 lbs, but once I cut off the excess bar and (perhaps) grind down the inner edge of the concrete so it won't cut my forearm [I'll probably just wear large wrist bands], it should weigh about 18 lbs. So by the end of the project, the dino db will weigh at least 35 lbs, with a total cost of about $5 and a couple hours of puttering. 

Hit a wall, going through it

After five consecutive days of training, a weekend of grip training and playing at the beach threw my body "out of whack" (a phrase which for the first time has a personal phenomenological vividness). For the past three days I have done virtually no exercise.* I hit a wall. I needed a break. I needed some space. Even today I was a bit reticent, but the axiom that "how you feel is a lie" was largely borne out once more. Kelso's Shrug Book is more substantial than I expected (i.e. its 94 pages are textbook size and provide numerous photos), and I couldn't wait to apply some of the great things I've read in it so far. A Carpe Ferrum workout was just the sort of rehab-refresher workout I needed.

Carpe Ferrum/Shurg Rush 
60 min., 226 lbs. 

Warm-up: 10 min.

FSQ: 6, 6, 3, 3, 3 @ 165, 185, 205, 235, 255 lbs.

Cable cross shrug: 10, 10, 10 @ 100, 120, 140

DBP: 6, 6, 6, 6, 10, 12 @ 215, 225, 235, 215, 195, 175 lbs.

Bench shrug: 12, 12, 12 @ 215, 225, 235 lbs.

stiff-arm pulldown & dip shrug (or "monkey shrug"):
[I just tried a few of these to get a feel for them. Weighted dip shrugs would be awesome, mega serratus trainer!]

db pullover: 10, 10, 10 @ 55, 60, 65 lbs.

EZ bar spider curl: 6/6, 6/6, 6/6 @ 40, 50, 60 lbs.
[I did the first 6 reps to work the short/inner head, and the next six for the long/outer head.]

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

* Tuesday I did three sets of ab exercises, and Wednesday I did what was basically a diagnostic grip session. I closed the CoC #2 twice, in two separate attempts, with my right hand, but was "this close" three times with my left hand. I perused my past grip notes here and the best I seem to have achieved, in August 2012, was 4 right closes, and 2 (or 3) left closes. Despite this current setback, the good news is that, only a week or two ago I was unable to close the #2 at all, so my old grip foundation is coming back. Still, it will take time, and I daren't rush into tendonitis. 

Interestingly enough, I must thank last night's grip session for galvanizing me to do today's workout. There's something very special about intense grip training. A serious crush attempt, if done right, will have you flexing an entire side of your body, and will often leave you a little dizzy. (To experience this feeling, try doing half a dozen extremely arduous, standing front pec flexes, each time 5 seconds long, with your fists squeezing as hard as possible.) As I learned long ago, and which was a key impetus for my plunge into serious grip training, the brain will not activate full muscular potential if it's not convinced you have solid grip on the resistant object. By extension, therefore, achieving a solid grip on an object will deeply stimulate larger accessory muscles "up the chain." This is why trying to "crush" the bar helps your bench, and even your squat (cf. step 3), and also ties into effective kettlebell clean and jerk. 

AYCE notes... (And sun!)

Went to a very enriching Mass Saturday evening. Holy Week is upon us.

Sunday morning we headed out to the beach to hang out and eat BBQ with my brother and his family. I loved being at the beach again. It was Elina's second time, and she took to it like... a fish to water? Alex was intimidated by the waves, but he'll learn quickly (or it's the plank!). I swam, tossed kids, and did some hand walking on the beach.

Granted, all this frolicking resulted in a lower back kink and some sore wrists. I had trained grip-crushing Saturday afternoon and was puttering making pinch blocks and a DIY (very rudimentary) version of the Titan's Telegraph Key Saturday night, at a savings of close to $100 (I'll post a video soon). I believe that my open-palm thumb trainer achieves the same effect at a tiny fraction of the market price.* (How do you patent a lever, anyway?)

By this morning, however, my back felt great and I actually ended up in the gym. All day I felt zapped, and even considered taking tomorrow off. Although "how you feel is a lie," how you perform is not. Auto-regulation means putting in the time, but not sacrificing quality performance on the altar of a fixed numerical scheme. I'm exhausted and will sleep after finishing this post, to wit:

AYCE Press 
50 min., 227 lbs.
MOOD/MISC.: sluggish, dizzy (?), distracted by the larger than usual number of dudes at the gym; how I long to be able to train at home; warmups were included as opening reps in the following exercises

db bench press: 5x5 @ 80 lbs.
[Felt slight impingement in right wrist. Same as on my FSQ a couple weeks ago, and during my CoC drills Saturday afternoon.]

FSQ: 5x5 @ 215 lbs.

MP (belt): 5x5 @ 125 lbs.

"The Bench Shrug": 12, 12, 12, @ 185 lbs.
[Right wrist felt weak, hard to keep fist straight upward.] 

+ + + 

My copy of Kelso's Shrug Book should arrive tomorrow, but I've already decided to incorporate shrugs as an assistance "finisher" in all workouts on my current program. Seeing as it's Holy Week, I'll take it a bit easier this week, and will take Friday off from work.

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

* Apropos DIY gym equipment, this evening I bought the key components that I believe I need to make something that achieves much the same effect as Joe Kinney's Secret Weapon. Assembly (no welding!) won't happen till next week, at the earliest, so I'll have to wait until then to see if it works like I'm envisioning my design should. Even then, I will not rush into using it. All I hear is that it's "painful," "unpleasant," "intense," and so on. I learned the hard way about three years ago that one must not overdo it with grip training. Still, if I can save $200 and achieve the same effect--more power to me.

At the same time, there's an interesting, albeit contentious at times, discussion on this thread about the ethics of "hacking" elite training equipment. I can see the problem if I were to use Kinney's own design specs without giving him royalties, but I think anyone is in his rights to produce a similar device for his own training goals. I'm not looking to sell my little device; what I'm using is readily available at almost any hardware store. (Indeed, though I did not see this page until posting this update, the design should give you a rough idea of what I've got in mind.) As I get closer to achieving my grip goals--merely closing CoC #3 for reps, by the way--I will be perfectly happy to pay for the actual Kinney device, if its specs provide the competitive difference needed for success. Meanwhile, ghetto works if ghetto can git'er done. I think Randall Strossen strikes the right balance here. It's no small irony, Strossen notes elsewhere, that Kinney's own training depended on "hacking" various Iron Mind products. Share and share alike, say I, while giving credit where it's due. 

If not Even Keel, then one of these...

- Monday: heavy DL (5x5) + guillotine (15, 12, 9, 6) + ZSQ (15, 10, 9, 6) + bb shrug/hold + PNF - Tuesday: heavy BP (5x5) + HSQ (15, 12, 9, 6) + PU (slow reps) + bench shrug / overhead shrug + PNF - Wednesday: heavy FSQ (5x5) + dips/guillotine/db press/flye-aways + pullover-press (15, 12, 9, 6) + cable shrug + PNF - Thursday: BP (5x4) + SQ (7, 5, 3, 3, 3) + PU/row (slow reps) + overhead shrug + PNF - Friday: FSQ (7, 5, 3, 3, 3) + CLP (5x4) + bb shrug/hold + PNF

- Monday: BP (12, 8, 5x5) + FSQ (12, 8, 5x5) + MP (12, 10, 5x5) + bench shrug / overhead shrug (5x5) + PNF - Tuesday: DL (10, 5, 3x3) + HSQ (5x5) + PU (5x5) + bb shrug/hold (5x5) + PNF - Thursday: BP (12, 8, 5x5) + FSQ (12, 8, 5x5) + MP (12, 10, 5x5) + cable shrug / calf shrug (5x5) + PNF - Friday: DL (10, 5, 3x3) + HSQ (12, 8, 5x5) + PU (12, 10, 5x5) + bat wings (5x10 sec.) + PNF - Wednesday or Saturday: hobby training [i.e. tongue press, pinch blocks, mace, farmer walks, CoC, sledge-tires, kb, mb, etc.] - Sunday: REST

[NB: Warm-up: prone/supine scorpions + neck bridging + + Hindu pushups + movements]

Fitness update...

Strongman training
30 min., 227 lbs.

Mace: 30 lbs. - 10 min.

kb: 35 lbs. - 10 min.

mb: 12 lbs. - 5 min.

Grip:
CoC #1.5 - 6, 6, 6 / 6, 6, 6 L/R
Eagle loop hangs - 10, 10, 10 sec. (4, 3, 3 fingers)

+ + + 

Felt out of shape, uncoordinated, slow. I miss strongman training like that. Gym time is going to have to give. I think I should just do Wendler's 5-3-1. It's "there", proven, not too time-consuming, and perfectly allows for other cross-training/skill-training days. Why reinvent the wheel? We'll see. I admit that last night, despite my brainstorming, I was feeling the addictive urge to hit the weights M-F next week. :)

Gotta get my grip strength back. I used to be able to close the CoC #2 about three times, but now I can't even get 10 closes on a #1.5 Pitiful.

I did discover that KB swings standing atop Ferdinand are much harder than on a firm surface!

I'm planning to make some DIY strongman tools (thick grip db's, farmer walk handles, etc.). Stay tuned.

Funniest explanation I've ever heard! (And it's funny because it's true!)

"The bar is litr'ally hanging from your head."

AYCE notes... (The plot thickens)

Friday, 11 April 2014 
43 min., 227 lbs. 
MOOD: felt very fun, felt energized, wore pants and hoodie 

Warm-up (3 min.) - movements, stretching

FSQ: 7, 5, 3, 3, 3, 2 @ 135, 155, 205, 225, 245, 265 lbs.

CLP: 5, 5, 5 @ 115, 125, 135 lbs.

HSN (hang snatch): 5, 4, 3* @ 115, 125, 135 lbs.
[Rule of thumb: if you're not sure that you're being explosive enough on Oly lifts, then you're not being explosive enough, especially compared to this beast. Not only did I not pull myself under the bar, at least not once I passed 115 lbs., but I also didn't really drop into a squat. Plus, my feet were kind of all over the place, rather like a flying squirrel. The * indicates that I only pulled off the last rep of the final set. Humble pie is quite tasty! Still, it was a fun lift.]

PNF: 5 min.

+ + + 

I've learned this much:

- Squatting every day is not only not impossible, but almost a given for strength and power athletes. 

- I believe in majoring on The Big Three (SQ, DL, BP) and using everything else for adding volume (esp. for myofibrillar synthesis), honing technique, and training assistance lifts for The Big Three. 

- I enjoy "hobby strength training" (i.e. neck, grip, hand balancing, tires-and-sledge-hammers, plyometrics, boxing, kettlebell, keg conditioning, mace, etc.) too much to commit my entire week to "mainstream" weightlifting.  

- The above axioms have been percolating in this blog for years; my constant fiddling with my regimen--without, I maintain, trying "a whole new program" every week or two--is my attempt to articulate and synthesize them. 

My biggest discovery of late is that Matt Perryman is correct that avoiding "overtraining" is more often than not an excuse to settle for mediocrity. I would, however, restate Perryman's thesis to read, "squat in every workout." Perryman himself admits in the introduction to Squat Every Day that the title is not meant to be taken literally; even three days a week of heavy squatting would just barely qualify as "squatting every day," as he uses the phrase.

Having said that, whilst reading McCallum's The Complete Keys to Progress last night, I was faced with the reality that, while the past few weeks of almost daily training have not "done me in," by any means, I do not currently practice a lifestyle which affords me adequate rest on a daily basis to see the benefits of such frequent training. Having a day off, plus a light weekend, is probably something I need, unless I discipline myself to get a full eight or more hours of sleep every night. That would be nice, but for now, between nightly feedings, bathings, prayers, and a rising time of 5:30 AM, it's really hard for this night owl to be asleep by 9:30 PM.

The upshot of all these musings is the following proposal:

Monday & Thursday: FSQ + BP + MP + PNF  

Tuesday & Friday: DL + HSQ + PU + PNF 

Wednesday or Saturday: hobby training [i.e. tongue press, neck bridging, mace, farmer walks, CoC]

Sunday: REST 

[NB: Warm-up: prone & supine scorpions + neck bridging + movements] 

As always, the above exercises can be swapped with other, related lifts. ZSQ or OHS instead of HSQ, guillotine or dips for MP, SDL or CL or SN instead of DL, rows instead of PU, etc.

It's a basic "squat every workout + push/pull" split. (As I've said before, I'm not going to use SQ until I can FSQ 285 lbs x 4.)

I'm not interested in parsing the rep scheme in great detail right now, but, following McCallum, I'll go for something like [UPDATE: Stupid me! Stick with 5x5!]:

a 12, 10, 5x5 scheme for FSQ, SQ, BP; 

a 10, 5, 3x3 scheme for DL; and 

a 12, 10, 5x5 scheme for MP and PU. 

The first two sets will be with light, warmup weight, and the final sets will be at roughly 70%, 80%, 90% 1RM. I will only add weight when I can complete all the reps with clean, slow form. I will start modestly next week and go from there.

Of course...

if I do finally decide to spring for Kelso's Shrug Book and Kubik's Dinosaur Training, ...

revisit and read Strossen's Super Squats in full, ...

and as I keep reading McCallum's Keys, Pavel's Power to the People, Zinchenko's Rough Strength, ...

don't be surprised to see yet more adjustments. [grin]

As long as I keep having fun, staying humble, and making gains, I figure I'm on the right track.

Stay tuned.

AYCE notes... (Is the week over yet?)

Thursday, 10 April 2014 
35 min., 227 lbs.

Warm-up (8 min.) - movements, stretching

SQ: 7, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3 @ 185, 205, 225, 245, 265, 315
[Used a belt; felt like a cheater, so I'll save it for near-max attempts. I just don't like a lot of gear. Apropos, the dumbest thing I saw today was a meathead wearing an Inzer belt to do behind-the-neck Smith machine presses (too deep, besides) and high-rep db delt extensions.]

BP: 5, 5, 5, 5 @ 135, 155, 175, 205
[Low and slow.] 

PU: 10, 7, 5
[More like Gironda's sternum pullups. And less like these.]

AYCE notes...

Wednesday, 9 April 2014 
48 min., 227 lbs.
MOOD: a little distracted, drained feeling 

Warm-up (8 min.) - OHS, movements, stretching

FSQ: 5x5 @ 225 lbs

Guillotine: 14, 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 115, 125, 135, 155, 165 lbs

Pendlay row: 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 135, 155, 145, 165 lbs 

PNF: [forgot! did this at home in the evening]

+ + +

My prediction turned out to be correct. Yesterday's workout felt great, and I realized that one reason for that is because I worked out later than I normally do. I try to get to the gym by 3 or 3:30 after work, but yesterday, due to some errands, I started my workout closer to 6. This gave me a couple extra hours of recovery from the previous workout. As for today, I began a little after 3:30, which meant I did a second workout in less than 24 hours. Not a crisis, of course, but it was interesting to feel that adjustment. I only thought of it because Perryman noted the timing issue in Squat Every Day.

Of course, lest I seem too clever by half, another factor in today's less than "amped" workout is that I received some very good news yesterday, and decided to celebrate with some tasty beverages and a documentary. I woke up feeling less rested than usual, but, hey, "how you feel is a lie," and today's workout came out Oh-Kay.

Except for one snag.

A "big guy" (I believe he's a trucker) was using the power rack for seated bb presses, and when I returned to the squat rack for my rows, he introduced himself with a handshake. "Elliot, huh? You must be one of those genius types, right?" (Apparently, genius is mimed by waving your fingers around your forehead and rolling your eyes to the ceiling, mouth agape.) I endured a chat, during which he told me that he sees a lot of "young guys" doing stuff, and he just exhaled and shook his head. I grimaced ever so slightly, since, one, I'm a young(ish) guy, and, two, one of the motions he shook his head at was "bending over to, just, pick up the weight."

Did I mention I was about to do Pendlay rows?

Yeah. Awkward. And annoying.

Then, when I finished my third set, he asked me, "Elliot, why don't you wear a belt?" I said I felt no need, whereupon I then learned "a little secret" about how this fellow had lost three lower vertebral discs in a car accident at the age of 18. Yada yada yada. I told him I've got a belt in my car I've been thinking about bringing in, mainly for military presses. "And that's another thing. I see some guys doing military presses standing up!" Did I mention that I do standing presses?

Thing is, I'm not opposed to a belt, and I guess it's time for me to wear one for my big lifts. At the same time, I know that weak spots only get stronger is you strengthen them, like how the Pendlay row, good mornings, RDL's, back extensions, and the like strengthen the infamous lower back. So now I'm dreading running into this guy when I'm doing verboten maneuvers. A big guy with a big mouth. I appreciate his help, but he's pretty clearly projecting his decades of back problems onto others.

P.S. I think I need to add in some grip training.

P.P.S. To remind myself:

Monday: heavy DL (5x5) + Guillotine (15, 12, 9, 6) + ZSQ (15, 10, 9, 6)
Tuesday: heavy BP (5x5) + HSQ (15, 12, 9, 6) + PU (slow reps)
Wednesday: heavy FSQ (5x5) + dips/guillotine/db press/pullover-press/flye-aways (15, 12, 9, 6) + PU/row (15, 12, 9, 6) 
Thursday: BP (5x4) + SQ (7, 5, 3, 3, 3) + PU/row (slow reps)
Friday: FSQ (7, 5, 3, 3, 3) + CLP (5x4) 

AYCE notes...

[PROJECTED EVENING WORKOUT...]
[UPDATED]

Tuesday, 8 April 2014 
60 min., 227 lbs 

Warm-up (8-9 min.) - movements, stretching 

BP: 5x5 @ 215 205
[Nice and slow. Felt very good. Slightly narrower grip than normal.] 

SQ: 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 4, 2 @ 225 135, 155, 175, 205, 235, 255, 295
[These felt awesome. High-bar, narrow stance, so deep the bar banged the rack a couple times.] 

PU: 10, 8, 4 
[Slow and controlled.] 

PNF- N/A

+ + +

A memorable workout. For the first time in... I don't even know, I said, "I really like the bench press." In the past I guess I had tried to dive into it too zealously with my usual weak chest. Now after several months of torso development (core work, slings, kb, boxing, DBP, etc.), I have the foundation and proper form to use the BP well. It's important on a 5x5 scheme not to be too ambitious. I could have struggled and floundered under 215, but it's important to finish all 25 reps with uncompromised form. Next week I will try for 5x5 at 215, and will not up the weight until I can do 25 "clean" reps. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Today's SQ felt exactly like what I think Perryman is trying to convey. No fireworks, no heroic straining. Just good, solid squats up to what felt like a daily maximum; it felt almost like a business transaction. "Greetings, bar, I'll just be a moment." - "Sounds good, let me know if you need a hand." Done.

Except for the thing that made it memorable. A guy was getting set up on the rack next to me and I asked him what lift he was doing, as he removed the standard bar, leaving the thicker power barbell on the rack. I guess my alerting him to the difference the bar size can make, as well as the form he saw on my part, showed him I was worth asking, "Can you give me some pointers on the squat?" Why, as a matter of fact, I can! He wants to play college ball (or wants to get back into it, I think), and his coach always said he needs to squat deeper. He's got tight hips and ankles, so I gave him some pointers on how to fortify his squat technique. When I finished by explaining how weightlifting is really just a hobby average dudes make of segments of Olympic-lift training, he had a visible epiphany. Long story short, I realize how much I would love being a P.T. and a trainer. Gonna have to see about that.

Granted, the teaching episode delayed my workout, but, as I would soon be reminded, knowledge is only worth something if you can apply it, best of all in the service of others. Specifically, one other memorable feature from today was that, when I went to pick up my mom from her church circle, she was talking with and witnessing to a homeless man, who was shedding his own tears. We're going to see about helping him get some good work boots, so he can become gainfully employed. As if my mom weren't cool enough, on the ride there and back she asked me if squatting would be good for her and then asked me to cook up a basic bodyweight squat routine for her. 

[N.B. The point of this regimen is to GO HEAVY ON THE MAIN LIFT M-W, and supplement with volume on other lifts and days.]

AYCE notes... (We have lift-off!)

[Refer to notes below the "END" break for earlier "paradigms" that I have trained with. I am still tinkering with a cyclical training program, based on Dan John's maxim that "Everything works, for six weeks or so". I am currently loving HIT, but also realize that my own (favorite) Even Keel regimen was in certain key ways a HIT program. -- 25 January 2015] 

Here's a tentative, conceptualized outline of my 6-month regimen for ongoing meta-progress:

I. 
HIT (full-body, one-set workouts, ample rest) 
January 1-February 5
REST 9 days 

II.  
Even Keel (full-body, higher volume workouts, ample rest)
February 15-March 22
REST 9 days 

III. 
Attempts For Personal Bests (SQ, FSQ, DL, Grip/Crush)
April 2-May 7
REST 9 days 

IV. 
Olympic Lifts (cf. bottom of this Dan John article) 
OR 
Mass Made Simple (also thanks to Dan John) 
OR 
5/3/1 
OR 
5x5 
OR 
Bodyweight Power
May 17-June 21
REST 9 days 

---

REPEAT THE ABOVE for another six months 

As always, I just don't know, yet I am intrigued enough to keep tweaking, based on what I do know. Meanwhile, come what may, I want to be able to include:

boxing
rowing
trap workouts

in any long-term regimen.

Hmmmm...

--- END 2015-25-01 ---

[NB: After almost six months out of the gym, as of early November 2014 I am doing a three-day split, designed by Schwarzenegger in his old The Education of a Bodybuilder, in order to regain a solid base. Beginning in 2015, I will start a HIT program (as presented by Ellington Darden), which will last for at least 6 months. After that, I think I will return to my lifetime PR goals. Stay tuned! -- 1 December 2014] 

Monday, 7 April 2014
45 min., 226 lbs

Warm-up (9 min.) - movements, OHS, stretching

DL: 5 x 5 @ 285 lbs

Guillotine: 12, 10, 8 @ 135, 145, 155 lbs

ZSQ: 5 x 5 @ 135

PNF (3-4 min.)

+ + + 

This article from Pavel gave me the break I think I needed. I really like training every day, but I've had difficulty figuring out how to program the lifts over a week. 5 x 5 is tried and true, and as simple as a stone. Along similar lines, this interview with Perryman reminded me about the distinction he makes between volume responders and intensity responders. I'm a volume responder, meaning, I need more reps (i.e. more time under tension). What I was doing the past couple weeks offered a decent amount of intensity, but too little volume. And so, in my never-ending variations-on-a-theme progress:

Monday: heavy DL + Guillotine + ZSQ 
Tuesday: heavy BP + HSQ + PU (reps)
Wednesday: heavy FSQ + IBP + Pendlay row
Thursday: light FSQ + db press + PU 
Friday: light SQ + CLP 

As always, except for the primary "big lifts" on the first three days, and squatting every day, of course, the exercises are subject to change (e.g. Kroc row instead of Pendlay row, or OSQ instead, or DBP, etc.). I could have gone heavier today on some lifts, but I'm going to start modestly, shoot for 5 x 5 ten pounds heavier next week, and just keep at it for a while. Oh, and, that's right: I'm throwing some back squat into the mix again. My upper back needs a break from FSQ's--heck, the bar will make for a nice massage! Still, my primary goal is FSQ 285 x 4 before making (high-bar, narrow-ish stance) SQ my bread and butter again. 

The good news is, this weekend I finally got a clear sense of my overall goals. It's so hard to go into the gym without a goal. "Getting a pump" is too short-sighted. I'm not interested in real powerlifting (triple bdw everything, lifting equipment, etc.), nor in bodybuilding per se. My sport is weightlifting: I want to be good at maneuvering heavy weights in classical, primal movements. As such, the cycle I envision are like so:

4 months of sheer strength training (5x5, 5-3-1, etc.) -- POWER

4 months of calisthenics and bodyweight -- MOBILITY

4 months of bulking and building (Mass Made Simple, HIT, etc.) -- MASS

MASS --> POWER --> MOBILITY

Leaning out before bulking makes bulking more effective --> 

bulking gives me more mass to apply to power training --> 

then I will have power to apply to bodyweight skills and more focused kb drills

 Wash, rinse, repeat. It's been many years since I cold say I trained for a sport. In high school it was rowing and cross country (and a season of wrestling, woohoo!). In college it was road cycling. In Taiwan... I sort of floated from one martial art to another, and mantained "general fitness" (when I wasn't de-maintaining it with lots of food and beer and late nights, woohoo!). I realize now, however, that I need the structure of being an athlete in training, even if only on an amateur scale. Indeed, what better way to live than as a lover? Whichever third of the year I choose to emphasize--and right now it's strength and power--I can view the other cycles as off-season, prehab/rehab, etc.  

It's still a work in progress, of course, but I no longer feel like I'm flying totally blind as a weightlifter... simply bewildered with my eyes wide open. (Now I just need an erg to reignite my ineradicable rower's identity!) Best of all, it's amazing how holy and mellow all this exercise is keeping me.Idle hands, and all that.

"7 But avoid foolish and old wives' fables: and exercise thyself unto godliness. 8 For bodily exercise is profitable to little: but godliness is profitable to all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." -- I Timothy 4