26 January 2019
65 minutes, 130-180 bpm
Circuit "A" (push)
seated shoulder press - 120# x 14, 130# x 9, 120# x 9
db bench press - 55# x 13, 60# x 8, 55# x 9
Smith SQ - 145# x 12, 165# x 10, 155# x 11
Circuit "B" (pull)
cable pulldown - 130# x 14, 150# x 11, 150# x 11
spider curl - 60# x 13, 60# x 12, 60# x 13
Smith SQ - 165# x 9, 155# x 9, 155# x 9
5 February 2019
50 minutes, 130-190 bpm
Circuit "A"
Smith neck press - 95# x 20, 135# x 16, 135# x 15
seated row - 160# x 15, 160# x 14, 160# x 14
db lunges - 35# x 10/10, 40# x 9/9, 45# x 8/8
Circuit "B"
"wall" cable curls - 50# x 19, 60# x 18, 80# x 15
db pullover - 55# x 15, 60# x 15, 65# x 14
incline treadmill jog - (incline setting 10 @ 4.5 mph) 90 sec of 120 sec
[I banged my knees on stuff at work last week, so I knew I couldn't go HAM on squatting. Plus, tbh, I'm getting older, so maybe I don't need to be going HAM on anything--which is not to say that I shouldn't train hard. It just means I need to respect my biological progression over time, and adjust my training to maximize my strength gains while minimizing my recovery time.
[So, I am pleased with my prudential pivot to do lunges instead of mere leg extensions, as well as my on-the-fly decision to do treadmill drills instead of mere deadlifts. I simply must strengthen my legs to sustain moving me through space as needed, and keep my creeping gut at bay. Plus, an inclined jog serves well enough as hamstring training. So, look for more of this kind of "cross-training."]
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Saturday, January 19, 2019
Return to strength - Planet Fitness: Hexagonal Closest Stacking Edition
18 January 2019
50-55 min., 150-180 bpm
warm-up: testing out motions and weights
A circuit:
1) unilateral db press - 40# x 13, 45# x 12, 50# x 12
2) db flye - 40# x 15, 45# x 11, 50# x 9
3) Smith FSQ - 105# x 10, 120# x 11, 140# x 7
B circuit:
1) seated cable row - 110# x 16, 130# x 14, 150# x 13
2) bb spider curl - 50# x 13, 60# x 12, 60# x 12
3) Smith FSQ - 135# x 11, 135# x 10, 135# x 11
I was reading Stephen Barr's Modern Physics and Ancient Faith last week and on page 78, amidst a discussion of symmetry and design, Barr mentions that the most compact way to stack marbles in a box, as an example of order, is known as a "hexagonal closest stacking" (hcp) [link]. His point is that the order of the hcp matrix is a result of the deeper symmetry of the (designed) symmetry of the spheres themselves.
This illustration, in turn, reminded me of a mathematical puzzle I read about years ago, perhaps in Amir Aczel's Fermat's Last Theorem, about a proof for the most optimized arrangement of objects inside a container (though I'm probably misremembering it). By the end of last night's workout, I realized an application of hcp-ordering in my fitness life: I'm going to need to "optimize" my training at Planet Fitness or I'm going to outgrow it within weeks.
Last night, while squatting, I started to feel my old instinct and capacity for strength return, and I knew it's only a matter of time before I regain enough strength to start training with very heavy weights. This will, in turn, put me in risk of setting off the infamous "Lunk Alarm" at Planet Fitness. That is a bridge I will cross when I must.
Even apart from heavy squatting and big lifts that would entail dread sounds of exertion in the trademarked "no judgment zone" that is Planet Fitness, I realized that I'll need to make the most of the impressive array of cable machines there. There are no free barbells and the fixed-weight barbells only go up to 60 lbs. This is fortuitous in its own right, since it will force me to train my way to the heaviest available dumbbells (80#?), which is a practice I endorse anyway.
I foresee using pre-exhaustion, unilateral, thick-grip, drop sets, and high-intensity methods to "stack" as much training capacity into Planet Fitness as possible. Stay tuned...
50-55 min., 150-180 bpm
warm-up: testing out motions and weights
A circuit:
1) unilateral db press - 40# x 13, 45# x 12, 50# x 12
2) db flye - 40# x 15, 45# x 11, 50# x 9
3) Smith FSQ - 105# x 10, 120# x 11, 140# x 7
B circuit:
1) seated cable row - 110# x 16, 130# x 14, 150# x 13
2) bb spider curl - 50# x 13, 60# x 12, 60# x 12
3) Smith FSQ - 135# x 11, 135# x 10, 135# x 11
I was reading Stephen Barr's Modern Physics and Ancient Faith last week and on page 78, amidst a discussion of symmetry and design, Barr mentions that the most compact way to stack marbles in a box, as an example of order, is known as a "hexagonal closest stacking" (hcp) [link]. His point is that the order of the hcp matrix is a result of the deeper symmetry of the (designed) symmetry of the spheres themselves.
This illustration, in turn, reminded me of a mathematical puzzle I read about years ago, perhaps in Amir Aczel's Fermat's Last Theorem, about a proof for the most optimized arrangement of objects inside a container (though I'm probably misremembering it). By the end of last night's workout, I realized an application of hcp-ordering in my fitness life: I'm going to need to "optimize" my training at Planet Fitness or I'm going to outgrow it within weeks.
Last night, while squatting, I started to feel my old instinct and capacity for strength return, and I knew it's only a matter of time before I regain enough strength to start training with very heavy weights. This will, in turn, put me in risk of setting off the infamous "Lunk Alarm" at Planet Fitness. That is a bridge I will cross when I must.
Even apart from heavy squatting and big lifts that would entail dread sounds of exertion in the trademarked "no judgment zone" that is Planet Fitness, I realized that I'll need to make the most of the impressive array of cable machines there. There are no free barbells and the fixed-weight barbells only go up to 60 lbs. This is fortuitous in its own right, since it will force me to train my way to the heaviest available dumbbells (80#?), which is a practice I endorse anyway.
I foresee using pre-exhaustion, unilateral, thick-grip, drop sets, and high-intensity methods to "stack" as much training capacity into Planet Fitness as possible. Stay tuned...
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Return to strength update: Smith Machine Tho
15 January 2019
45 min., 150-180 bpm
warm-up: feeling out weights and motions of coming workout
Three sets of A1-A3, then three of B1-B3. Feels good man.
A1: seated shoulder press - 80# x 15, 90# x 15, 100# x 12
A2: db bench press - 40# x 15, 50# x 13, 55# x 8
A3: Smith squat - 135# x 8, 9, 10
B1: seated pulldown - 100# x 15, 120# x 14, 140# x 13
B2: spider curl - 50# x 15, 60# x 13, 60# x 13
B3: Smith squat (wider stance) - 155# x 10, 10, 10
45 min., 150-180 bpm
warm-up: feeling out weights and motions of coming workout
Three sets of A1-A3, then three of B1-B3. Feels good man.
A1: seated shoulder press - 80# x 15, 90# x 15, 100# x 12
A2: db bench press - 40# x 15, 50# x 13, 55# x 8
A3: Smith squat - 135# x 8, 9, 10
B1: seated pulldown - 100# x 15, 120# x 14, 140# x 13
B2: spider curl - 50# x 15, 60# x 13, 60# x 13
B3: Smith squat (wider stance) - 155# x 10, 10, 10
Sunday, January 13, 2019
Return to strength update: "para-workout" edition
January 13, 2019
130-160 bpm for 40 min.
I refer to supplemental workouts like as "para-workouts." I suppose it might also count as "greasing the groove." Either way, I always enjoy tying shrug work and farmer carries into my larger workout regimen. I'm keeping my neck warm tonight, for fear of neck kinks tomorrow.
ski-step machine:
12 min.
shrug circuit:
1) farmer carry - 60# dbs x 100, 105, 110 steps
2) Kelso shrug - 135# x 12, 12, 12
3) stiff leg DL - 135# x 12, 12, 12
4) bench shrug - 185# x 12, 12, 12
130-160 bpm for 40 min.
I refer to supplemental workouts like as "para-workouts." I suppose it might also count as "greasing the groove." Either way, I always enjoy tying shrug work and farmer carries into my larger workout regimen. I'm keeping my neck warm tonight, for fear of neck kinks tomorrow.
ski-step machine:
12 min.
shrug circuit:
1) farmer carry - 60# dbs x 100, 105, 110 steps
2) Kelso shrug - 135# x 12, 12, 12
3) stiff leg DL - 135# x 12, 12, 12
4) bench shrug - 185# x 12, 12, 12
Saturday, January 12, 2019
Return to strength update...
January 10, 2019
140-180 bpm, 38 min.
erg:
5 min., 1240m, 23 spm
dumbbell complex: 35, 30, 25 lbs.
lunges - 10/10, 10/10, 10/10
curl-press - 10, 10, 10
row-good morning - 10, 10, 10
squat - 10, 10, 10
bent tricep extension - 10, 10, 10
calf-shrug - 10, 10, 10
neck press: 115 lbs.
15, 15, 15
140-180 bpm, 38 min.
erg:
5 min., 1240m, 23 spm
dumbbell complex: 35, 30, 25 lbs.
lunges - 10/10, 10/10, 10/10
curl-press - 10, 10, 10
row-good morning - 10, 10, 10
squat - 10, 10, 10
bent tricep extension - 10, 10, 10
calf-shrug - 10, 10, 10
neck press: 115 lbs.
15, 15, 15
Sunday, January 6, 2019
Mid-life gym workout updates...
December 20, 2018
Heart rate: 160-200 for 30-40 minutes.
I ate the humble pie and started with the "Planet Express", which is a full-body, 30-minute station exercise area that has you alternate between a minute of cable resistance machine exercise, 30 seconds of rest, a minute of step-platform movements of your choice, cued by a red and green light overhead.
At the end of it, I did
5 minutes of erg work: 1174m @ about 24 spm.
December 29, 2018
Heart rate: 160-180 for 30-40 minutes
I did the Planet Express workout again, followed by
5 minutes of erging: 1204m @ about 24 spm.
January 6, 2019
Heart rate: 155-180 bpm for 35-40 min.
Today I sallied forth into the hallowed old realms of weightlifting. There are no free-weight barbell stations at Planet Fitness, which is a bridge I may have to cross when I get that strong again. For now, I remain firmly convinced that there's almost no need to use a barbell until you are able to manhandle heavy dumbbells for all the key movements at a respectable volume. And I see myself learning to love the much maligned Smith machine. More on that later, as things progress... the following is me working myself back into an Even Keel and HIT routine:
Erg -
5 minutes: 1220m @ 25 spm
Dumbbell complex @ 30, 25, 25 lbs. dumbbells -
lunges: 10/10, 10/10, 5/5
curl-press: 10, 10, 8
bent row-good morning: 10, 10, 8
squat: 10, 10, 8
bent tricep extension: 10, 10, 8
calf raise-shrug: 10, 10, 8
Smith machine neck press -
15, 15, 15 @ 95 lbs.
Heart rate: 160-200 for 30-40 minutes.
So, I joined Planet Fitness. It's very cheap per month, and is on my way to and from work, and not even ten minutes away from home, at that.
I ate the humble pie and started with the "Planet Express", which is a full-body, 30-minute station exercise area that has you alternate between a minute of cable resistance machine exercise, 30 seconds of rest, a minute of step-platform movements of your choice, cued by a red and green light overhead.
At the end of it, I did
5 minutes of erg work: 1174m @ about 24 spm.
December 29, 2018
Heart rate: 160-180 for 30-40 minutes
I did the Planet Express workout again, followed by
5 minutes of erging: 1204m @ about 24 spm.
January 6, 2019
Heart rate: 155-180 bpm for 35-40 min.
Today I sallied forth into the hallowed old realms of weightlifting. There are no free-weight barbell stations at Planet Fitness, which is a bridge I may have to cross when I get that strong again. For now, I remain firmly convinced that there's almost no need to use a barbell until you are able to manhandle heavy dumbbells for all the key movements at a respectable volume. And I see myself learning to love the much maligned Smith machine. More on that later, as things progress... the following is me working myself back into an Even Keel and HIT routine:
Erg -
5 minutes: 1220m @ 25 spm
Dumbbell complex @ 30, 25, 25 lbs. dumbbells -
lunges: 10/10, 10/10, 5/5
curl-press: 10, 10, 8
bent row-good morning: 10, 10, 8
squat: 10, 10, 8
bent tricep extension: 10, 10, 8
calf raise-shrug: 10, 10, 8
Smith machine neck press -
15, 15, 15 @ 95 lbs.
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