Gym regimen - November 2012

Friday, 2 November 2012
Even Keel "B" 
50-60 min., 218 lbs. (98.5kg)

Warm-up 
motions, stretching, imaging

Circuit 1
FSQ - 9, 6, 3 @ 185lbs, 205lbs, 225lbs
Dips - 10, 10, 10
DL -  9, 6, 4 @ 225lbs, 275lbs, 315lbs

Circuit 2
Pulldown (close V-handle) - 9, 9, 6 @ 190lbs, 200lbs, 210lbs
Flye-away - 9, 9, 9 @ 120lbs
Supine cable curl - 9, 9, 9 @ 110lbs, 120lbs, 130lbs

Finish 
db farmer walk : 20-25 sec. w/ 190 lbs. x 3

+   +   +

I didn't post my records from last weeks workouts and then left the notes at work on Friday, so I can't show any detailed comparisons. Nonetheless, my A regimen last week was up in every exercise from the week before and this B workout is, I'm pretty certain, up from last week, too. Actually, the DL felt a little too easy. But... patience, humility, confidence, double progression.

I decided to switch dips into circuit 1 instead of the flye-aways, mainly because dips are harder and thus fit better with the compound, HIT nature of circuit 1. I also liked staying at the same weight for the flye-aways, since it took out the psychological snag I have sometimes with heavier weights in chest training.

Felt a little squishy on the first two sets of FSQ, but that was largely due to mental distractions (guy on a cell phone behind me talking about money, etc.). I'm still not totally sure about my foot position on the FSQ, but I loved going wider than usual on my SQ for regimen A. I had bruises on my delts the next day from the FSQ--hoorah!

The farmer walks at the end were a lot of fun. (Errm, as in "fun".) I've decided to train my abs mostly by daily vacuuming and off-day planche/plank training. A nice idea: finish my workouts with a farmer-walk/high leg raise triplet circuit.

Also, I hadn't mentioned it before, but on off-days what I like to do (aside from procrastinate, read and think about how I should be training) is the following, which I've done three or four times in the past couple weeks: jump rope, sledge hammer drills, medicine ball drills, jump rope, repeat x 3, then finish with hand balancing.

Onward (but not FORWARD)!

Fitness notes…

Thursday, 30.6.11

Swim: 1000m (a mix of breast, back, and crawl… the pool water was at half volume since the water was being replaced)

Fitness notes…

Thursday, 2011.6.23
Swim: 30mins: 1100m freestyle (50m/50m of breast/back)

+ + +

I focused on "being long" without overgliding and my spl (strokes per [50m] lap) went from 42–44 last time to 38–40 this time. I had trouble coordinating my exhalations under water before turning into a breath on every 3rd stroke. Doing as I normally do, though, felt more or less copacetic, so I think some of the problem is building up the respiratory stamina to make do with how much air I can reasonably and efficiently get each breath. Apropos, I felt a lot less tired this time, which suggests my aerobic capacity is improving, slowly but surely. I think the only way I'll be able to swim 2–3km is by going to the pool in the morning, or maybe Wednesday nights, when I get off work an hour earlier than most nights.

+ + +

Friday, 2011.6.24

And tonight, not long after getting home after viewing Terrence Malick's… highly ruminative… often touching… and long-awaited Tree of Life…, I did the following (or so) for grip:

Midi red gripper [WITHOUT RUBBER BANDS]: negative/overcrush @ ~30 secs
Midi red gripper ("): negative/overcrush @ ~15 secs
Heavy red gripper (") negative/overcrush @ ~30 secs
Heavy Grips 150: negative/overcrush @ ~15 secs

The latest from…

I'm kind of missing the gym. Oh, that heavy deadlift. And, oh, those heavy shrugs. Even a real squat rack. Ahhh…. Hard it is to go "native", but I am hoping to swim at least three times a week, which is nice, and I do still plan to workout "heavy" twice a week. In-betweens will be grip training. More jump roping and jogging. Must shed some of my fat-piggedness.

In any even, yesterday I did…

Pullups: 14, 14, 14
db chest press (per hand): 12 @ 30kg, 14 @ 30kg, 12 @ 32kg
2" db seated curl: 12 @ 15kg, 10 @ 17kg, 9 @ 19kg
2" db tricep extension: 12 @ 12kg, 14 @ 11kg

Tonight I did…

• 40 mins of swimming:

• ~1km (100m breaststroke & 100m "leg turbine", 600m freestyle)

• random crushing session:

• Heavy Grips 150 x 2 closes with overcrush, CoC #1.5 x 2 closes, CoC #2 x 1 attempt

Gym regimen - April 2011

Sunday, 10 April 2011
40 mins
Skip rope, Ski machine, calf raises, shrugs, pec deck, bench situps, shrugs

Monday, 11 April 2011
40 mins
KB drills, mace drills

Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Even-Keel Workout 1
50 mins, 99kg

WARMUP

CIRCUIT

Pullup: 14, 13, 13

Bench press: 10, 8, 6 @ 70kg, 80kg, 85kg
[Having a longer rest between sets over the circuit gave me the energy to do a soild 6 reps on set 3! I'm just going to be patient with my bench, though I would like to do 11, 9, 7 at the same weight next time, and then go a tad heavier for 10, 7, 4 the time after that, and then build up to 10, 8, 6 and then 11, 9, 7, etc.]

Snatch DL: 10, 8, 6 @ 90kg, 100kg, 110kg
[Should try a narrower grip and go heavier on these next time.]

Military press: 10, 8, 8 @ 40kg, 45kg, 52.5kg

Spider curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35kg, 40kg, 45kg; Standing BB curl: 10 @ 40kg
[Interesting feeling as my pecs and neck flexed to get the weight up. Want to go heavier on these next time. I did that last set of BB curls on a lark, just to shred my biceps a little more.]

Squat 10, 8, 6 @ 90kg, 105kg, 110kg
[Will do 11, 9, 7 next time and then raise the weight, etc., as above. Good breathing. Never felt too strained, just solid and "exerted".]

Gym regimen - March 2011

MONDAY, 14 MARCH 2011
A1: Biceps and Quads: 45 mins & 25 mins, 98kg

[These were all more or less interwoven over the workout, kind of in a few staggered circuits: KB swings, lunges, curls, squats, curls, swings, lunges, curls, etc.]

KB swings: 30 @ 10kg X3

KB lunges (per leg, per side): 10/10/10/10 @ 10kg X3
[I did 10 right-leg reps with KB on my left side, then 10 left-leg reps with KB on my right side, then 10 right-leg reps with KB on my right side, and then 10 left-leg reps with KB on my left.]

Unilateral KB squats (per side): 15/15 @ 10kg X3
[15 reps with KB on each side and opposing arm flayed outward. Corkscrewed up and down to work the core.]

Hyper-supinated DB curls (per hand): 8, 8, 7 @ 18kg X3

Crossover DB curls (per hand): 8, 7, 7 @ 18kg X3
[Swept DB up along torso to work out bicep.]

Close-grip KB curls: 12, 10, 10 @ 22kg X3
[Used T-handle KB.]

KB horse stance: 15 secs @ 22kg X3

Then I did the following staggered circuit when I got home this evening…

KB swings: 30 @ 10kg X2

KB lunges (per leg, per side): 10/10/10/10 @ 10kg X2

Unilateral KB squats (per side): 15/15 @ 10kg X2

Hyper-supinated DB curls (per hand): 8, 8, 7 @ 18kg X3

Crossover DB curls (per hand): 8, 7, 8 @ 18kg X3

Close-grip KB curls: 12, 10, 10 @ 22kg X3

KB horse stance: 15 secs @ 22kg X3

Gym regimen - January 2011

SMR 4 of 18
MONDAY: 50 mins
98kg, BMI 27.5

This afternoon… 

Warmup: Spin bike, calisthenics, stretching, squats

20-rep Squat: 20 @ 107.5kg

Dumbbell pullover: 20 @ 18kg

Pullups (alternate grip): 14, 12

Dips: 15

Decline situps (with obliques): 27

This evening…

Warmup: Spin bike, stretching

Squat: 12, 6 @ 50kg, 100kg

Pullups (alternate grip): 12, 12

Dips: 14, 13

Decline situps: 25, 25

+ + +
My workout was interrupted by a call from my school: my schedule was changed again for a week and I had remembered incorrectly.

Anyway…

I felt a lot more confidence today with the 20 reps. I had an epiphany last week the evening after doing 105kg: if I could 20 reps at Xkg, I can certainly do 20 reps two days later at X+2.5kg! Two tiny plates is I add each time! I can do this! So today for 107.5kg, while it was very rough on the last 5–6 reps, I also knew it was just a matter of time and I just focused on breathing and a high chest. I need to improve on exhaling a bit in the whole, so as to reduce "Valsalva maneuver" pressure.

110kg this Wednesday!

Gym regimen - January 2011

A1: Quads and Biceps
(MONDAY): 60 mins
97kg, BMI 27.5

Warmup: Exercise bike, step machine, lunges, stretching, squats

CIRCUIT:

Leg extension: 10, 8, 6 @ 45kg, 47.5kg, 50kg

Squat: 12, 12, 12* @ 90kg, 100kg, 110kg
[Spotter helped on last 2 reps of 3rd set.]

CIRCUIT:

Hyper-supinated dumbbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 18kg, 20kg, 22kg
[These felt great. Good pump.]

Step machine: 1 min, 1 min, 1 min

CIRCUIT:

EZ bar curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 40kg, 45kg, 50kg
[Pain!]

Lunges: 16, 14, 12 @ 15kg, 20kg, 25kg

CIRCUIT:

Overhand cable curl: 12, 9, 6 @ 15kg, 20kg, 25kg

High knees: 60, 80, 100

+ + +
Well, I finally got a taste of what I think SMR will really be like: Great googly moogly!

By rep 6 or 7 of the 3rd set, my hands wanted to widen out and release the bar, my traps were sore, and even my lats were beginning to sizzle. I paid a lot of attention to my breathing: exhale a bit on the way up and be sure to inhale on the way down. And standing between reps I took in a lot of air. Had to. My back felt enormous as I walked away from the rack to cool down. Oh yes: the 20-rep squat will bloom the body.

I think I will "compromise" and begin at 95kg next week, since I need to think about the longterm toil of SMR. A light warmup and one set of 20 reps at 100kg would be doable, but then I'd be at 102.5kg on Wednesday and 105kg on Friday! Another thing to keep in mind is that, in a metric-based gym, I have to add 5.5lb every workout (since the smallest plates are 1.25kg [2.75lb] each), while the regimen only calls for 5lb gains per workout. Ideally, by the end of the six weeks (Feb. 18), I'll be doing my last 20-rep at 140kg. Fortunately, this coincides perfectly with a break in my work schedule, so I will have enough time to rest. God be with me!