Re-building notes... gains... rest is so important...

Tuesday, 16 December 2014 
Ahnohld Three-Day Split, Day ___
60 min. 

warm-up: stretching, motions, etc.  

SQ: 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 225, 245, 265, 285 lbs. 

leg curl: 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 70, 80, 90, 100 

db floor press (with elevated feet): 12, 10, 8, 10 @ 65, 60, 70, 75
[An old-timer (sort of) saw me doing floor presses and suggested I throw-in leg raises while doing them, to activate my abdomen and destabilize my torso to enhance pectoral control. I like it. He then told me that he had a heart attack recently due, apparently, to a hypertrophic heart, after 36 years of heavy lifting. He said he is giving his doctor until the end of January to get things right, at which time, either way, he'll resume heavy training. Kind of creepy to get advice from a guy who might literally die under the bar in the next few weeks.] 

PU (supinated): 14, 9, 7 @ bdw  

db pullover-press: 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 60, 65, 70, 75  

EZ bar curl: 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 50, 60, 70, 80 

This was an abbreviated and more quickly done workout, which was fun, since I had to get my wife to a teacher function that evening. I drank two 500 mL bottles of Cytomax.

+ + +

Wednesday, 17 December 2014 
walking with double stroller 
2 miles, 30 min.

+ + + 

Thursday, 18 December 2014 
walking with double stroller
2.6 miles, 40 min.

+ + + 

Friday, 19 December 2014 
Ahnohld Three-Day Split, Day ___
80 min. 

SQ: 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 230, 250, 270, 295 lbs.  

leg curl: 10, 9, 8 @ 90, 100, 110  

calf press: 18, 16, 15 @ 255 (?)
[I'm never really sure how to tally a leg press machine. I guess you don't count the board itself.]  

db floor press (with elevated feet): 12, 10, 8, 8 @ 70, 75, 80, 85  

[PU (supinated): 15, 9, 8 @ bdw
[and
[db MP: 12, 9, 6 @ 45, 50, 55 

[In order to save time, I "intermeshed" one set of each exercise after the other.] 

[EZ bar curl (narrowish grip): 12, 10, 8, 9 @ 50, 60, 70, 80
[and
[db tricep press (supine, two hands on one db): 12, 10, 10 @ 70, 75, 80
[Ditto.]

I ended up talking for a few minutes with a couple guys about new exercises and programs they can try. I mentioned that I'll be doing a "high-intensity program" in the new year, and they said they wanted to try the same, "like Crossfit." Let's just say, though, that the HIT method I will be doing is much different from Crossfit/Insanity/PX-90-style intensity workouts. With my HIT goals, the maxim is, "Less is more", while those other intensity programs are driven by the idea that "more is never enough."

In any case, I felt much stronger on squats, and I was pleased to see my pullups and floor press improved. I once again drank two bottles of Cytomax. Originally I had planned to return on Thursday, but I wisely decided to give myself one more day of rest (and walking), which was a boon.

Next week I am partial to idea of going to the gym simply to do a baseline workout to prepare for my HIT program. That is, I will run through the exercises I'll be doing to establish roughly my 1RM for each, and then use a 75-80% "inroad" of that amount for the workouts themselves.

Then again, I realize that after a few days off, especially with the holidays looming, I may want to go for one more solid full-body workout and then use the first two weeks of the the HIT program to establish weights, rhythms, stations, etc. (which is kind of what Darden intends for the first two weeks, anyway).

I'm really itching to work in some grip training days again. Walking/Jogging with the kids will generally be my off-day activity for the foreseeable future.

Rebuilding program notes... a watermark...

Ahnohld Three-Day Split
12/12/14 (Day 11) 
80 min. 

warm-up: motions, stretching, scorpions, etc.

SQ: 10, 6, 2, 3 @ 225, 260, 295, 335 lbs.
[I knew tonight was a big step on my rebuilding path, so I was mentally unsteady during my warm up sets, feeling skittish about my foot placement, etc. When it came down to it, the belt was a good call and I'm pleased with my form on these. {When I first squatted and posted this, I thought it was 325, but in fact I had 335 on my back. Nice!}]

leg curl: 10, 8, 8, 10 @ 80, 110, 100, 90

calf press: 15 x 4 @ 225, 255, 245, 235

db floor press: 10, 10, 7, 6 @ 75, 80, 85, 90

[I saw a video recently (by the buff guy who always wear a hat {Ducky or something?} and he pointed out that there's no need for your elbows to go below your chest as on a conventional bench press, and that doing so only puts your shoulder at risk. So I shall be doing floor presses henceforth.] 

PU (supinated): 12, 8, 8 @ bdw

[Had a "mindblown" moment tonight. It was not until reading Ellington Darden's The New HIT Method that I gave supinated pullups much consideration. In my six years of crew, we exclusively used a wide, pronated grip. But Darden makes the case that a supinated grip gives a better lat stretch, so I have tried it out, and the difference did not blow me away until I was stretching between curl sets. My biceps were pumped and tight, so I tried a variety of hand widths and found that a wide grip really stretched the biceps, while a narrow, pronated grip really stretched my lats, and a supinated, narrow grip even more so!]

db pullover-press: 10, 8, 8 @ 70, 75, 80
[It's not hurting anymore, but I still wanted to give my elbow a break. Plus, I LOVE this exercise!!!]

EZ bar curl: 10, 6, 8, 11
[The warmup/pyramid-down rep scheme is gold. I tried it on other exercises, too.] 

+ + +

I have decided to do my Even Keel workout next week, which will effectively be like doing this Ahnohld workout on Tuesday and Thursday, instead of on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I was feeling very un-amped tonight, so, as I head into the holy days, it's time to give myself more reps as I prepare to begin my six-month HIT regimen.

Three-day rebuilding program notes...

Three-Day Ahnohld Split 
Monday, 1 December 2014 
Day 7, 70 min. 

warm-up: motions, stretching, etc.

SQ: 10, 8, 6, 4 @ 215, 245, 275, 305 lbs.

leg curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 90, 100, 110

calf press: 15 x 4 @ 180, 190, 200, 210
[Gotta stretch the calf out on the eccentric. My small right toe now sits sideways basically, but at least it's not giving me much pain anymore.]

db BP: 10, 8, 8, 10 @ 70, 75, 80, 65

PU (supinated): 10, 8, 7, 5 @ bdw

unilateral db MP: 10/10, 8/8, 6/6 @ 40, 45, 50 (?)
[I think I did more, but I can't recall, so I'll assume I didn't.]

EZ bar curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 60, 70, 80

EZ bar skull crusher: 10, 8, 6 @ 70, 80, 90
+
close grip EZ bar curl: 6 @ 90
[I transitioned right into these when I finished my skull crushers.] 

+ + + 

Well, I achieved my goal: 300 lbs SQ by December. Pretty high volume, over all, too. 305 was not anywhere near my 1RM, then, it seems. I don't "go for" 1RM, so I will just keep focusing on the numbers. To wit, I think I will go for 315 on Friday.

This Wednesday, I will force myself to perform a "light" workout. No pump sets. No body English. No big numbers on my usual lifts. Like so [what I ended up doing - 3 December 2015]:

SQ: 10, 8, 6 @ 245, 265, 285 lbs. 

leg curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 90, 100, 110 

calf press: 15, 15, 14, 14 @ 225 

db BP: 10, 8, 6 @ 75, 80, 85 

PU: 10, 7, 7 @ bdw

db MP: 10, 8, 6 @ 45, 50, 55 

EZ bar curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 60, 70, 80 

EZ bar skull crusher: 10, 8, 6 @ 70, 80, 90 
+
close grip EZ bar curl: 6 @ 90 

Three-day split update...

Three-Day Ahnohld Split
26 November 2014
60 min.

warm-up: motions, stretching, etc.

SQ: 10, 8, 6, 4 @ 205, 225, 255, 275 lbs.
[Going for 300 lbs by December.]

leg curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 90, 100, 110 lbs.

seated calf press: 15 x 4 @ 180 lbs.

db BP: 10, 8, 6, 10 @ 70, 75, 80, 65 lbs.
[Yeah, I have never like the barbell BP. Dumbbells for the win.]

PU (supinated): 10, 7, 7, 6 @ bdw

db MP: 10, 8, 6 @ 40, 45, 50 lbs.

EZ bar curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 60, 70, 80 lbs.
[Slow and tight. I will not raise the weigh until I can 'crush' 80 lbs.]

skull crusher: 10, 8, 6 @ 60, 70, 80 lbs.

Brainstorming... Bodyweight... Barbells... Boxing...

Having been out of the gym for close to two months, I feel totally disoriented. So, the goals I need to keep in focus are:

1) My title banner goals still stand: CoC #3 for reps, DL 485#, SQ 405#, BP 315#

2) I do want to get back to more bodyweight mastery: handstand pushups, hand balancing for time, ring dips, L-sits/L-dips, pistol squats, one-arm pullups, planche, etc.

3) I love frequent HIIT (esp. jump rope, plyometrics, kettlebells, tires, hammers, med balls, etc.), boxing, biking, and rowing.

So... I think I will finally just cave in and do Wendler's 5/3/1 program, with bodyweight assistance exercises (as per this article by Ryan Hurst).

On "off" days I will train grip + boxing drills (double-end, speed, jump rope) or grip + KB / biking / tire jumps and hammers.

So... hypothetically...

Monday - BP 5/3/1
Tuesday - grip + _____
Wednesday - SQ 5/3/1
Thursday - grip + _____
Friday - DL 5/3/1
Saturday - MP 5/3/1
Sunday - off

I'm going to need to start this sooner than later, or I'll just keep sitting on the fence and idling like I have been for the past several weeks. I still want to finish the 21-day KB program I've started, so I guess it will just have to be extra work on top of 5/3/1 until it's done.

Having taken some time away from the gym--and away from any formal program, for that matter--I can tell that, over time, I will gravitate back towards bodyweight training, dinosaur strong man style drills, and HIIT/metcon drills. Being a gym rat is just not in my nature. God, depression sucks.

21 Day Kettlebell Blast

Days 1-4 here.

Day 5 
warm-up: 20 lunges, 12 sling pushups, 18 lunges, 11 sling pushups, 16 lunges, 10 sling pushups

35+15# KB swing: left hand 30 sec., rest 10 sec.
35+15# KB swing: right hand 30 sec., rest 10 sec.
X 5

wrap-up: tornado swirls 90 sec., battling ropes 90 sec.

[I forgot to do a minute of pushups after the swings, but earlier I had done some big tire flips and a little sledge hammering with some buddies, so... yeah. When I was showing a friend my Captains of Crush grippers, I was also pleased to see that I haven't completely lost my grip strength. Just gotta clear this mental fog, get clear about my goals, and get back on the iron horse.]

Day 6
warm-up: 20 lunges, 12 Perfect Pushups, 18 lunges, 11 Perfect Pushups, 16 lunges, 10 Perfect Pushups

40# KB swing: two-hands 30 sec., rest 30 sec.
Perfect Pushups: 30 sec., rest 30 sec.
X 5

wrap-up: slalom hops 60 sec., high knees 60 sec., ankle slappers 60 sec.

Day 7
I took Sunday off.

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. 

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

AYCE notes... HI-TECH EDITION!

Friday, 4 April 2014 
44 min., 225 lbs. 

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

FSQ: 4, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2 @ 225, 235, 245, 255, 265, 275 lbs.

CL: 4, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 @ 135, 145, 155, 165, 175, 185 lbs.

Abs (3 min.) - V-sits, Lateral crunches, hip crunches, bird dog

+ + + 

"How you feel is a lie."

I experienced this maxim today.

Today was the end of the third school quarter, so my stress levels were mildly higher than normal (I hate entering and verifying grades). Plus, it's tax season. I got home and felt pretty winded. Thought about taking a nap, but my wife's enthusiasm about some kb and core exercises I showed her, plus a little coffee, plus, really, the unblinking awareness that "I'm going to the gym," all gave me a second wind.

Or did it?

Even as I arrived at the gym, I felt a bit run down.

Meh.

"Gotta get it done."

Despite some aches and pains and the usual inertia, I ended up PR'ing on my FSQ, and felt satisfied for the first time that I'm doing the CL with basically correct form.

In other words, how I felt was a lie.





I'll be taking the weekend fairly easy; it's supposed to rain all weekend, so I might even get some reading done. Honestly, though, I feel a kb session in me, for Saturday, just to blow off some steam and grease the groove. "Healthy addiction," anyone?

Despite all this, I admit I felt a bit lost last night, pondering if I'm really grasping and following Perryman's ideas. I kept (and keep) wondering how to program AYCE better. I really like my... how should I say? Progress? No, it's more like putting on a nicely "broken in" pairs of shoes. I feel comfortable keeping up these daily sessions, don't feel dangerously run down, not at all--in fact, I feel very springy and vibrant. Yet, I still feel like I'm doing it wrong. My instincts have always been to do circuits of 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps, but I know that if I don't keep a tight rein on my accessory exercises after DLing and (F)Sqing, I'll run myself into the ground. At the very least, as Perryman does warn, I need some time to get accustomed to such an increase in frequency; I need time to get, to recall my favorite expression in Perryman's book, "fatigue-hardened".

So, as I was trying to get the big picture of my goals, and not simply turn "Squat Every Day" into a random fetish (which Perryman would completely reject, of course), I tried seeing my year cut up into three phases:

power (low volume, high frequency - "AYCE" from, say, January to April);

bodybuilding (high volume, lower frequency - "Even Keel" from April to August);

and calisthenic/bodyweight/boxing/kettlebell conditioning (high intensity, high frequency - "Met-Con" from August to December)

Obviously, I'm off-track with this idea, as I have been doing bulking, Even Keel, and now AYCE, since January--and summer is looming. "They say that" summer is the time to cut and winter is the time to bulk, so.... Either way, for now, my primary goal is to hit a FSQ of 285 x 4, at which point I'll bring back back SQ (heheh).

Last night I also realized that the DL is too important a lift to marginalize. Be bold! Don't hide behind "overtraining" in order to gild your cravings for the cool shade of mediocrity. Thus, as I continue to explore AYCE, here's the forecast: squatty with a burst of deadlift.

Monday: DL, DBP, abs
Tuesday: HSQ, Guillotine
Wednesday: FSQ, PU, abs
Thursday: FSQ, Dips/MP
Friday: FSQ, CL, abs
weekend: rest, foam roll, stretch, kb, etc.

When I step back and look at my progress over the past 4 years, I realize I'm more interested in strength and power than in "getting ripped" or "looking huge." My goals are more like a powerlifter's than a bodybuilder's, so I need to filter the noise through those standards:

SQ of 405 lbs
DL of 485 lbs
BP of 315 lbs

Wish me luck! Meanwhile, I love being the antithesis of a weekend warrior!

Mass Made Simple - Time to reassess...

Week 7 of Mass Made Simple is for assessing one's progress and recalibrating one's goals and methods going forward. By the end of MMS (Mass Made Simple), my immune system and sleep were getting a little buggy, Lenten fasting threw my nutrition routine off, and then I mildly strained my knee Thursday night doing some double-KB "recharge" work. (In fact, I had been doing KB drills since Tuesday. KB bench press rocks!) Basically, I hit a wall, and it's time to restrategize.

From early January till now I've been hitting the weights pretty hard and have put on a good 20 lbs of lean body mass, so the quest has hardly been a failure. Did I reach 240 lbs? No, but I am not done bulking. I am simply releasing myself from the accelerated pace at which I've been bulking for almost two months. Weight training itself (as opposed to "augmenting athletic training with weight resistance") is a mega-marathon type sport. Some of the savvier gurus on YouTube, for example, have been weight-training-itself for 15-20 years. I've been doing weight training for less than four years, with a fairly significant hiatus in year three. I've learned a lot and I've gained 50 lbs since I began, and have enjoyed very satisfying gains in the major lifts (MMS helped my otherwise always lousy bench press quite a lot). Now it is simply a time to learn more, and build on a plateau.

I know what movements I want to train, so it's just a question (as always) of effective programming. Each person must adapt successful principles to his own needs. For me, for instance, I need a lot of volume for my chest, whereas I need a lot of power for my back and legs. I also do not enjoy losing whole-body mobility and agility by letting weight training crowd out calisthenic and gymnastic training.

OHS: overhead squat
FSQ: front squat
SQ: (back) squat
DL: deadlift
SDL: snatch deadlift
CX: complexes
MP: military press
OAP: one-arm press
DBP/db-P: decline bench press OR flat dumbbell press
DIP: dips
PU: pullups
CL/SQ: clean/into-front-squat

The above are the motions I prefer and which I believe research will bear out as the most efficient. However, given the demands of the DL, I will only do it every other workout.

So, what will I try today, mainly to get my mind back in the game and climb over the wall of stalled motivation that I ran into last week? Depending how my knee responds....

DBP: 2-3-5 x 2 @ 235 lbs
CX: 8-6-4 [CL/MP/FSQ] @ 115 lbs
PU: bdw for reps
SQ: [will report after workout]
db-P: 10 x 3 @ 70 lbs

For now I’m in a free-flow mode, discerning which program I want to pursue next. I’ve been interested in the 5-3-1 program for a while, so we’ll see. One thing that I do want to restore, is my grip training regimen, with a strong bodyweight dimension to all my training. This video was very "moving" ;) to me when I watched it last night. Enjoy!

Mass Made Simple - Day 11

Sunday, 23 February 2014   
230 lbs, 60 min

Warm-up
-
BP : Max Double: 2*, 2* @ 255, 245 lbs 
          [First rep of each set was solid, but I needed help for the second reps. I'm supposed to do five doubles at 20 lbs below today's max double, so I'll shoot for five doubles at 235 lbs. I can already tell that will be fun.]
One/arm press : 2-3-5 x 2 @ 60 lbs
          [I switched arms for each sub-set (2/2, 3/3, etc.), mistakenly thinking Dan John had prescribed doing so for a change.]
Bat wings : 5 x 10 sec @ 70 lbs
         [Actually challenging, as/but I kept good form, really felt those rhomboids!]
[Bird-dog : 20 sec, 20 sec x 2 (tighter form)?]
-
Complex : 5 x 3 @ 115, 125, 135 lbs
          [These kicked my ass today! There's a real difference between doing five sets of two reps (last week) and three sets of five reps. My cleans at 135 lbs felt ragged, and by the time I got into front squats, my forearms were fried, so much so that I released them and went into the alternative hand posture... which was... ill advised, since I then had no way to get my hands back in place for the press without racking the bar. So... I broke the key rule of complexes and racked it before all the motions were complete. Then I also used a little body English for my presses at 135 lbs.]
-
SQ : 10, 3, 10, 16/12 @ 155, 185, 205, 225 lbs
          [In an otherwise very demoralizing workout, these were a source of some pride. Or, rather, a much needed proof of progress. Actually, only the complexes and bench press were demoralizing, and even with complexes I aimed rather high. Anyway, for squats today I totally concentrated on a tense core and posterior chain, and I hitched the bar lower on my traps than I've been doing the past few workouts. That really helped and I think it will prevent the neck strain I've felt. The last set was to-fifty, but you'll notice that not only did I do a set of 16, but I also ended with 12, just to push myself to 51!]

+ + +

A friend asked me why I'm going heavier for some exercises than Dan John technically advises in Mass Made Simple. The only reply I could think of was that standby, "Go big or go home." Will I reach 240 lbs by March 18? With only 3+ weeks left, it will be very, very tough. But it will be fun!

As for today's workout, while it was prudent of me to take an extra day off, it turns out that a single day of great sleep does not recoup three days of inadequate sleep. I got 16-18 hours of sleep from Wednesday night to Saturday morning, but then went to bed at 6 PM Saturday and woke up at 7:30 Sunday morning. It doesn't help, I guess, that I went kayak fishing with a buddy from 6 AM till noon on Saturday. It didn't leave me sore, but the paddling, exposure and general busyness of the outing left me a bit taxed for my workout today. Whatevs, it was a good time and a passable workout.

Patience, perseverance, humility, prayer.... Stay tuned.

Fitness update -- March 2013

I've been under the weather the past week, so I haven't had anything worth reporting fitness-wise. I was outside too much last weekend whilst sweaty in the cool evenings, and daylight savings time threw me off. My left eyelid was twitching for nearly three days, as I was simply fatigued. To stand in for exercise, I mostly just did some yard work, took a couple walks, did a little speed bag, and rested. One nice thing about cutting weight, versus bulking up as I've been doing the past two or three years, is that getting sick helps you achieve your goal for once!

Since the diocesan Eucharistic Congress last weekend, I've been digging in deeper spiritually and reading St. Francis de Sales' Introduction to the Devout Life. I have tried to read the Introduction before, of course, but this time things lined up nicely enough that I felt the confession I made at the Congress satisfied St. Francis' counsel to make a general confession to begin the devout life as he guides the devotee in it. St. Francis is my patron saint, so, even though Bergoglio took the name Francis for the saint of Assisi, I think it's a win for all Catholic Francises! In fact, the Pope may have tipped my hand and I might name our son Francis!

Anyway, today was a quintessentially "spring in Florida" day, and I was able to sleep in at last (Saturday, hooray!), so I had the impetus to get back on track.

(Oh, and it turns out my scale at home was/is quite inaccurate, so I'm actually closer to 220 lbs. than to 210 lbs. But I can tell I've lost a few pounds this week.) 

16 March 2013
30 min., 215 lbs.
[I did three circuits of the below exercises, with about 30 seconds of rest between each exercise and 1 minute of rest between circuits.]

Wall ball (14 lbs. med ball) : 1 min. 

Med ball twist toss : 1 min. 

Med ball bucket toss : 1 min. 

Jump rope : 1 min. 

Double end bag : 1 min.

Heavy bag : 1 min.

Tire drag : run and then bear crawl x 2 
------------------------

"Cool down" - Speed bag : 3 min. x 3
[I hit bare-handed today, which turned out to be an improvement. I was wailing on the bag my third round! Hopefully I can do just as well tomorrow for my weekly video update.]

Fitness update... New Label Day!

Tuesday, 5 March 2013 
50–60 min., 213 lbs. 

Warmup:
5 min. neck drag
5 min. double end bag 
12 min. run

sling pistol SQ: 3, 4, 5, 5, 4, 3
sling pushups: 3, 4, 5, 5, 4, 3
PU: 3, 4, 5, 5, 4, 3
overhead lunges (14 lbs. med ball): 3, 4, 5, 5, 4, 3
dips: 3, 4, 5, 5, 4, 3
chin-ups: 3, 4, 5, 5, 4, 3

Cooldown:
N/A

[I "modified" my gate-sled –– by kicking a bend in it on the staircase –– so the front edge wouldn't rip up the grass so much. 

My run went from a decent jog to a humbling shamble. Need to treat and forestall shin splints again. I've had this blog for over three years,I think, and I'm only now add "Running" as a content label. Sad but true. I'm set on cutting about ten pounds of weight, and running has been the missing element.

I took less rest this time between exercises and circuits.]

Everlast Training Camp

Tuesday, 12 Feb 2013, I just worked on the speed bag and trained my neck.

Wednesday was Ash Wednesday so I ended up taking the day off.

Thursday, 14 Feb 2013 
24 min., 221 lbs.
140-170 bpm 

Warm up: Stretching, 10 min. speed bag

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

Friday, 15 Feb 2013 
35 min., 220 lbs. 
heart - 130-160 bpm

Warm up: 5 min. speed bag, 2-3 min. jump rope

Squats x 20 + 12 lb. medicine ball
Lunges x 20 + 12 lb. medicine ball
Push ups x 25, 30
Pull ups x 11
Sit ups x 30
Leg raises x 20
Rotations x 20
Ab wheel x 15
-------------------
CIRCUIT x 2

Cool down: 5 min. speed bag 


Saturday, 16 Feb 2013
24 min., 220 lbs.
heart - 160-180 bpm  

Stretching warm up
10 min. speed bag

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

Cool down: 2 min., 2 min. jump rope;  5 min. speed bag 

This was the first workout in which I not only did more reps than usual but also didn't rest as long between exercises. Getting there. My goal is to keep at it until I can the 45-second circuits "full on": no quitting mid-set and no excessive delay between exercises.


Sunday, 17 Feb 2013 
20 min., 15 min. 
220 lbs.


After Mass I headed to Wal-Mart for a few things, ended up getting some wrist wraps and a cable speed rope, which I love. (I've replaced shadow boxing with actual heavy bag work, but also realize that serious heavy bag work needs good wrap protection...but also realize that having wraps on for a whole workout for only about a minute each circuit is...annoying. The weightlifting wraps are a solution, I hope.) I tried out my many jump ropes for about ten minutes, and then worked on the speed bag for about twenty minutes.

Later in the evening, I discovered that I had my speed bag set too high, but since it's mounted into the ceiling, I thought "outside the box" and put about eight pieces of plywood, left behind by the owner of our house, on the ground (if you can't lower the bar, raise the floor). It's great! Now I can face the bag on one side at roughly mouth level, or pivot to the bare floor and box higher. Each height has its own benefits: lower is more natural and efficient, while higher gives more extension and flexibility. So tonight I spent maybe another twenty minutes on the speed bag. It felt good, but I can see what they mean about "oh my aching hands" catching up you.

I realized today that I wouldn't mind being able to say that I jumped rope and speed-nagged every day since mid-February 2013. The speed bag is as much about the mental as it is about the physical: focus and patience.


I'm getting the best of my shin splints, thanks to moderation, stretching, icing, and NSAIDs.

Weight!

Well, I just used my mom's "Withings" scale system and it indicates I'm only 210 lbs! That was on carpet, so I tried it on a tile floor and it showed 219 lbs. My mom said it's "adjusted for soft surfaces" (whatever that means), so I tried it again and got 210 lbs again.

This is extremely irritating. The scale at the gym says I'm over 220 lbs, so unless I'm wearing 10 lbs of clothing at the gym (!), I've got a loooong way to go to my goal of 242 lbs (110 kg).

This angers me more than I can express, not so much because I may be lighter than I thought--after all, a higher power-to-weight ratio is a good thing--, but mainly because, once again, "advanced technology" makes life more frustrating. I just want to know my weight, not my electrolyte balance, my BMI, fat ratio, my density on a hard vs. soft surface, etc. JUST MY WEIGHT! So now I'll have to go to Publix to weigh myself on their old-school scale. I plan to hit the gym later today, so hopefully I can test the gym scale with some plates.

Gym regimen - Oct 2012 - and some nostalgia...

15 October 2012
Even Keel "A"
210 lbs (95kg), 50 min.

Warmup - motions
...........Circuit 1
SQ - 10, 10, 4 @ 185 lbs, 205 lbs, 215 lbs
Gironda neck press - 10, 8, 6 @ 115 lbs, 135 lbs, 155 lbs
SDL - 10, 6, 4 @ 185 lbs, 205 lbs, 215 lbs
...........Circuit 2
Press - 10, 6, 4 @ 90 lbs, 100 lbs, 110 lbs
Squeeze-press - 10, 10, 10 @ 85 lbs, 85 lbs, 110 lbs (I foolishly used uneven db's the first set, so I flipped them the second set to balance things out.)
PU (neutral) - 12*, 9*, 6* (Included leg lifts on concentric rise.) 

I'll be keeping my notes in pounds from here on out, at least until I'm back in Taiwan, or some other metric-based area. Just for curiosity's sake, I'll present the above data in metric units and compare them to my last Even Keel "A" workout nearly four months ago.

...........Circuit 1
SQ - 10, 10, 4 @ 84kg, 93kg, 97.5kg 
Gironda neck press - 10, 8, 6 @ 52kg, 61kg, 70kg 
SDL - 10, 6, 4 @ 84kg, 93kg, 97.5kg 
...........Circuit 2 
Press - 10, 6, 4 @ 41kg, 45kg, 50kg 
Squeeze-press - 10, 10, 10 @ 38.5kg, 38.5kg, 50kg 
PU (neutral) - 12*, 9*, 6* 

I have never done a Gironda neck press until today, so I have no prior basis for comparison. On 24 June, 2012 I did the following:

50 min., 99kg

...........Circuit 1
SQ: 10, 6, 5 @ 90, 105, 120
BP: 10, 8, 6* @ 75, 85, 95 (not comparable to the Gironda neck press, but there it is)
SDL: 10, 6, 5* @ 90, 110, 127.5
...........Circuit 2
Press: 9, 6, 3* @ 50, 55, 60
db flye: 12, 10, 8 @ 36, 40.5, 45
PU: 8/3, 8/3, Ø

Obviously, I've fallen behind, but there's no need to rush into injury. Today was a "recon" and refresher workout. Patience, humility, confidence, progression.

Now, out of further curiosity's sake, I'll present my stats, in an order revised to match what I trained today, from my first Even Keel "A" workout (on 8 February 2012), after having been out of the gym for several months, possibly a year. Those numbers should more closely resemble today's efforts. Indeed, my body weight then and now is roughly the same.

50 min., 96kg

...........Circuit 1
Squat 9, 6, 3 @ 70kg, 82.5kg, 100kg
Bench press 9, 6, 3** @ 70kg, 80kg, 90kg [Major spot for last 2 reps of set 3.]
Snatch DL 8, 6, 4* @ 110kg, 110kg, 120kg [Used straps for last 2 sets of set 3. They cut like razors, must buy my own!]
...........Circuit 2
Standing military press 9, 6, 4 @ 28kg, 42kg, 48kg
Bench EZ curl 9, 6, 4* @ 23kg, 28kg, 38kg [Body cheat on rep 4 of set 3 and then a 10-second negative to finish.]
Pullup 12, 9 + 5kg, 7 + 5kg 

It's good to see that the last two months of conditioning and greasing the groove (dips, pullups, T-bell swings, pushups, Jungle Gym, etc.) have put me in a position slightly better than where I was in February 2012. I had minimal 'body English' and no spotting in today's workout. I invested in some high quality protein, creatine, and glucosamine after the workout, so I'm expecting to hit 100kg (220lbs) in a week or two. Wish me pluck!

Fitness update - August 2012

Wednesday, 15 August 2012
45 min., 100kg

Warm-up: Jumping jacks, lunges, medicine ball tosses - 5 min.

Stretching: 10'

Upper body: 11'30"

Lower body: 10'20"

Aerobic: 7'30"
T-bell swings - 25 @ 15kg x 2
Lunges with 5kg medicine ball - 24 x 2
Walking medicine ball tosses - 15 x 2
Walking high kicks with medicine ball - 20 x 2 
Medicine ball slams - 20 @ 5kg

+ + +

I used a sling I had hung over a rafter, with a sturdy dowel in the loops, for my reverse and narrow-grip pull-ups, as well as for my hanging knee lifts. Next week I'd like to start using my eagle loops for reverse, close-grip, wide-grip pull-ups, and knee lifts.

My time on the circuits dropped again, which is nice, even allowing for some delays due to messing with equipment here and there. I like using a lumbar support I found on a chair at home for my ab exercises (it's the Ab Mat on the cheap!). Due to my shin splints, I did not run or jump, but the drills I did were a good challenge.

I think I'll practice head stands, hand standing, and grip crushing tomorrow.

Fitness update - August 2012 …

Tuesday, 14 August 2012 
40 min., 100kg

Warmup: 3/8 mile jog, 20 medicine ball slams, stretching - 10 min.

----

T-bell swing: 20 @ 15kg x 6

Hand stand: 4 sessions, some good holds

----

Grip training:

CoC #1.5 : 10 closes

CoC #2 : 1 close + 4 reps

CoC #1.5 : 10 closes r.h., 10 reps (8 closes) l.h.

+ + + +

This whole workout took about 40 minutes. My shin splints are a problem, to be sure, and I may need to replace jogging/sprinting with lunges, box jumps, striding, calf raises, split jumps, goblet squats, and high kicks for a while.

Closing the CoC #2 was a nice surprise! I guess doing more pull-ups and push-ups and hand stands has paid off. Apparently, "greasing the groove" with my eagle loops a week or two ago was very beneficial. As such, I intend to replace the reverse grip pull-ups (aka "chin-ups") and wide-grip pull-ups in the SEAL regimen I'm doing with eagle loops pull-ups.

Fitness update... Life update...

Where were we? And where should I start?

The latter half of July, at least, was consumed by preparations to move my family to Florida for a new teaching job. My last workout in the gym was around July 12, I guess. Likewise, the first half of August has been consumed by settling into a new home and job. But fitness is a must.

From then until now, in order to maintain fitness, I've mainly been applying Rich Bryda's methods, a lot of "greasing the groove", in other words. I was doing 100+ pull-ups every day for two weeks, and then 200+ T-bell swings, and nearly 100 pull-ups the past week. I have assembled a T-bell, purchased a "real" 12-lb. medicine all (yippee!), hung my eagle loops up in the garage as soon as I arrived, and just today purchased a great floor rug to serve as a jump rope mat (face-down) and as a handstand pad (face-up). I'm itching to get some gymnastic rings, but I will wait until Christmas.

I'm going to be very busy with a new job-- a "real" teaching job, mind you, which entails lots of red tape and new-teacher meetings and on-going steps for certification (oooyyyy...)-- so I'm trying to find a realistic but rewarding regimen for the present and next few weeks. To wit....

At my favorite used bookstore, Chamblin Book Mine, I stumbled upon Mark De Lisle's 1996 Navy SEAL Exercises (though it now goes by the less judicious name, The Navy SEAL Workout). I was impressed and have decided to give it a go for the next twelve weeks. Two reasons I liked what Lisle was offering were 1) he places major emphasis on stretching before, during, and after working out, and 2) he provides beginner, intermediate, and advanced regimens. It's also a very low-hype book, with a classically deceptively simple pyramid structure. All in all, there's a magnificent emphasis on progression and discipline.

So, I decided to begin today... at the beginner level. Not that I have no background in fitness training, but I realized that, between my new responsibilities as a teacher and the cumulative demands of the intermediate (versus beginner) regimen, I should give my body time to progress and "desire" more challenges as time goes on.

So, my workout today was:

Lisle SEAL-B
20'
22'
8'51"

Without reproducing the whole book here, I'll explain the regimen and my goals for the next twelve weeks.

I. Warmup and stretching
A. I'll do jump rope, T-bell swings, medicine ball drills, etc. to warmup, and go through the whole series of stretching as Lisle advises.
1. This, he says, should take 15-20 minutes. It took me about 20 minutes today, mostly because I had to keep referring to the book, which took up extra time.

II. Upper Body
A. Pull-ups - 5 kinds
B. Dips - 4 sets of 5
C. Push-ups - 4 kinds

III. Lower Body
A. 15 kinds of abdominal and core exercises, divided into 5 triplets, with a "cobra stretch" (fore, port, starboard) between each triplet

IV. Running / Swimming
A. Lisle specifies running, jogging, sprinting, stairs, etc. and freestyle, side stroke, and breast stroke
1. Happily, I have access to a pool at my school... and roads wherever I am. Stairs, though, are harder to come by here than in Taiwan! 

As Lisle specifies, I rest 15 seconds between each exercise. I take a slightly longer water break between exercise changes (I.A. to I.B., from upper to lower body, and before running).

(Indeed, I bought a Timex Expedition Classic watch for this new regimen! Granted, it will serve me well in class and in the gym, but, gosh, there's nothing like inspiration. Maybe I like Lisle's program because it reminds me so much of my crew training.)

The upper and lower body circuits took me 22 minutes and I ran for 8'51" (a mile and change). All in all, therefore, counting transition times, this took me under and hour. Very reasonable.

For the first two weeks I do this only on MWF. On "off" days, I will do a combo of T-bell swings, jump rope, medicine ball drills, hand/headstands, and grip training.

The beginner pyramid is a "measly" 1-2-1 for each kind of pull-up, 4 sets of 5 dips, and 2-4-2 for each kind of push-up. The key is not to sacrifice form on any rep.

After 2 weeks (weeks 1 and 2), up the pyramids (on MWF) to 1-2-3-2-1, 4 sets of 5, and 2-4-6-4-2.

After 4 weeks, switch to training M-F.

Once those first four weeks have passed, I will move to the intermediate regimen for MWF. The pyramid structure is too tedious to explain here, but it's a good jump up from the beginner load. After two weeks on MWF, I will do the intermediate regimen M-F.

I'm so pleased with Lisle's program, I also recently acquired his newer Navy SEAL Breakthrough to Master Level Fitness, and I'd actually recommend it over the first SEAL Exercises book. It provides a much better organized weekly schedule, I like the choice of stretches better, and the inclusion of actual leg exercises (!) in the lower body routine is more satisfying. Once a rower....

Stay tuned.

Fitness notes - July 2012

Wednesday, 11 July 2012
20–30 min., 104kg 

I felt too nervous trying handwalking and handstands on the stone floor in the quad outside my apartment, which made it hard to focus and really try, so I ended up doing wall stands. I used four interlocking rubber mats to protect my head on the floor.

Stretching

Wall stands: 5–15 sec. several times

Wall-aided salamba sirsasana (asana column): 5–15 sec. several times

Tripod headstands: 10–30 sec. several times

By the end of this workout, sweat was literally dripping off of me. 

The key, I realized today, for training the salamba sirsasana, is to move my body a little farther from the wall each time I practice, so I can gradually learn to balance with confidence, until I can do it without a wall at all. 

Thursday, 12 July 2012
30–40 min., 103kg

I was still quite sore from my Quick Mass workout on Tuesday, but I was also antsy and needed some kind of exercise, so I walked the track for thirty minutes while practicing Pimsleur Spanish. Every lap I did about 50 meters of jump rope jogging, followed by another 50 skips or so in place. After all that, I practice handstands for about ten minutes. Boy howdy, what a difference practicing on a firm, safe surface made! I wasn't scared of crashing onto stone (as I had been Wednesday night), but also wasn't weakened by an uneven grassy surface (as I was last week). I did several good tries at handwalking, and held a few handstands for nearly ten seconds. The key, as Patrick Barrett in How to Do a Handstand advises, is that I didn't just blindly hop up into a handstand again and again. Rather, I analyzed how I fell, to which side I leaned, etc., and tried to correct for those flaws on the next attempt. I really felt secure when I tucked my buttocks and pointed my toes upward as high, so to speak, as they could go. My traps have been nicely sore from the handstands, though my neck is a bit kinked from last night's practice.

Until next time!