If you want to make God smile...

...tell Him what you know.

If you want to make God laugh, tell Him I went for a run.

I went for a run.

Saturday night I did 5 triplets of ab wheels interwoven with five sets of sledge hammer levers. I held a 10 lb sledge hammer about half a foot from the head and leveraged it up five times per side (towards and away from my head), twice per set. Good ache the next day.

Sunday night I jogged 2 miles in about 19 minutes. Amazing, right?

Monday night in the garage I warmed up and did two circuits of 2-minute exercises (from the double-end bag, to the heavy bag, to the jump rope), with 45 seconds of rest between each exercise. I ended with three sets of: 10 "sling V-ups" (like this but inverted in midair) followed by 250 hula hoop loops (yes!).

I've come into a fairly busy patch of work these days, but tomorrow I still think I shall "hit the gym". I will, however, replace back squats with front squats, supinated chinups with pronated wider-grip pullups, and will intersplice the final four exercises as I did last Friday. Stay tuned.

Workout updates... Miscellaneous...

9/20 Saturday: 
heavy bag & double-end bag - 3 min., 1 min. rest each x 4

9/21 Sunday: 
one-arm KB swing: 55 lbs. 30/30
"Perfect" ab wheel: 4/2/2/4
shadow boxing: 1 min.
1 min. rest
x 4

9/22 Monday: 
mid-air rows: 12, 12
mid-air pushups: 12, 12
eagle loop pullups: 12, 10
ring dips: 10, 8

9/23 Tuesday: 
warm-up: ghetto gripper, space mace, stretching
----
CoC #2 - 8/8 L/R closes (individual sets) [Interestingly, my left hand actually felt stronger this time. I didn't start to struggle until the fifth set or so.]
one-arm KB swing - 55 lbs 30/30 x 3
wrist roll - 8 lbs. x 6
ab wheel - 4/2/2 x 4 [4 frontal rolls, then 2 oblique rolls for each side]

9/24 Wednesday: 
mid-air rows: 12, 12, 12, 12
mid-air pushups: 12, 12, 12, 12
eagle loop pullups + L-sit: 7, 7, 5, 4
ring dips + L-sit: 7, 6, 6.5, 4/1

9/25 Thursday: 
warm-up
----
double-end bag - 2 min.
1 min. rest
heavy bag - 2 min.
1 min. rest
jump rope - 2 min.
1+ min. rest
x2
-----
21 lb. medicine ball throw-catch off trampoline 25/25 L/R
21 lb. medicine ball throw-catch off trampoline 25 both hands
25/25 L/R tornado ball rotations
25/25 L/R overhead tornado ball swings
x 4

+ + + 

Praise God, it's getting cooler. I love winter. Granted, "winter" in Florida does not count in some people's eyes, but at least "the great sweating" is nearly over.

Running... Grip training... Boxing...

And in the words of Gene Wilder, "FAT! FAT! FAT! FAT!"

Sunday, 14 September 2014 

1.
3 min. jog
30 sec. sprint
30 sec. jog
2.
3 min. walk
30 sec. jog
30 sec. spring
3.
3 min. walk
30 sec. jog
30 sec. sprint
4.
3 min. walk
30 sec. jog
30 sec. sprint
5.
3 min. walk
30 sec. jog
30 sec. sprint

[This felt pretty good. I felt achey and shin-splinty on the first set, so I reprogrammed to emphasize walking.] 


Monday, 15 September 2014 

8 lb. wrist roller x 3

CoC #2 - 4 closes L, 1 near close L/5 closes R

wrist roller x 3

34 lb dino db curls - dozens of reps

[Maybe the wrist roller zapped my forearms too much, or maybe I trained too soon after a hard ring workout (Saturday), but this was not a great showing. My biceps have been nicely sore since that night. I don't my biceps all that much, at least not in an isolated, cosmetic way, but I think I'm going to start throwing in some curls like this to round out grip workouts.] 


Wednesday, 17 September 2014

3 min. double-end bag
1 min. rest
3 min. heavy bag
1 min. rest
x 3
-----
Then I mowed, trimmed, and swept the yard. Dad exercise. It counts. Meh.

I also decided to record some of my boxing, but golly I always look like such a fat, wobbling ogre when I box. I rarely inflict my body image upon the eyes of the world, but why not? Hence the Gene Wilder quotation again. My boxing name, by the way, I decided would be "The Greek Geek", weighing in at 220 lbs. (I think I could cut down to 205, though. Still heavyweight, so I guess some ogrish bullishness is okay.) 

Boxing... Running...

Saturday, 6 September 2014 

Warm-up: ring motions, med ball thruster throws, jump rope, shadow boxing 

-----

double-end bag: 3 min. 

rest 1 min. 

heavy bag: 3 min. 

rest 1 min. 

double-end bag: 3 min. 

rest 1 min. 

heavy bag: 3 min 

rest 2 min. 

double-end bag: 3 min. 

rest 1 min. 

heavy bag: 3 min. 

rest 1 min. 

double-end bag: 3 min. 

rest 1 min. 

heavy bag: 3 min 

-----

weighted walking: 15+ min.* 

* I held my 21 lb. medicine ball while walking. Sometimes (with one or tow hands) at my shoulder, over my head, by my throat, etc. 

 

Sunday, 7 September 2014 

3 min. jog 

30 sec. sprint

[x6] 

----

6 min. walk 

Boxing workout...

Wednesday, 20 August 2014 

double-end bag - 2 min.
rest - 1 min.
heavy bag - 2 min.
rest - 1 min.
x 3
-----
rest - 2 min.
-----
double-end bag - 2 min.
rest - 1 min.
heavy bag - 2 min.
rest - 1 min.
x 2

-----
rest - 2 min.
-----

double-end bag - 2 min.
rest - 1 min.
heavy bag - 2 min.
x 1
-----
walk - 5 min. 

21 Day Kettlebell Blast - Day 19 + boxing

Day 19 
[At this point I'm not really following the program as given in the book. For me, it's enough that I'm doing KB swings in almost every workout.] 

warm-up:
35+35 lb KB swing - 10 L, 10 R
-------
15+35 lb KB swing: 20 L, 20 R
rest 30 sec.
double-end bag: 1 min.
rest 30 sec.
heavy bag: 1 min.
rest 30 sec.
jump rope: 150 skips
X3

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.

Fitness update - June 2014 (hitting a wall, shrugging it off, rage in the ga-rage, getting a grip)

Wednesday, 4 June 2014 
Shurg rush 
55 min., 225 lb.

warm-up

FSQ: 10, 5* @ 145, 195 lb.
[Okay, so... you CAN overtrain on squats. My dead squats on Monday must have challenged me more than I realized. I took Tuesday off, but when I got into the gym on Wednesday, I felt "weak" right away on squats. As I sank into the hole on rep 6 at 195 lb., I felt something between my vastus medialis and vastus intermedius "give" in my right leg and I lost all power. When whatever-it-was "gave", I felt a distinct popping sensation and what felt like a hollow marble. It was not a searing, tearing pain and I have not lost any mobility. The leg was still load bearing, just very tender and achey. By Thursday I was even able to jog lightly, so I'm not really worried about this setback. I simply strained under-recovered muscles, and they let me know it. Admittedly, I was pretty distracted and demoralized for the rest of my workout, but I led myself through it. After a week of three PR's in a row, it might have been wise to light(er) this week, but what do I know!?]

hypers: 15, 15, 12, 12 @ bdw, 10, 25, 35 lb.

Kelso shrug: 12, 12, 10, 10 @ 195, 215, 225, 235 lb.

bench shrug: 12, 12, 12 @ 225, 245, 275 lb.

pullover: 15, 15, 12, 12 @ 50, 60, 70, 80 lb.

snatch shrug: 10, 10, 10 @ 215, 225, 235 lb.

[Compared to my last two Shurg Rushes, I used lighter weight for more reps. I think I'm interested in trying a few weeks of high-volume, high "pump" weightlifting, and I didn't want to risk taxing my neck again just a couple weeks outside of a strain.]

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

Thursday, 5 June 2014 
Garage fitness
35 min., 225 lb.

[My buddy came over for a workout and we did the following circuits. I set my watch with a repeating 1'05" timer. Halfway through the workout, we realized that my double-end bag had a leak, so it's time to spring for a nicer one. I wore out my first double-end bag, woohoo!]

double end bag - 1 min.
heavy bag - 1 min.
[1 min. rest]
sling pushups & rows - 1 min.
sling dips & curls - 1 min.
[1 min. rest]
jump rope - 1 min.
tire/sledge - 1 min.
[1 min. rest]

REPEAT for 4 cycles

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

Friday, 6 June 2014 
Grip training
30 min., 225 lb.

warm-up - gyro ball, space mace, ghetto grippers

CoC #1.5 - 10 closes

CoC #2 - 0 L, 1 R

CoC #2 - 0 L, 1 R

CoC #1.5 - 7 closes, 2 closes

dino db hold (2", 74 lb) -
60 sec
42 sec
40 sec

[I've lost some ground on my grip strength, but I also trained at night, on a Friday, when I don't eat meat, and eat less in general. Just have to keep on keepin' on....]

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... 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!

AYCE notes... (updated)

[4/1/14 - Projections for this workout....]  

Here's what I actually ended up doing:

AYCE Power 
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
50 min, 226 lbs. 

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

DBP: 4, 3, 2, 2, 2, 4* @ 225, 235, 245, 250, 255, 260 lbs. [* My spotter urged me to go past two, but they turned out to be forced/helped reps, anyway. Seeee?!]

FSQ: 4, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2 @ 235, 245, 250, 255, 260, 265 lbs.

DL: 4, 3, 2, 2, 1* @ 285, 305, 315, 325, 335 lbs. [* With chalk and hook grip.]

+ + + 

A number of factors (from Perryman, Pavel, a buff Catholic dude at the gym, etc.) have combined to show me the advantage of doing a power/auxiliary split, which means that I'll do heavier lifts (BP/DBP, SQ/FSQ, DL/SDL/RDL) every other day, broken up by lighter "dynamically parallel" lifts, or even "just" kb or boxing on days I need a break from the gym. This does not mean I will do the DL every other day, of course! I'm not suicidal. I think doing the DL every fourth workout is a good policy until I discover otherwise. I may sometimes replace the DBP with db presses, flyes, or dips. On auxiliary days I'll do things like HSQ/OSQ/ZSQ/GSQ, CL, rows/PU, and presses.

SMILES: Going heavy on the DL was nice. Once I got home and ate, I nearly drifted off to sleep a few times, but I've got my second wind until bedtime. Also, DBP felt very good; a slightly wider grip works better.

FROWNS: I sometimes had trouble keeping my elbows high and tight on the FSQ.

"A good sore..."

My triceps felt the most sore a day after my "Carpe Ferrum" workout, though I was pleased to feel some soreness in my biceps, as well. Most intriguing was the soreness I felt in my upper abdominals and upper/mid back muscles--all thanks to front squatting!

This afternoon I got around to cleaning up the garage again and then settled into the following:

(I)
2.5 min double-end bag
60 sec rest 
2.5 min heavy bag
60 sec rest 
30 sec/30 sec L/R stagger sledge swing
30 sec/30 sec wide-leg high striker
60 sec rest
20/20 KB swing @ 35#
10/10 KB snatch @ 35#
1-2 min rest

(II)
[REPEAT (I)]

The weather was extremely humid but pleasantly cool. My sorry ass could barely keep my gloves up on round two of my boxing drills. The most annoying aspect of our new house is how muddy the backyard gets and stays. This made my tire-sledge drills a little annoying. I'll see how I feel tomorrow for an Even Keel "B" workout (probably in the evening).

Oh, by the way, Gravity is a very good movie. 

Active recovery...

Thursday, 13 March 2014 
230 lbs., 20-25 min. (?) 

3 min. double-end bag

2 min. heavy bag

8 lbs. SLEDGE-AND-TIRE x 3
10/10 staggered log split
10/10 low trunk chop
5/5 wide-leg high strike

KB swings
25/25, 25/25 @ 35 lbs.

-------

Cleaning the garage is a great excuse to workout, and vice versa. I got my heavy bag stand weighted down again, rigged up my double end bag, rolled Ferdinand into the firmest patch of soil in the backyard... and tidied up a couple other things in the garage. (Moving sucks.) It felt great to get the gloves back on my hands.

However, I could "feel the time away" from the fairly intensive cardio-conditioning that I'd been doing at the end of last year, before getting back under the bar these past two months. Having released myself from ALL BULKING ALL THE TIME, I'm stoked to be able to return to my full menu of "active recovery" (or "greasing the groove") exercises on "off days" after a heavy lifting day.

Lastly, it now makes perfect, "lived" sense that KB swings--and, really, all KB exercises--are meant to be done one-handed. (Here's an excellent interview with Valery Fedorenko for more insight along this line.) I felt much more core activation and loading of the posterior chain. I took a nice walk with the family yesterday and semi-forced myself into this workout today--hooray!--but I will not get back into the gym until Saturday, at the earliest.

Stay tuned.

Back under the bar!

For the past several weeks, I've been immersed in my main blog, but I have been keeping fit. I will not even attempt to catch up on exactly what I did when, so let me just provide a brief sketch. Every couple days, I did routines anywhere from 15-40 minutes based on the following exercises:

tire flips
tire tennis
tire-sledge hits
medicine ball slams
jump rope
box jumps
high-knee jumps
tire jump-outs
tire stair-climbers
jogging
KB swings
boxing
lasso swings
KB tossing
pullups
dips
L-sits
planking
etc.

Around Christmastime, though, I was finally inspired to get back in the gym. I have missed THE EVIL SQUAT for too long. Being able to DEADLIFT is also wonderful.

My goal is get my muscle used to weightlifting again over the next two weeks, and then complete Dan John's six-week Mass Made Simple program from late-January until mid-March. I weigh 210-215 lbs. now, and I expect to be 220 lbs. when I start bulking in earnest. I want to be at least 230 by mid-March, and woudn't be surprised if I hit 240, which would be a new personal "record".

For now, I'm doing a variation of my Even Keel routine (you can find the basic structure of it here, infra, in orange and purple). I'm now doing a 5(reps)x5(sets) schema, and I have decided not to crash in by going too heavy at first. I'm old enough by now to know that true gains will come in their own time. There's no need to...

Saturday, 4 Jan 2014 
40 min, 212 lbs. 
Quasi Even Keel A

Warm-up

-

SQ : 185 lbs @ 5x5 

Lying T-row : 95 lbs @ 5x5

- 

SDL : 185 lbs @ 5x5

db flye : 45 lbs @ 6x5

- 

db pullover : 65 lbs @ 8x3

Sunday, 6 Jan 2014 
20 min, 213 lbs

tire-sledge hits (8 lbs) x 25 

jump rope 150 skips 

TWICE

heavy bag 2 min

jump rope 150 skips

TWICE

3 Ferdi flips 

Tuesday, 7 Jan 2014 
45 min, 214 lbs 
Quasi Even Keel B

Warm-up

-

DL : 225 lbs @ 5x5 

Dips : bdw @ 6x5

- 

FSQ : 155 lbs @ 5x5

chinups : bdw @ 5x5 

- 

db pullover-press : 60 lbs @ 8x3

standing calf raises (using shurg machine) : 270 lbs @ 10x3  

Catching up…

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

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

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







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

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

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

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

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

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

Yesterday my workout was this:

sledge/tire
15 min., BPM 150-180

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

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

Tonight I "took it easy" and only trained:

grip and core
20 min.

Bodyblade and crusher warm-up, forearm stretching

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

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

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

Fitness update - May 2013 - quasi back on track!

My arm injury is subsiding nicely, and my shin splints have backed off, once I gave them a few days without running or jump rope. It was nice just to come home and eat, or nap, or read, or simply "veg" for a few days. But now I'm trying to regain a little momentum, at least to shed some fat and focus more on bodyweight strength.

Monday, 13 May 2013 
24 min., 215 lbs.

3 min. - double end bag
3 min. - jump rope / power tower

[50 skips, then 3 dips, then 3 pullups; ~once per minute] 

3 min. - kb drills

[30 swings, 10/10 jerks, 10/10 high-pull-snatch] 

3 min. - speed bag 
REST 2 min., THEN REPEAT

[I also allowed enough time between exercises to remove or don gear and hydrate.]

Tuesday morning I took an NSAID to quell some minor aches in my right arm and medial shins. After work I took my wife to her last pre-natal exam before our son is born, came home, and then… NAPPED for 2+ hours.


Wednesday, 15 May 2013 
24 min., 215 lbs.

2 min. - double end bag
2 min. - jump rope / power tower
2 min. - speed bag
2 min. - kb drills

[30 swings, 10/10 snatch, 2/2 high pulls] 

REST 90 sec., THEN REPEAT x 2

[I also allowed enough time between exercises to remove or don gear and hydrate.]

Stupid mop, stupid injuries…

The first clause is a reference to Pearl Jam's final 'song' on Vitalogy. #ftw.

The second is more mundane: my shoulder/elbow injuries, induced by a stupid arm-wrestling challenge a couple weeks ago, and my (medial) shin splints, induced by too much jump roping and jogging––together they finally caused me just to "give up" for the last few days and REST.  After a jaunt to the beach for some body-boarding, which had my right arm aching all the way home, I was reduced to saying, "Damn it, it's always up or down, always either my ankles or my arm!" So I simply stopped doing any exercise for a few days.

So these notes are pretty off-hand, from memory.

I think on Sunday, May 5, I did…

20 minutes of conditioning, roughly like so…
3 min. jump rope
3 min. jog 
3 min. kb x 2

I think on Monday, May 6, I did…

15 minutes of conditioning, like so…
3 min. jump rope
3 min. double end bag
3 min. kb
x 2

But by the end of the workout on Monday, my shins hurt so badly, I could only
walk my second jog circuit. Crippling pain.

So the past few days I've been reading and chilling with my family. And flipping out, now and then, about fulfilling/handing in my first-year-teacher certifications/documentations.

Today, though, I did the following, with little pain…

Saturday, May 11, 2013
20 min., 214 lbs.

3 min. medicine ball (30 wall ball, 30 bucket pass, 20/20 twist-catch)
3 min. double end bag
3 min. kb (30 swings, 10/10/10/10 jerks, 5/5 high-pull-snatch)
3 min. speed bag
REST
3 min. medicine ball, kb (30 wall ball, 30 swings, 10/10 jerks)
3 min. double end bag
2 min. speed bag  

Fitness and gym update – April 2013

Monday 22 April 2013 work out
50 min.

Speed bag - 3 min.
Double end bag - 3 min.
Jump rope - 3 min.
Speed bag - 3 min.
Double end bag - 3 min.
Jump rope - 4 min.
Continuous kb movements - 3 min.
[I've wanted to try this for a while: just keep the kb moving for a fixed amount of time; once one motion becomes too tiresome, switch to another; very acrobatic.]
--------------------------------
Rest between sets to gear up, hydrate, stretch

+ + + 

This is the first time in several weeks (four? six?) that I've been able to jump rope without any pain or debilitation from my ingrown toe! Apparently my boxing, kettlebell/mace conditioning, and weightlifting has kept me in good shape, too. I was able to jump longer than I used to, with less soleus/shin pain, and, though it's nothing spectacular, a four-minute streak is a personal record for at least the past three years. My pulse was easily at 180 bpm while jumping, and just as high for the three-minute kettlebell "loop" I did at the end. I think working past my shin splints from a few months ago, and doing foam roller massages every couple days, had really restored my lower legs. Now I'm tempted to buy a unicycle, since I sold my bicycle a while back.


Wednesday, 24 April 2013 
50 min., 217 lbs.

warm-up: motions, stretching

SQ: 5 x 5 @ 205, 210, 215, 220, 225 lbs.
BP: 5 x 5 @ 195, 185, 185, 185, 185 lbs.
PU: 5 x 5 @ bdw+35, +25, +15, +10, +5 lbs.
"box squat" db curls: 5 x 5 @ 80 lbs.
[I think I made these up. Begin seated, stand up, curl, lower the db, sit down, repeat. Really liked them. Will try them with a bb next time.]

Fitness update - April 2013

Friday, 19 April 2013
20–25 min.

jump rope - 1 min.
[The first time I've used my "impact feet" in weeks, so I'm finally getting past my ingrown toenail!]

speed bag - 3 min.

kb drills - 3–4 min.
[kb swings - 30, kb swing and shove - 10/10, kb shotput swing - 5/5, kb snatch - 10/10]

speed bag - 3 min.

kb drills - 3–4 min. 

[kb swings - 30, kb swing and shove - 10/10, kb shotput swing - 5/5, kb snatch - 10/10] 

+ + + + +

Saturday, 20 April 2013
50 min.

mace bell - ~6 min.
[360's - 20/20, 10-and-2's - 20/20, King-Arthurs - 5/5, 5/5, samurai swing - 20/20]

medicine ball - ~6 min.
[shuffle ball - 15/15, lunge catch - 10/10, hot potato - 20/20, catch-jacks - 20/20]

kb drills - ~7 min.
[kb swings - 30, kb clean punch - 10/10, kb shotput swing - 10/10, kb snatch - 10/10, kb round the world - 20/20]

speed bag - 3 min.
--------------------------
REPEAT circuit

Then I made a brief set of exercises for a brief demo video I'll post to show some of my favorite exercises (most/some of the above).

Then I did about 20 minutes of yard work (clipping hedging).

Fitness update - April 2013

Thursday, 18 April 2013
25–30 min., 216 lbs. 

speed bag: 3 min.

medicine ball: 3 min. + 12 lbs. (wall ball, twist tosses, bucket pass)

double end bag: 3 min.

kb drills: 3 min. (swings, high-pull swings, shot put swings)

REST 1–2 min.

REPEAT, END WITH…

speed bag: 3 min.

Kicked my butt! Must stick with boxing conditioning even though I'm doing 5x5.