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.

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

21 Day Kettlebell Blast(ish)

Day 13 
[I almost did not work out. My new job has been tremendously exhausting, even though it hasn't even entailed full-time hours. It's just so cognitively demanding, and requires a rather long commute. But I did work out. I don't know why, but it's been so hard to find my motivation again lately. I think more boxing, sledge-tire drills, and sleep will help.]

tornado twisters: 50/50, 30/30

lasso twists: 15/15 @ 15 lb.

KB swing: 20/20, 20/20

jump rope: 200 skips

tire-sledge: 30 total hits

tornado twisters: 50/50, 30/30

lasso twists: 15/15 @ 15 lb.

KB swing: 20/20, 20/20

jump rope: 200 skips

tire-sledge: 50 total hits

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

20-25 minutes

21 Day Kettlebell Blast

Day 10 
Exhausted, and, despite my two-year-old's cajoling to "'cise!", I took the evening off.

Day 11 
warm-up: double-end bag 10 min.

35+15 lb KB swing: right hand x 20
rest 30 sec. 
35+15 KB swing: left hand x 20
rest 30 sec. 
sling pushups x 10
rest 30 sec. 
X 4

wrap-up: brisk walk 5 min.

Day 12
warm-up: 20 lunges, 12 sling pushups, 20 lunges, 12 sling pushups, 20 lunges, 12 sling pushups

35+15 lb KB swing: right hand x 10
rest 10 sec. 
35+15 lb KB swing: left hand x 10
rest 10 sec. 
45 lb KB swing: two hands x 10
rest 10 sec. 
10 sling pushups
rest 10 sec. 
X 4

wrap-up:
jump rope 60 sec.
jackups: 60 sec.
brisk walking: 5 min.

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...

Thursday, 3 April 2014 
37 min., 226 lbs. 

Warm-up (7 min.) - stretching, motions

ZSQ: 10, 8, 6, 4 @ 105, 115, 125, 135 lbs. 

HSQ: 10, 8, 6, 4 @ 135, 145, 155, 165 lbs.

Guillotine (Gironda) press: 10, 8, 6, 4 @ 135, 145, 155, 165 lbs.

Underhand db flye: 10, 8, 6, 4 @ 35, 40, 45, 50 lbs.

+ + +

Zercher squats were fun, but the bar wedging into my elbow crook was unpleasant. I smiled at the fact that I finally had a reason to use the bar pad that some people use on the SQ. Forget that pad for squats--build your traps up--but it did help on my arms for the ZSQ.

Hack squats were amazing! Superb quad exercise! I understand why the HSQ is said to help with the DL, too, as it activated lats on the eccentric phase. I would have liked to go heavier, but the whole point of today's workout was to be light and quick, almost like greasing the groove for my power lifts. I decided not to do any rows today, seeing as I DL's yesterday. 

I will try replacing the underhand db flye with underhand cable rows next time, lighter but for more volume. I'll also go for more more volume on the neck press.

Tomorrow I'll replace the DBP with the MP, thus: FSQ (4, 3, 2...), MP (4, 3, 2...), CL (3, 3, 3, 3, 3).

Also, while I'm certainly not looking to get "shredded," I do want to lower my body fat percentage by about 5%. I'll keep throwing in planks and kb swings in the evening. 

Stay tuned.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

I finally decided to go beyond the preview pages available via Kindle and purchase Matt Perryman's Squat Every Day. I like what I've read so far and am going to try the approach in conjunction with my Even Keel program. What tipped my hand is that they actually overlap in important ways: big, complex lifts at low volume + some accessory movements.

The only difference is the change in frequency. In the past couple weeks I've felt the urge to hit the gym more frequently; it really is a healthy addiction. So I'll simply limit the workouts to four, instead of five or six, lifts, and mix in some speed/power drills (box jumps, jump rope, medicine ball, bounding, short sprints, boxing, kettlebells, tire flips/rolls, etc.) on days I just don't want to be under the bar. That's a certainty, so I might as well plan around it in advance. Besides, as Perryman notes, the title of his book is not meant to be taken literally. Five, maybe even four, days a week is sufficient.

I am still not sure how to set up my programming as far as intensity goes. My understanding--or at least my working premise--is that I should work up to a 1RM every time I'm under the bar. Although I just tried out the rep scheme today, to get a feel for it, and paid no real attention to percentages of 1RM, 2RM, etc., I will shoot for four sets on "big lifts" scaled to a conservatively low 1RM:

80% x 5, 90% x 3, 100% x 1, 65% x MAX REPS

So, assuming I could 1RM 265 on the FSQ, I would do 215 x 5, 235 x 3, 265 x 1, and then max reps at 175 lbs. I think it would be similar for my DBP.

In any case, what I did today was...

All You Can Eat (AYCE) Heavy
44 min, 233 lbs

Warm-up
-
i) DBP: 225, 235, 245 x 3; 205 x 12
-
ii) FSQ: 225, 235, 245 x 3; 185 x 10
-
iii) Dip: 13, 10, 8
iv) Pull-up: 10, 7, 6

Tomorrow I will try the following:

AYCE Light

i) MP
-
ii) CL
-
iii) Gironda neck press: 
iv) Pendlay row:

As you might be able to tell, this second day is a lighter day. In a way, it's meant to be supplemental to the big lifts on the first day.

SMILES: Going heavier on the FSQ felt great in my quads! I did better on dips than I expected. I think letting my feet hang (knees pressed together), instead of lifting them to my waist, made it easier.

FROWNS: I felt some unusual stiffness/pain in my right wrist on the FSQ. I didn't feel as secure as normal on the DBP. It felt hard to set firmly and tightly on my traps and shoulder blades.

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 -- 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 updates...

Thursday, 28 Feb 2013 
20 min., 215 lbs. 

jump rope- 1 min, 1 min
pullups - 10, 12
pushups - 25, 30
14 lbs. VTX medicine "wrecking" ball (video) - 15 slams, 15 snatch toss X 2  

[Snatch toss is when I squat to pick up the medicine ball, rise to toss it up, catch it into a controlled bounce at the bottom, and repeat. I read at Nick Tumminello's Performance University blog that medicine ball slams––aside from causing my 12 lbs. Body Tools medicine ball to crack open a week or two ago*––are less effective than "battling" rope power slams. So, unless I'm doing a rope workout as such, I'll split the difference by doing med balls slams *and* snatch tosses. A med ball is much easier to take out and put away than ropes. 

{* I used some expanding foam to buttress the interior and some Gorilla glue to seal the crack, so the 12 lbs. ball is usable once again, though I won't be using it for slams!}]


Friday, 1 Mar 2013 
45 min., 214 lbs. 

warm-up: 10 min. double end bag

sling pistol SQ: 3, 4, 5, 6, 5, 4, 3
sling pushups: 3, 4, 5, 6, 5, 4, 3
PU: 3, 4, 5, 6, 5, 4, 3
lunges (with 14 lbs. medicine ball): 3, 4, 5, 6, 5, 4, 3
dips: 3, 4, 5, 6, 5, 4, 3
chin-ups: 3, 4, 5, 6, 5, 4, 3

cooldown:
5-10 min. speed bag
5 min. neck-harness sled drags

[There was a detached chain-link gate on top of my garage, which I finally took down and inspected this past Friday. Right away I knew it could make a passable weight sled. Considering that weight sleds range from $70-$200, a free one suits me fine. I also have tires left over from the owner––so this is also an option for making a sled––so just tossing them onto the gate, tucking weights inside them, and securing everything with a couple bungee cords, also works. For now I just drag the sled to and fro, hither and thither, with my trusty neck harness.] 


Saturday, 2 Mar 2013
[Went paintballing with a few friends. It was not as much fun as I  had expected, but I did run and crawl and crouch a good amount, so my heart rate was up now and then for a few hours.⁄ 


Sunday, 3 Mar 2013 
10 min. speed bag 


Monday, 4 Mar 2013
35 min., 215 lbs.

warm-up:
10 min. double end bag

jump rope: 45 sec.
jumping jacks: 45 sec.
burpees: 45 sec.
jump rope: 45 sec.
hill climbers: 45 sec.
double end bag: 45 sec.
jump rope: 45 sec.
high knees: 45 sec.
burpee climbers: 45 sec.
jump rope: 1-2 min.

cooldown:
15 min. speed bag

Fitness update...

Monday, 24 Feb 2013

20 min. double end bag
20 min. speed bag
10 min. double end bag 


Wednesday, 27 Feb 2013 
40 min., 218 lbs. 

15 min. double end bag
1 min., 1 min. jump rope
45 sec. jumping jacks
45 sec. burpees
2 min. jump rope
45 sec. hill climbers
45 sec. high knees
2 min. jump rope
15 min. speed bag
1 min. jump rope

+ + +

Having some good fun with the double end bag. My left hand is still slightly out of cadence on the speed bag. Skipping feels much better on my shins, and I'm gaining stamina. I go for slightly longer at a slower pace, or use my cable speed rope at a faster pace, and alternate my footwork every 30 skips or so. Strength circuit tomorrow: Lifeline slings, pistol squats, pullups, pushups, dips, chinups, squat jumps, etc.

Fitness update...

Got off course a few days last week.

Better now.

Marriage is a kind of monasticism, which is actually one reason I'm learning to enjoy it more each day. The Benedictine motto is "Ora et labora" (work and prayer). Much the same goes for marriage, at least in a Christian home. This weekend I finally got around to setting up a wall mirror for my wife. Then I did laundry and shopping so she could take care of the baby and talk with family back home. Then I swept the floor and tidied up while she folded and put away clothes. A division of labor, to be sure. The interesting thing is that I did not feel these mundane tasks detracted from my "spiritual life." To the contrary, they gave me a sense of order and Lenten sobriety that fed into my more directly spiritual work. Ora et labora.

What does all this have to do with my fitness update? Not much, but it is my blog, after all!

Thursday
I got off my duff and got back under the bag. About fifteen minutes with mitts and I did surprisingly well. Learning curve. Slow and steady.

Friday, 22 Feb 2013
< 120 min., all with wraps on 219 lbs.

10 min. speed bag + 5 min. double end bag WARMUP

150 skips
2 min. double end bag
3 min. speed bag
---------------
REPEAT X 4

150 skips
1 min. heavy bag
---------------
REPEAT X 4

(My first round on the heavy bag was a 5-hit combo, then two squats, etc. Second round was a two squat parry, then 3-hit combo, etc. Third round was a flurry of body shots, then a rest, etc. Fourth round was a jab-jab, hook, body combo over and over.)

10 min. speed bag COOLDOWN

Some of my time was spent puttering around with double end bag so I didn't keep very good track of time.

Saturday, 23 Feb 2013
60 min.
219 lbs.

200 skips
stretching

sling-aided pistol squats: 10/10, 10/10, 10/10
sling pushups: 12, 12, 8/4
pullups: 10, 10, 5/3/2

200 skips
stretching

lunges (with tire on shoulder): 5/5, 5/5, 5/5
dips: 6, 6, 7
chinups: 6, 6, 6

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.

Everlast Training Camp (modified) Week 2

Monday, 11 Feb 2013 
26 min., 220 lbs. 
heart - 140-170 bpm

Warm up 
3 min. speed bag 
2-3 min. jump rope 
1 min. double end bag

Squats x 20
Lunges x 20
Push ups x 25
Pull ups x 11
Sit ups x 25
Leg raises x 20
Rotations x 20
Ab wheel x 15
-------------------
CIRCUIT x 2

Enjoyed another lovely nap yesterday. Just what Sunday is for. Felt much better rested today and my speed bag is getting better, slowly but somewhat surely. This video was very helpful. 

Everlast Training Camp... and reality

The tail end of this post shows what I did Monday for this week.

Tuesday, 5 Feb 2013
24 min., 220 lbs.
heart - 160-180 bpm  

Stretching warm up

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

Wednesday, 6 Feb 2013
 I came home and almost immediately fell asleep for two hours. Then I decided to take the day off and took the family out for dinner. 

Thursday, 7 Feb 2013
25 min., 219 lbs.
heart - 160-180 bpm  

Stretching & 45 sec./45 sec. jump rope warm up

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

Now I want to post something I wrote on Facebook asking friends for advice. 

Need some input on my fitness regimen, specifically what the line should be between pushing through the pain and resting by doing other exercises for a little while. For the past couple weeks I've been doing the Everlast "Training Camp" workout. M, W, F is a strength building circuit of 8 exercises twice. Tu, Th, Sa are aerobic conditioning along the same lines. The first week involves 30 second intervals for the conditioning exercises, with no rest between them until the one minute break between the first and second circuits (strength circuit allows for 30 second tests between exercises). Each week adds 15-30 second to the intervals.

Now, as it is a boxing program, jump rope is a big part of it. For the past few years I've primarily trained weight and plyometrics, and have terribly neglected the cardio side of things, at least as far as loss of lower body IMPACT exercises go. Every time I try to make jump rope a regular thing (this is the third or fourth time in as many years), I suffer shin splints, but this time I'm determined to overcome them. I've had relative success by using the golf ball under the foot massage, a massage cylinder, NSAIDs, ice, stretching, and rest. Even so, when I go for a quick sprint (upstairs or to my classroom, for example), my soleus and inner lower shin really ache for a while. Yesterday I got home and pretty much immediately took a two hour nap, and then decided to take the day off from training (given my training the past few years, I knew I could afford a missed day of strength training). Well, I got back on track today with the conditioning circuit and holy cow I felt like a bag of rusted bolts. Plus, once I got inside, I lay on the floor for a few minutes, stunned at how badly my lower legs ached. I know I'm getting fitter, since I'm technically doing more effort each time, but I still basically feel like I'm never fully rested or recovered. Today for example I felt a slight shortness of breath after a burst of teaching activity. The training is making FEEL weaker, even though I know objectively and rationally that it's making me stronger. Another issue is that this regimen is partially aimed at losing weight, so I'm reducing my Celtic intake.

Anyway, I'm thinking of taking tomorrow off (though I'm sure I'll work up a sweat breaking in my new heavy bag/speed bag stand), going for a walk or bike ride, doing a strength circuit Saturday, taking Sunday today off, and getting back to it in full swing Monday. However, my quandary is whether I should even progress to the next time bracket until I can do the circuits strictly as advised by the training pamphlet. I won't lie; those breaks have a way of stretching past 30 seconds and I have a way of pausing for air during some conditioning exercises. On the other hand, maybe it's designed just to be hell week after week, and is to be scaled by whatever means as long as you stick with it. It's hard to believe I'm THAT out of shape compared to the average purchaser of the jump rope that includes the Training Camp booklet, but this is a humbling endeavour any way you cut it. Perhaps I should do the exercises at a little lower intensity?

Friday I drove to pick up my Everlast dual bag stand, got a double end bag while I was at it, and had a little fun with the heavy bag and speed bag once I got everything set up.

 

Heavy bag, jump ropes, and power tower -- what else do you need?

 I got the swivel you see for free (the one included in the stand is, apparently, dumpy), but it didn't match the holes on the stand's board, so I installed it in my garage ceiling. Meh.

 Enough space, not hit too hard by the sun but also not in the breezeless back of the garage. 

 My advanced jump rope station: a long rectangle of carpet folded in half, stacked on top of a plywood board on another rectangle of carpet on the ground.

 My Lifeline Jungle Gym XT does well on this branch. I also attach my double end bag here (anchored by two 20 lb. dumbbells I place in that nearest tire). Again, not without breeze but also with shade.

 This is my main neck trainer, and also how I 'invented' "Necker lunges."  It's a Lifeline cable expander thingie, with the handles latched onto a large hook I screwed into the wood over the doorjamb. For a while I did suspension pushups, rows, and pistol squats with another suspension trainer I have, but then decided that was too much strain on the wood, so now I only do neck exercises from it. Each red cord is about 30 lbs of resistance, and doubled through the carabiner, I can get a total of 180 lbs of resistance. What's that blue thing? Why, it's a large dog harness I bought a couple years ago in Taiwan. I place it on my head and the cords provide the resistance from any angle I like. 

Saturday, 9 Feb 2013 

30 min., 219 lbs. 
(I woke up Friday with a wicked little kink in the left side of my neck. I did the following workout after a couple hours of yard work.)

A. Jump rope 45 sec. THEN double end bag sparring 45 sec. x 5
THEN 
B. Three-round Everlast heavy bag workout
Round 1: 5 hits, squat, 5 hits, rest, repeat x 3 min.
Round 2: 15 sec. on the bag, 15 sec. rest, repeat x 3 min.
Round 3: 5 squats, parry left, 5 squats, parry right, 15 sec. on the bag, repeat x 3 min.

My shins didn't hurt too bad.

+++

So, I hit a wall and need to re-strategize. Where do things stand with the Everlast Training Camp? I think I'll space out the workouts like so:

Monday: Strength circuit
Tuesday: swim or bike or jog or bag training 
Wednesday: Conditioning circuit
Thursday: swim or bike or jog or bag training
Friday: Strength circuit
Saturday: Conditioning circuit
Sunday: total rest

I'll do this until I can do each 45-sec. interval without cheating or pausing, before moving to a longer interval. As I say, rest is the key exercise in any exercise plan.

Everlast Training Camp - Week 1 and 2

This blog post has a nice summarized presentation of the Training Camp, which I'll reproduce here. 

Training occurs every day except for Sunday.

Week 2:    0:45 seconds per activity
Week 3:    1:00 per activity
Week 4:    1:30 per activity
Week 5:    2:00 per activity
Week 6:    3:00 per activity

Week 2:    15 reps
Week 3:    20 reps
Week 4:    25 reps
Week 5:    30 reps
Week 6:    35 reps

*** Chin-up bar is an alternative for Resistance bands.


Wednesday, 30 Jan 2013
24 min., 220 lbs. 
heart - 150-170 bpm

Skipping warm up - 2 min.

Squats x 20
Lunges x 20
Push ups x 25
Pull ups x 11
Sit ups x 20
Leg raises x 15
Rotations x 20
Ab wheel x 10
-------------------
CIRCUIT x 2

Thursday, 31 Jan 2013
24 min., 222 lbs.
heart - 160-180 bpm  

Stretching warm up

Jump rope - 30 sec.
Jumping jacks - 30 sec.
Burpees - 30 sec.
Jump rope - 30 sec.
Hill climbers - 30 sec.
Squat jumps - 30 sec.
Jump rope - 30 sec.
Knee highs - 30 sec.
Shadow boxing - 30 sec.
-------------------
CIRCUIT x 2

Friday, 1 Feb 2013 
24 min., 221 lbs. 
heart - 150-170 bpm

Skipping warm up - 2 min.

Squats x 20
Lunges x 20
Push ups x 25
Pull ups x 11
Sit ups x 20
Leg raises x 20
Rotations x 20
Ab wheel x 10
-------------------
CIRCUIT x 2
Saturday, 2 Feb 2013
24 min., 222 lbs.
heart - 160-180 bpm  

Stretching warm up

Jump rope - 30 sec.
Jumping jacks - 30 sec.
Burpees - 30 sec.
Jump rope - 30 sec.
Hill climbers - 30 sec.
Squat jumps - 30 sec.
Jump rope - 30 sec.
Knee highs - 30 sec.
Shadow boxing - 30 sec.
-------------------
CIRCUIT x 2

I finished up with neck extensions: 12/12/12 @ ////, 10/10/10 @ ////, 6/6/6 @ //////

Monday, 4 Feb 2013
25 min., 222 lbs. 
heart - 140-160 bpm

Skipping warm up - 2 min.

Squats x 20
Lunges x 20
Push ups x 26
Pull ups x 12
Sit ups x 25
Leg raises x 15
Rotations x 20
Ab wheel x 15
-------------------
CIRCUIT x 2
On my day "off", I did a few sets  of neck extensions: 10/10/10 @ ////, 6/6/6 @ //////, 6/6/6 @ //////