How the mighty have fallen -- and yet live to rise again...

After Workout 1 of Operation Get Back Into Serious Weightlifting the members most stricken were my biceps and my calves. Oh my calves! I didn't do anything on Tuesday. I attempted to stretch my calves but got scared off. Today I went a little heavier than Monday's workout on just a few exercises.

[NB: My comma key on my keyboard is broke and I do not want to press CTRL+V over and over so I'm using slashes instead.]

Ahnohld Three-Day Split 
Monday - 19 November 2014 
60 min. 

For a warm-up I did two sets of the following exercises at pretty low weight. Just to stretch and get the blood flowing. 

BP: 10/8/6/6/6 @ 155/165/185/195/205 lbs.

db MP: 10/8/6 @ 35/45/50 lbs.

PU: 12/8/6/4 @ bdw

db tricep extension: 10/8/6 @ 25/35/40*
[On the last set I used a single 80-lb db and summoned not a little Body English.]

EZ bar standing curl: 10/8/6 @ 60/70/80 lbs.
[Only used a smidgen of body English on the last set. These are great.]

SQ: 10/8/6 @ 170/190/205 lbs.

leg curl: 10/8/6 @ 60/70/80 lbs. (??)
[These were a great way to stretch out my poor lil' calves.]

calf raise: 10 x 5 @ 60 lbs.
[Sinking into the bottom for a real stretch was like putting my hand in The Pain Box. Essential but brutal.]

crunches: 50
[I cycled through having my hands on the outside of my legs; having my left hand in between them; and then having my right hand in between.]

+ + +

I have also decided to make at least one "off day" a traps/ neck/ and elliptical workout.

Back under the bar, amen!

For the past 5-6 months, I have trained exclusively at home mostly with boxing, sledge hammers, tires, kettlebells, Olympic rings/suspension trainers, and running. I have records for some decent suspension/bodyweight workouts I did the past few weeks but may not get around to posting them (because who cares?). However, I have been annoyed by a lack of consistent programming and zero access to squatting and deadlifting.

So this Saturday I got off my duff, as it were, and did a full-body "diagnostic" workout, and then today I began a three-day split program that I will continue until 2015. After that I am interested in trying the "High Intensity Method" as promoted/pioneered by Mike Mentzer and/or adapted by Ellington Darden. Then again, I may just finally bite the proverbial bullet and try Wendler's 5/3/1 method. At some point I am sure I will become addicted to almost-daily squatting again.

For now, though, here are the data about my return to Barbarity:

Saturday, 15 November 2014 

FSQ: 145, 155, 165, 175 lbs x 10, 8, 6, 6

neck press: 135, 145, 155, 165 x 10, 8, 6, 6

seated row: 160, 170, 180, 190 x 10, 8, 6, 6

incline db press: 40, 45, 50 x 10, 8, 6

unilateral row-curl: 70, 80, 90 x 10, 8, 6 (per arm)
[I thought of these on the spot, though I'm sure I did not invent them. It's like a seated row, but you add some core rotation and then end the pull by curling the handle across your torso.]


Monday, 17 November 2014 - Arnold 3-day split (M W F) 

BP: 10, 8, 8, 6, 6 @ 155, 165, 175, 185, 195 lbs

PU: 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 @ bdw

db MP: 10, 8, 6 @ 35, 45, 55

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

tricep extension: 10, 8, 6 @ 30, 50, 70

SQ: 10, 8, 6 @ 165, 185, 205

leg curls: 10, 8, 6 @ 60, 70, 80 (?)
[The plates were numbered so I assume each plate was ten pounds.]  

calf raises: 10 x 5 @ 100

crunches: 50

wrist curls: N/A
[I will get back on the grip training horse on off-days.]

+ + + 

Wednesday I will do pretty exactly the same workout, but with less rest between exercises and Friday I will see about upping the calf raises bench press, squat, and crunches. I'm clearly much weaker than I was back in May but hey life happens. No need to rush my back into an injury. Gains will come back quickly, given my foundation and my decision to get a lot more serious about my nutrition.

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... Sledge hammers... Rings...

Tuesday, 8 September 2014 

heavy bag: 2 min. 

1 min. rest

--------- 

x 6 

Friday, 12 September 2014 

12 lb. sledge hammer drills

----------

sagittal - 10

frontal - 10 

low-lateral - 10 

rest 1 min. 

---------

x 6 

[I lost a good bit of steam on my last set when I detected a blister on my left hand.] 

Saturday, 13 September 2014 

mid-air rows: 12, 12, 12, 12 

mid-air pushups: 12, 12, 12, 12 

eagle loop pullups: 12, 9, 8, 7* 

ring dips: 10, 9, 7/1, 3/1/1/1

L-sit: 13, 14, 15, 16 sec. 

[I took a minute of rest or more between exercises, in order to have power for every exertion. I also cut out the pistol squats this time, because I might do a lower-body workout tomorrow.]  

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 

Ring training... Rest... Sledge and tires...

Tuesday, 2 September 2014 

warmup: 3-5 reps of all of the following exercises
-------
mid-air rows: 12, 12, 10, 10
mid-air decline pushups: 12, 12, 10, 10
eagle loop pullups: 9, 7, 6, 6
ring dips: 9, 7, 5, 5
assisted pistol squats: 12/12, 12/12, 10/10, 10/10
L-sit: 13 sec., 13 sec., 13 sec. 15 sec.

+ + +

A very good workout. It was exhausting, but much more gratifying by pyramiding down, rather than up, as I'd done in previous ring workouts.


Friday, 5 September 2014 

warmup: 10 reps of all the following exercises with a 10 lb. sledge
-------
16 lb. sagittal sledge hits: 15, 12, 10
16 lb. frontal sledge hits: 15, 12, 10
16 lb. low lateral sledge hits: 8/7, 8/7; 7/5, 7/5; 5/5, 5/5
box jumps: 12, 12, 12
21 lb. medicine ball thrusters: 12, 12, 20

+ + +

Good workout! I felt a bit groggy before starting it, and never exactly felt "amped" during it, but once I got warmed and got into a rhythm, I felt more energized. This workout not only technically had more reps (by 1) than last time, but was also more intense, since I rested only about 30 seconds between every exercise and set.