Becoming an Athlete

Today was a brief sparring session and I wasn't too happy. It was my first time sparring in a couple months. If I were boxing, I'd have done great, but kickboxing is another story. I need to increase my mobility between kicks and improve how quickly I convert from kicking to punching. My buddy Andy and I did about 6 rounds: 2 min work, 30 seconds rest. I have to say, he REALLY got the best of me today. On the positive side, I wasn't winded at all or tired. I felt quite a bit more powerful. But in combat sports, SPEED KILLS.

One more workout closer to completing this phase! I feel stronger than ever! 1) Hammer curls: 35s x 10, 10, 10, 9 2) Rvs EZ Bar curls: 75 x 12, 10 3) Bulgarian squats: 10s x 12, 10 4) Front squats: 165 x 10, 10; 175 x 10, 10 5) Upright row: 85 x 10, 10, 10 6) Bench press: 185 x 10, 10, 8

It was cold as heck in the garage last night, so a prgressive build up was the only way i could get into the groove. Warm-up: 6 rounds (2min, 30 sec rest) Rnd 1) Double end bag: slipping practice Rnd 2) Jumping jack, pushups, hindu squats, burpees Rnd 3) Kicking for speed and technique (10L, 10R, etc.) Rnd 4) Double end bag Rnd 5) Kicking for speed and technique (10L, 10R, etc.) Rnd 6) Double end bag Workout: 6 rounds on the heavy bag (3min, 1min rest) I focused on foot positioning, movement and fluidity. I had been emphasizing power at the expense of moving and quantity of strikes. Last night was good in that I didn't throw quite as hard, but threw many times more kick/punch combos than normal. I can tell my head movement is getting better as a result of working the double-end bag. Also, I've started to work off the pivot quite a bit more, too. All in all, I feel like the rust is 100% gone and now I'm developing new skills.

I'm going for broke this week. Its the last week of this phase, so I'm not holding anything back at all. I'm actually over-reaching, and that's good when done only occasionally. 1) Deadlift: 275 x 8, 8, 7 2) Jump lunges: 20, 20 3) Pullup-Chinup giant set*: 2-2-2-2, 2-2-2-2, 2-2-1-1, 2-1-1-1 4) Overhead Press: 135 x 8, 7, 5; 95 x 14 5) Pushup with trunk twist: 16, 11 I'm sore everywhere today! *Pullup-Chinup giant set: 4 seperate movements with no rest at all: wide grip pullup medium grip pullup medium grip chinup close grip chinup

Nothing special today. Just an easy 2 mile afternoon run. The weather is pretty sloppy outside. I figure that if I can trudge through this, I have no excuse for missing any more workouts. 1 week till I start my CrossFit phase.

I ddn't exactly workout last night. It was more goofing off and experimenting with a resitance band. I did some of the basic Wood Chopping motions as a warm-up, but then I got creative. In Judo, there are a whole series of throws, starting with O-goshi, which involves spinning into your opponent and flipping them over your shoulder or hip. These throws require presice footwork and strong coordination between limbs, torso, hips, and legs. I practiced this movement using the resitance band; one handle in each hand. It feels marginally similar to holding an opponents sleeves or lapel. but the cool thing is it works that coordinated effort DRAMATICALLY! My abs and shoulders were heating up as I did rep after rep. My ankles even started to get tired from the springing and erractic resistance. After that, I anchored the bands at about waist level and did repeated jab-cross puches till I couldn't punch anymore. It was good in that it pulls my hands down and requires shoulder st...

Another good workout. Working on brachialis has helped with the pain in my right elbow, and I'm starting to see improvements in pullups and chin-ups, too! 1) Hammer curls: 35 x 8, 8, 8, 6 2) Reverse EZ Bar curl: 85 x 7; 75 x 10 3) Bulgarian squats: 10s x 10, 10 4) Front squat: 155 x 10; 165 x 10, 10, 10 5) Upright rows: 75 x 10; 85 x 10; 75 x 10 6) Bench press: 185 x 10, 9, 5; 135 x 15

I like starting with skill work to warm up, and ending the workout with lots of power and stamina work. Slipping drill using double-end bag: 3 rounds: - 2 min work - 30 sec rest Kicking drills on heavy bag*: 3 rounds: - 2 min work - 30 sec rest Full blown heavy bag work: 5 rounds: - 3 min work - 1 min rest *Kicking drills on heavy bag: My main focus was to deliver multiple kicks and ensure I returned my feet to a good stance each time. i was working on speed and foot placement. Even without trying to blast the bag, I still got winded by the 3rd round. I'll keep doing this drill untill foot placement (on return) becomes automatic. Its also one heck of a great core workout!!!

My buddy and my fiance' and I were working out at the same time. Its pretty cool to add the social aspect to a hard session. We did a 3 movement warmup: A) Wood choppers with rubber tubing B) Spiderman Walks C) Medicine ball swings One round of that and we got after it. My workout was: 1) Deadlift: 225 x 8, 8, 8 (going heavy for 10 reps next week) 2) Jump lunges: 18, 24 3) Chin-ups: 6, 5, 4, 4 4) Overhead press: 125 x 8, 8, 6, 4 5) Pushup with trunk twist: 14, 14

We did a weight workout around 11:00 AM, then followed it up with an 8mile hike/job at 1:00 PM. This is the most drained I have been from a workout in months. AM Workout: 1) Wood chopper using rubber tubing 2A) Barbell curls: 80 x 10, 10, 10, 10 2B) Skull crushers: 80 x 10, 10, 10, 10 3A) Band walks*: 18 3B) Crossover stepup: 12 each 3C) Jump lunges: 10 each 4) Squats: 185 x 12, 9 5) Pushup with trunk twist: 12, 12 6) Dips: 5, 5 PM Workout: We only rested for about 45 minutes before starting the hike 8 miles through sidewalks, gravel trail, dirt trail and rock. It was 4 miles out to the dam at Lake Georgetown. We climbed the dam (which is covered with large unstable rocks), then came back down. On the way back we jogged maybe 2 miles of the 4 mile return trip.

What is it about closing in on a goal that makes me want to changes goals JUST BEFORE I get where I want to be? I've been doing a heavy and consistent mass phase plan for 2.5 weeks now, and I only have 2 weeks to go. But as I am getting more and more bored of training for mass. I want to have a solid frame before I jump into the more metabolically demanding workouts of CrossFit, because i know I tend to lean out as my frequency and intensity go up. So yes, I'm dropping pounds and looking bigger, but its getting hard to want to see this phase through to completion. I guess I'll up the intensity and consistency of my Tuesday and Thursday workouts and see if that satisfies my need to train athletically. Bodybuilding is boring!!! The sad part is, I'm not even doing sissy bodybuilding (isolation work, cable timewasters, split routines). I'm doing ass-busting full body routines with big complex movements three times a week. I'm using double progression (increase...

I'm making strength and endurance progress everywhere except calves and chest. But then again, my workout wasn't over till almost 11:30 PM, so I was a little tired. 1) Hammer curls: 30s x 7, 7, 7, 7, 9 2) EZ-bar reverse curls: 75 x 7, 7, 6 3) Bulgarian squat: bodyweight x 15, 15 each leg 4) Front squat: 145 x 10, 10, 10, 10 5) Barbell calves raise: 215 x 30, 30, 30 6) Upright row: 65 x 12, 12, 12, 12 7) Bench press: 175 x 10, 8. At this point I was too tired and sleepy to continue.

We did a slow buildup using the heavy bag. Since we were alternating on the heavy bag, it workout out to: - 2 min heavy bag, - 2.5 min rest We did this for 6 rounds each After that, I got in 3 rounds (2min / 1min rest) focusing on kick / punch combos and movement.

Treadmill: Various speeds and inclines, for a total of 23 minutes, and 183 calories. I doubt themachine accurately measures calorie expenditure.

5-minute warmup, including spiderman walks 1) Deadlift: 205 x 10, 10, 10 2) Jump lunges: 20, 20 3) Single leg calf raise off step, 18, 15, 15 each 4) Chin-up: 5, 5, 4 5) Supported prone raise: 15s x 10, 10, 10 6) Overhead press: 115 x 10, 5, 5 7) Pushup w/ trunk twist: 4, 4, 5 Many more reps compared to 5 Jan!!!!!

We went for a total of 3 miles through some hilly terrain. For the last ~ mile, I alternately carried my son (47 lbs) or daughter (60 lbs) on my back. Good calf and thigh work!!!!

I only did some of what I planned to do. 1A) Barbell curls: 65 x 8, 8, 8, 8 1B) Skull crushers: 65 x 8, 8, 8, 8 2) Hindu squats: 20, 25, 20 I tried to get a workout in while the kids were playing outside and it just wasn't happening. I'd rather play with them and get the weekend started, anyway. :)

warm-up spiderman walks 1) Dumbbell Hammer curls: 30s x 5, 5, 5, 5, 7 2) Reverse grip EZ bar curl: 75 x 9, 7 3) Front Squat: 115 x 10; 125 x 10, 10, 10 4) Barbell calves raise: 205 x 30, 25, 30 5) Upright row*: 65 x 10, 10, 10, 10 6) Bench press: 175 x 6, 7, 8, 7 7) lower abs stuff: link

1) Spiderman walks 2) Deadlift: 205 x 8, 8, 8 3) Jump lunges: 20, 20 4) Single leg calf raise: bodyweight x 20, 15 (each leg) 5) Chin-up: 5, 4, 3 6) Support prone raise: 15s x 10, 8, 8 7) Overhead press: 115 x 8, 8, 0 (yes, zero) 8) Pushup with trunk twist: 4, 3, 3 (per side) 9) lots of abdominal stuff: russian twists, leg raises off floor, crunches, twisting movements, etc.

I got sick, I got busy, I had 3 Christmas-s, I turned 33, I got engaged. Over the last month I: hiked / walked about 15 miles in total jogged / ran about 4 miles in total lifted maybe 5 times went indoor rock climbing twice This isn't stellar commitment, but considering the Holiday season chaos, it was pretty good. Now I' not making any New Year resolutions, but I am starting in earnest again today, Monday 05 JAN 2009.