Becoming an Athlete

I love cleans!!!! I can't wait till I'm working with 225, but that'll take a bit of time and a lot of practice. Here is my workout from Tuesday Trap tri-set: a. snatch grip high pull: 115 x 6; 95 x 6, 6 b. clean grip high pull: 115 x 6; 95 x 6, 6 c. Bent row (with scap contraction): 115 x 0; 95 x 6, 6 (115 was too heavy for this tri-set) Power Clean from blocks: 95 x 5; 115 x 5; 135 x 5, 5 Medium grip pulldown: 140 x 10, 10, 10, 10 Upper chest superset: a. Incline bench press: 185 x 5; 175 x 5, 5, 5, 5 b. Incline dumbbell fly: 20s x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 (6 seconds to lower) Dumbbell bench press: 55s x 10, 10, 8, 8 (too gassed for a 5th set. Using 50s next week)

After a week-long layoff, I'm back at it. It was simply too busy for me to find the hour a day, or the mental, emotional, or physical energy to devote to that hour. I don't often use that excuse, but I can say in all honesty that it was true of last week. Monday, 27 DEC, was my first time of doing 100 reps of squats in ages. Last time I did this, maybe a year+ ago, I used 135. This time it was 185, and I need to bump the weight up considerable next week. Here's the workout results: Leg press calves: 270 x 15; 360 x 15, 15 Standing calves: 195 x 20, 18 Back squat: 185 x 10 x 10. That's a total tonnage of 18,500 pounds !!!!! Next week I'll bump that up to 20,500!!!!! Those squats exhausted me. I didn't get nauseous so much as just generally sick feeling around set 7. I sat around the gym cooling down before I headed home. When I finally got home, all I could do was eat.

Last week of Phase 1, and I just finished Phase1-Day1 on a high note. Great numbers all around. Walking lunges: 45 x 6 per leg (just a warm-up) Front squat: 145 x 12; 165 x 10; 185 x 8, 8, 8 Hatfield bar squat: 225 x 5, 5, 5 Leg extension: 140 x 21s V-grip row: 180 x 5; 195 x 3; 210 x 1 1-arm dumbbell row: 60 x 6, 6, 12 per arm Hammer strength row (elbows high for trap emphasis): 180 x 12, 12, 12, 12 Bench press: 205 x 5; 225 x 3; 245 x 1; 235 x 3; 265 x 1 Dumbbell bench press: 70s x 12, 7, 8

Phase 1 is coming to and end and I'm at an all time strength peak. Everything has come together as I intended it. I am stronger through every movement pattern regardless of the specific exercise: vertical pushing, horizontal pushing, vertical pulling, horizontal pulling, squatting and deadlifting. My core is much more stable and able to support anything I demand of it. Not a bad way to end my 34th year and begin my 35th! :) I can tell that it is time for a change. My legs are eager for additional volume, which they are going to get in spades. My elbows are ready for lower loads and less variety. Phase 2 starts on 27 DEC. For Phase 2, I'm drawing on one method, German Volume Training, and just tweaking it as needed, for my particular needs. GVT was popularized by Charles Poliquin in the 90s, but has been around as a method since the 60s. Essentially, you do 10 sets of a single exercise for 10 reps each. That's 100 total reps with a reasonably heavy load. That total tonnage i...

plank: 2 minutes reach & rotate plank: 10 each Unilateral bicep triset a. concentration curl: 35 x 12, 9 b. preacher curl: 15 x 12, 12 c. preacher hammer curl: 20 x 12; 15 x 12 Incline dumbbell curls: 20s x 8, 7, 9, 9 Unilateral tricep triset a. overhead extension: 25 x 12, 12 b. cross body extension: 25 x 8; 20 x 6 c. reverse grip cable extension: 20 x 12, 9 Nautilus curl: 70 x 20; 80x10-70x5-60x3 Tricep cable pressdown: 110 x 21s; 130 x 21s EZ-bar reverse cur"l: 65 x 12, 12, 12, 15

This is the 2nd to vertical push/pull workout for Phase1. I changed the order and started with deadlift. It was both exhilirating, and probably pretty stupid. I had nothing in the tank after deadlifts, but I did the press movements and pulldown movements anyway. I got the shakes bad, and had to hold back that desire to throw up. deadlift: 225 x 12; 275 x 10; 315 x 10. I had nothing left for extra sets. 1-leg dumbbell deadlift: 30s x 10 each. I only gutted out 1 set. Thought I was going to cramp up and pass out after the deadlifts. Overhead press: 135 x 5; 145 x 3; 165 x 1; 150 x 3; 170 x 1 1-arm db push press: 70 xc 6, 6, 6 each. Felt awesome! Going for 80s next week to end with a bang! dumbbell overhead press: 45s x 12; 40s x 8, 10 V-grip pulldown: 180 x 5; 190 x 3; 200 x 4; 190 x 6; 200 x 5 wide grip behind neck pulldown: 130 x 12; 10, 10, 9 I am so DONE! Gonna take the night off and hit abs&arms on Friday. Saturday AM will probably be a 5K race.

I decided to just do a CrossFit style workout since I wasn't up for running. This workout really gassed me and I'm sore as can be today. Max rounds in 10 minutes of: Clean: 115 x 10 Burpees: x 10 I completed 4 rounds and was just totally drained. Since I was done in 10 minutes, I did some jump rope and heavy bag work just to kill time till my wife finished her workout.

Man! I can't believe it has happened. It's both positive and has the potential for negative. I have reached a point where my muscular strength has increased beyond my connective tissue strength. My elbows were aching today even after a thorough warm-up, so I opted to drop the load down and just hammer away with more reps, and some cool techniques to keep time under tension high to offset the reduced load. I'm glad this strenth phase of my hybrid bodybuilding approach has worked out so well. I'm lifting heavier than I ever have before, and I'm slowly beginning to look like a bodybuilder, not just an athlete. Next week is the last week of heavy loading, which is great timing. It'll be just one week of truly gutting it out, and when I think I'm about to break, I'll shift to high volume methods, which necessitate lower loads. I'm not a fan of doing what you want when you body is telling you otherwise, but one week of "mind of matter"is e...

I changed the order since I'm starting week three. I know this is nominal change, but it'll be interesting enough for this week and next. This phase has produced great results for me so far! Today was an outstanding workout all around. walking lunges: BW x 7each; 45s x 6each front squat: 135 x 12; 155 x 10; 175 x 8, 8, 8 Hatfield-bar squat: 205 x 5, 5, 5 leg extension: 130 x 21method bench press: 195 x 5; 215 x 3; 235 x 1; 225 x 3; 255 x 1 dumbbell bench press: 70s x 12, 10, 4 v-grip seated row: 165 x 5; 180 x 3; 195 x 1, 3; 210 x 1 1-arm dumbbell row: 55 x 6, 7, 15 each arm some goofy rowing machine: 80 x 12; 90 x 12; 100 x 12; 110 x 12

Man! I feel; outstanding! I had a great workout, pushed into new ground (reps, weight etc.), and just generally crushed it today at the gym. I was the only one there, so maybe I was able to push harder without all the chatter or distraction. Maybe it's the diet. Honestly, I don't care. What I know is my diet, training, supplementation, and rest are spot on right now! Plank: 2minutes. EASY! 1-arm plank with rotation: 8, 8 per side. Getting to be easy also Russian twist: 20 x 10, 10 per side Unilateral bicep triset: a. 1-arm Concentration curl: 30 x 12, 12 per arm b. 1-arm preacher curl: 15 x 12; 20 x 5 per arm c. 1-arm preacher hammer curl: 15 x 12, 12 per arm Incline dumbbell curls: 20s x 8, 9, 11, 9 Unilateral tricep triset: a. 1-arm overhead extension: 25 x 11, 11 per arm b. 1-arm cross-body extension: 25 x 9, 4 per arm c. 1-arm rvs grip cable pressdown: 20 x 10, 5 per arm Nautilus curl: 80 x 16, 12 EZ-bar reverse curl: 55 x 15, 15, 15 My arms are FINALLY ...

My workout was running long, so i ditched the ham isolation and unilateral work and just put everything I hand into my deadlift sets. All in all, a great workout. Strength and endurance continue to improve, and I see big differences in my size and body composition already. The warm up was solid, too! I'm getting scary-close to being able to do front splits! V-grip pulldown: 170 x 5; 190 x 3; 200 x 3; 190 x 5; 200 x 4 1-arm undergrip pulldown: 125 x 5, 6, 6 per arm Wide grip behind neck pulldown: 120 x 12, 12, 12, 12 Overhead press: 135 x 5; 145 x 3; 165 x 1; 155 x 2(FAIL on 3rd); 170 x FAIL 1-arm dumbbell push press: 65 x 6, 6; 70 x 6 per arm dumbbell shoulder press: 40s x 12; 45 x 8; 40s x 2 (wrist started hurting BAD!) deadlift: 225 x 12; 275 x 10; 295 x 8, 4

Work prevented me from making it to the RunTex group, but I still got in a solid running workout. warm-up: 2 mile walk The next few exercises I did at the basketball court in my neighborhood park: walking lunges: 20, 20 (total, so 10 per leg) Plyo-skips across court: 4 times Broad jumps to half-court: 8, 7, 7, 7 (The goal was to do it in as few jumps as possible. I am within inches of doing it in 6 jumps!!!! This is a new favorite drill of mine. It's right in the sweet spot between quantity and quality.) 1/4 mile runs: I did 4 hard runs, using what I read about POSE running. I felt fast for a run (but not a sprint). Since I'm already a fore-foot runner, it didn't hurt my feet. What I noticed is that I was expending less effort, but working more aerobically. I also felt the fatigue in my hams instead of my quads and calves. I really like how the lean makes you feel like you're gliding!!! Walk back to the house: about 1/2 mile

My wife and I are headed to the RunTex group later tonight, so I skipped abs and any form of conditioning. Just arms today. Single dumbbell skull crusher: 65 x 8; 75 x 8 Barbell skull crusher (what I normally do): 105 x 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 HammerStrength pressdown*: 180 x 12; 200 x 12; 230 x 12, 12 Barbell curl: 95 x 3, 4, 4, 4; 105 x 3, 3, 3 1-arm preacher curl: 35 x 10, 10, 10 Nautilus curl dropset: 100x3 - 90x3 - 80x4 - 70x4 - 60x4 Nautilus curl: 60 x 13

Monday was day1 of week2. I feel so much stronger than week1!!! By leaps and bounds. My wife lifted with me, so maybe I dug deeper than I might have on my own. Maybe I was just well rested. Either way, I'm happy with the workout. It was appearently "Bench Press Night" at the gym. There must have been a dozen guys huddled around the two flat benchs. I had to move squats up earlier than planned, and hit chest last, but ti didn't matter. Funny to note that there were a dozen guys on the two benches, but my wife and I each had our own squat rack. :) Warm-up: SOLID! Lots of push-ups, down dog, cobras, deep lunges, inchworms, and shoulder swings. V-grip row: 150 x 5; 165 x 3; 180 x 1, 3; 195 x 1 1-arm dumbbell row: 50 x 6, 6, 8 (each) HammerStrength row: 200 x 12, 12; 230 x 11, 10 Bulgarian squat: BW x 12, 12 Front squat: 135 x 12, 10; 155 x 8, 8, 8 Leg extension: 130 x 21s Bench press: 185 x 5; 205 x 3; 225 x 1, 3; 245 x 1 Dumbbell bench press: 60 x 12; 6...

I love this thing! My ghetto-bell has lasted me a year so far and shows no signs of breaking down. I may have to fit it with another 10 or 20 pounds soon, but we'll see. This picture is from my old rental house. That's my heavy-bag hanging in the background. What you see is heavy duty epoxy where the weight plate meets the neck. Swinging this thing burns my traps like nothing else. It has built up my grip strength, totally eliminated pain in my lower back, and has been just a fun thing to play with. While the t-bell has far fewer uses than a real Kettlebell, the effectiveness at what it does is awesome, and the cost is dirt cheap. If I added some tack-welding, I could use it as a throwing implement, too, but I'm no welder. I just wanted to share a picture of my favorite training toy. Enjoy.

Saturday was the hardest day of Phase 1 - week 1 and harder than pretty much any other workout in recent months. I challenge anyone who takes a casual read of my blog to do this. I know CrossFitters will crush the times I posted, but either way, this was tough!!!! Part One: Countdown From Hell. A count down is where you start at 10 rep, then hit 9, then 8, etc. all the way to 1 rep to finish. That's 55 total reps. I paired three movements as a ciircuit, doing a set of 10 for each, then a set of 9 for each, etc. 63lb T-bell (AKA Ghetto-bell) Swings 63lb T-ball Goblet squat Sprawl (similar to a burpee but with more back arch and no jump) My time: 12:55. Not good My wife CrossFits consistently at Defiant. She used a 30lb dumbbell and hit 7:09. It was awesome to watch. I'm going to do this one again in 2 weeks and see how I do. Next Saturday will be something different, but equally hard. Part Two: Bike Ride. We had lunch, waited an hour, then went for a ride. The cold...

What a great day. To be honest, training only bicep and triceps in a workout is boring, but I am starting to enjoy the excruciating pain that volume training brings. My arms are so swollen right now. Today was also great in that I exposed my weaknesses and kept the spotlight on them for the whole workout. Reach & rotate bridge: 6, 6 (per side. I'm VERY weak in this function) leg-under bridge: 5, 5 (per side. yet another way to expose my weak bridging function and instability) leg raise off bench: 20, 27 (pretty good) Unilateral tricep tri-set* a. 1-arm cross body extension: 25 x 10, 10, 10 (per arm) b. 1-arm overhead dumbbell extension: 25 x 5, 5; 15 x 10 (per arm) c. 1-arm rvs grip cable pushdown: 30 x 6, 4; 20 x 6 (per arm) Cable overhead extension: 60 x 11, 12, 11 Unilateral bicep tri-set* a. 1-arm concentration curl: 30 x 10, 10 (per arm) b. 1-arm preacher curl: 15 x 10, 10 (per arm) c. 1-arm preacher hammer curl: 15 x 10, 4 (per arm) Nautilus curl drop-set: 90x5-8...

I had a great workout today. I am really feeling the difference the "neural activation" work makes prior to the straight sets. I suprised myself with how much load I handled for sets of 12. I also like the pre-exhaustion work I am doing before deadlifts. I feel my glutes and hams fatigue much sooner than my lower back. When I start with deadlift, my lower back fatigues before my glutes or hamstrings. All in all, this is a great setup. V-grip pulldown: 140 x 5; 160 x 3; 180 x 1; 170 x 3; 190 x 5 (WOW! Gonna start at 180 x 5 next week) 1-arm supine grip pulldown: 115 x 6; 125 x 6, 6 (per arm) Wide grip behind neck pulldown: 120 x 12, 12, 8 Overhead press: 115 x 5; 135 x 3; 155 x 1; 145 x 3; 165 x 1 1-arm dumbbell push press: 50 x 6; 65 x 6, 6 (per arm) Dumbbell press: 30s x 12; 35s x 12; 40s x 10 (starting with 40s next week) 1-leg curl: 90 x 6, 6 (per leg) 1-leg dumbbell deadlift:40s x 6, 6 (per leg. VERY hard!) Deadlift: 225 x 12, 10; 295 x 8, 8, 4 (Will use same weight next ...

Good workout today. i went through a full warm-up which included a lot of mobility drills. Russian twist: 20 x 10, 10 Ab wheel: 12, 15 Bicep tricep superset: a. Skull crusher: 95 x 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 5 b. barbell curl: 95 x 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 Rope grip tricep pushdwon: 100 x 15 Nautilus curl: 80 x 18 Fast and to the point. I'll have plenty left for some heavy-bag work tonight.

I don't make many false starts, but last week was one. With the kids out of school, and me trying to cram 5 days of work into 3, things got a bit hectic. Here's my Mulligan for 2010. But so far Phase 1 is off to a great start. I like the addition of unilateral work. The volume seems spot-on! v-grip cable row: 150 x 5; 165 x 3; 180 x 1; 165 x 3; 195 x 1 1-arm dumbbell row: 45 x 6, 6, 6 (per arm) Hammer Strength supported row: 180 x 12, 12, 12, 12 bench press: 185 x 5; 205 x 3; 215 x 1; 205 x 3; 225 x 1 Hammer Strength 1-arm supported press: 90 x 6, 6 (per arm) dumbbell bench press: 50s x 12, 12, 11 bulgarian squats: BW x 12, 12 (each leg) front squat*: 135 x 12, 10, 8, 8, 8 Nautlus leg extension: 120 x 21 (7top half, 7full, 7 bottom half) *Front Squat: My legs feel seriously weak after all the running. And let's be honest, weak after skipping leg work here and there. I won't be able to make it to Runtex Tuesday night, but I'm looking forward to some MMA training on T...

Well, just as you'd expect, all you get from a day like this is local soreness and fatigue in your arms. There is no metabolic conditioning, no gut-spilling systemic fatigue. Just biceps and triceps. Pffff. Well. I gotta do what I gotta do. Enough complaining. Here's what I did. Russian twist: 15lb x 10, 12 Leg raise off bench: 20, 25 (I forgot the ab wheel at home) Bicep tricep superset: a. Skull crusher: 95 x 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 b. Barbell curl: 95 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 Tricep cable pushdown: 100 x 22 Nautilus curl: 70 x 23 Stepmill: 4 mins @ level 8 (legs still haven't recovered from all the running. WTF?) Treadmill: 8 mins @ 5mph 6 & 7 were just going to get some minor cardio in since I missed the RunTex group training. I wasn't able to leave work early enough to get there. I have to say, my legs could use the rest. Wednesday will be some yoga before bed, but THAT'S IT! In the future, If I can't get to RunTex on Tuesday, I'll just d...

I'll never follow a true bodybuilding body-part split routine. It's just not for me. I can see that I perform better when I train to be an athlete: whole body, movement based training and gut-spilling intensity. The problem is that I want to be bigger, and LOOK more like a bodybuilder, while keeping all my functionality. So I am embarking on 6 weeks of hypertrophy training, but with a slight twist. Normally, when someone is training with the usual bodybuilding "volume method", they hit a muscle group once a week or once every five days, and they may do a little cardio to keep from gaining excess body-fat. I'm doing something different, but just as effective for gaining size. The upside is I'll also increase my athletic conditioning. Let me spell it out by day. Phase 1 This phase prioritizes neural activation, followed by the normal bodybuilder volume approach. Going heavy first gets the nervous system fully engaged, and able to handle heavier load and activate...

I am doing a simple 6 week program, that is comprised of 2 phases. Today is day1 of phase one. I am pressed for time right now, so I'll skip the details of the warm-up. V-grip row: 150 x 5; 165 x 3; 195 x 1; 180 x 3; 195 x 1 Hammer strength row: 180 x 12, 12, 12, 10 Bench press: 185 x 5; 205 x 3; 225 x 1 Dumbbell bench press: 50s x 12, 12, 9 skipped bulgarian squats because my legs are hammered from all the running skipped front squats because my legs are hammered from all the running Leg press calves: 230 x 40, 40, 35

Sad days. I placed 388 of 875 men in my age group. I bet I can get this down to top 100 by March / April race. And do that without sacrificing my performance at highland games in April

My wife and I decided to run the 5 mile Turkey Trot in Austin on Thanksgiving Day. So we tried to do a 4 mile jog today, but my calves and shins weren't up for it. We ran 1.5, walked .5, jogged 1, then walked another .5 miles. 4 miles in total. Time to start lifting again!

The race has come and gone. I did better than I expected in some respects, and worse in others. All in all, it was informative as a self-assessment and the most fun physical activity I've done all year!!! Highlights: The obstacles were easy. I was much "bolder" than some of the others as far as hitting the obstacles at full speed. I was much faster uphill than at any point in the past. Lowlights: I TOTALLY underestimated the terrain. It wasn't so much the hills that got me; it was the uneven footing. One foot might fall 8 inches lower than the other at any given time. My calves and shins gave out at about mile 2. In general, my aerobic conditioning needs some work. I made it in 35 and change. I could have cut about 30-40 seconds off, I but I had fun with the last two obstacles. I stepped over the fire logs as slowly as I could to see if they would burn any leg hair. Then I did a full on diving belly flop into the mud pit. I hit so hard that I went to the bott...

We ran with the RunTex Tuesday run group. The workout was simply running the Town Lake loop from 1st Street bridge to MoPac bridge and back. It was a hard 4 miles!!! This is my last run till the race on Saturday.

My wife joined me Monday night for a run around Lake Pflugerville. She's so awesome! She isn't able to run as fast as I can, just because of mechanical/structural differences between us, but she can sustain any effort as long as she has to. Anyway, we did more 100/50 pace intervals. She didn't count paces but just followed me. I would barely hit 90 paces as she finished her 100; her strides are much shorter and turn over quicker. So she was doing more like 115/60. :) It was nice to have a partner out there, because I could feel myself pushing harder during the 100 count runs. These runs were closer to sprints. As we neared the end of the loop, we decided to race the last 1/4 mile. My plan was to run at a pace that was near her max, and the turn it to a full sprint in the last 100 yards. That's what I did, and I finished well ahead of her. My lungs were on fire. 20 seconds later, my wife was talking like nothing had happened, and I was still sucking wind!!! I...

My boxer Kodiak ( Kodi for short) really screwed up my workout today. We've run the loop at Lake Pflugerville a hundred times, and for some reason, he just wasn't up for the intervals today. We started with a warm-up walk of about 1/4 mile, then went right into 110/50 pace intervals. I bumped up the run portion to 110 (from 100) just for fun. By mile 2 or 2.5, my dog was so damn slow that I took him off the leash and let him play in the lake for a bit to cool down. After that, he was good for a leisurely trot, while I continued on with the intervals. I wanted to sprint the last 1/4 mile, but I was getting far enough ahead of Kodi that I ended up waiting for him to catch up, and we both just walked it in. I'll do some abdominal and rotational strength work tomorrow, which will give Kodi a day off. After that, he should be good to join me on some 400m sprints. I may even get in an 800m, if I feel like it. Days till Warrior Dash: 9

Man, I can't even say how freaking pumped I am! I have validated that 1) I know how to train specifically for an event or goal and 2) I'm pretty athletic! I placed 3rd in the novice division of the Highland Games in Austin last Sunday. This event is all about explosive power. Endurance has NOTHING to do with it. I'm going to train for another Highland Games in March. Hopefully I can get my hands on some throwing implements by January. Even if not, adding some cleans, snatches, and push press varieties should help quite a bit. If I can get some degree of technique down on Heavy Weight for Distance and Weight For Height, I might have a shot at 1st or 2nd.

I suprised myself today. I might have mentioned that my wife and I took Monday and Tuesday off. After the 22 mile ride on Monday, I thought today would be painful, but I felt great. So I decided to get in some distance work, since the Warrior Dash is around the corner. I didn't have a stop watch, so I decided to count strides or paces. A pace is one step of both my right and left. I did intervals of 50 paces walking, and 100 paces running for the four miles. I have no idea how many intervals this was. But it felt great.

Well, I have 2 weeks to get out of the power / fast twitch mode and switch it over to aerobic and anaerobic endurance / slow twitch mode. The Warrior Dash is at 8:00 AM 20 NOV. So to get a jump start, my wife and I did a Monday ride between Bastrop State Park and Beuscher State Park. It is a 22 mile round trip ride and it is up and down the entire way. Two hills got the best of me and I had to walk my bike up. Aside from that, I am happy with how I did, and felt great at the end. My legs were engorged from pushing so much blood and a massive build-up of lactic acid.

Well, still no word on results yet, but I feel very good about how I did. This was a 9 hour event, starting at 9:00 AM and running till 6:00 PM. Now that I know better, I'll bring a cooler and lawn chair to the next event I compete in. Events were: Braemar Stone: basically a standing shot put with a large rock Open Stone: more of a traditional shot put but with the same large rock Heavy weight for distance: for us novices, it was a 42lb weight connected to a chain and ring. I didn't do so hot on this event Light weight for distance: Novices used a 28lb weight and did the same throw. I kicked ass at this event!!!! Caber toss: That's the crowd favorite. Flip a big-ass log end over end. Weight over bar: Like high jump, but you are throwing a weight over your head. Novices used a 42lb weight. I only cleared 10'. I hope to find out results today or some time this week.

I took Friday off thinking I'd be throwing at the Highland Games on Saturday, but it turns out the novices were throwing on Sunday. Since we had Saturday free, my wife and I did a 6 mile hike after goofing off at the Austin Pow Wow. 6 miles felt really easy, and we kept up a VERY fast pace. I hope the miles I'm logging help my run times at the Warrior Dash on 20 NOV.

I didn't have much time for lifting on e Thursday, so I skipped much of a warm-up and just got after it. And I had poor results to show for it. And once I started deadlifting, these two women, took up residence in the squat rack near me. If you can do squats and gossip DURING your set, you aren't training hard enough. And you are breaking my concentration My workout: jump rope: 3 mins deadlift: 275 x 5; 315 x 5; 365 x 4, 4, 2 lying single-leg curl: 50 x 10, 10, 6, 6+2negs each leg Hammer Strength supported row: 230 x 12, 10, 10; 180 x 9 wide grip pulldown: 120 x 10, 10; 110 x 9, 8 My rest intervals for all but DLs were under a minute, as I had to rush home and get the kids ready for BMX. So I'm not too worried about the results of this workout.

My legs were sore from the run on Tuesday, so I didn't do any cardio on Wednesday. Just abs and arms. jump rope: 4 minutes to warm up. The gym is getting cold leg raise off bench: 15, 15 russian twist: 15 x 10, 10, 10 (time to move up to 20lbs) 1-arm preacher curl: 25 x 8ea; 30 x 5, 5, 4ea Superset: A. Skull crusher: 95 x 5, 6, 6, 7, 1 B. EZ-bar rvs curl: 75 x 6, 6, 7, 4 Nautilus curl: 70 x 14; 80 x 10; 70 x 8 Hopefully I have enough in the tank for heavy deadlifting today, 4 NOV. That run workout really taxed me.

So my wife and I do date night at least once a week. This week, we did the RunTex track class. It's free, and it's a lot like the warrior dash prep workouts I had been coordinating. The difference is that this one is strictly running. side suffle: 2 x 100m karioke (scissors): 2 x 100m butt kickers: 2 x 100m high knee: 2 x 100m plyo skipping: 2 x 100m 1 mile for time. I'm not even going to say what my time was. It was awful. I won't even use my AM leg workout as an excuse. But now that I'm recovered from the surgery, it's time to run like a madman.

Why do I treat me like I do sometimes? I didn't go too crazy, but I still felt like 75-80% normal this morning. That'll be my last drink for the rest of the year. jump rope: 4 min warm-up front squat: 155 x 10; 175 x 10, 10; 185 x 10, 5 bulgarian squat: 25s x 6ea; BW x 12ea Nautilus leg extension: 120 x 15, 15 leg press calves: 270 x 25, 21 bench press: 155 x 5; 185 x 5; 205 x 5, 5, 5 dumbbell shoulder press: 45 x 9; 40 x 7; 30 x 8; 25 x 10 I can't believe I made it through.

I am SUCH a fan of the old-school Stepmill! That thing is an amazing torture. Stepmill: 7 mins @ level 7 1-arm preacher curls: 30 x 4, 4, 4; 25 x 5, 5, 4; 20 x 6, 6 (each arm) Alternating hammer curls: 30s x 8, 9, 7; 25s x 10, 11, 8 Nautilus curl: 60 x 15; 70 x 13; 8 Russian twist: 15 x 7, 8, 10 I am seeing considerable improvement in all areas I am targeting: bicep anaerobic endurance size of brachialis and brachioradialis rotational strength and rotational endurance All in all, I'm hugely satisfied with the gains I am seeing in performance and aesthetics. I may one day be accused of lifting weights or being fit! :)

My wife and I got in a workout before the kids' pre-Halloween party started. So we trained in the garage, and after we were exhausted from cleaning, running errands, cooking, and all the little things that go along with prepping for a kid-party. Suprisingly, I hit an all-time high on my deadlift workout. jump rope: 4 minute warm-up deadlift: 275 x 5; 295 x 5; 345 x 5, 5, 5 wide-grip pullup: 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 medium-grip pullup: 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 I tried to do some chinups, but my elbow tendons were shot, so that was it. But holy crap!!! 345 for sets of 5 on deadlift is still astounding me!!!!

Another healthy serving of the basic muscle builders today. Stepmill: 7mins @ level 7 Front squat: 135 x 10; 155 x 10, 10; 175 x 10, 8 Nautilus leg extension: 110 x 15; 120 x 15 leg press calves: 180 x 25; 270 x 20, 23 bench press: 155 x 5; 185 x 5; 195 x 5, 5, 5 dumbbell shoulder press: 45 x 10; 40 x 8; 30 x 10; 25 x 12

I got a call yesterday, 28 OCT, from my mom's doctor. Without getting into her personal details on a public forum, she didn't have a heart attack, but it was close. She's still in the hospital and, God willing, will be out tomorrow. My mom was never an active woman, but always busy. As a life-long registered nurse, she was big into nutrition and healthy living when we were kids. We seldom had sodas or sugary snacks, and she'd boot us out the door if we were lounging in front of the TV or Atari 400 for too long. It saddens me to see that, while her lessons have stuck with me, she's fallen away from doing what she knows. She is a strong, educated, and open-minded woman, and I hope this is all it takes for her to start leading a healthier life. I pray my family and I get to spend many more decades with her. The affirmation is for me; that my wife and I are devoting time where it is warranted, and leaving a legacy with the kids that will carry into their adulthood...

I need a day of rest. No jogging. No sprints. No boxing / kickboxing skills and drills. Just sitting around and taking it easy today. So far I have managed to stay on track with: 3 on - 1 off 3 on - 1 off 4 on - 1 off That's 10 days of training in the last 13. And at least one of those days included 2 workouts.

We've all seen it. The constant pendulum shift in the strength training / fitness industry. Whole body training was the only way to train for ever, and then split routines became popular in the late 60s, and became so over-done by the 80s that people would have an AM traps workout and a PM delt workout as "Day 1". Now whole body training is back en vogue and the experts scoff at anyone who dares to do even a basic push/pull split. Well, there is another trend that I have taken part in, and I have to say, old school wisdom wins, hands down! I haven't given much effort to direct arm training. If I do dips, and any variety of horizontal or vertical pressing, my triceps grow. And they grow well. But I can do chin ups, bent rows, pull-ups, 1-arm rows or any other pulling movement till my arms fall off, and my back gets wider and thicker, but my biceps won't change. My biceps HAVEN'T changed with compound pulling movements. I thought direct bicep work was for...

My wife and I met up at Town Lake and did the loop from MoPac bridge to Congress Bridge and back. That's 4.82 miles. I felt it in my feet more than anywhere else.

Man, I crushed it today! Everything felt great! And I'm meeting my wife at Town Lake (I'll never call it Ladybird lake) for a run this evening. Today is awesome!!! deadlift: 275 x 5; 295 x 5; 315 x 5, 5, 5 single-leg lying hamstring curls: 50 x 8, 8, 6, 6 each standing calves: 215 x 10; 115 x 10 (with 5 sec stretch and 5 sec contraction); 115 x 25\ hammer strength supported row: 180 x 15; 200 x 12, 12, 7 wide grip behind neck pulldown; 110 x 10, 10, 10, 10 The work seemed a bit brief, but that was because I kept my rest intervals to a minimum. It was truly just the deadlifts that required any degree of recovery period. I can't wait to get my 3 x 5 with 325 next time!!!!!

The gym was closed, so I did what I could. 1. Bicep / Tricep superset: skull crushers: 95 x 5, 5, 5, 7, 8 barbell curls: 95 x 3, 3, 4, 5, 6 2. Reverse grip EZ-bar curl: 75 x 8, 8, 8, 9 3. Alt DB count-ups: 12s x 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10

Another day at Metroflex. Defiant Crossfit is right across the street, and they were having a free workout. I wished so badly that I were able to start crossfit training again. Maybe 3 more weeks. My workout was solid. Again, just meat and potatoes. I'm really liking this rolling 4 day training week. Bulgarian squats: 25s x 10, 10 each leg Front squats: 155 x 11; 175 x 10; 185 x 8, 5, 5 Standing calves: 175 x 20, 17; 155 x 13; DONE bench press: 155 x 5; 185 x 5; 190 x 5, 5, 5 dumbbell shoulder press: 35s x 10; 40s x 8, 5; 25s x 13

Nothing special, and somewhat abridged. I had to train at home instead of the gym, so no fancy machines today. deadlift: 225 x 5; 275 x 5; 305 x 5, 5, 5 wide grip pullup ladders: 1-2-3-4-1-2-2-1-2 chin up ladders: 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4 1-arm db rows (perpendicular to torso): 20s x 20, 20 each arm

The only way i can get into an Abs and Arms workout is by riding my bike to and from the gym. Round trip is about 5-6 miles. Nothing big, but I rode my lungs out both ways. Against my better judgement, I let the trainer kid behind the desk take me through some arm work. Now there is nothing wrong with him or this method of training. it's just that I'm not going for a pump. I want to lift progressively heavier weights. Period. cable wood choppers: 90 x 10ea; 100 x 10ea; 110 x 10ea hanging leg raises: 13, 15, 17 1-arm cable curls: 30 x 12, 12, 12ea 1-arm cable concentration curls: 30 x 12, 12 Dumbbell hammer curls: 20s x 10, 10; 25s x 8, 8 Alternating dumbbell curl Count-Ups*: 12s x 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 1-arm reverse grip tricep pushdown : 30s x 12ea, 12ea; 40s x 7ea; 70 x 4 negative each Rope grip overhead tricep extension: 60 x 10, 10, 8; 50 x 8; 10

Well, my wife and I have instituted a new "date night" strategy. I have my kids 50% of the time, so she and I are on our own every Monday and Tuesday night. The rest of the week is devoted to taking the kids to Religious Ed, BMX practice, and weekend races. So making the most of Monday and Tuesday evening is critical for us, especially saince we've been married less than a year, and she has no kids of her own. Back story aside.... Tuesday night was my wife's first 'at bat' for date night. She decided we'd ride our bikes to a local farmer's market, which is about 5 miles away. We were going at a good pace, and every so often she'd pass me and laugh a little. I didn't think we were competing, but who am I to refuse a challenge. So when she'd pick up the pace, I'd go just a touch faster than her. When we got to the market she said something about being lucky, or that she let me win, or some such thing. We had a great time at the m...

Great 1st full-effort workout. As usual, my shoulders are the first to get deconditioned . walking lunges: 30lb dumbbells x 10 yards low-narrow stance leg press: 270 x 15, 15 front squat: 135 x 12; 165 x 10; 185 x 8, 8 standing calves raise: 155 x 17, 17, 15 bench press: 135 x 5; 155 x 5; 185 x 5, 5, 5 dumbbell overhead press: 40s x 10, 7; 35s x 7; 30s x 8 I'm not pleased with my weights, but I am satisfied that I was able to maintain a brisk pace and keep my rest intervals to just what was needed to get the weights setup. Training at M etroflex is a unique experience. it is 100% dedicated to bodybuilding, so I DEFINITELY looked a little out of place as I went through my CF-style warm-up . I was without a doubt the smallest guy there today! :-)

I was bored yesterday and decided to do some bicep & tricep work in the garage. Nothing special here, but it was better than nothing. Close grip chin-up ladders: 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4 (20 reps total) Tricep dips*: body weight x 5, 5, 5, 8, 8 Barbell curls: 75 x 12; 95 x 6; 115 x 1; 65 x 19 Tricep pushups : 15, 15, 11 * Tricep dips: These are like regular dips, but I force my torso to stay vertical and I focus on the top 1/2 of the range of motion. Any deeper and you get significant chest involvement.

It's funny. Now that I am working out on a split routine, I feel more localized soreness, but nothing in the way of systemic fatigue. Granted, it's been 3 days, but my gut tells me I need to shorten my training week to 4 days, to up the frequency of training. 3-on, 1-off should suffice for the next 4-5 weeks. That means I'll drop one arm/ab day (thank God!) and be able to hit the big lifts more often.

Much better day today. My sinus surgery felt much better, and no bleeding post-Friday workout!!! So I went for closer to a real effort today. Deadlift: 225x5; 275x5; 295 x 5, 5, 5 Single leg hamstring curls: 70 x 10, 10, 9, 9 per leg Standing calves*: 135 x 20, 15 Hammer strength supported row: 180 x 12; 220 x 10, 10, 9; 200 x 10; 180 x 10, 8 I ran out of time because I'm taking the family off to the park for some bike riding, sakteboarding, and tennis. Else, I would have hammered wide grip pulldowns for a while.

I joined metroflex gym. The garage is in need of some Spring cleaning in October. I'm going to build new shelves and storage bins and see how that goes. until then, I'll be training at Metroflex in Pflugerville. it's a nice bare-bones gym with nothing but weights and machines. And a 100lb heavy bag. No AC. No frill. Bay doors open to get plenty of this gorgeous fall sunshine. Day 1: I noticed some sinus bleeding (from the surgery) the day after I did squats on Thursday, so went light on Friday. bench press: 135x5; 185x5; 165x5, 5, 5 machine overhead press*: some form of resistance by 10, 12, 9, 8, 6 machine lateral raises*: some form of resistance x 12, 12, 10, 6 Standing calves raise: 255 x 10; 195 x 15, 15, 15, 10 *Machines: I have no earthly idea how anyone can say what weight they were using on some of these machines. there is so much friction on some, and others glide effortlessly. Sometimes the lever arm has weight, and other machines have counter-balan...

I feel like I've experienced more than deconditioning over the last couple of weeks. I was lvoing CrossFit, but couldn't handle the "not knowing". Since i was only going to the gym twice a week, not knowing what was on the agenda made it hard for me to know what to do on my own the rest of the week. Well, Since I can't handle the intensity of CrossFit for another 3 weeks, I'm going to start traditional strength training for a while, and build back up to CrossFit. For the next 5 weeks, I'm going to focus on strength and power, while doing some low-level jogging. The reason for prioritizing strength and power is because of the Highland Games competition in 3 weeks. The Reason for doing the cardio is because of the Warrior Dash in 5 weeks. Conflicting priorities? Yes. Short on time? Yes. Determination? HELL YEAH! The Plan I'm going to follow a 6-day training week. Day 1: Horizontal push: 5 x 5 Vertical push: 4 x 12 Unilateral tighs: 3 x 12 Bila...

Yesterday was my first time training after etting my nasal/sinus surgery. It felt good to push again, but I had a lot of blood in my nose this morning (a day later) as a result. I'll have to ease back into it. The workout: walking lunges: to the stop sign and back, twice. Down and back is about 20-30 lunges total. Back squat: 45 x 10; 95 x 10; 135 x 10, 185 x 10, 10 That's all. Nothing big. And I still had some surgical backlash as a result. oh well. I'll get there.

I still can't push hard, so I just did an hour of yoga last night. I feel nice and loose, but I'm still chomping at the bit to get back to training.

I am finally recovered enough to start movement beyond just getting around. I have been in such a miserable mood from not being able to train. My wife and I went for a 4 hour hike on Sunday, just to get me in better spirits. Sweating in the sunshine always makes me feel better. I started out as slow as a slug. Each step up and over the slightest obstacle put some serious pressure on the surgery site, but it gradualy lessened. I started feeling about 70% as we approached mile 4. By the time we were reaching the truck, around 8 miles, I actually felt pretty good. I will probably get some light jogging in today or tomorrow,11 or 12 OCT.

I don't know how much longer I can sit around and do nothing. Good grief!! The discomfort from my nose surgery is nothing compared to not working up a sweat, and not feeling the post-workout fatigue. My legs feel weak from lounging around. I think I'll do some light cardio on Saturday, just to get some movement in.

It's been 2 days since surgery and I'm doing OK. I can't wait to start training again. I'm feeling lazy and lethargic.

My wife and I met our quota of relaxation on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. My son was playing at a friend's house, and my daughter was out riding her bike, so we decided on an outdoor leg workout. MAN! Creativity can hurt!!!! Walking bodyweight lunges x 2 sets: We went down the sidewalk to the stop sign and back; about 50-60 yards round trip. Farmer's walk: We warmed up with the same distance as lunges (50-60 yards) but it was too easy. So we went down the street in the opposite direction till we crossed 5 driveways. Round trip was about 200 yards. I did 2 sets with a 95lb barbell. Not heavy by any measure, but my grip was toast 1/2 way into the 2nd set. Walking lunge: We finished with one more set of lunges to the stop sign and back. That may not sound like much, as far as time or load, but holy crap!!!! I was at the grocery store shortly after and pushing the cart was difficult. My wife was putting away dishes later that night and her leg buckled!!! This was fun!...

We took the kids on a 5 mile bike ride, but they'd swear it was the Bataan Death March!!! :)

Heather and Jonathan worked us all hard today. It was awesome!!!!

I was sick for 3 days, so I went light on squats and super-setted with supported dumbbell rows. I must have done 5-7 seper-sets before calling it quits

Crushed yet again by CrossFit. I only have 2 more CF classes before I take a month off, due to surgery. From all the years of fighting, it seems I've broken my nose a few times and have blown out one of my sinus cavities. The surgeon will be repairing everything on Tuesday 5 OCT. My last Defiant WOD will be on 4 OCT. I'll take 1 week completely off of physical activity, then resume training at much lower intensity. This will be a good opportunity to get in 6 weeks of bodybuilder style training. I'm not a fan of low-intensity, long duration BB workouts, but I can push that at 100% and not be anywhere near the level of effort of my normal garage or a Defiant workout. Today's WOD: Skill work: Kettlebell figure-8 to KB uppercut: 3 x 12 KB swing: 3 x 12 MetCon: 100 thrusters @ 95lbs. Any time the bar touched the ground, we had to run a 400m. Time ran out and I had finished 61 reps with 5 400m runs. This totally destroyed my shoulder girdle. I'm taking tonight...

We had a much smaller turn-out this Saturday, but everybody still brought their A-game. 1. Warm-up: 5mins 2. Sprint build-ups: high-knee+sprint: 2 x 20yds+20yds Plyo skips+sprints: 3 x 20yds+20yds Accellerations+sprints: 2 x 20yds+20yds Full 40 yd sprint: 2 x 40yds 3. Primary workout: We setup a mini lap at the end of the track, because the flag football league had covered the field. The lap consisted of one turn, plus cutting across the field behind the goal post. In total it was rough 120 yards. Prior to each lap, we did a body-weight movement. here's the break-down. Pushups x 10 + 120yds Sprawls x 10 + 120yds Medicine ball diagonal slams x 10 + 120yds Squat jumps x 10 + 120yds Pushups x 10 + 120yds Sprawls x10 + 120yds Medicine ball diagonal slams x 10 + 120yds Squat jumps x 10 + 120yds We ended with two hill sprints. It was a solid workout

This workout was just a fun way to try something new, and still get in solid work. My back was exhausted from deadlifting and all prior work, so I gave legs a night off; had planned on front squats but opted out. Bench press: 185x5; 205x3; 225x1; 215x3; 245x1 The 245 felt really easy. No sticking points whatsoever. I'm guessing my 1RM on bench is about 265 or 275. Reverse grip EZ-bar curls: 75x5; 85 x 5, 5, 5, 5 Overhead press: 115x5; 135x3; 150x1; 140x3; 160xFAIL Incline dumbbell curls: 30s x 7, 7, 7, 5, 5

Another run at Lake Pflugerville. It felt good, and the pace was the fastest yet. Right as I got to the last half mile, I ran into an old friend and had to stop and catch up for a few minutes. It messed up what could have been a PR run, but it was great to see my old friend and chat for a few minutes.

My pullup strength has gone down since switching to kipping pullups. My guess is that since I did them at least 3 times a week before CrossFit, that the reduced frequency and emphasis on explosiveness and inertia (vs. strength when doing dead-hang pullups) is why I feel so much weaker at them than a month ago. So here is what I did today. Wide grip pullups: 5, 4, 4 Medium grip pullups: 5, 4, 5 Close grip chinups: 3, 3, 2 + 1 negative with35# dumbbell 1-arm t-bar row: 60 x 10, 10 each arm I was supposed to run 5K this evening but it has been raining for a bit. If the rain doesn't break, I'll do squats and plyos.

We are getting our maxes this week in a variety of areas. I did OK. Front squat 1RM: 275 Deadlift 1RM: 385 2min max pushups: 49 2min max situps: 87 2min max pullups: 25 400m run: 1:46 My run flat out sucked!!!!! I wasnt wearing running shoes, but that would have only made a 5-10 second difference. This is slow in my book till I get to 1:10 or faster

My run times are improving rapidly. I did the 5K loop in well under 28 minutes and with much less felt strain. This is awesome!!!!

I'm still just goofing around, not really following a plan. Dumbbell tricep lying French press: 25s x 12, 10, 10, 10, 10 Bench press: 155 x 10, 10; 165 x 6; 155 x 6; 145 x 10; 135 x 8 Nothing spectacular, but my triceps and chest are sore a day later

Wow! I actually did a back and bicep workout. Really. I missed Wednesday's CrossFit workout at Defiant, and it's been a busy week. Wednesday night I saw the UFC fights in Austin. Tonight was BMX practice for the kids, so I got a late start in the garage. wide grip pullups: 4, 4, 4 medium grip pullups: 4, 3, 3, 4 medium grip chinups: 3, 3, 3, 4 Close grip chinups: 2, 2, 3, 1, Barbell curls: 65x10; 70x9; 75x8; 80x7; 85x6; 90x5; 95x4; 100x3; 105x2; 110x1 + 2 negatives.

I didn't have much time so i just hammered two movements as heavy as I could. Overhead press: 115 x 5, 5; 135 x 5; 140 x 3, 3; 150 x 1, 1 Squat: 225 x 6, 8; 245 x 8; 255 x 8, 6 I feel like my upper body strength is going down as my fitness / anaerobic endurance goes up. Hmm. We'll see what happens.

Heather killed us this morning!!! Deadlift: 275 x 2; 325 x 2, 2, 2, 2 WOD: 20min time limit of 1.5 pood (54lb) KB swings x 75 reps Sprawls x 75 reps 1.5 pood Sumo Grip High Pull x 75 reps Hindu squats x 75 reps 25lb DB overhead press x 75 reps I completed 1, 2, 3, and got 30 reps of squats before time ran out. This workout killed me.

My wife and I got bored, so we went for a bike ride Saturday afternoon. We did about 8-10 miles. Nothing exceptional, but good work none the less.

Man, this one was a killer! Warm-up: ~5 minutes Sprint build-ups: (20yd drill + 20yard sprint) High knee + sprint x 2 Plyo skip + sprint x 2 Scissors + sprint x 2 Acceleration + sprint x 2 Full sprint x 2 1/2 mile timed run WOW! We have some fast people in our group. Unbelievable!!! Medicine Ball circuit This one is courtesy of my old MMA / Kajukenbo instructor. 5 minuts on, 1 minute off. We do 1 minute drills, and move through 5 movements, then get 1 minute rest. the goal was three rounds, just like a fight, but we could only muster 2 rounds of: 1. Medicine Ball situp 2. Medicine Ball swing 3. Standing Medicine Ball twist 4. Overhead squat 5. Cross-over pushup - 1 min rest - repeat twice (three times was the plan) Max rounds in 10 minutes of: 1. 50 yard shuttle run (down & back) 2. 10 Burpees WOW! Not a soul standing after this one.

We have a big Warrior Dash prep workout coming up on Saturday, so today's workout will be a much smaller, albeit high intensity session. The plan is: Pullup / chinup: 20 strict reps any combination, as few breaks as possible Snatch grip deadlift + high pull: 155 x max reps Front squat: 225 x max reps Overhead press: 115 x max reps EZ-bar reverse grip curl: 85 x max reps Leg raise off bench: max reps I'll post my results after the WOD. DAMN! I brought the weak sauce today. My results: Pullup/chinup: 13 reps total Snatch grip DL + High Pull: 115 x 13 Front squat: 185 x 9 Overhead press: 115 x 11 EZ-bar reverse curl: 75 x 12 Leg raise off bench: 20+ (lost count)

Bench press: 230 x 2, 2, 2, 2, 1 As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of: Squat clean: 110 x 6 Pullup: BW x 12 Double-unders x 24 My results: 3 rounds as prescribed

My wife and I practiced double-unders for about 30 minutes. The most I was able to do in a row was 18. After that, I just kept getting worse. So we wrapped up the double-under practice and started our jog. We jogged about 2 miles. It felt hard after all the rope jumping. My calves and shins are spent.

This Saturday morning was perfect for a run. The temperature is finally getting cool. I'd say it was 70-72 degrees at most. My 8yr old son came with me on his BMX bike. This was the fastest I ran around Lake Pflugerville in at least a year, maybe more. I did my best to keep up with Evil Knievel, but I couldn't. I started at a regular aerobic-pace job, but started striding it out after about the first 1/2 mile. I kept that race pace up through mile marke 2.00, then had to slow down till we hit 2.75. I ran the last 1/4+ as fast as I could. I was damn near a sprint, but couldn't sustain the pace the full 500-600 yards. I didn't time it, but I've done enough 5Ks to know what sub-28min feels like. Not too bad. I'll be shooting for 27 minutes next time.

Man, I can't explain enough how much I benefit from a well thought out and thorough warm-up. Since I usually lift in my garage, I just sort of get after it by starting with a light set and build up to as heavy as I can manage. I LOVE the Defiant CF warm-up !!!!! On to the workout. Front squat*: 185 x 3, 3; 205 x 3, 3, 3 Conditioning workout: 7 rounds for time of: Pullups x 10 Ring dips x 10 Situps x 10 Air squats x 10 Midway through my 3rd round, I had to use a band to assist me on the pullups . I used a band the whole time on ring dips. Those suckers are hard enough on their own, but coupled with the regular dips I did on Tuesday , I REALLY needed the band. My time: 21:10

I have to admit, this was a jog, not a run. I just didn't have it in me today, but I got out there and moved for 3.2 miles (5K). I worked up a good sweat and made my shins good and sore. My heart rate was definitely sub-aerobic zone, just based on feel. But this is 2 workouts today, and I've been up since 5:00 AM.

Coach Dan John calls this method " The Big 55 ", and his article does a much better job of explaining it that I am going to. Pick 2 exercises and perform them non-stop, alternating from one to the other. You'll start with 10 of each, then 9 of each, all the way down to 1 rep each. I did this but focused on upper body. Since I was changing weights, there was an unavoidable 20-30 second rest. A. Barbell curls: 55x10; 65x9; 75x8; 80x7; 85x6; 90x5; 95x4; 100x3; 105x2; 110x2* B. Dips: body weight x 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 13* *Last Set: I went for broke on the last set. I thought I might hit 110x3 or 4 on curls but was mistaken.

I can tell that this will take some getting used to. I really appreciate the length of the warm-up Heather (Definant CF coach) has us do before each workout. First, we ran 400 meters. Then we did a series of about 7 stretches. After that was a series of body weight exercises, each done for one 1 set of 10. This included squats, pushups, situps, pullups, ring dips, handstand pushups, box jumps and others I may be forgetting. By the time we started the workout, I had a good sweat going. Then we did our strength move: Deadlift: 275 x 3, 3, 3, 3 Then the full blown CF-style WOD: As many rounds in 10 minutes of: 1. Thruster: 135 x 5 2. Burpee: x 10 3. Jump rope: double-unders x 20 or singles x 40 I started with double-unders but couldn't manage because my legs were so tired, so I moved to singles x 40. All told, I completed 3 rounds + 2 thrusters.

What a great time. 14 people showed up and everyone pushed HARD! We had two guys puke right at the end. It was beautiful! 5 minute warm-up Just some bodyweight work and dynamic yoga stuff Sprint Build-ups 1. 20yd plyo -skipping + 20yd sprint x 2 2. 20yd high- knee + 20yd sprint x 2 3. 20yd scissors + 20yd sprint x 2 4. 20yd acceleration + 20yd sprint x 2 Massive sandbag workout!!!! This is what got everyone. We did a variety of bag throws that involved twisting, underhanding , and shot putting the bag almost the full width of the footbal field. After completing each throw, we sprinted 440 yards. We did this throw+sprint six (6) times. I spoke to a few friends today and they each to take some sort of nap today (Sunday) and were feeling massive amounts of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). Hill sprints with sandbag This is where the puking happened. The hill at Murchison Middle School is intense. I can't even wager a guess at incline or distance. We did that 3 times carrying ...

Its Friday, August 27th, 2010. After about 2 years of 'playing' with CrossFit concepts on my own, and watching my buddy Plieb make startling progress at CrossFit Central (and SicFit Gym?) I've finally decided to take the plunge. My wife and I joined Defiant CrossFit, which is just 2 miles down the road from my house. I'm excited, open minded, and a bit nervous to see when my conditioning REALLY stands. I'll get my body measures done on Monday, along with pictures. Nothing like objective data to get me in high gear. I am most looking forward to hands-on coaching, and the group atmosphere. I've been training in my garage, with and without training partners for a few years, so it'll be great to have someone point out flaws in my technique and even effort. The only real concern I have is the random nature of the program. I'm only going Monday and Wednesday mornings, so it may prove to undermine my tuesday and thursday efforts if i don't know what i...

This was a great workout!!!!!! I could hardly breathe or stand by the end of it. The basic construct is very similar to Charles Staley's "Density Training" ideas. Pick a time limit and grind out as many reps as possible in that time. I'll come back to this workout in 3 weeks and see if i've improved. Max reps in 10 minutes of alternating dumbbell rows: 30lb dumbbells x 268 = 8040lbs total tonnage Max reps in 10 minutes of t-bell swing: 63lb t-bell x 114 = 7182lbs total tonnage That's it. 30 minutes including 10 min rest between stations. GASSED!!!!!

Just a simple hard run of 450 yards 6 x 450 yards (i.e. around the block)

Good grief, it is HOT!!!! My garage was a mess, so my buddy and I setup the weights in the driveway. This was in direct sunlight, in the middle of the day. It was at least 103, possibly hotter. All things considered, this wasn't too shabby. Overhead press: 135 x 5; 155 x 5 Dips: 11 + negative Chin ups: BW x 3, 5, 7 Bent row (high wide grip): 95 x 18, 16 Deadlift: 275 x 5, 5; 315 x 4

We took the whole family to Defiant Crossfit in Pflugerville, TX. Heather and her crew are great people. The workout was a CF classic: Fran. This workout is a couplet (exercise pair) of barbell thruster and kipping pullups, done for 21-15-9 reps in as short a time as possible. I went for the workout as prescribed, whereas most did jumping pullups and 65lbs on thrusters (instead of 95). I was shocked that after 2 weeks off I was able to get 21 reps of pullups. I completed the last 9 thrusters just as time ran out, which meant I didn't finish the last 9 pullups. My wife finished the full workout in 7+ minutes using jumping pullups. I'm not sure if her thruster weight was 65 or 45. Either way; Great job, Jaime!!!!!

Man, what a great time! My wife and I went to Washington state and hiked till our legs fell off. Then we stapled them back on and did some dragon boat racing (practice) and lots of salmon fishing. Sadly, no salmon were harmed in the making of this honeymoon. Highlights: Moran State Park on Orcas Island Orcas Island as a whole Snoqualamie recreation area Rattlesnake Ledge near Snoqualamie Chateau St. Michelle winery

I took Wednesday and Thursday off, so I really punished myself over the weekend. Friday, 6 AUG: 6 rounds of: 1. 400 meters 2. Leg-under bridge x 10 3. Overhead press 135 x 5 Saturday, 7 AUG: 2 mile run at 6:30 AM Sunday, 8 AUG: Deadlift / Bridge supersets Deadlift: 225x5 + 1min bridge; 225x5+ 1min; 245x5 + 1min; 255x5 + 1min; 275x5 + 1min; 295x5 + 1min; 295x5 + 1min; 315x2 + 1min

My wife and I will be doing some biking and sprints later this evening, so today's mid day workout was short, but intense. It was the weirdest thing. There are plenty of times that i've pushed hard enough to vomit, but today was different. the pain was so intense and so engrossing, that I was making involuntary shouts. Focing rep after rep with little to no break or rest was beyond fatigue, beyond pain. It hurt so bad it was almost emotional. I have no idea what that was, but it was a new experience for me. Here is the workout: With a 10 minute time limit, perform as many rounds as possible of: Pullup x 10 Dip x 10 Pistol squats x 10 I finished 3 rounds and got another 10 pullups and 6 dips before time ran out. Next time I do this, I'll shoot for 4 full rounds!

This was a brutal workout. Five of us met up at Murchison Middle School at 10:00, and the heat was already intense. The setup took a bit of time, but the actual workout was brisk, and intense from start to finish. 1. Warm-up: 1 lap on the track 2. Stretching for ahout 10 minutes 3. Build-ups: Build-ups are a way to get your body ready for sprinting. You slowly "build up" to a full sprint. The setup is essentially a 40 yard line cut in the middle. For the 1st 20 yards you do something that specifically targets the muscle most likely to pull during sprints (hams, hips etc.) and gets them progressively looser and warmer. Here was our setup: Plyometric skipping: 2 x 20+20yard sprint High knee: 2 x 20+20yard sprint Karioke run: 2 x 20+20yard sprint 4. The workout! This was the hardest part. We setup 4 cones at 50 yards apart. Each station emphasized a different muscle group or movement pattern. Rather than get into great detail about the setup, I'll just spe...

My two training buddies worked hard at today's fight training, but I did much less, since I had a run planned for this evening. They did many rounds of heavy bag and partner drills. I was the "designated partner" for offense/defense drills. While one worked with me, the other worked the heavy bag. They kept rotating, and I kept working drills. So it was a nice light sweat for me, but nothing to taxing. I went for a 5K run with my wife and another friend. I'd say he and I jogged about 2 miles of it, while my wife did the whole thing. The parts that he and I did run were done at a great pace!! My legs are already sore. I'm looking forward to taking Friday off and really pushing hard on Saturday!!!!

Since I skipped Tuesday's squat workout for a ride with my wife, I tried to crap that in along with my normally scheduled upper body workout. This of course, is after starting the day about 90 minutes earlier than normal and running 2 miles. I crapped out hard!!!! Suprisingly, I hit a new PR on squats, though!! Front squat: 155 x 10; 165 x 10; 185 x 10, 10 Back squat: 185 x 20 Pullup: BW x 5, 5 Incline bench press: 185 x 8 Incline dumbbell curls: 25s x 13, 10, 8 skipped reverse curls because left elbow hurt. I cut out all the fluff and just did the meat sets. Both front squats and back squats were new personal bests for that rep range. Incline bench was a personal best as well.

I can't let Supra-fitness be the only guy running in the AM!! I went for a 7:00 AM jog this morning. Both my dog and I were a little sluggish and would have rather been in bed, but we still put on 2 miles through the neighborhood. It rained on me for about the last 1/2 mile. All in all, a great start to my morning. I think I worked off 3 bites of my lasagna.

My wife and I had a blast riding about 8 miles through the thunderstorm. We got soaked by the rain, splashed by cars, and pushed around by the winds. It stopped raining about 5 miles into the ride, so we took a break under a park pavillion and stretched for a while, ejoying the sound of the light sprinkle and the creek that runs through the park. Afterwards, we went to Carino's and I ordered a massive plate of lasagna, spagetti, and chicken parm. I don't normally eat pasta, but MAN!!!! I had no problems falling asleep last night. Truly awesome!!!

This was one of our toughest fight training workouts. We incorporated anaerobic endurance drills, technique, and heavy-bag work output drills, all into one workout. The garage is covered in sweat!!! Heavybag - ground to shoulder to slam: 2rnds x 1min Heavybag - ground to shoulder to shoulder-squat: 1rnd x 2min Close-range heavybag: 2rnds x 2min We focued on knees, elbows, and hooks Mid-to-close range heavybag: 2 rnds x 3min We focused on lead kicks, straight punches, and all close range tools Full range heavybag: 2rnds x 3min Same as above, but added in rear round kicks, hook kicks, and push kicks, Minute drills - kicks: 2 x 1min Most I got in a single minute was 26 kicks Minute drill - punches: 1 x 1min No idea what i got, but this took every twitch of life from me. That was the end of the workout.

Well, this is the last week of Phase 2. After that, I have 1.5 weeks till I go on vacation. Instead of starting Phase 3, I'll just do Crossfit WODs as they appear on the website. I hope they are conditioning / stamina dominant workouts, as that will help me get more hiking done on vacation. I got a late start tonight, so my results aren't the best ever. Pullup: BW x 7, 8 One-arm T-bar row: 50 x 12 (each arm) Inverted row: BW x 11 Incline bench press: 175 x 8, 8 Dips: BW x 6 Skull crusher: 95 x 8, 8 Prone raise: 20s x 8 Lateral raise: 20s x 8 Incline DB curls: 25s x 13, 8, 6 EZ-bar rvs curls: 65 x 12, 12, 12 Ab wheel: 10 My biceps are finally catching up to my torso and triceps. I know I've been doing lighter weights, but the added reps are pushing me into a pain barrier that I never reached with heavy weights or compound-only movements like rows. As much as I'm a proponent of focusing on compount (i.e. multi-joint) exercises and training body movement vs...

Man! This was so much fun!!! Five people showed up, including my wife and I. The workout was supposed to be simple, but it turned out to be more adventurous than we planned. 1. 1.5 mile run. Everyone pushed hard. I was 2nd to last, but I waited up for the guy at the back of the pack so he didn't miss any turns. 2. Kayaking. The plan was to Kayak from The Rowing Dock (west of MoPac bridge) to Longhorn Dam (on Pleasent Valley Drive). As we got to Congress bridge, one of our group, chris, had his kayak sink. There was a hole in the hull and he took on a significant amount of water. The best runner in our group, Frank, offered to run back and give his kayak up to Chris. So Chris swam ashore and Frank paddled the kayak to the shore as well. Frank hopped out and ran the 2 miles back to the Rowing Dock and Chris took Frank's kayak. I had the awesome job of towing the water-logged kayak 2 miles back to the Rowing Dock. Talk about a back workout!!!!!! It was great though,...

I am so sore and and so tired from all the lifting. It's really taking a toll on me, but I am seeing rapid gains in size and strength. I have to say, though, I'm frustrated to see that size and strength gains come at a cost to my athleticism. Today's fight training felt harder than normal. General warm-up: 1. jump rope: 5rnds (2min/30 sec) Skills warm-up: 2A. heavy bag punch/kick/knees: 3rnds (2min/1min) 2B. stretching: 3rnds (2min/1min) Hard fight training: 3A. heavy bag - full effort: 3rds (3min/1min) 3B. shadow boxing: 3rnds (3min/1min) Burnout drills: (rotated every other round with partner) 4. Hooks only. 4 rnds each (3min/30 sec) - 8 rnds total I would call combos using a 1-4 system. The guy on the bag would punch those combos out till the round ended. Then we'd swap and he'd call combos for me. 1 = left hook - head 2 = right hook - head 3 = left hook - body 4 = right hook - body This was brutal! Each combo was thrown for maximal effect. Max power...

I started this workout late, but had surprising stamina and was able to finish strong. Pullups: 8, 8 1-arm T-bar row: 35 x 20, 20 Inverted row: BW x 14 Incline bench press: 165 x 10, 10 Dips: BW x 7 Skull crusher: 85 x 10, 10 Prone raise: 20s x 10 Lateral raise: 20s x 6; 15s x 10 Incline DB curls: 20s x 16, 16, 4 EZ-bar rvs curls: 55 x 14, 14, 14

I was looking back through my blog and realized it has been 2 years since I hurt my back doing squats. That injury set me back tremendously! But as I reviewed it, I saw that I am finally back to pre-injury lower body strength! That is significant to me for a few reasons. First, I hurt myself by going too heavy too soon, and it prevented me from doing pretty much anything which caused me to carry a load on my lower back. Secondly, I was 32 then, and now I'm almost 35. If you aren't in your 30s or older, you might not realize how much you body's ability to heal and grow reduces over this time frame. In the last 2+ years, I've learned to assess my response to any given training situation as it is happening, as well as after the phase. I am as strong as I've been at any point in my life, and my cardio / stamina / anaerobic endurance is coming along well. I am suprised at the level of consistency I've achieved simply through my practice of blogging my daily/sch...

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly my legs adapt to volume, load, and intensity of effort. I'm glad these leg-dominant phases are only 3 weeks. That seems to about as long as it takes before my legs fully adapts to any given training stimulus. One more week of Phase 2. Next phase will be MUCH higher volume on squats and MUCH higher load on deadlift ! Single leg calf raise: 25 x 20, 22 (per leg) Front squat: 155 x 10, 10, 10, 10 Back squat: 165 x 20* *Back squat: this is the most I've done for 20 reps in ages!! I got dizzy, light headed, started to lose my vision, then got nauseous. I did all 20 reps without a single pause in the cadence. My legs had a bit more life left in them, but this is as much as my lower back could handle. To be safe next week, I'll only increase the load to 175, instead of 185. 185 for 20 reps might tweak my lower back again. I can't afford any setbacks now; I have too much momentum.

I'm in week 2 of phase 2. First workout felt pretty good. I won't be upping the weight for bench press or curls on Wednesday, as I just BARELY didn't quite hit rep targets. It's nice to be working to the point of failure again! Pullup: BW x 6, 6 (up 3 reps total from Wednesday) One-arm T-bar row: 30 x 18 each side (up 3 reps per arm over Wednesday) Inverted row: BW x 14 (up 2 reps) Incline bench press: 165 x 10, 8 Dips: BW x 6 (same resp as Wednesday) Skull crusher: 80 x 10, 10 Prone raise: 20s x 9 Lateral raise: 20s x 5; 15s x 11 Incline dumbbell curls: 20s x 16, 15 EZ-bar reverse curl: 50 x 14, 14, 12

I didn't jog the whole thing. My wife is still getting over her cold/congestion, so we walked about 2 miles, and then I jogged the last 3/4 to 1 mile. It wasn't much, but it was good for a day off.

I went to Main Event in Austin on Saturday night because I didn't have anything to do. I climbed for an hour, but it was pathetic. My grip was already shot from the deadlift workout. It is now Monday and my hands are still sore.

What a nice Saturday. not too hot for a change and just enough breeze to cool down the garage. The was my first deadlift workout of Phase 2. All in all, not bad for a first-run effort. Single leg donkey calf raise: BW x 30 each leg Sumo deadlift: 185 x 5; 205 x 5; 225 x 5 Snatch grip deadlift: 135 x 5; 175 x 5; 205 x 5 Short, sweet, and on target.

We had three of us today: Smitty, Brock, and me. Smitty just had a surgical procedure, so I held mitts for him. We worked many rounds of just light drills to focus on getting the techniques down. Brock worked heavy bag during this time. Altogether it was 12 rounds of 2min/30sec. After that, we did some mitt drills involving slips and counters. That was about 6 rounds of 2min/30 sec. We finished off with 4 rounds of sparring for Brock and I. We took it light and focused on him staying calm and in control during defense. Countering is one thing. Standing there and covering or blocking and staying controlled and relaxed is a whole other skill. All in all, it was a great workout.

It's too damn hot in ATX to train outside. And training outside TWICE in one day is just plain masochistic. But I got 'r done. Number weren't impressive, but getting off the sofa and into the sweltering garage at 10:00 PM is something I can be proud of. On to the numbers: Pullup: BW x 4, 5 One-arm T-bar row: 30 x 15 (each arm. left MUCh stronger than right) Inverted row: BW x 12 Incline bench press: 155 x 12, 12 Dips: BW x 6 Skull crushers: 85 x 9; 75 x 12 Prone raise*: 20s x 10 Lateral raise*: 20s x 3; 15s x 12 Incline dumbbell curls: 15s x 19, 20, 13 EZ-bar reverse curls: 45 x 16, 16, 18 Ab wheel: 14 I was gassed before I started, but it felt good to trudge through it anyway. Time for a light protein shake, a shower, and sleep.

The plan for today is more close-range fight skills and drills. We're going to to start with a light warm-up including: jump ropes: 3 mins Lateral drop stance: 1 min Burpees: 1 min That single 5 minute effort just BARELY approximates the work output of a single MMA round After that, it's on to skills and drills: Shotting in: - single leg - double leg - clinch -body lock Defense against above This should take a while and burn a significant amount of energy. After that, we'll do the heavy bag with whatever time we can afford.

This was my intro squat workout. I could have lifted more. And I will next Tuesday Single leg calf raises: 15 x 15; 20 x 15; 25 x 15 (need to finda step to work full ROM) Front squat: 135 x 10; 145 x 10; 155 x 10, 10 Back squat: 155 x 20 Next week I'll start front squats with 135 x 10, then jump to 155 x 10 and then see what I can work up to. I hope 175. I'll add 10lbs to my set of 20

I made almost all of my workouts. Granted, I had to abbreviate some due to fatigue or schedule, but that is much better than skipping entirely. Here are some observations about the good, bad and unrelated. Recap on phase 1 design: -Three weight workouts per week, Mon-Wed-Fri. The movements were the same for each workout -Two fight training workouts on Tue-Thu. Fight training was a mix of skills&drills and conditioning -Weight workout set x rep scheme wk1: predominantly 2 x 12 wk2: predominantly 2 x 10 wk8: predominantly 2 x 8 Observations: The good. My conditioning improved dramatically in the three week period. Sticking with the same volume of work from workout to workout was a great way to acclimate. My rest periods naturally got shorter and my systemic fatigue at the end of each workout was much less at the end of the phase than the start. My strength improved through the two-fold load increases. Adding 5-10 pounds from workout to workout, and the weekly reduction in ...