Becoming an Athlete

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