Becoming an Athlete

Because I pulled my hamstring on Saturday, I'll be taking it easy this week. Just dips and pullups. I can't even walk without a laughable hobble. I went to a friends birthday party on Saturday night and had the comical experience of having to walk down 5 flights of stairs and 2 blocks to the location, then back up 5 flights. My right leg was essentially useless. It was a funny sight. Monday morning weigh-in 218. Down 6 pounds since last week. Not too shabby! I'll be spot-on with my diet this week, as I am not able to train with any degree of intensity

What an awesome morning. 5 of us met up at 7:30 AM for the first group workout of the season. We are getting Ready for Warrior Dash and Hell Run. Both of these events are about 5K (3.2miles) and have numerous obstacles. The progression we are following is for people who haven't done much running in a while. We are building up to greater distances, but starting with speed, agility, and muscular endurance. If you follow the blog, you'll see the progression over time. The warm-up: 1. Two rounds of: Air squat x 10 push-up x 10 sprawls x 10 plank hold x 30seconds 2. two rounds of: Down dog x 20seconds Cobra x 20 seconds Inch worm Right leg front split x 20 seconds Down dog x 20seconds Cobra x 20 seconds Inch worm Right leg front split x 20 seconds The build-up: Build ups are a great way to get your body progressively more ready for a full sprint effort. We stick with a tried and true 20yard + 20 yard format: Walking lunge + jog x 2 High knee + hard run x 2 Plyo skips x hard...

What is it about being too busy that makes you decide to take on more? Well, that's where I'm at. My wife and I started our own company, and we are chasing our passion. We love training. For sport, for specific events, for looks, for fun. She will be leaving her day-job soon to conduct boot-camps locally. With our shared experience in combative sports, plus a passion for learning as much as we can about this field, we hope to be able to bring about positive changes in the people we work with. Our LLC is in place as of 12/29/2010, and we just met with the Graphic Designer and are days away from the real logo. Website is in testing mode. It'll be just another week or 10 days, tops, before we hit the market. So we are chasing down all the little things that go into starting your own business, while still keeping up with our training and competitive hobbies. My buddy Brian (blogger of Suprafitness) and I have decided we are in a race to 199 lbs. We are damn near identical in we...

I wanted to run at 5:30, but the slight drop in temp was all the excuse I needed to put it off till 9:00. The results: 1/2 mile walk to the park 3 laps jog on the track at the park = ~1/2mile Sprints: 8 x 75 yards (using my best estimate as nothing is marked) 1 lap hard run = ~250-300 yards 1/2 mile walk back home

I was stiff from the weekend. And I can tell I'm still getting rid of the cobwebs that formed over winter, but all in all, not a bad workout. Flat back goodmorning: 65 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 (still in rehab mode) Max reps in 10mins of: a. Alternating jump lunges: 80 total b. Dips*: 40 total Max reps in 10 mins of: a. Twisting situp: 60 total b. Alternating dumbbell curls: 100 reps @ 25lbs each (need to increase to 30lbs) 17 minutes on treadmill @ 4.5 mph Like I said, I'm still in rehab mode and can tell I've gotten weaker, but it's coming back fast. *Dips: Holy crap! I remember being able to do 15 or 20 at a time. I could barely muster 5 at a time last night. I need to keep on these.

I was a busy guy this weekend. My wife was on a business trip for most of the week, so it was just me and the kids. I did a fair job of training while they were at school, but wasn't able to run in the mornings before taking them to school. This weekend I ripped out carpet, replaced a 12' section of the wood fence, gutted the downstairs bathroom and fixed a leak, and then went to my sister's place to hang a storm door for her. I then loaded it all up and took it to the dump. I still managed to take my wife and kids out to Lake Pflugerville; she got in a workout, and the kids and I rode our bikes. 3 miles on a bike is not exactly a workout, but it was fun to see my kids pushing themselves.

Today was a sort of anti-interval jog. I used my round timer and did a total of 15 low-intensity rounds: 3 minutes jogging 1 minute walking I never got winded, and my legs held up fine, but my feet are sore. I could have done it a bit faster, but I had my dog with me, and had to take him to the truck after the first 5K loop. He got a nice break at the beach before I put him in the truck. Barring any injuries, I should be able to jog a 10K without any breaks in as little as 3 weeks. Maybe I should time myself in the 5K next weekend. As sore as my feet are, this weekend might be too soon. Can't wait for 2nd round of Density Training tonight!

What I mean by stability is correctness of posture (specific to position, not just standing), and the ability to maintain that posture while under a load. Absence of this quality is what leads to injuries, my injury included. The way I train this quality is through static and slow tempo movements designed to tax my core, as well as supporting muscles around my shoulder joints, etc. Dynamic warm-up: Lots of movements I picked up from martial arts which raise your temp and loosen you hams, groin , shoulders, neck, etc. Anything works, really. Windshield wipers: 2 x 10 A great way to loosen the spine and increase range of motion. Marginally works the obliques. Windmills: 10 each direction Another good way to work the rotational capability of your spine, but with more torso & upper spine focus than windshield wipers. Down dog / Cobra / Forward fold transitions: 3 x 30sec each The is great at stretching your entire body, and creating a natural posture, free of kyphosis or lordosis. Plan...

Another round of fasted cardio. This one was lower volume, lower duration, and higher effort. I warmed up with a 1/2 mile walk, followed by a 1/2 mile jog. After that, it was on the workout: 4 x 500 (using my block as a measure, slightly longer than 1/4 mile). Man, I could really feel my hip flexors from the squat jumps yesterday, and my feet and calves from Monday's cardio session. Not too bad, though. I on;y rested 90 seconds between laps. 10 x 40 yard hill sprints My calves were on fire by this point. I finished just fine, but am glad that I am not running tomorrow morning.

What a great day! I started it out right, kept it up all day long, and ended it right. AM: Fasted Cardio I did 1 hour of cardio before my first meal of the day. Before heading out the door, I had a simple supplement drink which contains 2 grams of L-leucine. I used my fight training round timer to break the run. 3 minutes of walking/jogging, followed by 30 seconds of top speed 100% effort sprint. Using this method, I covered just under 5 miles. Since I was walking the majority of the time, that means I was really flying (by my standards) during the 30 second efforts. Density Training* This is far and away the fastest way to shed body fat, improve your anaerobic endurance, and get "The Fit Look". I haven't trained in about two weeks, and still managed to beat my numbers. Block 1: 10 minutes of a) Squat jumps = 95 total reps b) Neutral grip pulldown = 60 total reps @ 130lbs Block 2: 10 minutes of a) Push-ups = 65 total reps b) Hanging leg raise = 70 total reps Rehab work: F...

Man, it is tough as heck to pull yourself up out of a pit. The fact of the matter is you need help. I've been stuck in a pit for a few weeks. I had a series of minor obstacles that I convinved myself to see as barriers. Thanks to a lot of prayer, and wisdom and perspective of some very powerful speakers, I am back where I thrive: positive mental outlook and ready to watch the gap between my expectations / potenial and capabilites shrink. I have always seen my potential as the measure by which my capabilities should be judged. Am I at my best? That's a good way to see things, but sometimes it's daunting. I tend to overlook the growth and see the journey yet to go. Like I said, I'm back in the game and started the morning off right. I'll post my day's workout later, after I finish the 2nd portion.

Dammit. I can deny it off no longer. My umbilical hernia is hurting and getting worse. Nothing trajic yet, but it sure is holding me back. I'm getting it looked at in a week. Here's what I've been doing to keep myself occupied. Saturday / Sunday: 2/5 & 2/6 More tilling. This is no easy task. Using a pitch fork for a few hours is good labor! Monday: Easy bike ride; maybe 5 miles