Becoming an Athlete

And I'm not talking about weights. Workload has been hellacious. I'm not saying I have worse than anyone else out there; just its been an atypical load, so my routine / schedule has been off. I have been staying up too late to wake up at 5:00 AM, and too busy during the day and early evening to train much at all. I did manage to squeeze in a strength session just now. Walking lunges: BW x 10 each; 65lb barbell x 6 each Bulgarian squats: BW x 12 ea; 20s x 10ea Squat: 185 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 Supine grip pulldown*: 1-2-3-4-5-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4 (45 total) Bench press: 195 x 5, 5, 5 Overhead press: 135 x 5, 5, 5 Dumbbell shrug: 70 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 Deadlift: 275 x 12 (stick with this weight all next week) Nothing fancy, and not even that heavy, but up from Monday. Given the lack of sleep and crappy diet, I'm not too worried about it. Next week will be better.

My back is pretty solid, so I'm resuming squats. Conditioning I started with an easy barbell complex just to get warmed up and primed. A. Clean: 95 x 5, 5, 5 B. Thruster: 95 x 5, 5, 5 C. FBGM: 95 x 5, 5, 5 D. Bent row: 95 x 5, 5, 5 Strength work: Squat*: 185 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 (easy on legs, taxing on back) Bench press: 185 x 5, 5, 5 (easy) Make-shift chin-up ladders**: 1-2-3-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-1-2-3 Overhead press: 135 x 5, 5, 4 Dumbbell shrug: 65s x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 Deadlift: 225 x 15 (EASY) *Squat: I am going to start adding in some high volume pre-exhaust before squats to add more leg volume, and to ensure the loading on squats is light enough for my lower back. **Make-shift chin-ups: There is still no chin-up bar at my gym. I used a rope grip thrown over the square-frame bar on the cable stacks. After a while, I just grabbed the square bar. Both options taxed my grip more than my lats.

Well, I'm back to trying to get my lazy butt out of bed at 5:00 AM for some 5:30 AM Fasted Cardio. Dr. Lonnie Lowery wrote an excellent article on the benefits of fasted cardio. Keep in mind this is true sub-aerobic fat-burning cardio. it won't make you faster, it is slow going for an hour. What it will do is preferentially target stored fat for energy and leave enough in the tank for strength training or conditioning later in the day. Today I got in 40 minutes of walking-jogging.

The weather just keeps getting more perfect for our outdoor training group. We turned up the intensity dial, as well as the specificity. Sport Specificity is essentially training in a manner specific to the sport or event you participate in. While many of the attendees are still in the general preparation stage, it's a good idea to gradually introduce sport specific training. The Warm-up: Two circuits of: Squat x 10 Push-up x 10 Sprawl x 10 Plank x 30sec After that, a nice stretching sequence of: Down dog - Cobra - Inch Worm - Front split (or lunge) left Down dog - Cobra - Inch Worm - Front split (or lunge) right The Build-up: Since the workout was much tougher, we cut back on the build-ups. Build-ups are done 20 yard drill + 20 yard run walking lunge + run x 1 high knee + run x 2 A-skip + run x 2 Accellerations x 3 The Workout: I introduced everyone to my favorite and yet most hated workout. I call it Countdown From Hell. 3 movements done in circuit fashion. Each time thr...

We had work events that went well into the evening on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Thursday had me going to a half-day work meeting followed by school function for my kids that night. I haven't trained since Monday, and my diet has been attrocious. I've eaten whatever has been presented to me. I had no more than a single alcoholic drink at each of the work evening events. Granted, 1 drink a night isn't bad for you, but it is more than I normally have. I'm physically and mentally drained from the schedule this week, but we have a group workout on Saturday morning. I can't wait to sweat this garbage out.

Let me start by saying Sunday, 20 MAR, was freaking awesome. The whole family went out to a park. My wife did the Countdown From Hell workout with a 35lb dumbbell and finished in 7:33. While that was going on, I was pitching balls to my son. I got him a Louisville Slugger from Wal-Mart, and we've already gotten our $15 worth. :) Later, I played on the playscape with my daughter, then helped her whittle a stick with the knife I got her for Christmas. THAT is a great day off! On to the workout. My work schedule is going to be jam packed, so I crammed in a lot into today's workout. Conditioning: Partial Countdown: a. T-bell swing: 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 b. Goblet squat: 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 Strength Work: Since the conditioning was so leg / hip dominant, I did the workout in reverse. Incline db bench press: 55s x 8, 8, 8, 8 Neutral grip pulldown: 140 x 8, 8, 8 Rope grip seated row: 90 x 8, 8, 8 FBGM: 95 x 8, 8, 8 Leg press: 330 x 15, 15, 15 I am wobbly, and I don't mean just my legs....

I can tell my rehab stage is over. I didn't make it to the gym on Friday. I had the day off, so I took the kids to the rodeo. We walked all over and rode so many rides and played so many games. My favorite ride was the mechanical bull. I only did it once, and I OWNED it! I must have stayed on for 20 to 30 seconds. My the time I fell, my right hand grip was shot and the insides of my legs were bruised to hell. I had to stretch out a good bit this morning to loosen up. I've never worked my hip adductors like THAT before! Today was a great workout. I got in some pullups and broke out the Ghetto-bell for some conditioning. Pull-up ladder: 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4: 30 reps total 63lb T-bell Countdown, untimed a. Swing: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 b. Goblet squat: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 c. Sprawl: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 This countdown is my all-time favorite. In addition to the getting gassed with the weight on the 1st 2 moves, the sprawls completely disrupt your breathing, so you ne...

I'm still lifting just three times a week, starting with complexes (and cardio when I have time). Today was no different. Everything is still progressing nicely. Dumbbell Complex: Start with left arm. Perform all reps for A before proceeding to B and so on. When complete, rest as little as possible and do it again but with your right arm. Twice through per arm. a. Turkish get-up: 30 x 5, 5, 5, 5 b. 1-arm snatch: 30 x 8, 8, 8, 8 c. 1-arm arc row: 30 x 8, 8, 8, 8 d. Cross-body hammer curl: 30 x 8, 8, 8, 8 e. 2-arm dumbbell swing: 30 x 8, 8, 8, 8 Strength Work: FBGM: 85 x 10, 10, 10 Leg press: 270 x 20, 20, 20 Rope grip row: 75 x 12, 12, 12 Neutral grip pulldown: 130 x 10, 10, 10 Incline db bench press: 50s x 12, 12, 12, 2 Down and dirty. Gettin the job done. I'll go for max reps on Friday, and then increase the load to sets of 8 on Monday.

I was pressed for time on Monday, so I skipped the 5-15 mins of cardio Dumbbell Complex: This is a nice change from barbell complexes because the load is lighter and the range of motion only limited by your creativity. This particular complex was one of the more gruelling that I have done. I did 4 sets total; two for left arm and two for right. One complete set for my left, then right, then left again, then right again. a. Turkish get-up: 30 x 5, 5, 5, 5 b. 1-arm snatch: 30 x 8, 8, 8, 8 c. 1-arm arc-row: 30 x 8, 8, 8, 8 d. 1-arm Cross-body hammer curl: 30 x 8, 8, 8, 8 e. Two-arm dumbbell swing: 30 x 8, 8, 8, 8 Strength work: I'm still sticking with 3 full-body workouts a week, but this is the last week of 10-12 rep range. I am done rehabbing and can tell my back and hamstring are ready to get pushed a bit harder. FBGM: 75 x 12, 12, 12 Leg press: 270 x 18, 18, 20 Rope grip row: 75 x 12, 12, 12 Neutral grip pulldown: 120 x 12, 11, 12 Incline db bench press: 50s x 10, 10, 10, 1...

I LOVE working with new people. It is such a good feeling to know that our group are training the right priorities, and making weekly progress. Today's workout was mostly a baseline of where we are at. We started with a normal warm-up, then got baselines described below, and ended with a unilateral dumbbell complex to drive stability and mobility. Warm-up: Dynamic yoga sequences (warrior pose, forward folds, inchworms, etc.) Two rounds of a warm-up circuit a. Squat x 10 b. Sprawl x 10 c. Pushup x 10 d. plank from elbows x 30sec 1 lap warm-up jog Baselining: - Max reps in 1 minute of Air squat Pushup Situp - Timed 400 meter run The 400 is the WORST feeling ever. Mercifully, my hamstring is still preventing me from running, so I got off easy. Strength work: Turkish get-ups: 3 sets of 5 reps per side I wanted this to be part of the complex, but we'll have to coach it a bit more before everyone can handle this movement under the fatigue imposed by complexes Simplified 3-movem...

One week in and I'm feeling great. Starting with cardio and complexes add a huge metabolic bang to the workout without much additional time. Warm-up: 5 mins on treadmill @3.8mph / 6 degree incline Barbell complex: a. SGHP: 65 x 6, 6, 6 b. Hang snatch: 65 x 6, 6, 6 c. Thruster: 65 x 6, 6, 6 d. Bent row: 65 x 6, 6, 6 Strength work: FBGM: 75 x 10, 10, 10 Leg press: 250 x 20, 20, 20 Rope grip row: 75 x 12, 12, 11 Neutral grip pulldown: 120 x 10, 10, 10 Incline db bp: 45s x 12, 12, 12 Not too shabby. I know the weights are light, but starting light and making session to session progress (reps first, then weight) for as long as possible is the way to make consistent gains.

I'm down 10 pounds total. I lost 6 lbs the first week, and 4 pounds this week. progress thus far: 2/20: 224lbs 2/28: 218lbs 3/11: 214lbs At this rate, I should be sub 200 in 3 more weeks; 4 at the most. Once I hit 199, I'll go on a strength quest. I just want to be lean to start with.

I try to get an hour of cardio in on Thursdays, but having a sick kid made that impossible. I picked my son up from school around 11:30AM, and it was all I could do to stay on top of work and him. So late last night I got in 12 rounds on the heavy bag; 3min on, 1min off. I didn't start with my prefered method of progressive warm-up. Time was a premium, so I just jumped into bag work, and used the 1st 3 rounds as warm-up. I started with a few rounds of straight punches, working into hooks. Then I added in elbows and started really smashing the bag with each punch. There is NOTHING as satisfying to me in boxing than landing a all strikes, including the lowly jab, with equal formidability. I then started on kicks, just circling the bag and delivering low-line rear (right) and lead (left) kicks. Then I started working in some TKD-style snap kicks to sharpen my range and flexibility. After that, I went all out: punches, elbows, forearms, knees, kicks. 3 rounds of that and I w...

I can't follow a M-W-F whole body routine forever, but there is something nice and reassuring ab out the simplicity and repetitive nature of these workouts. I know I'm only 2 workouts in, so maybe I'll feel different after 2 months!!! Warm-up: 5 minutes, 3.8 mph @ 5degree incline Barbell complex: A) SGHP: 60 x 6, 6, 6 B) Hang snatch 60 x 6, 6, 6 C) Thruster 60 x 6, 6, 6 D) Bent row 60 x 6, 6, 6 Strength work: FBGM: 65 x 12, 12, 12 Leg press: 250 x 18, 18, 18 Rope grip row: 75 x 12, 11, 11 Neutral grip pulldown: 100 x 12; 110 x 12, 12 Incline bench dumbbell press: 45 x 12, 12, 12, 9 The complexes are great. I can tell I'm adapting to it quickly, though. Next week I'll switch to a dumbbell complex that will involve a lot of unilateral work. These subtle changes will keep me interested and progressing on such a simple plan. Meals: 8:00 AM: 4 eggs cooked in olive oil 11:00 AM: 2 bowls of homemade pasta salad (with lots of turkey sausage) ...

Meals were light today, but all very good for me. No junk whatsoever. I did an hour of cardio this evening. My hamstring is still on the mend, so no running for me yet. My meals consisted of a low carb protein shake for breakfast, salad and chicken strips for lunch, a few cashews (maybe 1/3 cup) for snack, and some grilled vegetables and chicken for dinner. Everything was home made by me, so no crazy additives or preservatives.

Man, I am so tired of these setbacks for 2011. My hernia, hurt back, and then a pulled hamstring. I gave the ham a week off and I'm back at it with lower than usual intensity, but mich higher frequency. I'm keeping things light and simple. Monday was the first real workout in a week. *Warm-up: 15 minutes on treadmill @3.7mph and 5 degree incline **Prep Complex: A) Sumo grip high pull: 55 x 6, 6, 6 B) Hang snatch: 55 x 6, 6, 6 C) Thruster: 55 x 6, 6, 6 D) Bent row: 55 x 6, 6, 6 Strength work: Flat back goodmorning: 55 x 10, 12, 12 (rehab loading) leg press: 180 x 20; 230 x 18, 21 (rehab loading) Rope grip cable row: 75 x 10, 10, 10 Neutral grip pulldown: 100 x 10, 10, 10 Incline dumbbell bench press: 55s x 10, 7; 45s x 10, 10 *Warm-up: I'm going to start every workout with 10-15 minutes of cardio. Right now I am more concerned with getting some general conditioning back, so it doesn't matter if 15 minutes of cardio forces me to use slightly lighter weights later i...