Becoming an Athlete

Another great day.  It's still week 1 of phase 2, so the weights are still conservative, but the conditioning is KILLER, but in small doses. warm-up complex: a. bent row:  95 x 5, 5, 5 b. Romanian deadlift:  95 x 5, 5, 5 c. Hang clean:  95 x 5, 5, 5 d. Front squat:  95 x 5, 5, 5 e. Overhead press:  95 x 5, 5, 5 Neutral grip pullup:  5 sets x 4+10sec negative Overhead press:  95x10; 105x8; 115x6; 125x6 Tiny Metcon: 5 mins max rounds of a. dip x 5 (hard after all the OHPs) b. hanging leg raise x10 c. kipping pullup x 5 total:  3 rounds, with 17 seconds left

WOW!  Hard hard work today.  My spinal erectors are still yelling at me.  My MetCon was supposed to be done with my 73lb T-bell, but mercifully, I forgot to take it to the gym.  :) All weights were easy and just break-in weights Kettlebell get ups: 5 mins with 25lb kettlebell Deadlift: 225x10; 245x8; 265x6; 275x6 Back squat:  135x15; 185x10  (lower back on fire by 2nd set) MetCon:  max rounds in 5 mins of: 1-arm KB swing:  35 x 10 per arm KB goblet squat:  35 x 10 Sprawl:   x 10 completed 2 rounds That little MetCon kicked my ass.

Well, I have decided to change my focus a bit.  I need more leg volume, and the only way to get that is to train separately from upper body.  I'm still going to be hammering the conditioning, and will get sufficient direct arm work, but abandoning the abs / arms days. New schedule: Monday: Deadlift day start with 5 mins kettlebell get-ups deadlift:  strength focused back squat:  few sets, high reps conditioning focus on Swings, Goblet squats, Sprawls Tuesday: Overhead pressing start with simple barbell complex overhead press:  strength focused chin up Conditioning: Dips, kips, leg raises Arm density set Thursday: Squat day Start with 5 mins kettbell get-ups front squat:  strength focused back squat:  few sets, high reps conditioning: Swings, situps, jumps, med balls Friday: Horizontal pressing start with simple complex incline dumbbell bench press:  strength focused t-bar row:  strength focused Conditio...

I went to the gym saturday morning to play around a bit.  All told, it was a good time, and was maybe even productive. Stretching in sauna:  10 mins various floor stretches:  10 mins Hang clean: 135 x 1,1,1,1,1;  155 x 1,1,1,1,1; 165 x 1,1,1,1,1; 185 x 1,1,1,1,1 Close grip snatch:  95 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 Full snatch from floor:  95 x 1,1,1,1,1; 105 x 1,1,1,1,1; 115 x 1,1,1,1,1 Snatch + High pull + jump shrug:  115 x 3+3+5, 3+3+5, 3+3+5 Foam rolling:  10 mins, but it felt like 10192346987 hours

I am steadily progressing towards Highland Games competition season.  One of my goals for this year is to devote the proper amount of time to conditioning.  I saw my photos from Nov 2012, and my gut was entirely too big for my kilt!!!! The plan thus far has been working well. Completed Phase 1:  Hypertrophy (muscle growth) phase 6 weeks duration lower % of 1RM 8 - 12 rep range Higher volume marginal weekly variety Phase 2:  Strength and conditioning 6 weeks duration working as high as 85% of 1RM 6 - 10 rep range movement-pattern specific MetCons at end of each session Sample Phase 2 training session: warm-up:  3 mins jump rope Front squat:  10,8,6,8,6 (wave loading) Overhead press: 10,8,6,8,6 (wave loading) Chin-up:  5 x max reps MetCon:  max rounds in 10 mins of: a. alternating jump lunges x 10 b. dips x 10 c. squat jump x 10 d. kipping pullup x 10 A Note On MetCons: One of my complains against CrossFit is the over a...

late night workout.  Not the best, but better than skipping. lots of various ab machines:  9 total sets arm superset: a. barbell curl: 50 x 10 x 10 b. skull crusher:  50 x 10 x10 

I was stiff, sore, and felt "heavy".  Instead of running intervals, I went to the gym and spend about 45 minutes in the hot tub.  I stretched everything, and then cooled down in the pool. By the time I got home, I was utterly relaxed.  I slept like a baby last night

Title should read Weak 6.  That's how I felt on Monday evening -weak. incline dumbbell press:  50x12; 60x10; 70x8; 55x12; 65x6; 75x5 bench press:  145 x 10, 10, 10 t-bar row:  70x12; 80x10; 90x8; 75x12; 85x10; 95x8 prone fly:  12.5 x 10, 10, 7, 8 leg press machine (squat racks unavailable):  130x15; 150x15; 170x15; 190x15; 210x15; 230x15; 250 x 21!!!

How the heck did that happen?  I missed Wednesday because I worked late.  Then the next thing I know - it is Monday morning. Well, I'm going to do Friday's workout today, 18 FEB, and push the weights as far as I can.  Same for Wednesday and Friday. After this week, I'm on to phase II, which will bump my schedule to 4 days of lifting per week, and incorporate small doses of MetCons.  I'm ready to feel more athletic again, and start getting a little lighter.

Simple low intensity intervals. 8 rounds at level 1 2min walk 30 sec run Afterwards, I shot my 83# recurve and did great up to 30 yards.

I am rapidly hitting the wall on overhead press.  everything else is progressing nicely.  I'm glad next week is the last week of this phase. squat:  45x15; 95x15; 135x10; 175x12; 215x10; 235x8; 255x8 Bulgarian squat: =10lb x 10/10, 10/10, 10/10 overhead press:  95x12; 105x10; 115x8; 100x12; 110x0 (zero); 125x7 lateral raises:  12.5s x 10,10,10,10 V-grip pulldown:  100x12; 115x10; 130x8; 115x12; 130x10; 145x8 behind neck pulldown:  100 x 10,10,10,10

I started a day early with some low intensity cardio before church. 10 rounds of LIIT - level 0 3 min walk 30 second hard run Level 0 is a 1-to-6 work-to-rest ratio.  I'm ready to step up to Level 1: 1-to-4 (30 sec run / 2 min walk).

I went hog hunting again, this time with two 5-gallon buckets of corn soaking in a variety of fruit and fruit-flavored beverages.  Each bucket weighed just over 40lbs.  The walk to the ground blind was right at 800 yards.   My traps are aching today.  Not sure I would have been able to draw my bow if I even saw a pig - just kidding. But yeah - my traps hurt.

I count Thursday's ride to the park and Follow The Ninja-Leader as wk4-d4. Friday's workout: 5mins on treadmill: 3.5pmh / 5 degrees incline dumbbell press:  50x12; 55x10; 60x8; 55x12; 60x10; 65x8 bench press:  165 x 10, 10 T-bar row: 70x12; 80x10; 90x8; 75x12; 85x10; 95x8 Prone fly:  12s x 10, 10, 10, 10 Sumo deadlift: 185x12; 205 x 10; 225x8; 245x8

That's a game I made for me and my kids when they were tiny.  I'd climb all over the playscape of any park we were at, and hop from structure to structure and they'd try to follow.  I have always been age-appropriate with the little "stunts"; just enough to get my son and daughter to demonstrate a touch of agility and balance. Today the student became the master. My son is just about 10 now and was hopping from precipice to precipice, weaving himself through the monkey bars, and dancing across pipes 6 feet in the air like the gravity defying offspring of a  professional Parkour athlete and a billy goat!  Thrice I said "I'm not doing that". But hey, time marches on and you take pride in seeing your kids excel even as your youth fades.  And truth be told, I can still do more playground stunts, and display more mobility ad agility than most guys my age, and nearly all men at my weight.

Short, hard, to the point.  In and out in 40 minutes TRX oblique thingy:  BW x 10/10, 15/15 TRX assisted V-up:  BW x 10/10, 8/8 wanted to do woodchoppers or weighted decline situps, but all stations were in use.  :( Arms 10 x 10 superset a. barbell curl:  45 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 b. skull crusher:  45 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 Sets 8 through 10 were PAINFUL!!!!!!  My arms hurt from the middle of the workout to the next day (as I type this).

3.2 mile walk with my dog. Great weather.  Legs heavy from Bulgarian squats on Monday

Awesome is in tha house! squat:  barx15; 135x15; 175x12; 205x10; 225x8; 245x8 Bulgarian squat: BW x 10/10; 5lb x 10/10, 10/10 V-grip pulldown: 85x12; 100x10; 115x8; 10030x8 behind neck pulldown:  85x10; 100x10, 10, 10 overhead press:  90x12; 100x10; 110x8; 95x12; 105x10; 115x8 lateral raise:  12sx 10, 10, 10, 10

2 hours of throwing and some conditioning.  As usual, the tire sled smoked everyone.  :) standing put:  12 lbs warm up - maybe a dozen throws standing put:  16 lbs - maybe a dozen throws Open Stone:  16 lbs - another dozen or so throws Light weight for distance: 24lbs - probably a couple dozen attempts Weight over bar:  46lbs - maybe a dozen throws till it broke.  :( Conditioning: Sled drag:  30 second sprint with 65lbs (my son got to ride in the tire), walk back Sled drag: 30 second sprint with 110lbs (my son + 45lb plate), walk back Atlas stone clean and press:  2 reps.  I was totally smoked.

More solid work.  I skipped the squats because of the Saturday Highland games practice we had lined up. warm-up:  5 mins on treadmill @ 3.5mph/5degrees incline dumbbell bench press:  45x12; 50x10; 55x8; 50x12; 55x10; 60x8 bench press:  155 x 5, 5, 5 t-bar row: 55x12; 65x10; 75x8; 60x12; 70x10; 80x8 prone raise:  12s x 10, 10, 8, 8