....so I have been kinda sluggish and seem to be getting a bit tired right dab in the middle of the afternoon, which is extremely unusual for me, and today was a pretty 'no rush' kinda day. Take my time with the cycle I'm working on, take my time rolling to and from lunch with the crew, take my time driving back to the pad, take my time reading up on a few things, take my time changing, take my time driving to the gym...hell I was going like 3 miles under the speed limit.
It's been this way for a little over a week now, and I've been wracking the ole melon trying to figure it out. Lack of sleep? I've been staying up a bit later than normal, getting up at the usual time. Might be it. The almighty 'seasonal depression' famous to those of us who live in the PNW? (that's Pacific NorthWest if you're not local-ish and don't know). Well I've been guilty of a little slow down in the past, could be that too. Fighting a cold or other body invasion? Feel fantastic outside of being a bit run down and tired, so that's not it for sure.
Well then I read Seth's latest post, and I think I've got it figured. Caloric deficit. I've been cutting the intake, dropped a good portion of my carbs, hell I cut flour down to a bare minimum, and have upped my protein. Well processing proteins and converting them to muscle tissue forces the body to work a bit harder than using carbs and fats as an energy source. Yup, pretty sure that's it...I'm not about to jump into carb loading phase, but I may change some of my food choices now and again to keep the fuel tank a bit fuller, but I will say I am noticing a physical change...and like Seth says, 'change is good'.
So today I even took the workout a bit slower, longer breaks between sets and exercises.
240 reps - 36 mins
Leg domination day - 4 exercises 2 sets each.
Lying leg press - back rest reclined completely to make sure my range of motion is extreme
270 x 30
450 x 30
Seated Leg Extentions
70 x 30
85 x 30
Straight legged dumbbell deadlifts
40 x 30
40 x 30
Seated Leg Curls
70 x 30
90 x 30
A bit lighter than I'm used to but still left the gym feeling like I need to yak...so overall a solid workout.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
My Legs They Are Sausages
So I wore gear for the first time ever tonight. I figure if I'm going to compete in strongman, I may as well get every advantage I can.
My legs looked like two hairy sausages, except for the areas that the suit ripped the hair off of. That kinda hurt.
My legs looked like two hairy sausages, except for the areas that the suit ripped the hair off of. That kinda hurt.
Also apparently the camera adds 10 pounds to my stomach as well as my bald spot...
A1. Deadlift
B1. Snatch
A1. Deadlift
8 x 135#
5 x 225#
3 x 275#
1 x 315# suit on, straps down
1 x 365 straps down
2 x 0 x 405# straps up- suit was biting hard on my right side, and with the straps upit was way harder to get down to the bar
2 x 0 x 405# straps down. This is hard.
1 x 405# straps down woooooooo
1 x 405# straps up bigger woooooooo
B1. Snatch
4 x 45#
2 x 65#
2 x 85#
1 x 105#
1 x 120#
1 x 135#
.5 x 135# I got under it but couldn't stand it up
.5 x 135# I got under it but lost my balance
.5 x 135# I got under it but lost my balance
1 x 135#
.5 x 135# I got under it but couldn't stand it up
Overall a great day in the gym. Jessica PR'd her geared squat at 325# and made it look easy!
I'm gonna look into maybe squat briefs for squatting, and see if they help at all with deadlifting. For now I'll keep learning the suit.
Video after the jump, be warned that I am a shirtless fatty in the deadlift suit. Watch at your own risk :)
I'm leaving the darkside upside down
Change. As alot of you are probably aware, it's been at the forefront of my thoughts for quite some time now, and it shows no signs of stopping. I don't say that like it's a bad thing, I love change. I learned years and years ago that change is something to be embraced, to the point where with me, I've noticed it just happens. I don't even really think of it as change, just as what I'm doing now. But when I stop and think, like I did today and now, I have to say life's about to change again. I feel like I'm surrounded by people who are changing the world around them and by association, I am too. It's a good feeling, because so far it's all been for the better. There's one more major change on the books, which I should know more about by the end of the coming week. I'm excited.
Yes, I do believe it's time for a fresh start
You know, I used to give everyone good frying pans as housewarming gifts, because really, you can make almost anything with a good frying pan. I think I'm going to start including a good stick blender and a slow cooker in my housewarming packages, because well...they're both awesome. Seriously, i can put 12, count them, 12, pounds of chicken breasts in my slow cooker (3 bags). That's like a week's worth of pulled chicken. How awesome is that? Hmm...you know, maybe i'll make it a Magic Bullet instead of a stick blender, methinks the laykitchenperson could do just as well with one of those.
Cut calories are starting to affect, deadlifts were really hard today. Of course, my upper body still screaming from all the striking we did saturday may be partially to blame too :) Man...i feel wrecked but so alive. For the past 9 months, I've felt like my life was just almost where I wanted it to be. Methinks after this week, it will be!
Today's TrainingTune: Upsidedown - Lacuna Coil
Yes, I do believe it's time for a fresh start
You know, I used to give everyone good frying pans as housewarming gifts, because really, you can make almost anything with a good frying pan. I think I'm going to start including a good stick blender and a slow cooker in my housewarming packages, because well...they're both awesome. Seriously, i can put 12, count them, 12, pounds of chicken breasts in my slow cooker (3 bags). That's like a week's worth of pulled chicken. How awesome is that? Hmm...you know, maybe i'll make it a Magic Bullet instead of a stick blender, methinks the laykitchenperson could do just as well with one of those.
Cut calories are starting to affect, deadlifts were really hard today. Of course, my upper body still screaming from all the striking we did saturday may be partially to blame too :) Man...i feel wrecked but so alive. For the past 9 months, I've felt like my life was just almost where I wanted it to be. Methinks after this week, it will be!
- Jumping Jacks: 1x50
- Deadlift: 275 5x5
- Sumo Deadlift: 225 4x8
- Romanian Deadlift: 185 3x12
- Pushup: 4x25
- Bodyweight Squat: 5x20
- Crunch: 4x25
- Bodyweight Jump Squat: 5x10
- Plank: 60sec
- Bodyweight Lunge: 5x10
- Jumping Jacks: 1x50
Thursday, January 26, 2012
the creation...
When push comes to push harder, you pretty much only have one choice, and that's push harder. Otherwise you just don't get anywhere. I sort of wonder how I'm going to have changed physically after 3 months of this Crosspit madness, I really haven't done anything like this since back in the old days of Capoeira. It's funny because I'm waking up feeling that way, and I haven't felt that way in years. Maybe it means I'm doing work again, which is awesome. I'm getting ready to really tweak it to the bone in February and see how low I can go while still maintaining. I'm going to cut but not quit training martial arts this time, which means I won't be able to cut as hard as I'm used to, but it'll be a fun experiment methinks.
You know, one of the things I've noticed/come to realize/inferred/not really sure which is that for in the world of any sort of pursuit that requires mental effort, e.g. software development, game development, any sort of academia, it's all about marketing. Puffing yourself up and telling the world how fucking smart you are, oh look at the big brain on me. Honestly, that's the thing I've hated most about being in game development, is having to get good at self-promotion to get anywhere, or at least to keep moving up the pay scale. Once all the false trappings that are the current social structure fall way, you know after the EMP or the Zombie apocalypse, or hopefully both, then what? My big brain and self promotion aren't worth a damn...
Fuck your GDC Talks, I'll eat the shit out of you...
I think this is one of the things I come to appreciate about good martial artists, that humility. It reminds me that I need to be more humble, and it drives me to step away from the things that I feel are keeping me from being humble. I'm doing two more GDC presentations, and then I'm done. No more self-promotion, no more marketing, none of that. Just gonna bury my head in a computer for 8 hours a day, then train and be humble. I'll be much happier for sure.
Warmup:
Today's TrainingTune: Kabalah - Astral Projection
You know, one of the things I've noticed/come to realize/inferred/not really sure which is that for in the world of any sort of pursuit that requires mental effort, e.g. software development, game development, any sort of academia, it's all about marketing. Puffing yourself up and telling the world how fucking smart you are, oh look at the big brain on me. Honestly, that's the thing I've hated most about being in game development, is having to get good at self-promotion to get anywhere, or at least to keep moving up the pay scale. Once all the false trappings that are the current social structure fall way, you know after the EMP or the Zombie apocalypse, or hopefully both, then what? My big brain and self promotion aren't worth a damn...
Fuck your GDC Talks, I'll eat the shit out of you...
I think this is one of the things I come to appreciate about good martial artists, that humility. It reminds me that I need to be more humble, and it drives me to step away from the things that I feel are keeping me from being humble. I'm doing two more GDC presentations, and then I'm done. No more self-promotion, no more marketing, none of that. Just gonna bury my head in a computer for 8 hours a day, then train and be humble. I'll be much happier for sure.
Warmup:
- A1. Jumprope 2x3min
- A2. Shadowbox 2x1min
- B1. Medball Burpee: 12 3x1min
- B2. Heavy Bag Squat: 75 3x1min
- B3a. Fortyfive: 45 1x1min
- B3b. Plate Swing: 45 1x1min
- B3c. Fortyfive Swing: 45 1x1min
- B4. Hanging Bag Guard Situp: 3x1min
- B5. Heavy Bag Kick: 3x1min
- B6. Wrecking Ball Punch: 3x1min
- B7. Rest: 2x1min
- C1. Bench Dip: 2x1min
- C2. Pushup: 2x1min
Control...
....are you a freak? Well are ya? Having been a gym rat for most of my adult life as well a certified trainer for a good number of years as well, I tend to get asked a lot of questions. They come from all places, friend, family, co-workers, random strangers, people I meet at events I attend and one of my personal favorites, is 'how do I build muscle'?
Well now...I could go into a long diatribe about different body types, and different schools of thought, and diet, and training time and on an on and on. BUT I always answer with two simple phrases.
CONTROL the weight and FULL range of motion.
Let me elaborate a bit. Control is simple, you can work slow, or you can work fast, both are valid and both build differently, so I always suggest a combination of the two depending on end goals and what exactly you're training for. A competitive athlete is going to get a much different program from me than someone who wants to lose the baby fat after a child birth, but both will have variations on the speed at which they complete the exercises as well at the individual reps. But ONE thing has to be maintained at ALL time. CONTROL. I have a simple rule which goes back to my days of training with John Taylor, Mr. Pacific Coast '94 (he also won Oregon and some other titles, but that's the one I remember)...and it was this:
If you cannot stop the weight withing 1 inch of me saying stop then it's all momentum.
So if I say stop or you say stop, you have 1 inch to do so....no matter how fast you are moving.
Now Range of motion is an often discussed topic among trainers, and there's two distinct definitions to it.
1. The range you can maintain tension on a muscle.
2. The complete motion of a joint.
So what's the difference? The range you can maintain tension is simply that, your limbs are comprised of multiple muscles and once you pass the point of tension for one muscle another one comes under tension, so you lose that tension and ultimately take away from the work of that muscle. The complete motion of a joint is pretty self explanatory, if you want to feel the difference, stand up, put your hand on your quad and squat to the floor, touching your heels to your butt. At roughly 92 degrees you'll feel your quads slack or lose tension, and your glutes and hammies kick in.
So what's the big deal here? Well the biggest issue with RoM that I see continuously is lack of. People cutting themselves short...literally. You do not engage the entire muscle by doing 1/4, 1/2 or 3/4 of the movement. A shoulder press starts with your hands as close to if not touching your shoulders and ends with your arms as straight as possible without locking your elbows. Anything less is cheating unless you are SCULPTING for a competition.
Tonight was arm night, and one of the guys I met at the gym, Lauren cracked a comment at me tonight. "Duud, you're taking to long of a break to get your 5000 reps in!!!" It was arm night after all...so the rep count goes UP!!!
ARM a GEDDON!!!
390 reps - 28 minutes
Seated dumbell tricep press ups - 65 x 30, 80 x 25 (started to feel the shoulder give so I cut it short)
Standing cable curls double pulley station - rope 50 x 30, 70 x 30
Cable push down single pulley station - 70 x 30, 80 x 30
Incline seated arm curls - 17.5 x 30, 20 x 30
Reverse cable push down - double pulley station - 50 x 30 (too light so I hit 3 sets) 70 x 30, 90 x 30
Wide grip cable curls - V bar - double pulley station - 60 x 30, 70 x 30
It hurt...alot.
So
Do you have CONTROL???
Well now...I could go into a long diatribe about different body types, and different schools of thought, and diet, and training time and on an on and on. BUT I always answer with two simple phrases.
CONTROL the weight and FULL range of motion.
Let me elaborate a bit. Control is simple, you can work slow, or you can work fast, both are valid and both build differently, so I always suggest a combination of the two depending on end goals and what exactly you're training for. A competitive athlete is going to get a much different program from me than someone who wants to lose the baby fat after a child birth, but both will have variations on the speed at which they complete the exercises as well at the individual reps. But ONE thing has to be maintained at ALL time. CONTROL. I have a simple rule which goes back to my days of training with John Taylor, Mr. Pacific Coast '94 (he also won Oregon and some other titles, but that's the one I remember)...and it was this:
If you cannot stop the weight withing 1 inch of me saying stop then it's all momentum.
So if I say stop or you say stop, you have 1 inch to do so....no matter how fast you are moving.
Now Range of motion is an often discussed topic among trainers, and there's two distinct definitions to it.
1. The range you can maintain tension on a muscle.
2. The complete motion of a joint.
So what's the difference? The range you can maintain tension is simply that, your limbs are comprised of multiple muscles and once you pass the point of tension for one muscle another one comes under tension, so you lose that tension and ultimately take away from the work of that muscle. The complete motion of a joint is pretty self explanatory, if you want to feel the difference, stand up, put your hand on your quad and squat to the floor, touching your heels to your butt. At roughly 92 degrees you'll feel your quads slack or lose tension, and your glutes and hammies kick in.
So what's the big deal here? Well the biggest issue with RoM that I see continuously is lack of. People cutting themselves short...literally. You do not engage the entire muscle by doing 1/4, 1/2 or 3/4 of the movement. A shoulder press starts with your hands as close to if not touching your shoulders and ends with your arms as straight as possible without locking your elbows. Anything less is cheating unless you are SCULPTING for a competition.
Tonight was arm night, and one of the guys I met at the gym, Lauren cracked a comment at me tonight. "Duud, you're taking to long of a break to get your 5000 reps in!!!" It was arm night after all...so the rep count goes UP!!!
ARM a GEDDON!!!
390 reps - 28 minutes
Seated dumbell tricep press ups - 65 x 30, 80 x 25 (started to feel the shoulder give so I cut it short)
Standing cable curls double pulley station - rope 50 x 30, 70 x 30
Cable push down single pulley station - 70 x 30, 80 x 30
Incline seated arm curls - 17.5 x 30, 20 x 30
Reverse cable push down - double pulley station - 50 x 30 (too light so I hit 3 sets) 70 x 30, 90 x 30
Wide grip cable curls - V bar - double pulley station - 60 x 30, 70 x 30
It hurt...alot.
So
Do you have CONTROL???
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
It's been a while...
Since I've posted anything here. Been training, not regularly unfortunately, but I'm determined to get better about tracking my training here.
The year has started out pretty well. Been working a lot, but have also been planning on competing in some strongman competitions (training plan compliments of my lovely wife). Considered doing this meet:
http://www.nastrongman.com/pdf/2011/laddy.pdf
But it's the weekend after GDC, and the weights are a bit intimidating. We found this one, but it's in York, PA, in June:
http://www.nastrongman.com/pdf/2011/key3.pdf
The travel might be a bit much, but we may turn it into a "visit friends and family" trip the week after. Anyhow, I have something to train for. Training has been sporadic, but here's a few videos from the past few weeks before jumping into tonight's training:
First Stone training session of 2012. Was supposed to be 12 reps (4 x 3) but my bicep got blowed up on set 3 (Set 1 not video'd):
And now for tonight!
A1. Swiss Bar Simulated Log Press
2 x 8 x 35#
8 x 85#
5 x 105#
3 x 125#
2 x 175#
2 x 185#
2 x 195#
Videooooooos:
B1. BB Row
4 x 8 x 185#
C1. Blast Strap Ab Fallout
3 x 8 x bw
So yeah,, here's to keeping up on here again. Happy New Year!
The year has started out pretty well. Been working a lot, but have also been planning on competing in some strongman competitions (training plan compliments of my lovely wife). Considered doing this meet:
http://www.nastrongman.com/pdf/2011/laddy.pdf
But it's the weekend after GDC, and the weights are a bit intimidating. We found this one, but it's in York, PA, in June:
http://www.nastrongman.com/pdf/2011/key3.pdf
The travel might be a bit much, but we may turn it into a "visit friends and family" trip the week after. Anyhow, I have something to train for. Training has been sporadic, but here's a few videos from the past few weeks before jumping into tonight's training:
First Stone training session of 2012. Was supposed to be 12 reps (4 x 3) but my bicep got blowed up on set 3 (Set 1 not video'd):
First training session with the new Swiss bar! I'm using it for a Simulated Log Press. It's a bit difficult to get used to:
And now for tonight!
A1. Swiss Bar Simulated Log Press
2 x 8 x 35#
8 x 85#
5 x 105#
3 x 125#
2 x 175#
2 x 185#
2 x 195#
Videooooooos:
B1. BB Row
4 x 8 x 185#
C1. Blast Strap Ab Fallout
3 x 8 x bw
So yeah,, here's to keeping up on here again. Happy New Year!
Success...
...do you have what it takes? I read a lot of books, go to a lot of leadership training and do my best to improve myself one way or another every single day of my life, and the one thing I've read, heard or seen over and over is the simple fact that Successful People do the things unsuccessful people do not.
An odd way to start off a post about today's workout, but three separate times today, I wanted to quit a set at less than complete, and this is the one thing that kept going through my head 'are you a Successful Person, or not'? So I pushed it everytime...nearly to the brink of hitting that magik spot of having to run to the trash can to chuck. If you're a serious lifter, competitor or athlete, or have ever been one or all of those things, you know that spot, cause you've been there before.
Life is about successes, and success means something different to each and every one of us. Professional, personal, internal, external, all different types of success. Success can be measured in what you do every minute of everyday. From teaching your child to read, or accomplish something, to finishing that project at work and getting it in on time, under budget and polished to an absolute shine, to getting ONE MORE REP at the end of your set when you just don't have anything more to give.
Success.
Live it, daily...earn it with blood, sweat and tears. Put it in your sights and don't stop until you grab it by the neck and stomp on it! Then line up the next one and do the same thing, start small and GO BIG!
Today's workout was single muscle, mass impact, high reps, medium weight for time.
5 exercises, 280 reps - 22 minutes
Bent over single arm dumbbell rows - 55 x 30 - 2 sets
Cross-cable overhead reverse flys - 65 x 30 - 2 sets
Seated rows alternating grip - top, middle, bottom (10 each) 90 x 30 - 2 sets
Good mornings - cable station - 75 x 30 - 2 sets
Bending hip rotations - cable station - 65 x 20 - 2 sets
Success.
Do you have what it takes to GO GET IT!!!?
An odd way to start off a post about today's workout, but three separate times today, I wanted to quit a set at less than complete, and this is the one thing that kept going through my head 'are you a Successful Person, or not'? So I pushed it everytime...nearly to the brink of hitting that magik spot of having to run to the trash can to chuck. If you're a serious lifter, competitor or athlete, or have ever been one or all of those things, you know that spot, cause you've been there before.
Life is about successes, and success means something different to each and every one of us. Professional, personal, internal, external, all different types of success. Success can be measured in what you do every minute of everyday. From teaching your child to read, or accomplish something, to finishing that project at work and getting it in on time, under budget and polished to an absolute shine, to getting ONE MORE REP at the end of your set when you just don't have anything more to give.
Success.
Live it, daily...earn it with blood, sweat and tears. Put it in your sights and don't stop until you grab it by the neck and stomp on it! Then line up the next one and do the same thing, start small and GO BIG!
Today's workout was single muscle, mass impact, high reps, medium weight for time.
5 exercises, 280 reps - 22 minutes
Bent over single arm dumbbell rows - 55 x 30 - 2 sets
Cross-cable overhead reverse flys - 65 x 30 - 2 sets
Seated rows alternating grip - top, middle, bottom (10 each) 90 x 30 - 2 sets
Good mornings - cable station - 75 x 30 - 2 sets
Bending hip rotations - cable station - 65 x 20 - 2 sets
Success.
Do you have what it takes to GO GET IT!!!?
drool or sweat?
Warmup:
Blackjack!
- A1. Jump Rope: 2x60s
- A2. Jumping Jack: 2x60s
- A3. Shadowbox: 2x60s
- A4. Bodyweight Squat: 2x60s
- B1. 24" Box Jump: 3x60sec
- B2. Ab Turtle: 3x60sec
- B3. Bag Punch: 3x60sec
- B4. Bag Kick: 3x60sec
- B5. Bench Dip: 3x60sec
- B6. Wall Sit: 3x60sec
- B7. Rest: 2x60sec
Blackjack!
- C1. Bag Kick: x25
- C2. Bodyweight Squat: x24
- C3. Bag Kick: x23
- C4. Bodyweight Squat: x22
- C5. Bag Kick: x21
- C6. Bodyweight Squat: x20
- C7. Bag Kick: x19
- C8. Bodyweight Squat: x18
- C9. Bag Kick: x17
- C10. Bodyweight Squat: x16
- C11. Bag Kick: x15
- C12. Bodyweight Squat: x14
- C13. Bag Kick: x13
- C14. Bodyweight Squat: x12
- C15. Bag Kick: x11
- C16. Bodyweight Squat: x10
- C17. Bag Kick: x9
- C18. Bodyweight Squat: x8
- C19. Bag Kick: x7
- C20. Bodyweight Squat: x6
- C21. Bag Kick: x5
- C22. Bodyweight Squat: x4
- C23. Bag Kick: x3
- C24. Bodyweight Squat: x2
- C25. Bag Kick: x1
Sunday, January 22, 2012
the only thing
There's something to be said for having any sort of goal at all, methinks, no matter how big small, trivial or significant. Case in point, Fitocracy quests. Personally, I think Fitocracy quests are fucking awesome, such a great way to keep you in the gym, and in my case, get me back to trying some movements I haven't done in a while (lookin at you, wide grip pullups). It's so often to have forgotten movements to keep you honest, i remember doing sets of 7 and 8 on wide grip pullups. Doing the threes today was freakin brutal, but man, so good. My shoulders feel like they've been torn open, which means it's time to start doing more of those bad boys. Awesomesauce.
Really really mean to get back into the gym regularly next week if it kills me. Kajukenbo is definitely going to be taking the lead for a while, but like i keep saying, have something like a martial art that requires base levels of strength is a great reason to keep lifting. Can't have my training partners getting stronger than me...
Ok, now wrist pattern 1, ready..?
Today's TrainingTune: The End Of An Era - Xperiment
Really really mean to get back into the gym regularly next week if it kills me. Kajukenbo is definitely going to be taking the lead for a while, but like i keep saying, have something like a martial art that requires base levels of strength is a great reason to keep lifting. Can't have my training partners getting stronger than me...
Ok, now wrist pattern 1, ready..?
- Squat: 225 5x5
- Pullup: 5x3
- DB Goblet Squat: 70 5x5
- Neutral Grip Pullup: 2x5
- Dumbbell Squat: 50 5x5
- Chinup: 3x5
- Pendlay Row: 135 5x5
- Wide Grip Pullup: 5x3
- A1. Front Plank: 2x60sec
- A2. Left Side Plank: 2x30sec
- A3. Right Side Plank: 2x30sec
- Front Plank: x60sec
Friday, January 20, 2012
wormholes
Airdyne, jumpsquat, doublejump, and some other lower body brutality. Yeah, I need to get my lower body endurance up quite a bit, I didn't do weighted squats at all this week. Actually, I only really lifted twice this week, which is kinda bearfacepalm...
Really bro? Arms again?
Higher rep armwork didn't actually feel like a waste of time though, I think just recovering will be good. My brain is totally broken right now, it's been a bit of a long week. I actually had some thoughts I was going to put into some semblance of coherent(?) wordiness but I don't even know where I thought i was going. I think they were actually fresh thoughts too, not a rehash of something reworded! I know, exciting! Alright well, here are some numbers, maybe I'll remember what I was going to discuss whilst i'm posting and formatting these.
Ok, I really can't think of that thing I was going to write here but I have some other thoughts about family and training and values, but I'll save that for Sunday. I think I might actually go to the gym again, do some farmer's walks, all sorts of insanity.
Today's TrainingTune: Chameleon - UX
Higher rep armwork didn't actually feel like a waste of time though, I think just recovering will be good. My brain is totally broken right now, it's been a bit of a long week. I actually had some thoughts I was going to put into some semblance of coherent(?) wordiness but I don't even know where I thought i was going. I think they were actually fresh thoughts too, not a rehash of something reworded! I know, exciting! Alright well, here are some numbers, maybe I'll remember what I was going to discuss whilst i'm posting and formatting these.
- EZ Bar Curl: 65x15, 75x12, 95x12, 105x8, 65x20+2 Negative
- Rope Extension: 70x15, 75x12, 80x10, 75x10, 70x15
- Hammer Curl: 20x15, 22.5x12, 20x15, 25x15, 30x10, 30x8, 30x8
- Unilateral Reverse Tricep Curl: 30x15, 40x12, 45x10, 60x8, 60x8, 30x20
- Cable Curl: 60x15, 65x12, 80x10, 80x8, 80x8
- Stiff Pushdown: 150x12, 130x15, 90x20, 90x20
Ok, I really can't think of that thing I was going to write here but I have some other thoughts about family and training and values, but I'll save that for Sunday. I think I might actually go to the gym again, do some farmer's walks, all sorts of insanity.
change in pace
Last month I got a new job, and moved down to the bay. In a nice coincidence, it was around the same time Seth got his job at Crystal Dynamics, so we started doing kajukenbo together.
It's been a kick getting back into martial arts, I haven't been part of a good club in about 10 years. It's been so fun adjusting.. some of the moves come so naturally I don't think about it, others are taking a considerable amount of muscle re-wiring, and way more yet is just plain ol' new material. "uppercut? Hook? Knee? Why would you... ooooooooooooooooooooh" There really isn't anything like being a white belt, I love starting from scratch in a new style. I'll admit it, the first two hours of Civ 4 are always my favorites.
Classes go 6 days a week (and like an opportunist, I can't miss) so that's put a pretty effective end to my dancing. I'm still going to keep on with pole, but only because it doesn't cost anything and I can do it from home. I was trying to fit fabric dancing classes in on Sunday, but it's a bitch of a communte, and the same cost as a week of kaju.
No videos this time, but I do have pictures :)
Thursday, January 19, 2012
civil war
I'll post a bit more when i'm less smoked, right now i have to go cook dinner for a very hungry lady...Tonight's CrossPit workout:
Warmup:
Blastout:
Warmup:
- A1. Jumprope 2x3min
- A2. Jog 2x1min
- B1. Airdyne x1min
- B2. Kettlebell Swing x1min
- B3. Jump Squat x1min
- B4. Situp x1min
- B5. Heavy Bag Punch x1min
- B6. Sit-to-Stand x1min
- B7. Heavy Bag Kick x1min
- B8. Bench Dip x1min
- B9. Jumprope Double Jump x1min
- B10. Rest x1min
Blastout:
- Tabata Cage Situp
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
the day we rise
Man, I am LOVING this whole CrossPit thing. This is always what I've felt Crossfit should be, specific focus. Not that I do or don't like Crossfit, I'm just a huge fan of specificity, or at least a degree of it. I know, i know, children training for the pros at age 9, blah blah, hence the qualifier "a degree of it".
I dunno, totally snobbish of me, but I always get annoyed by people who just "work out" because they "want to be in shape" with no real definition or goal beyond that. Granted that's just me, and I'll admit, it's easy for me to take the view I have since my training life has always been about some purpose. When I started lifting weights in high school, it was to get better at swimming, when i returned to lifting later in life it was to get better at capoeira, now I do it to get better at lifting and of course to keep supplementing martial arts.
To me, the end result of training should always be play. Go play something. Do Crossfit, Do P90X, Do Insanity, Do Whatever it is that's out there, but for god's sake, don't just do those workouts to get good at those workouts. Get outside and play, get in the gym and play, get in the pool and play, get on the mats and play, hell, get in the park with your dog and your kids and PLAY. In the end, it's just better for everyone.
Alright, now give me a jab-hook-hook...
I need to really make a concerted effort to get my steady state cardio back in. Now that we have some summer-ish weather here in the bay, Tribull is tossing in a Saturday outdoor conditioning class, which I'm thinking I might every other with Saturday Kajukenbo. My main goal right now is to get the fat off and get back to fighting weight. Almost there, the CrossPit classes at least feel good, i've only been doing them for about 2 weeks, so we'll see what the effect is in another 6 weeks or so. Trying to tweak my diet out a bit too and still get to the gym, but lifting is taking a tiny bit of a backseat. Need to figure out how to slot it in properly, it's easy enough, just need to make sure I get into the office early enough. If i made any resolution this year, it's that i'm done crunching.
Today's TrainingTune: 12 Hundred - Mushroomhead
I dunno, totally snobbish of me, but I always get annoyed by people who just "work out" because they "want to be in shape" with no real definition or goal beyond that. Granted that's just me, and I'll admit, it's easy for me to take the view I have since my training life has always been about some purpose. When I started lifting weights in high school, it was to get better at swimming, when i returned to lifting later in life it was to get better at capoeira, now I do it to get better at lifting and of course to keep supplementing martial arts.
To me, the end result of training should always be play. Go play something. Do Crossfit, Do P90X, Do Insanity, Do Whatever it is that's out there, but for god's sake, don't just do those workouts to get good at those workouts. Get outside and play, get in the gym and play, get in the pool and play, get on the mats and play, hell, get in the park with your dog and your kids and PLAY. In the end, it's just better for everyone.
Alright, now give me a jab-hook-hook...
I need to really make a concerted effort to get my steady state cardio back in. Now that we have some summer-ish weather here in the bay, Tribull is tossing in a Saturday outdoor conditioning class, which I'm thinking I might every other with Saturday Kajukenbo. My main goal right now is to get the fat off and get back to fighting weight. Almost there, the CrossPit classes at least feel good, i've only been doing them for about 2 weeks, so we'll see what the effect is in another 6 weeks or so. Trying to tweak my diet out a bit too and still get to the gym, but lifting is taking a tiny bit of a backseat. Need to figure out how to slot it in properly, it's easy enough, just need to make sure I get into the office early enough. If i made any resolution this year, it's that i'm done crunching.
- Barbell Bentover Row: 135x5,155x5,165x5,185x5,185x5,185x5
- Dumbbell Bench Press: 60x5, 70x5, 75x5, 75x5, 75x8
- TBar Row: 115x8, 120x8, 120x8, 120x8
- Incline Dumbbell Bench: 60x8, 65x8, 65x8, 65x8
- A1. Midpull w/Hold: 45 3x12
- A2. Lateral Raise: 17.5 3x12
- Dumbbell Snatch: 60x5, 70x5, 70x5
- Warmup: Jog, Pushup, Jog, Crunch
- A1. Heavy Bag Spin 3x60s
- A2. Sprawl To Ground and Pound 3x60s
- A3. Shoot (length of the mat, down and back) 3x60s
- A4. Hip Escape ( " ) 3x60s
- A5. Bag Punch 3x60s
- A6. Bag Kick 3x60s
- B1. Knees x60s
- B2. Double Knee x60s
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
I'll raise you a leg...
...or two or three. Punished the legs over the weekend, setting in motion my third week of eight going high reps with medium weights. I've changed things up a bit the last few months due to an aggravated shoulder injury from once upon a time ago and lifting heavy for many years...so after a trip to the doctor, then the ortho I find myself in a position where I can not do any upper body press work for a year or so. So that means heavier work on the lower body and some really creative work on the upper body.
So that means a new look to the workouts, high reps, high speed, medium weights with little time between sets. It's a power burn method I learned long ago from Mr. Pacific Northwest 1994 John Taylor. I will say I've seen noticeable drops in the body fat percentage in the few weeks I've been on this. The goal...10% by summer. At 5'9"/215 I'm currently in the 15% - 17% range, been a while since I've had it checked, so I've got some work to do.
I do workout with my wife (who's on a different rep set) and my buddy Brett, a county deputy who enjoys my punishment at the local 24. Now while I'm a huge fan of squats I tend to not do them too often due to a low back injury I suffered a long time ago in a land far far away, but I do return to them now and again...so this journey starts at the squat rack.
135 - deep knee (legs parallel to the floor) max reps 1 min - I finished 33 reps.
135 - heel box (heals on a step pad or similar) max reps 45 seconds - I finished 24
Leg press - 2 sets
240x50
420x35
Knee up lunges on Smith Machine (deep knee lunge then bring lunging knee up as high as possible to chest)
90x20
90x20
Leg Extensions - 2 sets
75x50
75x40
Leg Curls - 2 sets
105x50
105x40
Break between sets is however long it takes for your partner to finish his/her set or 45-60 seconds.
Man on a mission following Seth thru the dungeon!!!
So that means a new look to the workouts, high reps, high speed, medium weights with little time between sets. It's a power burn method I learned long ago from Mr. Pacific Northwest 1994 John Taylor. I will say I've seen noticeable drops in the body fat percentage in the few weeks I've been on this. The goal...10% by summer. At 5'9"/215 I'm currently in the 15% - 17% range, been a while since I've had it checked, so I've got some work to do.
I do workout with my wife (who's on a different rep set) and my buddy Brett, a county deputy who enjoys my punishment at the local 24. Now while I'm a huge fan of squats I tend to not do them too often due to a low back injury I suffered a long time ago in a land far far away, but I do return to them now and again...so this journey starts at the squat rack.
135 - deep knee (legs parallel to the floor) max reps 1 min - I finished 33 reps.
135 - heel box (heals on a step pad or similar) max reps 45 seconds - I finished 24
Leg press - 2 sets
240x50
420x35
Knee up lunges on Smith Machine (deep knee lunge then bring lunging knee up as high as possible to chest)
90x20
90x20
Leg Extensions - 2 sets
75x50
75x40
Leg Curls - 2 sets
105x50
105x40
Break between sets is however long it takes for your partner to finish his/her set or 45-60 seconds.
Man on a mission following Seth thru the dungeon!!!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
10 years gone
This one's for the fighters, Fitocracy does need a bit of a better way to log circuits:
- A1. Jump Rope: 2x4min
- A2. Shadowbox: 1x4min
- B1. Squat Jump x12
- B2. Bag Head Kick: x25
- B3. Bag Punch: x100
- B4. Jump Rope: x200
- B5. Pullup x10
- B6. Burpee x10
Monday, January 9, 2012
in the name
It's always fun to do something you haven't done in a few years from a different perspective. Case in point today, leg presses, leg extensions, and takedowns. I haven't done any of these things in a minimum of about 6 months and it absolutely showed. No excuses about how I slept horribly last night because of something I ate, no, I pretty much just sucked out loud today because I'm out of practice. But then, that's why I'm doing things i haven't done in years, like not working weekends anymore.
Your "skills" mean precisely dick, sir.
It's an interesting exercise to really start living the life you want to live, esp when it somewhat conflicts with what you do for money. But you know, it's probably good, I must admit I've lacked a tiny bit of professional discipline the last few years because I wasn't holding myself to any sort of schedule outside of work. Seems kind of an odd thing, I know. It's only week 2, so it remains to be seen how this experiment is actually going to go, but I'm pretty committed to seeing this work, so it's all about staying constant, err, CONSTANT.
Today's TrainingTune: Blasphemie - Incubite
Your "skills" mean precisely dick, sir.
It's an interesting exercise to really start living the life you want to live, esp when it somewhat conflicts with what you do for money. But you know, it's probably good, I must admit I've lacked a tiny bit of professional discipline the last few years because I wasn't holding myself to any sort of schedule outside of work. Seems kind of an odd thing, I know. It's only week 2, so it remains to be seen how this experiment is actually going to go, but I'm pretty committed to seeing this work, so it's all about staying constant, err, CONSTANT.
- Squat: 225x5/245x5/245x5/255x5/275x5
- Leg Press: 415x8/505x8/595x8/595x8
- Leg Extensions: 120 4x5
Sunday, January 8, 2012
truth in action
It's funny how it starts as just a little mental twitch, somewhere around the base of your skull, then races outwards and slowly builds up before it roars to the surface. That's when you know you've been out of the gym too long (and really it's only been, what 2 weeks? Wow, usually I don't get to that point for another week). Somewhat light workout this morning, but i'm still recovering from the week and I need to save some up for tonight. A little shoulder and back madness tonight, this was a good upper body start to the week.
Very interested to see how adopting some bodybuilding type stuff is going to supplement Kaju, i feel like some of the tech from bodybuilding could help. The squeezing on some of the arm stuff might help with the isos during grappling and holds, at least that's the theory? Dunno, we'll see. Martin Rooney said it best, if you want what others don't have, you have to do what others don't do, so it'll be interesting to take a different direction to supplemental lifting for fights. With all due respect to Chuck The Truck, I know animals don't life weights, and they're strong, but I'm only so much animal. Fuck my big brain, you'll never convince me it was a good adaptation, esp considering the state of humanity today.
These guys have the right idea
The benches at the 24 make me a little nervous, but I feel like doing more takeoffs from a half position might help. Getting the work sets up was easy enough, I think we can work with this:
Today's TrainingTune: Echo Chamber - Negative Format
Very interested to see how adopting some bodybuilding type stuff is going to supplement Kaju, i feel like some of the tech from bodybuilding could help. The squeezing on some of the arm stuff might help with the isos during grappling and holds, at least that's the theory? Dunno, we'll see. Martin Rooney said it best, if you want what others don't have, you have to do what others don't do, so it'll be interesting to take a different direction to supplemental lifting for fights. With all due respect to Chuck The Truck, I know animals don't life weights, and they're strong, but I'm only so much animal. Fuck my big brain, you'll never convince me it was a good adaptation, esp considering the state of humanity today.
These guys have the right idea
- Bench Press: 185 5x5
- EZ Curl: 60 4x8
- EZ French: 50 4x8
- A1. Dumbbell Curl: 25 4x6
- A2. OHX: 110 4x6
- B1. EZ Reverse Curl: 30 4x8
- B2. Pushdown: 70 4x8
- C1. Hammer Curl: 20 4x12
- C2. Unilateral Reverse Pushdown: 30 4x12
Friday, January 6, 2012
forever's a lie
I have been somewhat amazed at my own resilience this week, not to give myself props or anything, but i've done a retarded amount of cardio, the likes of which i haven't done in a while. From my impromptu run, to a 90 minute grappling session, to a circuit based fight cardio class, I think i've covered everything. Frighteningly enough, I'm not even that sore, it's more just like a dull little tweak here and there to remind me I did stuff. Did cramp up a little last night at rather importune times that resulted in me having to tap TWICE, sheesh, but hopefully that'll be a rare occasion. No bear pictures today, but here's an awesome image of my mat burns again, for those of you who missed it:
Fight cardio felt REALLY good, I'm really excited to see what happens once we've been training a bit and the workouts get a little harder. As much as I'm not a fan of constant puke inducing workouts, I think one every so often you need to have one just to give you an idea of what your level is. Last night was pretty easy, although I'll admit I didn't push myself quite as hard as I probably could've. Ah well, I have 2 opportunities every week for fight cardio PRs, so we'll see what happens. These change every session as you might expect...
Today's TrainingTune: 30/30-150 - Stone Sour
Fight cardio felt REALLY good, I'm really excited to see what happens once we've been training a bit and the workouts get a little harder. As much as I'm not a fan of constant puke inducing workouts, I think one every so often you need to have one just to give you an idea of what your level is. Last night was pretty easy, although I'll admit I didn't push myself quite as hard as I probably could've. Ah well, I have 2 opportunities every week for fight cardio PRs, so we'll see what happens. These change every session as you might expect...
- A1. Jump Rope: 2x3min
- A2. Shadow Boxing: 2x1min
- B1. Bag Punches: 3x1min
- B2. Bag Kicks: 3x1min
- B3. Bag GnP: 3x1min
- B4. Medball Negative BW Squats: 3x1min
- B5. Kettlebell Turkish Getup: 0/20/35 3x1min
- B6. Ab Turtles: 3x1min
- BW I^2 Squats 8x20s/10s
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
And Now, a Post by Someone Who Isn't Seth Gibson(tm)
First time back at the gym this year. Nice to see that my muscles haven't fallen off due to my non-adherence to strict brotocol during my week in Texas. Now that I'm away from all the delicious tex-mex, I can get back to my life of brotien shakes, 6+ meals a day, and spending hours in the curl rack.
On a slightly more serious note, I do feel kinda like a bitch after today. I just didn't have it in me to go through my Deadlift set. Possibly a consequence of diet, but that's just too bad. Probably also a consequence of not enough rest time between sets on my other lifts, and that's something I need to correct by waking the fuck up when my alarm goes off. Ah well, they can't all be 1000 point days.
On a final note, I saw something that scared me. Some kid was getting a session in with one of Corpogym's personal trainers, and was doing smith machine squats. The kid had his legs out in front of him and was leaning into the bar to balance himself as he squatted! And the trainer was cool with this! Man, I always heard trainers weren't necessarily good, but god damn. I'm not a doctor or nothing, but that sounds like it'd fuck you up when you actually start lifting actual weight (guy was only lifting like 75 lbs). What's the etiquette for that? Do I step in and say something? Do I leave a business card with the url for Starting Strength wiki in the kid's locker? Do I mind my own business?
Enough blabbering. Lifts!
Foam Rolling:
On a slightly more serious note, I do feel kinda like a bitch after today. I just didn't have it in me to go through my Deadlift set. Possibly a consequence of diet, but that's just too bad. Probably also a consequence of not enough rest time between sets on my other lifts, and that's something I need to correct by waking the fuck up when my alarm goes off. Ah well, they can't all be 1000 point days.
On a final note, I saw something that scared me. Some kid was getting a session in with one of Corpogym's personal trainers, and was doing smith machine squats. The kid had his legs out in front of him and was leaning into the bar to balance himself as he squatted! And the trainer was cool with this! Man, I always heard trainers weren't necessarily good, but god damn. I'm not a doctor or nothing, but that sounds like it'd fuck you up when you actually start lifting actual weight (guy was only lifting like 75 lbs). What's the etiquette for that? Do I step in and say something? Do I leave a business card with the url for Starting Strength wiki in the kid's locker? Do I mind my own business?
Enough blabbering. Lifts!
Foam Rolling:
- 5:00 mins
Barbell Box Squat:
- 45# x 5
- 45# x 5
- 95# x 5
- 115# x 5
- 135# x 3
- 155# x 2
- 190# x 5
- 170# x 7
- 150# x 10
Man, 150 never felt so tough. Feels good to squat again, and it's nice not not feel pain at my top set.
Barbell Bench Press:
- 45# x 5
- 45# x 5
- 55# x 5
- 65# x 5
- 75# x 3
- 85# x 2
- 105# x 8
- 95# x 9
- 85# x 10
And this is where I didn't enough rest in between sets. Hitting 105#x8 felt so goddamned good that I just wanted to keep going. I'm not sure if RPT is right for this lift because it's so low. Either way, I'm happy with it, and I'm gonna add weight to this one next time. Yay progress!
Barbell Deadlift:
- 95# x 5
- 95# x 5
- 135# x 5
- 165# x 3
Monday, January 2, 2012
resurrected
Short and sweet post today, not a lifting day, but it was my first day training Kajukenbo at Tribull MMA, which is cool. Really good class, i feel like it covered all the things I wanted to get an idea of. Did some self-defense, some fight cardio, some padwork, pretty much everything but sparring. I'm sure we'll get some of that at some point. At this point i'm about 90 percent that i'll be putting Capoeira on hold for a bit, given that there are two pretty decent looking BJJ academies within walking distance to my apartment that have complementary schedules. Should be interesting. Also, I appreciate Tribull's training soundtrack, this shit's gonna rock...
You know, It always feels good to get back to training martial arts, esp given my focus on full contact and practical styles the last year or so. I hold traditional martial arts in quite high esteem, I won't lie, but at the same time I'm really enjoying styles that just get straight to the point. Just going over the self-defense stuff in class today really makes you appreciate the practical application of martial arts so much more. I dunno, I feel like physically and mentally I'm a big more geared towards these sorts of things as it is. A bit looser, but at the same time more straight ahead. Like a bear.
TriBear Kajukenbo?
I start working again tomorrow, not sure how I feel about that, man, really I need to get my shit in gear and get this other thing I'm working on this year off the ground so I can spend less time in front of a computer and more time in front of...well, something that's not a computer. I know, i know, i keep alluding to something, but I can't really let it out just yet, I need to get a bit further down the road, then we'll let the bear out of the cave.
Today's TrainingTune: I Stand Alone - Godsmack
You know, It always feels good to get back to training martial arts, esp given my focus on full contact and practical styles the last year or so. I hold traditional martial arts in quite high esteem, I won't lie, but at the same time I'm really enjoying styles that just get straight to the point. Just going over the self-defense stuff in class today really makes you appreciate the practical application of martial arts so much more. I dunno, I feel like physically and mentally I'm a big more geared towards these sorts of things as it is. A bit looser, but at the same time more straight ahead. Like a bear.
TriBear Kajukenbo?
I start working again tomorrow, not sure how I feel about that, man, really I need to get my shit in gear and get this other thing I'm working on this year off the ground so I can spend less time in front of a computer and more time in front of...well, something that's not a computer. I know, i know, i keep alluding to something, but I can't really let it out just yet, I need to get a bit further down the road, then we'll let the bear out of the cave.
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