Friday

How many more?

Wanted a simple workout: multi-joint legs & back, abs, and chest.
Something quick - a high school musical to watch tonight.

So, Thursday:
Sumo Deadlift High Pulls x 10 @ 75#
Russian Twists x 10 @ 10# (Medicine Bell)
Feet-up pushups (Large Swiss Ball) x 10

Ten times.

300 of each. I didn't think it was ever going to end.

We alternated at each station, so we did 30 sets in about 30 minutes.

After each of the last 3 sets of SDHP, I thought I was going to pass out or vomit, or both.

A well-deserved weekend break awaits.


(Guys & Dolls was excellent).

Tuesday

Paleo Suppers (or very close)

Tuesday
NY Strip Steak
Eggplant 'pizzas'
Strawberries

Monday
Eye of round roast beef with horseradish cream
Salad of Spring greens, red onion, & sun-dried tomatoes
with paleo blue cheese (Primal mayonnaise + Maytag blue cheese)

Sunday
Chicken thighs broiled in coconut oil
(on rack low rack 20 mins each side) - Kerrygold butter and Texas Pete for sauce
Celery with paleo blue cheese

Saturday
NY Strip Steak
My paleo guacamole
Small red potato, no skin, Kerrygold butter

That was worse than last week.

Tried to hit all the bases with this one:
run, chest, core power, pullups, abs.
It turns out that running and deadlifts together
will wear a man down quickly.

Monday
Treadmill - 330 yds @ 7.5 mph (~1:35)
Pushups x 20 (plain old)
Deadlifts x 5 @ 205# (75% of bodyweight)
Machine Pullups x 5 @ -130#
Knee Raises x 10 (Captain's Chair)

Treadmill - 330 yds @ 7.5 mph (~1:35)
Pushups x 20
Deadlifts x 5 @ 205#
Machine Pullups x 5 @ -140#
Knee Raises x 10

Treadmill - 330 yds @ 7.5 mph (~1:35)
Pushups x 20
Deadlifts x 5 @ 205#
Machine Pullups x 5 @ -150#
Knee Raises x 10

I had trouble on the last run. Some time after the last deadlift Rich shook his head and looked over at me and said, "This is worse than last week."

And he was right, it was. And, I guess, that is exactly what we're after.

Friday

Four Tabata Friday

Helped a friend finish moving Thursday - so our workout was Friday this week.

The plan was four Tabata circuits.

"Warmup"
Elliptical x 8 sprints of: 20 secs @ 90 rpm & 10 secs @ 55 rpm
(1 Tabata)

2 min recover

3 Circuits (with 10 secs between sets) of:
Kettlebell Swings x 10 @ 10#
Swiss Ball Crunch x 10
Burpees x 5
(2 Tabata)

2 min recover

3 Circuits (with 10 secs between sets) of:
Kettlebell Swings x 10 @ 10#
Swiss Ball Crunch x 10
Burpees x 5
(3 Tabata)

2 min recover

3 Circuits (with 10 secs between sets) of:
Kettlebell Swings x 10 @ 10#
Swiss Ball Crunch x 10
Burpees x 5
(Four)

1 min recover

1 more Circuit (with 10 secs between sets) of:
Kettlebell Swings x 10 @ 10#
Swiss Ball Crunch x 10
Burpees x 5

Which rounded things off to a total of:
8 Tabata elliptical sprints
100 Kettlebell Swings
100 Crunches
50 Burpees

Since all times are approximate, we were done in less than 30 minutes - and could barely move.

This is just what we are after, and more of it.

Wednesday

Mobility WoD 2: Don’t Go In the Pain Cave

Like my psoas stretch, but to another level.

Twenty Flights

Our Wednesday workout was pretty simple:
Up and down a flight of stairs 20 times.

It was close to perfect:
Legs burning, serious sweat, and breathless by the end.

Tuesday

Mobility Workout of the Day 1

Day One - a 10-minute deep squat.

Straights and Curves

This Tuesday we added a day of interval running - in traditional football style.
On our high school's running track we 'ran the straights and walked the curves.'

We ran the straights, 100 yards, in about 25 seconds. We did a mile.

So:
100-yard runs x 8

Rest assured this was a lot for old linemen.
On the 6th one my right hamstring tightened up, but I was not going to stop, so the last couple were a little slower for me.

My chest is strained a little from the dips on Monday & my hammy is tender.

I don't care.
It feels good.
Stairs tomorrow.

Monday

Fives and 269

I wanted low-rep exhaustion today. Sets of 5. And new ab exercises. It worked.

As much as I like the Swiss ball crunch and love/hate the plank, I've failed to apply the muscle confusion/adaptation concept sufficiently to abs, until recently.

Monday:
Warmup: 220 yd run @ 7.5mph (Treadmill)

Dumbbell Clean and Press x 5R/5L @ 40#
Machine Pullups x 5 @ -120#
Machine Dips x 5 @ -90
Leg Raises x 5 (Captain's Chair)
Knee Raises x 5 (Captain's Chair)
Lunge Plate Twist x 5R/5L @ 25# (Lunge, holding plate, and twist)

Dumbbell Clean and Press x 5R/5L @ 40#
Machine Pullups x 5 @ -120#
Machine Dips x 5 @ -90
Leg Raises x 5 (Captain's Chair)
Knee Raises x 5 (Captain's Chair)
Lunge Plate Twist x 5R/5L @ 25# (Lunge, holding plate, and twist)

Dumbbell Clean and Press x 5R/5L @ 40#
Machine Pullups x 5 @ -120# (4 and 1)
Machine Dips x 5 @ -90
Leg Raises x 5 (Captain's Chair)
Knee Raises x 5 (Captain's Chair)
Lunge Plate Twist x 5R/5L @ 25# (Lunge, holding plate, and twist)

Dumbbell Clean and Press x 5R/5L @ 40#
Machine Pullups x 5 (1 @ -120, -130, -140, & 2 @ -150)
Machine Dips x 5 @ -90
Leg Raises x 5 (Captain's Chair)
Knee Raises x 5 (Captain's Chair)
Lunge Plate Twist x 5R/5L @ 25# (Lunge, holding plate, and twist)

My shirt made me think of Nathaniel behind the waterfall checking his powder in Last of the Mohicans - "Mine's soaking wet!"

Today was a bit of a milestone.
I passed another ten pounds down (finally).
I reached 269 for the first time since I began this.
The first time since about 1993 or so.
I know that weight isn't important, and that it's about body recomposition
- gaining muscle & losing fat.
But, it's still a nice benchmark that has taken a long time.

Thursday

Finally: a Kettlebell Workout

I am sore. Not in any specific place really, just a heaviness all over.

Today was our first time with a kettlebell.
More Crossfit influence.
It was a decent start.

I wanted four types of exercises:
Steady full body, multiple abs, explosive full body, posterior chain

So we did 3 circuits:
Turkish Get Up x 2/2 @ 10# Kettlebell
Russian Twists x 20 (seated, feet up, 10# medicine ball)
Burpees x 10
Two-hand Kettlebell Swing x 20 @ 10#

Turkish Get Up x 2/2 @ 10# Kettlebell
Russian Twists x 20
Burpees x 10
Two-hand Kettlebell Swing x 20 @ 10#

Turkish Get Up x 2/2 @ 10# Kettlebell
Russian Twists x 20
Burpees x 10
Two-hand Kettlebell Swing x 20 @ 10#

We were worn down to almost nothing when we were done.
I see a lot more kettlebell swings in our future.

Even Lance Armstrong:

Monday

The 300 - Tabata Style

Not much time today - a long late meeting.

We've largely laid off these three base exercises for a couple of weeks, so today we used them to get a quick one in, going hard and fast (for us).

30 sets, 300 reps, in a hurry.

3 Circuits of (with only transition time between):
Hand-release pushups x 10
Air Squats x 10
Swiss Ball Crunches x 10

2 minute rest

3 more Circuits of:
Hand-release pushups x 10
Air Squats x 10
Swiss Ball Crunches x 10

2 minute rest

3 more circuits of
Hand-release pushups x 10
Air Squats x 10
Swiss Ball Crunches x 10

2 minute rest

1 circuit (barely):
Hand-release pushups x 10
Air Squats x 10
Swiss Ball Crunches x 10

The sets were 20 to 30 seconds each (well, the later pushups took a while) and the transition rest was 10 seconds at most, which made this basically 3 Tabata circuits and a final circuit to make it round numbers.

This wiped us out, and quickly.

Thursday

A Day without Pushups

Today's question: How to get full body exhausted with no chest or shoulders exercises? We decided to give it a shot as we recovered from Monday's Pushups & Crossfit Wall Balls.

So today was: increased sprint, pullup work, abs, row, & core.

We hit it on the nose: "I'm not sure I can get up," was the quote of the day.

Treadmill - ran 330 yds @ 7.5 mph
Machine Pullups (wide) x 5 @ -130#
Plank x 60 secs
Cable Row x 30 @ 50#
Deadlift x 5 @ 185#

Treadmill - ran 330 yds @ 7.5 mph
Machine Pullups (wide) x 5 @ -140#
Swiss Ball Crunches x 30
Cable Row x 30 @ 50#
Deadlift x 5 @ 185#

Treadmill - ran 330 yds @ 7.5 mph
Machine Pullups (wide) x 5 @ -140#
Prone Toe Touch x 15
Cable Row x 30 @ 50#
Deadlift x 5 @ 185#

No specifically sore muscles just general muscle exhaustion.
Just what we were looking for.

Prone Toe Touch

Monday

A short time to get there

After running through several schemes for today, (we needed a very short workout) I decided on a simple 3-exercise circuit we could do in the "aerobics room". It was indeed simple, but whipped us so quickly that we had to back off reps to finish.

With no rest, and in constant rotation, as follows:
Thruster Med-Ball Throws x 20 @ 18# (squat down & up, throw ball, catch)
- aka Crossfit Wall Balls
Feet-up Pushups x 20 (large Swiss ball)
Russian Twists x 20 @ 10#
- seated on bench, feet off the floor, twist with med-ball

Thruster Med-Ball Throws x 20 @ 18#
Feet-up Pushups x 20
Russian Twists x 20 @ 10#

(at this point we were, strangely, a little overwhelmed)

Thruster Med-Ball Throws x 10 @ 18#
Feet-up Pushups x 10
Russian Twists x 20 @ 10#

Thruster Med-Ball Throws x 10 @ 18#
Feet-up Pushups x 10
Russian Twists x 20 @ 10#

Thruster Med-Ball Throws x 10 @ 18#
Feet-up Pushups x 10
Russian Twists x 20 @ 10#

15 sets, 70 Thruster/Throws, 70 Pushups, 100 Russian Twists in under 20 minutes. It does not seem like enough, but time was up and we were wiped out. Six hours later - my abs are still tight. It got the job done.

Thursday

5 10 16 20 25

Core, Legs, Abs, Chest, Back.
The conditioning would be twenty sets with only transition time in between.

I aimed to make a workout that varied from what we've done and allowed for increasing reps so I was worn out at the end of each circuit.

So: heavier deadlift, any sane human hates lunges, new ab stuff (explained below), higher angle for pushups, and I was trying to simulate actual rowing/row machine, so I used a light weight, a rope grip, and high reps.

I am sore in places that I have not been sore recently - Mission Accomplished.

Deadlift x 5 @ 185# (2/3 Bodyweight)
Lunges x 10 (5 each leg)
Side-to-Side Leg Raise x 16
Feet-up Pushups x 20 (feet on large swiss ball)
Cable Row x 25 @ 50#

Deadlift x 5 @ 185#
Lunges x 10
Side-to-Side Leg Raise x 16
Feet-up Pushups x 20
Cable Row x 25 @ 50#

Deadlift x 5 @ 185#
Lunges x 10 (5 each leg)
Russian (Basket) Twist x 16 @ 10#
Feet-up Pushups x 20
Cable Row x 25 @ 50#

Deadlift x 5 @ 185#
Lunges x 10 (5 each leg)
Russian (Basket) Twist x 16 @ 10#
Feet-up Pushups x 20
Cable Row x 25 @ 50#

The two ab exercises:
- side-to-side leg raise (lie down, spread arms, raise legs vertical, tilt legs left almost to floor, hold for 5 secs., raise back to vertical, tilt legs right... and so on)
- Russian twist (seated, knees bent, hold medicine ball in both hands, twist left, and touch ball to floor. Twist right, touch ball to floor... and so on).

This was a good one. I'm definitely feeling it over the weekend.