4/30/2013

Leg stuff, quest, thing...

Circuit, 3 rounds
Squats, 135#, 8
Inverted bosu ball air squats, 8
blast offs, 4 per side
weighted hanging knee raises, 8

Circuit, 3 rounds
Hang squat cleans, 135#, 8
Inverted bosu ball air squats, 8
blast offs, 4 per side
weighted hanging knee raises, 8
canoe paddle... seated on plyo ball, feet on bosu ball, and 15lb bar, simulate canoe paddling 8 per side

Beastmaster for 10 minutes

4/29/2013

5k no vest, pretty easy that way.

4/27/2013

Canoeing! Ya Baby! 23 years of married bliss. We celebrated with a paddle on Sandy River Strong to the Fairbanks bridge. If you go like your hair is on fire you can do door-to-door in four hours. We had leisurely start to the trip and took our time a little fly casting... can't call it fishing really. Beautiful day, good water levels, nice company, we won.

4-28-13

Week in Review: 3 lunch walks last week, starting to get others to join. We have a variety of trails up to 3 miles and about 50 minutes for the faster walkers, including some steep hills. Makes a lot of sense to me both because of the workout and I waste less money on crappy lunches. My apologies to the fast food purveyors in Hazleton, PA. Another benefit seems to be that I don't hit that 2:30 swoon that has plagued me since childhood. Need some more time to be sure it isn't just spring, but so far so good. No hike this weekend. Spent both days building and installing a fence for the expanded vegetable garden. Post hole digging, hand sawing , lumber carrying and generally pushing it for the better part of both days. Ready to plant now. And ready for a good night's sleep.

4/25/2013

Yoga.  The instructor set the goal of revolved triangle so everything was a work up to that.  All good.  And the mariachi music was easy to listen too.

4/23/2013

Definitely off my game.  3 sets of kettle-bell swings and weighted hanging knee raises for warm up, 8 was the number.

Squat cleans, 95lbs, 115lbs and 135lbs, did a bunch of sets mostly 3 reps.  Muscle memory stood me in good stead, alas, I've got a ways to go for the strength.

M split jerked 280 -- probably worth a chest bump and a man hug, but, we were subdued.

4/22/2013

5k, weighted vest.  Today wasn't strong.  Not sure if I've caught the cold we all seem to be trading about, or, if I'm going to fend it off and I'm just off because of it.  Whatever.

I'm glad ram shared the eulogy for Bud.  You never can tell when you will have that kind of impact on another human being.  It is a huge risk in some senses because the story could go the other way on you -- you were the bastard that ruined something for someone.  Happily this is a story about motivation. I heard another story about Bud, that he married or re-married for love -- he saw the woman's inner beauty. Sounds like a good man.

Unexpected motivation: Thanks Bud

Bud Kellogg, owner of Tom Kat, the only sporting goods store in the town I grew up in, died a couple of weeks ago. Dementia had a hold of him. I think he was almost 90. I have a lot of stories about Bud, but the most important to me took place in 1957. I was 8, loved baseball and tried out for the local little league. Turns out, I didn't get chosen. I guess I was too young. I was so disappointed that my Dad spoke to Bud who sponsored a team. He invited me to come to the field on game night and said I could be on the team. I showed up with my Mom, my glove with no string through the fingers and a yellow and white striped T-shirt, no uniform. Everybody had to play at least an inning, and bat, each game. In my first game I struck out and ran to my Mom and cried on her shoulder. Same thing for the next few games. In those days, there were no minor leagues. Each team had kids from 9-12. Can't imagine what the older kids thought of me. Anyway, late in the season, in my mandatory at bat, I finally hit one. It lined just past the pitcher's glove and dribbled into center field, scoring the tying run. I got to first where Bud was coaching. I remember his smile like he was standing in front of me right now. He pumped my hand, ruffled my hair, pounded my back and hugged me. No kid ever felt better than I did that night. I can't remember half of what happened last week. But I remember that incident in real time. I still feel it. It still motivates me, not only to stay fit, but to try to touch others the way Bud touched me. Thanks, Bud.

4-21-13

Summing up the week, walked 2-3 miles 4 times during lunch this week. Not sure how to handle the sweat as the weather warms, but I really like the break in the day. After 3 weeks I already feel more leg endurance. Saturday, 4 hours building stone walls and wheeling top soil into the raised bed garden. Sunday, 5-6 mile hike tracing the route of a 150 year old gravity railroad route, now in a PA gameland. Climbed out of the valley entry point by going up the face of the mountain on a power line cut. Good workout. After lunch, 3 hours finishing the rock wall and soil hauling, then a short nap listening to my favorite Allman Bros album. Good week.

4/19/2013

Fun with weights, fugly barbell, weighted vest and so on. Actually finished with tire flipping and tire farmers walk. Didn't feel all that energetic but not bad either. Time for a weekend.

Doh! Just realized that I didn't eat my lunch! That might explain lower energy.

4/18/2013

Yoga. I had to cut it short because I had meeting -- actually a productive meeting.  But, I did benefit from the Yoga.  I'm not as sore as I anticipated which is great.  I was a little fatigued and fairly tight, so certain poses challenged a bit.  Damn woo woo music chanting about HariKrishna, but whatever.  Slow and steady on the progress.

4:17:13

I was ashamed to realize I hadn't been on a run since last Tuesday...
So much end of the year shenanigans, I forgot to be stressed and I've just been focused on getting through. Unfortunately, no stress means no desire to run.
However, my roommate guilted me into a run after school today, bless her heart. During the run, it was obvious that I'd gone too many days without running and too many nights with free pizza (seems to be the primary expenditure at L&C).
Around 8 pm, I got a text from a hall mate asking to workout...
Seeing as I had in fact divulged in MORE free pizza between the first run and the text, I decided to run again -- in the gym this time.
Two workouts for today.
I really enjoyed using running as a study break, but I'm sure if I did multiple workouts a day too many times people would classify it as a disorder...

4-17-13

Lunch time walk group now up to 3 with a few more on the brink of committing. Brisk 2 miles each of the last 3 days. Today it was added to an hour and a half wheeling top soil into the new raised bed garden and 20 minutes of therapeutic shoulder work. Feeling good and tired.

4/17/2013

SQUATS!

135lb, 3x12
185lb, 2x10
205lb, 1x8
225lb, 1x6
205lb, 1x8
185lb, 1x10

all supersetted with inverted bosu ball air squats, 8 reps, and hanging knee raises with a chain chaser, 8 reps

I probably won't be able to walk upright tomorrow but today is good.  Try like a bastard to get to Yoga tomorrow and stretch these hip flexors out.

4/16/2013

Couldn't find the tires, so I went upstairs to the weight-room. Mikey's morning class used them tucked them away nicely but not where I was looking for them, not a big deal.

Weighted vest.

Kettle-bell swings, 5-6x12

Chatted with the strength coach about her willingness to meet with the ManCub and talk about colleges and careers, she was a go.

Grabbed a loop of chain and did hanging knee raises with the chain looped on my feet. Did 6 doubles, and then 6 on a side, first set, did 3 sets the reps fell off from there.

Ended with Farmers Walk around the room, 75lb dumbbells, 3 circuits. Grip was shot by the last round and I was huffing and puffing. Doing stuff from the old days sets benchmark for the comeback. I'm not ashamed of this work, but I still have a ways to go.

4-15-13

Moving things outside now that the weather is nicer. Spent the weekend hauling rocks from the woods and building low stone walls for raised bed gardens. Don't know if I got any benefit but it damn sure wore me out. Getting a lunch time walking thing going at work using an access road at the back of the industrial park, some active rail right of ways and a power line cut. Plenty of route and terrain options up to about a 3 mile circuit. Perfect for a midday break. Interested to see if many folks join up, but I'm anticipating it in any case.

4/15/2013

5k on the dreadmill with weighted vest.  Speed was pathetic but movement was continuous and was faster than walking, people who really run would scoff if I called it that but... it was a definite trot, perhaps even a jog.


Looks like I forgot to blog Friday's workout.

It was fun with weights, a strong emphasis on pressing movements, rowing was a subtext.  I was pleased to get 5 in a row last week.

4/11/2013

Yoga.

A little fatigued after the 3 workouts so this was a good change of pace.  As usual hips and hams needed to open up particularly after Squat day. 

I'm speculating on what I'm going to do tomorrow: run 5k, or do a fugly barbell work out.  Guess I'll know when it gets here.

4/10/2013

Squat day.

Superset hanging knee raises, 12 reps, inverted bosu ball air squats 8 reps, and squats

135lb, 3x8, 10, 12, 185lb, 2x8, 225lb, 3x6 185lb, 1x8, 135lb 1x12

4/9/2013

Fugly barbell, fieldhouse and weighted vest.  Went for a solid 45 minutes again mostly focused on press, and pull movements.  I'm very pleased with how these variations of "fun with weights" are going.  I like that the simulate well real life tasks. 

4/8/2013

Ran a 5k on the dreadmill, weighted vest.  Staved off the boredom by increasing the speed a bit with each kilometer.  My time is horrible.  But, I ran the whole way.  So I'm declaring victory.

4-7-13

Exploratory hike today with Tate and friend/neighbor, Tom. Tom showed us how to navigate around the west side of PA State Game Lands 207. Observed an old RR tunnel, and industrial and residential remnants. 1500 feet of elevation change over 8 miles. Part trail, part bushwhack. Tom is about 17 years younger than me and a pretty serious trail runner and mountain biker. I felt validated that I had no trouble maintaining pace. I napped this afternoon though. Doubt if he did.

4/5/2013

Fugly barbell, weighted vest, and the Field House.  Today was almost warm enough to take it outside.  If I'd had either sweatpants or a sweatshirt, I'd have done it.

Today, was more about pull and press, so a fair bit of overhead, rowing, or dead-lifting movements.  The reps increased all around, and the steadiness of pace quickened -- I'm not where I left off but I'm getting my work capacity back.  I put the fugly barbell away and then did a finisher of pushup-burpee jumping to a pull-up, 5,4,2,1.  I was fairly sore from Wednesday's squatting, I'd hoped to do yoga yesterday, but found that I had 4 t-shirts and no shorts or socks in the locker -- my gym bag was in the car that the ManCub took, so no yoga.  So, I've re-stocked the locker, and got a nice workout in today. We had some minor successes today at work so going into the weekend feels much better then last week.  I'm hoping to get a hike in one day this weekend.  Probably head up to the Highlands.  There is still a fair bit of snow but hopefully we can get around without a bunch of post-holing. 

4-4-04

Doing well with the shoulder rehabbing recently. I've found that rotating the joint into the painful impingement area, hurts a lot at first but repetition using an elastic band, eventually loosens it up and by the end of the routine, my mobility is temporarily better. I'm pretty sure that the pain range is lessening and my motion range is increasing. Until I attacked the pain area, I made no progress. In this case, there may be truth to the adage that "if it don't hurt it ain't doing you no good". Looking to confirm the progress over the next few weeks.

4/2/2013

SQUATS.

6x8, 135lb, 225lb, super set with inverted bosu ball air squats

2x8 overhead squats, empty o-bar and chains

What a long way to go to come back.

4/1/2013

Sometimes I look back and the thought "What a long way I've come" occurs to me.  Other-times I look back and I think, "I've got a long way to go." 

13lb vest
Ran a mile on the dreadmill

push up burpee jumping to a pull up, 5,4,3,2,1 super-set with o-bar good-mornings, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

20lb dumbbell in each hand, climb the stairs, but the dumbbells down, walk down and up, grab the dumbbells and so forth, I think I did 4 cycles

and back to the desk.