1. The endocrinology chapter in Essentials sucks, just plain sucks, and this is a non-debatable point. It's more technical than is practical (way beyond, I assume, what most CSCSs would need, but then, what do I know?), and it's written in a very ambiguous tone (lots of "could," "might," etc). I'll try to get through it again today.
2. Considering that my work schedule this week equates to professional ankle-grabbing, I'll be experimenting with beer-as-PWO today
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Warm-up - CP2:
--hip crossover (Alwyn calls it "lower-body Russian twist"), 5 reps each side
--scorpion twist, 5 reps each side
--lateral lunge, 5 reps each leg
--crossover lunge, 5 reps each leg
--sumo squat-to-stand, 5 reps
--Swiss ball Russian twist (2 x 6 each side, 202, 90RI) - 6 @ 25, 6 @ 25
Notes:
--My fingernails have nothing to worry about since I can barely lift my arms to type this out. Holy f*ck, that hurt. The first superset, okay. The second, good grief, did my chin-ups suck or what? I couldn't even begin to think about negatives on that last set. Plus, putting them later in the workout rather than first out of the gate (like in the first phase) is just evil. It didn't help that I ballooned on vacation
--I was pleasantly surprised at the weight I moved on the rows. I started the last phase doing 6 reps at 95lbs (slightly sandbagged) and ended with 6 reps @ 135lbs, so I guess this makes sense, but it was still nice to start out at that level (and with STELLAR form, I might add).
--It took this far into the post to kill one beer. I'm now on my second. Beer-as-PWO: an experiment in the name of training science. Actually, I have to be up at midnight for a 1a-9a shift (in arguably the highest-pressured job I've ever held), so I'm trying to double-whammy with PWO macros via carbonation and knock myself out by 6p (hopefully).
--Along those lines, I will attempt to finish a re-reading of the endocrinology chapter (second time through) on the way to la-la land, which is where I am anyway while actively reading that material. That's definitely going to be a brush-up chapter when I go back and take notes on stuff during the second pass-through of the whole book.
--I've been relatively tired going into the past two workouts but have performed surprisingly well. I must be all the beer I've had over the past week-plus (an alcohol-free night will be a story--note that I don't binge, only one or two drinks to, um, help with digestion... yeah... and make marginal women prettier ).
--Speaking of which, of course I was solo at the gym today, and very little eye candy, just a few missed pieces at the bottom of the jar, which was rather full yesterday. I could've filled the cup.
--St. Patty's was a muted celebration this year, but a celebration nonetheless since I totally missed last year (it is, after all, one of my favorite "holidays" of the year). I contend that March 18, like the Monday after the Super Bowl, be declared a national vacation day. FWIW, the very few pictures taken are posted to my Facebook and MySpace profiles (as are vacation and a few other pictures--I was bored at work the past couple mornings).
--Beer two gone.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Therefore, during the lull before a coming storm today, I went outside and played with my pipe.
Is that legal?
What's that white bit at the end of one's fingernails? Never seen that before .... hmmm, what to do? what to do?
__________________
"Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right." - Henry Ford
"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss
"Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." - George Bernard Shaw
--Speaking of which, of course I was solo at the gym today, and very little eye candy, just a few missed pieces at the bottom of the jar, which was rather full yesterday. I could've filled the cup.
This could be translated in so many ways.
__________________
Past performance is not indicative of future success.
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
Stretching (Core Performance protocol using rope for assistance)
--calves, 15sec each
--hamstrings, 15sec each
--adductors, 15sec each
--IT band, 15sec each
--quads, 15sec each
--triceps, 15sec each
--up-and-over chest stretch, 10reps
--side-lying internal shoulder rotation, 15sec each
--90/90 core twist, 15sec each
--quadruped rocking, 10reps
Notes:
--DOMS away! No, really *ow* Alwyn, I'm *ouch* sorry if it sounded *ick* like I was saying your program *oooowww* was easy. It's just that *eh* your programming has been *ouch* so effective with me that I *ow* guess I'm *ouch*--nevermind, just please *oof* make the pain go away.
--I fell asleep during the above workout. No, really, I did the planks and the rolling, was lying on my back right after finishing with the tennis balls, and knocked out for a couple minutes. Now, whether that was from all the SMR working on the DOMS, the fact that I'm still used to sleeping on a hard floor from vacation (I really have to look into just putting a thin mat on the floor and sleeping there), or my f*cked-up sleep schedule, or a combination of these is anyone's guess. It felt good, though.
--On a semi-related note, beer-as-PWO might have some merit. Carbs, calories, and carbonation all seem to be PWO-friendly, though the alcohol calories are questionable. I didn't go to sleep all that soon after consumption (two beers right after the gym, some food and a shower, then a glass of wine), but I got some deep sleep and felt somewhat human when I woke up a few minutes shy of midnight, considering I got about 5.5 hours of sleep. Mid-afternoon bedtime won't be a problem today.
--I did manage to finish the endocrinology chapter again last night, which likely helped in putting me to sleep. I think I'll skip reading today (and maybe tomorrow). Cardiovascular and respiratory systems up next.
--Trader Joe's is awesomely evil, especially as I'm finding time here and there to just meander the store. I went for a four-pack of buffalo burgers and two bottles of Two-Buck Chuck. I left with two four-packs of buffalo burgers, two bottles of Two-Buck Chuck, some chicken-and-veggie potstickers (and sauce), a small platter of baklava, and a wedge of beer cheese to begin satisfying a developing cheese fetish (no great purveyors within two hours, and those are just cheddar varieties, so why not try some good stuff from TJ's?).
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Warm-up - CP1:
--forearm-to-instep lunge with rockback heel stretch, 5 reps each leg
--backward lunge with twist, 5 reps each leg
--calf stretch, 10 reps (2sec hold)
--forward inchworm, 5 reps
--inverted hamstring touches, 5 reps each leg
--hanging leg raise (2 x 6, 222, 90RI) - 6 @ BW, 6 @ BW
* denotes rest-pauses during all three reps of all three sets (must use rails instead of hooks to rest the bar on next time)
Notes:
--Hooray for deadlift day! I'll save a long and stupid story for last, but it was a great day. I ended up using a chalkless chalk bag I got from REI last week. I think "chalkless" is a misnomer--it's more like clear chalk because there was definitely particulate in the air (sun was streaming through the windows where I was working out), and my eyes and nose dried up a bit as well, but that stuff works GREAT on my hands.
--Rack pulls are a bitch. I set the stops at just below my knees so they'd be slightly bent at the start of the movement (I assume these are just partial-range deadlifts and should mirror that portion of the lift). Yay or nay on that setting?
--BSSs seemed easier today, even with the added weight, but I also had a slightly lower back step since I had to MacGuyver a seated calf raise machine for the purpose (back extension apparatus right next to it and far far away from the aerobics steps). Awaiting DOMS.
--Most surprising today were the hanging leg raises. In addition to my grip actually holding out, I completed a full ROM fairly easily (not that they were easy, but I made it through the full ROM). Only at the end of the second set did I really start to fatigue. I have to wonder if my arms/shoulders weren't torquing my torso up rather than it being an abs-only movement. I'll have to concentrate more on ab contraction next time, though again, the extend of DOMS has yet to be seen.
--Only one day left of this godawful schedule. Looking ahead to tomorrow, I think I'll be on the cable lat pulldown rather than attempt bodyweight-plus pull-ups considering my chin-up performance the other day (and what's left of my grip after today).
--Finally, the long and stupid story: it was totally worth the fatigue of this week's schedule to get in there when I did today, stand five feet from the power cage, and wait and stare at the jackass bean-pole, red-dotter (call me racist if you want, but the guy was pissing me off) doing BB wrist curls at every conceivable angle. He got visibly agitated but continued, knowing I was waiting on him, so I set up just a few feet behind him and rather gaudily and obnoxiously did my first three deadlift sets, after which (yes, if you're counting, that's three minutes' rest between each set plus work time) he'd come back to the power cage for more wrist curls after (during my sets) sitting on a bench right beside the cage doing DB wrist curls. While he's doing his second round, I unload all my plates except two 45-pounders, walking right by him on each pass to rack the weights on the cage's pins. By the time I got back to my now-135lb bar and turned around to stare at him more, he left his bar loaded (55lbs) to go back to his bench. I guess he was on a multi-superset wrist curl program, but as soon as he moved away, I deadlifted my bar (which weighed more than he did), walked it over, and proceeded to do my final full-ROM set right at the cage, after which I took his bar off, replaced it with mine, put my rack pull weight on it, and stood inside the cage visibly staring at my stopwatch until time for my reps. Was my etiquette questionable? Of course, but for some reason today, I just didn't care--I was in a mood. Figures I didn't pick today to wear my "no curling in the squat rack" shirt.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Warm-up - CP2:
--hip crossover (Alwyn calls it "lower-body Russian twist"), 5 reps each side
--scorpion twist, 5 reps each side
--lateral lunge, 5 reps each leg
--crossover lunge, 5 reps each leg
--sumo squat-to-stand, 5 reps
* denotes BW pull-ups / assisted BW pull-ups (used push press bar in rack hooks with feet on floor for least-possible help)
Notes:
--The ankle-grabbing work week closes with a five-hour night of sleep and a larger midsection thanks to my body screaming at me over this schedule (hooray for cortisol). I went ahead and banged this out despite REALLY wanting to take a nap first.
--Like last phase, I switched up the exercise order to put pulling movements first.
--I opted to do "assisted" pull-ups rather than wide-grip lat pulldowns because of my gym's equipment set--I'd have to maintain possession of two stations on opposite ends of the facility for the lat pulldown/push press superset (as well as the second superset, to a lesser extent).
--Speaking of pull-ups, I did a LOT more of those than expected in general, lack of sleep notwithstanding. My grip was rock-solid, a big surprise after yesterday, but I have to say that using that quasi-chalk has made a HYOOGE difference in my grip.
--I'm about to max out the seated cable row stack, but there are no other free-motion options for this movement at my gym. There are two or three free weight-loaded machines that simulate this, but the paths of motion are fixed. No thanks. I may alter the tempo if I can't increase the weight.
--For those of you who've done or are doing Swiss ball Russian twists, are you laterally shifting your torso while rotating so as to maintain balance, or are you only rotating your torso without the shift? If the latter, I'd LOVE to know how you're doing it because when I try it, the ball rolls with me, and I get more intimate with the floor than I care to. Ya know, chaffage and all... *ahem*...
--While there's still a LONG way to go, I'm starting to see fingernails.
--Still no additional word on the May 3 event--registration was supposed to be available mid-March, but nothing so far. Not good.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Work:
--2 rounds of front/left/right planks, 30sec each hold, no RI btwn holds, 60RI btwn rounds
SMR work (10 reps each)
--foam roller - back, glutes
--Stick - hamstrings, calves, quads (inner, outer), IT band, chest
Stretching (Core Performance protocol using rope for assistance)
--calves, 15sec each
--hamstrings, 15sec each
--adductors, 15sec each
--IT band, 15sec each
--quads, 15sec each
--triceps, 15sec each
--up-and-over chest stretch, 10reps
--side-lying internal shoulder rotation, 15sec each
--90/90 core twist, 15sec each
--quadruped rocking, 10reps
Notes:
--I managed to stay up until about 7:30pm last night, then had a friend call me around 9pm so I'd get up for a couple hours and get back on a semi-normal sleep schedule. No alarm this morning, so I got about ten hours' sleep overall.
--A mental regeneration day as well: with it being 75F and sunny, I blew through a quick-and-dirty run-through of tax write-offs so I could get on the Harley a little after lunchtime. Much needed.
--A friend commented that my fingernails look much better compared to the pictures I posted on here. I'll post progress pics in the next couple days.
--I forgot what it was like to have a Saturday completely off (wasn't that long ago that I had one, too).
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Warm-up - CP1:
--forearm-to-instep lunge with rockback heel stretch, 5 reps each leg
--backward lunge with twist, 5 reps each leg
--calf stretch, 10 reps (2sec hold)
--forward inchworm, 5 reps
--inverted hamstring touches, 5 reps each leg
Notes:
--I was able to commandeer the power cage today and so felt much more comfortable going heavier with the rails in place, especially on the quarter-squats.
--Just for shits and giggles, I spent my intra-squat rest intervals hanging from the pull-up bar for time. One-handed. Granted, it wasn't more than a few seconds each, but my grip strength gains are apparent since I was able to hold the position for a few seconds rather than instantly starting to slip off the bar. Of course, I alternated hands *toss*
--The eye candy jar was full again today. In fact, I was asked by one piece in particular if I was done with the squat rack (I was), and she proceeded to squat ALMOST to parallel. Dammit. Then she went over to the squat rack (for whatever reason) and started doing Romanian deadlifts. SO CLOSE! My $20 is seriously in jeopardy
--I read through the cardiovascular/respiratory chapter yesterday and likely won't need a second immediate read since I actually remember all that stuff from school. Next up: the LONG chapter on general physiological responses to both aerobic and anaerobic training.
--Insurance coughed up well over what I was expecting to get from the car fire, so as soon as the check arrives Wednesday, I'm going car shopping. Maybe...
--...because on first pass-through of my taxes (note: I'm self-employed), I owe federal about $5300. Second pass-through came up with $3800 combined federal and state, which the insurance check could more than cover. I need to go digging much more deeply for write-offs than I have so far. My Harley may become my only means of transportation
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Warm-up - CP2:
--hip crossover (Alwyn calls it "lower-body Russian twist"), 5 reps each side
--scorpion twist, 5 reps each side
--lateral lunge, 5 reps each leg
--crossover lunge, 5 reps each leg
--sumo squat-to-stand, 5 reps
--Swiss ball Russian twist (2 x 6 each side, 202, 90RI) - 6 @ 25, 6 @ 25
Notes:
--I totally saw a hot chick at the gym today doing full-ROM deadlifts with an Olympic bar. Unfortunately for her, it was my girlfriend, and I was training her, so prompting was present, therefore no payout. Hell, she'll get that $20 in the end anyway.
--Looking back at last week about this time, I'm SO glad I don't have that schedule again/anymore.
--Fingernails are still here. I lost one or two today, but not all of them (this time).
--I managed to get my tax liability down to about $2300 today (at last check). This is good.
--I found a great truck to buy as well, but the owner seems obscenely slack in communication, which sucks because (pending anything undisclosed about its condition), it's a great deal and (almost) exactly what I want.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
She reads this log daily. She comes to the gym with me on occasion (until we figure out some logistics of getting to the gym at the same time more often). She's commented on several--and approved of a few--of the aforementioned "pieces." It's always nice to hear a random "I'd do her" from a chick
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Stretching (Core Performance protocol using rope for assistance)
--calves, 15sec each
--hamstrings, 15sec each
--adductors, 15sec each
--IT band, 15sec each
--quads, 15sec each
--triceps, 15sec each
--up-and-over chest stretch, 10reps
--side-lying internal shoulder rotation, 15sec each
--90/90 core twist, 15sec each
--quadruped rocking, 10reps
Notes:
--I got nothing today.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Warm-up - CP1:
--forearm-to-instep lunge with rockback heel stretch, 5 reps each leg
--backward lunge with twist, 5 reps each leg
--calf stretch, 10 reps (2sec hold)
--forward inchworm, 5 reps
--inverted hamstring touches, 5 reps each leg
--hanging leg raise (2 x 6, 222, 90RI) - 6 @ BW, 6 @ BW
* denotes rest-pauses (used rails this time, much shorter pauses)
Notes:
--I. was. beat. Like, light-headed tired, but I still upped my numbers slightly. That's all that matters (that and not getting hurt).
--Two oddities today: (1) I usually don't hit the locker room before I leave the gym, opting to change shoes in the aerobics studio where I usually finish my workouts, but I wanted to weigh-in today, meaning going to the locker room. The whole five minutes I was in there, some guy was squawking on his phone to (obviously) some chick friend of his who was giving him shit about something, and he was giving it right back. I'm not sure how that ended, but he was still going as he walked out the door and around the corner ahead of me (I went the other way to go out). (2) There was a chick running in jeans today, heading down the sidewalk as I drove up to my house. Weird.
--Two salutes today: (1) hot, thin blonde with legs that went all the way up. No, seriously, they had to because the shorts she was wearing couldn't possibly have been covering an ass of any kind; (2) meaty (in a good way) brunette doing lateral lunges with DBs on her shoulders (awesomely muscular legs).
--P.S. RedLefty is married and tells about womenfolk in his log, yet he gives me grief for doing the same while just dating someone. You, sir, are a tool
--Looked at a used pickup for sale today. Private seller. Something(s) just seemed off about it, so I said no. Guess I'll be going to CarMax tomorrow to get my second vehicle from them (with money down, payments end up being about half what I was paying before for one less year on the loan, but still, I REALLY didn't want to take on a car payment again).
--Adoptable doggie is making a visit tonight to see if he'd like to live here.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
--P.S. RedLefty is married and tells about womenfolk in his log, yet he gives me grief for doing the same while just dating someone. You, sir, are a tool
--P.S. RedLefty is married and tells about womenfolk in his log, yet he gives me grief for doing the same while just dating someone. You, sir, are a tool
I only do it in the name of the LAWD! Figured this video was timely with the Reverend Wright stuff going on:
__________________ Megaloi -- My Blog
"Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers."
- Mignon McLaughlin
__________________
"Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right." - Henry Ford
"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss
"Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." - George Bernard Shaw
Warm-up - CP2:
--hip crossover (Alwyn calls it "lower-body Russian twist"), 5 reps each side
--scorpion twist, 5 reps each side
--lateral lunge, 5 reps each leg
--crossover lunge, 5 reps each leg
--sumo squat-to-stand, 5 reps
* denotes BW pull-ups / assisted BW pull-ups (used push press bar in rack hooks with feet on floor for least-possible help)
Notes:
--Apparently I forgot that this was the second week of this phase (last two workouts were labeled "Week 1")
--I'm going to take a second here, direct your attention to the pull-ups today, and simply say: OMG WTF LOL!!!1!!!11!!!!!1!1 No, seriously, I was dragging ass again and still pulled that many wide-grip pull-ups? Talk about an ego boost.
--I've been spoiled by never having had to lift beyond 5pm on a weekday in a LOOOONG time. Fridays are usually lighter in general, and I suppose today was no exception, but even so, I want nothing to do with any day of the week after 5pm. You'll notice I had to break up the second superset (and had to wait ten minutes to commandeer the power cage to get the first one done). I even had to wait about ten minutes to get one of the two decent Swiss balls in the place (yes, just two, one the size of my ego right now, the other about the size of RL's nutsack, so neither is great, but I make do).
--On a personal note, I got a dog last night, a four-year-old, 40lb boxer mix named Rocky. His family had had him since puppyhood, but they don't have time to spend with him anymore. Not that I have a huge amount of time, but I do have days off here and there, and I do work from home mostly. Time to start looking for some riding gear for him (you know, a harness, leather cap, goggle, white scarf ). I really hadn't planned to get a dog so soon, but he looks exactly like a dog I used to have, just a touch smaller, and there seemed to be a little desperation in this family as they were adopting out all three of their dogs for free. No telling where he might've ended up (they were pushing for me to take a second dog--15lbs, very yippy and hyper--but even if he were just like the one I got, I don't think I could've handled two by myself right now). Now I just have to find a babysitter for him for when I go to the beach next month and to the summit in May/June.
--Speaking of riding, today I got a truck to pull the Harley if needed. I've been poring over Craig's List, AutoTrader, the newspaper. I checked one truck out the other day to no avail, had several trucks to choose from, but all had one little thing here or there that I couldn't quite accept, and I'm just leery of buying from private sellers who I don't already know, so I finally broke down and went to Carmax (my second vehicle from them) and got a black 2003 Ford Ranger Edge regular cab 2x4 stickshift with towing package. The only thing I wanted and didn't get was the extended cab, but the price was right (even for Carmax), and I didn't want a brand new truck (this one has 87k miles on it), so aside from very minor cosmetic needs (seal a tail light, get a toolbox for cargo space, get a new shifter that's easier to reach), I can't complain at all (c'mon, it plays MP3s--off of CDs, but still). Pictures of both dog and truck will be coming to my blog in the next few days.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Lots of congrats today, Ben .... pullups, dog, truck ... man, does it get any better? So, is the truck coming to LR?
__________________
"Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right." - Henry Ford
"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss
"Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." - George Bernard Shaw
Lots of congrats today, Ben .... pullups, dog, truck ... man, does it get any better? So, is the truck coming to LR?
It would if the mortgage company would stop dragging ass on their end and give me an answer on my application. I have another mortgage guy I may try to talk to next week. I can't let the current rates go away without landing a house. But to answer your question, house aside, things are rollin'
Quote:
Originally Posted by RedLefty
Wow, you did a ton of wide-grip pullups, got a new dog, a new truck, and still my nutsack merits a mention? I'm honored.
As you should be
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Hey, you got a truck and you got a dog. You must be playing that country music backwards.
And nice work on those pullups!
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
, 5/7* @ BW
Linear Mode
