Wow, the girl finally speaks (and her first post coming on my log, no less)! Ladies and gentlemen, may I present "The Girl," also known as Amy.
Welcome....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mahler
Nice going, Ben.
Uh
Watch the phrasing about the girl coming on your log.
WOW!!!!!!! When Mahler can say that in someone's training log, which is titled "becoming a Marine", he is worthy of being bowed down too and certainly not messed with.
When Mahler can say that in someone's training log, which is titled "becoming a Marine", he is worthy of being bowed down too and certainly not messed with.
Ben means that in a very metaphorical way. It would be like me becoming a pretzel.
Oh, and welcome to the girl!
__________________ Megaloi -- My Blog
"Every society honors its live conformists and its dead troublemakers."
- Mignon McLaughlin
--On a more serious note, I'm starting to notice a sharp, stabbing pain on my left patella whenever I do tabata-style squats. The pain is centered over where my kneecap should be, but since their significantly externally rotated, it's basically over the medial part of the kneecap, leading me to think that it's just a quick of my biomechanics--muscles pulling where they should, which would normally be straight over the top of the patella, but given the external rotation (and history of tendonitis and other fun things that go with obesity and wrestling, sometimes in concert), I may need to arrest my ROM just short of full ass-to-grass in the future when using the tabata protocol.
--Today's PWO: one beer
Reading back over the first point, it's obvious that it was written after the second point had been completed
Quote:
Originally Posted by bacardio
Seriously nice workouts Ben
Thanks. It's been fun changing things up--even CrossFit style--but I'm itching to get back to NROL for the last Strength phase.
Yes hello to everyone I am the girl as ben likes to call me. No log of my own yet but i really enjoy reading all the different info. everyone has to offer and also all the crap that yall give phaedrus (Trust me he needs it)
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 my ass kicked today. Simple as that. Just dragging but got through it.
--Two days until May 3 is officially called off
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Hi Amy. Welcome to the board. And don't worry - we're experts at giving Ben crap!
__________________
"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
If not for my training log, I would've forgotten my numbers from the (good) distraction of working out with the girl.
*whew*
Gee, it's beyond me to manage some sort of innuendo out of that...
Amy - welcome!
__________________ 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
Warm-up - CP2:
--hip crossover, 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
Notes:
--After all the talk recently (can't remember if it was here or on another forum) about one-arm snatches, I thought I'd do those today since it's been a long time since the last attempts. The rep totals come from half done with each arm, of course.
--After all the talk recently (can't remember if it was here or on another forum) about Pendlay rows, I thought I'd do those today since I've never tried them before. Not sure if my form was right (it's SO hard to actively mobilize the upper torso after years of work to IMmobilize it during rows), but I'm glad I went light--my upper back gave out long before my arms or shoulders did, and my shoulders are fried from the last three days of hammering as it is plus the stuff from earlier in today's workout. I also placed my index finger on the barbell rings, so I had a wiiiiiiiide grip (for me).
--Two more firsts for the girl today: 1) 75lb 1RM squat (only her fourth or fifth time under the bar after doing NROL4W Break-In with TheraBands and bodyweight), and 2) her first gym-induced callous (good for her, bad for me, and I'll just leave that one there).
--Now, for the fun part of today's post: a cleaned-up re-telling (to the best of my recollection considering how hard I was laughing) of the profanity-laced tirade spewed forth from the passenger seat on the way home from the gym today. Seriously, PowerManDL would've blushed at this. I'll offset it for visual and content separation:
Upon arrival to a mostly empty gym today, both the power rack and the squat rack were occupied by curlers. Awesome, especially since this was the girl's squat day. The squat rack cleared during our dynamic warm-up, so she commandeered that while I setup behind her for my ballistic work. The power cage was still taken by two guys rotating on their BB curls, one of whom was attempting a gym junkie Jim Caviezel look: tall, thin, Jesus hair, obnoxiously carrying a gallon jug of water. This is important to note since, once he and Mr. Clean finished making sure they were God's gift to the Morehead Street Peak Fitness on this day, Thursday, April 24, 2008, at around 1:30pm EDT, their visages framed in the mirror by the aforementioned power rack, JC (how awesome are those initials) ventured to an incline bench to my left for more curling. The girl had finished a set of back squats and a rest interval and had unracked the bar for a set of front squats, which she proceeded to do with near-perfect form including full ass-to-grass bottom position (relative for her biomechanics, of course) outside the rack itself as her bottom position is lower than the safety rails allow. On her second rep, JC blurted out something like "you shouldn't go that far down." The girl gave him a look in the mirror, I gave him a direct look, and I just as blatantly walked around to the side of her to "check her form" and announced that it was "damned near perfect, just keep your back strong." JC wandered off soon after.
The girl and I each went through some other work, after which she ventured over to the Cable Station of Doom (DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUUNNNNNNN) from two days ago to do a superset of seated rows and Swiss ball crunches. By the time she finished her last set of rows and moved to the Swiss ball for that final set, JC had made his way to the Cable Station of Doom (DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUUNNNNNNN) to continue his uber-awesome elbow flexion workout of the week from Flex magazine with standing one-arm cable curls. The girl asked if she was in his way and thereby broke Rule #3 of the gym: if you don't want to be bothered, don't initiate anything even remotely resembling a conversation (aka don't talk to anyone, period, unless they start it, and even then, keep it curt and distant... unless she's hot and sincerely asking for advice). JC said no, of course--what guy would tell a hot girl that she's in the way (well, other than me, which I've proudly done before)--and then, as she was pounding out her set, he said something to the effect of "you sure seem enthused to be here today," to which she immediately and bluntly said, "I'm in a hurry today." He responded with mumbling of some sort and turned away. Little did he know just how close he'd come to seeing some serious walnut-crunching ass power--well, okay, maybe not that, but the wrath of a woman pissed off that this, as she so eloquently put it later, "g--d--- fucktard was taking up HER power rack that she needed to do some REAL work when she got there." I shudder to think of the potential aftermath of that encounter.
I should back up here and mention the Ethiopian wannabe chick (seriously, she was white at one time but had tanned to a just-lighter-than-shit-leather brown, not to mention seeing her sinews and ribs) who was working under the dubious guidance of the "fitness manager" as we were setting up for the girl's first squats (she later 1RMed at the workout--hey, that's how she wanted it today, so that's how she did it). Wannabe's final exercise involved planting both hands on a flat bench and hopping back and forth over it like a pommel horse for midgets. She did this with great enthusiasm, even giggling and exclaiming at one point during her final set: "I can feel my fat!" The girl and I looked at each other, and I thought the girl was going to pass out from rolling her eyes so far back (Poltergeist has nothing on her). As FM and Wannabe pranced back to his "office," the girl turned toward the spot where they'd been, grabbed and shook her own tiny waist roll with both hands, pushed her hips forward, and said something like, "Yeah, you think YOU got fat? That's skin, honey. THIS is fat. Do somethin'." The girl then proceeded to hammer out her squats.
All in all, a pretty good day at the gym.
Oh yeah:
--Rule #1 of the gym: wear earphones (self-explanatory)
--Rule #2 of the gym: don't make eye contact unless it's to stare down someone from mis-using a piece of equipment you're about to properly use
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Last edited by Phaedrus49er : 04-24-2008 at 03:29 PM.
Welp, it's official: I'm calling off the May 3 event. I just can't find a forth person sadistic enough to do this thing. I'm disappointed, but I'll still do my final bout of hill drills today, then pick up Strength III on Monday. At least this gives me more breathing room to get that phase done rather than dropping all full-rest days between now and the summit. I'll probably sign up for a 5K or something instead since I have the day off work already.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
Good gym stories there - would've been great if your girl would've gotten into the power rack and curled more weight than JC, saying "I know I'm not supposed to do these in here, but thought I'd try one or two." And then proceed to do her ATG squats.
__________________
Tom
No "happy hours" makes for a lot of miserable days. - Mahler
--The girl had schoolwork to finish, so I flew solo today. Tweaked my right hip adductor (likely the magnus), so I had to shorten my stride a little on the last three sets, but nothing that'll sideline me. Just have to keep an eye on it.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
So I guess I'll wrap up this log with the completion of Strength III in a few weeks since the whole Marine thing didn't quite pan out as it should have. Oh well, still having some fun training as if it were still happening, like today, when part of my basement went from this:
to this:
by me, by hand (kinda hard to see, but the brick palette is relocated to behind the cinder blocks; unseen in second shot is a dozen 80lb bags of cement mix that were also, but no longer, in the way). I had some serious flashbacks to high school when I worked in a brickyard one summer, Monday through Friday, 7a-3p, moving and stacking and strapping brick by hand. Toughest $5/hour I ever earned, but I sure as hell went to college after that
(I finished sweeping up in there, and now the Harley will live in the same building as me for the first time, oh, ever; having to build and take apart a crude ramp of bricks and wood planks will be a serious pain, but no point in buying ramps that won't work on that screwy entrance anyway)
__________________ 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, IT bands, quads, chest
--medicine ball - hamstrings, calves
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:
--*YAWN* Dragging ass today. At least I get back on a structured program tomorrow. Four weeks left until completion, then 1-2 weeks off (during which is the summit). After that, debating a Core Performance repeat, NROL Fat Loss, NROL4W, or something with similarly higher volume.
--Looking ahead to Strength III, Workout B, I'm likely going to substitute Pendlay rows for the bent-over BB rows unless someone who happens by this post thinks that's a bad idea.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
__________________
"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 - 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
* denotes explosive concentric with weight plate (no partner or wall available)
Notes:
--It was SO nice to get back on this program. It was even nicer that my numbers seemed to continue increasing. Just for grins, now that I'm doing singles again, I looked at my 1RMs from the end of Phase I--a shaky 235--to today's start of Phase III--a solid 250 with room to grow. Not a big jump--or big raw numbers--but an improvement nonetheless. It's too bad I'm going to have to cycle off the strength phase for a couple months with the improvements I've seen lately. If my nervous system doesn't feel fried after this phase and subsequent 1-2 weeks off, I may try to repeat one of these phases on the back side of the break before moving to a higher-volume, lower-intensity setup.
--The four-minute rest break looked LONG on paper, but only one or two of them actually felt long; the rest seemed just right.
--If I had this much fun today with squats, I can't wait for deadlifts on Thursday Before then, though, I get to play with Pendlay rows (and possibly hogging the power cage for max BB bench presses tomorrow, not that anyone else ever uses it).
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
* denotes explosive concentric with weight plate (no partner or wall available)
Notes:
--If I had this much fun today with squats, I can't wait for deadlifts on Thursday Before then, though, I get to play with Pendlay rows (and possibly hogging the power cage for max BB bench presses tomorrow, not that anyone else ever uses it).
So i have to make sure that i am feeling better so that you have a partner next time Also someone else does use the power cage ME!!!!! SO MOVE IT !!!!!!
Warm-up - CP2:
--hip crossover, 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
Notes:
--I felt like a tool setting up to bench in the power rack today, but seeing as how I didn't have a spotter--the girl was there but doing her own thing--I really didn't have much of a choice if I wanted to lift heavy (for me). Turns out no one even came close to the rack (except that red-dot guy from a couple weeks ago, but he didn't stick around). My bench is, quite frankly, pathetic; I've deliberately shied away from pushing it since I've been working to correct an shoulder internal rotation imbalance for I don't know how long. However, now that I've figured out a setup that both allows me to go heavier than I otherwise would and doesn't use in-demand equipment, I'm at a fuck-it point--I just want to get stronger in any and every lift, and I'll address imbalances as they pop up. Speaking of getting stronger...
--I spent a large part of today researching Westside. I know that it's really simple to setup, especially given its apparent endless flexibility in programming, but in this case, all that freedom might be a bit of a detriment to me as I think I'd benefit more from someone somewhere just handing me a pre-made setup to start out with. This really is something I think I could do, but there's no Westside-for-Dummies that I've found yet. I've gotten a little hooked on the (fairly minor) strength gains I've been making, and considering the bigger jumps I was making just before taking that two-week hiatus for the now-defunct (for me) USMC event this Saturday, I know I have a long way to go, but I've also seen the light when it comes to strength gains. That higher-volume, lower-intensity setup I've been eyeing for after the summit may be in jeopardy
--I need to re-visit Pendlay rows. I'm about 50% confident I was doing them correctly, but my low back was a little fatigued at the end of the last set. I do feel stronger in doing them compared to traditional bent-over BB rows for some reason. Hopefully, I'll remember to take a camera with me to the gym on Friday for a repeat row performance so I can see what I'm (not) doing.
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
1. Pendlay rows - Okay, I was doing them mostly correctly except for returning the load to the floor after each rep. I may have had a bit much hip flexion, but then, I did these while standing on a step to make sure I had a bit of flexion to my thoracic torso and to emphasize scapular movement. After review, I'll be okay doing this from the floor with a less-pronounced hip flexion (just have to make sure to completely de-load after each rep but not necessarily reset), and I'll need to be more explosive in the concentric, but for a first time doing them with more than just the bar, I'll take it.
2. Westside - Frank and Matt have tried to steer me in the right direction, but my feeble early-morning mind just can't quite take any hints of subtlety; however, I did find a good for-dummies post on another forum I've recently started visiting. So far, the only thing I don't like about Westside is the need to spread out the week so much (meaning a workout on a weekend day, which isn't always a guarantee with my work schedule), but unless I attempt a three-day split, I don't see any way around it. I'll probably give this a go over the summer if I continue carb maintenance--it's summer, which usually means carb restriction or elimination for a couple months at least.
__________________ 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, IT bands, quads, chest
--medicine ball - hamstrings, calves
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:
--Nothing of great interest except that I have literally been all over Charlotte and cannot find a pair of shoes worth getting. I'm about ten minutes away from ordering at Zappos.com for every day shoes (probably Adidas Sambas), then going to the whitewater center to get a pair of Vibrams.
__________________ 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
* denotes 240RI (still stuck on previous movement's RI)
Notes:
--EDIT: The crunches from Monday should say 4 reps each, not 10. Trust me, I'm not trying to be overly ambitious on my rep counts during this phase.
--What a killer day. I knew I was in trouble (in a good way) when I missed the last rack pull. The regular deadlifts had wiped me out, but with the free-weight area being oddly busy, I had to wait 7-8 minutes after the last set to get into the power rack where some Carlton-esque guy was doing his three massive sets of 2-3 rep hanging leg raises (from the slings, not the pull-up bar). I figured I was good to go on the weight I picked for the rack pulls; I ended up rest-pausing on the first set, going straight through on the second set, and rest-pausing on the third--I set up for the second rep, pre-loaded, went for it, and nothing worked. Everything just peaced out, said fuck this, I'm done. Okay, fine, I'm not going to fight that battle with my body because I know if I went for it, I'd almost certainly get injured. Maybe next time. In the aftermath following the gym, I was shaking (not violently) for awhile--my CNS was/is fried.
--The girl officially (re)started NROL4W today, but with actual weight this time instead of stretch bands. Consequently, she's keeping a workout log as well but hasn't decided on posting it here yet. I may undertake those posting duties as well (oh goody, an even higher post count for me)
--I scored a pair of Vibram Five Fingers today. The girl hasn't stopped shaking her head or laughing at them. Yes, they look a little ridiculous, but hey, they feel good (except for my left pinkie toe; there just seems to be some oddball pressure point from a seam that makes it uncomfortable, plus I'm having trouble fully straightening my two last left toes as well, but I'm hoping that'll change as I wear the shoes more). It's a little odd that my left foot doesn't roll through a step so much as it clops flat. This whole walking correctly thing is going to take some getting use to. I'm still looking for some everyday shoes, though, as the Sambas are too narrow or long, and I'm NOT wearing the Vibrams everywhere Any suggestions?
--Now for the fun parts. Vignette #1:
First up, the Porno Twin Girls. I call them the PTGs because they were both pretty hot, not deadly hot, but the workout they were tag-teaming on certainly was. Seriously, they could've instantly dropped their dumbbells and gone after each other on the bench right beside me (an important spatial note to be commented on later). They really weren't twins by any means, maybe sisters at best (HMMM...), but this make the story easier to tell--just think of them as a single unit (HMMM...). Well, okay, fine:
If there were individual stories behind them, we'd call them Black and White for their outfit choices, but suffice it to say that Black was built like a shit brickhouse: 5-5ish, 125ish, stacked in a great way--I say she was completely natural; the girl disagrees, but I hold to my opinion (by the way, I'm talking about her overall build, not her hoo-has, which weren't bad, either). White was on the skinny side but had some good muscle to her and seemed to be following Black through her circuit free-weight/bodyweight routine, which was pretty badass, if I do say so myself--pull-ups, push-ups, Swiss ball crunches, maybe some other stuff I didn't see.
Now, this was all fine and dandy in and of itself and would normally be reason enough for mentioning. However, whether is was because they were a tad lazy or because they just wanted to be near me while I did that first round of deadlifts, I dunno, but the only kinda empty floor space was a maybe 8' x 8' square between me doing deadlifts and the power rack where they were doing their pull-ups, incidently. So, instead of moving some of the benches to clear their own space or just working between the benches--which they did do for their crunches (albeit just on the other side of the aforementioned bench)--they decided to come setup for their push-ups right...in front...of me. Okay, fine, not a problem one time, but it seems that my work interval combined with my four-minute rest interval was the EXACT SAME AMOUNT OF TIME these two needed to make it back around to that point in their circuit.
This caused two problems--well, three, really. First, they were crowding me. You'd think that someone obviously doing 1-3RM deadlifts would kinda put off this vibe (another important point for discussion in a minute) to keep some distance. Second, they were between me and the mirror, which in going for lifts this (relatively) heavy, I really wanted to lock in my form and alignment. Third, how in the hell could I avoid the second problem by looking in the mirror without making it look like I was eyeballing them up, down, left, and right?
My eyes stayed down mostly, only going to the ceiling right before I pre-loaded (heh heh). I should mention that the most blatant performance of push-ups came during the last two sets of deadlifts--yep, the heaviest ones on which I had to concentrate the most, a difficult task under normal circumstances, but c'mon, really? A local, brunette, seemingly chatty version of Jamie Eason and her not-as-hot-but-still-very-doable friend doing strict-form push-ups with feet by me and bodies pointed toward the mirror? Do you KNOW how hard it is to deadlift with something ELSE pointed toward the mirror??? (Okay, well, at least I avoided that last point becoming an issue, but good lord 'n' butter...)
Side note: remember Carlton from above? Yeah, so while PTG was elsewhere doing crunches, he sets up in the power rack for his leg raises. Okay, fine, whatever, except that he then walks around, goes gets water, wanders back, adjusts the slings, yadda yadda yadda, all before even the first set. He takes so long that PTG makes it back for pull-ups (after another *boing* show) and asks if she can work in a set of pull-ups. Carlton says something like, "Sure, you can work in a set. In fact, you can work in any set you like." I think I strained an eyeball from rolling it too hard.
--Vignette #2 (courtesy of the girl):
As I was being held up in my own workout by Carlton, the girl blew through hers (first NROL4W stage is fast), so she opted to play around, doing a few lifts for form (mostly) and weight (squats). As she was finishing up a set of front squats, George (an older trainer there who I've mentioned before) says good morning. The girl says good morning back. The rather tall and rotund guy (who later "curled" 135lbs in the squat rack, I kid you not)--we'll call him Tiny--was with George, and following the first exchange, he says something like, "Damn, girl, you makin' me wanna work out MORE!" I think the girl strained an eyeball from rolling it too hard.
Later, as the girl was doing extra sets of negative pull-ups, a lady was beside her on the lat pulldown station. During the lady's breaks, she'd stare at the girl (remember the starry-eyed red-dot lady not so long ago?). When the girl finally got to a rest interval, the lady asked if the girl had been going to that gym a long time. The girl, of course, said no, to which the lady muttered something about not knowing where her usual equipment was (I assume she was from a different gym, duh). The girl has over time been repeatedly approached by random people who have questions and comments ranging from the two above to people walking by us in a park while we do CrossFit-esque stuff and asking, no shit, "are y'all training for shot put?" to free training advice from good ol' JC (who was there again today, toting that same water jug--I wanna see that sucker filled with wine one day, dammit).
__________________ No Magic Pill (the log)
My Movember page (yes, I'm slacking on pictures)
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