No magic pill

[Phaedrus49er]

2-DB push press, 90RI
--3 @ 65s, 3 @ 65s, 3 @ 65s, 3 @ 65s

1-arm DB hang snatch, 90RI
--3 @ 55, 3 @ 55, 3 @ 60, 3 @ 60 (each arm)

SUPERSET
1-leg squat, 0RI (left / right)
--2/4 @ BW, 2/3 @ BW, 3/3 @ BW, 1/1 @ BW
+
1-leg Swiss ball curl, 60RI
--5 @ BW, 5 @ BW, 5 @ BW, 5 @ BW (each leg)

SUPERSET
pull-ups, 0RI
--5 @ BW, 5 @ BW, 4 @ BW, 4 @ BW
+
push-ups, 60RI
--15 @ BW, 10 @ BW, 8 @ BW, 6 @ BW



Notes:
--*clears throat* I'd like to call your attention to the lower-body superset. Note the change from last time. Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaat's right



--I kept the left-leg squat reps lower due to the lingering TFL/ITB issues I'm having, which seem to be a little more prominent today after running last night. Still, I'm really interested to test my back squat 1RM now. I may do that during my next back-off week.
--Upper-body superset also improved from its last time. Not sure where the extra power came from today considering the late-night ass-whoopin' I took last night.
--I forgot to note after my last outside workout that I didn't wear my Vibrams that time, and I think I'll forego them for a couple more weeks or until that aforementioned right foot pain subsides some more (been a little better in recent days, just some random flare-ups in my right second toe ).
--(Hopefully less than) Nine hours of CPR/AED/First Aid training coming up tomorrow. Good thing it's a short workout day.

[jugglecat]

Congratulations on the One Leg Squat! Very Cool!

[RedLefty]

Nice.

[Phaedrus49er]

Circuit x 10, 0RI
--rope jump x 100
--burpees x 10
--push-ups x 10
--BW squats x 10

Time - 59:02



Notes:
--What can I say? There's a world of difference between doing this inside an air-conditioned gym and out in 80F and high humidity with no breeze. Not an excuse, just saying.
--The girl hung with me through seven long rounds. We both took about three minutes after the fifth round to decide whether or not to continue. I gave up on time and just aimed for completion.
--I will say that my push-ups rocked out with only one broken set; the rest were straight sets of ten reps.
--I also did this workout in sneakers rather than the Vibrams. My right foot is feeling better, but my left leg is getting a little worse, though that may simply be from some tension release via SMR work. I'm going to give it a couple more weeks before getting really worried about it.

[LisaS]

Originally Posted by Phaedrus49er

--(Hopefully less than) Nine hours of CPR/AED/First Aid training coming up tomorrow. Good thing it's a short workout day.

so - r u certified or certifiable ?

[ClOVERGIRL]

BLAH is all i can say

[Phaedrus49er]

It thankfully only ended up being just under seven hours including a one-hour lunch, which I spent walking (fifteen minutes each way) to a little hidden-away park nearby and sitting on a shaded bench.

To answer your question, yes.

And I agree. BLAH.

[Lost Dog]

Originally Posted by Lisa~

I don't know any official name, but it'd be called some type of hip extension. Kickbacks just reeks of triceps and sounds wimpy and inappropriate in your otherwise awesome list of movements.

Yet, somehow fitting...

Originally Posted by Phaedrus49er, CPR

It thankfully only ended up being just under seven hours including a one-hour lunch, which I spent walking (fifteen minutes each way) to a little hidden-away park nearby and sitting on a shaded bench.

To answer your question, yes.

And I agree. BLAH.

So, let me know if you need your screen name changed to reflect your new cert.

[Phaedrus49er]

Rowing intervals
--5 x 1000m, active RI = 100m
--100m RI
--5 x 100m, active RI = 50m

Total time - 27:37

Core circuit x 3, 0RI
--Turkish get-ups, 5 each side x 12kg
--V-ups x 10
--Supermans x 10
--standing side bends, 6 each side x 18kg



Notes:
--Haven't rowed in awhile, but apparently I made some progress in the interim. I actually setup the distance correctly and so got an exact time this time.
--I'll look more closely at my rower, but something I've noticed nearly every time I've rowed is that my legs don't seem to match up, as in the right one is closer to the midline at full extension than the left one, plus the long-running feeling of my left leg doing more work in any bilateral movement. I've mentioned before how my whole lower left side likes to tense up for no reason, and it takes a LOT of concentration to relax it until it happens again 5-10 minutes later. No such issue with the right side. I'm just unbalanced, I guess.
--Took the last CSCS practice exam the other day, so here's how they stack up: #1 - barely failed, #2 - bombed, #3 - passed solidly. All without studying. I know #2 was mainly because I didn't carefully read a lot of items, but I have my page references now for the items I missed and will be looking over those in the coming week or two (picked up on Zebras again after several days off, so I'm kinda back into that right now). I'm thinking that if I actually schedule a test date, it'll get me in gear to knuckle down and focus on the material, but I'm going to wait until at least after the girl takes her LPN exam in a couple weeks.

[Phaedrus49er]

2-DB split snatch from front hang, 60RI
--3 @ 40s, 3 @ 40s, 3 @ 40s, 3 @ 45s, 3 @ 45s

2-DB push jerk, 60RI
--3 @ 45s, 3 @ 45s, 3 @ 50s, 3 @ 50s, 3 @ 55s

SUPERSET
1-arm DB bench press, 0RI
--5 @ 55, 5 @ 55, 5 @ 55, 5 @ 55
+
depth plyo push-up, 60Ri
--5 @ BW, 4 @ BW, 3 @ BW, 3 @ BW

SUPERSET
static wall squat, 0RI
--60sec @ BW, 60sec @ BW, 60sec @ BW, 60sec @ BW
+
squat jump, 90RI
--10 @ BW, 10 @ BW, 10 @ BW, 10 @ BW

1-arm DB swing, 0RI
--15 @ 25, 15 @ 25, 15 @ 25



Notes:
--Minimal improvements from five weeks ago, mainly in the opening speed movements, and held steady in the upper-body superset. Lower-body superset was oddly easy the first 2.5 times, and I really didn't look at my watch until 40-45sec into the static hold.
--With no vehicle tonight, I walked the uphill mile to the gym, meaning no additional warm-up necessary. Being that my gym is uber-ghey and closes at 8pm on Friday nights, I had to haul through the workout as I didn't hit the floor until 7:15pm (worked until 6:30pm), which compromised the intensity on individual movements, but overall, it was a grind as I took no extra little blows here and there that I normally do. I finished my finisher just as the TVs and sound system were being turned off.
--I can't even begin to describe the brotardery in a downtown commercial gym on a Friday night.

[Phaedrus49er]

10 circuits, descending reps 10 down to 1, RI = (reps just completed minus 1) x 6
--ring pull-ups
--medicine ball slams @ 6lbs
--KB swings @ 18kg (each arm)
--burpees

Total time - 33:16



Notes:
--Mostly a repeat performance. I traded out V-ups for slams to save some setup time. I also did everything on one level instead of pull-ups below-deck and everything else on-deck.
--This upcoming week will finally give me a chance to offset my training week by a day to a better logistical schedule, so I'll be starting on Tuesday rather than Monday with Thursdays and Mondays off (ideally).

[foodfromafar]

That's great about the practice exam...you are getting so close!

[Phaedrus49er]

1-arm DB clean-and-press (from floor), 90RI
--3 @ 65, 3 @ 65, 3 @ 65, 3* @ 65 (each arm)

BB power clean, 90RI
--5 @ 135, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 135, 5 @ 135

SUPERSET
DB step-ups, 0RI
--6 @ 30s, 6 @ 30s, 6 @ 30s, 6 @ 30s
+
DB RDLs, 60RI
--8 @ 30s, 8 @ 30s, 8 @ 30s, 8 @ 30s

SUPERSET
pull-ups, 0RI
--5 @ BW, 5 @ BW, 4 @ BW, 4 @ BW
+
push-ups, 60RI
--15 @ BW, 12 @ BW, 8 @ BW, 6 @ BW



Notes:
--Repeat. Major suckage this time. Not sure what the deal was, but I just could not get my mind or body into the groove today. I figured something was wrong when my last set of C&Ps had to be broken up into: C&P, C, C&2xpush-press*. I hoped it was a fluke, but the power cleans after that weren't powerful or even clean, to the point where I'm waiting for tomorrow morning to see if I tweaked my lower back enough to warrant blowing off the rest of this week and just re-starting it next week. It'll depend on how it feels tomorrow. I blew off the medicine ball slam finisher as well, but I can rectify that later in the week. I couldn't even complete a pistol squat on either leg, if that's any indication of how out of it I was/am.
--I'm still not a fan of this particular workout mainly because of the lower-body superset. I just don't seem to get a lot out of step-ups; conversely, I get hammered on lunges, so I'm not really sure what's up with that.
--If there was one bright spot, it was the upper-body superset where I managed two additional reps of push-ups over last time. Coming along slowly but surely.
--I was and am still very sore in my pull-up muscles after the fun and games from Sunday. That work and (lack of) rest protocol absolutely kills me (mostly in a good way).

[Lost Dog]

I'm with you on the stepups. It's hard to explain. It's like they don't produce constant tension, only a thrust to get up and a struggle to balance and lower under control, but no tension. It's like a somewhat controlled crash. Like the pilot picking the patch of grass vs the trees when his gear won't go down.

Maybe we're not doing them right.

[Phaedrus49er]

Probably not, but I just can't seem to do them as generally taught: don't lean forward, don't push off with the trailing foot/leg, etc. I agree with the controlled crash imagery. Now, maybe it'd be different if I were walking/hiking/climbing uphill for thirty minutes--I know I get some benefit from that--but bench step-ups for strength? Uh-uh...

On another note, my back feels fine, just a little more fatigued than usual, so hopefully all is well as far as injury is concerned; however, just about my entire body aches like having the flu or something, though I'm not sick so far as I can tell. This started after Sunday's workout, felt like poo Monday, carried over to yesterday, and still feeling it today. I'll probably get through a GPP workout today, then take tomorrow off and see what happens.

I did forget to mention the "trainers" meeting going on in the aerobics studio yesterday during warm-ups, which was basically just a sales tactics meeting. Nothing like the main presenter being all hip-hop and shit because that's what the lily-white middle-class clientele at my gym responds to

[Aoife]

High step. Start at top. Go down under control until *almost* at floor, then back up. Basically doing your eccentric first, like bench or squats or whatnot. Helps a lot.
Leaning forward may happen, but it's not such a problem with the high step, because at the lower end you can't help but work those glutes regardless of your posture.
Besides, some leaning forward will always happen to balance yourself if you're not the type who has those crazy supreme balance and core skillz.

[Phaedrus49er]

Okay, I'll give that setup a try. That almost sounds like doing a bent-leg, single-leg deadlift from a bench, but I can see how taking the landing out of the equation would be sadistic--er, effective.

[gobbla]

try adding some single leg bridges to your warmup (say 20 or so each side)

[Phaedrus49er]

Circuit x 4, 60RI
--burpees x 30sec
--jumping jacks x 30sec
--split shuffles x 30sec
--burpees x 30sec
--jumping jacks x 30sec
--BW squats (1, 3) / push-ups (2, 4) x 30sec

Core circuit x 3, 60RI
--V-ups x 10
--Supermans x 10
--KB side bends x 6/side @ 18kg
--KB twists x 8/side @ 18kg



Notes:
--Another repeat (typing this on my Blackberry so no linkback).
--No mailing this one in after yesterday since all seems okay physically right now, just the usual post-strength fatigue and less soreness than the past couple days. I did spend about twenty minutes warming up very slowly, starting with a couple cycles of qigong and some prolonged activation work per Gray Cook. That all helped, but my body still was fully awake until about halfway through the second circuit.
--Split shuffles are the same as split jumps in previous iterations. I think "shuffle" is closer to what I'm doing.
--Decent core routine for me. My V-up capacity has improved pretty well over these last couple months, as have my push-ups under fatigue, but that's another point for another day.
--This takes forever to type on a Blackberry, but it's all I have while my computer runs through some diagnostics this morning.

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally Posted by gobbla

try adding some single leg bridges to your warmup (say 20 or so each side)

Thing is that I don't have much of a problem with general glute activation, only in step-ups. I get it from heavy lunges--I walk around like I have a corn cob shoved up my ass for a day after those. I do know I have some right hamstring proprioception problems (still) as my right-leg balance still lags behind the left leg, but that's another issue altogether.

[gobbla]

The latter is more the reason for the recommendation than the former. Maybe even throwing in some lateral leg raises (adduction and ab). I think the familiarization through different movement patterns is probably as\more often to blame for movement oddities than legitimate activation issues. It's not as sexy of a reason but it makes more sense (to me) and at the end of the day it's really the same "issue" and even the same solution just a different perception on what's more relevant on the "why". Even if it were an activation issue...and you got it to fire...you still would move through the same process for proprioception. I say focus on the latter and the former "if it's an issue" will likely follow.

But I'm a freak like that.

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally Posted by gobbla

But I'm a freak like that.

As evidenced by my signature *ahem*

A deeper look into the logistics of living around here made me realize that I offset my training week in the wrong direction, so instead of starting on Tuesday, I need to start on Saturday (Sat, Sun, Tue, Wed, Thur); therefore, after finishing up this week (either Sunday or Monday), I'll either do something light on Wednesday and Thursday so as to resume full work on Saturday, or I'll do an extended (week-and-a-half) of back-off work (sprints, conditioning, GPP, just no major weights) so as to start back the following Saturday. Frankly, I'm leaning toward the latter--it's just fun to be wide open for activities, whether it's a hodgepodge at the track or doing wind sprints with the assholes--er, dogs This will also make my ABiB warm-up stuff (in combination with qigong) a viable routine for a day if I'm just not feeling up to snuff (like today--friend of a friend had a bachelor party last night, and even though I was only there for the video games and pre-drinking and not the strip club, I'm still a little blah this morning).

[Phaedrus49er]

Circuit x 6, 90RI
--burpees x 7
--KB snatch x 3/arm @ 18kg
--burpees x 7
--KB swing x 3/arm @ 18kg
--burpees x 7
--push-ups x 10



Notes:
--Right at a month since this one, and as with the original plan in repeating this, I added a set, which wasn't bad in general, but an extra 21 burpees just sucks big ones.
--Yet more odd scheduling, meaning another day off tomorrow, sprint intervals Sunday, speed lifting on Monday, then that extended play week
--Just starting the last chapter of Zebras. Go buy this book. Read Dilemma first, then this one (take notes). Now.
--Re-took the first CSCS practice exam today and freaking nailed it--I think I missed one or two more total than I did in just the Exercise Science section last time. Two more re-takes to go, then a review of items I missed both times on each practice exam, maybe one more re-take of each, and it'll be time.

[Phaedrus49er]

Sprint intervals
--6 x 400m, 90RI (active)
--90RI
--5 x 50yd, 0RI

Total time - 24:14

Core circuit x 3, 60RI
--flag x 3 negatives
--bent-knee reverse hyper x 5
--KB waiters carry x 25yd/arm @ 18kg
--KB DL twist x 6/side @ 18kg



Notes:
--Oddly added about fifteen seconds longer than last time despite ideal weather (mid-60s, moderate humidity, light breeze, mostly cloudy). I'll chalk it up to inadvertently testing performance in a semi-fasted condition (one piece of bread and two cups of coffee before going out this morning)
--The flags were by far the best I've done so far, not that I'm anywhere near doing full reps, but at least I'm not just flopping like a fish on the negatives anymore (well, at least for today).
--After taking notice the last few times I've run, I've decided definitively that, when running, my left foot pronates significantly more than my right foot, which may (likely?) have some connection to my continuing TFL/ITB/LCL issues (which aren't any worse, maybe a touch better, since I resumed rolling 2-4 times a week). I also wonder if there's any connection to the tibialis anterior problems I had a couple years ago as well--it all seems to be part of the same "band," as it were. I still have problems with my left glute/ham/quad/calf randomly firing for prolong periods unless I (a) notice and (b) really focus on relaxing. The mystery continues...

[gobbla]

You'd probably fix your gait if you had more volume running. Of course you'd have to run more...which is gay, but just saying.

Good job on the not doing bad on the flags

[Phaedrus49er]

I used to run 10-15 miles a week and ended up with so many chronic injuries--and one major acute one--due to my biomechanics that adding volume really isn't a good idea, not to mention it's not as much fun as what I'm doing now

[Lost Dog]

Have you gone to a running store? They might be able to help.

[Phaedrus49er]

I have, but they instantly tell me that I should be heel-striking rather than mid- or fore-striking (even for sprinting!), so I just-as-instantly walk out. They want to sell shoes.

[Lost Dog]

Wow. That's a lame store. Mine told me not to bother with new shoes until I got my PF under control, showed me some stretches, and sold me a pair of $24 insoles.

[gobbla]

Sounds like it's time for a road trip to Cali. You get the beer and I'll bring the hookers.