Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Rest is Good.

Even being aware of the dangers of Non-Steroidal-Anti-Inflammatory Drugs I find that the odd Advil PM now and again sure helps with sleep and with the way I feel in the morning; a little groggy and pain free.
Today is an easy day.
WEDNESDAY'S WORKOUT
Bike 30 minutes
Threw in 5 15 second accelerations and 2 minutes of out of the saddle riding. spent 20 minutes on the roller and stretching. The gym just bought some harder foam rollers so I don't have to bring mine from home anymore.

Now ain't ya glad I shared?

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Bad Day at Black Rock.

A less than stellar day at the gym. I slept good so that was not it but I did eat fewer carbs yesterday and I felt that today.

TUESDAY'S WORKOUT
Row 5 minutes
DROM
Press 5 @ 45/5 @ 45/5 @ 50/3 @ 60/3 @ 70/3+ @ 80 (got 10)
Circuit:
Pull ups 3 x 5
Back Ext. 3 x 10
Step ups 3 x 6 with 45lb plates
The wolves were howling at the door. It was all I could do to keep the bastards at bay.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Can't Fix Stupid

I am doomed. Perpetually, like Sisyphus, to push the rock of my own stupidity up a hill only to have it roll back again. I think it's Sisyphus. I went from no tri training to 6 days a week and then, surprise suprise, it plumb wore me out. So now I'm dialing back. I am going to swim on Monday, bike on Wednesday, run on Friday and do a longer bike or run on Saturday. I'll start to ramp it up over a period of time rather than go from 0 to 60 overnight.

MONDAY'S WORKOUT
Row 5 minutes
DROM
Squat 5 @ 60/5 @ 80/5 @ 95/3 @ 110/3 @ 125/3+ @ 140 (got 6)
Circuit:
Push Ups 3 x 13
V-ups 3 x 10
Box Jumps 3 x 5 to a 24" box

Swim: 1,000 yards
Kick, Pull, Swim x 50yds each x 2
5 x 100 on 3 minutes Kept these right at 1:30
1 x 200
The swim felt good. I have to really work on keeping the stroke efficient when I get tired even if I need to slow down.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Sunday in So Cal

Foggy and cold. Chance of rain and that is a Sunday in southern California. the price of gas is heading up so it's time to start riding my bike to the gym. I have determined that lunges are painful. Not injury painful just unpleasant More reason to do them.

SATURDAY'S WORKOUT
Row 5 minutes (I have gone back to rowing for a WU because it gets everything working)
DROM
Box squat 5 @ 45/5 @ 55/5 @ 65/3 @ 150/2 @ 170/1 @ 185
The 185 went up pretty easy I am doing these to a lower target that is just a hair below parallel. Not a lot of weight by any standard but a lot for me.
Circuit:
Pull ups (strict chest to bar)5/5/4
Plank 3 x 1 minute
Lunge 3 x 6 with 40 lb DB
I am getting a spotter on the heavy squat and I am inordinately pleased with the weight.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Postponing Posting.

That's an alliteration for those of you that care about things like that. I have a degree in English literature so I care about things like that. I haven't posted since Monday and I do apologize for that. I took Tuesday and Thursday off this week just because I needed some extra recovery time. Keep that in mind with your own workouts and if you need a day off take it. Nothing will be lost.

WEDNESDAY'S WORKOUT
Fast walk 5 minutes
DROM
Run 15 minutes
Deadlift 5 @ 105/5 @ 130/5 @ 155/5 @ 170/5 @ 195/5+ @ 22o (got 10)
Circuit:
Dips 5/4/3
SLR 3 x 5 slow
Swings 3 x 5 @ 50
1:30 RI

FRIDAY'S WORKOUT
Row 5 minutes
DROM
Bench 5 @ 60/5 @ 75/5 @ 85/5 @ 95/5 @ 110/5+ @ 125 (got 10)
Circuit:
Push ups 3 x 12
Reverse hyper 3 X 5
Farmer's walk 3 x 40yds with 70lb DB

I'll get back to tri training next week. See you tomorrow.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Swim, Swim, Swim.

Added some distance to the swim today. As per the Total Immersion protocol the warm up is always a drill lap followed by a swim lap in which I try to work the drill into the stroke. Goes a long way towards improving efficiency. Missed posting Saturday's workout so here it is:
SATURDAY'S WORKOUT
Run 30 minutes
DROM
Box squat 5 @ 45/5 @ 55/5 @ 65
Circuit:
Pull ups 5/4/4
Plank 3 x :45 seconds
Lunge 3 x 6 alt. legs with 35 lb DBs

MONDAY'S WORKOUT
Swim 12 x 25 meters alternating drill/swim
5 x 100 meters working on efficiency kept stroke rate at 14 per lap
1 x 100 breast stroke
900 meters total
DROM
Squats 5 @ 60/5 @ 80/5 @ 95/5 @ 100/5 @ 115/5+ @ 130 (got 10) and that's a big ass sideways smiley face :)
Circuit:
Push ups 3 x 12
V-ups 3 x 10
Box jumps 3 x 5 to 20" box with 2 plates. Go to 24" box next week.

I am very pleased with the squat today. I have been trying to just beat the number on the last set and that was not getting me any stronger. So today I tried to go to near failure and made ten. Happy, happy me.

Friday, February 17, 2012

That's Not So Bad, Is it?

The bike was not nearly as hard today as it was on Tuesday. Adaptation baby. I decided to cut the circuit back to 3 rounds instead of 5 for the time being.

FRIDAY'S WORKOUT
Bike 30 minutes
DROM
Bench press 5 @ 55/5 @ 70/5 @ 80
Circuit:
Push ups 12/12/11
Reverse hyper 3 x 5
Farmers walk 3 x 40yds with 65lb DBs

And off into another sunny winter day here in So Cal.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Another WTF Moment

Perusing the Crossfit Pasadena site the other day I came across this, "no one is in shape to do crossfit unless they do crossfit." Of course the CFers won't extend that courtesy to other sports. For instance if a triathlete says no one is in shape to do triathlons unless they train for triathlons then the CF crowd gets all pissy and calls them specialists. The ironic thing about other sports is that they just don't care enough about CF to want to spend time calling them names. I currently have a love/hate relationship with crossfit in that I have come full circle from where I was a year or two ago. I love to hate CF at least for now. I will come to grips with this whole thing after a while and just stop talking about it.
Today was a swim only day.

THURSDAY'S WORKOUT
Swim
25 drill/25 swim x 6
10 x 50 with a 1:30 RI

I am picking a Total Immersion drill and working that for 25 meters and then trying to translate the idea of that drill into a 25 meter swim.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Off and Running

Ouch revisited. Haven't run for a while either and it hurts more than biking. I tried to focus on from this morning and kept the pace slow. Bought new shoes yesterday. A pair of New Balance from the Factory Store. The pair I bought was made in America. Evidently New Balance is the only company that still makes athletic shoes in this country. Made me kind of proud. (not of the country but of the shoes) They were cheap too. $41.00 cheaper even than the shoes that are made in sweat shops.

WEDNESDAY'S WORKOUT
This is a back off week on the weights.
Stair thing 5 minutes
DROM
Run 20 minutes focusing on staying light.
Deadlift 5 @ 100/5 @ 125/5 @ 150
Circuit:
Dips 4/4/3/3/3
SLR 5 x 8
Swings 5 x 15 @ 45lbs

Went well today. The swings gas me though.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Ouch!

Been off the bike for a good while and it kind of hurts to get back on. I rode for half and hour this morning and it wasn't that easy. Tried to keep the cadence at about 90rpm. I guess I have a fair amount of work do.

TUESDAY'S WORKOUT
Bike 30 minutes
DROM
Press 3 x 5 @ 45

Circuit:
Pull ups 4/4/4/3/3
Back ext 5 x 10
Step ups 5 x 4 20" box with 60 lb DBs

Knocked some reps off the step ups from 5 x 6 to 5 x 4 because 60 lbs is heavy

Monday, February 13, 2012

What's All This I Hear About Blood ph.

I was reading the nutrition section of The Triathlete's Training Bible the other day and I came across this:
"As we age, nitrogen, an essential component of muscle protein, is given up by the body at an increasing rate, so that at some point it is being depleted faster than it can be taken in. This is due to a gradual change in kidney function that produces an acidic state in the blood. With a net loss of nitrogen, muscles cannot be maintained. Essentially, we are peeing off our muscles as we pass the half-century mark in life. This same acidic state also leeches calcium from the bones, resulting in osteoporosis for many, especially women, with advance age.
The key to reducing, or even avoiding, this situation is to lower the blood's acidity level and increase its alkalinity."
Now isn't that interesting. I will be reading up on this whole thing and trying to locate research on it. I'll keep you posted.
Damn you aging process!

SATURDAY'S WORKOUT
Bike 5 minutes
DROM
Box Squats 5 @ 45/5 @ 50/5 @ 55/5 @ 145/3 @ 165/1 @ 180.
The 180 went up real easy.
Circuit:
Pull ups 4/4/3/3/3
Plank 5 x :30 seconds
Walking lunge 5 x 40ft. with 30lb DBs

MONDAY'S WORKOUT
first week of triathlon training
Stair thing 5 minutes
DROM
Squat 5 @ 45/5 @ 50/5 @ 55
Circuit:
Push ups 5 x 11
V-ups 5 x 10
Box jumps 5 x 5 to a 24" box with one plate on it.
I am going t add a little height to the box jumps each week.
Swim:
I am going to work on drills and form a lot. Some of them are at the above link but there are a lot of them just Google Swim Drills.
W/U 200 meters easy and focused on form
3 rounds
2 x 25 drill
2 x 25 swim
5 x 50 on 1:30RI
750 meters
I had forgotten two things: one: I love swimming, two: swimming is hard.
It was a lot of fun getting back in the water.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Bloody Work.

I've made my position on work clear. It interferes with real life but it has to be done for now.

FRIDAY'S WORKOUT
Stair thing 5 minutes
DROM
Bench press 5 @ 55/5 @ 70/5 @ 80/5 @ 100/3 @ 115/1+ @ 130 (got 10)

Circuit:
Push ups 5 x 10
Reverse hyper 5 x 5
Farmer's walk 5 x 40yds with 60lb DBs

On all my lifts except for the squat I went for 10 and got it on the final set. If I pushed the squat I could get more than 3 on that set and then I would get stronger. Funny that.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

You're Not Supposed to Eat It?

A friend of mine called the other day asking for info on steroids. I don't use the stuff but I gave him a couple of forums that he could look at for that type of stuff. 3 days later he shows up at my house and gives me a little packet of something called AndroGel. It looked like something you would eat and that is how I thought you used it. I didn't eat it. Someone at the gym told me it was a topical application that was absorbed through the skin. Kind of glad I didn't eat it.

TUESDAY'S WORKOUT
Stair thing 5 minutes
DROM
Press 5 @ 45 x 3/5 @ 60/3 @ 70/1+ @ 80 (got 10)
Circuit:
Pull ups 5 x 3
Back ext. 5 x 10
Step ups 5 x 6 with 55lb DBs

WEDNESDAY'S WORKOUT
Bike 5 minutes
DROM
Deadlift 5 @ 100/5 @ 125/5 @ 150/5 @ 190/3 @ 215/1+ @ 240 (got 10)
Circuit:
Dips 5 x 3
SLR 5 x 8
DB swings 5 x 15 @ 40lbs

...and that's it for now. Next week I am going to start the Tri training and give 6 days a week a go. I will swim on Monday, bike on Tuesday, run on Wednesday, swim on Thursday, bike on Friday and run on Saturday for one week and then work on coming up with a plan for the year with a little help from the Triathlete's Training Bible by Joe Friel.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Okay Then.

The rowing thing is done. The Beach Sprints were on Saturday and I got 3rd in my age group with a time of 7:26.8 which tied my PR. Maybe after the triathlon season I will get back on the rower and see if I can do better next year.
The first race I plan on doing is the Redondo Beach Triathlon, the sprint distance which is 1/2 mile swim, 6 mile bike and 2 mile run. I tried on my wetsuit last night and it appears that I have put on a few inches since I bought it which is now nearly 15 years ago. Imagine that.

MONDAY'S WORKOUT
Bike 5 minutes
DROM
Squat 5 @ 45/5 @ 50/5 @ 55/5 @ 110/3 @ 125/1+ @ 140 (got 3)
The 140 went up pretty easy which gives me hope for my squat.

Circuit:
Push ups 5 x 10
V-ups 5 x 10
Box jumps 5 x 5 to 24"
Everything felt good and strong today. There must be a problem. My chest seems to have healed so I can do push ups again which makes my happy :).

Friday, February 3, 2012

Race Day

Yesterday was a day off and I didn't even roll out or stretch. A wash of a day. Tomorrow is the Beach Sprints and then I can get off the damned rower and onto this years sport which is triathlon. My plan is to do 2 sprint races and 2 Olympic distance races (money willing)

FRIDAY'S WORKOUT
Row 5 minutes
Row 3 minutes with :30 second accelerations and :30 seconds off
DROM
Bench 5 @ 55/5 @ 70/5 @ 80/3 @ 95/3 @ 110/3+ @ 120 (got 10)

Circuit:
Plank hold 5 x :30 seconds
Walking lunge with weight overhead 5 x 40ft. with 25 lb. DB

Short and sweet. I must now prepare for my race.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

For Those In The Know.

I realized today, after talking with a crossfitter yesterday, that even if a person has been doing CF for a week they all of a sudden "know" that everything else is substandard. If you attempt to talk to these people they will point out, exercise science, years of experience and massive amounts of research not withstanding, that everything else is wrong. I know this is true because I was one of them. I abandoned everything I knew about periodization because Glassman said it was witchcraft. I abandoned everything I knew about injury prevention and structural stability because the production of power trumped safety in every instance. I believed I was invincible because of CF and that I was better than all the other athletes. I believed, for a short while, that CF was different and that it would indeed produce a superior athlete and superior people. Then I saw a crack in the belief. I began to notice that everyone that I worked out with was chronically injured, sore and generally substandard in their outside pursuits. I asked, "If we are supposed to be the fittest people in the world why do most of us crawl out of bed in the morning like we're 90 years old." No one answered. I continued to question the veracity of the CF model and became more and more a persona non grata. I was shunned. I could not get anyone to talk about this and so I left CF. If you would like to peruse 1,159+ pages of what's wrong with CF go here. Warning this is not a safe place for the faint of heart.
And that ends today's ramble.

WEDNESDAY'S WORKOUT
Row 5 minutes
Row Sprints 4 x 250 with 2 minute RI
:46 1:32 pace/:48.9 1:37.2 pace/:49.9 1:39.8 pace/:46.7 1:33.4 pace
DROM
Deadlift 5 @ 100/5 @ 125/5 @ 150/3 @ 175/3 @ 200/3+ @ 225 (got 7)

Circuit:
SLR 5 x 7
Weight Swings 5 x 15 @ 35lbs

Maybe no one but me and thousands of others care but as crossfit becomes more mainstream and the snake oil salesmen weave their tales more people are going to be injured. It is a responsibility to share this info. I will be posting links to other critiques of CF in the near future.