Daily Joint Mobility Complex
35 reps each
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 0.75" heel lift
Pumps
1 x 10
Barbell -
Hang Snatches @ 20kgs
OverHead Squats @ 20kgs
Hang Cleans @ 20kgs / 30kgs
Push Jerks (with split) @ 30kgs
Front Squats @ 30kgs
3 sets of 5
Back Squats @ 30kgs
3 sets of 10
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 1
Right Knee - 1
Lower Back - 1
At some stage though I think I'll need to add wrists to this list.
Comments - Still a little up in the air as far as who's training me and where at this stage, so I just decided to do a light practice on my own. I thought I'd throw the ego out the window and just do barbell complexes. Gotta say though that it was plenty for a lot of the exercises. And even though I was in no hurry you can get tired enough by the end.
No surprise to me is that I need to do a lot of work on my flexibility. Squatting today was all done with 3/4" heel raise, and I struggle to get my elbows up and my wrists back for the rack in the clean and front squat. But its new and exciting and I look forward to getting really into it.
Friday 27 February 2009
Wednesday 25 February 2009
Strength Odyssey
"Why do we fall? ......so we can learn to pick ourselves back up." Bruce Wayne's father in Batman Begins
Mouse - thanks for the support and encouragement, I'm way ahead of you though. I sent an email to the N Ireland Weightlifting site last night about the clubs and finding a good coach. I got a reply straight away. Gina told me that she'd be training near me today and that I should pop down and see her.
I turned up in jeans expecting to just get some info out of her, but she had me DLing and Squatting a bit to see my form. She and her husband Martin gave me some good pointers - and told me my form was terrible!! "Stop sticking your arse out!!" Haha. They also filled me in on the powerlifting scene here. Apparently it isn't great - everyone out for themselves, club members generally train on their own at different times and there isn't much sharing of information until you show good promise. Not what I wanted to hear.
She said though if I wanted to join the gym she uses then they'd sort me out anytime they happened to be in. Good as gold - Martin is an ex-Commonwealth Games cyclist, and Gina has been tearing up records over here in PL. I felt what I really needed though was a wizened old coach like Mickey from Rocky. When pressed Gina told me that I needed to see George Mcguinness, he'd helped her out when she first got started.
So I got in touch with George just after I left the gym. I told him that I'd be interested in lifting at a meet for the craic and he told me that he coached PL and Oly Lifting!! My ears pricked up - I thought no one here did Oly Lifting. I arranged to meet up with him earlier this evening and he put me through my paces.
The gym is falling to bits but has bags of character - two Oly Lifting platforms and everything else you need (with exception of the glute-ham machine that they don't have anymore). George has Parkinson's and talks a bit slow and quietly, but I didn't let that fool me. He stood with me for about 2 hours sorting out my form, flexibilty etc. I've spent money on books, DVDs, courses on all sorts of different subjects, but I can't remember the last time I learned so much. He didn't even want to take any money off me either!!!
After I'd been admonished by a couple of the instructors for "sticking my arse out" I started to do better. I managed to snatch 40kgs no worries, and C&J'd 60kgs. Then he started talking about throwing me into a meet in Scotland in a few months! We'll see.
I've spent my whole day training or talking about training. My back was never anything but solid, even my knees and shoulders were spot on. The only fly in the ointment is that the club is miles away. It would be a bit much for me to travel up and down x 3 per week. There is a guy who is a bit closer unbelievably, but failing that George suggested that I go up to see him 3-4 times a month to work on the technical stuff and he can give me a program then to work on assistance stuff by myself.
I'm starting to get sore now, my traps will ache tomorrow, wrists and legs from doing all manner of squats for flexibility and strength. But today was the best training day I think I've ever had. What a difference 24 hours can make.
Mouse - thanks for the support and encouragement, I'm way ahead of you though. I sent an email to the N Ireland Weightlifting site last night about the clubs and finding a good coach. I got a reply straight away. Gina told me that she'd be training near me today and that I should pop down and see her.
I turned up in jeans expecting to just get some info out of her, but she had me DLing and Squatting a bit to see my form. She and her husband Martin gave me some good pointers - and told me my form was terrible!! "Stop sticking your arse out!!" Haha. They also filled me in on the powerlifting scene here. Apparently it isn't great - everyone out for themselves, club members generally train on their own at different times and there isn't much sharing of information until you show good promise. Not what I wanted to hear.
She said though if I wanted to join the gym she uses then they'd sort me out anytime they happened to be in. Good as gold - Martin is an ex-Commonwealth Games cyclist, and Gina has been tearing up records over here in PL. I felt what I really needed though was a wizened old coach like Mickey from Rocky. When pressed Gina told me that I needed to see George Mcguinness, he'd helped her out when she first got started.
So I got in touch with George just after I left the gym. I told him that I'd be interested in lifting at a meet for the craic and he told me that he coached PL and Oly Lifting!! My ears pricked up - I thought no one here did Oly Lifting. I arranged to meet up with him earlier this evening and he put me through my paces.
The gym is falling to bits but has bags of character - two Oly Lifting platforms and everything else you need (with exception of the glute-ham machine that they don't have anymore). George has Parkinson's and talks a bit slow and quietly, but I didn't let that fool me. He stood with me for about 2 hours sorting out my form, flexibilty etc. I've spent money on books, DVDs, courses on all sorts of different subjects, but I can't remember the last time I learned so much. He didn't even want to take any money off me either!!!
After I'd been admonished by a couple of the instructors for "sticking my arse out" I started to do better. I managed to snatch 40kgs no worries, and C&J'd 60kgs. Then he started talking about throwing me into a meet in Scotland in a few months! We'll see.
I've spent my whole day training or talking about training. My back was never anything but solid, even my knees and shoulders were spot on. The only fly in the ointment is that the club is miles away. It would be a bit much for me to travel up and down x 3 per week. There is a guy who is a bit closer unbelievably, but failing that George suggested that I go up to see him 3-4 times a month to work on the technical stuff and he can give me a program then to work on assistance stuff by myself.
I'm starting to get sore now, my traps will ache tomorrow, wrists and legs from doing all manner of squats for flexibility and strength. But today was the best training day I think I've ever had. What a difference 24 hours can make.
Tuesday 24 February 2009
Nightmare......
.....my hypertrophy phase has finished before it got started. When I was trying to figure out the weights I'd need to start out with on Saturday it didn't go well. Somewhere between DLing and Squatting (with light weights I may add) something was up. It didn't hurt but it didn't feel right either. Next morning I was tying my shoe laces when I got a really strange sensation. The best way I can explain it is if you have ever seen steel bridge swaying violently - it isn't broken per se, but it's structure is far from stable. That's the feeling I get - doesn't hurt but it's far from stable.
I hadn't heard a peep out of it since, but my confidence doing DLs was shaken so I opted for the following:
Chin - Single top of the minute - 7 decent reps: in line with the EDT strength protocol. I was planning on adding weight once I got to 15 singles.
Snatches 24kgs - 15 mins PR zone: I was aiming for around 140 and had tried them out a couple of times without any back trouble. I got to 84 in around 8 minutes when I got the same feeling in my back right round my kidney area. I stopped instantly.
It isn't sore now...at all. But I don't have much confidence in it. The mind is willing, but the body isn't it seems. I had already decided that I needed to join a club before I deadlifted again - its obvious I can't do it right on my own. Maybe that should be my next move. I'll stay focused on my diet while I figure it out.
I hadn't heard a peep out of it since, but my confidence doing DLs was shaken so I opted for the following:
Chin - Single top of the minute - 7 decent reps: in line with the EDT strength protocol. I was planning on adding weight once I got to 15 singles.
Snatches 24kgs - 15 mins PR zone: I was aiming for around 140 and had tried them out a couple of times without any back trouble. I got to 84 in around 8 minutes when I got the same feeling in my back right round my kidney area. I stopped instantly.
It isn't sore now...at all. But I don't have much confidence in it. The mind is willing, but the body isn't it seems. I had already decided that I needed to join a club before I deadlifted again - its obvious I can't do it right on my own. Maybe that should be my next move. I'll stay focused on my diet while I figure it out.
Saturday 21 February 2009
I Got Milk
Starting my new focus on hypertrophy.....well from now I guess. I took lots of measurements this morning which I'll post in 4 weeks along side my progress. The plan is pretty simple, I'm adding in some milk to my diet and switching to EDT style training 3 times a week.
There are quite a lot of sites and books I've come across recommending milk as an excellent mass builder - though it would seem that results are mixed as to how much is fat. Mark Rippetoe suggests that milk along with his program starting strength will sort out those who are too skinny or those who are too fat. Regardless, I am feeling very protective of my gains in weight loss (if you see what I mean) so I'm not going to 'GOMAD' with the gallon of milk a day approach right out of the blocks. I drank 2 pints today and will stick with this for a week and monitor from there. I'll up it as long as I am not gaining too much fat - and hopefully in line with the amount of work I'm doing in my sessions.
On that note, I had a bit of a play around to get an idea of the weights I need to using for this new program. Man I have lost so much strength it ain't funny! So, I've decided to start off a bit conservatively and hopefully it should come back to me quite quickly. Its also a good idea as I've discussed before how I reckon big jumps in volume on the training side lead me to eat lots more crap to feel less tired.
So I'm looking to strike a balance with it, but still get results. Next session will be Tuesday.
There are quite a lot of sites and books I've come across recommending milk as an excellent mass builder - though it would seem that results are mixed as to how much is fat. Mark Rippetoe suggests that milk along with his program starting strength will sort out those who are too skinny or those who are too fat. Regardless, I am feeling very protective of my gains in weight loss (if you see what I mean) so I'm not going to 'GOMAD' with the gallon of milk a day approach right out of the blocks. I drank 2 pints today and will stick with this for a week and monitor from there. I'll up it as long as I am not gaining too much fat - and hopefully in line with the amount of work I'm doing in my sessions.
On that note, I had a bit of a play around to get an idea of the weights I need to using for this new program. Man I have lost so much strength it ain't funny! So, I've decided to start off a bit conservatively and hopefully it should come back to me quite quickly. Its also a good idea as I've discussed before how I reckon big jumps in volume on the training side lead me to eat lots more crap to feel less tired.
So I'm looking to strike a balance with it, but still get results. Next session will be Tuesday.
Thursday 19 February 2009
Listless
Daily Joint Mobility Complex
35 reps each
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
SLDL - contra sports lift @ 16kgs
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 0.75" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Swings 'n' stuff - 15 mins
10 Sw @ 32kgs x 3
10 Sw @ 24kgs x 6
LCCJ @ 24kgs 5 e/a x 3
10 Sw @ 24kgs x 4
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 1
Right Knee - 2
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Switched the cook hip lift for some SLDLs with the 16kgs. Form was terrible, but it was a wake up for the glutes. They will get better in short time.
One of those days when I really couldn't be bothered - never a good sign. I think that I am just about ready for a shake up. I already lost my gain from last weekend and another pound more. I am teetering on the brink of the scale weight starting with "13" - it seems like a dream when I last weighed in the thirteens.
The extra protein seems to be helping me hang onto my precious little muscle, but today prehaps it feels likeI'm losing too much too fast. So rather than the 18 reps top of the minute I played around a little and took my time between sets. I also wanted to see how the shoulder coped with a few LCCJs as they will be in soon.
I have a spreadsheet that I fill in with my weight every now and then. The worst is in late August which is 223lbs at 36% BF - 80.28lbs fat and 142.7lbs LBM. The best so far is today 196lbs @ 28% BF - 54.88lbs fat and 141.12lbs LBM. Not too bad, but I still need to swap 35lbs of fat for 35 of muscle. I think next week is time for EDT and MILK!!
35 reps each
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
SLDL - contra sports lift @ 16kgs
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 0.75" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Swings 'n' stuff - 15 mins
10 Sw @ 32kgs x 3
10 Sw @ 24kgs x 6
LCCJ @ 24kgs 5 e/a x 3
10 Sw @ 24kgs x 4
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 1
Right Knee - 2
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Switched the cook hip lift for some SLDLs with the 16kgs. Form was terrible, but it was a wake up for the glutes. They will get better in short time.
One of those days when I really couldn't be bothered - never a good sign. I think that I am just about ready for a shake up. I already lost my gain from last weekend and another pound more. I am teetering on the brink of the scale weight starting with "13" - it seems like a dream when I last weighed in the thirteens.
The extra protein seems to be helping me hang onto my precious little muscle, but today prehaps it feels likeI'm losing too much too fast. So rather than the 18 reps top of the minute I played around a little and took my time between sets. I also wanted to see how the shoulder coped with a few LCCJs as they will be in soon.
I have a spreadsheet that I fill in with my weight every now and then. The worst is in late August which is 223lbs at 36% BF - 80.28lbs fat and 142.7lbs LBM. The best so far is today 196lbs @ 28% BF - 54.88lbs fat and 141.12lbs LBM. Not too bad, but I still need to swap 35lbs of fat for 35 of muscle. I think next week is time for EDT and MILK!!
Tuesday 17 February 2009
Get on up there
Daily Joint Mobility Complex
35 reps each
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cook Hip Lift
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 0.75" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Half Get Ups - 10 mins
24kgs x 10 e/a
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 2
Right Knee - 1
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Good session this. My right shoulder was feeling really weak compared to the left and I didn't think I was going to get past 4 before dropping weight. I concentrated on getting tight and pressing it from the floor strongly and was able to keep on going. I think it is some kind of PR actually, I'm pretty sure I never went past 5 e/a on Prog Minimum before. Would be cool if I could manage the 32 each side before I switch.
35 reps each
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cook Hip Lift
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 0.75" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Half Get Ups - 10 mins
24kgs x 10 e/a
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 2
Right Knee - 1
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Good session this. My right shoulder was feeling really weak compared to the left and I didn't think I was going to get past 4 before dropping weight. I concentrated on getting tight and pressing it from the floor strongly and was able to keep on going. I think it is some kind of PR actually, I'm pretty sure I never went past 5 e/a on Prog Minimum before. Would be cool if I could manage the 32 each side before I switch.
Monday 16 February 2009
Old Red Eyes is back
Daily Joint Mobility Complex
35 reps each
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cook Hip Lift
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 0.75" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Swings - 10 mins
17 Sw @ 24kgs - top of the minute
Total - 170
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 1
Right Knee - 1
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Back after a boozey weekend packed with full English breakfasts and 3 course dinners (thanks NHS!!) I was happy to step on the scales only 3 lbs heavier. And according to the ever-so-fickle BF% function 2lbs of Fat and 1lb of LBM. So not a complete disaster. I did take my jungle gym and gymboss with me but neither of them saw the light of day.
So back to the task at hand and I was clever enough to have enough good food in the fridge for my return. So I ate clean and did a reasonable amount of work with the swings. Felt absolutely great as I racked up the first pain free session in who knows how long....prehaps even ever!!
So a couple more weeks of Prog Minimum and weight loss focus then a shift to muscle and EDT.
35 reps each
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cook Hip Lift
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 0.75" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Swings - 10 mins
17 Sw @ 24kgs - top of the minute
Total - 170
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 1
Right Knee - 1
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Back after a boozey weekend packed with full English breakfasts and 3 course dinners (thanks NHS!!) I was happy to step on the scales only 3 lbs heavier. And according to the ever-so-fickle BF% function 2lbs of Fat and 1lb of LBM. So not a complete disaster. I did take my jungle gym and gymboss with me but neither of them saw the light of day.
So back to the task at hand and I was clever enough to have enough good food in the fridge for my return. So I ate clean and did a reasonable amount of work with the swings. Felt absolutely great as I racked up the first pain free session in who knows how long....prehaps even ever!!
So a couple more weeks of Prog Minimum and weight loss focus then a shift to muscle and EDT.
Wednesday 11 February 2009
Life in the old dog yet.......
Daily Joint Mobility Complex
35 reps each
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cook Hip Lift
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 0.75" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Swings - 9 mins 30
20 Sw @ 24kgs - 30:30
Total - 200
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 1
Right Knee - 1
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Seeing as I'll be taking the entire weekend off I thought I'd crank up the intensity for a one off session to see what I've got. Was doing 20 reps at 30s on 30s off right up until the 9th set. After that I cranked them out in sets of whatever I could take. Hit 200 a few seconds before the gymboss beeped for 9 mins 30. Quite happy with that considering I haven't done anything close to that level for months.
My grip is buggered and it's quite hard to type this out but all the other problem areas were quiet today....too quiet some would say!!
35 reps each
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cook Hip Lift
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 0.75" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Swings - 9 mins 30
20 Sw @ 24kgs - 30:30
Total - 200
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 1
Right Knee - 1
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Seeing as I'll be taking the entire weekend off I thought I'd crank up the intensity for a one off session to see what I've got. Was doing 20 reps at 30s on 30s off right up until the 9th set. After that I cranked them out in sets of whatever I could take. Hit 200 a few seconds before the gymboss beeped for 9 mins 30. Quite happy with that considering I haven't done anything close to that level for months.
My grip is buggered and it's quite hard to type this out but all the other problem areas were quiet today....too quiet some would say!!
Tuesday 10 February 2009
Titan Challenge, EDT and Armani
Mouse - the op is for my brother, apparently he needs me to nurse maid. That Titan Challenge post is an interesting read. I have, in my own way, be doing a kind of version of the get up ladders. 2 or 3 floor presses (my sticking point for right shoulder) before going up to supporting myself on my arm. I have recently started adding in the 24 for a few reps before dropping to the 16 for more volume. I hadn't considered doing a heavy day then a high volume day later in the week.
I am only going to stay on a prog minimum template until the end of this month - but I can definitely use some of this going forward. Thanks for the link.
Here's what I have planned for the EDT Martin:
3 times per week. Alternating A/B sessions. Keeping mobility, corrective warm up and stretches.
Session A
A1: DL
EDT Strength Protocol - 10 mins
B1: Sandbag Squats
B2: Chins
15 mins PR zone
C1:Wrists
15 mins PR zone
Session B
A1: HGU
EDT Strength Protocol - 10 mins
B1: LCCJs Left
B2: LCCJs Right
15 mins PR zone
C1:Neck
15 mins PR zone
Strength zone work on the areas that I have my goals set for. Multi-joint whole body exercises for bulk and conditioning side effect. Then finally weak areas I need to strengthen and increase size. I'll probably take a lot of measurements before I start.
On fitday I have calculated that by drinking 2 litres of full fat milk a day it will obviously increase my calories but keep the same macronutrient ratio. Apparently it is a proven method of weight gain but there are no gaurantees on how much fat there will be. I'm up for the experiment for a month, but I need to be very careful and not get carried away with eating.
As far as the clothes go, I might just buy a new belt.....I've got a lot more body comp changes in mind, and very little money. ;)
I am only going to stay on a prog minimum template until the end of this month - but I can definitely use some of this going forward. Thanks for the link.
Here's what I have planned for the EDT Martin:
3 times per week. Alternating A/B sessions. Keeping mobility, corrective warm up and stretches.
Session A
A1: DL
EDT Strength Protocol - 10 mins
B1: Sandbag Squats
B2: Chins
15 mins PR zone
C1:Wrists
15 mins PR zone
Session B
A1: HGU
EDT Strength Protocol - 10 mins
B1: LCCJs Left
B2: LCCJs Right
15 mins PR zone
C1:Neck
15 mins PR zone
Strength zone work on the areas that I have my goals set for. Multi-joint whole body exercises for bulk and conditioning side effect. Then finally weak areas I need to strengthen and increase size. I'll probably take a lot of measurements before I start.
On fitday I have calculated that by drinking 2 litres of full fat milk a day it will obviously increase my calories but keep the same macronutrient ratio. Apparently it is a proven method of weight gain but there are no gaurantees on how much fat there will be. I'm up for the experiment for a month, but I need to be very careful and not get carried away with eating.
As far as the clothes go, I might just buy a new belt.....I've got a lot more body comp changes in mind, and very little money. ;)
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man.....
Daily Joint Mobility Complex
35 reps each
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cook Hip Lift
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 0.75" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Half Get Ups - 10 mins
24kgs x 7 e/a
16kgs
Swings - 5 mins
10 Sw @ 32kgs - top of the minute
Total - 50+
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 2
Right Knee - 1
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Feeling a lot more relaxed today, though still a bit fuzzy what with the headcold. Spent most of the day cooking myself some lentil soup with a joint of ham thrown in for good measure, and the spanish chicken I'm off to eat now. Should be enough to do me all week.
I have to accompany my brother to England over the weekend for an operation so I won't be getting a break tomorrow. I'll do Wednesday and Thursday and have 3 days off then - trying to exercise damage limitation when I'm living in it up at the NHS's expense!!
Tonight's was another good session. Able to do more HGUs with the 24kg, but I have to squeeze that handle hard and power breath it up each time from floor press. Once it is up there it is no trouble. The trouble I do have however is that my jeans are falling off me! I'm going to have to fork out for some new threads.....its all money, money, money :(
35 reps each
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cook Hip Lift
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 0.75" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Half Get Ups - 10 mins
24kgs x 7 e/a
16kgs
Swings - 5 mins
10 Sw @ 32kgs - top of the minute
Total - 50+
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 2
Right Knee - 1
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Feeling a lot more relaxed today, though still a bit fuzzy what with the headcold. Spent most of the day cooking myself some lentil soup with a joint of ham thrown in for good measure, and the spanish chicken I'm off to eat now. Should be enough to do me all week.
I have to accompany my brother to England over the weekend for an operation so I won't be getting a break tomorrow. I'll do Wednesday and Thursday and have 3 days off then - trying to exercise damage limitation when I'm living in it up at the NHS's expense!!
Tonight's was another good session. Able to do more HGUs with the 24kg, but I have to squeeze that handle hard and power breath it up each time from floor press. Once it is up there it is no trouble. The trouble I do have however is that my jeans are falling off me! I'm going to have to fork out for some new threads.....its all money, money, money :(
Monday 9 February 2009
Braindead
Daily Joint Mobility Complex
35 reps eac
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cradle Walk
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 0.75" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Half Get Ups
24kgs 2 x 2 e/a
Swings - 10 mins
15 Sw @ 24kgs - top of the minute
Total - 150
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 2
Right Knee - 1
Lower Back - 1
Comments - One of those days when nothing seems to be going right and a bit scatter brained to boot. Still have a bit of a headcold that I can't shake. Haven't felt like this in a while.
I could probably have done with a rest if truth be told but I needed an outlet for my frustration, so I did a decent but not overtaxing swing session. I'm still working within myself though I do think all the weight loss catching up with me a little. Maybe too few calories for too long. I'm hoping that I'm close to 185lbs by the end of February anyway but I'll switch up the training and the diet to gain muscle for up to 4 weeks then regardless. Then shift focus back to fat loss again after that.
I couldn't be happier with how I've so far, a loss of around 25lbs to date. Also I have enough left to loss that I think I'll gain muscle and loss weight when I shift plan.
35 reps eac
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cradle Walk
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 0.75" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Half Get Ups
24kgs 2 x 2 e/a
Swings - 10 mins
15 Sw @ 24kgs - top of the minute
Total - 150
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 2
Right Knee - 1
Lower Back - 1
Comments - One of those days when nothing seems to be going right and a bit scatter brained to boot. Still have a bit of a headcold that I can't shake. Haven't felt like this in a while.
I could probably have done with a rest if truth be told but I needed an outlet for my frustration, so I did a decent but not overtaxing swing session. I'm still working within myself though I do think all the weight loss catching up with me a little. Maybe too few calories for too long. I'm hoping that I'm close to 185lbs by the end of February anyway but I'll switch up the training and the diet to gain muscle for up to 4 weeks then regardless. Then shift focus back to fat loss again after that.
I couldn't be happier with how I've so far, a loss of around 25lbs to date. Also I have enough left to loss that I think I'll gain muscle and loss weight when I shift plan.
Saturday 7 February 2009
Half get Ups
Daily Joint Mobility Complex
35 reps each
GTG Squats 0.75" heel lift
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cradle Walk
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 0.75" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Half Get Ups - 10 mins
24kgs x 5 e/a
16kgs
Swings - 5 mins
10 Sw @ 32kgs - top of the minute
Total - 50+
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 2
Right Knee - 2
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Dropped the heel lift another 1/4" - I've tried a few doorway tests without a heel lift but I seem to have the same sticking point. No worries, I reckon it'll be a case of one day I'll just kinda fall down past it and I'll be a proper squatter then.
Little bit of progress on the HGUs. 24s pretty easy on my left and I got some out of the right before the floor press was too much. Then I dropped to the 16 and was doing 2-3 floor presses for each HGU in sets of 2-3 on each side. I guess they added up over the time.
I was still feeling a bit frisky after this so I did some swings with the 32 - again all well within my limits.
Martin - I seem to remember a podiatrist telling me she thought that I had worn away cartilage in my right knee. It's really an acute pain which I got again today stretching my achilles. Ensuring that I'm lined up helps it. But in general I do get the same problem you refer to with my knees on flights, or stuck in cars etc.
I have also discovered that there is a powerlifting scene alive and well in N Ireland. I have put out the feelers and might join a club in the summer. I want to do a few more phases to make sure I rid myself of my niggles and get my body weight under a bit more control.
35 reps each
GTG Squats 0.75" heel lift
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cradle Walk
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 0.75" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Half Get Ups - 10 mins
24kgs x 5 e/a
16kgs
Swings - 5 mins
10 Sw @ 32kgs - top of the minute
Total - 50+
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 2
Right Knee - 2
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Dropped the heel lift another 1/4" - I've tried a few doorway tests without a heel lift but I seem to have the same sticking point. No worries, I reckon it'll be a case of one day I'll just kinda fall down past it and I'll be a proper squatter then.
Little bit of progress on the HGUs. 24s pretty easy on my left and I got some out of the right before the floor press was too much. Then I dropped to the 16 and was doing 2-3 floor presses for each HGU in sets of 2-3 on each side. I guess they added up over the time.
I was still feeling a bit frisky after this so I did some swings with the 32 - again all well within my limits.
Martin - I seem to remember a podiatrist telling me she thought that I had worn away cartilage in my right knee. It's really an acute pain which I got again today stretching my achilles. Ensuring that I'm lined up helps it. But in general I do get the same problem you refer to with my knees on flights, or stuck in cars etc.
I have also discovered that there is a powerlifting scene alive and well in N Ireland. I have put out the feelers and might join a club in the summer. I want to do a few more phases to make sure I rid myself of my niggles and get my body weight under a bit more control.
Friday 6 February 2009
Swinging Back into Action
Daily Joint Mobility Complex
35 reps each
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cradle Walk
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 1" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Swings - 10 mins
12 Sw @ 24kgs - top of the minute
Total - 120+
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 1
Right Knee - 3
Lower Back - 2
Comments - Had an overnight stay in mainland UK on Wednesday. Coming back on Thursday I was stuck in the airport after a 4 hour delay due to snow. By the time I got back sleeping was the only thing on my mind.
No worries, swings today, get ups tomorrow and reign back on the weekend treats because everyone knows that I overdid while I was away. Start back into the routine come Monday.
Tonights session was very easy considering I still haven't managed to shake the headcold from earlier in the week. I actually racked up more than 120 reps because I was very focused on my swing form and forgot to count a few times. Back felt a little bit stiff in cobra stretch and my knee gave me a bit of jip doing the calf and achilles stretches. Shoulder feels really good.
35 reps each
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cradle Walk
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 1" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Swings - 10 mins
12 Sw @ 24kgs - top of the minute
Total - 120+
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 1
Right Knee - 3
Lower Back - 2
Comments - Had an overnight stay in mainland UK on Wednesday. Coming back on Thursday I was stuck in the airport after a 4 hour delay due to snow. By the time I got back sleeping was the only thing on my mind.
No worries, swings today, get ups tomorrow and reign back on the weekend treats because everyone knows that I overdid while I was away. Start back into the routine come Monday.
Tonights session was very easy considering I still haven't managed to shake the headcold from earlier in the week. I actually racked up more than 120 reps because I was very focused on my swing form and forgot to count a few times. Back felt a little bit stiff in cobra stretch and my knee gave me a bit of jip doing the calf and achilles stretches. Shoulder feels really good.
Tuesday 3 February 2009
Daily Joint Mobility Complex
35 reps each
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cradle Walk
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 1" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Half Get Ups - 10 mins
Sets of 3 reps @ 16kgs twice as many floor presses on right hand side
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 1
Knees - 2
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Got a bit of a head cold today so I thought I'd play it by ear and just stop if I felt a bit tired or whatever. As often happens though I banged out a good steady session when least expected. Both shoulders feel really good, in fact with exception of a little bit of discomfort in my knees every now and then I feel tip top.
35 reps each
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cradle Walk
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 1" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Half Get Ups - 10 mins
Sets of 3 reps @ 16kgs twice as many floor presses on right hand side
Stretch Routine
Held for 30 secs
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 1
Knees - 2
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Got a bit of a head cold today so I thought I'd play it by ear and just stop if I felt a bit tired or whatever. As often happens though I banged out a good steady session when least expected. Both shoulders feel really good, in fact with exception of a little bit of discomfort in my knees every now and then I feel tip top.
Monday 2 February 2009
Same but different
Daily Joint Mobility Complex
Ankle Circles
Hip Circles
Mike Boyle's Thoracic exercise
Shoulder Circles
Egyptians
Neck - Up/Down & Side/Side
Wrists - Up/Down & Circles
35 reps each
Extras
Pumps
Deep Squat Variations 1" heel lift
1x10
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cradle Walk
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 1" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Swings - 10 mins
10 KB Sw @ 24kgs - top of the minute
Total: 100 reps
Stretches
Hamstrings
Shoulder Dislocates
Calf
Achilles
Quads
Cobra stretch
Glutes
Hips
Groin
Decompression Hangs
Held for at least 30 secs trying to extend stretch when able
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 1* Wooohooo!!
Knees - 2
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Time to mix it up a bit if only to keep me sane. So I've got slightly different mobility drills and warm up exercises.
I trained first thing this morning so I went through it all in one go. I've put pumps and Squats as extras because I did them twice this morning and I didn't need to in my opinion. In future they'll only be done once if I train in the morning.
Changed to top of the minute swings which is similar in reps but more efficient. Half the reps and rest but all quality, powerful reps. Also decided it was time I started timing my stretches and taking them a little more seriously. I was pretty close to being able to rest my head on my knees on the hamstring stretch - which is probably the result of losing a bit of my belly.
Ate quite a lot over the weekend - but most of it was centred around meat and I found that I'd actually lost more weight at this mornings weigh in. A quick play around in fitday on Friday revealed that I really need to be getting more protein. I have lost a bit too much muscle since I started. I was also a little low on the calories so justing plugging in a few bits of chicken should work out well.
Incidently this will give me around a 50% Fat, 25% Carbs and 25% protein split. I am doing my family's head in losing all this weight while gorging on fat. Haha
Ankle Circles
Hip Circles
Mike Boyle's Thoracic exercise
Shoulder Circles
Egyptians
Neck - Up/Down & Side/Side
Wrists - Up/Down & Circles
35 reps each
Extras
Pumps
Deep Squat Variations 1" heel lift
1x10
Warm Up/Corrective Exercises
Shoulder Rotations
Trunk Rotations
Cradle Walk
X Band Walk
OH Squats with 1" heel lift
Pumps
Arm Bars @ 16kgs
1 x 10
Swings - 10 mins
10 KB Sw @ 24kgs - top of the minute
Total: 100 reps
Stretches
Hamstrings
Shoulder Dislocates
Calf
Achilles
Quads
Cobra stretch
Glutes
Hips
Groin
Decompression Hangs
Held for at least 30 secs trying to extend stretch when able
'O' Rating
Right shoulder - 1* Wooohooo!!
Knees - 2
Lower Back - 1
Comments - Time to mix it up a bit if only to keep me sane. So I've got slightly different mobility drills and warm up exercises.
I trained first thing this morning so I went through it all in one go. I've put pumps and Squats as extras because I did them twice this morning and I didn't need to in my opinion. In future they'll only be done once if I train in the morning.
Changed to top of the minute swings which is similar in reps but more efficient. Half the reps and rest but all quality, powerful reps. Also decided it was time I started timing my stretches and taking them a little more seriously. I was pretty close to being able to rest my head on my knees on the hamstring stretch - which is probably the result of losing a bit of my belly.
Ate quite a lot over the weekend - but most of it was centred around meat and I found that I'd actually lost more weight at this mornings weigh in. A quick play around in fitday on Friday revealed that I really need to be getting more protein. I have lost a bit too much muscle since I started. I was also a little low on the calories so justing plugging in a few bits of chicken should work out well.
Incidently this will give me around a 50% Fat, 25% Carbs and 25% protein split. I am doing my family's head in losing all this weight while gorging on fat. Haha
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