Monday, September 29, 2008

pushups today

completed week 3, day 3, >25 column with no room to spare.

Took 150 seconds rest after column two because the 30 set really warrants more recovery in my case.  Also took 150 seconds after 4th column to get charged up for the last set.

Finalllly movin on to week 4, will stay in the >25 column


Sunday, September 28, 2008

squats

front squats: 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

single leg rom deadlift: 5R/5L

double leg rom deadlift (2 x 20kg kb): 6, 8

lateral leg raises: 10R/10L, 10R/10L

yesterday, pushups

completed week 3, day 2, > 25 column with no room to spare.

Felt really beat as far as energy levels go. I am still adjusting to getting up for work at 5 30.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

clean&press + chinups, easy day

2 x 20kg kb: 5 x (1, 2, 3)

did chinups in L-seat style to work abs some more

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

squats/rom deadlifts

Front Squats, 2 x 20kg kb: 8, 8, 8  (2 1/2 minutes rest between)

Rom Deadlifts (kind leg dead already from the squats, 20kg kb: 5R/5L, 5R/5L

Monday, September 22, 2008

pushups today

attempted week 3, day 3, > 25 column:

completed first 4 columns (22, 30, 20, 20)

on fifth and final, was shooting for 28, but only managed 19

So, not quite....

I will take 2 days off, then repeat week 3 starting at day 1.

of note: I began my new job today getting up at 5 am and working all day, this may have effected my energy levels

Sunday, September 21, 2008

clean&press + chinups

20kg kb

2 x (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
3 x (1, 2, 3, 4)

Saturday, September 20, 2008

pushups

walked a mile in the morning

week 3, day 2, >25 column:

20, 25, 15, 15, 25 (really had to fight the last one)


Thursday, September 18, 2008

work it out

Warmed up practice some clean/presses and swings.

Front Squats, 2 x 20kg kb:

7, 7, 7   with rest of 1.5-2 minutes

Single-leg Romanian Deadlift, 1 x 20kg kb:

7L/7R; 7L/7R; 7L/7R

Pushups change

So the hundred pushups challenge has updated their program to try and take out some of the hard "leaps" up in difficulty.  This kind of excites me as I have been stuck on a particular day all the sudden (week 3, day 1, >25) of of the old program.  So maybe this new program will help me make better progress.  I am going to do the week 3, day 1, >25 column of the new program starting now.

Completed week 3, day 1, >25 column with no room to spare!  grinded out the 20th one on the last set.  Used the prescribed 60 seconds rest.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

todays workout

A moderate day before I try to bump up to another set during next workout:

Clean&Press + Chinups: 5 x (1, 2, 3, 4)

Swings: 1 1/2 minute constant

Gonna have to grind off some callus

pushups today

90 seconds rest:

25, 17, 17, 15, 21

grinnnnding towards 25, one day.....

Monday, September 15, 2008

workout today

Walked 45 minutes in morning

I was pretty beat today from a long tedious job interview.

Anyhow, front squats:

5, 5, 5, 3

Practiced some cleans

Sunday, September 14, 2008

pushups today

Still grindin at it:

90 seconds rest instead of 60.    Week 3, day 1, "> 25" column

25, 17, 17, 15, 20

Made a gain of 2 on the last set, working towards at least 25

Will repeat this workout after a rest day.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

light day

of clean/press and chin ups:

5 x (1, 2, 3) ladders with 20kg kb

1 minute round of swings with 20kg kb

walked for 45 minutes in morning

Friday, September 12, 2008

Squat

Front Squats, 2 x 44lb kb: 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 (had to take some breaths for last reps of last set), 2 minutes rest between sets.

Leg lowers and russian twists.  Did two sets of each 6-8 reps each.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

pushups today

Did the week 3, day 1, ">25" column, except I rested for 90 seconds between each set.

Was able to do  25, 17, 17, 15,  18

So again, not able to finish this day, but I will continue with it until I can.

I am going to take two days of rest from pushups to let everything fully recover before attempting this day again (probably will rest 90 seconds again also).

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

nutrition

A brief update on my recent diet and nutrition:

I still eat quaker oatmeal, microwaved in milk, with blueberries and 2-3 eggs scrambled in olive oil everyday for breakfast.  This is a good economical breakfast, which works as I'm a little broke right now.  I usually drink stovetop espresso the mornings that I decide to walk before eating (and every morning, but usually after breakfast on days I don't walk).

I usually workout a few hours after breakfast (yes, i'm unemployed).  

Post workout drink is usually ~50 grams dextrose (corn sugar, from brewing supply), followed 10-15 minutes later by ~ 50 grams whey protein (EAS brand, mixed in water).

Lunch is an hour or two later.  Normally something like a pb & J with a glass of milk or water, maybe some full fat yogurt with almonds and/or more blueberries.  I like to eat fruit like apples or avocados if I have them, or some dried berries.

On the subject of milk, I am going to try switching to whole, non-homogenized, low-pasteurized and/or raw milk in hopes of benefiting from the natural enzyme and whatnot that get destroyed during pasteurization/homogenization.  Cream top milk really tastes amazing if you like the flavor or butter and milk.

I have been cooking a tone of turkey chili lately.  I will usually have something like that for dinner, sometimes a grilled burger or chicken breast or something.  I'll make a salad with lettuce, carrots, olive oil, and any other veggies I have on hand.  
 
Dinner if where most of my variety comes from, which is unfortunately slightly limited do to financial and time constraints.

Anyhow, thats about it.

today is the greatest

workout today:

Clean & Press + Chin up ladders:

1 x (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
4 x (1, 2, 3, 4)

Rest was 60 sec after "rung" of singles, 90 after doubles, 120 after triples and quads, and 150 after 5's

I plan to try to bump up an extra ladder to rungs of 5's each workout until I'm at 5 x (1,2,3,4,5)

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

pushups today

STUCK on week 3, day 1, "> 25" column

I did 25, rest 60 seconds, then 17, rest 60 seconds

Again, I feel like these first two sets are gassing out my muscles

So I rested 90 seconds, then did 17

Rested another 90 seconds and struggled for 15

Rested 90 seconds and did 11

So I again couldn't complete this day.  I think I am going to take two rest days from pushups.

I'm then going to start again on this day, but I'm going to rest 90 seconds between every set from the start and see if I can complete it.  If so, I will move on to day 2, if not, I will start over at day 1, but I will move down to the "21-25" column and work back up from there before moving back to this column, hoping to add some kind of muscular endurance to help me get through this day from hell.

I also checked out youtube to see other people's pushups videos.  One thing I notice is that everyone is doing them extremely fast, wayyy faster than I am, and often are not going all the way down or up.  So here's the thing.  I could fly through the pushups using alot of momentum to shoot up and just fly back down.  I would definately be able to do alot more that way.   But,  I do not want to cheat myself.  If want to do 100 pushups in a slow controlled manner, just grind them out, making each rep count.  Not just bounce myself up.  I think I could probably do week 4 or 5 if I go quickly, but I'm going to stick with going slowly and deliberately and work from there.

The day that I reach a slow hundred, I will make a grizzly video of it and freak some people.

Monday, September 8, 2008

today

walked 20 minutes in morning.

Workout:

Front Squats, 2 x 20kg kb: 5, 5, 5, 5, 4

Windmills, 16kg kb: 3L/3R, 3L/3R

My ankle was a little sore walking, but seemed to be ok doing the squats.  I went ahead and iced it after working out as a precaution.  Hopefuly it will be fine.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

today

pushups today

did week 3, day 3 of the "21-25" column.  Was able to finish all sets except the last where I could only muster 21 clean reps.

I will take 2 days rest and start back on week 3, day 1 of the ">25" column and see if try again at it.


My ankle has randomly swollen up, which began after my workout yesterday, it isn't too sore, but I may have to take it easy on it if it keeps swelling.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

today

40 minute fasted walk in morning

Shoulder is feeling better for the most part, so I will go ahead and do the clean and press/pullups workout today.  I will stop if I notice any pain coming back.

Clean&Press, Chins workout:

did 5 x (1, 2, 3, 4) ladder workout of clean and presses (20kg kettlebell) + chin ups.  Always starting with left arm.  I was able to complete the workout strongly today.  My rest between each ladder was 1 minute after singles, 1.5 min after doubles, 2 min after triples, and 2 min after quads.

Finished the workout with 3 minute round of swings with 20 kg kettlebell.  Had to take a 15 second break after 1:45 due to sweaty/weak grip.  Rechalked and then did the last minute, quite exhausting.

Overall I felt quite strong today, maybe from taking some rest days to recoup my shoulder, who knows.

Friday, September 5, 2008

this morning

Pushups:

Things I focused on: 
1) keeping lots of wrist tension and/or switching to dumbell grip to minimize wrist strain
2) going slowly and smoothly
3) actively breathing with each rep

Here's what happened:

25, 17, 17 (hard), rested for 90 instead of 60 .... 13 on dumbells for wrists .... 90 sec .... 10 on dumbells.

So, again unable to complete day 1 of week 3 in the "> 25" column.  

Maybe my current state of fitness or my body specifically does not fit perfectly into the training scheme laid out, because I can surely do 30 straight pushups at least, but I can't seem to move through the "> 25" column yet.  No worries though, I do not have a time limit for this goal and I plan to keep trucking as long as it takes.  I think what I will do is do the week 3, day 3 of the "21-25" column to try and build a little more gradually since it seems to be close to the week 3, day 1, "> 25" column in volume, just with more rest time.  This makes since for me as the first sets of 25 and 17 really seem to gas me for the next few i.e. seriously diminishing returns on the final sets.  

This is what happens when you drink espresso in the morning, you get all these scientific theories, while Debo in cell block 9 just does pushups all day when he feels like it and can crank out like 200, but alas.....

Did some crunches and flattened-lumbar leg lowers after.

When for a 20 minute jog and 30 minute walk later.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

today

walked fasted for 30 minutes, then pushups:

I hit the wall today on pushups:

set 1: 27

set 2: 17 (strugglin)

I decided to rest for 90 instead of 60 sec due to how difficult set 2 was

set 3: 17 realll struggle

set 4: Did 6 on knuckles due to wrist soreness, 3 flat handed

set 5: Only managed 7

So yeah, I had no chance at finish the workout set for today.  I will repeat this week 3 day 1 workout until I can move on.  I'm going to have to watch my wrist closely, I think I have a ganglion cyst, and it has become irritated I think from all the pushups I've started doing.  We'll see.  If it gets bigger, I will probably smash it up with a mallet.


Front Squats; 2 x 20kg kb; 5, 5, 5, 4, 4

I decided to forego doing windmills today as I still have some lingering shoulder tightness from last week, I want to give my shoulders some more recovery time before I get back into overhead lifting.

Balled hard for 1.5-2 hours tonight

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

today

walked 30 minutes this morning

Monday, September 1, 2008

workout today

So today I did a clean & press and chin workout, ladders again.

I bumped it up to ladders of 4 and completed:

4 x (1, 2, 3, 4) = 1 c&p R, 1 c& p left, 1 chin, rest, 2R, 2L, 2 chin, rest.... up to 4, then start over at 1, 1, 1
1 x (1, 2, 3) 

I was feeling a little soreness in my left shoulder (previously injured years ago, thanks campus po po), so I didn't try to push it on the last ladder.  I'm trying to prevent my training zeal from leading to overtraining.  Anyhow, popped some advil and fish oil, hopefully keep any swelling to a minimum.