Naked Training

I felt primal and animalistic today. I wanted to go back to basics, like nature intended.

So, I trained without weights, kettlebells, or any implement. Naked. If Qdoba can have naked burritos, I can have naked training.

Bodyweight drills tested incredible. I put together a circuit and got a great training session in.

Walking lunges - 20 yards
Pushups - 8 reps
Frog Jumps - 20 yards
Egg Rolls - 5 Left, 5 Right
Crab Walk - 20 yards
5 Rounds - 14 min 30 secs

Tonight I made fried green tomatoes. You can't get them any fresher. They went from my garden directly to my kitchen, then under the knife, into the egg and bread crumbs, and finally into the olive oil. They went very nicely with my T-bone steak. Yum!

I HAD to eat something healthy after reading The Athlete Creator Dave Sandel's blog about his disgusting day of all fair food. He attended the Minnesota State Fair for the first time last week. I've been there, belched that.

I suppose it's good to eat gross food every once in awhile to keep you appreciating how good it feels to eat fresh, healthy food. Check out Dave's great food adventure, complete with pictures. It's almost as good (or should I say as bad) as being there.

Quick and Dirty

I got in a quick session Friday afternoon.

Circuit - 15 minutes

1. Sumo DL - 36 kg
90 reps = 7110 lb.s

2. Two-hand Swings - 36 kg
165 reps = 13,035 lbs.

That's over 20,000 lbs. in 15 minutes. It was a great way to finish off my work week.

Big PR in the House

1 Arm KB Swings - 28 kgs (62 lbs.) - 10 minutes
160 Left, 150 Right = 310 reps
-That's over 19,000 lbs. moved in 10 minutes.
-The last time I did 1 arm swings with 28 kg, I did 290 reps in 10 minutes.
Density PR

Dbl KB Press - 12 kgs - 10 minutes
53 reps = 2756 lbs.
-This is a PR by one measely rep. Oh well. I improved, right?
Density PR

28 Minutes in 20 kg Heaven

All of my drills today incorporated at least one 20 kg kettlebell. I rocked it!

Circuit - 5 rounds - 28 minutes

1 Arm Rows - 20 kg
40 Left, 40 Right = 3520 lbs.
More reps per set. Density PR

Dbl KB Clean - 20 kgs (88 lbs.)
35 reps = 3080 lbs.
More weight and reps/set. Density and Intensity PR

1 Arm 1 Leg DL - 20 kg
40 Left, 40 Right = 3520 lbs.
More reps/set. Density PR

Dbl KB Swing - 20 kgs (88 lbs.)
90 reps = 7920 lbs.
More weight. Intensity PR

That's over 18,000 lbs. moved in 28 minutes. I needed that.

No Worries

Wow! It's been a few days since I posted. Sorry bout that. I've been PRing in curriculum development. With the start of a new semester and record enrollments at my college, I have been busy, good busy. It's fun to have so many students in my classes. It just requires more time outside the classroom. No worries. I'll find my groove.

I won't be getting to the gym today since I have a bunch more work to do. A year ago, I would have been FREAKING out about not getting to train. Today, I know it's just part of a cycle of ups and downs. My attention needs to be on my classes today.

Tomorrow, I will have the time to train. I'll be in a better state, so my training will kick ass. Bet on it.

A Day in the Life

Here is a summary of my day.

Up early.
Shower.
Drink coffee.
Teach Public Speaking
Drive.
Teach Composition I.
Work on classes.
Teach Intro to Literature.
Work on classes
Teach English Grammar.
Work on classes.
Drive.
Power Nap.
Drive.
Deck of Cards Workout.
Drive.
Eat.
Blog.

Next I will shower and go to bed. If you're curious, this is what I did for the deck of cards.

Deck of Cards
Hearts - Swings 24 kg (86 reps)
Diamonds - Sumo DL 24 kg (86 reps)
Clubs - Squats 24 kg (86 reps)
Spades - Rows 16 kg (86 reps/arm)

Jacks and Jokers - wild cards = animal moves
Aces = 11 reps

Tomorrow I will teach Composition II, work on classes, and train. It's almost Friday already. Wow!

Back to Work

I'm back to my real life as an English professor. As usual, the summer went much too quickly to do everything I wanted to do. However, I ate lots of veggies from my garden (which isn't done producing), spent a lot of time with great friends, and got to know my body quite well using biofeedback.

After working at the computer all day, I headed to the gym. Presses and swings were the only drills that tested well.

Dbl KB Press - 12 kgs (52 lbs.) - 10 min.
52 reps = 2704 lbs.
Density/volume PR

1 Arm KB Swings - 28 kg (62 lbs.) - 10 min.
Left - 150 reps
Right - 140 reps
290 reps total = 17,980 lbs.
Density/volume PR
Intensity PR

Over 20,000 lbs. in 20 minutes. Not too shabby.

Another Good Circuit

I went back to a circuit today since several drills tested well. Intense. I did double clean and press, 1 arm swings, and walking lunges.

Circuit - 6 rounds - 27 min. 10 secs.
Dbl KB Clean & Press - 12 kgs (two 26 lb. KBs)
5 sets of 7, 1 set of 8 = 43 reps
-I did more reps per set than the last time I did C&P. Density PR

1 Arm Swings - 28 kgs (62 lbs.)
Left - 4 sets of 25, 2 sets of 20 reps
Right - 4 sets of 25, 2 sets of 20 reps
280 reps total
-Wednesday I did 24 kg 1 arm swings. Today I moved up. Intensity PR

Walking Lunges - 24 kgs (53 lbs.)
6 sets of 20 yards
-I've never used that much weight before. Intensity PR

It's hard to believe, but my summer has come to an end. Monday I'm back to work. Wednesday, classes start at the college where I teach. Wow! What an amazing journey this summer has been. I've had the opportunity to work with some great clients and to get to know many talented people. Thanks for the memories everyone!

The Great Experiment Continues

I totally messed with my body today, but in a good way. It's fun to test out actions and behaviors and see what happens. Here's the story:

I love getting massages. Usually, I get them in the evening so I can take a hot bath and go to bed afterwards. In the summer months, I get them in the afternoons. I have never trained after getting a massage. Well, guess what? Today I changed that.

After the massage today, I took a shower to get the oily gunk off. (I can't stand the smell or feel of being lubed up.) This threw off my body. It went with the usual signal and started winding down to go to sleep. Okay, quick nap.

I have boot camp and my own training to do on Wednesdays. You can probably guess how my training went. I was lethargic and unenthused about the prospect. My body was like, "Whassup widdat?" I was like, "It's time to train." My body was like, "No way." And I was like, "Way." :-P

My body didn't know what to think. So I just let it give me feedback and took it from there.

Dbl KB Press - 12 kgs - 10 min.
50 reps
-Every other time I have done double presses, I have done a clean first. I guess this will be a baseline for me. Doubles gave me better ROM than singles.

1 Arm Swings - 24 kg - 10 min.
135 reps left and 135 reps right = 270 reps
-I did sets of 10 on each arm and did that twice before resting. One set I did 15 reps per arm. My grip was really strong, which surprised me.

I tried some primal moves, but they were a no-go today.

Everything's an Experiment

I'm back from my mini-vacation to Lake Okoboji. I only trained once the entire week. Surprisingly, I didn't even worry about it. I know! That doesn't sound like me, does it?

I've been experimenting the past several months with every aspect of my life using biofeedback. I've turned long-held beliefs on their head and tried out new ways of conducting the business of life.

Here are a few of the areas I've experimented in:
1. Training
Duh, right. It was scary to program myself after relying on Brad Nelson for so long. Now, it's second nature to me. At first I worried I would lose ground because I didn't have the accountability. What I've learned is that I'm harder on myself than Brad could ever be. I keep myself in check. I still call on people if I'm struggling (Adam, Tera, Frankie), and they are quick to ask me questions to get me moving.

2. Nutrition
I stopped taking all supplements in June. I've been taking supplements for 5 years. Before this year, I was afraid what would happen (weight gain) if I stopped. Now, I decided to experiment. What happens if I stop? Nothing. Life went on. I didn't gain weight.

I also starting eating carbs and dairy more frequently. I used to be afraid of them because they are supposed to make you fat. They are evil. Guess what? They're not. I haven't gained weight even though I eat them. I know when I eat too much because my body gives me clear signs. Had I not experimented, I wouldn't have known.

3. State of Mind
I've stopped obsessing over my training and eating most of the time. I'll have my moments, but they are very infrequent. As I build up my metabolic flexibility, I let go of the fear that kept me trapped for so long.

I go each day looking for opportunities to be better. That keeps me focused on the positive. That makes my state of mind more relaxed and more open to possibilities. My anxiety level has tapered to nearly nothing, where I used to run in a constant state of anxiousness. It is freeing to not be buzzing with anxiety at all times.

Things still go wrong in my life; I still make poor choices; I still worry about my life. I'm a human, but I'm a more self-aware human now. It's amazing to think about where I will be in a year.

I did train today, and it was a rush. It felt so good to train after several days off.

Circuit - 5 rounds - 11 minutes, 15 seconds
1 Arm KB Rows - 20 kg
25 left, 25 right
-I did more reps per set than last time. Density PR

KB Press - 12 kg
30 left, 30 right
-I took the time to check several different stance options and rotation. I don't always do that. It made a big difference today, especially on my left side. Density PR on left side

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1 Swing/1 Snatch - 20 kg - 10 minutes
25 left, 25 right
-I haven't snatched the 20 kg in a year. It was pretty easy. Intensity PR

Ode to Eric 8-4

August 4 was my big brother Eric's birthday. In honor of him I did 8 rounds of 4 drills:

• Press
• Pushups
• Swinging 8's
• Sumo DL

Thanks to Eric, I got in a training session during my vacation. Since he never works out, I did it for him. He made me a better woman.

Happy 42nd birthday Bro.

Vacay

I'm on a vacation from my summer vacation. Ha!

The family is spending the week at our lake place. I can't believe summer has been too busy to do it before now.

Doing a whole lot of nothing. I got 9+ hours of sleep last night, though. Heavenly!

If I do any training this week, I'll post a training update.

Later!