The Common Denominator

I did it! I snuck in another training session today. Movement is keeping me sane these days, fo sho!

As I review my training log, I see that there is a common denominator in today's training. That number is 7. Here's how it went:

Circuit - 7 Rounds

1. Swings - 170 lbs.
14 sets
150 reps = 25,500 lbs.

2. Pike Jump to Jump Up
7 sets
49 reps = 4900 lbs.

3. Rows - 20 kg (44 lbs.)
7 sets
Left - 49 reps, Right - 49 reps = 4312 lbs.

I know; not every number is divisible by 7. Many were, though, and I thought that was pretty cool.

I hope I get to sneak in some training again tomorrow. It would be great to move as many days as possible this week since next week I'm performing in a local theater production every night in addition to working every day. I'll be glad when it is April 10.

Holy Hiatus

Forgive me readers. It has been 6 days since my last update.

Where have the days gone? Well, four were spent traveling and in meetings. Two were spent with life and work. The next few weeks will be sporadic as well.

I don't sweat it, though. I'm making choices that keep me in a good state. For instance, today I was experiencing the symptoms of being over-committed. I recognized it and got my butt moving. Movement was better than lying down in a quiet room. (Yes, I tested it.) Now all the signals of stress are gone. From distress to eustress using tested movement.

I did a fun circuit today with my 9 year old daughter by my side. Bonus!

Circuit - 4 Rounds - 24 min. 30 secs
1. One Leg Pushup
48 reps total

2. Reverse Lunge to High Kick
Left - 48 reps, Right - 48 reps total

3. Push Press - 16 kg (35 lbs.)
Left - 24 reps, Right - 33 reps total

4. Sumo Squat to Knee Up
80 reps total

5. Windmills - 16 kg (35 lbs.)
Left - 32 reps, Right - 32 reps total

3 of 2 on 3-22

I did three rounds of two circuits today for a quick training session.

Circuit #1 - 3 Rounds - 9 min.
1. KB Press - 12 kg
Left - 21 reps, Right - 24 reps

2. Windmill - 16 kg
Left 21 reps, Right - 21 reps

Circuit #2 - 3 Rounds - 16 min. 30 secs
1. Swings - 150 lbs.
120 reps

2. Reverse Lunge to High Kick
Left - 30 reps, Right - 30 reps

3. 1/2 Pistol to Pike Press
Left - 15 reps, Right - 15 reps

4 Times as Fun

Today I got to train with the boot camp bunch again. We did four mini circuits. It was a great workout. I needed this kick in the pants. I actually broke a sweat today. In fact, my hair swelled to twice it's normal size!

Circuit #1 - 3 Rounds
1. Clean & Squat - 20 kg
Left - 21 reps, Right - 21 reps

2. Windmills - 12 kg
Left - 21 reps, Right - 21 reps

Circuit #2 - 5 Rounds
1. Bear Crawl - 40 yards
200 yards total

2. Bunny Hop - 40 yards
200 yards total

Circuit #3 - 3 Rounds
1. One Arm KB Rows - 16 kg
Left - 21 reps, Right - 21 reps

2. Walking Overhead Lunges - 12 kg
Left - 21 steps, Right - 21 steps

3. Rotating One Leg Pushups
21 reps

Circuit #4 - 10 Rounds
1. Side Burpees
110 reps

2. Swings - 32 kg (70 lbs.)
110 reps

This is what I call a Burpee/Swing Complex. You start by doing 20 burpees and 2 swings. Then you do 18 burpees and 4 swings. Keep decreasing the burpee number by 2 and increasing the swing number by 2 until you do 2 burpees and 20 swings.

Four circuits. Four workout partners. Four times the fun.

Biofeedback Rocks My World

On Friday, I went to the gym after work. I was dog tired after running all week long. I really thought that once I got changed and started testing movements, I would perk up. Boy was I wrong! I tested a dozen different movements only to find they each tested worse than baseline. I packed up and went home. I didn't give it another thought. That's the beauty of biofeedback. I don't need to worry. All I need to do is gather the data and act appropriately.

Today I found out how appropriate that action was yesterday. I went back to the gym after a good night's sleep and a lazy morning. I put together a circuit of heavy swings and bodyweight drills that got me going. I rocked my own world today!

Circuit - 5 Rounds - 26 minutes

1. Swings - 150 lbs.

225 reps = 33,750 lbs.

-I did 15 swings between each of the bodyweight drills.

2. Squat Jumps

75 reps (15 per round)

3. Rotating One Leg Pushups

40 reps (8 per round)

4. Side Burpees

50 reps (10 per round)

This was fun! It confirmed that if my body isn't ready, there is no sense pushing myself. If I had forced myself to train yesterday, I probably wouldn't have had such a good session today. I would wreck myself.

Now I'm in my favorite state again - the state of being present!

My Favorite State

I didn't have a chance to log my training from Tuesday. (Yes, you heard that right. Tuesday. I trained three days in a row.) Here it is Wednesday night, and I'm just getting to it. That's okay.

My week is pretty busy with my play rehearsals, work, school board meetings, kids' activities, etc. but I don't even mind. I'm in my favorite state - the state of being present.

What's that you ask? It's not worrying about what I have to do or what I've done. It means living in this moment and taking it in for what it is. It also means doing the best I can at this moment.

When I live in the state of being present, I'm unanxious (is that a word?). My body doesn't hum with anxiety. I take in my surroundings and breathe. In essence, I'm me.

Being in that state gives me all kinds of advantages. Namely, I am more productive in every aspect of my life. Here's an example: my training.

Tuesday's Circuit - 8 Rounds - 25 minutes

1. Rotating One-Leg Pushups
52 reps

2. Reverse Lunge to High Kick
80 reps each leg

3. Slalom Jumps
400 reps (800 jumps in all)

I had a Movement PR in all three drills. I was quicker and/or more balanced on every drill. Movement PRs are almost more exciting for me than intensity PRs. Why that is deserves a post of its own.

Good Day Monday

I had a fabulous afternoon today. Who'd a thunk it? It was Monday, and it was my first day back to work after my college's spring break. The day couldn't have gone better. Plus, it felt like a bonus to get two days of training in a row. I wish every Monday could be this good.

Circuit - 5 Rounds - 23 min. 30 secs

1. Waiter Plate Press - 25 lbs.
Left - 30 reps, Right - 35 reps
- I had a scissors stance, back arched. During some reps I put in a twist. I'm working toward pressing in a neutral position, but for now, my body prefers the altered positioning.

2. Sumo DL - 270 lbs.
48 reps total

3. 1/2 Pistol to Pike Press
Left - 30 reps, Right - 30 reps
-This was a density and movement PR for me. It was a movement PR because my balance and speed were so much better.

My state was definitely better today than it has been in awhile. I felt like a better me. Anything seems possible today. I'm so glad I got to capitalize on optimal training time. The weeks ahead are very busy for me, so getting in meaningful training is crucial. I cherish the time well spent.

The Teacher Becomes the Student

Today I let my "students" put together my training. My bootcamp gang has been going great guns in 2011 - two of them have lost 30+ lbs. each since mid-January. They get together on Sundays, so I joined them today. They really like to do animals, so we did a swing / animal circuit.

It was fun for me to see the gang in charge of their own training. They have taken what they've learned and applied it to their gym movements. It's also fun to see them questioning, testing, and using data to make decisions. Rarely do teachers get to see how their students apply their skills after they leave the classroom. It's pretty gratifying.

Here's what we did in the gym today. Thanks to Ben for his killer circuit idea!

Circuit - 4 Rounds - 28 min.

1. Swings - 150 lbs.
One set between each animal drill
240 reps total = 36,000 lbs.

2. Frog Jumps - 40 yards

3. Bunny Hops - 40 yards

4. Bear Crawl - 40 yards

5. Kangaroo Jumps

That's all I had time for, but it was a great workout. I feel great! Can't wait for next Sunday when we get together again.

Back in the Circuit

Jumping, pushups, and swings all tested well so I put together a killer circuit. That wasn't enough, so I finished off with extra swings. Good day.

Circuit - 4 Rounds - 22 min. 30 secs

1. Swings - 150 lbs.
100 reps = 15,000 lbs.

2. Pike Jump to Jump Up
40 reps

3. One Leg Pushups
48 reps

4. Lunge, Extend Arms holding a 10 lb. plate, twist
40 reps each leg

5. Slalom Jumps (quick side-to-side jumps)
200 reps

After that I did 8 minutes of 150 lbs. swings. I did 140 reps for 21,000 lbs. more.

Breaking 50

That was the goal today - break 50 reps for each drill. Why 50? Sit back and let me tell you a little tale.

When I pulled up at the gym today, I wondered why there were so many cars there. Strange. I went in, changed my clothes and proceeded to the Tae Kwon Do room to do some serious bodyweight training. In my mind, I was putting together all kinds of killer moves I could try out. As I approached the TKD room door, I noticed it was closed. A closed door never stopped me before, so I opened it.

What I saw was beyond words. There was a sea of pink and purple and music playing. That's all I can tell you because I'm trying to block it out of my mind. I think my retinas are damaged.

Okay, change of training plans. Quick!

I find an empty corner and test my ROM on various traditional lifts. Presses and Sumo DLs test well. Thank goodness! Oh wait. I need my plateau buster from the TKD room. Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!

I slip in trying to go unnoticed. I unlock my PB from the bike chain and roll it out, loaded with 150 lbs. I was about as subtle as a rhino. At least I could keep my eyes on the floor to avoid the horrible scene in that room.

I made it out alive. To celebrate, I decide to see if I can DL more than I did during my last session. I loaded various weights and found 280 to my liking. Intensity PR

I grab a 25 lb. plate to do waiter plate presses with. I find my best position (scissors stance, twist, watching plate) and start pressing. 5 reps feels pretty good.

Time to DL. The first set is a set of 5. Feels good.

Alternating between the two drills really worked well for me today. They put my body in contrary positions, which relieves pain for me. So guess what? No pain; great gain. I figured I could go for 10 sets like this. That would result in my breaking 50.

My numbers increased as I went along, so I ended up only having to do 9 sets to break 50 reps on each drill. Here's the finally tally:

Waiter Press Left - 51 reps
Waiter Press Right - 56 reps
Sumo DL - 52 reps

Total Weight Moved - 17,235 lbs.

Had I let the scene in the TKD room deter me, I wouldn't have moved anything, nor would I have set a PR. As a bonus, I got in some great grip work with the heavy DL.

The moral to the story is "Don't let others get in your way of doing what you need to do." It's easy to find an excuse NOT to train. However, this will never result in results.

Weekend Workout

I've been so incredibly busy this week that I haven't been able to train since Tuesday. When I was able to sneak in a training session this afternoon, I was thrilled. The circuit I put together rocked my world.

Circuit - 4 Rounds - 30 minutes

Sumo Squat to Knee Raise
Swings - 150 lbs.
One Leg Pushups
Swings - 150 lbs.
Reverse Lunge, Touch Floor, to High Kick
Swings - 150 lbs.
Sumo Squat Jumps
Swings - 150 lbs.

I ended up doing the following number of reps:

Sumo Squat to Knee Raise - 60 reps
One Leg Pushups - 40 reps
Reverse Lunge, Touch Floor, to High Kick - 40 each leg
Sumo Squat Jumps - 80 reps
Swings - 330 reps = 49,500 lbs. (I'm pretty proud of this one.)

It's hard to say with all of the body weight drills, but I'd guess I moved over 60,000 lbs. in 30 minutes. 2000 lbs./minutes isn't too shabby.

Quick DL Session

I picked up some heavy weights and put them down on Tuesday. Sumo DL test well, so I had to do it.

270 lbs.
9 minutes
80 reps
21,600 lbs.

Density PR - I did sets of 8 reps. Last DL session, I did 270 lbs. for sets of 5.