Finished with Phase 2

I'm declaring myself finished with Phase 2 of New Rules of Lifting for Abs. Of course, I heavily modified toward the end, so the workout police probably wouldn't count it. Oh well. I'm not going to shoot for 8 rounds of Phase 3, I don't think.

Here is what I did:

NRLA Phase 2B-8 (modified)
Front plank and pulldown - 10ea/25#
Side plank and row - 10ea/25#
Swiss ball jackknife - 12
Cable kneeling cross-body lift - 10ea/25#
DB step-up - 3x8ea/20#ea 18" step
KB 1-arm push press - 2x8ea/16kg
DB offset load front squat - 8/30#R20#L, 8/20#R30#L
Mixed-grip chin up - 2x8 with feet on the floor for assistance

Yoga and Lifting

Hmmm, looks like I'm missing round 7 in the blog. Oh well. I'm sure your upset, but you'll live.

Monday I did a 45 minute yoga routine. It was nice and gentle. Wednesday was lifting again. And today was as follows. I subbed hip thrusts for the DLs, given that my lower back has been feeling a tad funny lately. It doesn't hurt, but there is a tightness on the right side. It's so low, it's basically over my right SI joint. I need a massage, I think! Yeah, that's it.

NRLA Phase 2A-8
Valslide push away - 12ea, one leg up
Swiss-ball mountain climber - 12ea slow
Cable half-kneeling chop - 10ea/27.5#
DB split squat - 3x8ea/25#ea
KB 2-pt row - 3x8ea/20kg
Hip thrusts - 8x65#, 2x8x85#
DB alternating chest press on partial bench - 3x8ea/27.5#ea

More lifting

The holiday eating really did a number on me. It was totally worth it, though. Now, back to normal. I had to sit out a couple days do to feeling sick, but this morning was great. I really have to cut down on the time, though.

Monday I did this:
NRLA Phase 2A-6
Warm up (full)
Valslide push away - 12ea
Swiss-ball mountain climber - 12ea slow
Cable half-kneeling chop - 10ea/27.5#
Extra strength - none
DB split squat - 3x8ea/20#ea
DB 2-pt row - 3x8ea/16kg
Wide-grip deadlift with feet on weight plate - 3/105#, 3x8/115#
DB alternating chest press on partial bench - 3x8ea/26.25#ea

This morning I did this:
NRLA Phase 2B-6
1:24
Warm up (full)
Front plank and pulldown - 10ea/25#
Side plank and row - 10ea/25#
Swiss ball jackknife - 12
Cable kneeling cross-body lift - 10ea/25#
DB step-up - 3x8ea/20#ea 18" step
DB 1-arm push press - 2x8ea/30#
DB offset load front squat - 8/30#R20#L, 8/20#R30#L
Mixed-grip chin up - 2x8 with feet on the floor for assistance

Qi Yoga

Not much to say. I did a 45 minute Qi Yoga class from YogaDownload.com this morning. It was a nice slow class, which also meant it was pretty hard. Maybe I was still tired from yesterday's lift. I loved how the instructor was very specific with descriptions.  I did manage to get into side crow for a bit on each side!

All alone

Yep, no mice this morning. Sometimes being alone is wonderful.

NRLA Phase 2B-5
Warm up (full)
Front plank and pulldown - 10ea/25#
Side plank and row - 10ea/25#
Swiss ball jackknife - 12
Cable kneeling cross-body lift - 12ea/25#
BB shoulder press - 6/51#, 4/55#, 2/57#, 6/52#
DB step-up - 3x8ea/20#ea
DB 1-arm push press - 2x8ea/30#
DB offset load front squat - 8/30#R20#L, 8/20#R30#L
Mixed-grip chin up - 2x8 with feet on the floor for assistance
I'll save the kettlebell swings for tomorrow!

Socks

Another great workout. Yay for bright pink deadlifting socks!

NRLA Phase 2A-5
Warm up (full)
Valslide push away - 12ea
Swiss-ball mountain climber - 12ea slow
Cable half-kneeling chop - 10ea/27.5#
Extra strength - none
DB split squat - 3x8ea/20#ea
DB 2-pt row - 3x8ea/16kg
Wide-grip deadlift with feet on weight plate - 2/105#, 2/115#, 3x8/120#
DB alternating chest press on partial bench - 3x8ea/26.25#ea
Metabolic - 7x10reps burpees on the minute

Little visitors

No, this time it wasn't my kids visiting me in my workout room.  One of the negatives about working out in the basement is that that is where all the unwelcome critters like to be.  This morning, I noticed that there were more traps set. I had set out two measly traps. My husband, as usual, was much more thorough than I am and set out a bunch more. To my surprise, one located in the exercise room had caught a fuzzy guy. I looked around into our utility room and there was another one. Neither of my two traps had be sprung. I knew they had come in when the weather turned colder because I had seen a few "presents" left behind in my workout area. Hubby said he actually saw one last night, so I guess that's why he set out more traps. I can only hope these are the only two that got in. Now I'm a little paranoid, because every little dark spec of dirt could be another "present."

The little critters didn't stop me from working out this morning. Although, I was a little wary of stepping on a trap. Luckily, that didn't happen.

NRLA Phase 2B-4Warm up (full)
Front plank and pulldown - 12ea/22.5#
Side plank and row - 12ea/22.5#
Swiss ball jackknife - 12
Cable kneeling cross-body lift - 12ea/22.5#
DB step-up - 3x8ea/18.75#ea
DB 1-arm push press - 2x8ea/12kg
DB offset load front squat - 8/30#R20#L, 8/20#R30#L
Mixed-grip chin up - 2x8 with feet on the floor for assistance
Kettlebell swings - 11x12reps every 40sec 20kg

Two more

I'm still not back in a rhythm. I'm trying!

Saturday I did this:
NRLA Phase 2B-3
Warm up (full)
Front plank and pulldown - 12ea/22.5#
Side plank and row - 12ea/22.5#
Swiss ball jackknife - 12
Cable kneeling cross-body lift - 12ea/22.5#
BB shoulder press - 8/50#, 6/52#, 4/55#, 8/50#
DB step-up - 3x8ea/18.75#ea
DB 1-arm push press - 2x8ea/12kg
DB offset load front squat - 8/25#R15#L, 8/15#R25#L
Mixed-grip chin up - 2x8 with feet on the floor for assistance
Kettlebell swings - 10x12 20kg

I started to work out Monday, but got through the warm up and realized how very tired I was, so I quit and slept for another hour. I don't do that very often! This morning I did this:
NRLA Phase 2A-4
Warm up (full)
Valslide push away - 12ea
Swiss-ball mountain climber - 12ea slow
Cable half-kneeling chop - 10ea/27.5#
Extra strength - jump up eccentric chin-up - 8,5,3, with red band: 7
DB split squat - 3x8ea/20#ea
DB 2-pt row - 3x8ea/16kg
Wide-grip deadlift with feet on weight plate - 3x8/115#
DB alternating chest press on partial bench - 3x8ea/25#ea
Metabolic - skipped

No extra strength

In order to reduce the required time of this workout, I didn't do the extra strength this time. Also, I'm still not doing all 10 minutes of the burpees. That's partly because I feel myself losing form after 6 rounds and partly because I don't have the time. Six rounds of 10 burpees still gets my heart pumping and the sweat rolling! Next time, I might do the extra strength (chin ups) instead of the burpees.

NRLA Phase 2A-3
1:13
Warm up (full)
Valslide push away - 12ea
Swiss-ball mountain climber - 12ea slow
Cable half-kneeling chop - 12ea/25#
DB split squat - 2x8ea/18.75#ea, 1x8ea/20#
DB 2-pt row - 8ea/32#, 2x8ea/16kg
Wide-grip deadlift with feet on weight plate - 3x8/115# (increase)
DB alternating chest press on partial bench - 3x8ea/25#ea
Metabolic - burpees with jump no push up - 6 minutes 10 reps on the minute

Still soooore!

Those eccentric chin-ups Tuesday really did their thing. I am still sore today. I don't know if that is the cause or not, but I just wasn't as "with it" during my workout today. As usual, that leads to a little less focus and a little more time spent. I did leave off the deadlifts (extra strength), even though I love deadlifts. I just know how long it takes to do four sets of good quality deadlifts. I'd rather take my time with them than rush them, especially since that could lead to injury! I don't need that. My SI joint would thank me if it could talk, I'm sure.

Given the sore arms and upper body, I couldn't even do a chin up with the band. So, I did them with my feet on the ground for assistance, making sure my torso stayed vertical. Still a great workout. I'm still really liking this program.

NRLA Phase 2B-2
1:18
full warm-up
Front plank and pulldown - 10ea/22.5#
Side plank and row - 10ea/22.5#
Swiss ball jackknife - 12
Cable kneeling cross-body lift - 10ea/22.5#
DB step-up - 3x8ea/17.5#ea
DB 1-arm push press - 2x8ea/12kg
DB offset load front squat - 8/25#R15#L, 8/15#R25#L
Mixed-grip chin up - 2x8 with feet on the floor for assistance
Kettlebell swings - 12 every 30 seconds for 4 rounds, then every 40 seconds for 6 rounds 20kg

More goodness

Another good workout today. Instead of doing the met work at the end in the basement, I went upstairs and started on the kids' lunches during rests! Ha!

NRLA Phase 2A-2
1:32
Warm up (full)
Valslide push away - 12ea
Swiss-ball mountain climber - 12ea slow
Cable half-kneeling chop - 10ea/25#
Extra strength - jump up eccentric chin-up - 8,6,4, with red band: 8
DB split squat - 2x8ea/15#ea, 1x8ea/18.75#
DB 2-pt row - 3x8ea/32#
Wide-grip deadlift with feet on weight plate - 3x8/105# (increase)
DB alternating chest press on partial bench - 2x8ea/20#ea, 1x8ea/25#ea
Metabolic - burpees with jump no push up - 6 minutes 10 reps on the minute

Back from a week off

This past week was crazy, so I decided to focus on getting enough sleep rather than working out. It worked and I ended the week well rested and without having the house in chaos!

Today, I started back up with my New Rules of Lifting for Abs routine. I'm still loving this program. Again, since it was Saturday, I did both the extra strength and the metabolic work. That is too long for a normal day. I don't quite get the timing on the met work, though. The instruction were to do 10-12 swings on the minute for ten minutes. They claimed this should be 1:1 or 1:2 work/rest ratio. KB swings usually work out to 20 swings in 30 seconds, give or take a couple. So, not wanting to spend too much time, I did 12 swings every 30s and rested the rest, giving me pretty close to equal work equal rest (1:1). So, I did  all the swings called for, just in half the time! It kind of surprised me that the book had this wacky timing, since I think I remember reading that Alwyn and Rachel went through the RKC program. Maybe it was just Rachel.

NRLA Phase 2B-1
1:25
full warm-up
Front plank and pulldown - 12ea/20#
Side plank and row - 12ea/20#
Swiss ball jackknife - 12
Cable kneeling cross-body lift - 10ea/20#
BB shoulder press - 8/45#, 6/50#, 4/52#, 8/45#
DB step-up - 3x8ea/15#ea
DB 1-arm push press - 2x8ea/25#
DB offset load front squat - 8/25#R15#L, 8/15#R25#L
Mixed-grip chin up - 2x3/red band
Kettlebell swings - 12 every 30 seconds for 5 minutes: 5x20kg, 5x16kg

Phase 2!

Moving on the next phase of New Rules of Lifting for Abs. Great workout today. I decided to try both the extra strength and the metabolic work. I only did half the met work and still ended up at an hour and a half. I'll reconsider next time! I wasn't even dilly dallying today. I got to it and did the rests as prescribed, maybe even a little short on the extra strength section. I started the weights out a little low to find the right level. Several will go up next time.

NRLA Phase 2A-1
1:29
Warm up (full)
Valslide push away - 12ea
Swiss-ball mountain climber - 10ea slow (very hard! pauses)
Cable half-kneeling chop - 10ea/25# (work on keeping shoulders level)
Extra strength - front squat - 8/50#, 6/50#, 4/50#, 8/45#
DB split squat - 3x8ea/15#ea (increase)
DB 2-pt row - 3x8ea/30# (increase)
Wide-grip deadlift with feet on weight plate - 3x8/105#
DB alternating chest press on partial bench - 3x8ea/20#ea (increase)
Metabolic - burpees with jump no push up - 5 minutes 10 reps on the minute (try to increase time)

Done with Phase 1 of NRLA!

On to new stuff next time!
I made a decent amount of progress over these 8 rounds.

Phase1B - 81:05
Full warm up
Anti-rotation static hold - 2x30s/side, used band
Elevated plank - (feet on bench, arms straight, one leg up) 10x10s on, 3s rest
Elevated side plank - (feet on bench, forearm down, arm and leg up) 5x10s on, 3s rest, L then R
Dumbbell single leg RDL - 2x12/legx50#
Dumbbell alternating OH press - non working hand held up w/weight - 2x12/arm x18.75#
OH squat - 2x12x35#
Cable kneeling pulldown -2x75#

Done with Phase 1A!

One more workout, then on to Phase 2! Yes, this is kind of a countdown. I liked this phase, but I'm glad to be leaving the 12-rep sets behind. I'm surprised I stuck with them like I did. I think 15-rep sets would have pushed me over the edge!

NRLA Phase 1A-8
Warm up
Plank - straight arms, one foot raised - 2x 90s
Side Plank - straight arms, arm raised, foot raised - 2x 45s L/45s R
Split Squat - front foot elevated w/ DBs- 12L/12R x18.75#ea
Inverted Row - 2x12 @12th pin
Romanian Deadlift - 2x12x155# (mixed grip both sets)
Push-up - hands on bar, 4th pin - 2x12

One round left in Phase 1!

I had nice energy today. I did the full warm up again. I still can't believe I overlooked the movement portion for so long. The weights went up a bit and it felt good! I have Phase 2 printed out and ready to go. I should probably read over the exercise descriptions before I start, though.

Phase1B - 7
0:58
Full warm up
Anti-rotation static hold - 2x30s/side, used band
Elevated plank - (feet on bench, arms straight, one leg up) 10x10s on, 3s rest
Elevated side plank - (feet on bench, arm straight, arm and leg up) 5x10s on, 3s rest, L then R
Dumbbell single leg RDL - 2x12/legx50#
Dumbbell alternating OH press - non working hand held up w/weight - 2x12/arm x18.75#
OH squat - 2x12x30#
Cable kneeling pulldown -2x75#

NRLA Phase 1A-7

A few days ago I realized I was missing some of the warm up. It was written there on all of my log pages right below the other warm up stuff, but I just jumped over it. Maybe because it wasn't in a box like the other stuff. Who knows. Anyway, I did it all this morning. The new moves didn't take much time and were actually fun. I also measured my room length. It is 19ft, so since I don't want to slam into the walls, I leave a little room and the 10 yards for several of the warm ups are just down the room and back. Solved!

I saw some progress today. I kept the planks the same. They are hard enough as they are. I increased the split squat weight and did fine with it. The inverted row was lower and got pretty hard during the last few reps, but I barely managed. Five extra pounds on the RDL were noticeable. I'll stay there next time. The push-ups are still crazy hard, even elevated, being placed at the end of the program.

I only have one week left of this first phase. This has been a great trip back into NROL-world. I can't wait to see what Alwyn has in store next!

NRLA Phase 1A-7Warm up
Plank - one foot raised - 2x 90s
Side Plank - arm raised, foot raised - 2x 45s L/45s R
Split Squat - front foot elevated w/ DBs- 2x12L/12R x17.5#ea
Inverted Row - 2x12 @12th pin
Romanian Deadlift - 2x12x155# (mixed grip both sets)
Push-up - hands on bar, 4th pin - 2x12

NRLA 1B-6

I was running late today, so no warm up. I don't think it bothered me much to not warm up. I was feeling more stable today with the straight-arm planks. The overhead squats were also feeling pretty good. 12 reps is a  lot for those. I think I'm repeating myself.

Phase1B - 6
No warm up
Anti-rotation static hold - 2x30s/side, used band
Elevated plank - (feet on bench, arms straight, one leg up) 10x10s on, 3s rest
Elevated side plank - (feet on bench, arms straight out) 5x10s on, 3s rest, L then R
Dumbbell single leg RDL - 2x12/legx50#
Dumbbell alternating OH press - non working hand held up w/weight - 2x12/arm x17.5#
OH squat - 2x12x27#
Cable kneeling pulldown -2x72.5#

NRLA 1A-6

Not much to report today. Pretty much the same workout as last time I did this. I wasn't feeling all that excited about working out, but I got it done! No regrets, of course. I even vacuumed up a couple spiders during rests.

NRLA Phase 1A-6
Warm up
Plank - one foot raised - 2x 90s
Side Plank - arm raised, foot raised - 2x 45s L/45s R
Split Squat - front foot elevated w/ DBs- 2x12L/12R x15#ea
Inverted Row - 2x12 @13th pin
Romanian Deadlift - 2x12x150# (mixed grip both sets)
Push-up - hands on bar, 4th pin - 2x12
Foam rolling

NRLA 1B-5

Another good workout. This time I tried the planks with straight arms. The regular plank was a little harder to keep my body straight, but the side plank was much harder. It was harder to keep stable. I increased the SLDL and had to focus a lot on form.

Phase1B - 5
0:57
Anti-rotation static hold - 2x30s/side, used band, tighter this time
Elevated plank - (feet on bench, arms straight) 10x10s on, 3s rest
Elevated side plank - (feet on bench, arms straight) 5x10s on, 3s rest, L then R
Dumbbell single leg RDL - 2x12/legx50#
Dumbbell alternating OH press - non working hand held up w/weight - 2x12/arm x17.5#
OH squat - 2x12x25#
Cable kneeling pulldown -2x70#
Foam rolling

NRLA Phase 1A-5

I have a hard time coming up with new titles for my posts. I'm not feeling especially creative today, so there you go. Good workout today. Made some improvement, but had to admit lack of good depth for the split squats, so I decreased the weight. The mixed grip on the RDL helped a lot. For some reason the mixed grip feels odd on RDL but not so much on conventional DLs.  I feel wimpy doing the pushups on the bar and only using 150 for the RDLs, but by then, I'm rather tuckered out already. It's all relative!

NRLA Phase 1A-5
0:52
Warm up
Plank - one foot raised - 2x 90s
Side Plank - arm raised, foot raised - 2x 45s L/45s R
Split Squat - front foot elevated w/ DBs- 12L/12R x20#ea, 12L/12R x15#ea (not enough depth with 20# DBs, so went back to 15#... should do something in between next time)
Inverted Row - 2x12 @13th pin
Romanian Deadlift - 2x12x150# (mixed grip both sets)
Push-up - hands on bar, 4th pin - 2x12

Nice and quick!

I know they will get longer on later stages, but I'm really enjoying full workout in an hour, including warm up. The exercises are nice and varied, too. So far two thumbs up for NRLA.

Phase 1B - 4
1:01
Anti-rotation static hold - 2x30s/side, used band, tighter this time
Elevated plank - (feet on bench, forearms down, leg up) 10x10s on, 3s rest
Elevated side plank - (feet on bench, forearm down, arm and leg up) 10x5s on, 3s rest, L then R
Dumbbell single leg RDL - 2x12/legx20kg
Dumbbell alternating OH press - non working hand held up w/weight - 2x12/arm x16.25#
OH squat - 2x12x25#
Cable kneeling pulldown -2x70#
Foam rolling

Did I forget something?

Wow. I can't believe today's workout took so little time. I even did the warm-up and came in at 45 minutes. I don't think I forgot anything!

Halfway through the second set of the Romanian Deadlifts, my grip got week, so I had to set down the bar and take a mixed grip. That felt really weird. I think I'll keep my weights the same next time if only to work on my grip.

Otherwise, it went well. I even increased some weights this time. No all-time bests, but that's fine.

NRLA Phase 1A-4
0:45
Warm up 6min
Plank - one foot raised - 2x 90s
Side Plank - arm raised, foot raised - 2x 45s L/45s R
Split Squat - front foot elevated w/ DBs- 12L/12R x15#ea, 12L/12R x20#ea
Inverted Row - 2x12 @14th pin
Romanian Deadlift - 2x12x150# (2nd set weak grip)
Push-up - hands on bar, 5th pin - 2x12

Low on time

I was in a bit of a rush today, so I skipped the warm up. I got done in a good amount of time with what remained, even with my son bugging me!

Phase1B - 3
Anti-rotation static hold - 2x30s/side, used band, tighter this time
Elevated plank - (feet on bench, forearms down) 10x10s on, 3s rest
Elevated side plank - (feet on bench, forearm down, arm and leg up) 10x5s on, 3s rest, L then R
Dumbbell single leg RDL - 2x12/legx20kg
Dumbbell alternating OH press - non working hand held up w/weight - 2x12/arm x15#
OH squat - 2x12x20# BB
Cable kneeling pulldown - 12x60#, 12x65#

Saturday, I was joined by a few people for kettlebells. I taught the swing and all did well. Getting a strong hip snap comes with time. It was more of an instruction than a workout. Even my son did well learning the move. He had done it before but tended to round his back and look down. My daughter came down toward the end and did some swings with good form from the start! Having the light KBs for them is nice.

continuing

More goodness this morning. I did have to dodge the tent that was set up in the basement, so I was really restricted in space. I had to fight the tent for my 15# dumbbells. It just goes to show that you don't really need that much room to have a home workout area. I did everything in my power cage and right in front of it. All on my foam flooring. I did feel a bit claustrophobic, though!

I think next time I do this workout I'll increase some difficulty, but I'm not sure exactly what yet. I went up on Romanian DLs, but that was all. I did do the push-ups and rows with little to no pausing. So, maybe those are up for increases. I could probably increase the SSs. I'm not a huge fan, though, so it might be hard to convince myself of that.

NRLA Phase 1A-3
0:57
Warm up 8min
Plank - one foot raised - 2x 90s
Side Plank - arm raised - 2x 45s L/45s R
Split Squat - front foot elevated w/ DBs- 2x 12L/12R x15#ea
Inverted Row - 2x12 @14th pin
Romanian Deadlift - 2x12x145#
Push-up - hands on bar, 5th pin - 2x12

Ooops

No wonder those elevated side planks were hard. I was doing twice as many as the program called for! Next time, I'll go back to 5 per side and I'll increase the difficulty.

I felt the SLRDL nicely. I should probably go up on the OH squats, but I was really wanting to get the form down. 12 reps is a lot for those! I don't want to cut them short.

Phase1B - 2
1:02
Anti-rotation static hold - 2x30s/side, used band
Elevated plank - (feet on bench, forearms down) 10x10s on, 3s rest
Elevated side plank - (feet on bench, forearms down) 10x10s on, 3s rest, L then R
Dumbbell single leg RDL - 2x12/legx20kg
Dumbbell alternating OH press - non working hand held up w/weight - 2x12/arm x15#
OH squat - 2x12x15# BB
Cable kneeling pulldown - 12x55#, 12x60#

Easing into the new program

So far, after 3 workouts in the new program, New Rules of Lifting for Abs, I've felt slightly sore afterward, including in my abs. It's not a motion-limiting soreness, but enough that I remember I did something good! I'm liking this program. I don't know how well it will hold my attention.  The book says to go 6-8 times through each workout. My log has 8 prepared, but I'm fine with taking the low end if I'm getting bored. The book also says it should take 40 minutes. With a 7 minute warm up, I took 1:02. For the exercises with "2-3 sets" I chose two. So, when the metabolic work gets added in during later phases, I'm sure I'll need to abbreviate the workout. I want it to be right around an hour.

On the eating front, things are also going well. We're still eating mostly Paleo at home with a few things off the list here or there. Last night was a treat night. We had spaghetti! That was a "treat" selection made by my son when we were grocery shopping a while back. Instead of candy or fruit or something like that, he chose spaghetti noodles and brown rice. Yesterday, he put back the chocolate piece he had selected and chose living wheat grass when he saw it. Yes, my kids can be odd at times! :)

NRLA Phase 1A-1
1:02
Warm up 7min
Plank - one foot raised - 2x 90s
Side Plank - arm raised - 2x 45s L/45s R
Split Squat - front foot elevated w/ DBs- 2x 12L/12R x15#ea
Inverted Row - 2x12 @14th pin
Romanian Deadlift - 2x12x140#
Push-up - hands on bar, 5th pin - 2x12

More NRLA

Good stuff today! The core work was HARD!

Phase1B - 1
Anti-rotation static hold - 2x20/side, used band
Elevated plank - (feet on bench, forearms down) 10x10s on, 3s rest
Elevated side plank - (feet on bench, forearms down)  10x10s on, 3s rest, L then R
Dumbbell single leg RDL - 2x12/legx20kg
Dumbbell alternating OH press - non working hand held up w/weight - 2x12/arm x15#
OH squat - 2x12x15# BB
Cable kneeling pulldown - 12x40#, 12x55#

More New Rules!

I was getting a little bored with my modified Starting Strength workout. I only had a few days left, but I have been away from lifting for a couple weeks, so I decided to go ahead and start New Rules of Lifting for Abs instead of finishing my little made up workout.

It's been a while since I did a New Rules workout. It feels good to be back!

The planks were hard, but I finished them as written without problem. I'll look for an alternative next time. The split squats felt weird. Maybe I should elevate 4 inches instead of 6. The push ups were hard at the end of the program! I decided to elevate my hands so I could get through them. Even then, I had to pause several times.

Phase 1A-1
mobility warm up
Plank - 2x90s
Side plank - 2x45s per side
Split squat, front foot elevated DB - 12/side x 10#, 12/side x 15#
Inverted row - 7 @ #12pin, 12 @ #15pin (raised bar to make easier)
Romanian deadlift BB - 2x12x135#
Push up - 2x12 @ #3pin

A little closer to the Fever

 I still don't like high-rep squats, but today I did a few more... a little closer to the prescribed Kettlebell Fever! I did knock down the squat weight a bit, but instead I added some of the finisher at the end.

Warmup
Alt 10 halos / 10 touch the wall drill x2

Part 1
Alt 10 touch the wall drill / 5 goblet squats 10kg x3
Part 2
Alt touch the wall / goblet squats 18# 1-> 10 (should have been 20!?!)
Part 3
Alt towel swing 16kg / plank, swings: 10,15,20,10 planks: 1@20s

Finisher
Goblet squat 2x5 16kg

Kettlebell Fever

I was looking around for a kettlebell routine to do and realized I had a few resources already available. So, I pulled out Kettlebell Fever today. It's a 12-workout program. I modified today and probably will continue to, since I don't like high-rep squats. Today, I also didn't leave myself enough time to do the whole program, since I was looking for programs first!

Warmup
Alt 10 halos / 10 touch the wall drill x2

Part 1
Alt 10 touch the wall drill / 5 goblet squats 12kg x3

Part 2
Alt touch the wall / goblet squats 10kg 1-> 8 (should have been 20!?! I shortened.)

Part 3
Alt towel swing 16kg / plank, swings: 10,15,20,10 planks: 1
Asked the kids to push me around on the last plank :)

I skipped the finisher of 20 goblet squats.

It looks like the next workout is the same. I'll think of something to throw in to sub for the load of goblet squats. I'll keep a lot of them, but I'm also squatting on my lifting days and don't need to overdo it.

New stuff!

Today's workout had a new exercise, the glute bridge. I could have gone a decent about heavier.
The overhead squat went better this time. I didn't get as wobbly as last time at the same weight. The bench press is a 3x5 personal best for me. It was hard to grind through those 4th and 5th reps.

Overhead squat - 5x15#, 3x25#, 3x5x35#
Bench press - 6x45#, 3x60#, 2x75#, 3x5x90#
Glute bridge - 5x45#, 5x65#, 4x85#, 3x5x95#

Another lift

I had a good lift today. Not much to mention about it. Here it is:

Squat - 5x45#, 4x60#, 2x80#, 3x5x92#
Press - 5x45#, 2x55#, 3x5x65#
Deadlift - 5x135#, 2x150#, 5x165#
Chin-up - 1, 1/2+1neg, 1neg

Strengthening the shoulder

More TGU work today!

TGUs:
LRLRLR 12kg
LR 16kg
LR 10kg 23seconds at each of 12 positions on each side

Then I went outside and ran a mile.

OH Squat Fail

I know overhead squats are a move I haven't used much in the past, but it still irks me that I failed them today. It was at only 35 pounds, too! I simply couldn't keep the bar steady over my head and when I went down into the squat, the weight became unbalanced. The first try, I ditched the bar in front of me. The second try, I got a couple reps in before my central nervous system wouldn't allow the unsteadiness to continue. I didn't ditch the bar, but I couldn't get down. I guess this is a good reason to keep up my kettlebell TGU holds. Later on, I did better with my bench press. There were some long grind reps, but I breathed through them and got them up. The power cleans, also a new-ish move, went well, too. I'm going to rewatch the Starting Strength video on these to verify that my form is good.

Overhead Squat - 5x15#, 4x25#, 1x5x35#, 1x3x35# (glad I have the 15# bar!)
Bench Press - 5x45#, 4x60#, 3x75#, 3x5x87#
Power Clean - 5x45#, 3x5x60#

Progress

This morning's lift felt strong. I ended up making some progress on each lift, but especially squats and overhead presses. I've been here before on deadlifts, so that isn't spectacular. I think I do like the lower volume of DLs. I think they helped give me SI joint pain before. Good form is a must.

Squat - 5x45#, 3x60#, 2x75#, 3x5x90#
OH Press - 5x45#, 3x55#, 3x5x62#
Deadlift - 3x135#, 2x150#, 5x162#

TGUs

Not a very exciting workout today. It was tough for me but doesn't look like much.

mobility
TGU LR 12kg
TGU LR 16kg
TGU LR 10kg 22sec hold at each station (12 stations)

Sore calves defeated!

After my run Sunday, my calves got very, very sore. I've been limping around looking silly. I could have let that keep me from lifting today, but I didn't. Surprisingly, it wasn't bad at all. Foam rolling was a no-go, but even squatting was fine.

Overhead Squat - 5x15#, 3x5x30#
Bench Press - 5x45#, 4x60#, 3x70#, 3x5x85#
Power Clean - 5x45#, 3x5x55#
Pull-up - 1 w/ red band

I guess I forgot to mention my 2.5 mile run on Sunday. I threw in a few walking parts. It was so much warmer and more humid than I like. Ugh. As said, my calves got very sore afterward. Ouch! I was wearing my VFFs. I need to run more often so I'm ready for a run I have scheduled next month!

Pressing more!

I thought this was as much as I've pressed, but it ends up I've been up to 65# before. For more reps, too. Oh well. I am pressing more than last time, though!

4 Sun Salutations
BB Squat - 5x45#, 3x60#, 3x75#, 3x5x87#
BB OH Press - 5x45#, 2x55#, 3x5x60#
Deadlift - 3x135#, 2x150#, 5x160#
Chin-up - 1 (right before 1st OH Press working set)

My new favorite TGU variant

This morning, I started off with 5 sun salutations. After my workshop on sun salutations a couple weeks ago, I feel much more comfortable with going about them without any guide. So, I did three different variations this morning. I still have to refer to a paper to remember what to do. I'm going to work on memorizing the flow. Reading a paper takes me out of the zone. I'm thinking this is a nice warm up to a workout!

After the sun salutations, I went on kettlebells:

2xTGU LR 12kg
TGU LR 20sec per position 10kg
2H swing 4x20rep done at 30/30 20kg
foam roll

The 20sec per position TGU was awesome. It was a very hard move. It caused me to keep a strong focus on my form. In case you are wondering, this turns a TGU into a 4minute move! After that, I knew I didn't have a whole lot left in me. I was hoping for more than 4 sets of swings, but my body told me it was enough. Phew!

A new lifting phase

I toyed with the idea of not starting the next phase and just keeping on what I was doing, but I decided to go ahead and start the new phase with my last workout. Today is when the differences showed up. I haven't overhead squatted in a long time and I've never really done power cleans. So, it was interesting. It's good to do something new every now and then!

Pull-up - 2x1 assisted by red band
Overhead BB squat - 3x5x15#
Bench Press - 5x45#, 5x60#, 3x5x80#
Power Clean - 2x15x15#, 3x5x45#

A couple days off does wonders

I felt strong today after a couple days off. I kept getting to bed late and one night I couldn't seem to get to sleep, so I slept in a few times and enjoyed the extra hour of sleep.

Today, I was back at it with a lifting session. I felt strong and in control today. Yay!

Foam rolling
Squat - 5x45#, 5x60#, 3x70#, 3x5x85#
Overhead Press - 5x45#, 1x52#, 3x5x57#
Deadlift - 5x135#, 2x145#, 5x155#
Chinup - 3/4up, 1/2up (I should move these to the start!!)

Short but sweet KB workout

Yesterday I lifted. I was dropping back on two of the moves, now I'll drop back on the third! I'm going to stick with this a while, even though I don't know if it is working well for me, yet.

Squat - 5x45#, 5x60#, 3x70#, 3x5x80#
Bench Press - 5x45#, 4x60#, 3x75#, 4x90#, 3x90#
Deadlift - 5x135#, 3x147#, 5x150# (oops, I made the 2nd weight thinking I was heading toward 160#, not 150#!)


Now, for today, a quick KB workout. The TGU portion really worked my shoulders. Great stuff.

Mobility complex
TGU - LR slow, LR 10sec at each position - 12kg
Swings 8 rounds of 30sec on/30sec off
2H 2x20 - 20kg
1H 2x (2x5R5L) - 16kg
1H 2x (5R5L3R3L2R2L) - 16kg
2H 2x20 - 20kg

Not a good lifting day

I knew the day didn't feel right going into my workout, but I chose to forge ahead. Squats felt bad. Ugh. It didn't help that accidentally put on too much weight at one stage of the squat warmup and didn't feel like removing it, essentually skipping one warmup set. Presses felt good. Deadlifts didn't feel too bad, but I stopped midway through my final set because something wasn't feeling right. I'll drop back in weight for squats and deadlifts next time.

Squat - 5x45#, 5x60#, 90# fail
OH Press - 5x45#, 3x5x55#
Deadlift - 5x135#, 3x145#, 2x155#, 3x165# stopped before 5 reps = fail

A quick KB workout

I was re-reading parts of my HKC manual today, so there wasn't much time left for my workout. I did get a good sweat in, though. Here it is! (I'm not doing goblet squats, since my lifting program has me back squatting every time right now.)

Foam roll
2x (LR TGU 12kg)
2H swings ladder - 5-10-15-20  20kg
1H swings ladder - 2L2R - 4L4R - 6L6R - 8L8R - 10L10R  16kg
2H swings ladder - 5-10-15-20  20kg

More lifting!

Sunday was this kettlebell workout:
3x LR TGU 12kg
2x (20 2H swings 20kg)
2x (2x 5L5R 1H swings 16kg)
5x 2L2R 1H swings 16kg
10x LR 1H swings 16kg
2x (20 2H swings 20kg)

Then today was this workout:
Foam rolling
Squat - 2x5x45#, 5x55#, 2x5x65#, 3x75#, 3x5x87#
Bench Press - 5x45#, 5x65#, 3x75#, 3x5x87#
Deadlift - 5x135#, 5x160#

And this morning, I found a trigger point in my back. I'm thinking of going to a masseuse to see if more can be found...

That's about it for now!

Sailing, etc.

We just got back from a week of sailing. It was fun. Total, we had 8 races, 3 qualifying races and 5 competition races. Each was about an hour plus time to and from the race and time in between. The first two were on a day with strong, gusty winds. The last two were on a very hot day, as if we were sailing in the wind from a hair dryer. That last day, we started another race in the morning but the wind died down and the race was abandoned. It still took over half an hour to return to the harbor.

The facilities at Carlyle Sailing Association were great. There was a lot of room for boat and plenty of dock space. The docks were in a protected harbor and they had a nice clubhouse, too. We stayed at a cottage in the state park just up the road. It was directly on the lake. All in all a good time.

While there, we walked the trails a couple times, then ran 4 miles on a trail before we left. I also got up early four times to do yoga outside by the lake. That was nice!

Today, I got a lift in:
foam rolling
BB back squat - 3x5x45#, 2x4x55#, 3x65#, 3x75#, 3x5x85#
Chinup - 1
BB OH Press - 5x45#, 3x5x52#
Deadlift - 4x135#, 5x155#

Afternoon lift

I don't normally lift in the afternoon, but it worked out that way today. It was nice to be fully awake for once. However, I did have to deal with my daughter getting in the way and wanting me to talk during my sets. On the positive side, she got some nice dumbbell swings in!

After my finger swelled up yesterday, I decided to skip the deadlifts completely today. I'll wait until it's not sore any more before going back to deadlifts, kettlebell swings, and chin-ups. I substituted hip thrusts for the deadlifts today. I hadn't done those in a while, but had been wanting to, so it was fine! I wasn't sure what weight to use, so I just kept increasing. I could go higher next time.

Foam Rolling
Barbell Squat - 3x5x45#, 4x65#, 3x75#, 3x5x85#
Barbell Bench Press - 2x5x45#, 4x65#, 3x75#, 3x5x85#
Barbell Hip Thrust - 5x45#, 5x65#, 5x85#, 5x100#

Swollen finger

This morning I got in a short but sweet kettlebell workout.
I did:
4 arm bars each side 10kg
2L2R TGU 10kg
LR TGU 12kg
LR TGU 16kg - this felt really solid!
2H swing 4x20 20kg

Unfortunately the swings plus carrying around a bucket full of soil today made my sore finger swell up. It has been slightly tender since I hurt it a week and a half ago. I guess I should sub something for my dead lifts tomorrow!

20km down!

Ooops, haven't updated in a while... again.

This past weekend, I ran the Dam to Dam 20k again with my brother. It went really well, considering we both hadn't trained for it like we should have. The longest run I had done was a 6-miler last Monday. I've been wearing my Merrell Pace Gloves and my Vibram Five Fingers exclusively for running since I got them. Of course, I haven't been running much, so that doesn't mean I've run in them a lot.

I was a bit weary, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and wear the Five Fingers for the 20k. It actually went really well. I was worried that my calves would seize up like they had done during my earlier practice runs. They actually did fine. I had zero problems with them. In fact, afterwards, it was my hip flexors and knees that were sore. That is normal for me. I had no abnormal or scary pain. Yay! We took the run easy and ended up at 2:24, which was more than a minute faster than my first D2D, even though we stopped for a bathroom break this time. My second D2D was longer due to an extended bathroom break :)  All in all, I think this speaks volumes to my current state of fitness. That I could even hold a slow pace for more than twice the distance I trained is satisfying. I'm happy.

So, today, I'm back to lifting. I created a plan for the next month or two based on Starting Strength. (I've had the 2nd edition, but recently sprang for the Kindle version of the 3rd edition. I also love his DVD companion to the book. I don't know how many times I've watched that!) I wanted to go back to the basics and focus on strength. A lot of the plans I've been doing do increase strength, but they are more focused on fat loss. This plan is pure strength. I will also make up a plan for kettlebells, which I will alternate with this. Also, I'll probably run once or twice a week when the weather is nice.

The first couple weeks have a lot of squats and deadlifts. Depending on how bored I get with this setup, I may drop the last two workouts. The idea is to do warm up sets and then three "sets across," which means to do them at the same weight. If you can't complete the three sets with good form, you drop back a bit next time (or stay the same?). If you do complete them with good form, you increase the weight next time.

June 8, 2012
Foam rolling
Back Squat - 2x5x45#, 4x65#, 2x75#, 3x5x80#
Overhead BB Press - 5x45#, 3x5x50#
Deadlift - 5x135#

I held the deadlift weight low because of an injury I got a week ago. I slammed my hand in a sliding closet door. Ouch! I bruised something deep in two of my fingers and it hurt like crazy. My grip has been affected and it is still sore when picking up heavy things, so I'm keeping the weights low until it is healed up.

That's it for now!

Healing knee

The knee is healing well, except that I tore the scab a bit trying to do a Turkish Get Up this morning.

This morning I did this:
2H swing - 10x20kg
jump-up chin-up + negative
10s RKC plank
chin-up (regular)
2H swing - 5x20x20kg
alternated with:
push-up - 2x10
goblet squat - 2x5x16kg
then:
1H swing - 20x20kg alternating, 6R6L4R4Lx20kg

Yesterday I ran 3.24 miles. This time I stayed upright. I used my Merrell Pace Gloves and managed to stay upright. I ran to a 170bpm Podrunner podcast. That seems to be a comfortable cadence in these shoes.

May 14, I did this:
Bench Press - 10x45#, 5x75#, 3x85#, 3x95#
Chin up - 1, 1, 1/2 + negative, negative
Goblet Squat - 4x3x16kg

Fine, sidewalk, you can have that skin, but leave me alone!

Yes, the sidewalk got some skin from me today. Ouch.

I had a positive this morning, though. I managed a second chin up. Not back to back with the first, but two in the same hour is good for me. Focussing on them sure helps.

During my run, at about 2 miles in, I tripped over a lip in the sidewalk. I caught myself pretty well (while making a very weird muffled grunt) but still managed to rough up the heels of my palms and skinned up my right knee decently. My right thumb is a tad sore, but I think that's the only internal issue I'll have to worry about.

The mud run is next weekend, so I need to get my knee as healed as possible before then.

Even with the spill, I did a 10:35 pace, so I'm happy with that. Overall, I didn't feel winded.

I did this today:
Foam rolling
TGU LR 12kg
Chin up
TGU LR 12kg
Chin up
Run 2 miles
Fall and make a weird noise
Run 2.41 miles
Walk 0.13 miles
Hold paper towel to stop blood

During the run, I wore my Merrell Pace Gloves with thin socks. I listened to a Podrunner 10:1 podcast, which had 10 minutes each of 165 and 170 bpm with 1 minute slower between. (There is also a 175bpm interval, but I stopped before that.)

My grip!

I wasn't expecting to challenge my grip that much today, but I did! Swining the 20kg kettlebell really works it. Overall, it was a good, tough workout considering I dilly dallied too much beforehand.

Foam roll
TGU 2xRL 12kg
2H Swing   20   20   20   20   20   20   20   20
           20kg 20kg 20kg 20kg 20kg 16kg 16kg 16kg
Gob Squat  3    2    1    1    1    1    1    1
           12kg -->
  

Moving on

I got to bed at a decent time and felt energetic this morning. Got a workout in and finished with a little over a mile run. It was 42deg out, which is a little on the cool side, but at 9:27 min/mile, it helped me run faster than I normally run. This was in the VFFs, too. I can tell I'm adjusting to them.

Foam Roll
TGU 12kg RL
1 chin up
2x(5xinverted row + 10xpushup) - legs straight and on bench for row
1 pull up w/ red band
1 chin up w/ red band
Arm bar 12kg 2R2L
KB snatch 18# 10R10L
1.05 miles

A few more workouts

Now that I'm back to blogging, here are my past few workouts:

May 3
Mobility
Pull-up hands flexed arm hang 10 sec
Negative pull-up - 3x1
Goblet squat - 3x3x16kg
KB snatch - 4R4L 18#
1H swing - 12R12L 18#
Farmers walk - 24kg ~100ft each hand
TGU - RL 18#
1mile run

May 4
4x(10xswing 16kg + 5x goblet squat 12kg+ 5xclean&press 12kg)
2H swing - 20,20,20
1H swings -  12kg 4x5R5L
Racked carries - 2x20-30s 24kg

May 7
BPs and swings alternated, nice combination
Bench press - 10x45#, 5x65#, 5x75#, 3x85#, 3x90#
Chin up - 1
2H swing - 4x20
Foam roll
TGU - 12kg - RL - left failed in the middle due to slippery floor

I'm really in need of a pre-planned program, so I need to work on that ASAP.  If I don't have a plan waiting for me in the morning, I waste way too much time.

A new HKC!

I've been delaying this post, because I wanted to do a full writeup of the HKC class that I attended recently. I'm not sure I'm going to get around to something that is as thorough as I'd like, so I'm just going to cover it briefly for now.

I arrived in Chicago on Friday afternoon and attended a two hour seminar with Dan John. It was a very interesting seminar, talking about many training and programming issues and including little mini-workouts as demonstrations throughout.

The next day was the HKC led by Master RKC Dan John. We started off with the "strength test", which is admittedly wimpy for the women. We only needed to do a 15 second flexed arm hang. The guys had to do 5 pull-ups/chin-ups. Then, we spent something like 2-3 hours on the swing, about an hour on the goblet squat, and maybe two hours on the Turkish Get-Up (TGU). All along, there were mini-workouts, where we would try out the prep work and correctives we were learning about and also showed examples of how to put together moves to form an effective workout. We paired up with different attendees each time, which ended up being great. There were several RKCs there to point out things and answer questions. The last couple hours were spent practicing teaching each other the moves and being tested for competence in the moves.

In the end, I passed. I was sore for three days afterward. None of the mini-workouts were that intense by themselves, but over the course of a full day, they added up.

All in all, the weekend was wonderful and I learned a ton! I enjoyed meeting Dan John and spending time with some friends!

Presses and Hot Yoga!

Yesterday, I went to my first hot yoga class ever. It was very difficult. Sweat was coming out everywhere. I was completely drenched by the end! I was 106F and humid. It felt like a sauna. It felt good, though. I'm trying to decide when I'll go back!

This morning's workout:
Foam rolling
OH Press - 4x45#, 2x55#, 2x5x65#
JGXT Push-up - 4x10
JGXT Neutral grip chin up - leg assist - 4x10

Fractional plates would be good for the OH Press. Although, I'm on the edge with 65#, anyway.

Catching up again!

Several workouts to report!
I've been working on kettlebell form, since my HKC instructor certification is only two weeks away!
I think I'm ready. People are surprised when I tell them I'm going to an all-day class to learn to teach three moves. Ha! I've only heard good things from those who have been through it, though.

I sent several form check videos to friends, including one RKC, and got some excellent advice. I've already made some great strides with my goblet squats and will work some more on TGUs over the next two weeks.

April 6:
Foam Rolling
DL - 3x135#, 3x165#, 5x170#, 5x175#
RDL - 4x10x135#
Hanging Knee Raise - 4x10

April 9:
Foam rolling
Goblet Squat - 4x12kg, 4x16kg, 3x16kg
2-hand KB swings - 7x20x16kg

April 10:
Foam rolling
BB Floor Press - 5x45#, 3x65#, 2x85#, 5x90#, 5x95#
Diamond Push-up (subbed for dips)- 4x10
Inverted row, palms up, knees bent - 4x10

April 12:
Squats. I was focusing on form, so I didn't have time for some of the accessory work. I do think I made some progress, though, so it was worth it.
BB Squat - 5x45#, 4x65#, 3x75#, 2x5x85#
BB Rev. Lunge - 2x10x45#
Hanging Knee Raise - 2x10

April 13:
12 to 1 ladder of 2-handed swings, goblet squats, and push-ups.
16kg for the swings, for the goblet squats: 20# for the first 2 sets, 12kg for the next 4 sets, 16kg for the last 6. Making lots of progress on the squats!

Today:
2.7 mile run in VFFs. Warm (55F) but very foggy and wet! Left calf is very tight.

Yes, I'm here!

Between vacation and a week-long sickness, I got of rythym a bit. I did get back to working out last week, in not a little slowly. I feel much better now and even improved a lift today!

I've been working a lot on kettlebell stuff, checking form mostly. My HKC class is coming up soon! I've also started running in my minimalist shoes. I have Vibram Five Fingers and Merrell Pace Gloves.

Today, I did a Simple Strength I workout from Beautiful Badass.

Standing Overhead BB Press - 7x45#, 2x7x65#
Suspended Push-up - on JGXT, hands ~2ft off ground - 5x8
Neutral Grip Chin-up - feet on ground with JGXT - 5x8
1.2 mile run in VFFs

I decided that for lifts like the OH press, I can't stand a lot of warm up. It's too fatiguing. So, I only did the one warm up set to get the form down and then went straight to the working set. The last rep in each OH press set was a grinder!

Working on KB stuff

I took a part of my workout from a friend today. I started off with TGUs that were broken down into the positions. 3x each position, but 3 windmills and waiter walks.  It was a lot of time under the weight, so I kept the waiter walks short.  Also, I could only do it with the 20# kettlebell. Tough! My right shoulder is feeling a bit wonky, so I feel like these will be really good for it.
Then, I wanted to work on my kettlebell swings, particularly the one-handed swings. The 1H swings are improving. My grip is getting better as well as my hip snap.  Woot!!

16kg - 2H - 20, 20
12kg - 1H - 10R10L, 5R5L5R5L, 5R5L5R5L, 5R5L5R5L, 5x(2R2L)
16kg - 1H - 5R5L5R5L, 5R5L5R5L, 5x(2R2L)
16kg - 2H - 20, 20, 20

I've identified my next home gym purchase: fractional plates.

Press that floor!

Today was a combo of my regular strength workout and a few things to complete quests on Fitocracy. LOL!

Foam rolling
Floor Press - 8x45#, 6x65#, 2x7x90#
Diamond push-up - 5x8
Palms Up Inverted Row - knees bent - 5x8
Planks (tight!) - 5x60s
1 jump up wide grip pull up

Done deloading

Last week was a deload week, so I didn't have much to post.

Yesterday, I did my grip-killing workout. Then, today, I made the mistake of doing a kettlebell swing workout. Yikes. Forearms are not happy. I had to switch to the lighter kettlebell just to finish.

Yesterday:
mobility and foam rolling
Barbell deadlift - 4x135#, 3x145#, 7x155#, 2x7x160# (misloaded the last set; thought I was putting on 165#, but forgot a 5# plate. Doh! Didn't notice the imbalance at all.)
Romanian deadlift - 5x7x135#
Hanging knee raise - 5x8

Today:
Lots of 2-handed and 1-handed swings thanks to Tracy Reifkind.

Deload week

I got to the 4th week ok the Simple Strength 1 program from Beautiful Badass. This is a deload week where I am supposed to lower the weights. It went well. Having the video was nice. My form seems ok.

Mobility
Deadlift - 3x5x115#
RDL - 4x10x120#
Hanging knee raise - 4x10

Forearms on fire!

Great workout today. I made it up. My fore arms are burning! The getups were feeling great with the 12kg. In the past, I've been challenged with the 20# bell.

I used the Tivo a lot today. I have it set to record me, then I can watch my form while I rest. I love it!

My daughter was with me during the workout. She wants a kettlebell now, one that is her size. She can lift the 20# bell, but not swing it. I might just get her one!

Foam rolling
Halos 5 per side 12kg
TGUs 20# 2R2L - 12kg RL - 2R2L - 2R2L
Pushups 6-8-6-6-7
Goblet squats - 16kg 5x10
2H swings 2x10 - 3x20
1H swings 12kg 2x[5R5L-4R4L-3R3L-2R2L-RLRLRL], 16kg 5R5L
2H swings 16kg 30-20-10

Squats!

I have to admit, I was dawdling this morning, not wanting to do my squat workout. In the past, I've had form issues with the squat and for some reason, I have fear of those coming back. Of course, if they do, I just correct them, but still... Anyway, I pushed through my hesitation and got started. They went fine. I did keep the weight the same on the second working set to correct some issues that were creeping in. I could tell my knees were tending to want to slide back, which probably meant my hips were rising without my shoulders rising. It wasn't horrible, but I want to do these right. My knees didn't cave in, which is what my big problem has been in the past.

For the reverse lunges, 8 reps really started to get my heart going. I kept the weight the same as what I used for most of my 6-rep lunge sets previously. I'm not going to enjoy going up to 10 then 15 reps. I'm definitely going to have to decrease the weight if I'm going to stick with the plan. The 8 reps on the leg raise also got to where I could feel it in my abs more. It's amazing what 2 more reps can do!

Mobility (Desk Jockey 1)
Squat - 5x45#, 4x60#, 4x70#, 3x80#, 2x7x90#
Reverse Lunge - 5x8x65#
Hanging Bent Leg Raise - 5x8

Better swings

I did the KB swing workout again from Tracy Reifkind's Mastering the Kettlebell Swing. I started out with the sock sleeves, but dropped them after a bit. I don't care for them much with my 16kg KB. I did a lot better with my hands this time. I pinched a couple times, but was fine most of the time.
I started out with a couple 20# TGUs on each side, then did the swing workout with the 16kg KB which included various combos to total:
230 2-hand swings
240 1-hand swing

The blood is still under my skin from the blood blister I got last time I did this workout. It looks nasty, but doesn't hurt. The blister part is gone.

Sore delt

I got in a workout this evening. I did something to my right delt, though. It's rather sore.

EC's Desk Jockey 2 mobility warm up
5 arm bars each side + 2 arm bar presses @12kg
Floor press - 5x65#, 4x75#, 3x85#, 7x90#, 3x95# (failed on 4th rep, delt sore)
Diamond push-ups - 5x8
Palms up inverted row - 5x8
Foam rolling

Deads :)

Late evening lift tonight. Couldn't miss my deadlifts, though!

A&C mobility
Deadlifts - 5x135#, 7x155#, 7x165#
RDL - 2x8x145#, 3x8x155#
Hanging Knee Raise - 2x8
Hanging Bent Leg Raise - 3x8
Foam rolling and back buddy

and some pushups:
8, 6, 6, 4, 4, 5

OHP fatigue

Not much time, but here was my workout:
Mobility
Standing overhead press - 5x45#, 6x55#, 6x65#, 9x60#, 7x55#, I get fatigued on these very quickly
Suspended push-up - on JGXT - 6x6, lowered the handles more for the last two, these are getting really stable
Neutral Grip Chin-up - using JGXT, feet on ground - 6x6
Farmer's walks - 16kg in one hand gripped with fingers, 3x80ft

Working on KB stuff and squats

Yesterday, I decided to work on my shoulder strength and my finger grip strength. Last time I did a lot of 1-handed swings, I got some blisters on the base of my fingers, including one blood blister. That looks gross! The blister is gone now, but the blood is still there.

The blisters formed because my grip was not correct during the switch off between hands. I would grip it too tightly and in the process, pinch skin in between my hand and the handle.

So, I did some farmer's carries to work on finger strength. I also worked on shoulder strength with arm bars and TGUs.

Yesterday's WO:
5L5R 20# arm bar with press
TGU 20# 4L4R3L3R2L3R2L2R1L1R
5LR alternating arm bar with press 12kg
Farmer's walk with one KB using finger hook grip 16kg LRLR ~200ft (10 laps of my weight room)
2-arm swings - 16kg - 210, 10, 10
1-arm swings - 12kg - 2xladder 5L5R -> 1L1R

Today was the Beautiful Badass Simple Strength 1 Week 2 Day 3. I watched the squat section of Rippetoe's Starting Strength video during my workout. Such a good video!

Mobility using A&C Desk Jockey 1
Squat - 6x45#, 4x55#, 4x65#, 9x75#, 9x85#
Reverse Lunge - 3x6x65#, 6x70, 6x65#, 6x70#
Hanging Knee Raise - 6x6

Floor presses and points

I did my regularly scheduled Beautiful Baddass Simple Strength 1 workout and followed up with some bodyweight stuff for Fitocracy quests :)

Yes, I never wanted to do burpees or squat thrusts again, but I guess I'll make an execption for the chance to get closer to the hub's points!  Ha!

mobility and foam rolling
arm bars, 5x20# arm bar presses
Floor Press - 8x45#, 5x70#, 9x85#, 9x90#
Diamond Push-ups - 6x6
Palms Up Inverted Row - 6x6
Then some Fitocracy point stuff:
1-arm DB row - 3x45# each side
BW squat - 15, 15
BW lunge - 10, 10
BW jump squat - 10
Burpee - 10, 15, 15, 15, 20 ,25
Push-up - 5, 5, 10 (because the diamond style push-ups didn't count for the quest, apparently!)

Getting heavier

I'm working my deadlifts weights back up. Feels good!

I took my time resting between sets. It's nice not to have to rush on weekends. The RDLs were giving me a bit of grip strength challenge. I only used a mixed grip on the last set, though.  I used Lynx grips for the hanging knee raises and focussed on keeping my lats tight, like the start of a pull-up.

What a great way to start the day!

BB Simple Strength 1
Mobility & foam rolling
DL - 4x135#, 9x145#, 9x155#
RDL - 2x6x145#, 2c6x150#, 6x155#, 6x160#
Hanging knee raise - 6x6

Gentle Hatha Yoga

I did a 70 minute hatha yoga class from yogadownload.com this morning. I really needed the stretch and slow movement. Perfect!

Pressing matters

This morning was another good lift. I watched Rippetoe's Starting Strength video for the overhead press during this. That was nice because I don't have a whole lot of experience with the BB press.

EC mobility Desk Jockey 2
arm bars
Standing Overhead Press - 3x45#, 3x55#, 7x65#, 9x60#, 7x60#
Suspended Push-up - arms raised ~2ft on JGXT - 6x6
Neutral Grip Chin-up - using JGXT with feet on floor - 6x6
Then 3x45# bench press for a Fitocracy quest :)

I think I found my 9RM (if there is such a thing) on the OH Press!

Squats and swings

Yesterday was a good squat workout.

Squats - 20x45#, 9x65#, 9x75#
Reverse Lunge - 6x6x65#
Hanging Knee Raise - 6x6
Plus a bunch of stuff to get points on Fitocracy.

Today, I did the 2nd workout from Mastering the Hardstyle Kettlebell Swing. Good stuff. I could follow along a little better with this one. Still not sure I like follow-along videos for kettlebells. I get annoyed when I'm not in synch with them. But, it was great to have the cues and the programming ideas.

All together I did:
230 2-handed swings with the 16kg bell
150 1-handed with the 12kg bell
90 1-handed with the 16kg bell

1-handed swings, in particular, are giving me issues with grip. I have a hard time gripping properly so as not to cause callouses. Hmmm....

I also did some silly stuff for Fitocracy quests:
BP 3x45#
Seated DB Press 10x15#ea
DB Chest Flyes 15x15#ea
DB biceps Curl 15x10#ea
Cable Face Pull 10x20#
Dance 10 minutes

Kettlebells!

I made up a kettlebell workout today. I wanted to work on the basics. I think I acheived that. The snatches went better than usual. I think working on single arm swings helped that. I hit my arm a little, but not too bad. That's a fear I have. That fear can make me overthink the move. I that will get better with practice. This took about 40 minutes.

Foam rolling
TGUs - 20# - 5R, 5L, 4R, 4L, 3R, 3L, 2R, 2L, 1R, 1L
Cleans and Presses - 12kg - 5R, 5L, 4R, 4L, 3R, 3L, 2R, 2L, 1R, 1L
Snatches - 20# - 3R, 3L - 12kg - 3R, 3L, 2R, 2L, 1R, 1L
2-arm Swings - 16kg - 7x 30s/30s (20 per set)

Floor Presses!

The snow has started! It's not clear how much we'll get, since we are on the edge of a system, but it's coming down thickly right now. Maybe the ski hill with get a reprieve from snow making!

This morning was a good lift. I'm liking the shorter routines. That leaves me more time to get in a little bit of pre-hab work, like foam rolling and arm bars.

Beautiful Badass Simple Strength Wk1D2
Desk Jockey 2 warmup/mobility, arm bars
Floor Press - 8x45#, 6x45#, 4x65#, 9x85#, 9x85#
Diamond Push-ups - (subbed for dips) 6x6
Palms Up Inverted Row - 6x6

I'm baaaack!

Yesterday I finished up Body of Fire. It felt great to be done. It was a tough program. There wasn't much heavy lifting, but it was still hard. I definitely improved my push-up capacity. All in all, I did 1740 push-ups, not including ones that were included in the combos.

Now, I'm on to Beautiful Badass, using the Simple Strength program. I also warmed up with the Desk Jockey Option 1 warm up from Assess & Correct. I miss Eric Cressey's mobility work, so this was welcome.

The program was shorter than I've been doing, so I had more time to do some soft tissue work afterward. That will be helpful. I think I will call this day my grip strength day.

Here is is:
SS1
DJ1 Warm-up
Deadlift - 9x135#, 9x145#
RDL - 4x6x135#, 6x145#, 6x150#
Hanging Knee Raise - 6x6
Foam rolling and soft tissue work

I'm still here!

I see it was before Christmas that I last posted. I'm still working out. I just don't have much need to record everything on Body of Fire, since I'm not focussed on increasing weights. I worked out a few times over break, went for a couple walks, played playground tag, and went skiing. Not bad. Not as good as I had wanted, but the little bit of weight I gained came right off when I went back to eating normally and stopped scarfing down chips and chocolate! Ha!

Today, I did the 3rd Workout of the 10th week of Body of Fire, which is in the 3rd Phase. That means I have only 9 workouts left, since I probably won't do the "bonus" phase. I have changed things up a little, so I guess I haven't really done BOF as written. For example, I can't get my head around AMAP sets most days, and they don't work very well when the weight increments available for a lot of the exercies go from "I can do a ton of these" to "I can't do a single one of these" in one step. So, I get as close as possible and stop at the rep goal if I can get there. Also, I've stopped jumping rope for a warmup, since I just can't jump rope worth a flip. I tried and tried. It ends up not being much of a warm up if I have to stop all the time. So, I've been doing kettlbell swings. With the 16kg bell, I get a MUCH better warm up. Almost too good! Also, it is just too difficult to get outside to do sprint at the end of the even numbered workouts and I have a (justified, I think) fear of falling on the sidewalk when sprinting. Excuses, I know. For a while, I subbed high knees. Recently, I've started doing more kettlebell swings, since I am preparing for the HKC cert later this year.

When I'm done with this program, I'm probably going to do the big lifts again, so I'll be posting more at that time!