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I’m such a slut for personal bests… March 28, 2008

Posted by hardly Flexibility, Sit-ups, Kettlebell, Bar, Row, 6 Minutes of..., Pullups, Pushups Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , 4comments

Warmup:

Workout:

I just L-O-V-E breaking my previous personal bests. It’s great to feel the tangible improvement. The downside is that my coach knows this, so he is always looking for ways to put me on the clock, or to get a max count in a given time, etc. At the end of the day, I’m more capable.

For example, swinging a 20 kg kettlebell as a warmup? 6 months ago, that would have about done me in. Now, I can feel the pop on my extension, and although I do get winded, I can keep going to the next movement. Its’ all good!

Logbook Activity

The Torture that is Tabata March 26, 2008

Posted by hardly Sit-ups, Kettlebell, Bar, Medicine Ball, Dumbbell, Tabata, Pushups, Box Jumps, Jump Rope Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , 1 comment so far

Warmup:

Workout:

I’m not going to sugar-coat this gang, the 10 second hold at the bottom of a Squat as a ‘rest’ is hard. I love finding new and ingenious ways to torture my body into shape!

Logbook Activity

Being Committed, Part II March 25, 2008

Posted by hardly Uncategorized Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

A while back, I made some vague statements about being committed to fitness. Generally speaking, my commitment to fitness has moved up a notch or two over the last year. It’s been a blast, and the results have been remarkable.

Today, I have the opportunity to talk about a different level of commitment.

It’s about helping others achieve their goals. It’s about extending my commitment to fitness. It’s about working hard, sweating a lot, and having fun w/a group of people who share in a common vision.

It’s about a new gym that we’ve committed funding and time to called Gravity Janes, and located in Issaquah (www.gravityjanes.com).  We’ll be opening it up later this quarter if all goes well!

It’s very, very exciting.  I can’t wait to do things we can’t do now in our current space, like climbing ropes, or using the rings, or practicing dropping the bar in preparation for working with heavier loads, etc., etc.

Ever thought about how you take it up a notch? March 24, 2008

Posted by hardly Run, Sit-ups, Kettlebell, Bar, Medicine Ball, Row, Tabata, 6 Minutes of..., Pushups Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

Warmup:

Workout:

Every so often, our trainer shows us how you shake things up, and moves some portion of our workouts up a notch or two. The only problem with this is that the next day you tend to be a bit more sore than usual!

What was different? First, the Push Presses were heavier for a 60-rep set than usual. What we’re working toward is using this weight, 95 lbs for me, for both a max rep count in 6 minutes, and a 100 rep count set for time. Second, the 5 minute row was something we hadn’t done before. Apparently, we’ll be seeing this one again.  And finally, we have probably said goodbye to Tabata Squats, at least those  done w/o a weight. Adding 12 kg to this one really makes a difference in slowing you down - you just don’t feel like you’re floating anymore!

I was super-pleased w/the PB in the 6 minutes of sit-ups.  My goal is to hit 250, and if we keep it up w/the heavier weights, I suspect I’ll get there soon enough.

One last bit, for those of you looking for a great mid-section, it’s not just about doing crunches all day long. One of the key realizations for me has been that lifting weights above your head (American Swings, Push Presses, Thrusters, etc) is good for all parts of your body, and it’s absolutely true that your midsection has to support all that weight, too. You might think it doesn’t have an impact, that is until you do that sit-up to get out of bed the next day!

Logbook Activity

Round and Round we go, where we stop… March 21, 2008

Posted by hardly Kettlebell, Dumbbell, Pullups, Pushups Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

Today was all about doing two movements as part of a set, multiple times.

Warmup:

Workout:

Yeah, 10 sets of pull-ups.  Killer!

Logbook Activity

Are you in search of an answer? March 19, 2008

Posted by hardly Bar, Medicine Ball Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , 1 comment so far

Today I noted that a search term had shown up at the bottom of my dashboard, “wall ball substitute”.

Is there such a thing? Yup, sorta.
First, a Wall Ball is where you start off standing up, holding a medicine ball. To start the movement, you do a full squat, and then push off the floor, and as you get close to full extension, you explode up, and then use your arms to guide the medicine ball to it’s target on the wall in front of you @ 10 ft of the floor. The ball then returns to your hands, you catch it, and repeat.

An alternative to the wall ball is called the Thruster. You use a barbell in place of the ball, and you’re obviously not throwing the bar against the wall! In place of the higher rep counts that you use w/a wall ball, you have heavier weights.  Go to this link, http://www.scoreperformance.com/mvmnts.php, and then click on the word “Thruster” to see it.

The Cat’s Away, The Mice will? March 19, 2008

Posted by hardly Sit-ups, Bar, Medicine Ball, Row, Tabata, 100 of... for time Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

Today, our trainer was unable to make it to our training session, but he was nice enough to send us a workout via email. Did we play around, take it easy?
Let’s put it this way. The Athletic Director was on the floor today, and she stopped and asked,  “Are you O.K.?”, as I lay on the ground, sweat pooling underneath my body as I tried to catch my breath.

Warmup:

Workout:

I am super-happy with my personal best in the 2K row, at least now that I’ve had a chance to recover.  I think I beat my previous time by 10 seconds or so. And, given that we were doing the 100 WallBalls for time just ahead of the row, this accomplishment is even sweeter (the wallball movement relies on a squat, much as rowing does at the beginning of the stroke).

Also, to all of you who follow the ‘law of attraction’, note my post last week about how much I like using the bar. And also note that just this weekend I was thinking to myself, “Gosh, I’d really like to give a 2K row a shot, I think I’ve got a new PB in me”.

Logbook Activity

Challenging Fear Uncertainty & Doubt March 18, 2008

Posted by hardly Bar Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

A long time ago, I developed a fear of doing workouts using the bar. And, in particular, any movement where you were on your feet, e.g. squats, military presses, etc.

With the workouts I’ve been doing over the last year, I’ve had to confront this fear, albeit a little at a time. Lately, I’m beginning to notice that I actually *like* working w/the bar. I love the results!

I’ve also become a convert to the notion that the benefits one gains by doing load-bearing exercises on your feet are pretty hard to beat, especially for your core.  Now, I’m not giving up sit-ups any time soon, but there’s no doubt that the day after I do load-bearing work on my feet, my core is sore. There’s definitely something to this!

Do The Test March 18, 2008

Posted by hardly Cycle Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

http://www.dothetest.co.uk/

Weighty Topics March 17, 2008

Posted by hardly Uncategorized Digg! this story! Digg! this story. , add a comment

Weighed myself for the first time in a long time. Don’t remember the last time I was on the scale, actually.

Mid-morning, after breakfast and working out (drinking lots of water): 180.5

Given this, I’m guessing that I’m running somewhere between 175 - 178 at my ‘normal’ weigh-in time of right after I get up in the am. Interesting. It’s been 10 - 12 years since I’ve been down that low. And I almost can’t remember the last time my waist was 32″ (or is it 31″?). Probably during college?

I need to check my BMI later this week. Should be interesting to see where I’m at.