27 Feb 2013-One inch at a F'n time....

This sums up my attitude towards recovery every day. One inch at a fucking time. Clawing, biting, fighting for that inch. Today was another another addition to what i CAN do. Sleep was messed up last night because the power went out, i some how woke up and realized i needed to reset my alarm clock so i could sleep 45 more minutes. I did contemplate just getting up at 4 am. But decided against it.

Warm Up: 
Dips x 15, Rev hyper x 20, leg raises x 20, Back Ext x 15, Red band Pull-a-parts 2 x 20, Black band Pull Face pulls 2 x 20

Military grade Koala, now with laser eyes.

I did some more Rev Hypers, Back Ext & leg raises just for good measure

*STANDING* OH Press (first time since Oct 2012)
2 x 5 x bar
1 x 5 x 55lbs
1 x 5 x 70
1 x 3 x 80
1 x 5 x 90
1 x 5 x 100
1 x 11 x 115

For the first time doing these they felt better than before surgery. I dropped the weight on these so that i will progress up slowly and allowing my leg to adjust. Which gave me no issues with these at all today. Body positioning, thoracic mobility, and tight back all contributed to an awesome session. I want 200 lbs on this Before the end of the year. I hit 185 lbs 2 weeks before surgery and i have OH Pressed 190 lbs. Take my time and work the weight back up. but today was a very solid starting block.
Superset
 Machine Row 3 x 15 x 175
Head Harness 
1 x 15 x 25 lbs
1 x 15 x 35 lbs
2 x 15 x 45 lbs (**REP PR**)

Strange superset but  i wanted to do head harness, hell i want to do it everyday. Worked the weight up, did one extra set of 15 just to see if i could. machine rows felt very smooth and powerful today, 5 more lbs next week. i make a point of trying to hold the weight at the top of the contraction for extra back pump-i-tude

Prefontaine may have had a small neck but the guy could run fast!

 Some big dude decided to jump on the machine rows when i went to get plates. Trying to impress his buddies. He barely could half row it, and i don't think he did more 5 rows. He out weighted me by at least 20 lbs. That made me feel like i am on the right track.
Superset
Fat Man Rows 3 x 15 x 90
Standing DB OH Press 3 x 15 x 35

Superset
Weighted Abs 3 x 8 x 100
Cable Face Pulls 3 x 15 x 70

Seated Calf Raises 3 x 25 x 45 (no 'pop' this time)
ADduction Machine 1 x 20 x 100 /1 x 20 x 115
ABduction Machine 2 x 20 x 190
GHR 2 x 5
Clamshells 2 x 20 x Orange Band
Single Leg Bridge 2 x 10

What might seem very  minor might be the whole reason for the IT band /Patella saga. While doing the Single Leg Bridging i had NO Glute involvement at all or at least i could not feel it. Almost like it was shut off. So i will be doing these, A LOT, of these until it turns back on. Funny with all the glute work i am doing this movement has no activation. So hopefully this is a problem fixer.

We have lift off!

Recovery Meet #1 of 2
So today in Electronic format i received confirmation of my registration for one of 2 meets i have decided to do. This meet is 20 July in Ottawa. I will send in my second registration (2 June Toronto) at the end of the week on payday. Both Meets i will do Bench Only. It gets me on the platform and training for these will also guide my Rehab /Recovery process.

In regards to the meet i have a rough guideline set out. I will flesh it out over the next week or so. One more step in the process. One more inch moved past.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

26 Feb 2013-To win by attrition

"To eat things that would make a Billy goat puke...to win by Attrition" Those two lines resonated for me as a 10 yr old boy. They have never left me for some reason. In some ways i have lived my life by them.
Also the line from my Grandpa Wyper "You just need to grow a bigger set of balls and do it" The random stuff that sticks with us as we go down the road of life.

This morning's session went very well. It was quick and light but very productive. The pool session was rock solid.

Treadmill 10 min /Max Incl / 2min @Lvl 3.7 /8min @ Lvl 4.0-4.5
This has been a real quiet source of gain for me since i first got on a treadmill in Dec and could barely walk at Lvl 3.0

Run /Walk 1 min alt 4 x R /W
The huge GAIN for this today is that my speed, pace, and running gate were the best yet. If anything i out ran my leg /Patella issue which is why i shut it down after 4 intervals. My pace was 1 lap per minute! (220m /min) So things are definitely coming along.
Prowler 1 x 220 m x 90 lbs
TRX Lunge 2 x 10
TRX Pistols 2 x 5
Front Squats (NO BOX, Balls to Heels) 3 x 5
Hops 10, 5, 5
Clamshells 2 x 20

Glute Ham Raises 3 x 5 

Start /Finish

Mid point

GHR -ONE Movement EFS

Or click the link to go to EFS for the explanation from Dave Tate how to do this supremely awesome exercise. Makes you damn near Bullet Proof.
That was it that was all for this morning.

The Trx Lunges are coming along nicely i was able to do several reps of near full body weight with my right leg as the support leg. I will be dragging my Rumble Roller to the gym to get in some extra rolling /meat tenderizing of my right IT band and Quadriceps.


I took the tape off my Knee mid morning because after the running session today it seemed to have shifted and was causing me irritation as it was pulling my patella in a slightly uncomfortable direction. so as directed when i first started getting tape i tore it off. i really need to remember to shave my knee.

Pool Rehab Afternoon Session

Understandably i had a lot of energy going into this session and i let it burn today.

Flutter Kicks with Board 5 Min
Front Crawl 5 min (this was very fast and my heart was popping)
Deep End Running w/ Water Db's 10 Min
Shallow End Running 10 min (high knees in the deep water /digging hard in the shallower water)
Hops 5, 3, 3, 3,
The Front crawl i was smooth and relaxed but i was pushing the pace. It felt good to breathe that hard and push. All this Flutter kicking with the board has actually improved my swimming ability over the past few weeks.

ONE more Rambo picture for good measure. Lol

I will have to try to not over do the Plyo hops. I will adhere to prilepin's chart which is not designed for this but will keep me in check and give me boundaries. So essentially 24 total hops a day, done in sets of 3. I already found doing sets of 10 made it conditioning which is not the point. If i do sets of 5 i slow everything right down and those 5 reps actually take me about 35-45 secs to complete. I will say jumping in the pool was awesome. I have a lot of explosiveness in my legs, i just need to learn to stick the landing. I am enjoying these so i will be doing these a Lot. My goal is to do 8 sets of 3 reps but do the 3 reps in rapid succession. Right now i reset after every hop whether on dry land or in the pool. But really this is only day 1 since i was told to do them.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

25 Feb 2013-Take it, it is yours...

From the moment the alarm went off this morning this seemed to be my mindset. I was bound and determined to NOT have a repeat of last week. As such i strode into my training session with renewed vigor and panache. Everyday is a new day. Every week is a new week. So a lot of good, great and awesome to get through in today's blog.
Warmed up with:
Rev Hyper, back Ext, Side Bends, Leg Raise, dips, rainbows, push ups 1 set of 10 each no rest

Hoist the Colours!

Bench Press (First "heavy" Bench Session since Surgery)
3 x 5 x bar
1 x 5 x 95
1 x 5 x 115
1 x 3 x 135
1 x 5 x 135
1 x 5 x 155
1 x 5 x 175
Back to using 5/3/1 for my Bench. I based the cycle off a 240 lbs Training Max (TM). Which was my last competition Bench Completed. Come June i will be a whole lot strong(er). I already know i am but i am building myself up slowly. locking in the technique. Which today i found near perfect leg drive.(GREAT NEWS) This is a huge deal. I have always struggled with leg drive on my bench on and off. Today it was spot on and that 175 felt like speed work it was popping off my chest so hard.
Machine Row 3 x 15 x 170 (1 min rest for fun)

Superset
Incline Db Bench 3 x 15 x 50
Fat man rows 3 x 15 x 90

Black Band Face Pull 3 x 30
Black band Tricep Push down 3 x 40
Red Band Pull-a-parts 3 x 30
Red Band Tricep Pushdowns 3 x 40
Supersetted through the face pull and band pull-A-parts with the Tricep Pushdowns in between. after 3 sets with the black band i switched to do 3 sets with the red band. Tricep FIRE!
Head Harness 4 x 30 x 25 lbs
TKE's 
Left Leg 30, 30, 30
Right Leg 40, 40, 40
Trying something different today to see if i can effect a strong(er), higher quality contraction by pushing the volume on these. Doing the first half fast, the second half slow and controlled. Sort of worked. Going to keep trying these for the week.
ADduction Machine 3 x 20 x 100
ABduction Machine 3 x 20 x 190

Seated Calf Raises 3 x 25 x 45
Something popped, let go, felt strange in my upper gastroc (calf) area. No pain things just sort of felt off. I stretched it. I will keep an eye on it. But immediately my knee felt about 95% "normal".(GOOD NEWS) I also noted that being rock bottom in the squat position there was no pressure on the lateral side of my leg. So i will take this oddity as a good thing.

Physio Therapist visit
- ultra sound on knee
- re-taped the patella
-talked about problem with contraction quality & TKE's, i am fine the muscle is contracting where it needs to. The problem is i compare contraction between both legs. Left leg i get a monster contraction in comparison.
-keep an eye on the "pop" in my calf. I mentioned so she was aware.
-PT is away next week so we mad arrangements for next week. I will see her again on Friday.
- cleared to do GLute Ham Raises (FUCKING HELL YEAH!)
- cleared to start Plyo metrics which was bit of a funny gong show when she had me "practice" on the hard Physio floor in socks. She said soft knees, i thought soft knees, i envisioned soft knees, i landed flat footed with an almost locked leg. LMAO! I did get the movement after that though
- PT is excited and very pleased with how my pool running is coming along.
-do more balance work on the Bosu ball using forceful leg kicks

Session #2 
So in an effort to be slightly more efficient with my training i will be breaking my day up into 2-a-days. My brother and i laughed about this because he is considering doing the same thing with his run training. Anyhow 45-60 min MAX. Bike followed by some leg specific trg. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be pool as they have been and Mon /Wed /Fri will be bike. rotating between INT /TEMPO /Slow recovery. 20-25 min Max on the bike. As i am better able to run this will probably be phased out for running and hill sprints.
Spin Bike 5 min 85-90 rpm / 12 min 99-103 rpm(TEMPO)
TRX 
Lunge 2 x 10
Pistols 2 x 5
Squats 1 x 20

Po has soft knee landings i am sure

Double Leg Hops (aka really lame Jump Squats)
2 x 10
As these improve i will drop the volume and focus on power and landing. For now i will keep doing them on the foam floor with running shows on focusing on a controlled landing. I will slowly turn these into something similar like i do on dynamic effort day 8 sets of 3 reps. But that will come in time. For now i have just as much trying to land with soft knees.
***GLUTE HAM RAISES***(AWESOME NEWS)
3 x 5
Dips 1 x 10
These felt awesome. It will take a few days to work back up to sets of 10. The strength to do these is still there but my Hamstrings were contracting /cramping insanely because the last time i did these it was July 2012. Video tomorrow on how to do these.

KEEP MOVING FORWARD, KEEP GETTING STRONG(ER)

20, 21, 22, 23 Feb 2013-Filling in the last few days.

20 Feb 2013

Highlight of the day: Seated OH Press 1 x 15 x bar /65 /85

This was test day and i was wiped from a night of broken sleep 2 nights in a row thanks to the dog. I love her to death but really having to go poop at 3:30 am is disruptive to my sleep. Lol.

Please FriendBeast, i need to poop. I know it is early but this is an emergency!

21 Feb 2013

Highlight of the Day: Trap Machine Shrugs 10 x 10 x 90 lbs

The leg testing seemed to actually tire me out. The leg was stiff, not sore. It was of course Throat Punch Thursday. So there was other neck work done as well. I did do some treadmill work, 18 min up to Lvl 4.3.
For a de-load week usually by this point i am feeling slightly better and more energized, not so this week. Oh well.

Throat Punch'n every week. 18" or die trying!

22 Feb 2013

Highlight of the Day: OH Tricep Extensions 
1 x 20 x 70
1 x 20 x 80
1 x 20 x 95
1 x 20 x 100
2 x 20 x 80

I did try Dynamic benching but my leg was far to stiff do my set up. Everything felt off. So i tried the bar, 95, 115, 135 and then shut it down. No reason to waste time trying to do something i clearly was not prepared to do this day. My head space has been off all week. A lot of outside distractions that i normally blank out when i walk into the gym. I am human. Off days are going to happen.

Yup, this sums up my week of training.

23 Feb 2013

Highlight of the Day: Pull Ups 8 sets of 13 reps

The pull ups i got through. Still tired. Did push ups and Bosu Situps as well. Plus a bunch of normal body weight stuff i do on Silver back Saturday. It was good to get this assignment done. Last 2 sets were grinders for sure but better than last week. I again had to mentally fight through this session. contemplating a longer de-load week.

So weeks like this will happen. I will keep plodding forward. I will get a few naps in over the weekend. Go to bed earlier. Eat more food. Things like Egg Rolls. Eggs. Bacon. Ground Meats. but overall dig in and keep pushing forward. I had so many PR's and smooth awesome sessions i sort of new a slight dip in training was coming. So i will adjust.

With the upcoming ability to lift coming. I will start altering my weekly Schedule this week. I will not go into details but i will highlight changes i make them .

Not as evil as the media would have you believe. 

I also realized i have dropped the bike. I think in light of the waiting for my knee to recover a little more so that i can run regularly i will fill in with some extra bike in the evenings. The plan is to ride the bike for 20-25 min max rotating between Slow & Easy (recovery), Tempo rides, and Intervals (INT). I will follow this up with The Daily 30 as well as TKE's & Squat work with the bar. No planned training for today. i will take a full rest and eat stuff.

Sent in my membership dues for Ontario Powerlifting Federation. Next payday i will register 1 possibly 2 Bench Only meets.

I see the Physio therapist tomorrow afternoon. I will discuss with her adding Glute-Ham Raises back into my training. The best exercise for hamstring and back chain strength.

KEEP MOVING FORWARD, KEEP GETTING STRONG(er)

20 Feb 2013-Even up the Score

The Morning trg session was pretty much a scratch. i got some shit done but i was a side ways mess. The Dog has woken me up the past two mornings at 3:30 am to go poop. The morning before this trg session i ended up sleeping on the couch because after she came in she was being beligerent about going back to bed. So i slept on the couch and she slept with me. Otherwise me and the girlfriend would have gotten no sleep.

Rev hyper 4 x 15
Seated OH Press
1 x 15 x bar /65 /85 /95
Standing OH Press 
1 x 15 x bar
The i did a bunch of lower body stretching in prep for the testing at the hospital in the afternoon.

So i did not get any cool pics. I go back in 3 mths and i will take the camera then. It was alot of fun to do this again. A little nervous because of course i don't know what exactly is going to happen with the recovering leg. The Patella was a little sore but nothing not worth working through for the testing and overall i don't think it affected anything.

I am sure they used a Biodex machine with Ivan Drago

So i get hooked up to the Biodex mach on my good leg. Essentially it is a really expensive leg extension machine that will not stress my ACL and works the Hamstrings and Quadriceps directly. I get strapped in at the chest, waist, thigh and shin.

Do some test runs to make sure i am in a good spot. Then the add resistance to see if i can take what the machine can dish out.

From there it was 2 practice runs at 75% of my max strength and speed.

Then it is 2 practice runs at 100%.

We look at the results and if the testers and i am convinced the numbers are decent we go ahead with the test. 6 runs of Extending and curling my leg as fast, violent and strong as i can muster.
I don't know what the units are but i broke 200 on all my test runs. which is better than my test runs before surgery.

Then they change protocols slightly, the machine lightens up and i  simple do 6 Ext /Contractions as fast as i can the resistance is 50% of what it was.

I spoke briefly to the testers about the Conjugate method and this testing protocol is very similar. The lady testing me did not want to confuse me with the scientific garbly gook.

Switch to my recovering leg and do the same thing all over. I did not break 100 with the recovering leg. It is cool to see on the results my Hamstring contraction is more than my extension.
Normally it is 2:1 roughly for Extension : Contraction.

Oddly my recovering leg is 31 (don't know the units) in weight and my healthy leg is 28.

The test did irritate my patella slightly but 20 min of icing when i got home and everything was fine.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

19 Feb 2013-Remember who you are...

A little Dr. Dre & Eminem. Just a short low intensity day to day. No major ramblings to get on about today. At last none that i think are applicable.

Treadmill 5 min /Max Incline /Lvl 3.5 - 4.0
Run /Walk  1 Min Alt - R/W, R/W, R/W

So only 3 intervals today. The tape has loosened up and i could feel the knee was a little more stiff and sore this morning. But on the up side i ran those 3 intervals at a faster pace than Saturday's run, so there is still improvement there.

TRX
Lunge (L&R) 2 x 10
Pistols (L&R) 2 x 5
Face Pull 2 x 20

TKE's 3 x 20
Trap Machine Shrug 
1 x 20 x 45 lbs
1 x 20 x 70
1 x 20 x 80
1 x 20 x 90
1 x 20 x 80
1 x 20 x 70
1 x 30 x 45
ADduction Machine
2 x 20 x 115
1 x 20 x 100
ABduction Machine
2 x 20 x 205
1 x 20 x 190
Rev Hyper 15, 20

Tomorrow is continuing on with the De-load. This time Seated OH Press. I will also do some extra glute work and stay away from the quad work. I am headed in for my second assessment for the a Knee study my surgeon is over seeing. Very cool, they hook me up to the bio-dex machine and the computer spits out some cool info. Going into surgery my right leg was actually as strong if not a little stronger but the endurance of the muscles was definitely alot less, you could see from the overall results that my right leg was compromised  which of course it was. So this is the first set of testing post surgery. i will try and get pics.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting strong(er)

18 Feb 2013- I want to reach out and touch the flame

Yup it is one of those days. Sean Connery was the inspiration. My OCD in full effect. De-Load week so things get a little intense for the week. Let me body rest up. I have had to up my Calories the past few days, i keep feeling run down 20 min into trg. it happens. At the end of the is week i will be re-energized and ready to SFW once again.

Red Band Pull-a-parts 30 , 25, 20
Floor Press
2 x 10 x Bar
1 x 5 x 95
1 x 5 x 120
1 x 5 x 140
1 x 10 x 160
Mach Row 
1 x 45 x 130
Face Pulls 5 x 20 x 55 lbs
Standing Abs 5 x 8 x 100 lbs

Fat man Row (w/ Orange Mini Band doubled up)
3 x 15 x 45 lbs
Rear Delt Laterals
3 x 25 x 10 lbs

TKE's 2 x 20
Red Band Pull downs 1 x 110 reps (non-stop)
Front Squat 2 x 5
**Squat 1 x 1 x Bar -Testing to see how things are.**

Floor Press was light and easy as it should be for the day. I really did not feel like doing Mach Rows today so i picked a weight and did all the reps at once and moved on. Decided to play with the Fat man rows and throw on the orange mini band just to change things up. Face Pulls and Standing Abs i did concurrently back to back with no rest until all 5 sets were completed. Just alot of movement and blood flow today.

**One thing i did give a run at with a spotter was my regular stance Squat with simply the bar. Full Set up, nice and tight, lock everything in, step out with the bar into position, Squat down to depth, staying back, and then UP! No issues, no problems, the technique was spot on (i will let someone else say it was perfect because i try to refrain from ever saying that). But it felt smooth and easy. Which is a huge piece of motivation. All i have to do now is build the weight on the bar. 2 more weeks and it starts.**

Ok i have another ramble to go on. I have had numerous people tell me how happy they are my recovery is going so well. Others are surprised how quickly i am coming back from surgery. It was not by accident, it was by design from day one as i alluded to yesterday.
Things like a 340 lbs Deadlift the week before surgery have a little to do with it. The stronger and more conditioned you can be going into surgery the better your recovery is most likely to be.
So twice today, and three times  in the past week i have had something similar happen. People bitching and moaning about their health care. Now the health care i have access to is top notch. The same health care that these people have access to. It is not perfect health care. I have never really seen such a thing. The one common denominator in all these scenarios i found the same. That single factor? Not challenging or engaging their health care professionals. Not being free and open with their health care professionals.
Essentially just blindly going into the facility and hoping for the best. Then when they got a piss poor result  they simply blamed the health care facility. Not really at a personal level but as a whole. I call bullshit on this. At every step of the game i have questioned, researched and not taken any answer i have gotten at direct face value. The result?
-Getting an uncommon surgery that saved my hamstrings. i chose it for reasons specific to me. This surgery and recovery will affect me until i die. i kept that a major consideration in all decisions.
-getting the best medical treatment possible. if you don't ask questions or probe you may not get. All humans forget if you make yourself a priority and a person to the medical professional they will remember you and get you what you need. Human nature.
-I am doing pool Rehab twice a week. I was able to lift weights right up until the day before surgery which boosted my confidence, kept my weight down, and prepared me for recovery.
I am not saying be an asshole until you get what you want. Challenge that schooling and knowledge these people have taken and learned.
At the end of the day i have had one mantra. This applies to how i deal with all my health care professionals as well as how i deal with my supervisors at work:

The Only person who has a personal vested interest in my recovery is me.

This is not to belittle the people who support me. The others who serve to inspire and motivate me. The people who teach, guide and lead me through my rehab. If anything it is showing them respect and honor for supporting me. I have to do the rehab. I have to do the work. I have to stay focused daily. No one else can do it for me.My boss will not be there in 5 or 10 yrs if i rush back cause long term complications.  I am the one who lives with this recovery for better or worse every minute, every day, every week, etc, for ever. It is me who will ultimately come out the other side of this ready to help those who helped me and those who need help and are willing to do the work themselves to recover also. Like i said yesterday there was a choice at the start of this whole thing. I made the choice to recover 100% and thrive because of it. That is my daily goal. 

Sorry for rambling yet again today. People who have access to top notch medical care and then piss around and bitch are fucking stupid. 

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

17 Feb 2013-Working through it

      A little martin Rooney talking about Injuries and Prevention. The little things to prevent something more drastic taking place. My injury was as much a freak occurrence as it was years of wear and tear on my body. There is no one to blame. I did for the most part try and prevent it. I do the little things as he talks about. But in reality i only started doing them about 4 yrs when age and wisdom started to catch up to me. Minor things started to drag on when only a few yrs previous they would heal on there own or simply disappear as quickly as they came appeared. But that is the story for most humans isn't it? As we get older things wear down on our bodies. Especially when we have put alot of undue strain on them over the years. Pushing our limits and always striving to improve physically.

      I have learned alot on how to train in the past 6 yrs. Probably more than i did in my previous 20 yrs of training, working out, exercising. I am glad and very happy for that fact. It has prepared me for rebuilding and recovering from this Injury and subsequent surgery. Every day is not rosy and i fight the demons in my head almost daily. The daily goal is trying to figure out how they are trying to manifest themselves and work them out. Unfortunately those closest to me take the brunt before i shut them down sometimes. I am happy i have people in my life who are patient with me. Inspire me to keep pushing and moving forward.
    The day the ACL tore i made the comment probably subconsciously knowing something was really wrong with my knee, and a little cockily too,  "When i am going to have a real injury? You know one in which i have to battle back from?" Well i got that injury. I am still here. I am still fighting. I have a NO FAIL scenario facing me down, at least that is the way i choose to look at it.

Sometimes being forced to work through
something drastic builds better character. 

   Choose, Choice. There is an interesting set of words. One of my favorite sayings is "EVERYTHING in life is a choice. Everything." At some point in time any addiction, problem, or situation goes back to a choice that was made, consciously or unconsciously at the time. But the consequences of those choices are what we live with. A regular in the gym commented to me today about how i am so dedicated to my recovery. My reply was "I was not given any other option". She retorted that there is always a choice and i had most definitely had made the right one. I laughed and said she was right. But that it is my mind set and always is. Difficult or not i will make the right choice. At least if it is within my realm to do so.
  I have spent most of my life choosing the difficult way of doing things simply because i wanted the experience of doing it that way. "Life is hard, it is harder when you are stupid" -John Wayne Well more times than not Mr Wayne would probably call me Stupid. But any one can do easy. It takes a different person to take on and work through challenges.

   This recovery is a No Fail challenge for me. I have my ups and downs but i continue to work through the recovery. Weeks like this past one are what keep me going and what i draw my strength to keep fighting  from. When i need more i find other sources. But mostly i reflect inwards and find the little voice who always just wants to take one more step, one more rep, to get up one more time.
I know am rambling a little but i have had this swimming in my head all week.

This morning:

Treadmill 15 min /Max Incl /Lvl 3.5-4.5 (still getting easier and smoother in the delivery)
45 Deg Back Ext 1 x 15
Hyper Deads
2 x 10 x bar
1 x 6 x 50
3 x 6 x 70
1 x 15 x 20 lbs
Used an Olympic Bar today (45 lbs) but the weights listed do not include the bar.
45 Deg Side bends
1 x 15 x bodyweight
3 x 8 x 25 lbs
Decided to do these with weight to day for a change.
Rev Hyper
1 x 25
1 x 15

Orange Band Side Step 1 x 10 (L&R)
Clamshells (L&R) 1 x 20

Short and sweet today. I had to get in and out because i had my range intro brief today. Going to start shooting my guns regularly soon.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

16 Feb 2013-Session #2

I had planned all day to go back to the gym and when 6 pm rolled around i was finding my motivation wavering a little bit. Sore, beat up and tired from being up early and smashing the pull ups took alot out of me. Less than 1 min later after watching these two vids i threw the switch in my head and just went. What transpired was simply Awesome in terms of my recovery and goes to prove you can never tell how much is actually in the gas tank for training until you dig in and start. Jim Wendler can break anything down it seems for even a 6 yr old to understand. So he is always an awesome source for motivation and learning. If you have not heard of 5/3/1 then you probably are spinning your wheels in the gym and are not getting much strong(er) on a regular basis.

5 /3 /1

Ok enough on Jim Wendler. 

In and out in about 60 min. Non-stop work and 2 PR's down range due to Effort and hard work nothing more. 

Treadmill 10 min /Max Incl / Lvl 3.5 -4.0

Run /Walk (1 min each Alt) 7 x R /W (*PR*)

Going into this run the knee felt decent enough i knew i would be able to get 4-5 runs in. But i hit 7 before my leg started to fatigue. I am very close to my normal stride and the last 3 laps i was actually breathing heavy i was running that fast. Still a slight hitch in my giddy up but as my brain figures out the Patellar Bursa is healing it is letting go and letting my stride /gait return to normal. The motor control when i make impact is still concentrated but coming along perfectly. 

Prowler 

1 x 220 m x 90 lbs (stopped once @ 180 m mark for approx 10 sec)

2 x 20 m x 90 (30 sec rest @ turn around)

2 x 20 m x 180 (30 sec rest @ turn around)

2 x 20 m x 270 (20 sec rest @ turn around) (*PR*)

2 x 20 m x 250 (25 sec rest @ turn around)

2 x 20 m x 180 (no rest @ turn around)

I start my 20 m pushing at the top of a minute, cross the line, turn the Prowler around, then check the clock and start my return trip at the start of the next minute. Rest between Weight changes is 1 -2 min. I usually pre-stack the weights at the line because other wise it becomes a farmers walk of 20-30 m with the plates. The 270 lbs is the most i have pushed with the Prowler so far. The first 20 m was very solid, the second 20 m i had to pause briefly and re drive. My leg was a little wobbly with this but no pain, leg just needs to remember it has the strength to do stuff like this. 

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

16 Feb 2013-I don't care how you do it

Another Silverback Saturday is in the book. To say i was anxious before this session would be accurate. Last week's 10 sets of 12 reps was a PR day for Pull ups, so i knew this would be equally as challenging and i wanted to at least make a very solid run at this.

Rear Delt Lateral 2 x 20 x 10 lbs

Pull Ups
 7 x 13
1 x 12.5
1 x 11.5
1 x 10.5
I don't really count half reps but for me they are an indicator that i easily squeezed out of the bottom but did not have quite enough left in the tank to finish the last rep. Oh yeah and all those half reps were on the last rep if that means anything. The pull ups took me 1 hr and 20 min to complete with the usual myriad of Bodyweight stuff to fill in the break time.

Push Ups 6 x 21 (this puts me back into range of where i was before surgery.)
Bosu Situps 6 x 25 (this also is pre-surgery range.)
Calf Raises (single leg) 3 x 15 /1 x 16 /1 x 17 (weird how these got easier as my session went along)
TKE's  (Orange band) 5 x 20
Physio Ball Leg Curl 4 x 10
Oly Bar Curl 1 x 75 x Bar (Completed 2 min after last set of Pull Ups)
Rev Hyper 3 x 15 (slow, controlled, hard contraction at the top w/ Glutes)
 ADduction Mach
1 x 20 x 115
2 x 20 x 100
ABduction Mach
1 x 20 x 205
2 x 20 x 190
Dropped the weight after the first set because i wanted to solid reps and not to grind out weight today. Plus my hips have been strangely tight.
Head Harness 
1 x 50 x 20
1 x 40 x 20
1 x 30 x 20
1 x 40 x 20
1 x 50 x 20
My neck was SWOLE and YOKED after this. felt good.
Back Ext 3 x 10
Side Bends 3 x 10

When i run i imagine it looks alot like this. 

Going back in tonight once i have eaten and rested a little. I have a Run /Walk session to get completed as well as some Prowler work. I will expand on my thoughts i alluded to a little later once i get that trg completed.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

15 Feb 2013 -take it day by day

News and Notes from the Physio visit this afternoon and this morning's short but intense Dynamic Bench session. So i have gone back to trg in full sweats with my hoodie up. Why? well in the last few days i have transitioned to trg entirely without the bionic knee brace. So no reason to have to wear shorts. Stay wrapped up and keep myself even more internalized while i train.

Rev Hyper 4 x 10

Dynamic Bench 
2 x 5 x Bar
1 x 3 x 95
1 x 3 x 115
1 x 3 x 135
1 x 1 x 155
2 x 3 x 155
1 x 4 x 155
I Dropped to singles from triples because my technique was slipping so i preferred to do one perfect rep rather than 1 perfect rep and 2 half ass reps. I will drop the weight back down to 145 lbs next week. It just seems to feel better and feel like i get more pep with the slightly lighter weight. That being said i could feel my rear delts all morning afterwards. I always try to bring alot of intensity, in fact sometimes i feel like i get more fired up on Dynamic day because i don't want to get lazy and merely go through the motions.

Neutral Grip Db Bench Press
1 x 15 x 65
3 x 15 x 60
Horizontal Shrugs 4 x 15-20 x 45 lbs
I had intended on doing 4 sets of 15 reps with the 65's as a mini deload this week. That seemed to be a great call. Although i was not grinding out the 15 reps with the 60's they were not moving as well as they have been the past month. I Supersetted the Db Bench with the light Shrugs because i was very short on time. In fact i pumped through all of this in 40 min. cutting a good 20 min off my normal time. Get in, get the work done, get out no need to mess around.

Physio Therapy Visit
-She was very happy that the tape job worked so well for my running on Tuesday. i have another equally unassuming, leg hair pulling tape job on my knee again. I can already feel things relaxing in my knee.
-keep icing and foam rolling, keep the increased glute work going.
-using the TRX for Lunges she thought was a good idea and to use it to reintroduce weight on the leg so i can real lunges
-keep running, pool and dry land.
-another 2 weeks and we introduce plyometrics, the big deal with this next phase is that i also re-introduce real WEIGHT TRAINING. So 2 more weeks and the journey takes another direction.
-my work on the mini tramp is what triggered the plyometrics conversation. She said it was already very promising from what she saw.
-scars are doing wonderful all are very malleable.
I have some other thoughts on how this whole process of injury, surgery and recovery has gone but i will save them for tomorrow when i can more readily construct my thoughts.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

14 Feb 2013-Umbabarauma homen gol

Running and Quad work today. With Pool Rehab in the afternoon. A semi late night so i was a little sluggish. A simple ECA stack and 2 pints of water and i was ready for action. I decided to for go the prowler because i wanted to push the pool session hard. Which works out as it left more time for Neck work because after all it is Throat Punch Thursday.

Treadmill 10 min /Max Incl / Lvl 3.5-4.0

Run /Walk 3 x 1 min Run alt w/ 1 Min Walk
With no tape job on my Knee i was not entirely sure how this was going to go. I used my EFS Knee Sleeve on top of my stocking net to compress my Knee cap. It worked well but not ideal. A little too much compression, these sleeves are designed for Squatting mot running. But in a pinch they worked.

TRX
Superset-1
Squat 3 x 10
Face Pull 3 x 15

Superset-2
Lunge 3 x 10
T's 3 x 10
I's 3 x 5

Pistols 3 x 5 (used a parallel box for the right leg)

Front Squat (box 1" below parallel) 3 x 10 x bar
Neck Crunch 6 x 15 x 25 lbs
Trap Machine Shrug
2 x 20 x 55 lbs
4 x 10 x 100 lbs

Afternoon Pool Rehab

The pool session went extremely well. I pushed hard through everything and left fatigued in a good way.

Flutter Kicks w/ Board 10 min
Deep End Water Running w/ Water Db's 10 min
Shallow end Water Running /High Knees 20 min

The Shallow end stuff i really blasted into today and had to dig in for the last 5 min or so. Still doing the high hands /Knees in the deeper part of the shallow end. Feeling the lactic acid burn when i pump hard through these. It is an awesome feeling.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

13 Feb 2013 -You can be damn sure we will avenge it

The nerd in me has this at the start of one of my playlists. Another day where i woke up solid but a little sore. My upper back really seems to be taking a beating. Maybe i should ditch my comfy chair at work for a steel folding chair. It will make me get off my ass more and works well as a weapon.

Seated OH Press
2 x 5 x bar
1 x 5 x 65
1 x 5 x 85
1 x 3 x 95
1 x 1 x 115
10 x 1 x 130

Warmed up during the first few sets of these getting some other stuff done as well from the DAILY 30 and then doing some extra Rev Hypers again.
Rev Hypers 4 x 15
45 Deg Back Ext 3 x 10
45 Deg Side Bend 1 x 10, 1 x 20
Dips 3 x 5
Hip Heist 1 x 30
Single Arm Mach Row 
1 x 15 x 50
1 x 15 x 55
1 x 15 x 60

Super Set
DB Standing OH Press 3 x 20 x 30 lbs
Horizontal Shrugs 3 x 15 x 65

Super set (no rest)
TKE's 4 x 20
Head Harness 4 x 15 x 35 lbs

ADduction 3 x 20 x 115
ABduction 3 x 20 x 205
Orange Band Tricep Pressdown 4 x 20
Black band Pull-A-Parts 3 x 20
Black Band Face Pulls 3 x 20

People will try and sell anything these days as an antique.

Front Squats (2" below parallel) 2 x 10 x bar

Lots of Stretching for about 35 min afterwards. felt great and even a little limber. The tape job is gone but the Patellar Bursa is still feeling semi relaxed. I will try another run session tomorrow. Then some 20 m Prowler work. Today was just some very solid upper body work. Building for my return to Standing OH Press. The gains i am making seated i am hoping will carry over. i do alot of rest /pause with the seated OH Press so here is to hoping for a big carry over. This seated OH Press work does feel alot more solid than it did 2 mths  ago.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

12 Feb 2013-Today was a Good day

This song sums up this morning's trg perfectly. No idea how things were going to play out as it was another planned running session. The Tape job seemed to have helped alot more than i expected so i was feeling positive. Even getting down the stairs first thing this morning was not the usual stiff and irritated as climbed down.

Treadmill 10 min /Max Incl /Lvl 3.0-4.3 (again this is feeling easier every time i do it)

Run /Walk 6 x 1 min Run Alt w/ 6 x 1 min Walk

To say i was happy is an understatement. I was ecstatic. Not jumping around like an idiot happy. But at the end i was actually kind of emotional. I was able to actually run at a normal stride and i was very close to decent running pace. This is not to say there was not still irritation but it was reduced by about 75% and my ability to control my gait was up considerably as well. When i stopped at 6 it was just starting to become irritated, the sensation left quickly. But i also realized i was actually pushing my legs very hard. When i shut things down at Int 6 my right leg was starting to fatigue so i knew it was time. But man oh man i was happy. I felt the actual ability to run return for brief moments at a time. Old abilities still there. It was inspiring. I know i will be able to run as fast if not faster in the future. The ability is there and i was doing it. After the the 4 min i was breathing slightly more intense which also was a great feeling.
From here it was time to work on Quad /Glute strength.

Yup for a brief moment i felt like "sweetness" running on the track, avoiding tackles, going in for the TD.

PROWLER 1 Lap x 90 lbs

TRX 
Lunge (L&R) 1 x 10
Squat 2 x 10 (ass to grass)
Pistols L 1 x 10 (ass to grass) /R 1 x 10 (Box to parallel)
Red Band Pull-A-parts 3 x 30
I pulled the TRX out of the tool box today. It allows me to train Lunges without putting stress on the IT band, also adds a balance element to the Lunges. The Physio Therapist cleared me to squat ass to grass and i figured with the TRX it was the easiest way to deload for a few days until i have total control, when that happens i am allowed to use the bar. The Pistols i wanted to try out. I had to use a box at parallel for the recovering leg. As the strength builds i will drop the box height.

Front Squat (to Box) 2 x 10 x Bar

Red Band Face Pull 3 x 50
Super Set
ADduction Machine
1 x 20 x 100
1 x 20 x 115
1 x 20 x 130
ABduction machine 3 x 20 x 205
TKE's 3 x 20

The other detail that came out of the PT visit was to get back to concentrated hard Glute work. Harder firing glutes creates less IT stress. So i will be upping the Volume on ADduction and ABduction work. 205 lbs with the ABduction is the Machine limit. ADduction i want to keep pushing the number up to a full stack.

Rev Hyper 3 x 20
The Rev Hypers i did with a hard controlled Glute Contraction at the top. I wish i had a real Rev Hyper machine. I would loading the weight on to really build my glutes up. I left with a great low back /glute pump.  A very productive day and i still had to hit the pool.

Pool Rehab

Flutter Kicks w/Board 10 min
Deep End Water running w/Water Db's 10 min
Shallow end Water running /sprints 15 min

The last 5 min in the shallow end i stayed in the slightly deeper water and did high knee /high hands really trying to get the legs to burn from lactate acid build up.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

11 Feb 2013- Do you care about all the Little things?

Chris Kyle's Funeral was today in Texas. If you don't know who he is go look him up. It is worth the time to do so. Rest in Peace CPO Kyle, your watch is over.


So getting up this morning my back and shoulders were stiff but not unbearably so. After warming up i Knew today was going to be a very solid session. I did also call and manage to get squeezed in to see my Physio Therapist. More on that at the end.

Everyday i strive for this level of manliness

The Daily 30 -Completed (minus the leg raises & Physio Ball Leg Curls)

Floor Press
2 x 5 x bar
1 x 5 x 95
1 x 5 x 115
1 x 3 x 145
1 x 5 x 170
1 x 3 x 195
1 x 6 x 220
3 x 10 x 155
Machine Rows
1 x 15 x 190
1 x 15 x 170
1 x 15 x 150
Fat Man Row (FMR)
3 x 15 x 90
All of this felt good and strong. Some university dudes came in during my bench session. Stole plates off my racks on my cage which irritated me because they took them when i wasn't looking, did not ask, and i was going to use them. but i contained the rage and focused it. It laughed to myself when i realized i was out benching what they were half squatting.

I decided to drop set the Mach Row so i could cut my rest and so that i would not be wiped out like i normally am from these. I really turn this into an ego exercise. Just a bad habit. The FMR i used the wide handles as usual trying to bring the handles /plates up as high as fucking possible. The goal is to crack my sternum /smash my teeth even though the range of motion will not allow that to happen. Pull HARD, Pull Strong(er).

Superset
Lat Mach Face Pull w/ Strap 4 x 20 x 55 lbs
Standing Abs 4 x 8 x 100 lbs
I Supersetted these for no other reason than because i wanted to do face pulls again today (with less weight) so the strap was already there and i did not want to stand around resting. Worked out really well though. Tomorrow will be black banded face pulls to take some stress of the shoulder capsule.
Rear Delt Lateral 
1 x 15 x 15 lbs (just a touch heavy for what i wanted to do with these today)
3 x 20 x 10 lbs (good weight)

Superset
TKE's (Orange Band) 3 x 20
Front Squats to a Box 3 x 10 x bar
I had to do SOME Quad work. No Patellar Bursa pain associated with either of these exercises and a good way to build some quad endurance. Tried a Lunge, no go. Knee was a little swollen and irritated when i woke up this morning. Which was similar to how i went to bed.

Because really you have not seen a pic of my knee /legs in weeks!

I got into to see the PT as i mentioned already. I threw a boat load of information at her.
-pool running, Prowler, Squatting, Incl Treadmill Work -No Issues
-Lunges, running on dry land (with a limp) -irritation leading to pain and mild swelling
 She trusts my observations and we have a good back and forth. I always fold to her decision because she is the expert and in this case we will experiment to eliminate further. We did do heat , then massage. The massage she could still feel a little bit of gummy-ness. But i told to really lay into it because i have beat into my IT band so much for the past week what she was doing was effective but nearly as painful as what i do. Which is actually a good sign. Next she tried releasing the IT band with Acupuncture, no muscle spasms at all. Another good sign for my IT band work. Also helps to further narrow it down to the Patellar Bursa. So in the final experiment she did a rather unassuming tape job. It is designed to make room for the Bursa sac and take the strain off it. Allowing it to heal. Also allowing us to see if that what the problem now is actually just a beat up Bursa sac. Trial and error. Trial and success. One day at a time. It is an ever changing dynamic.
I will do my scheduled Run and Prowler work. See if there is any improvements.

Totally unassuming tape job. it is holding my patella up and eliminating irritation on the lateral side of my patella

Comparison shot - other than my outer R Quad not being a full sweep fairly close in size.

Also in big news i am cleared to squat to full depth. Try it out slowly and once the body weight Squats are secure i can add the bar. I think i have rambled on enough for a Monday.