10 Feb 2015 - Men follow Courage and Leadership..

10 Feb 
0620 hrs

As much as I try to contain my natural rage and anger. Work continues to challenge my inner Wolverine.

I was planning on laying out today and yesterday's training but work has turned into a Circus in the last week or so. The trend continues today and because of it I never made it to my Lunch time swim. After today I think things will level out. Cards were placed on the table, time will tell if how the game is played changes. The rules will not change but hopefully how people play it changes. In the mean time I still have my morning outlet. Wednesday morning training will come back next week. No more getting extra sleep and food. Just the way it is.

So as Tuesday mornings typically are they are busy in the lifting area of the indoor track. I share the area with the University "FAT CAMP" I am being a little more abrasive about it this week. That really what it is. Young Varsity students too WEAK or FAT to pass their Physical Fitness Test.
Rear Delt Db Rows  4 x 20 x 25 lbs
Scarecrows 2 x 13 x EFS Pro Mini Resistance Band
Bench
1 x 23 x Bar***
1 x 5 x 85
1 x 5 x 105
1 x 5 x 135
1 x 3 x 145
1 x 3 x 165
1 x 7 x 185

I am continuing with the slow and steady approach and building up week by week. I Pushed the reps on the last set to see how I had progressed. I hit the pins on the 7th rep or I may have gotten one or two more.

Having him strut over in a hoodie and telling you to move might be might be slightly intimidating. 

***So just as I finished warming up i walked away from my bench (leaving my chalk, BCAA Bottle, and wraps around my bench and squat stand. I took my hoodie off and walked back to my bench to find 3 of these young Varsity kids taking over my bench. As I am currently lumbering /strutting like Stone Cold Steve Austin because of my hip the next incident I am sure was more intimidating than I initially thought it was. I strutted over to my bench, removed my head phones, and then said:
"Excuse me. That is my Bench. Get." (simultaneously giving the 2 finger half circle gesture for "move it or be crushed") They instantly re-racked the bar and ran off (literally). I talked to their instructor afterwards and told her what I did. She laughed and said it was cool, they typically listen to her instructions and then go into auto-pilot ignoring everything else around them.

KB Bench 2 x 2 min x 25 lbs (2 min rest)
1st 85 reps /2nd Set 71 reps
I counted this week out of curiosity. This is a better weight. It also serves to help the Bicep tendon issue as a side effect with the high reps. See how this plays out for another month.
Neck Crunch (done through out)  4 x 25 x 25 lbs
Mtn Dog Rows
1 x 9 x 70
3 x 11 x 60
I held the actual bar this week instead of the end of the bar. Changed things a little. Now my low back became the limiting factor. I think this will help my stabilization through my lower back due to my hip issue. So it becomes a partially "core" exercise. 2 for 1 deal in this case.
Banded Face Pulls  100 reps  (Pro Light Resistance Band)
Banded OH Tricep Extensions 110 reps (Pro Light Resistance Band)

Motivation: 
A good friend of mine and a young kid I mentor from time to time (he is already pretty smart ) had an excellent day Deadlifting. He is going in for his second surgery (tomorrow actually). He has decided the last few weeks (under the guidance of his physio) to pull the safety's off and go for broke at least in the weight room. So Deadlifting he worked up to and pulled a tough but solid 405 lbs. Very proud of him. Last time he tried that was early last summer and 405 bolted itself to the floor. Today he pulled and grinded it to completion. No Hitching, a little shaking (he knows he knows he needs more glute strength) but he it was an excellent gym PR. He fixed one weakness to expose another. Just part of the journey. Very Proud of him. He will smash his rehab post surgery no doubt.

KEEP Moving Forward, KEEP Getting Strong(er)

09 Feb 2015 -Thunder, Thunder, Thunder...

09 Feb 
0750 hrs
Woke up to another wonderful world of winter Ice and snow. Did not feel a sense of urgency at all.  I sleep on and off all night. So I was not feeling rested, so I opted to sleep in an extra hour. So I was in the gym during the busy hour. It worked out everything I wanted to use is the exact opposite of everyone else.
It puzzles me. I see young guys walking the track when they clearly could be doing anything for the hour (they are not broken) yet they decide to walk and chat. Yet all around me the young ladies are training like they are trying to fucking kill themselves. Motivation and Inspiration is a strange thing. When I was that age and younger being in a group of giant strong dudes all poking fun, pushing limits and calling each other out was where I wanted to be. I think that is why I train alone. That is a very hard combo to find. A group of guys who will not let anyone let up in intensity, fall behind and definitely there is no being fucking lazy. Anyhow it is Monday so while the rest of humanity in gyms world wide Bench Press and do "Chest" I defy the odds and Squat instead.

Banded Side Step 2 x 20+ x Black EFS Band
Squats
1 x 21 x Bar
1 x 21 x Bar (black band around knees)
1 x 5 x 145
1 x 5 x 185
1 x 5 x 215
1 x 3 x 255
1 x 3 x 295
1 x 3 x 325
4 x 9 x 255
It was at this point a young varsity kid came in. He was wearing BRIGHT Neon Yellow & Pink Running shoes. He also was apparently convinced at the Lululemon store that the leggings were unisex? strange. What made it worse is that a female gym administrator walked by wearing the same(?) leggings and had better quad /hamstring development than the young man. Yeah I had a quiet chuckle at that one.

Head Harness (done through out) 4 x 17 x 50 lbs KB
GHR (between sets of Good Mornings) 2 x 7 reps
Good Mornings 4 x 11 x 135 lbs
These were heavy but solid. The last set I found my groove and they seemed to suddenly get really easy. I am cognizant to not bend my knees and cheat the weight up.

Hyper Deads 2 x 13 x 100 lbs
Still suck at these. I will keep at them. Maybe drop the weight to 80 lbs next week and do an extra set for a few weeks.
Side Bends 2 x 11
Doing these right at the end in a slow and controlled manner really seem to have a certain fun suck factor to them.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

07 Feb 2015 - ...And Knowing is Half the battle

07 Feb
0855 hrs

Back Extensions 1 x 21
ITWY 1 x 13 x 5 lbs
GHR 1 x 23 (Medium tempo)
Prowler 10 x 20 m x 90 lbs (1 min rest)
Head Harness 2 x 17 x 50 lbs KB
Oly Bar Leg Massage 20 min
Sauna 40 min

Had to get my second Prowler session in for the week. A little breathing hard, blood circulating, and sweat. Wake me up on Saturday morning. Rolling out my left Quad relieved the stiff and tightness i have had for a few days. Also seemed to get the hip flexors to relax without directly smashing them. This just means I don't strut and swagger around like Stone Steve Austin for a few hours. Funny thing is I ran with the Prowler and had no issues ( I did a trial run if I had to roll before or if I could wait till after when things were warm.)

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

6 Feb 2015 -Intensity, Passion, and Rage...introsection

06 Feb 
1315 hrs
My Hip acted up last night so sleep ended up being a little restless. So know I had an opportunity to train in the early afternoon I decided to grab an extra hour of sleep and a large breakfast of Bacon and Fresh Eggs (taking care of neighbor's chickens for a few days)

Scarecrows 2 x 9 x Red EFS Bands
Banded Shoulder Series 2 x 9 x Red EFS Bands
OH Press 
1 x 23 x Bar
1 x 5 x 60
1 x 5 x 80
1 x 5 x 90
1 x 5 x 100
1 x 5 x 115
1 x 5 x 130
All the reps were dead stop at the bottom. No issues getting the bar moving. Weight feels heavy but moves very smooth.

Pull Ups
6 x 10
4 x 5
I did not check my notes from last week. This was a massive jump from last week. I decided today to extend the 30 min time limit a little. I want to work to 10 sets x 10 reps and then I will start cutting time back down to 30 min. With that being said I completed the 6 sets of 10 in 20 min. The last 4 sets of 5 reps took under 15 min. So I am not stretching things out too far off the time limit.

Wide Bar Rear Delt Rows 4 x 20 x 75 lbs
OH Rope Extensions 
1 x 20 x 120 (felt a touch heavy today)
3 x 20 x 105 (soldi weight and got a tricep pump right at the elbow,perfect)
Rope Cable Curls 
1 Drop set consisting of:
1 x 15,15,15,15,20 x 110,90,70,50,30 lbs
Solid Bicep Pump.
ITWY 1 x 13 x 5 lbs

Minimal aggravations at work today,or at least i remembered to breathe, smile and refocus the un-channeled energy.  It stead i felt like I was riding an endorphin dump most of the day. Stress and your body's reaction to it is not bad for you if you can keep it in check and focus it. Not always easy to do but after this week if this is how I am going to organically react to things for the next little while I need to keep things in check.
I have been thinking about my reactions to things this week. It has been a long time since I have been shooting from the hip this much and raging like the Hulk so often. I think I have an idea where it stems from so I will look at it and find perspective.
Being intense, passionate, and emotionally invested (quick to anger,quick to vent, quick t settle back down) is who I am. I learned a long time ago that this is who I am, it is hard for some people to handle, I do need to mind my audience at times, and left unchecked those three strong characteristics lead to exhaustion and some other negative things.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

04 /05 Feb 2015 - Focused Anger

04 Feb
1158

Swimming - Alternating Flutter Board w/Front crawl wearing Fins
20 min

I had someone talk to me about 10 min before leaving for the pool. This person I spoke to was enduring and dealing with a situation that made my blood BOIL. People need to be empathetic to others plight sometimes, especially when they have already been informed to stay the FUCK out of people's business.
So this swim was much faster than usual. I pushed the pace until I thought I was going to vomit a few times. I came out of the pool refreshed and with a slightly calmer mindset.

05 Feb
0555 hrs
I was due to be at a work Breakfast at 0730 hrs so I a) wanted to earn my breakfast (steak and eggs), and B) had no time to waste. Rest during the RDL's was time spent swapping plates, which were sitting at the side of the squat rack. (remember: I cannot bend over to pick the bar up safely some days)

RDL 
1 x 21 x Bar
1 x 11 x 95
1 x 5 x 120
1 x 5 x 145
1 x 5 x 155
1 x 5 x 185
1 x 5 x 205
GHR (done throughout the session) 3 x 11

Shrugs
1 x 21 x 135
1 x 21 x 225 (no straps)
5 x 9 x 315 (1 min rest)
the shrugs were killer with the shortened rest throughout the session. GHR was tossed in hear and there. Those reps were done for FAST. RDL's felt solid. 205 felt a little heavy in my hands but my movement was still fluid and smooth

1158 hrs
6 Hrs Post Trg Conditioning

Prowler
2 x 20 m x 90
2 x 20 m x 180
2 x 12 m x 270
4 x 12 m x 360
GHR 1 x 13
From beginning to end this was 20 min. very solid, hard breathing session.

Notes from Physio: 
my 3 week visit to check in, this was post trg and pre-prowler. Needled the leg and did some pulling on the hip to give my socket some room. This was just in time. Happy I can go three weeks before I need to see her. It was a much needed treatment to day

Notes From hospital: After Lunch I went back to the hospital and talked to the nicelady who does admin for Doctor referrals to Surgeons. She did speak very highly of my surgeon (her own mom saw him for hip surgery). He does not do little cases he sends those to a different ortho. the majority of his patients are over 60. So not sure what that says  about me.
But I was told to expect to wait up to a yr to see him. Which yes sucks. A LOT. The huge upside is that after I do see him my surgery wait time will be minimal like only a few weeks. So Bad and Good but at least now I know why the lack of any news.
This now means i will start working on an even longer term plan and not just with my training. I will really get the ball rolling and stop slow down when the surgery comes.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

03 Feb 2015- The world is a f*cked up place and some people just need a Killing....

03 Feb
0610 hrs
Other shit in the world and in the news has really set me off. Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day when the sun comes up.

Chest Supported Rear Delt Rows  3 x 20 x 30 lbs
Bench 
1 x 21 x Bar
1 x 5 x 85
1 x 5 x 105
1 x 5 x 125
1 x 5 x 135
1 x 5 x 155
1 x 5 x 175
All Reps done as fast and explosive of the chest.
Neck Crunch (done from start to finish) 5 x 25 x 25 lbs

Moons Out, Goons Out.

KB Bench 
1 x 2min x 35 lbs
1 x 1 min x 35 lbs dropped weight to 1 x 1 min x 25 lbs
This happened very organically. The plan said 2 sets with 40 lbs. I could not find the second 40 lbs DB. Switched to KB's. I will drop the weight to 20 lbs next week and keep it in rotation for the next 3 weeks. Using the KB's will reinforce the grip I need for bench, stress my deltoids in a new (beneficial) movement pattern, and after 20 reps I could feel my upper back being challenged in a good way. 3 reasons to keep the movement for a few weeks. Reps i tried to do in a very metronome like fashion throughout. Steady and controlled.

May those in the fight against ISIS tonight be safe and Punish those who would commit further Evil

MTN Dog Rows
1 x 11 x 75
1 x 9 x 75
1 x 31 x 45 lbs
The bar is in a landmine "device". Gripping the end of the bar (super wide grip for my small girl hands). I slowed the tempo down slightly on these this week, especially in comparison to the Db Rows I had been doing. I think dropping to 60 lbs will be a solid weight for these. I want a rep range of 15-20.

Face Pulls 100 reps x Orange EFS Medium Band
OH Tricep Extension 100 x Orange EFS Medium Band
back and forth at a steady pace until the reps were completed in as fewest sets required. This is all about blood flow and pumpitude.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

02 Feb 2015 -Keep your eyes open....

02 Feb
0655 hrs
Weather is winter today. Snowing, blowing, cold,and disruptive. No big deal. Still made it to the gym at a reasonable hour. The best surprise was when I finished Work said don't come in, go home. So an extra day to rest, eat, and recover. This does mean I will not swim at lunch. I am counting the shoveling and the snow shoes wood carrying as my conditioning for the day. It was about 40 min of messing around outside in the -20 degree weather.

Warm Up:
GHR 2 x 11
Banded Side Steps 2 x 20+ reps x Black EFS Band
Forget the Head Harness at home so I will do them Wednesday morning.

SSB Box Squats
2 x 21 x Bar (Black around Knees -both sets)
1 x 5 x 145
1 x 5 x 180
1 x 5 x 215
1 x 5 x 235
1 x 5 x 275
1 x 5 x 305
4 x 10 x 235
Squats moved well today. Once again when I walked out on my heaviest set it felt like I had forgot what I was doing. I took a second let the bar settle for about 5 -8 seconds and then I completed the reps. It seemed to have sorted the problem of "squat amnesia". 4 sets of ten felt good, 1 min rest between sets. I really focused on not resting on the box at all. My hips felt tight today and arching was difficult but I did not feel like i had to shut it down in fear of hurting my back. Strange because I got both my glutes to fire well in the warm up. My Abs feel strong and I able to stay really tight through my lats and whole upper back.
Good Mornings 4 x 11 x 125 lbs
This will go up to 135 next week for sure. This feels better every time out which is encouraging.

Hyper Deads with Steve Pulcinella, Owner of Iron Sport Gym. Go Check it out. 

Hyper Deads 2 x 13 x 100 lbs
I really need to up my game on these. Found a weakness to be exploited, it this exercise.
Side Bends 2 x 13
Alternated between side bends and Hyper Deads. Not trying to kill it, more of a relaxed back and forth. But I was still done all 4 sets in less than 5 min. This was a good supplemental exercise series. Just enough to feel like work but not burning myself out completely before leaving. That is to say I am not spent, but I am leaving feeling energetic which is the key.

The Way Ahead: So for the rest of this month and halfway into February this is what my training will look like. Mid-March I will switch things up a little. I will figure out some rep Maxes on a few other exercises so that come April some of my main exercises will change. April will also bring a more conditioning orientated template. The Conditioning focus will go into July when I will change focus again. This is all dependent on if /when I have surgery. My Surgery Date if sooner than expected will alter my focus, but really that should be a no brainer and I will adjust fire when I need to but not before then.

Managing Angry Moments:
I ended up having one of those discussions with a co-worker as I was leaving the gym today. The type of conversation that boils my blood.
Part of the reason I enjoy getting the gym between 0530 hrs and 0600 hrs during the week day has a lot to do with the amount of people in the gym and the prevailing mentality of those around me.
The Majority of people who get up stupid early to train /exercise early before work is because it is a priority and they care about their health and their physical fitness.
The worst i have to put up with are  the fat and weak lazy university kids who are being put through a forced PT Program so they can pass their annual PT test. I have been around hundreds of these kids over the past few years. They on average don't bother me and their moaning and whining I can ignore at this point.They simply don't get it and don't have enough life skills to understand what they are being given. Not making excuses for them. Just the reality and I don't want to waste energy on something that is not under my control. (there was a time i wanted to scream and throat punch all of them and do have days like that from time to time.)

Yes this is what the field house reminds me of some mornings. 

But this morning I was reminded why I don't like to train past 0730 hrs.
 THE WALKERS. THE-FU-KING-WALKERS. No I am not talking about the cool Zombie show on AMC. I am talking about people (late 20's to mid 40's) who are given an hour a day to stay in shape and take care of themselves. They typically waste the hour walking if someone is not telling what to do. I understand, some people are injured and are limited. I had friends be injured, seriously injured and still did not result to walking as there exercise unless medically restricted to do so.
 I simply do not get their mental state as to why let themselves die one day at a time and are content with the way things are. We are born small, defenseless, and weak. We will typically die some in a similar fashion if we live long enough.
 I know it is winter, so fucking what? Put some winter clothes on or do something else for exercise, something that actually is exercise. It is allotted time for you because it is IMPORTANT that you be physically fit.
Ok I feel less murderess. Thanks for reading.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

01 Feb 2015 -The impending tide of evil must be dealt with...

30 Jan 
1240 hrs
Weather was bad so I slept in a little, had a big Bfast of Eggs and Bacon then made my way to work. So I pushed trg to lunchtime /afternoon.

GHR 3 x 7
Banded Side Step 2 x 20+ reps x Black EFS Band
Single Leg Bridge 2 x 20

RDL (Snatch Grip)
1 x 21 x Bar
1 x 5 x 90
1 x 5 x 115
1 x 5 x 140
1 x 5 x 170
1 x 3 x 195
1 x 1 x 220
5 x 10 x 150
Smooth and strong. Keeping upper back tight through out and keeping the abs involve which keeps the low back out of the movement as it should be. These are feeling a lot better than when I first started doing them a month or so ago

Shrugs 
1 x 21 x 135
1 x 13 x 225
1 x 11 x 315
3 x 9 x 315
1 x 11 x 315
No rhyme or reason for the rep pattern. I do prefer sets of 9 with the Shrugs I guess. Grip with 225 is getting better. Still using straps and no belt with the 315.
Horizontal Shrugs (widest grip possible) 3 x 20 x 45 lbs
Did the horizontal shrug to see if i could open things a little bit in my shoulders and shoulder blades. I have been finding that doing shrugs is part of the contributor for the bicep tendon problems i am having. Getting this stuff figured out to stay healthy.

31 Jan 
1740 hrs
A good friend was moving out of an apartment into his very first house. So I volunteered my strong back and weak mind for the task.

Banded Shoulder series 2 x 13 x Red EFS Bands
Scarecrows 2 x 13 x Red EFS Bands
OH Press
2 x 17 x Bar
1 x 5 x 60
1 x 5 x 75
1 x 5 x 90
1 x 5 x 110
1 x 3 x 125
1 x 1 x 140
1 x 17 x 110 (AMRAP - When i racked the bar my upper back started to cramp and spasm for a few seconds, great feeling)
Overall all sets felt smooth and strong. The pace was quick. I cycled between pull downs and OH Press with little to no rest. Similar to when I am doing Pull Ups. I was not running between the Pull down machine and the squat cage but i was not sauntering around either.

Medium Neutral Grip Pulldowns (total time 20 min)
1 x 5 x 195
9 x 5 x 205 (stacked it with the extra 5 lbs sliders)
So i will be switching to the other pull down session. All sets were smooth and strong. Full Range with an upper chest touch. This was worked out exactly what I wanted to finish the week. I did not want to do another full Pull Up session and this was the Lat /Pulling motion I needed. Managing work volume and the bicep Tendon. As I sit here and type this it was a good decision.
Wide Bar Rear Delt Rows 3 x 20 x 80
Wide V-Bar Pull Downs 3 x 17 x 80
ITWY's 2 x 11 x 5 lbs

Hoist the Jolly Roger, take the devil to the doorstep of those that will bring evil to our doorstep. 

Rope Hammer Curls (Drop set) 
1 x 20,20,20,20,20 x 95,80,60,40,25
MASSIVE Bicep Pump from this. Again just changing things
Prowler 6 x 20 m x 90 lbs
First 3 repeats I only took 30 sec rest. Last 3 I extended it to 1 min. The idea was to keep my sprint speed up. On the last repeat my hip felt a little angry. I did some Bench hip extensions and single leg hip bridges and it seemed to reset things. I then went and sat in the sauna for 30 min.

01 Feb 
1400 hrs
I took the dog for a 40 min walk out in the cold. I strapped on the snow shoes and trudged around while Mayor dog had a blast playing in the snow. I do want to get out for a walk on the river this week sometime. Lots of dead animal flesh in preparation for Squats tomorrow.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)