8 Jan 2013- 'Cause I see the storm getting closer...

Rolled out of bed. Prepped for another great day. Another gift to be to seized  Another day to be pissed off for greatness. Grabbed my bottle of Hot Pink because i realized that half my body was stiff and pretty damn sore all over.

For whatever ails you. Yes this is Horse Liniment.
Available here:
AVAILABLE HERE!

Slugged back half a Low Carb Monster and then my ride showed up for the gym. Fired up and ready to see if i could get my heart to pop.
I warmed up with the PROWLER and just kept going. I would stop for about 1 min in between laps to stretch the calves. The young uni students doing there morning PT were wary of me because i was not stopping for anything except O2.

PROWLER
Lap 1 - No Weight
Lap 2 - 20 lbs
Lap 3 - 20 lbs
Lap 4 - 50 lbs (stopped to breathe at 120 m, 150 m, 170 m)
Lap 5 - No Weight
(remember each lap is 220 m) This is the most laps i have done post surgery. I will be running with this thing in a few short weeks. For now still large, long steps. I will say this sucked pretty hard in a good way. My Knee held up and felt pretty solid. Try lunges again tomorrow.

Circuit
Push Ups 6 x 15
Bosu Sit Ups 6 x 15
Physio Ball Leg Curls 3 x 5, 1 x 8, 1 x 7
Battle Ropes 3 x 20 sec (alternating arms as fast as possible)
Quad sets 3 x 10

The leg curls started out shaky but locked in after 3 sets so i stretched them out. The goal is 1 x 30. It is coming quickly. Again i pushed the pace but nothing crazy.

45 Deg side Bends 2 x 15
45 Deg Back Ext 2 x 15
Rev Hyper 2 x 15
Leg Raises 2 x 15
Dips 1 x 15
Red Band Pull-A-parts 3 x 30
Head Harness 5 x 25 x 25 lbs
Narrow Stance Box Squat 10, 15, 15
Wide Stance Box Squat 3 x 10
Single Leg Calf raises (L & R) 30, 20, 15, 15
Face Pull 4 x 20 x 100 lbs
ADduction /ABduction Machine 1 x 40 /40 x 85 lbs /175 lbs

More Box Squats of both Varieties i decided today i am starting to get complacent with these. They are getting easy. Too easy. So more volume for now. Been working on my balance, eyes closed for almost half a minute. the standard is 1 min eyes closed and then i get to progress to the foam pad.

Mind, Body, Spirit, feed it all-Ray Lewis

Gym was a damn apocalypse this morning. Getting in early has been the key. A few more days and things should be back to normal. Everyone will stop feeling so guilty and trying to do hrs of cardio to lose holiday pounds.
I was thinking about this the other day. I don't hate these people or wish evil on them. But really this month is no different than any other. They need to find the real self discipline and motivation within themselves and then the time of yr would not matter. You can stop or fail in this moment but if you start again in the next that is what counts. Keep Moving forward. Keep things consistent.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

7 Jan 2013 -Shoot to thrill, play to kill

Up very early this morning and only going to get earlier tomorrow, which i love. Shooting to be in the gym by 6 am tomorrow. I should also be good to push the PROWLER but more on that in a bit. Today was the first day back for everyone to work. So all those people who i have not seen for the past month at all showed up today. Glorious. A lot of them there early to do "extra" working out. Most will fall off in a few days in favour of more sleep. Apparently after work the gym is even worse. Even the Field House track looks like a scene from the walking dead.

Even later this morning the track looked something like this. way to over crowded.

But none the less because i was there early i established dominance on a Power Cage and went to work.
Warm Up :
45 Deg Back Ext /45 Deg Side bends /Push Ups /Leg raises /Rev Hypers 2 x 15
Dips 1 x 15 /Red Band Pull-A-parts 2 x 25

FLOOR PRESS
2 x 5 x Bar
1 x 5 x 95
1 x 5 x 115
1 x 3 x 135
1 x 3 x 160
1 x 3 x 180
1 x 8 x 205
3 x 5 x 155
Machine Rows
3 x 15 x 170 lbs (one more week with this weight)
Fat Man Rows (FMR)
1 x 13 x 105
1 x 12 x 105
1 x 12 x 105

Floor Press felt very solid. all the extra curricular back /delt work is paying off. The weight is feeling light but the more important thing i have my upper body locked in TIGHT. Machine Rows felt solid but i want more week before increasing 5 lbs. Who knows next week i might just change my mind. The Fat Man Rows seemed to fall apart today around the 10 rep mark, i could have gotten 15 on all these sets but it would have been Fugly to say the least. That isn't the point of assistance work in my mind. Floor Press was the important thing and it ripped off to the percentages just as planned.

Super set
Black band Face Pulls 4 x 35
Spider wall walks w/orange mini band  4 sets to failure

Calf Raises (bent-straight) 2 x 20 /20
Rev Calf Raises 2 x 20

Every day a little closer to being able to wield the Mjolnir.

That is it that's all. No rehab today after yesterdays scar scenario i shut it all down. Knee was feeling off anyhow. I had to concentrate to walk properly. I stopped by Physio and got in right away. The PT poked around it and tested it. It was exactly as i thought. Scar tissue had popped out on the lower lateral side of my Patella. Got some TEMS to heat it up and then she massaged the patella and around the knee. Felt like a few hundred bucks afterwards (i still have a ways to go before i feel like i have a million dollar knee).

So back at the rehab exercises in full force tomorrow. Tonight i am stretching and just letting it rest. Some other exciting stuff coming out of rehab on Friday. More balance work. The balance work leads to running!
Running Leads to Sprinting. Sprinting leads to Hill Sprints. Not to mention running with the Prowler is fearsome.
She did tell me i am cool to run in the pool and it will help speed things up. So i have to stop fucking around and get my ass in the pool already. i could make a dozen excuses but really i just need to get in the fucking pool. Ok enough already.

No rants today despite the stupid business of the gym. I stayed focused and there was too much random stuff going on for anyone person's random idiocy to stand out i guess. Off to drink some bullet proof and hit the hay. Up at 0430 tomorrow.

KEEP MOVING FORWARD, KEEP GETTING STRONG(ER)

6 Jan 2013-The unmistakable fire...

A friend of mine asked me the other day when the Rocky Montague started. I said it started when i got up off the mat in July. Felt great going into the gym this morning. Got to the gym and had to alter plans. The Field house was booked for some Walk /Run event so no Prowler pushing today. Went with some longer time on the Treadmill.

Treadmill  20 min /Max Incline
0-2.5 min Lvl 2.5
2.5-7.5 min Lvl 3.0
7.5-12.5 min Lvl 3.5
12.5-20 min Lvl 4.0
This felt pretty solid. A little challenging, definitely made me sweat buckets. not quite as much fun as the Prowler though.

Push Ups /Rev Hyper /45 Deg Back Ext /45 Deg Side bends /Leg Raises 2 x 15
Red Band Pull-A-parts 2 x 25
Head Harness 5 x 20 x 25 lbs
Rev Calf Raises 3 x 15
Narrow Box Squat 3 x 10
Wide Box Squat 3 x 10

Went through all of this in my normal quick fashion. The Wide Stance Box Squats i figured out to today. No Patella discomfort when i focused on driving my knees out. So it was a technical issue for the most part. No issues after that.

The gym was starting to look like this when i left this morning.

Superset
Face Pull 3 x 20 x 95 lbs
Horizontal Shrug 3 x 20 x 45 lbs

This was tougher than it looks on paper. I took almost no rest at all, it did Feel really good. Traps are good and pumped up now. Also i very lightly strained my Rhomboid the other day doing horizontal shrugs so this was a test to see how it felt and also to flush it out with some blood.

Rear Delt Destroyer 1 x 60 /30 /12 x 40lbs /20lbs /10 lbs
(Starting to dread doing these now which means i have them locked in.)
Straight Bar Cable Curl  (Double cable machine w/ rubber handled straight bar)
3 x 20 x 80
1 x  15 /10 /12 x 95 lbs /80 lbs /60 lbs
Tricep Rope Pressdown
1 x 20 x 110
2 x 15 x 110
Forgot to pack my Fat Gripz last night so i had to shift things a wee bit for my Bicep /Tricep work.
Hip Heist 1 x 20 (L & R) (These make me sing "Legs" by ZZ Top in my Head)
Calf Raises Single Leg (L & R) 3 x 15
Step Up /Lower 2 x 10 /10
Lunges
*2 x 5 Left Leg*
1 x 10 Right Leg
Calf Raises (bent /straight) 2 x 15 /15
ADduction /ABduction Machine 1 x 40 /40 x 85 lbs /175 lbs

Ok so the Lunges are highlighted because something wonderful happened. Scar tissue on the lateral side of my patella gently tore free. Wonderful slow hot razor blade feeling. First set everything was good until rep 4 when mild (2 out of 10) pain started. I was doing the Lunges with my Recovering leg as the support leg in a slow controlled manner. I can only guess if i was blasting through these how wonderful the pain would have been. I waited 30 sec and the pain subsided. Did a set Using the Recovering leg as the active leg, no issues.

So i thought it might have been good to go. Did a set of Calf raises and then tried a Quad stretch for 2 min but i couldn't quite stretch the spot where the stiffness /pain radiated from. The pain subsided so i went back to do another set of 5. This time the pain started on rep 2 so i really slowed down and took weight off with my hands ( i do these with support still) and tried to stretch the quad a little. This may seem insane but the pain was low level and i was trying more to figure out exactly where it radiated from. I did finish the set under intense control.

I tried some steps up with a slow lower. Sure enough on the slow lowering portion the pain was there. It does not hurt to walk but i can feel a stiffness on just that side of my patella. Initially i thought my Patella was not tracking properly, as this has been a concern of my PT since i started with her. But my patella has a lot of ROM and doesn't hurt to push it around. I will call and get into see my PT hopefully tomorrow some time. Taking it easy the rest of today (Ice and Massaging the Knee, maybe some stretching).

This is all simply apart of the process. I expected it and i have it well in hand to deal with it.

As always....

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

5 Jan 2013 -The vision never dies

A little Ronnie James Dio in your life is never a bad thing. 

Everything felt and still feels pretty good today. Still swelling in the knee. That will be there for weeks and months to come. But my ROM is still feeling better. I decided to get back to a pre-surgery Saturday morning or something close to it. 

Bike

5 min 85 rpm 6 rpe

CHI - 12 min 100 rpm 8 rpe

3 min 90 rpm 5 rpe

The break down on this is simple. 5 min to get the legs warm and loose. The Spin bike is completely qualitative in the fact that you cannot measure the tension. So i use avg rpm's to measure how hard i am working. The bonus of this is also if i am having a bad day strength-wise i can still get a solid session in without hurting myself.
Today was my first Continuous high Intensity (CHI) session since the surgery. It felt extremely good. why 12 min? totally arbitrary. Around the 6 min mark i felt like dirt and wanted to get off but i dug in and kept going. 

Simply Awesome

I was doing a CHI and an INT Bike session once a week each before surgery because i couldn't run and at the time swimming more than 2 times a week was trashing my shoulders. I will add tension until i am averaging 100 rpm and then i keep it there. If  i notice i am starting to speed up then i add tension, if i slow down then I release a little tension until i am back at 100 rpm.

Every Two weeks i will add one minute until i hit 20 min then after that things will get altered into 2 x 12 min sessions. But that is getting ahead of myself. Since everything held up so well i will increase the rpm's slightly to 105 next week. Realize that number is an avg too by the way (+/- 3 rpm)

Not sure when i will insert ab INT (interval) Session but probably soon as well. Makes me feel like things are become semi-normal, at least to pre-surgery levels for the normalcy level. 

Push Ups 6 x 15

Physio Ball Leg Curls 6 x 5

Bosu ball Sit-up 6 x 15

not really a strict giant set but i rotated between these three bodyweight exercises until the sets /reps completed. Push Ups felt great, movement quality has improved drastically the last few days. i will be working these back up. The leg curls are of course one of my new rehab exercises. Every set they felt better. I stuck with sets of 5 reps to make sure they were quality. My other option is Banded Leg curls. (I prefer these.)

45 Deg Back Ext /Side Bends 2 x 15

Rev Hyper 2 x 15

Hip Heist 2 x 20 (L & R)

Step Up /Lower Down 3 x 10/10

Lunges 1 x 10 (L & R)

Orange band Press downs  30, 30, 20, 20, 20

Black Band Face Pulls 20, 30, 30

Red Band Pull-A-parts 30, 30, 25

This stuff was all done in around the cage in a circuit fashion. Just a matter of getting stuff done quickly. At least my recovery is staying high. The Step Ups with a slow lower down feel great. Already the Lunges and walking stairs in general feel better. The Issue like i mentioned yesterday is the Patella tendon major. Lower from the step seems to be working the muscle and tendon in a good way. From here on out unless i specify the step is 12" high. 

Super set

Narrow Box Squat 3 x 10

Rear Delt Laterals 2 x 20 x 10 lbs, *1 x 15 x 15lbs

Super Set 

Wide Stance Box Squats 3 x 10

Rear Delt lateral  3 x 15 x 15 lbs

*Some guy as old as Yoda asked for the 10 lbs Db's so i gladly gave them up. 

ADduction /ABduction Machine 1 x 40 /40 x 80 /175

I have been keeping the pace pretty high and super setting everything not because i want to be a cool cardio guru. But to get through this level of volume in a reasonable amount of time i am forced to. My energy levels are holding steady because the weights are low. Bodyweight stuff if done correctly can be done daily. The last set of Wide Stance Box squats my patella felt a little tender but no sharp pains and the tenderness dissipated quickly. I generally massage my knee several times a day to keep blood flow as well as the aches and tightness of the healing process at bay. On the really fun days i break out the horse Liniment. i have also noticed i have come up with multiple ways to describe my Knee because there has been no pain since 10 days post surgery. But there has been gummy-ness, tension, stiffness, tenderness, tingling, shots of lightening, loss of sensation, jelly-on-sandpaper, tightness, etc. 

10 Dec 2011 -UF Push Pull Meet

I have been searching and when i get registered i will confirm it. 

I will just say that A Platform is in my future. The Fire is burning, now just to fan the flames.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

4 Jan 2013-I Can Hear The Crazy

Snowed last night, melted this morning. That is good news so I am not stumbling around in snow drifts. If it was summer today would be my last day in the SCSA Bionic Knee Brace. But with the weather being what it is and ly leg unable to handle the unexpected just yet. A sh*t ton of volume this morning, but i blasted through it in 2 hrs.

Yes, when i originally was choosing my Knee Brace i said i want the Stone Cold Steve Austin one. LOL!

Warm Up:
Treadmill 10 min /Max Incline
0-1.5 min Lvl 2.0
1.5-2.5 min Lvl 2.5
2.5-3.5 min Lvl 3.0
3.5-5 min Lvl 3.5
5-10 min Lvl 4.0
Push Ups 1 x 30 (this is a big mile stone, the screw didn't feel at all irritated until about rep 28. Makes me excited i should be getting back to multiple sets of 20+ reps soon.)
Band Pull-A-parts 1 x 15
Leg Raises 2 x 15
Rev Hypers 2 x 10

Dynamic Bench
3 x 5 x Bar(ng)
1 x 3 x 95 (ng)
1 x 3 x 115(ng)
2 x 3 x 135 (ng)
2 x 3 x 135 (mg)
4 x 3 x 135 (wg)
This felt a million times better. My set up was on, able to engage my back, and had a hard snap off the chest.
(ng=narrow grip, mg=medium grip, wg=wide grip)

Pull Ups (in between sets of everything until they were completed, total time for all 10 sets 60 min)
10 x 7
Dips 3 x 5
Back Ext 2 x 15
Neutral Db Bench
1 x 10 x 60
1 x 8 x 65
3 x 8 x 70 (i will do this weight again next week but do sets of 10)
Seated Black Band Face Pulls 1 x 50
Horizontal Shrugs 5 x 10 x 75 (i will add another 5 lbs next week)
Black Band Tricep Pressdown 5 sets 50,35,30,40,40
ADduction /ABduction machine 1 x 40 /40 x 80 lbs /155 lbs
Single leg calf raises (*NEW FROM PHYSIO*) 2 x 10 (L & R)
Hip Heist (*NEW FROM PHYSIO*) 1 x 20 (L & R)
Lunges 1 x 10 (L & R)
Calf Raises (bent /straight leg) 3 x 15-20
Rev Calf Raises 3 x 10-15
Step Up /Down (Right Leg Only for each) (*New*) 3 x 10 (8" step) /1 x 10 (12" step)
Box Squat (narrow /wide) 1 x 10 /10

So a few new exercises thrown in today. I still have some other stuff to get done tonight. I got all my work done last night as expected. The above stuff i moved through fairly quickly and Supersetted most of it to save time i just don't feel like being that precise /anal. Knee feels alot less "gummy" probably because it snowed and it is not supposed to snow for a few more days. Yay a weather knee and foot both on the right side. The Hip heist feels uber lame but i need to do it for now. The step ups i do with one leg and then lower myself slowly on that same leg. For me to step down the Patella major tendon is still feeling strange (same problem i have with lunges)

News From Physio Yesterday: 
As you guessed MORE exercises to do. In a few weeks alot of this will fall off. it is preventative so i when do start the real strength training with progressive loads my body works right.
Extension with my knee is 5 degrees away from being back to normal which is FUCKING HUGE!
Active Contraction my Knee is in the 120 degree range and when passively pushed in i can hit 130 degrees.
For contraction 140 degrees is my normal ROM for my left leg.
The big for contraction right now is the quality of the movement. Still swelling in the joint but it is dissipating.

Because i know someone who will like this pic

Managing Angry Moments:

So i have seen a few of the facility training staff in the gym over the holidays. Which is good because it is their  job to be in as good a shape as me if not better. Well i saw two of them today and i was not impressed. These two are supposed to push and motivate me? One was in the weight room and did anything but touch a fucking Db or barbell. Oh and she would dance, like club dance in between sets. Um yeah.
The other one blended in with the rest of the Resolutioners by simply getting on an elliptical and doing "cardio" for about an hour. I cannot wait until i am cleared, there is going to be some goading and challenging  on the horizon. This fucking injury is going to have me "on the shelf" for close to a year, i don't seem to be learning humility. Instead i am pacing in my mind and letting the rage and frustration build at all the fucktards too afraid to try, to afraid to push themselves.
Sorry for whining and ranting about this. but like i have said before Training is a part of my job. I treat it as such. I am usually a goddamn predator when i am training. Especially when the intensity level gets raised. I don't whine and cry. I DIG IN, and feed off the crying, bitching and moaning going on around me. I may not win the race, the game, the event but i will make you work for it.

Trying to make my heart Burst tomorrow morning.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

3 Jan 2013 -Tell me what you came for...

Early morning session. Close to 12 hrs between sessions. A short fast session this morning i have Physio later this morning.

The Treadmill!

Warm Up:
Treadmill 10 min /Max Incline
0- 2.5 min Lvl 2.5
2.5-10 min Lvl 3.0
Getting the work in nothing more.

PROWLER 
Lap 1 x 20 lbs
Lap 2 x 30 lbs (stopped 1 x)
Lap 3 x 0 lbs
Lap 4 x 50 lbs (stopped 2 x)

Very little rest between laps 1 -2 min, no more. De-loaded on the third lap to push the pace. Still Long strides but move the feet a little faster. Also took the burn out of my calves and moved it to my hamstrings. Last lap felt pretty solid. This is feeling better and making me feel better. Prowler work makes my lungs work and gives me the sense i am headed in the right direction. The key will be in managing it.

Red Band Pull-a-parts 3 x 20
Push Ups (w/ Red Band) 3 x 10
Leg Raises 3 x 10
Dips 3 x 5
Rev Hyper 3 x 10
Black Band Face Pull 1 x 50
45 Deg Back Ext 2 x 15
45 Deg Side Bends 2 x 15
I-T-W-Y's 1 x 10-10-10-10 x 10 lbs

Whatever i don't get done at Physio today i will do this afternoon.
Tonight's Plan:

Neck Harness 5 x 15 x 20 lbs
Narrow Stance Box Squat 3 x 10
Wide Stance Box Squat 3 x 10
Lunge R 10 /L 10
Knee Bends 5 x 10
Quad Sets 5 x 5

Lots of massage work and stretching also. Knuckle up because shit is starting to get real. I am gaining momentum and like a Rhino i will start trampling the slow, the fat, and the weak.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)

2 Jan 2013- There is blood in the air...

Medium heavy session tonight to get some Delt work in but nothing too insane as i have Pull Ups /Dynamic Bench Scheduled for Friday.
The craziness has not started quite yet. The College kids are sliding back in and will be in the gym fully by the weekend i figure.

Can anyone explain how this is a warm up for bench pressing? I saw it 4 times tonight.

Warm Up:
Treadmill 10 min /Max Incline:
0-2.5 min Lvl 2.5
2.5 -5 min Lvl 3.5
5 - 10 min Lvl 4.0
Switched this up a little tonight to push the pace and see how it feels. I will be doing another treadmill experiment on Saturday to simple push the volume up on this a little bit. The one i did notice tonight is my feet hurt which is strange i know but i think i may have it figured out why. Tight calves and Achilles  I haven't released my Achilles /Calves in awhile with the Lax ball. So that will be on the to do list in the short term.
The Following i simply blasted through in no particular order until it was done:

45 Deg Back Ext /45 Deg Side bends /Rev Hypers /Leg Raises /Push Ups 3 x 10
Narrow Box Squat 3 x 10
Wide Box Squat  3 x 10
Red band Pull-A-Parts 3 x 15
Black Band Face Pull 1 x 30

Seated OH Press 
3 x 10 x Bar
1 x 5 x 65
1 x 5 x 85
5 x 5 x 95
Db OH Press 1 x 30/20/10 x 30 lbs /20 lbs /10 lbs

Superset
Horizontal Shrug (no chains or anything like the video)
2 x 10 x 100
3 x 10 x 90
Tricep V-Bar Push Down (double pulley machine)
1 x 30 x 95
1 x 20 x 80
1 x 30 x 70
1 x 20 x 70
Not a big fan of the double pulley machine because it inflates the weights used because of mechanical advantage, but it does have a higher pulley set up than than single pulley stack. But i do switch between them. Also i was simple shooting for 100 total reps with Triceps tonight.
Machine Row Single Arm 3 x 15 x 50 (blood flow work)
Oly Bar Curl 1 x 50 x Bar

PROWLER 1 Lap X 30 Lbs /1 Lap x 50 lbs (had to stop thrice with the 50lbs my Achilles /calves were on fire)

ADduction /ABduction Machine 1 x 40 /40 x 85 lbs /175 lbs
Bike 5 min /80-100 rpm /7 rpe
Lunges R 10 /L 10
Bike 5 min /90-100 rpm /7 rpe

Tomorrow is Heart rate day. Working back up to Heart Bursting type Work. Knee feels sticky or gummy today, ROM is there but just doesn't want to move smoothly at all. While i was training everything felt great, especially the bike. Glad i found the Horizontal shrugs to work with to appease my strange desire to shrug stuff. Also very Happy to discover someone broke the "Trap Machine". So many wonderful He-men throwing 3-4 plates on and not being able to shrug more than an inch for maybe 10 "reps".
The Hack Squat Machine does not appear to be returning anytime soon if ever, apparently someone completely loaded one entire side of the machine with plates (so over 600lbs on ONE SIDE) and it tipped over.
Did some introspection today and i am going to really reign in my nutrition because despite what i  thought was going on, it was really just a fucking mess. I was kidding myself. Time to dial it in and sort that shit out especially with my return to work next week.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)