Climb on

Yesterday I was feeling prett sore from the last park workout, I’m still feeling it a bit but not as bad. Laura and I had planned some light tennis but rain set in shortly after I got home from work. For a while I debated what workout I would do but after a while I decided it was a fine night to hang out.

Today, I decided to carry on with the schedule and climbed (clumb) again. It went better than expected. I was concerned my hands would be worn out and sore. They often are when I climb twice in three days. They seemed to hang in there alright.

When I was done, I purchased a harnass, so I guess this means I’m in for some legit climbing.

Laidback

Got 8 1/2 hours of sleep Tuesday night, for starters. That’s rare for me. We had been trying to watch some TV and I was doing that head dip thing, I never do that. So I slept in.

Went climbing last night. I started out ok. Warmed up well, worked through the intro problems and a few V1s, worked on my pet V2 that works some times and doesn’t others. I find the longer I work it the less likely I am to solve it. I still can’t quite figure out how to start it “technically” correct but that is ok.

I started playing around with just doing the Intro problems with twist locks and layback, a very hard thing for me to do. In both cases, you want to lean back and let the structures of the body support the weight, as I understand it. This means working with straight arms. This makes it hard to keep your grip strong, something talked about a bit by Roger of Atomic Athletic in his Strongman II DVD. I found it really hard to hang by one hand, from and easy grip, and let me arms and shoulders out then try to rotate the other arm up. It wasn’t long before I couldn’t hang from anything by my left hand.

Afterward I did a short quick hangboard workout. Laura, pound for pound, has a stronger pinch grip that I do. There are two points at the bottom outside edges of the board that she can hang from that I can not. She also managed to hang from a three finger hold on the board that I can’t. I played with one of the campus boards, not doing anything, just playing. Went down and did my rings stuff and went on my merry way.

I’m quite sore today from the sangbag and tire workout. I don’t know what today’s training will look like. I’m thinking light tire and Kettlebell. Maybe a jog. Dunno.

Technical update:Feedburner

I’m having a lot of fun playing with all the possibilities that are my blog. In that spirit, I am trying to change my RSS feed to feedburner, so if your feed breaks in the coming hours or days, please stop by the site and update your feed with: http://feeds.feedburner.com/MikesTrainingLog
I have added several analytical and tracking tools to the site. Feedburner is one of those. The idea is that as long as I have a blog out here I want to see what is getting clicks. I’m interested in publishing an honest blog for may own sake but also and interesting blog for anyone reading.

If at anytime you have a suggestion (something you would like to see or something you would like to see go away) just pop in a comment or feel free to email me. Also, I’m trying to think of a domain name but not coming up with anything. Suggestions will be heard.

PS. my tracking tools are limited to this website, I am not installing anything in your computer. I will know if you click on a link that takes you away from my site but I won’t follow you from there. I have no desire to know what you do with your computer on your personal time. I would rather not have the information that invade your privacy to get it. If anyone has questions or takes offense, feel free to comment or contact me and we’ll work it out.

Down in the park with a friend called five….

Gary Numan

So I lied, I didn’t make the climbing gym last night. I just marked it off for the week and went on. I did get yoga in yesterday.

Today

• Walk with the tire around the soccer field
• Jog with the tire around the soccer field
• Bear hug 100lbs around the soccer field, one set down
• Jog with the tire around the soccer field. I was gonna stop halfway and walk but the little kids playing soccer thought it was the coolest thing ever that I was jogging with a tire and you can’t stop when you have fans.
• One shoulder walk 100lbs around the field, one set down to switch at halfway
• Walk the tire around the soccer field
• Back carry 150lb around the soccer field, this was the best clean to the back I have ever done with this weight, it totally cleared my head without touching it
• Jog with the tire around the soccer field, by this point my jog was so slow, Laura could just barely not keep up at a fast walk.

Laura is making a nice quiche for dinner
tomorrow is the rock gym
“….I was in a car crash or was it a war
I have never been quite the same…..”

Slackin’

I haven’t done much since I got back, a few short walks, laundry, cooking, etc…
It begins tomorrow. I’ll return to training, eating right, doing what I do in general. I hope to start in the morning with yoga, I’m hoping that adjusting back from West Coast time doesn’t make that a whole lot harder than it needs to be. I’ll also be back at my eating habits, bagel, salad, whole wheat pasta, etc… although I did make some really great oatmeal cookies this weekend that will have to be dealt with. 🙂
I think I may open the week with climbing. I want to get back at it to see if my climbing experiences in Portland had any effect on my overall climbing skills and to gt ready for a little excursion in the beginning of October. Then I’ll go in for sandbags. Laura was asking me today when I was gonna go back to the gym. I haven’t really set a date but the more I thought about it, the more I thought I should probably set up three months or so (thinking Oct through Jan) but nothing is for sure there.

Home sweet home

Made it backto Baltimore fine and dandy.
Diet was crap while away. I got some Good Eats when I had time away from the convention, Sushi, Greek and the like. While at the convention that were busy stuffing us and I gave in often.
I didn’t make it to train often, I got to the climbing gym twice, once to Circuit and once to Portland Rock Gym. Circuit was a boludering only gym which has a lot of promise. The problems were tough and that was the one I walked 4 miles to get to. I think that really took it out of me. So I don’t think my climbing was at it’s best. I didn’t totally get into it. I had hoped to make time to get back there. It was only a mile to the Portland Rock gym where I also did Bouldering. I went early in the day to get in on their earlybird prices. I made a point to take my time and climb a long time. I really enjoyed that experience. Climbing the two days consecutivly and taking my time made the skin on my fingers sore.
I felt like the problems I climbed in Portland really challenged me and improved me. The line that came to mind for me was that, easier hand holds permit less than perfect bodymechanics”. If you think about it, it makes sense for lifting too. If you lift with a 2″ bar vs a 1″ bar your deadlift has to be better. Either way, I hope that solving some new problems helps me with some of the problems at my local gym.
For today, I’m mostly trying to recover from the red eye home. I’m also trying to get back to eating the food I like, whole grains, veggies, quality meats. I’m not ecxpecting much in train for today I’ll do something tomorrow but I don’t know what yet.

I’m glad to be back and looking forward to training again.

In other news, Dan Cenidoza earned his RKC certification. Congratulations to him.

Grendel’s coffee

Back in junior high and high school, my handle of choice was Grendel. so when I walked past Grendel’s Coffee House as I was making my way to the Portland Rock Gym, I had to stop in. i ordered a mocha which turned out great and a turkey sandwich that has the strongest horseradish sauce on it I have ever had. It is awesome.
Anyway, blew dietary guidelines out of the water yesterday but in penance Iwalked 4 miles in 90 minutes to find th Cricuit Bouldering gym. By the time I got there, I was wore out. I tired to climb for an hour with mixed luck. It seems that the problems were even tougher than the new ones in Baltimore. It seems that the climbers out here are much more technical. Poor footwork and technique will stop you on even Intro problems. I was impressed. If I can manage the time I will go back later tomorrow but it seems unlikely. Either way, I have expanded my climbing horizons by doing it.

Time for me to fly..

Who  was that? REO Speedwagon?

Yesterday I played some tennis. I meant to get more in but it just wasn’t doable. I didn’t quite feel up to sandbags. Kettlebells or a jog would have been good but I was trying to get ready for today. That inclduded: laundry, packing, printing, cleaning and so on.
Today, I seriously doubt I will get to do much of anything. I’ll be on a plane all day. While I’m gone, blogging and traning will be spotty at best.

What I ate:
Waffles (2), bacon (3), 1 coffee, 1 Starbucks Carmel macchiato (220 calories according to Starbucks.com), homade chicken tenders (about on breast worth, fried in high temp olive oil, whole wheat breading), 2 slices whole wheat toast.
right now, coffee (2 glasses), package of flavored oatmeal (1), I may do some toast too. Who knows after that.
btw, I have been down about 2.5 lbs most of this week. I’m sure this coming week will goof it up for me but it will be interesting when I return to see if I can continue this trend or if it drops the 2.5 and stays there.

Last Thing: I believe this is the weekend that Dan Cenidoza of BeMore training is becoming RKC certified. If you know him, congratulate him. That is truly and accomplishment.

NOW, I’m off…

Closing the week

I took last night off as well. It just seemed like a little more R&R was needed. My hammie is still tight but I work on it daily and it gets better daily.
Today I went climbing, a mixed trip overall. It has been raining most of the week and was raining today so the gym was packed. It makes hard to get on the wall but easy to get advice. They’ve been rotating their routes too. Even the more experienced climbers have said that some of the new Intro and V1 routes are mislabeled and harder than they schould be. They all have some incredibly complex crux move and then are smoothe sailing. I’m getting good at the V2 that beat me for a while and have plenty of new problems to solve each time. Also, I’m hoping to make it to one of the various Bouldering gyms I have seen online in Portland. I’ll just have to play that by ear.

What I ate:
Breakfast Sandwhich – 2 eggs, cheese, two slices of toast and the last bit of lox, 2 glasses of coffee
Lunch – not really anything, late breakfast and early dinner
Supper – Ordered in Applebee’s, yeah I know. We are off to a show tonight and I felt like doing something different. “Cowboy” cheese burger, “onion peels”, 5 mozzerellasticks.

Not workout related, 2 things:
1. Off to the right at the top of the column, you may notice that the 1 year ago link is working. Today is the one year anniversary of this blog which started on gripboard. This also means I have to keep up with porting it from Gripboard. btw, in doing so I coul dnot help but reread some of the comments. Thanks to all of you
2. I’ve been thinking, if anyone likes this format and wants to use it. I can set you up with it. Comment or email and we can chat. It wouldn’t cost, at least not for the first 3 people (ISP restrictions). It’s just and offer
3. I think I will add a column to the left that will serve as a generic welcome message, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Off week

This has just been a crap week for workouts for me. Nothing to major, some lethargy, that stupid cramp, a little rainy weather. None of them were that big of a deal it just came together poorly. It seems to be something in my head cause it happens whenever I am leaving for a some time. I don’t know if I  push to hard to get workouts in or if I am thinking too much about coming plans or what it is.

Last night, I did nothing. It was a combination of all three excuses above.

What I ate:
Einstein bagels for breakfast –  spinach, egg and bacon panini. Coffee
Lunch – two slices whole wheat pizza, spinach, decaf coffee
Afternoon – banana, yogurt, decaf coffee
Dinner – we were gonna do buffalo burgers but I got lazy so we did omletes, toast and bacon. The bacon was kind of a different one for me, we haven’t had bacon, at home, in a long time.

Dunno what is coming in the next couple days. The hamstring is still tight and bothersome. I tried to do yoga this morning but it was too snug to pull off Downward facing dog.