When everything sucks

Tried to get in a workout this morning. It was no good. Everything tested poorly and my reach ROM was only to the top of my ankles. Depths squats didn’t improve it, press with open rotation didn’t improve it, 2 handed swings didn’t improve it, press with open rotation didn’t improve it and sit outs didn’t improve it. So, I’ll chalk that up as what happens when I don’t train for three days and work (sitting in a chair at a computer) for ten hours each day instead. I’m going to try and use a kettlebell 3 or more times over my PTO.

Missed three

Well, it’s a four day work week for me. I got into the gym Monday but not Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. So I actually did worse, rather than better. I like working out midday but I clearly need to create a different solution. I have no idea what that is though……frustrating.
Monday’s workout was the full set of exercises but I didn’t have a writing utensil so I don;t know the numbers.

I’ve got 5 days of no work and high hopes for some workouts.

week beginning 04/03/2011

04/03
Time 2pm
Bodyweight (home scale) 249.8

No pretest recoded
Mobility drills
Post test top of ankle

Snatch
Pre-Test: Bottom of ankle
Time: 8:00
Weight: 24K
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 100
Post-Test: top of top of foot
Notes

Towel Deadlifts
Pre-Test: bottom of foot
Time: 8:00
Weight: 135lb
Unilateral: N
Reps: 90
Post-Test: Floor
Notes
This was with a barbell versus my usual dumbbell work. The range of motion feels really short but solid, obviously the body agreed with the movement.

Thrusters
Pre-Test: bottom of thumbs on floor (record)
Time: 8:00
Weight: 135
Unilateral: N
Reps: 8
Post-Test: floor
Notes
This was really heavy for me on thrusters but I wanted to try it. The test reps went awesome. The latter reps could have been better. Because it was so heavy for me, given the nature of the workout, there was a lot of time taken between reps to prepare myself to stay tension free. Obviously I was not 100% successful

Burpee -> Clean
Pre-Test: grasp toes
Time: 8:00
Weight: 16K
Unilateral: Y(sorta)
Reps: 17
Post-Test: grasp foot/toes
Notes

pigeon-toe presses
Pre-Test: bottom of toes
Time: 8:00
Weight: 16K
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 10
Post-Test: top of toe nails
Notes
I was testing every few reps and immediately saw a decline in ROM, which made me bail on this

04/04
unfortunately I used ink on my tracking sheet so once it went in my gymbag it all ran. I can tell you that I did Snatch 60lb X90, towel deadlift 60lb X 84, Thrusters (can’t read the weight but it was 35lbs X 2) X 35, Burpee -> clean 60lbs X 22, Pigeon-toe presses 35lbs X 60. It looks like my ROM looks like I got to the point of grasping my toes

04/05 – no workout

04/06 – no recorded workout but I did do one. As I recall I worked the depth squat, presses and plate rotations but had to go.

04/07 – same as the day before

04/08 –
Bodyweight 250.0
Pretest: top of ankle
mobility drills
post test: bottom of ankle

Depth Squat
Pretest: top of toes
Weight: bodyweight
Unilateral: N
Reps: 70 (really I lost count so this is just an estimate)
Post-test point: bottom of top of foot
Notes

Suitcase Deadlift
Pre-Test: top of toes
Time: 8:00
Weight: 60 X 2
Unilateral: N
Reps: 40
Post-Test: top of toe nails
Notes

Presses w/ Open Rotations
Pre-Test: toe tips
Time: 8:00
Weight: 35
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 90
Post-Test: toe tips
Notes

Plate Rotation
Pre-Test: toe tips
Time: 8:00
Weight: 25 lbs
Unilateral: N
Reps: 177
Post-Test: tip of toe nails
Notes

TGU
Pre-Test: toe tips
Time: 8:00
Weight: 35
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 16
Post-Test: floor
Notes
the ROM on this felt weird. I think it’s because my hip joints are so much more open

04/09 – nothing

04/10 – nothing
oddly, that nerve injury on my left sciatic was acting up. This is really dumb, but I think it was a session of Wii boxing I did the evening before that correlated. My right bicep is sore, presumably from throwing my right arm with no resistance. I assume the two are related.

This week was pretty crap for workouts. My job’s been interfering. My goal for the coming week is to hit 5 solid workouts (even if one or two of them is outside my normal nooner). My other goal is to get home from work on time, something I haven’t succeeded at in two weeks.

For Stephen

Steve,
Good to hear from you. I am back to entering in the blog. I never really quite training but so much has gone on in the past months that keeping a log became unimportant by comparison. As you can tell, even now I barely get my workouts in. My life has turned over in a very good way but I’m working on finding my own rhythm in it.

A word about my training:
For the first time I’ve engaged a personal trainer. I simply do not have the time to put the necessary thought into making really good workouts for myself. Beyond that I found myself in a body that through injury and bad practices would not perform the basic maneuvers I desired. Kurt has been a tremendous help on that front. In the couple of short months Ive been training with him my range of motion has improved more than I would have thought possible. More important, mirror aches and pains have cleared away.
The training, so far, consists of a prescribed list of exercises that I “test” before preforming. By test I mean that I do a basic sit and reach type stretch test and indicate the point at which I first feel tension. I then perform a couple reps then test again. If I improve, my body is into the movement and I exercise. If my ROM gets worse I can tweak the exercise in prescribed ways until I find the right one or I can move on.
Right now I have 8 minutes sets for training. I do them in whatever chunks I desire but it’s usually multiples of 5 out of habit. If I feel extra tension developing in my body, I stop until it clears then proceed. If it doesn’t clear or reappears within one rep, I stop and wait the set out and move on.
As I mentioned, the life benefits have been tremendous. Kurt has pushed me to provide goals and I’ve been less than forthcoming for two reasons. First, I just love the improvement to my life and body I’m getting out of simply doing what I’m doing. Second, I just don’t know what I want to do for goals right now. I’m not achieving any more clarity by not giving a good answer though either.

I need to check in on your blog and see how it is but I hope you’re well and I’ll be in touch.

weekend update

03/27
12:00

Starting Test Point: bottom of shin
mobility drills
Post Test Point: mid ankle

Snatch w/ open rotations:
Pretest: middle of the top of the foot
Weight: 16K
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 150
Posttest:bottom of top of foot
Notes:

Deadlifts
Pretest:Top of top of toes
Weight: 135
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral: N
Reps: 75
Posttest: bottom of top of foot
Notes:

2″ Dumbbell Rows
Pretest: top of top of toes
Weight: 30lbs
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 180
Posttest: Middle of top of toe
Notes:
I’ve noticed on these that I have to watch the right hammie as I’m working the left side. I realize this is in keeping with the theory that the body forms an X

Lunges
Pretest:
Weight:
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral:
Reps
Posttest:
Notes:
I was short on time so I chose not to perform this exercise

Sitouts
Pretest: toe tips
Weight: Bodyweight
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 70
Posttest: Not written down, must have forgotten
Notes:

03/28
11:00
Bodyweight 252.25
Starting Test Point: bottom of shins
mobility drills
Post Test Point: mid ankle

Snatch w/ open rotations
Pretest: bottom of ankle
Weight: 35lbs
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 140
Posttest: bottom of ankle
Notes:

Deadlifts
Pretest: top of top of foot
Weight: 60lbs
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 100
Posttest: middle of top of foot
Notes: Trying to monitor tension that is probably carried over from previous workout

Towel Rows
Pretest: middle of top of foot
Weight: 60lbs
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 85
Posttest: middle of top of foot
Notes:

Lunges
Pretest: bottom of top of foot
Weight: Bodyweight
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 160
Posttest: bottom of top of foot
Notes:

Sitouts
Pretest: top of top of toes
Weight: Bodyweight
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 70
Posttest: toe nails
Notes:

03/29
11:30
Bodywieght 248.5
Starting Test Point: to of ankle
mobility drills
Post Test Point: bottom of ankle

Snatch
Pretest: top of top of foot
Weight: 35lbs
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 187
Posttest: middle of top of foot
Notes:
It’s quite likely I was too aggressive on the reps on this one. I’ll have to watch that.

Towel Deadlifts
Pretest: top of toes
Weight: 35lbs
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 103
Posttest: middle of top of foot
Notes:Very light, probably too light. I think the loss of ROM was due to stacking snatch and DL. I was noticing how terrible my ankle ROM is during the movement too.

Thrusters
Pretest: bottom of top of foot
Weight: 35lbs X 2
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral: N
Reps: 25
Posttest: top of toes
Notes:
This exercise obviously did good things for my ROM. It’s very tough but I see it being a a great exercise for me. We should touch base to ensure we’re talking about the same exercise and to discuss how to do them at home, where I don’t have matched dumbbells or kettlebells. I’m assuming a barbell would work but I’d like to confirm.

Burpee Clean
Pretest: top of toe nails
Weight: 35 lbs
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 40
Posttest: toe tips
Notes:
I hit against a metabolich threshold early one (start to feel it in my stomach). This will be a good exercise for improving my aerobic skills while obeying the rules of biofeedback

Presses
Pretest: top of toe nails
Weight:
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral:
Reps
Posttest:
Notes:
This tested poorly plus my pressing muscles were shot so I passed

03/30
11:00
Bodywieght 249
Starting Test Point: top of ankle
mobility drills
Post Test Point: bottom of ankle

Snatch
Pretest: bottom of ankle
Weight: 35lbs
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 140
Posttest: top of top of foot
Notes:
I forgot to start my Gymboss on this one so I just called it at 140.

Towel Deadlifts
Pretest: middle of top of foot
Weight: 35lbs
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral: Y
Reps: 120
Posttest: bottom of top of foot
Notes:
Forgot my gym towel so it was a full-sized beach towel

Thrusters
Pretest: bottom of top of foot
Weight: 35X 2
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral:N
Reps: 44
Posttest: top of top of toes
Notes:

Burpee Clean
Pretest:
Weight:
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral:
Reps
Posttest:
Notes: Ran out of time before I was able to start these

Presses
Pretest:
Weight:
Time: 8 minutes
Unilateral:
Reps
Posttest:
Notes: Ran out of time before I started these

03/31 – no workout
04/01 – no workout
04/02 – 30 minutes of tennis