Too much of a good thing

Nov25
by Duf on November 25, 2014 at 6:54 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts

27_8490a6d04381c23069ca49ae8fb6c5b1_personal-trainer-in-gym[1]When you are working with a trainer it is a good thing that you are comfortable with them and that they are familiar with you.  For example, it’s nice that your trainer knows your name and calls you by it, until it’s not.

Today at the gym one of the trainers was using his female clients name in every other sentence. “Let’s do this Mary” (name changed to protect the innocent) 5 more reps MARY, good job MARY, how does that feel MARY?, let’s walk over here MARY.

It just sounded very unnatural to use a person name so often as if they might forget you are talking to them.  Weird.

I worked legs primarily again today including some light barbell squats that felt uncomfortable as I was in the low, thigh below parallel part of the movement.  It’s almost like when I get low there are some nerves that get pinched and cause what feels like weakness and discomfort.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

20 pull ups

135 pound barbell squats 2 sets x 8 reps

Leg extension with one second pause at top, strict 30 second rest between sets – 100lbs x 10, 120lbs x 10, 140lbs x 8

One leg kneeling leg curl, strict 30 second rest between sets – 50lbs x 10, 60lbs x 10, 70lbs x 10

Seated calf raise, strict 30 second rest between sets – 185lbs x 10, 225lbs x7, 225lbs x 7

500 foot VMX continuous rope pull in 3:17

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Elevated to 18, Smash Brothers

Nov24
by Duf on November 24, 2014 at 6:36 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts

broken_mirror[1]So I already was having a pretty stressful morning so when I pulled into the parking garage at the Wellness Center I wasn’t looking to add to it.  I swung into a space that had vehicles parked on either side that had their tires on the white lines designating the edge of their parking space.  It was a tight fit and I was a little crooked so I figured I would back out and recenter myself.

As I am slowly backing up, making sure nobody is coming down the lane I hear a very bad sounding crack.  I look forward and see the noise is the end result of my driver side mirror making contact with the Kia SUV’s mirror which was jutting out due to it’s on the line parking position compounded by the vehicle being backed in which put the mirror even further into harms way.

My mirror, despite being a moveable variety cracked majorly with various pieces of glass falling out.  Evidently it reached the end of it’s range of motion.  The Kia mirror was also moveable but it appeared to be able to bend 180 degrees in either direction before encountering resistance.  It did not have a scratch on it as I moved it back into position.

I then went about picking up the pieces of broken mirror on the ground while cursing myself.  Yes the position the Kia was parked was a factor in why my Tacoma had intimate contact with it’s mirror but the bottom line is I shouldn’t have clipped it.  Luckily a quick search on the internet will have a new mirror at my front door on Wednesday for less than the cost of going to the movies.

I took a totally unconventional approach to my Monday workout.  I was already stressed out so I didn’t feel like putting much thought into my session.  I hopped on the treadmill and did a simple elevation pyramid.  I set the belt speed at 3.5mph and started walking, raising the elevation every 2 minutes.  I have done this pyramid before and it gets quite tough at higher elevations because of course I am not holding on at all, using just my balance and lower body thrust to keep me on the belt.

I have been on treadmills that max elevations of anywhere between 12-15 degrees.  After I completed my 2 minutes at 12.5 degrees I held down the up button, figuring it would stop at 15.  Well instead it kept going all the way up to 18 degrees.  That was a bitch to maintain for two minutes, let me tell you.  In total to go through all the up and down elevations took me just under a half hour.

Today’s Workout

Treadmill pyramid – all done at 3.5 mph belt speed – each elevation maintained for two minutes – no holding on!

2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%, 12.5%, 15%, 18%, 14%, 10%, 8%, 6%, 4%, 2%

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Pull, Row, Push

Nov21
by Duf on November 21, 2014 at 6:29 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts, Endurance activities

IMG_20131111_202610[1]To try to keep myself below my strain quota for the day I tossed out my normal Friday core work and instead sandwiched a 20 minute rowing session in between a set of 20 pull ups and 50 push ups.

After finishing my rowing session I messed with the dial that controls the vent on the side of the Concept 2 fan body.  Every time I have rowed previously I have had that set to 10, assuming a higher number meant more difficulty.  However when I looked at the side of the fan I noticed if you slide the dial to 1 it covers up about 50% of the vent space.

I wondered if I had it backwards this entire time. maybe covering the vents makes it much harder and all along I have been pulling in EZ mode?  I slid the dial to 1, strapped in and pulled a few times.  Immediately I knew for once, I had it right the first time.  The resistance level was much lower at the lower vent setting.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

20 pull ups

20 minutes Concept 2 rower – 4307 meters covered

50 push ups

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Row residuals

Nov20
by Duf on November 20, 2014 at 6:31 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts

technique[1]My lower body was quite sore today from the 30 minute rowing session, further reenforcing the benefits of 30 minute rowing sessions when added into your fitness routine.

Today I hit shoulders, tri’s and bi’s in vary degrees.

 

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

10 slow pull ups with full contraction at top and full dead hang extension at bottom

60 second wall handstand hold

Side/front straight arm standing lateral raises 15lb dumbbells x 15

Hammer strength high elbow bicep curl machine 80lbs x 10

25 bodyweight dips

60 second wall handstand hold

Side/front straight arm standing lateral raises 20lb dumbbells x 10

Hammer strength high elbow bicep curl machine 100lbs x 8

25 bodyweight dips

60 second wall handstand hold

Side/front straight arm standing lateral raises 20lb dumbbells x 10

Hammer strength high elbow bicep curl machine 100lbs x 8

25 bodyweight dips

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Not a good visual, 900 pulls

Nov19
by Duf on November 19, 2014 at 7:00 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts, Endurance activities

vmx_01[1]So when I walked into the gym I saw a guy on the VPX rope machine.  This is the endless rope machine that I have used several times.  It’s a challenging workout. Well this guy was using the machine in a manner that just looked wrong.  Instead of sitting on the bench he was on top of it on his knees.  Instead of pulling down on the rope he was pulling up on it.  Although I assume the guy thought this was a way to give his biceps a workout, it totally looked like he was jerking off the rope.

I did my longest rowing session ever, upping my time 50% to 30 minutes.  Rowing is tough in a totally different way than running.  I sweat less since the movement is non-weight bearing but the overall body exertion feels much more balanced and effective.  During the last 10 minutes of pulling my hamstrings, hips and hands were ready for a break.

I kept a pretty good pace, averaging around 30 pulls a minute while covering 6700 virtual meters in the 30 minute session.

Today’s Workout

30 minutes on Concept 2 Rower – 6700 meters covered

60 second wall handstand

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