Step one

Aug10
by Duf on August 10, 2012 at 12:22 pm
Posted In: GUTS, Physical challenges

So before I hurt myself a couple weeks ago, I tried Ray’s routine which was loosely based upon my GUTS mini-workout.

Ray turned it into  5 rounds of fun.  Each work round is three minutes long where you do a certain amount of dips, pull ups and push ups.  You use good form, the sets have to be unbroken and you have to finish each round within the three minute time limit.  You have two minute rest periods between the rounds.  If you finish early, that extra time gets tacked onto your rest period.

So when I tried this a couple weeks ago I used Ray’s starting point, which was 20 dips, 10 pull ups and 25 push ups per round.  I was stunned when I failed in round 3 during the dips.

So this time around I dropped my per movement numbers by 2 reps so each round I was doing 18 dips, 8 pull ups and 23 push ups.

This time around I tried to give myself some extra time between the different movements early on instead of banging them out back to back.  Even so, in the first couple rounds I had a bunch of time to spare.  I felt pretty good.

When I cleared the dip hurdle in round three I felt even better but I knew the last two rounds were going to be a struggle.  I made it through round 4 but it required pauses inside the sets.  When I was done I had less than 30 seconds left over.

Round 5 was a bitch, especially the dips and the push ups.  The last 3 dips required me to lock out my elbows awkwardly at the top to give my tri’s a breather.  I barely got rep 18.

I started the push ups with exactly one minute left on the clock, I knew time was going to be tight because I was thoroughly gassed.  The last 5 reps I wanted to just hang up in plank position to let the lactic acid subside but I knew I didn’t have much time.  As I groaned out rep 23 I hit the timer.  I had exactly ONE second left, no shit.

I popped up excitedly and said “Fck yes!” a little louder than I should have in a public gym.  I was not sure if I could pull this off, even with less reps.  I definitely looked at my Bar-barians bracelet more than once during the sets to give me a kick in the ass.

So according to Ray’s outline, the next step is for me to do the attempt again at the same rep count.  If I can complete it successfully twice in a row then I start creeping the numbers back up.

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Hand balancing hell

Aug10
by Duf on August 10, 2012 at 8:11 am
Posted In: Exercises, Injuries, Physical challenges

http://youtu.be/2Q-MjdvMRqk

So last night I thought I would take another shot at one handed wall handstands for the BB hard mode challenge.  I struggled maintaining the hold, coming nowhere close to the 25 second hold I managed earlier.  I also tried holding on my left arm for the first time.  That went nowhere, it felt like my left side simply didn’t have the strength to support my body weight.

I then had the brilliant idea to go try some free standing handstands, the Bar-baric mode of this month’s challenge.  As you will see in the video, I tried again and again and just got nowhere.  I think my longest hold was maybe 4 seconds.

I really struggle with handstands but that is because I don’t work at them nearly enough.  It is a tough skill that requires patience and lots of practice.  I need to take a muscle up type of attitude towards them if I want to master the skill.

Finally I did a few planche holds, none of which were very impressive.  The main thing I took out of the session was I need to practice more, a lot more.  It seems that I always wind up bending at the elbow during my handstands without even thinking about it.  I need to figure out a way to keep both my arms and body locked in.

The best news out of the session was I didn’t feel any serious discomfort from my tweaked left shoulder.

Today I plan to take another shot at Ray’s program that I failed at a few weeks back.  I am going to dial back the rep numbers by 2 to see if I can get through all five rounds successfully.

 

 

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Resuming, stopping, Jarek

Aug08
by Duf on August 8, 2012 at 8:03 am
Posted In: Injuries, Physical challenges

I have been trying to baby my shoulder/deltoid injury for close to 10 days.  This week I have started adding dips and pull ups back into my routine.  I am not pushing any high rep numbers, rather just being content to be able to do the movements.  I can feel a dull reminder of the injury as I get deeper into the sets but it is manageable.  So my plan is to keep my numbers low and keep it up until the pain goes away completely, then I can ramp back up.

I read that Lee is shutting down his bar work for a couple months because of tendinitis in his forearms.  I know he has had long term off and on problems with it.  Despite the problems Lee has continued to do some incredible stuff.

I had similar chronic tendinitis for at least two years if not longer.  I tried extended rest, creams, ultrasound and anything else I could find to try to address it.  The eventual solution however was very simple, stretching.

Every day at the gym while I do my 5 minute warm up on a cardio machine I started stretching my forearms. I actually explain in detail what I do in this video from awhile ago.  Please ignore the bizarre video filter I applied, not sure what I was thinking at the time.

I am hoping Lee heals up soon.

Yesterday on the BB forums Jarek, a regular participant in the forums posted an incredible wall handstand hold, staying inverted for over FOUR MINUTES.

When I made my attempt, my shoulders were ready to melt at the 90 second mark, I was amazed at Jarek’s effort.   Jarek has consistently been at the top of the scoreboard in many different challenges, but this effort might be the most impressive of all.  He also held a free standing hand stand for right around two minutes, another great feat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQSA4bGpQQo

 

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Look Mom One Hand

Aug03
by Duf on August 3, 2012 at 7:49 am
Posted In: Exercises, Physical challenges

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ROaohrD40s

So last night I decided to give hard mode of this month’s BB challenge a try which is a one hand handstand against a wall.  I have tried this hold multiple times in the past and had zero success.  It felt like I just could not support my entire 175 pounds of bodyweight on one arm. I also had issues with the balance part of the movement even if I tried wedging one of my feet into the corner.

Last night I tried a different approach.  In the past when I attempted a one hander I would just quickly pull my off hand off the floor and come crashing down.  This time I took more gradual approach.

I first got up into my normal wall handstand position.  I then slowly started shifting my center of balance on top of my right arm, keeping my left hand on the floor progressively less.  In conjunction I spread my legs wide on the wall to provide counterbalance.

Eventually it felt like I hit a balance point and I pulled my left hand off the floor.  Surprisingly, I felt pretty solid.  My right arm was working hard to support my weight but I held myself up there for close to 30 seconds.

It felt great as I came down, knowing I just pulled off another calisthenics first.

 

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85, Food

Aug02
by Duf on August 2, 2012 at 8:06 am
Posted In: General Fitness Talk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT1arO0NmZQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9tVOOq-52c

Last night was a two for one video night.

Despite saying I want to rest my left shoulder, I did a wall handstand hold for time, the normal mode BB challenge this month.  For some reason, pushing directly overhead doesn’t seem to bother the injury much at all.  Despite not doing many handstand wall holds in the last couple months I stayed inverted for 85 seconds,a full 10 seconds better than my prior best.  I was happy with the effort.

Of course there was someone on the forums that posted an incredible hold of 2:40 so it made my effort seem much more mundane.

I often get asked about my diet since many people assume that to stay in decent shape at 44 years of age requires a draconian approach to eating.  Well that isn’t my case.  Now granted, I definitely pay a lot more attention to what I am eating than most people do but I also allow myself dietary pot holes.

The video gives a quick outline of what I eat, both the good and the bad.  Hopefully some people will find it interesting.  Moderation is the key.

 

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