Rotation

Jan22
by Duf on January 22, 2015 at 6:33 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts

bench-dip-b-ex[1]Today I hit a little bit of everything from an upper body perspective.  I still feel weak but at least I am slowly feeling less so.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

15 pull ups

20 dips

Seated dumbbell curl 25lbs x 12

Incline dumbbell press 55lbs x10

60 second wall handstand

Lateral pull down – 180lbs x 8

30 bench dips

Seated dumbbell curl 40lbs x 8

Incline dumbbell press 60lbs x 8

60 second wall handstand

10 pull ups

15 dips

Seated dumbbell curl 45lbs x 5

Incline dumbbell press 65lbs x 5

60 second wall handstand

 

 

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Stress reliever

Jan21
by Duf on January 21, 2015 at 6:30 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts, Injuries

CP_NDN_Half_Marathon001_12582806_ver1.0_640_480[1]I just got through 4 very stressful days related to my duties as the race timer for the local half marathon.  I encountered some problems with the event timing that lead to pretty incredible amounts of work to address. This work meant I had absolutely no time or desire for ancillary exercise. It felt good to get back to the gym today to start burning through the truck load of stress that I have been feeling.

The stupid twist injury I suffered last week stepping out of a gym machine has had some lasting effects.  The right knee is still too sore to run on and I could feel the inflammation during the recoil portion of every stroke on the rower.  My rowing numbers have not been been very good recently, instead of a slow improvement the numbers have been edging downward.  I still am doing around 30 strokes a minute but my 500m pace has slowed to between 2:20 and 2:25.

Today’s Workout

19 pull ups

50 push ups

Row / Ride brick

20 minutes Concept 2 Rower – 4240 meters covered

10 minutes recumbent bike on level 10 – 2.42 miles covered

 

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Weak mind, weak body

Jan15
by Duf on January 15, 2015 at 6:44 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts

Wall-Supported-Handstand-Push-Up[1]As I have lamented for the past year or so, I have had a drop off in my physical abilities across the board due to injury, illness and just being an old fart.  So far in 2015 I have been able to halt the decline and start moving the needle slowly in the other direction.

One thing that you don’t really think about declining is your mind as well.  I’m not talking about alzeheimers or demensia, I’m talking about training your mind to be strong like your body.

One thing I have been battling with is that inner voice that used to be a drill sergeant screaming faster, higher, stronger at every opportunity.  I became accustomed to being able to start that next set even though my body was still recovering because my mind said I could.

Well all of this fail I have experienced for the last calendar year has transformed the mental drill sergeant into a senior citizen aerobics instructor.  When I am bent over counting down the last few seconds of my break period my inner Richard Simmons will say “Aw, you are still breathing hard, why don’t you catch your breath for a little longer..”

I will only truly be on the road back when the sergeant kicks Richard in the mouth and starts barking orders again consistently.

Today’s Workout

17 pull ups

60 second wall hand stand

10 bodyweight tricep extensions

25 push ups

10 pull ups

Controlled negative handstands x 3

10 bodyweight tricep extensions

25 push ups

10 pull ups

Controlled negative handstands x 3

10 bodyweight tricep extensions

25 push ups

8 pull ups

Not very controlled negative handstands x 3

 

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Goods news and bad news

Jan14
by Duf on January 14, 2015 at 6:35 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts, Injuries

brick-head_1365634i[1]As I mentioned yesterday I had a sharp pain in my bad right knee as I was switching positions on the kneeling leg curl machine. I was worried I once again did some sort of meniscus damage, an unfortunate habit of mine.  Initially I had a bad limp but as the day went on that subsided.

I was worried I would wake up this morning with a blown up, swollen knee.  I can feel I have some inflammation in there along with mild pain but not, pick up the phone and call the orthopedist type of pain.

Of course my planned running portion of my training brick today was shelved.  Prolonged impact exercise would just be foolish the day after that sort of injury.  My hope is within a few days the swelling/discomfort  will subside and I can resume pounding the pavement.

Today’s Workout

Training Brick – 20 minute row – 10 minute stationary bike

20 minutes on liquid rower – 4390 meters covered

10 minutes stationary bike – 3.9k covered

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Just a twist

Jan13
by Duf on January 13, 2015 at 7:03 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts, Injuries

KneePain-460x250[1]So today at the gym I did my first barbell squatting with anything more than 135 pounds on the bar for the first time in at least a couple months.  The experience was made less enjoyable since I was six feet away from the trainer that overuses his clients name.  I shit you not, he said the guys name (John) no less than 10 times a minute.

The squatting didn’t go great, not that I expected it to.  I also was wearing my running sneakers which is pretty much the worst footwear you could choose for squatting.  The only positive thing I could say about the squats was although I felt weak I was still trying to push myself to go as deep into the squats as I could, breaking parallel with my thighs.

Later in the workout I had an oh shit moment.  I was switching legs on the kneeling leg curl machine.  I had my right foot down on the floor and was turning.  For just a brief second my right foot was hung up causing a slight twist.  That twist was enough to send a shot of searing pain in my twice scoped, right knee.  Being a 16 year veteran of meniscus related knee pain I knew it was something like that.  It felt like something was out of place, despite multiple attempts to “kick it out”.

I limped through the rest of my workout but by the time I got back to the office the pain was less severe.  I am hoping I can just write it off as a close call, I am supposed to run tomorrow.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

Barbell squat – 135lbs x 10, 185lbs x 4, 185lbs x 4, 205lbs x 1

Single leg seated leg extension – 30 sec rest between sets – 50lbs x 10, 60lbs x 10, 70lbs x 8

Kneeling leg curl – 30 sec rest between sets – 60lbs x 10, 70lbs x 8 (stopped due to knee injury)

Rotary calf machine – 100lbs x 12, 130lbs x 8

VMX rope machine – max resistance 500 foot pull – 3:08

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