Bonus Day - Dec 31

Let's end the year the way we should: squatting. Was supposed to take today as off, but. What's 10 mins going to hurt? Just greasing the groove.

Buy in
Power Wheel pumps

7x max reps in 30 on 1.15 @ 120# (11's-10's)
Ass in the grass. It's not a lot of weight, but just rep count, a little kick to the CV system, and a pretty good quad pump when all was said and done.
9 mins.

5.5 + 2 hours, 2330-0500/24 hours. 14 mins total, PE: 8.
39/22/39%, 141C-248P. 2659 cal.

2011 - Year in Review

Thinking back now, I'm remembering this year as one in which I had hopes for a lot of good things to happen - and many did - but as I take a little stock, many of the good changes I had hoped for didn't materialize. Much of it because I didn't make change occur. Some few changes weren't because others didn't, but I don't have control over that - only over my own ability to inspire - and I don't see that I was living inspirationally this year, even to myself.

In my own little circle of influence, I took two steps forward and one step back. Certainly this was true in my PFT.
This year I woke up to the world of nutrition, finally journaling via the LoseIt! app on the iPhone. There, I realized that my breakdown on the big three was inverted - I was eating twice the carbs and half the protein I'd been imagining I was consuming.
I had a goal to pare down from 221 to 204, and did.
I did a high frequency period in June that expanded my vision for what I can do. 9 sessions a week with one full day off, and I think I can do more. It was a tight, focused time.

I learned a bit about working with just myself, a bar, and mean ol' Mr. Gravity while the Anytime Fitness in Shafter ramped up. The free weights area was an open area with one bar and 245# of oly plates. Re-learning the basics of press, squat, deadlift, pull up, clean, overhead squat ... at first I joked about the lack of equipment set up there, but only after the standard equipment arrived, really realized what a blessing that bar-only time was.
I did a short period of linear progression in the Fall followed by hypertrophy (in circuits) and completely dropped any running after the summer, and metcons, and finished the year stronger - and back up to 223#.
We did Volkslauf and Lighthouse, and both felt great. I PR'ed a few WoDs, but I'll have to check on which they were. My mile time was stanky, at 7:30, then down to 7:38 when I'd lost 20#. Go figure.
I did take time off the left achilles, as running always made it feel like some bone in my ankle was sawing through the tendon. I will bike more, and run less, in 2012.

At church, there was hope for change as one associate pastor left, and another arrived. A good change. Working with the staff is strange waters for me still though. I feel very out of place in a place that was once more my home than home for me. I'm apathetic now, and where I felt a determination to help be a catalyst for change there at the beginning of this year is now a feeling that I am not going to see a difference until the staff changes - and that myself or my family will not really learn, change or grow there. Could be just me, I'm sour on playing church. I'm sour on sermons as a construct. I'm sour on my own expectation for growth to come from outside rather than from my own gut.
Like a good gym, a good church makes growth easier. If I re-learned that a bar-only can be a blessing in the gym and all the motivation comes from within, I re-learned that one can move forward without a lot of external energy. But it's uphill. I'd do better in a Crossfit box with a supportive crew who are as motivated than I am (and more), and I'd do better in a church where the norm is to follow Jesus.
To that end, I'll see if I can find both a better gym, and a better church, in 2012.

I reawakened to the import of investing in a few this year. I have children who will only ever have one father. Not only do I enjoy them, I feel the weight of their expectation for my interest. I'm not interested in wasting time with people who will only ever be acquaintances. I'm penciling in some pointed time with those who I know will count this year.

Other random events this year: We went to Disneyland a few times, Catalina and Carpinteria, Setzer in December, helped Bennetts move.
In 2012, I want to evaluate these traditional trips, and keep only the ones that matter,
Gonna revise the family budget.
Gonna test benchmark WoDs, Maxes, and yes, even body composition this year. I forsee 9 40-day periods, starting with a 5/3/1 and hypertrophy.
Going to make regular time to play music with Haley and CC, guys' days with Kon, date nights with L. Going to solve the garage clutter and CF area in the backyard.
I'll do a bit more geocaching (placing), some homebrewing (less tasting), and stick with the UFC watching.
I did the burpee challenge two years ago. This year, I'll see how many consecutive days I can log a work out. I'll be careful to deload, but no nothing days. Gonna stay anabolic.

That's all for now.

Ca - PullPushHinge - Dec 30

5 rounds in .30 on 1.15:
Max rep chins (deadhang, 6's mostly)
Push press @ 120# - 8's+
KB swings - 15's

Plus 3 more rounds of overhand pulls, just because it's a pull-focus day.

9.5 - 1 hours, 2300-0830/24 hours. 21 mins total, PE: 8.
38/36/27%, 226C-167P. 2984 cal. Lose.

Wl - Back to Back - Dec 29

Not the volume of Monday, but pretty much the same hammer falling.

Back Squat
10xbar/ 10x 135#/ 8x 225#/ 8x 225/ 8x 205/ 8x 185/
16 mins.

Circuit - 4 rounds
Calves on the A-Frame @3 singles/doubles 8/15 - then @4 5/12's x2, then @3
Prone hamstring @90 x12/ @100 x10 x3
Extensions x12 @ 160 - warming up to this new machine
14 mins.

...one final set of lunges in the rack with 95# just for practice.

9 hours, 2230-0730/24 hours. 31 mins total, PE: 8. 222/13.

9 - 3 hours, 2230-0730/24 hours. 50 mins total, PE: 8. 223/15.
38/27/35%, 176C-226P. 2594 cal.

Wa - Press, Damn You - Dec 28

DE Bench Press
1x10 135# / x10 185/ x10 225/ x7 245/ x5 275/ x4 275/ x7 245
Remember how I was wondering if I was any stronger...? Today it was just like that. Was gonna be a pulling day, but the pressing just owned shit. Sad as heck that I was squatting 8's @ 185# yesterday, and today, this. I'd prefer they were swapped out.

6 rounds in .30 on 1.15 of the circuit:
Wide grip row machine x12-10 from 105 - 185 (next time I just pull the stack)
Recline DB presses w/ 65's (6's)
Assisted pulls 10's with 0 to 75#
Assisted dips - 12-10's with 0 to 75#
This created one massive pump.

9 - 3 hours, 2230-0730/24 hours. 50 mins total, PE: 8. 223/15.
41/22/37%, 135C-233P. 2710 cal. We'll chalk this one up as a small-W win.

Wl - MaxRack Testing - Dec 27

On a nutritional note, this is two pounds over the bloat that started me on the LoseIt! journaling trek. Am I bigger and stronger now than then? Um, bigger is a numerical certainty - without measurements, who could know much about composition? The scale BF% readings are basically the same.
Time to quantify everything.

Buy in:
3 rounds:
hyperflexions x13 /
prone hamstring x12 @ 90# /
extensions x12 @ 140# (new machine) /
calves on the rails press x15 up to 275# /
seated calves x12 @ 50#
12 mins.

Back Squats in the new MaxRack. Yeah, it was strange. Just trying to drop them deep, but machine feels like it's shoving you back over on your ass. Besides the lateral support (which I hate), I can get used to it. At the least, if I'm going it alone, I won't mind the safeties. I'm looking at the bright side - at least they didn't just drop in a shitty smith machine and call it a power rack. They did take out our old barbell. Going to miss him. It was a spartan 6 months, and I learned a few back to the basics things along the way.
Warm up @ bar, then 1x10 @ 135#, 3x8/1x10 with 185#
18 mins.

Cash out with two more of the circuit.
8 mins.

8 hours, 2330-0730/48 hours. 39 mins total, PE: 8. 223/15.
32/38/30%, 211C-166P. 2561 cal. Lose.

Pull/Swing n Pull - Dec 25

Another one of these Holiday-Filler workouts. If yesterday was push/hinge, today's pull/hinge. You see what I'm thinking. That means that tomorrow's gonna be some ass in the grass pain.

6 rounds, in .30 on 1.15
max reps pulls (10's down to 6's)
then
3 rounds, same count
Single arm KB swings - left/right (15's)
ring rows (12's)

6 + 2 hours, 0100-0700/24 hours. 21 mins total, PE: 7. 222/14
30/34/35%, 189C-197P. 2753 cal. Lose.

PC n Press - Dec 24

Just tired of feeling like a bloated log and doing nothing but eating until it hurts this week. Didn't squeeze in anything on Wednesday, as the gym was closed, and Thursday was devoted to the Japanese cold-unfiltered-demons of inebriation and Basque gods of gluttony. I have never thought or said it before, but I'm saying it this season: I've been eating too much, and can't wait for the holidays to end so I can live hard once again.

3 rounds in .30 on 1.15:
max reps Push Press @ 120# (9's)
then
6 rounds, same count, same bar
max reps Power clean and press (8's)

8 + 2 hours, 0000-0800/3 days. 10 mins total, PE: 7. 222/14.
51/32/18%, 151C-84P. 1999 cal.

Death by Thrusters - Dec 21

Supposed to be a Wl day, but my workout time was located at the intersection of Chronic Cough and Gym Is Still Setting Up New Equipment. Pair of dumbells and 10 mins was enough.

Death by DB Thrusters
@55's - 9.7 rounds.
Did 9 rounds unbroken, no problem. Round 10, I got 5, then hung the DBs at my waist and couldn't get them to go back up. It's unnatural how quickly the wheels fall off under this format.

9 - 1 hours, 2200-0700/72 hours. 10 mins total, PE: 9. 220/14.
25/47/28%, 238C-140P. 2283 cal.

Read (and Read and Read) the Label.

MuscleTech Smart Protein™ Bar. It's got muscle and protein in the name.

In the wrapper, though, it's more sugar than protein. While the callout screams 20g Protein! The bar has more grams of carbs than 20... but that's not being advertised.
The 30 grams-of-protein bar has 38 grams of carbohydrate. There's a reason it tastes like Triple Chocolate Chips.

Ingredients: Protein Isolate Blend (Whey Protein Isolate, Milk Protein Isolate), Soy Protein Isolate...

How's this possible? Reading the ingredients list on the label shows the first and second ingredients as Protein - if you read the parens, it's one, two, three, four - Protein, Protein, Protein, Protein. Awesome.

How's it even possible to have more carbs then?

Let's read on.

Ingredients: Protein Isolate Blend (Whey Protein Isolate, Milk Protein Isolate), Soy Protein Isolate, Chocolate Coating (Maltitol, Palm Kernel Oil, Whey Protein, Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Soy Lecithin, Vanillin), Chocolate Cookie Pieces (Wheat Flour, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oil, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Salt, and Sodium Bicarbonate), Glycerine, Polydextrose, Corn Syrup, Water, Hydrolyzed Gelatin, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Sugar, Rice Flour, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Fructose, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Chocolate Liquor, Non Fat Dry Milk, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Rice Starch, Sucralose, Evaporated Cane Juice, Peanut Flour, Wheat Starch, Almond Flour, Pecans, Walnuts, Cashews, Hazelnuts.

Combine all those sugars and starches and flours and shites and the grand total is more than the proteins. It's simple math, just with the numbers hidden from view.

A reminder that the bottom line - total protein vs. total carb - is the way to weigh your protein bar, if you must eat one. The manufacturer's ingredients breakdown is usually deliberately misleading. Smart Marketing, but not Smart Protein.

Ca - PushPullaton - Dec 18

6 rounds in .30 on 1.15
Recline DB press @ 50s x12-13
Lifefitness vert pull machine x12's
15 mins.
The DBs were too too light, but that's all we had to work with in the hotel gym. Good posterior delt work on that machine.

Cash out
5 tabata rounds:
4 way planks/DB thrusters x10 @ 40's
10 mins.
These sucked.

8 - 2 hours, 0100-0900/48 hours. 27 mins total, PE: 9.
45/38/17%, 294C-129P. 3114 cal. Major Lose.

Cl - Overhead Squat - Dec 16

Minimum day.
4 rounds.
Overhead Squats 65#x10/75x11/85x12/95x13/105x14
Simplicity calf x15 @ 14/15/16/17

After the first set, squats were real deal deep. Pretty stiff on that first set these days though.

9 hours, 2200-0700/24 hours. 13 mins total, PE: 8. 216/15.
40/34/26%, 199C-148P. 2638 cal.

Ca - Hypertrophy Pulls - Dec 15

Death by pull downs, kinda.
6 doubled rounds, on the Simplicity, @ 13 just to get things going.
6 mins.

Main set:
4 rounds x10 in .30 on 1.15
Simplicity bench @11
Bent over rows @ 115#
Press @ 115#
Simplicity pulls @ 13
20 mins.

Cash out
3x
10 oly curl @65#/75/75
20 pumps
8 mins.

9 - 3 hours, 2200-0700/24 hours. 34 mins total, PE: 8. 217/13.
44/22/34%, 158C-248P. 2935 cal.

Cl - Dead Rounds - Dec 14

Wow, woke up a touch sore from the power cleans yesterday. I never would have predicted that, especially with the double count rounds - was keeping the volume low in the hopes of keeping the bar speed high. Win.

Buy in:
5 tabata rounds of the quad:
Squat/plank/side plank/side plank/boat
12 mins.

Main set:
3 rounds:
Deads @ 215# x8/10/10
Seated curl x11 @ 130/145/160
Extensions x11 @ 160/175/190
Simplicity calf x15 @15/16/17
16 mins.

9 hours, 2200-0700/24 hours. 28 mins total, PE: 8. 217/13.
32/32/36%, 182C-208P. 2274 cal.

Ca - Death by Power Cleans - Dec 13

Death by Power Cleans - 5 double rounds + 11 reps @ 115#
Took a blow during what was round 6, but waited too long to get the last rep in.
7 mins.

4 rounds of the circuit in .30 on 1.15, shooting for 12 reps per round:
Simplicity pulls @ 13/13/13/12
Simplicity bench @ 12/12/12/11
Bent over row @ 115#
Simplicity press @ 11/11/10/drop set,11-8
21 mins.

cash out:
3x 65# oly curls / downward dog stretch
5 mins.

10 hours, 2100-0700/24 hours. 34 mins total, PE: 9. 216/14.
46/12/42%, 50C-175P. 1876 cal. Should have taken some protein in the afternoon, but, Win.

Wl - Front Squat - Dec 12

Front Squat. Good form throughout.
10x bar, 10x 95#, 8x 145#, x7, x6, x6, x6
12 mins.

3 rounds of the Circuit:
Simplicity calves @ 14/15/16/(17) x15
11x extension @ 160/175/190
RDL @ 145# x8/x10/x10
11 mins.
One more calf there, as you see.

9 hours, 2200-0700/48 hours. 24 mins total, PE: 8. 219/14.
36/11/53%, 38C-191P. 1487 cal. Win.

Ca - Bonus - Dec 10

Was supposed to take today off, but I'm feeling like it, and, knowing that I'll be drinking beers and watching UFC tonight and won't be doing anything tomorrow but drinking beer and watching cyclocross.

5 rounds in .30 on 1.15
max rep pulls (10's to 8's, pretty much)
max rep press @ 120# (same)
... one more dose of pulls.

11.5 - 2 hours, 2100-0830/24 hours. 11 mins total, PE: 8. 220/15.
27/33/41%, 194C-240P. 3015 cal.

Wl - 4-3/4-4 - Dec 9

No timer today. Just feelin' it.

Circuit:
3 rounds:
x10 Ov squat @ 55#. Rock bottom.
x11 extensions @ 160/175/190
x11 seated curl @130/145/160
...and one more go at the squats.

then
4 rounds:
Simplicity Calf x15 @ 14/15/16/17 -- Deads x10 @ 185/195/215/215

10 hours, 2100-0700/24 hours. PE: 8. 217/16.
31/29/41%, 181C-257P. 3076 cal.

Ca - Death by Bent Rows - Dec 8

Death by Bent over Rows - 8.10 double rounds @115#
10 mins.

Simplicity Bench, Press, Pull circuit
11's @12-10-14, for the most part, in .30 on 1.15
16 mins.
It's hypertrophy, who gives a crap about specifics?

3 rounds
Oly bar curls x10s @ 65#
4 mins.

8.5 hours, 2200-0630/24 hours. 31 mins total, PE: 8. 220/15.
29/14/57%, 69C-282P. 2351 cal. Win.

All in the Numbers.

You need to do two things to get stronger: add weight and do more reps. The answer has never been: lift light weights for high reps, or lift heavy weights for few reps. The answer remains: Lift heavy weights for high reps. - Dan John

Wl - Death by Squats - Dec 7

A little death.

Buy in:
Tabata 3-way planks and banana boats - I dunno, 6 rounds? Spent a goodly amount of time messing with the timer.
14 mins.

Death by Squats - double count @ 115#
6 rounds.
7 mins.

4 sets of calves on the Simplicity @ 14/15/16/15 x15
6 mins.

... one more squat x20 as a final FU.

7.5 hours, 2330-0700/24 hours. 30 mins total, PE: 9. 218/15.
32/32/37%, 133C-153P. 1808 cal.

Ca - Thrusters n' Such - Dec 6

Buy in:
4x
Thrusters @ bar/@95#
Pumps x20
11 mins.

4 rounds, Antagnonists in .30 on 1.115:
Simplicity Bench @ 11 x11 / Simplicity pull @13 x11
13 mins.

...one set of bent over rows, what was going to be a 3 round cash out, but I thought better of it after 5 reps.

8 hours, 2000-0700/24 hours. 26 mins total, PE: 8. 219/15.
37/34/28%, 219C-181P. 2779 cal.

Wl - Death by Double Deads - Dec 5

Death by Deadlift - double count.
7 rounds @ 155#
Not much to say here, just ran out of gas on the last round. Breathing is difficult. Sore on day two.
7 mins.

3 rounds:
Extension x11/ Seated curl x11/ Simplicity calves x15
11 mins.

9.5 hours, 2200-0730/72 hours. 18 mins total, PE: 9. 219/14.
40/27/33%, 129C-156P. 2098 cal.