S Run + Cl - Velocity Day 18 - June 30

AM
10x Tenth mile sprints, one on, one off.

PM
Buy in:
Bar only Snatches.

2x10
Overhead sqts @ 95#/curls @ 145/extensions @ 220#

4x10
Romanian deadlift @ 95#

3x10
Overhead sqts @ 95#/seated calf @ 70#/A-frame @ 5

Cash out:
4 tabata rounds plank/side plank/dead bug/side plank

8 hours/36 hours. 33 + 39 minutes, PE: 8. (215)/13.

Velocity Explained.

Today's more than an AR day, it's completely Off. Good day to catch up on this program reporting.
Check the chart below, last week was my heaviest frequency since my triathlon days. Any day in red is a day I blew up the Velocity-ish program.

Coming in, I logged two weeks on the Lose It! app. Nothing special, just an eye-opener in a couple of grand ways: one, I thought I was eating twice the amount of protein that I actually was eating, and two, I was eating more than twice the carbs I needed to be eat- er, drinking.
Oh yeah, I wasn't exercising worth a crappé either. Here are those control weeks:
Yes, scroll like heck, blogspot is retarded.

Control	Fat	Sat. Fat	Carb	Sugars	Protein	F/C/P%	Calories	Exercise
M30 c1	117	35	88	6	101	58-20-22	1840	-
T31 c2	165	50	226	49	152	50-30-20	3058	1x 30 mins
W1 c3	138	35	159	38	128	52-27-21	2437	-
T2 c4	159	44	144	38	122	57-23-20	2886	-
F3 c5	127	38	210	58	109	47-35-18	2690	-
S4 c6	120	38	88	26	142	54-18-28	2403	1x 31 mins
S5 c7	99	30	336	74	93	34-51-14	2700	-
Week c1	132	39	179	41	121	50-30-20	2573	2x 61
M6 c8	102	32	341	90	108	34-50-16	3086	-
T7 c9	118	28	207	107	80	48-37-15	2149	-
W8 c10	48	17	132	8	64	36-43-21	1345	-
T9 c11	200	88	202	27	154	56-25-19	3264	1x 10 mins
F10 c12	70	20	324	24	121	26-54-20	2601	-
S11 c13	98	26	160	33	127	43-31-25	2216	-
S12 c14	102	29	163	17	99	47-33-20	2399	1x 11 mins
Week c2	105	34	218	44	107	42-39-19	2437	2x 21

Okay, enter my bastardized version of the Velocity program. The basic idea here was to graze (eating 5x/day on three hour intervals), trash myself with nearly daily double sessions, and convert fat to muscle. Yes, I know that this is physiologically impossible.

Nutrition	1 - 700	2 - 1000	3 - 1230	4 - 1530	5 - 1830
2000 cal benchmark, 2200 acceptable	3 eggs, coffee or watered juice with C - 306 cal/20g protein	Pro shake - 280 cal/54g protein	Beer Nuts 425 cal/17g protein & carb, or comparable	Pro evolution shake - 320 cal/68g protein	Meal (up through 700 cal) or Pro Shake

Breakfast is composed of 3 whole eggs and some days some apple juice with the Vitamin C water. A protein shake or two to keep the protein levels above the carbs. Days where the carbs are over limit are marked with a number and a b ... notation regarding the liquid carbs that blew up week two.

I was still using Lose It!, and set the goals there to go from 221 to 204 (which gives a calorie allowance of 2200/day). Velocity is at 2000 per exercise day, and 1700 on non-exercise days. I generally disregarded the Lose It! settings which allow for more caloric intake when exercising, and mentally shot for the 2000 cal/day as a benchmark. I did use Lose It! to journal my nutritional intake and kept these as loose objectives:

- 100 grams of carbs a day, any day over 100 grams of carbohydrate is a fail day

- 33/33/33% for nutrients, preferably 40/20/40% with carbs as the lowest - any day where carbs go over 30% is a fail day

- Per the velocity diet, 2000 calories per day on exercise days, 1700 on non-exercise days, but I'm looser on the caloric intake than on the nutritional percentages

Work involved, for me, super hi-frequency. 10x sessions a week; four AM runs, four PM resistance sessions. Looks like I blew off the Friday PM session, mostly.

Work	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
AM	S Run - 1/1	S Run - Hills/Grades	Off	Murph - Pulls	Dice Run	Cleans/KB	Yokuts Mixed Run - Pull/Dips
PM	Wl - Deads	Ca - Pulls	Off	Cl - Front Sqt	Wa - Push	Off	Off

Maybe I'll post my befores when this is over. But not now. Here's the first two weeks of four:

Velocity	Fat	Sat. Fat	Carb	Sugars	Protein	F/C/P%	Calories	Exercise
M13 1	34	11	29	14	60	47-17-36	1603	1x 32 mins
T14 2	76	24	61	19	172	42-15-42	1666	2x 64 mins
W15 3	94	24	162	21	166	39-30-31	2157	1x 33 mins
T16 4	66	23	110	25	157	36-26-38	2186	1x 51 mins
F17 5	95	31	67	26	196	45-14-41	1891	1x 34 mins
S18 6	163	49	92	19	192	56-14-29	2617	off
S19 7	111	45	55	26	144	56-12-32	1871	1x 59 mins
Week 1	92	30	82	21	155	46-19-35	1998	7x 273
M20 8	129	65	212 4b	19	211	41-30-30	3322	1x 40 mins
T21 9	126	44	68	21	194	52-13-36	2227	1x 33 mins
W22 10	82	27	89	7	142	45-21-34	1731	2x 64 mins
T23 11	52	17	268	61	136	23-51-26	2145	2x 86 mins
F24 12	96	31	163 1b	38	185	38-29-33	2346	1x 20 mins
S25 13	93	24	75	13	196	44-16-41	2060	1x 72 mins
S26 14	91	27	223 4b	43	168	35-37-28	2793	1x 58 mins
Week 2	96	34	157	29	176	39-29-32	2374	9x 373
	Fat	Sat. Fat	Carb	Sugars	Protein	F/C/P%	Calories	Exercise

Week two was a bust for carb intake. Exercised like a maniac during week two. 12 out of 14 fail days during the control weeks, down to 6 fail days out of 14. Now, there are two weeks remaining to pull the entire show together. I can do better.

Sucks to have something to prove to yourself. It's like standing in a hole that you've dug and realizing that you had to work to get so low.

Double Session - Velocity Day 16 - June 28

AM
Mini-Murph run to Beach. 12 there (long way), 10 back with 4 backwards intervals.
There:
6x max reps (8's) neutral grip pulls in 40 on 40.

PM
Buy in:
4x 10 Hang Power Cleans @ 115#

4x8 reclining DB @ 65#

4x10 cable rows @ 90

Cash out:
5x tabata planks

Looking forward to tomorrow's day off. Feeling empty, but when workout time comes, I'm able to rise to it. But this hi-freq is a test. Hoping to come out the other side with some training effect and better ability to bounce back from hi-volume efforts.

8 hours/12 hours. 33 + 30 minutes, PE: 8. 213/14.

Train Grade + Wl - Velocity Day 15 - June 27

AM
Run to the train grade with Maylow: 11. Run back: 12.
4 repeats in .50 on 3:10. First 2 were really hard to top out in time. 13 mins.

Tight and clunky on the way over. Loosened up in time for the hills.

PM
4x11 Overhead Sqt @ 65/85/115/135#

3x11
Extensions @ 240#/curl @ 145#/seated calf @ 45/A-frame @ 5

3x5 Deads @ 205#

8 hours/24 hours. 36 + 35 minutes, PE: 8. 214/14.

Yokuts Run - Velocity Day 14 - June 26

Run to Yokuts: 17; run back: 17.

There:
7xmax reps mixed grip pulls/6x max reps dips (8's) - 20 mins.

One turn around the long block with Maylow to make the damage complete. Really flat and overtrained - this high freq block is killing me. I love it.

PM
Shooting in Keyesville, then to Kern River Brewing Co. in Kernville. Blue cheese burger, waffle fries and 4 awesome beers.

7 hours/24 hours. 58 minutes total, PE: 9.

MTB - Velocity Day 13 - June 25

AM
Actually, there's only supposed to be an AM today. Rode steady-state over to help Russ move stuff out of his garage. Didn't work hard enough there to consider that part of the daily routine. First ride in a while, and I noticed that spinning felt too easy, while the next gear up felt too thick. Could have used a bike pump to get out of that sticking spot, but wanted to make it harder today.
Dunno the distance, do know that there are a lot of shittyass drivers out there on the roads.

After, 5 sets of ab wheel rollouts, and 30 mins of stretching.

9 + 1.5 hours/12 hours. 72 minutes total, PE: 6. 215/13.

Death by Death by - Velocity Day 12 - June 24

AM
I stayed up too late - yes, 10:30 is now late - doing APNC and stoopid church stuff. Too late to get to bed when my body was saying it wanted bed earlier. Getting up to run wasn't happening. Part of training is the mental side, and in saying that, I'm pointing out that the obvious and easy is the mental telling the physical to suffer in that moment of oxygen deficit and lactic burn. The trying aspect of the mental training is the difficulty of saying No and meaning it in weak moments. Saying No to stuff you would normally say Why Not to. Like PM TV, or a slice of pizza, or thinking you'll get the workout done in the afternoon because you want to sleep in.

PM
Death by push press @ 120# - 9.6 rounds
rest 5 mins
Death by KB swings @ 1.5 pood - 9.14 doubled rounds

I did the push press single rounds while Chacho did the KB doubles, and then switched. Kinda fun that way. Doubles on the KB is a good way to keep the rep count from going stratospheric. The push presses felt great ... until round 8, when the ability to push just evaporated.

8.5 hours/24 hours. 20 minutes total, PE: 7/9. 215/13.

Reaquainted with Burpees - Velocity Day 11 - June 23

AM
Dice Run to Yokuts. A couple of 55's on the squats to start, and box jumps ... turnaround at 31 mins. 21 mins home. The weather's finally changed and it felt hot. Couple of everything but push ups - including the first burpees I've done for a year. Guess the burpee challenge cured me.

PM
Front Sqt
1x10 @ 115#
5x8 @ 135#
These did a good job of tightening up my lower back.

4x12/12 of seated calves @ 60#/A-frame @ 5

6 mins of assorted core crappé on the floor with the bosu ball and a set of pallof presses.

9.5 - .5 hours/36 hours. 53 + 33 minutes total, PE: 9/7. 213/11.

Wl - Velocity Day 9 - June 21

Feeling those dumb beers this morning. Didn't get up and run.

Noon:
4 rounds tabata core:
push up plank/side planks/dead bug

4x
5/6/7/5 Deadlift @ 205#/12 extensions @ 220#/12 curl @ 140#/12 seated calf @ 70#/20 A-frame @ 4
+ Dead 1x10 @ 135# just for good measure.

8.5 hours/30 hours. 33 minutes total, PE: 8. 214/15.

S run - Velocity Day 8 - June 20

AM
S run at the Train Grade. 4 repeats in 50 on 3:00. Maylow had a hard time on the way home: 14.36 on the return trip. It's most def feeling like summer now.

PM
Planned a Wl but Walker played the temptertormentor and enticed me to Padre for Union Jack and tacos. I was feeling a little overtrained anyway.

7 hours/24 hours. 40 + minutes total, PE: 8. 215/12 - post run and breakfast.

Mixed Run - Velocity Day 7 - June 19

I didn't do much yesterday - just 5 mins of planking and push ups and air squats to keep moving a little. We had a garage sale, and I Overate. I needed a day off though.

Today, got up and ran one tenth forward, one tenth walking and one tenth backwards to Yokuts and back. 18.29 to, 17:44 return. While there:

6xmax reps chin ups (8's) / bar dips (10's) in 40 with 45 secs RI.
18.20.

Bar dips were stronger than the pulls today. Go figure.

3 x12+ KB swings in 40with 45 secs RI to end it. 5 mins.

6.5 + 2 hours/36 hours. 59 minutes total, PE: 8.

Cl - Velocity Day 5 - June 17

Really felt overtrained and hungry and flat this morning. Could've been a little queasy and hung from Moo Creamery yesterday what with all those Just Outstanding IPAs. Things picked up before the PM session though.

Going to come through here and note daily nutrition as we go. Gotta find time to log all the Velocity hybridizations I'm doing tho.

5x6 Hang Power Clean @ 135#

3x A-frame 5.25/seated 60#/extensions 205#/leg curl 115#
+2 curl/seated

4x10 Ov Sqt @ 95#/Bosu plank leg curls

8 - 1 hours/36 hours. 34 minutes total, PE: 7. 214/15.

Mixed Run - Velocity Day 4 - June 16

AM
Run to Yokuts one min on, one off. 17.27

5xmax reps (5'/6's) dips/6xmax reps 6's+2) mixed grip pulls.

Run home, one on one off. 16.12 - then a turn around the long block with Maylow.

Really feeling the drag already from the anabolic change. Sucks, but Fork yah!

8 hours/12 hours. 51 minutes total, PE: 9. 215/14.

Wl - Velocity Day 3 - June 15

6am meeting with the guys, so no early session.

PM:
6 mins of wacky core: Wall push dead bugs, bosu leg lifts, steering wheels.

4xmax reps (6,8,7,7) SDHP @ 103#

6 more mins repeating that wacky core stuff.

4xmax reps (8's) front squat @ 115#

4x12 seated calves @ 55#

8.5 hours/24 hours. 33 minutes total, PE: 8. 215/17.

Wa - Velocity Day 2: SRun & 4x5 - June 14

Actually, taking it a bit light, or so I continue to say to myself.

AM:
Walk one tenth, sprint one tenth, turnaround at Train Grade for a total of 8 intervals. All were under 40. 36, 33, best at 30. 35 mins.
Limped around all day after this. Left achilles.

PM:
Deads 10 @ 135#, 4x5 @ 205#, 1 more 10 @ 135#... 1 min RIs.

4x6 Reclining DB presses @ 65#/Chins, 30 sec side planks (2 per side).

I realized something today. It's not that I don't work, it's that I've not been training. I've been using concepts, and working, but really, doing what I feel like, instead of looking at the preformatted piece of paper and saying, "Ah hails nah, not that today." I've not been forcing off days, so I've been taking too many. I've not been keeping my piehole shut; drinking beer for thirst, eating for flavor. I haven't been stretching, I haven't been cautious about bedtime. I've been Lazy, rather than Self-Disciplined. Basically, forgetting to remind myself that one of the adjectives that is supposed to characterize me is Athlete. I'm okay with shelving SuperHuman. But I'd like to dust off and tie knots in the laces of Athlete again for awhile.

No goal for now. Just will test my mile time in a month, and see what happens as a result of body composition changes. No composition goals - this isn't look better nekkid class. 29 days to come up with performance goals.

8.5 hours/12 hours. 64 minutes total, PE: 8. 215/13 (see, told you I was dehydrated yesterday).

Velocity - 13s on the 13 - June 13

Kinda a modification on the Dan John stuff with some Velocity ... I'm not certain about a 40 day cycle on this, or what final form it's going to take, but I wanted to start first and get all the answers by doing.
Using the Lose It! app has been a wake up call - not because I believe in calorie-counting, but because I would have believed my intake breakdown would have been like, 50% protein. It's really been 18-20%.

That's changing, and I'm just going to get serious about shocking my system a bit here. Adding in Omega 3s and will be trying to graze all day. Hesitate to use the term Velocity, since I'm not going all supplemental and liquid like Velocity, but will emulate it with real food. But maybe it will be better and sustainable for all that. Did this in Thailand, and it was really uncomfortable. Let the starving begin.

All 30 sec RI today.

5x13 A-frame @ 5, 30 sec RI planking

4x13 Ov Squats @ 95#

6x(max reps, 6's - couldn't manage 13's) neutral-grip pulls

6x6 bar dips, which really bothered my right shoulder

9 - 1 hours/36 hours. 32 minutes total, PE: 8. 218/20 (dehydrated, right).

AR - KB Swings - June 12

5x20 with the 1.5 pood, and one more 10 single-armed for good measure.

7.5 + 2 hours/24 hours. 11 minutes total, PE: 7.

AR - PushPlank - June 11

100 push ups via max reps with planked RIs. Took about 8 sets.

8 hours. 10 minutes total, PE: 6.

Ca - Disneyland Hotel - June 6

6x11
Recline pulls on machine/Recline DB presses @ 50# both in 60 on 2.00

5x7-8 Pull downs / 6x11 DB thrusters @ 45#
in 1.45 with .55 RI

There was also a lot of walking today, does that count?

8 hours. 31 minutes total, PE: 9.

S Run - Beach Pulls - May 31

9:24 to Beach, 9:21 home. Not much to report there, except that the left achilles started to squawk, but then after a quarter mile or so, inexplicably shut up. Using the old NB flats today.

8x max reps on the big green at Beach - 4x neutral grip, 4x chin grip in .40 with .40 RI. 11.31.

Tomorrow, we begin in earnest.

7.5 hours/48 hours. 30 minutes total, PE: 7. 221/13.

Muddie Phat Tyre

Grains
.5 lbs Victory Malt
.5 lbs Briess Caramel 60
1 lb Fawcett Pale Chocolate

Extract
1 lb Pilsen light dry malt extract (60 min)
6 lbs Munich malt syrup late addition (slated for 15 min, gave it 60)

Hops
1 oz Perle 9.4% alpha (60 min)
1 oz Hersbrucker 2.4% (15 min)

Yeast
Safale US-05 Ale Yeast. Started it only an hour early on honey and white sugar. Optimum temp: 59°-75° F

25 minute steep up to 170 with all the grains. Gravity reading after was negligible: still .1000 … .1001 maybe. Everything else went like clockwork, except for throwing down all the extract at the beginning of the boil. Think that was good for a protein break, but also did something special to the sugars in the Munich as we ending with an OG at 1077 instead of a predicted 1052.
Guess we could've added some water as we had a bit of extra head space, but ... hmmm.

Going to boil some now.

Strap yourselves in, it's going to be a bumpy night.

S Run - Intervals - May 29

7 tenths, one on, one off during the trips over and back from Beach. Full walk/jog rests.

Once there, 3x figure 8's around the horseshoe pits and skate park in 2:18-2:14-2:15 with 2:18 rests.

The obligatory Maylow lap once home.

8 hours/48 hours. 39 minutes total, PE: 8. 220/13.

S Run - Train Grade - May 27

5x in .50 on 3.00

Nice cool morning. Was amazed to find my head and hands steaming after the run. In Bako. In May. Are you kidding me?

11.03 there. 14.56 without the final rest. 13.56 on the way back, with a visit to the weir to check on the hyacinth.

Not really any trouble making the time, smooth is fast. Friggin' left achilles didn't like it though. Spent the afternoon limping around.

8 hours/12 hours. 40 minutes total, PE: 8. 217/14.

Ca - Death by Pullups - May 26

Buy in:
3x20 hyperflexions/pumps

Death by Pullups
12.9 rounds
Straight pulls. I got 4 hours sleep and an overdose of stress, and didn't expect much. And, I had the number 12 in my mind, which probably self-fulfilled the prophecy. I know - dammit, I know - I can do better.

Push Press 5x5 @ 135#

4 hours/forever hours. 32 minutes total, PE: 8.

Wl - Squats - May 23

Only stretched yesterday. Yes, still off schedule, but Mondays are traditionally this.

10 reps
Overhead squats @ 45/65/95
Front squats @ 115/135/135/135

12/10 reps
A-frame @ 6/Seated calves @ 45s

Shoulders still start off so tight. Front squatting, I'm not getting my elbows up at all.

8 hours/48 hours. 34 minutes total, PE: 6. 220/14, 222/13 pm.

AR - Bike Ride with the Trooper - May 21

Something more was supposed to happen today, but since I'm off schedule, I settled for a bike ride to Woody's with Kdawg. Did a few rounds of max rep pulls and dips there. Long ride for a guy still on training wheels, and he made up exercises there on the parcourse. Proud of the little man.

S Run - Mixed Run - May 19

Anticipated a different workout altogether today. Eyes snapped open at 5:30 and didn't close, so put on the running shoes and thought I might do some pyramid intervals. Took ten steps and remembered why running after deadlift day is always a harrowing experience.

Thinking along the way that the single-mode endurance workout is a thing of the past. Calling this a "mixed run" means that you get to run your run, but punctuate it with other stuff that makes the running suck. Move the blood to your arms, or quads, or just punish yourself with unrelated activity. Dice run FTW.

Whatever. Part of the game is the person in the driver's seat telling the vehicle WTF to do. Charged over to Beach and did 7 sets of chins in 40 on 40. Started at 6 reps and held it until the last couple.

Running home (and here's where it gets weerd) encountered a Smart and Final cart stolen from the store on F street by some passer-by (read: Shopping Cart Dipshit Thief). Thought I'd do my good deed for the day and return it as best I could, so started pushing it on the bikepath until I ran into the pile of cinderblock that SCDT's have been throwing into the canal. I picked up all the bricks, put them into the cart, and pushed it all home. To my surprise, I found that it was not easy. Not just on the deadlift-softened legs, but the delts were frying as well.

My thinking: maybe I need to buy a prowler. Or build something nasty to push.

Ended with the obligatory burn around the long block racing against the dog.

7.5 hours/16 hours. 33 minutes total, PE: 7.

Wl - Dead Reps - May 18

Back on the standard.

3 rounds
12 Overhead Sqt @ 65 / 10 Extensions @ 205 / 12 Seated curl @ 115
...one more set of the squats, just 'cause. Man, the arms were tight starting off.
12.30

5 rounds
10 deads @ 155 / 12 Calves on the A-frame @ 6 / 8ish Seated calves @ 60

7 hours/52 hours. 30 minutes total, PE: 7. 222/13.

S Run - Mile Time - May 16

Mile for time. Jogged out to the Golden state bridge to start at that mile marker, and finish at the Oak St marker. What a long distance a mile can be. Half mile point to .75 seemed like hell.

Using my iPhone to time, I finish and tap the lap counter. I look down. 10.30. My whole life flashes before my eyes. I sold out and the best I could do is 10+? My life is over.

Look again and see that the 10.30 was my lap time to the starting line. Actual mile was 7.23.

Not great, but with lowered expectations, seemed like a real coup. And, I can stand tall again.

8 hours/13 hours. 26 minutes total, PE: 10. 218/15.

AR - On Demand - May 15

Futzing around with the ExerciseOD channel with Kater and the kids. CC hung in there for all 4 episodes. Lots of core and kicks. Then, just a nice bike ride to get hyacinth for the pond.

9 hours/24 hours. 60 minutes total, PE: 6.

AR - 3x3 - May 14

3x10/11/12
Push Press @ 120#/KB swing singles @ 1.5

7.5 hours/72 hours. 12 minutes total, PE: 7.

S - Run to Yokups - May 10

Easy run over to Yokuts in 13.22, then 6 x max reps chins (7's)/5x max reps dips (10-9-8-7-5) in 40, rest 40. Back home in 15.11, and a block circuit with Maylow for good measure.

8.5 hours/12 hours. 47 minutes total, PE: 7. 218/14.

Wl - OverComing - May 9

In the morning, I felt like it. At noon, I felt like it. At 5:00, I did not feel like it. But I did it, nevertheless.

10 Overhead Sqts @ bar/65#/85/105/125/105/85/65

Calves @ 5 on the A-frame/seated @ 2

Shoulders have been uncharacteristically tight and - uh, arthritic - feeling. Figured this would set 'em straight. A day later, I think so.

M Bike - Double Session - May 8

AM:
6 and 6 rounds
max reps Push press @120# (10's to 6's)
Kb swings 10/11/12/13/14/singles @ 1.5

PM:
MTB to Jewetta and back. Beautiful weather. Not a lot of wattage in the legs.

8 hours/36 hours. 12 + 60 minutes total, PE: 8.

Ca - PullPush Tabata - May 6

The fastest 8 minutes in sports. 8 rounds on the pull up bar (6's, then 5's, then a 4), then 8 DBs on the declining bench @ 55#s (6's, only a 1 on round 7, but 6 again on 8). Quick and mean with a good CNS response.

8 hours/36 hours. 8 minutes total, PE: 9. 217/15.

S Run - Train Grade - May 5

Last time I did this, it was 11.29 to the hill, 5x the train grade in 47-50 on 3.00, then home in 11.57; end with a quick trip around the block with Maylow.

This time it was 12.14 to the hill, 5x the train grade in 54 on 2.45, then home in 11.17; end with a quick trip around the block with Maylow.

Little less RI makes a difference.

6 hours/48 hours. 45 minutes total, PE: 8.

S Run - Tabata - May 1

To Beach and back, 14 tabata rounds running total. 6 rounds of chins there. Really tight on the way out the door, really fell off in the later pulling rounds.

8 hours. 28 minutes total, PE: 7. 221/16.

Cl - All But the Hip - Apr 22

Embarrassed to even do this, but I'm not doing more whatwith time constraints and whatwith the feeling of coming down with something today.

5x12
extensions @ 190/seated curls @ 115#/a-frame @ 6/seated calves @ 2/hyperflexions/toes to bar

Glad to have dodged the Easter week allergycough bullet so far, but it's winged me now, and the posse is onto the spoor trail and ain't far off.


7 hours/48 hours. 20 minutes total, PE: 5.

AR - DB Thrusters - Apr 19

It's the hotel.

7x13 DB Thusters with 30s.

9 hours/24 hours. 15 minutes total, PE: 5.

Ca - Carp Bar - Apr 18

Run to/back the bar set at Carpinteria. While there:

7x
15 push ups on the bar
6/7/8/9/10/11/12 pull ups

Love that pull up bar. LOVE.

9 hours/48 hours. 48 minutes total, PE: 8.

AR - To Da Beach - Apr 16

3x max reps Push Press @ 120#
3x max reps SDHP @ same
1x PP
1x SDHP

Actually empty from the squats yesterday. Feeling that hip element of the high pulls today.

7 hours/18 hours. 16 minutes total, PE: 5.

Wl - Not Very Taxing Day - Apr 15

antagonists:
3x
11 seated curl @ 115#/leg ext @ 190#
x15 A-frame @ 5/x10 seated cav @ 35#
+1 more go on the calves

3x 7+7
front squat/back squat @ 135#

+1 more go on the calves

7 hours. 22 minutes total, PE: 6. 217/16 - 221/12.

S Run - Bike Path Berms - Apr 11

Out and back with a few accelerations to Yokuts. 10 glides-to-hilltops there by the drinking fountain. Easy does it, not going to aggravate the achilles.
On the return, grabbed a couple cinder blocks and Ranger shuffled with them on my shoulders (mostly, they didn't feel good at all, in any position).

8 hours/48 hours. 45 minutes total, PE: 7. 217/14.

Cl - 8x8 - Apr 9

8 rounds x 8 reps
deads @ 165#
chin ups
30 secs on, 5 secs warning, 30 secs RI

Thought gas would be the limiting factor. In fact, I didn't think I was going to be able to do this one as Rx'ed. But I did, and the weak link was grip (second was mental weakness). Had to partition the last two chins, and the last one dead, just because the hands weren't holding. ... Nice having the warning time to grip up. Also serves as a moment to talk to oneself. Go, damn you.

Cash out:
4x
12 a-frame @ 6/8ish seated calves @ 55#

8 hours/72 hours. 25 minutes total, PE: 8. 217/13.

Shmotel - Apr 6

What was this? A bunch of hip drive-like stuffs.

4x10 DB clean and press @ 30's

3x10
DB thrusters @ 40
High pulls on the pulley @ 70#

Cash out:
8 min tabata planks/dead bugs

4.5 hours/36 hours. 20 minutes total, PE: 5.

Wa - Hotel Gym Shenanigans - Apr 5

Really didn't feel like this today after a really early morning, long drive and longer day getting SocialMedia hammered into my head. But the hotel has never won one. And never shall.

7x 13-11 DB reclining presses @ 50's

5 mins speedbag work. And a couple passes of roundhouses and front kicks on the heavy bag, as an afterthought.

4.5 hours/36 hours. 21 minutes total, PE: 5.

S run - Pickwick Hill - Apr 4

5 times up Pickwick in Cambria in 1.25 on 4.00 ... last one was so hard, I simply had to do a 6th. In 1.31, which tells me it might've stayed in the tank. But.

Left achilles is still giving me static.

8 hours/48 hours. 31 minutes total, PE: 9.

Ca - Hourglass Hammer Time - Apr 2

1 to 10! Clean and press @ 100#/
6 Pull Ups/
10! to 1 Ring Dips
All on 35 secs per ... an extra 5 secs for travel time. Wasn't enough. Had to shut off the timer a couple of times to get a blow. Cleans felt light, the presses light. It's always the gas with those things. Knocked out all the dips unbroken (not that big a deal, but easier than the last time I did bar dips on 10!). Still working on the pull ups, 6's are better than 5's.
Next time, maybe it's ten 2 minute rounds.


7 + 1 hours/48 hours. 15 minutes total, PE: 8.

Wl - Squats, Mostly - Mar 31

x10 Ov Sqt @ 95#
x10 Front Squat @ 95#, 115#, x8 @ 135#, 145#, 145#
x10 Ov Sqt @ 95#
x10 Front Sqt @ 95#

Cash out:
4x12 on the A-frame at 6.

Feeling the onset of the springtime allergy malaise. Today was the first day over 70 degrees, and the air is backing up with the high pressure system. Runny nose, lethargy. Left achilles is strained and no better today than yesterday.

8 -2 hours/36 hours. 30 minutes total, PE: 7. 217/13.

S Run - 4x400 - Mar 30

6 mins warm up over to the bike path. Then 4x

.1 out and .1 backs in 1.16 on 2.30

Yeah, the third one sucked. and yeah, my left achilles is giving me the same old shite it gives me when I run repeats. Mutinous piece of shite.



Ran the obligatory quarter with Maylow for the warm-down.

6 hours/12 hours. 22 minutes total, PE: 9. 215/11 - post run.

Ca - Tabata Pull Ups - Mar 29

Threw down the phone and let it run tabata timer ... 20 rounds of 5 each was the goal. Early in the going, I got the brilliant idea to do better than 5's because I'd do worse than 5's later, probably, so I did a few 8's and 7's, but then fell off the wagon and ended up doing 4's for most of the backstretch. Rep count: approx. 90. Next time, just do 5's, willya?

Cash out:
12 tabata rounds 4x each
low push up plank/dead bugs/plank

Then, when the Wictor showed up, did a second round of 12 just because. And, surprisingly and admirably, the second go was easier than the first.

8 hours/36 hours. 31 minutes total, PE: 8. 215/14 - 215/11 PM.

S Run - Mini Murph - Mar 28

Out the door with little time in the AM. Quarter mile warm-up/down to the bike path, then out to Chester bridge doing tenths of backward/easy/interval/easy. Something like six rounds of those .4s. Felt clunky and tight starting out, and the backward running really didn't help out with that at all. Battled quad lock the whole way.

Good one! 3.1 miles.

8 hours/24 hours. 38 minutes total, PE: 8. 216/13.

AR - Presses - Mar 27

Just banged out 6 sets of max rep strict presses @ 120#.

9 + 2 hours/24 hours. 12 minutes total, PE: 6.

S Run - Imbibe in the Dirt - Mar 26

Early georun west along the bike path to find "Embibe." After that, worked in 9 40-second intervals on 4.00s as I came back along the north side of the river.

Felt good today. Loose and stride was in a groove. Who woulda thunk it after leg day yesterday?

PM: 5 sets of deadhang neutral grip pull ups - ranging from 10 down to 5.

8.5 hours/24 hours. 52 minutes total, PE: 8. 215/14.

Wl - Butt Lock - Mar 25

Buy in:
3x
15 hyperflexions w/ 15# ball
10 feet to bar
7.30

1x10 Ov Sqt @ 95#

Antagonists:
4x11 -
extensions @ 205/seated curl @ 130#/A-frame @ 7/seated calves @ 2
16.00

Da shit:
x10,11,12,13
Ov Squat @ 95# & Back Squat
Failed on the final squats at 8 of the 13. That was a good stopping place. Wasn't about the weight.
15.30

8 hours/24 hours. 39 minutes total, PE: 8. 215/14.

Ca - PushPull10! - Mar 24

Bar dips/Pull ups
10! on the 30s, hourglass format
10 pulls, 1 dip = 1 minute
down to 1 pull/10 dips

Last set of dips barely made it at the bell. Today, the pulls were stronger.

6 hours/48 hours. 10 minutes total, PE: 8. 215/15.

CL - Gradient - Mar 22

10 Extensions/10 seated curl/15 hyperflexions/10 feet to bar
10 Extensions/10 seated curl/15 hyperflexions/10 feet to bar
10 Extensions/10 Deads @ 135#/15 hyperflexions/10 feet to bar
10 Deads @ 155#/12 Calves on the A-frame @ 6/15 hyperflexions/10 feet to bar
10 Deads/12 A-frame/12 Seated calves/10 feet to bar
10 Deads/12 A-frame/12 Seated calves
10 Deads/12 A-frame/12 Seated calves
A few Romanian Deads @ 135#/12 A-frame/12 Seated calves

It looks like a lot, but it played out pretty simply. Adding weight to the deads each round, and scaling down the reps per round, next time.

9 hours/24 hours. 29 minutes total, PE: 7. 215/15.

Ca - Pull2 Push2 - Mar 21

8! on the Tabata timer, rotating from
Neutral grip pulls/SDHP @ 98#/Bar Dips/Standing Presses @ 98#

Opted to go on the last round instead of doing the ones. Got sevens on them all, I think. This was a fun little WoD - and generated some cardio along with a pump.
Gotta go 9! next time.

8 hours/24 hours. 16 minutes total, PE: 8. 217/16 - 221/13 PM.

AR - AR15o - Mar 20

3x 150-your age
max reps ceiling stompers/push ups/finish with air squats
one min RI ... or more

Raining too hard to do much else this day. Lots of squats. My right wrist is feeling mouse-pain and won't bend backward. Did the push ups on the knuckles to keep it straight.

8 - 3 hours/24 hours. 18 minutes total, PE: 7. 217/14.

AR - Coma by KB Swings - Mar 19

Off for a night out to the Jam game after brewing, squeezing in KB swings today. Lower back's felt hinky all day, so I face it head on. These should help.

Doubles on each round, and stopped before failure. 9 Rounds = tops at 18. 90's not a bad rep count.

8 hours/24 hours. 9 minutes total, PE: 6. 217/14.

Tres Bros Honey Brown

Dew and I at Dave P's place. First time I've packed up all the gear to do a remote brewing! Simply used the Northern Brewer Honey Brown kit, but swapped out the Wyeast 1056 for dry Nottingham.

SPECIALTY GRAINS - 25 mins up to 170 degrees
.25 lbs Simpson’s Chocolate
.25 lbs Dingemans Special B
.25 lbs Dingemans Biscuit
.25 lbs Briess Special Roast

FERMENTABLES
6 lbs Gold malt syrup
1 lb Honey late addition (45 min)

HOPS
1 oz Cluster @ 7.5% (4/5ths at 30 min, 1/5th aroma at 45 min)

Kinda knocking the Naughty Brown formula, but substituting Cluster for Cascade, and real grains (!) for the Quaker oats. This should be good!
Everything went like clockwork. Nice slow steeping on the grains, got up to a good boil after a 10 minute-ish in-between after adding in the extract - so, really a 50 minute rolling boil. Dew brought the magic in the form of a full Lengthwise pig of seasonal Brown and a good tri tip.

What to report? Hops went in and smelled yummy. Dave got the yeast wet in a cup and we dabbed in a spot of honey. Honey went into the boil and we skimmed off the foam impurities. Ran the hose chiller, put the yeast in first, and kegged in a leaker corney.
Shooting for an OG of 1050, hit it right on the mark. Grains and extract, before the honey, was 1030, FYI.

Day 2, the Nottingham is going great, pushing gas out of the top cap.

Day 3: Someone did me a favor and added some plastic atop the corney to keep it from making a mess. And, in the process, depressed the release valve, closing it. The perfect little slow-leak we had goin' was no more, the tank built up pressure all night, and the brew waited like a pandora's box for me to release it this morning. Which I did ... all over the floor, walls and my clothes.
The fermentation is vigorous, we'll say. Now to continue to pull the pin on that release valve everytime I think of it for the next few days – which I was hoping to be freed from thinking about. Ah well.

Day 6: Finished the ferment at 1008. Thrown into the fridge and we'll rack out of the bottom in a day or two.

9 Weeks Later:
There's still a bit of a funk to what's going on in that corney. Hit it really hard with the Co2 and will pull off anything that's still floating around in there. We drank up 5 gallons of this one's twin that was a week younger while brewing a chocolate Phat Tyre today, but when that ran out, we opted for real New Belgium/Rogue Muddy Tires instead of drinking this. Hope it can turn around.

Wa - Look, Another 21 Minute Workout - Mar 18

4x15
hyperflexions
pulls @ 5 chins/5 pulls/5 neutral grip
reclining DB press @ 50#
plus one set o' pulls

It's retarded, I know. But it's how I live now.

8 hours/24 hours. 21 minutes total, PE: 7. 215/14.

Wl - Whirlwind - Mar 17

What a crappy week. Sacrificing sleep, training, and fam for ... for what? Last night, to get spitballs shot at me by high schoolers on a walk to McD's. Another day I won't get back, yah.

Tonight, it was the allure of green beers. But I got in the minimum, which is actually baseline. No complaints, as I sip a greened Yellow Snow from Rogue. It's not another day walking backward.

4x10 feet to bar/2x20 Pumps

Then
4x10 Ov Squats @ 115#
alternated with 3x12 A-frames @6/12 seated calves @ 2

7.5 hours/72 hours. 21 minutes total, PE: 6. 215/16.

MTB - GeoBike - Mar 14

An easy out along the bike path to the canal crossing. Trying to get a few of the No C.R.A.P Left Behind series. 3 finds, one DNF. No real off-roading, and only a few intervals on the way back. A cloudwashed orangesque sunset, and poignant set of Bebo Norman playing.

9 -2 hours/24 hours. 50 minutes total, PE: 6. 216/15.

AR - PushPull - Mar 13

6 sets of good presses @ 120#
5 sets of bad pullups @ 215#.

12 hours/48 hours. not for time, PE: 5. 215/14.

Wl - Deads Circuit - Mar 11

5 rounds x 10
knees to elbows/deads/extensions/seated curl/calves on the A-frame/seated calves
Deads at 185# throughout, with 135# to start and an extra to finish. 185 felt heavy today.

10 -1 hours/72 hours. 40 minutes total, PE: 7. 213/14.

AR - AR 15o - Mar 5

3x 150-yer age
max reps ceiling stompers/push ups/finish with air squats
one min RI

Just staying loose on a beautiful Saturday when I couldashoulda been doing some long training, but ... can't.

8.5 + 2 hours/24 hours. 14 minutes total, PE: 5. 213/14.

S Run - 6x.1 - Mar 4

Couldn't sleep, got out the door for a run East on the bike path. 6x.1 with walk/dog trot intervals in .37 on 2.00s. Got Maylow out for a .33 sprint at the end. Short and sweet.

8 hours/48 hours. 23.30 minutes total, PE: 8.

AR - Scheduled - Mar 2

Just did some stretching today, and 7 or 8 sets of max rep abmats.

8 hours/48 hours. PE: 5.

Ca - McCluskey Junior - Mar 1

1 mi (treadmill @ 2.0%)/21 pull ups 11.52
.75 mi/15 pulls 9.41
.5 mi/9 8.12
.25/5 2.32
32.18

I love this WoD. More running, by far, than the McCluskey hero WoD, but OMG, far fewer pulls. A perfect mix of getting gassed early and forcing yourself to continue. Which, I'm completely ashamed to admit, I didn't do. I walked at 4.0 for 100m of both the .75 and the half. Started out at 6.6, but had to back down to 6.0 (read: 10 minute miles). Average was at 6.3 mph. I've got some CFE work to do.

BTW, some dickweed doing partial-rep pulley curls at the only pullup station at the gym. I just had to shoulder my way in. I've been partitioning the 21-15-9 as 11/10, 8/7, 5/4 lately, but when I got the bar with 15 to go I just had to rep out for honor's sake. Wierd, how one can do more than one expects when one expects more of oneself. Doesn't hurt to have some douche standing there to steamroller, though. Embarrassed with my performance today, but, damn. I'm livin' large on this side of heaven.

Here's a timely quote:
"It doesn't matter how many times you fail. It doesn't matter how many times you almost get it right. No one is going to know or care about your failures, and neither should you. All you have to do is learn from them and those around you because... All that matters is that you get it right once. Then everyone can tell you how lucky you are." - Mark Cuban

8 hours/24 hours. 32 minutes total, PE: 9.

Cl - OvSDHP - Feb 28

Buy in:
3x
20 hyperflexions/8 feet to bar/20 pumps

Main set:
21-15-9
Ov squat/SDHP @ 95#
13 minutes.

Cash out:
4xmax reps (12+/8ish)
A-frame @ 6/Seated @ 35+25

High pulls were 4 times harder than the squats. Just blown. I spent so much time resting; not even funny. I have some top end, I just can't hold the rpms.

10 hours/24 hours. 37 minutes total, PE: 8. 212/14.

WoD - Woody - Feb 27

AM: Woody WoD - 5 mi
25 mins there, 23 mins doing work, 25 mins back
3 mins obligatory run with Maylow

9 min/mi with a lot of braindead walking. What a crisp, clean, snow-bowl day. Pushed a couple of .1 intervals on the way home, only to negative split 30 seconds. Split the heavy work with a lot of RI - 11/10 - 8/7 - 5/4 ... pretty much

It all feels terrible, but the snowball is beginning to roll, I can just feel it. Wait, now that I see that I'd done this 7 weeks ago, and three minutes faster then. Here I grind my teeth together in a determined grimace.

PM: easy bike to Beach, 5-6-7 sets (?) dead hang chins @ 6-5-4s.

6.5 hours/24 hours. 76 minutes total, PE: 7. 214/14 - post run and breakfast.

AR - CnP - Feb 26

1 max rep Push press
5/6/7/6/6/6 Clean and press
1 max rep Push press
...all at 120#.

Complete rest (picking lemons) between goes.

7.5 hours/48 hours. not for time, PE: 6. 211/12.

Ca - Something New - Feb 24

6x8
30 secs on with 5 secs warning/30 secs RI
Chins/Reclining DB presses @ 60#/Pulls/Bar Dips

The dips got hardest, firstest. I like this WoD. Just hard enough without it being CF stupid. A moment of inspiration to make it happen. I'll work up some variants, for certain.

9 - 1.5 hours/48 hours. 25 minutes total, PE: 8. Hell, I can't remember, but I suppose it falls within the same 5-point range on both accounts.

Wl - Goblet Squirts - Feb 22

Wanted this one today, until walking into the gym. Lots of people there, doing their cardio. Guy in his work boots. Three guys texting. Not an upper, coming in the door. I want to create a space.
Besides my own happy space that I'm forced to forge.

3x
2o hyperflexions/10 extensions/11 seated curls/15 A-frame @ 5.5/12 seated calf @ 2

(5 minute constitutional hiatus … shit!)

10 extensions/11 seated curls/12 seated calf/rep out (17ish) A-frame @ 3.5
15 goblet squats @ 40/45/50/55/60
alternate with 12 seated calf/rep out (17ish) A-frame @ 3.5 for the first 3x

Felt unsettled and uncorked throughout the night. Very distracting.

8.5 hours/24 hours. 24 minutes total, PE: 6. 213/14.

S Run - 400 Ints - Feb 21

Weather and skies were clear today, so amended everything to get it on outside.

5x400 on the country roads out after work.
1.19/1.45/1.55/1.54/1.45
generally 3.30ish dogtrotting another quarter between each.

Stride felt blocky. Been awhile since I've done rolling repeats. I gotta get this penciled in, with some volume expansion before summer rolls in.

8.5 hours/24 hours. 32 minutes total, PE: 8. 215/11 (pm).

AR - Sunday Out - Feb 20

Took an easy 1 mile hike to snag a cache while crewing the bike race, then in the PM,
5x max reps
Pull ups/Push press @ 120#

Not much sleep today.

AR - AR15o - Feb 19

The usual AM NEN:
110x 3 rounds
Ceiling stompers/push ups/air squats

Felt good today. Seeking to add to this in the PM, but we shall see. Tomorrow will be a zero with crewing at the Pine Flat races, so I better double down today.

7.5 hours/48 hours. 14 minutes total, PE: 7. 210/15-210/12.

Wl - Overhead - Feb 17

Hmm, let's see, one set of hanging knees to chest before I tore off the callous that I'd lifted yesterday with a subcutaneous blister. First real one in a while. The hardest part of this workout was washing my hands with the antibacterial soap afterward. I even said a bad word in that moment.

Overhead Squats
9 @ 65#
10/11/12/13/9 @ 85#
1 min RI

4 rounds
A-frame @ 5 a side 12+/Seated calf @ 45 12/Hyperflexions 20
30 secs RI

7.5 hours/24 hours. 27 minutes total, PE: 5. 211/17.

Ca - Pull Push - Feb 16

Death by pullups
11.9 rounds, neutral grip.

Life by bardips - heh.
10! ... rounds on the minute.

7 hours/72 hours. 22 minutes total, PE: 7. 213/15.

Valentine's Day.

Only the second time in the last 11 years I've not been in NYC, walking around Times Square with my hands in my pockets, shouldering past couples on my lonesome.

So, not only was I happy to be with the fam, and happy to be eating mondo shrimp with the fam, I had a moment at the table realizing that this strange little non-holiday called Valentine's day is a time where we put on a day on hold to celebrate Love. Not romance, mind you, but Love. Those who only go for the candlelight or roses are selling the day short.

Silly, a bit? No need to have a special day to toast clean air, or skin, or refrigeration, or ... well, Liberty. That one, we do, at that, and we make a big deal out of it with fireworks and such. Love is an abstract notion as well, and even more fundamental than personal freedom. We are right to take a moment and value it.

AR - AR-15o - Feb 13

So, today was going to be a double session, with this little mini-wod in the AM, and running alongside Boogie on the bike in the PM. Got this one logged, later in the day didn't happen.

3 rounds
150-age, rep out with
Ceiling stompers/push ups/air squats
RI 1 min

Round one felt like a whole lot of squats, then I realized, I went all the way to 150 without subtracting. Senility cannot minus out. Didn't opt for the abmats on this today, and I liked it better.

7 hours/48 hours. 17 minutes total, PE: 6.

Wa - The Basics - Feb 11

No commentary. Saltines. This is not a meal, it's simply repast.

4x10 feet to bar/3x15 hyperflexions

3x 6-8-10
Deads @ 185#
1 min RI

3x12
Declining DB bench @ 55's
Chins

9 - 3 hours/24 hours. 28 minutes total, PE: 7.

Cl - The Bear - Feb 10

But I just gave blood, I say.

Today I could have used some. Feeling more than a pint and a half low. I wonder if taking iron is doing anything, as willowy as I felt this day. Granted - I grant myself, with all the grantingness I can self-grant - granted, this week has completely sucked in terms of dietinsomniacortisol, so I give myself a bit of a pass.

6 rounds
95# bar, complexes at 4-4-5-5-5-4 reps.
interleave
calves on the A-frame @ 6, 12 reps/seated calves @ 2, 10 reps

I want to say that the hardest thing about the Bear is remembering what comes next. I wanted to continue repping the thrusters or cleans, or presses. But that's not a difficulty, that's just miscues. What's hard is that "holy shit, this sucks" feeling that they induce. 95 lbs should be light. It's not. It wasn't. Not today.

7 hours. 23 minutes total, PE: 7. 209/15.

WoD - Death by KB Swings - Feb 6

Something simple today, with some hip drive. Been wanting to test on this one for awhile now. Shooting for something higher than 16 rounds, after a lunch at Lengthwise and hustling to get to a Super Bowl party. Grip and gas were the limiting factors. I can do better, it will just hurt a lot to get it done.

19.12 rounds @ 1.5 pood.

9 hours/24 hours. 20 minutes total, PE: 9. 210/15-210/13.

Wa - PushPull - Feb 5

Out late doing the Father Daughter dance last night, so relaxed all morning, and then had a minute before heading out to finish the tear-down. So. As Dan Johns might say I just headed out to the backyard and (and I paraphrase) stood over the metal. Grabbed it and put it overhead.

6x max reps
Press @120#
Pull ups (matching the press numbers - presses went unbroken, these never do)
One minute RI.
Sets looked like 10-9-8-8-7-8.

I simply feel like tearing it up right now. Gonna do some deep stuff tomorrow. Can't wait.

8.5 hours/48 hours. 17 minutes total, PE: 6. 211/14.

AR - Beach with Buzz - Feb 3

Easy mile out and back to Beach Park with Kdawg on the Buzz Bike, complete with rubbing front brake. A good part of the workout today was pushing on his back to keep speed up. He wanted to stop frequently and throw rocks into the river and stuff, so I got a good number of jumping jacks and squats in.

8 sets of max rep mixed grip pull ups on the playground structure. It's pretty great for neutral grip and underhand, with a fat pipe to palm on overhand grip. This is going to be a regular stop now.

9 - 2 hours/24 hours. 46 minutes total, PE: 5. 209/15.

Wl - Southwood at its Core - Feb 2

Buy in:
3x 8-10 Feet to bar/15 hyperflexions w/ 15# ball
...one more feet to bar.

Tested the Southwood 8-6-4 complex. Went a bit light and subbed out the front squats for Ov squats. My ass is empty from all the deads yesterday. Used a wide snatch grip and held it throughout, which felt strange for the HPC and press, but too narrow for the Ov squat.
8 @ 75#, 6 @ 85#, 4 @ 95#

No antagonists today, some dipstick lost the pin to the extension machine.

Then
3x 10 Ov squats @ 95#/12 Calves on the A-frame @ 6/10 seated calves @ 2
...one more pairing on the calves.

Couldn't sleep last night (PM training amped me up?) but I feel good, there's a training effect going on. Just need to recover right and keep the ball rolling.

8 - 3 hours/24 hours. 30 minutes total, PE: 7. 210/16.

WoD - Death by Streetclothes - Feb 1

Wanted to get in and do some Southwood complexes, but had to head for the homestead to spell the little lady instead. Used the Pendalay and banged out a Death by Push Press, and Death by Deads instead. Stopped before the deads dead-ed me, but it was plenty anyway. Walker was doing Death by KB Swings, and got up through 16 rounds with the 1.5 pood. I wanted to just step off when he did, but he grabbed the bar and did some deads. So I had to continue.

Push press: 9.6 rounds @ 120#. No "fizzle out" here … When these went, they went immediately.

Deadlifts with the same bar. Nice and light, when Walker finished with the KB at 16 rounds, that seemed like a good stopping point for me, since my butt felt a little empty. Light bar, did I say that? I just kept all focus on doing perfect reps, good breathing, weight on heels. Anyway, did up through 16, then 18 after Walker did 17, then 2o. And that was enough. Could have done more, but I'd rather use this to build on and live to fight another day.

And yeah, did it all in denim and an old Volkslauf shirt.

8 hours/24 hours. 30 minutes total, PE: 7. 211/14.

S - Whawhazzat Again? - Jan 31

AR yesterday, just a lot of stretching, and a lot of laying around all weekend, so I was going to get some today. Razzlem'damn, fail.

Felt so bad at noon, I went back for seconds after five. What was I supposed to be doing? This was going to be somewhat of a Cl day (don't ask me what was going to happen - what was supposed to happen). Never mind, these high pulls stopped me and dropped me. Blood doping doesn't sound so far off. Some of this has to do with Identity, which, if I did actually blog here, I'd mention. Perhaps I shall. Merely. Mention. It.

Buy in:
3x
10 hanging knees/15 hyperflexions w/ 15# ball/20 pikes

Main (only) set:
5x10 SDHP @ 95#
1 min RI

PM:
30 mins on the elliptical stair
1.8 mi @ level 9 - 155/156 HR

Nothing hard here, just proving that I can get beaten down and get right back up. Dammit, I aim to misbehave. Starts with me, right here, right now.

7 hours. 54 minutes total. PE: 8. 213/16-213/13.

Cl - Tabata SE - Jan 27

Buy in:
11/12/13/14 Ov Squats @ 65#
Just getting loose.

Antagonists:
3x12+
Extensions/Seated curl/A-frame @6/Seated calves @ 45#

8 minute Tabata Something Else
So, only 4 rounds each: Chins/Push up/Sit up/Air Squat. I'm gonna mess with these next time. Surprised by sudden failure doing the Push ups. Chins were 7's, Push ups 15's/Sit ups 11's/Squats 15's. It doesn't take much to make me light headed now that I'm low on tranny oil.

Not pissing and moaning. A decent workout for anyone. I'll take it. Hasta manana, though.

7.5 hours. 32 minutes total, PE: 8. 2011/17.

S - Elliptical Stair - Jan 25

6x
6 mins @ level 7 on the ellipse
20 pikes

Nothing too strenuous in terms of HR, just a base day.

7 - 1 hours. 39 minutes total. PE: 6. 214/14.

AR - Tabata Bag Work - Jan 22

Hard to justify an AR day after missing three in a row, but they were all cortisol days.

Mixed punch rounds, then roundhouse kick rounds, and finally 4 rounds of Push Press with 103# just for the heck.

8 - 2 hours. 16 minutes total. PE: 6. 211/15.

Cl - Death by Cleans - Jan 18

Buy in:
3x20 hyperflexions with 10# ball

Death by Cleans with 105#. Got wiped clean in 6.5 rounds. Round 5, no problem. Round 6, nothing left. It's weerd, in a not-cool way. I felt good today, a bit sore, but game. Guess I didn't have an appreciation for the damage Chelsea had done ... until now.

Antagonists:
3 rounds of extensions/seated curls/Calves on the A-frame @ 6

9 hours /24 hours. PE: 8. 211/16-211/13.

WoD - "Chelsea" in Carp - Jan 17

21 rounds minus 4 on the beach with my world's favorite pull-up bar. Long walk over to the push ups though - just slower I guess. Haley kept pace ... fun working out with her. Everything seemed to fail at once, pull ups got hard just when push ups started needing a blow at 8th rep. Squats were doable unbroken throughout, just didn't have the time.

Tried using the new voice-over music this time instead of the watch. It's good, just need to bring the voice up to make it more prominent, or use better speakers - ran it through the laptop.

9.5 hours /48 hours. 22 minutes total. PE: 9.

M Run - Georun Carp - Jan 15

Beautiful, bright, clean, cool, sunny seaside morning and cruise along the RR tracks and cliffs in Carpinteria. 5.72 mi - didn't make the scenic point park, but who cares? I'm not that runner right now. As it was, an easy find on the way out, and a eucalyptus-mulch-grove DNF on the way back. 10 mins stopped (2 for the find, 8 for the non-find); 61 mins moving. Didn't necessarily want to go this far today (MTB would have been a better call) but. It's here, not there. Next run will be minutes on/off intervals.

9.5 hours /24 hours. 71 minutes total. PE: 7.

Wa - Antagonists - Jan 14

Prepping to be away for the next 3 days, with only my running shoes and that alluring beach pull up bar to keep me entertained. So a mix and match day, especially since I'm off schedule. Still feeling light headed, still dehydrated. Still taking it easy on myself a bit. Whatever.

Buy in:
3x
20 hyperflexions
12 Ov Squats @ 95#

Antagonists:
5x8+
Declining DB presses @ 60s#
SDHP @ 95#
...one min RI

8.5 hours /24 hours. 27 minutes total. PE: 8. 211/16.

Wl - Bare Minimum - Jan 13

If Hip Drive? was the question today, I didn't have an answer. I mostly still feel like a warm line of dog shart, and today, I nearly didn't go and do anything. So call it a Maintenance Day.

4 rounds of 12:
Extensions/Seated Curls/Calves on the A-frame @ 6/Seated calves @ 45

I really didn't have that much to give today, so I won't beat myself up too much about it. Am I feeling any anemia, or is that just placebo? Dehydrated for shure though too.

7.5 hours. 16 minutes total. PE: 6. 211/16.

AR - Just Thrusters - Jan 8

That's all I did. 7 rounds of max reps Thrusters with 103#. While watching football. Kinda lost count on reps, but it was all in fun.

Ca - Death by Pullups - Jan 7

The minimum. Today didn't feel like I had that much in me … even after two days off, or because of two days off … now off-schedule with lack of sleep/bad sleep, dehydration and cortisol.
Used the mixed grip rack, which I considered because I want to avoid any tendonitis flares. Maybe mixing it up delays the onset of muscle failure. PR'ed at 12.8 rounds. Nice little CNS response with the pump afterward. Some days, the minimum is a goodly amount.

9.5 - 2.5 hours/2 days. 13 minutes total, PE: 8. 208/13-209/13.

S - Zipper - Jan 4

Cold day, wet trail. Nice view.

Last time I ran this hill, I only managed a 5.27. Parked at the top ... 9 mins warm up down the grade to the base. Three repeats off the bottom: 5.01, 4.40, 4.41. And I can do better. Only really ran from the base to the cut each time. I'll revisit this hill in a couple of months.

8.5 hours /24 hours. 39 minutes total. PE: 8. 213/14 - 214/10/214/9.

Wl - High Noon - Jan 3

Buy in:
4x12 Feet to bar/4x20 hyperflexions

Antagonists:
3x12
Seated Curl/Extensions/Ov Squat @ 65#/75/85

Out:
3x12
Calves on the A-frame @ 5.25-6 / Ov Squat @ 95#/105/115

PM: 10 minute Yoga thingy on demand before bedtime.

8 hours/48 hours. 34 minutes total, PE: 6.

M WoD - "Woody" - Jan 1

Woody WoD
Run 2.5
21-15-9 Pullups/Dips/Feet to bar
Run Back
1.11.40 - 24.01/22.48/24.50

A crisp, clear-air day with spectacular views of the cloud-rimmed Tehachapis ... and spookily quiet with a dearth of New Year's resolutions out there on the bike path. Didn't get the negative split on the return run. 10 minute miles aren't easy right now. That must change.

7 hours/48 hours. 71 minutes total, PE: 8. 211/13-211/11.

AR - The Beer Warrior - Dec 31

3 rounds, 25/25/20 Abmats/Pushups.

It's New Year's Eve. You're lucky to get this much.

9 - 2.5 hours. 212/13-213/12.

Cl - Death by Deads - Dec 30

Buy in:
4x11 ladders
Ext 175+/Seated curl 100+/Calves on the A-frame 5+

Death by Deads @ 75% BW (155# today): 10.9 rounds

Seemed like it was going to be light, but turned out to be just right for this outing. Kept good form, and I was wanting to err on the easy side, since I had some trouble putting my socks on this morning. As it was, grip and gas failed on the final round. Story of my life.

9 - 1.5 hours/48 hours. 24 minutes total, PE: 8. 213/13.

Wa - Low Reps Means Heavy - Dec 28

Buy in:
3x20 hyperflexions/10 feet to bar

Main set:
5x max reps
Reclining incline DBs @ 65/60# (8-10)
Deadhang to kipping Chins (7's, mostly)
1 min RI

3x7
Press @ 115#
Neutral grip pulls

8 hours/24 hours. 35 minutes total, PE: 7.

AR - I's Front - Dec 27

7 rounds: 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 unbrokens
Front squats @ 105#, Stable, fabulous and with purity of form

In Levi's, none the less.

8 hours/24 hours. 14 minutes total, PE: 6. 215/14.

AR - PP - Dec 26

6 rounds
Max rep Press with just a touch of Pushpress @ 105#
12 KB swings @ 52#

Just one of those "better than nuthin" days.

7.5 hours/24 hours. 12 minutes total, PE: 6. 217/14-216/13.

AR - Death by Pullups - Dec 25

Not much going on today but a sugar-induced sleep. Break out of it with the built-in warm up in the Death by Pullups. Only 9 rounds and 1, that fat tape on the backyard bar is hard to hold onto.. I'll strip it and retape it, I think. Anyway, 46 reps total is good enough for AR.

Couple rounds of single-hand KB swings with the 35#. Back to Christmas.

5 + 2 hours/24 hours. 9 minutes total, PE: 6. 214/11.

S - Dice Run - Dec 24

Used the yellow 11 burpees / 22 pikes / 33 push ups / 44 toe taps / 55 sqts / 66 jumping jacks dice for 16 sets stopping on the .1 mi marks, including out-back stops for the pull ups on the horse bar (16 each). Burpees didn't come up even once ... I love this die!
Feeling yesterday's squats today while doing the squats. Was working on putting bikes together in the garage, and all the squatting put my lower back out. That weighed on this effort.

The obligatory spin around the block to run Maylow after.

7.5 hours/24 hours. 52 minutes total, PE: 7. 215/14.

AR - AR-15o - Dec 23

The hangover killer for the killer hangover ... j/k, kudos to the Xingus at yesterday's Christmas party!

3 rounds:
total reps = 150 - your age
max reps abmats/pushups/complete the reps with air squats

Just over 30's then 25's on the abmats and pushups. So 40/50/60 on squats. 12 mins-ish.

8.5 - 2.5 hours /48 hours. 12 mins total. PE: 6. 215/14-12.

Ca - Soldier On - Dec 21

Didn't feel at all like going, but went. Still dopey and dizzy from the general anesthesia and dehydration. Didn't have a lot of gas today - ended up with only one set of the HPC's unbroken. But where there's a will.

2 rounds of 9 reps:
Neutral grip pull-ups/Hang Power Cleans @ 115#/Bar dips
Rest one
Bar dips/Hang Power Cleans @ 115#/Neutral grip pull-ups
Rest one
Then one last
Neutral grip pull-ups/Hang Power Cleans @ 115#/Bar dips
25.49.

Cash out:
4x9
Calves on the A-frame @ 7

7 hours. 33 minutes total, PE: 8. 210/15.

Wl - Hardly Worth the Mention - Dec 17

Buy in:
4x max reps knees to elbows/feet to bar
3x20 hyperflexions

Antagonists:
4x15 Ext/Seated curls/Calves on the A-frame@5

No hip drive today. Don't ask me why after 5 days off. I just didn't have it. Holy crap, I better have freaking intestinal parasites or something. 'Cause if I don't have any excuse, I've got some harsh reality to face.

7 hours/5 days. 14 minutes total, PE: 4. 212/15.

M/S - 6x220 - Dec 11

Easy dog trot over to Yokuts with the monkeys on bike, foot, stroller, rollerblades. Once there,

6x220 on 2.00, most of them in .46
Yes, slow. Clunky. Stiff.

Cash out:
3x max rep chins/2x max rep dips

7 hours /24 hours. 60 mins total. PE: 7. 210/14.

M/S - At a Dead Run - Dec 10

2x 6 min rounds on the elliptical stair @ lvl 6
10 Deads @ 135#
4x
6 min stairs/10 Dead pulls @ 155#

Would have been 6 rounds of stair/deads, but someone was on the bar during the first round.

Cash out:
5x 15-12 Calves on the A-frame @ 5

7 hours /48 hours. 56 mins total. PE: 8. 212/14.

Pretty Logical, Really.

Ca - Chesty Puller - Dec 8

Buy in:
3x20
hyperflexions/pushup pikes

Chesty Puller
5x10
chins/DB decline presses @ 60#/SDHP @ 95#
1 min rest between rounds.
21.07

The effect is cumulative. 3rd and 4th sets were painful. 30% BW on the DBs - they're supposed to feel heavy.

7.5 - 1.5 hours /24 hours. 30 mins total. PE: 9. 212/14.

Wl - Light Squat Circuit - Dec 7

Pearl Harbor day, time to bomb the quads. But lightly, like a paper-skinned Zero. Not interested in the clicking lower back that Sunday's cleans and KBs gave me, and not necessarily trying to apply mass to the lower extremities. Going light, going hi-reps, going to get under 200#/8%.

Buy in:
3x20
Hyperflexions/Feet to bar/Ov Squat @ 45#

Main set (rolled the 2x antagonists into this):
2x18
Calves on the a-frame @ 5ea/Seated Calves @ 25#ea/Front squat @ 45# then 55#/Extensions @ 175#/Seated curl @ 100#
2x18
Calves on the a-frame @ 5ea/Seated Calves @ 25#ea/Front squat @ 55#
26 mins.

8 hours, 48 hours. PE: 7. 43 total.

AR - Bar and Bell - Dec 5

5 sets of clean n' presses @ 103# in the 8's range, without any strict rep counts or timing or RI.
Interposed with
2x10 single hand KB swings 1.5 pood
then
2x max reps KB swings

Lots of stretching in the PM.

7. 212/14.

AR - AR-15o - Dec 4

Easy day, hanging Christmas lights and hanging with the fam.

3 rounds:
total reps = 150 - your age
max reps abmats/pushups/complete the reps with air squats

Just over 25 on the abmats and pushups. So a lot of squats. Fun one!

Stretching in the PM.

6.5 + 2. 211/14.

AR - Centennial Wins - Dec 3

Lengthwise Friday. Heightened heart rate with the late night training, so after only two days, I'll drink beer today. Some light stretching tonight, mostly the front split. Felt like I could have done something today. Did other things beside train though. Life goes on, while I leave the reps inside to show their stuff another day.

7 - 1.5. 210/15.

Ca - 4Squared - Dec 2

3x10 feet to bar/hyperflexions

4 rounds: 10x or max reps
pull ups/DB thrusters @ 40#/sdlhp @ 115#/push press @ same
Rest 1 min
Rounds shuffle order (next = thrusters/sdlhp/push press/pulls, etc)

Lots of resting. High pulls were 7's, push presses were 8's. 22 mins. To do this again, I'd go 40 secs to 10 rep or max, and 20 secs to take a blow and rotate. 50% BW on the bar, and 20% BW on the DBs. In fact, I will do it again, just so.

8 - 1.5 hours, 24 hours. PE: 9. 27 total. 212/16 - 212/13.

Cl - 20s - Dec 1

3x20
hyperflexions/
seated curl/
extensions/
calves on the A-frame/
seated calves

4x
3:00 @ level 6 on the elliptical stair
20 air squats

9.5 + 2 hours. PE: 8. 33 total. 213/17 (dehydrated).

Dice WoD - Nov 26

10 rolls of the dice, or 15 minutes total. When we got to 7 rolls, just said, "do the 10 no matter how long it takes." 19.57 to finish. 2x20 pull ups, 2x15 ring push ups, 30 squats, 10 cleans, 25 kb swings, 15 ring push ups, 10 cleans, 15 ring push ups. Nice!

7 + 2 hours. PE: 7. 20 total. 218/14.

S Run - V-tach Bluff - Nov 23

One of those clear-air days in Bako where you can see every tree on Breckenridge. When you can breathe it, you gotta get out in it. Cast off the planned Cl day and drove for Calvary's parking lot.

Easy 7 minutes to the bottom of the old MHR test hill. Hiked it once in 2.35, and felt the kinks - 170 BPM. Turned right around at the bottom and goat-trotted half and hiked half in 2.26 - not much faster, but 200 BPM. Since that trail leans uphill to down, left leg was really getting worked. Ran up the nose route to the East and down the canyon for the last rep. Easy 7 minutes back. Still nagging lock-up in the lower back, but much better than two days ago.

4 + 3 hours/24 hours. 33 minutes total, PE: 9.

Wa - Shhh, They're Watching - Nov 22

Buy in:
3x20
Hyperflexions/Knees to Elbows/Push Up Pikes

Antagonists
7x10
Descending DB Presses w/ 50#
Chin ups-Pull ups
Rest one min. between couplets

Couple mosaics doing flat bench DB presses with 25's, talking about me cheating on the pull ups. Didn't have a lot to say about my work on the flat bench though. 50's is hotel-gym slacking, not really pushing it and making shure I got in all 10 good reps. January I'll start pulling bigger DBs off the rack.

Just for fun
3x10 SDhigh pulls @ 75#

I was pretty done by the time the high pulls rolled in. Was considering blowing them off, just because I'm bouncing back and don't need to overdo it. But that's just weakness talking. And if you're in the gym, weakness needs to be silenced.

7 hours, 24 hours. PE: 7. 46 total. 218/15.

R - New Tires Needed - Nov 21

Put on the running shoes and tooled over to Costco to pick up the car, once the new awesome Bridgestones got themselves slapped on. 10 minute mile pace is hard, when each step is a back spasm. Gonna get this lower back twitch sorted out through stretching, strengthening and (am I saying this again?) dropping a few lbs.

7 hours, 72+ hours. PE: 6. 15 total. 218/12.

Wl - Pissing off the Pool - Nov 18

Easy day. Hotel gym. Didn't get in the saltwater pool, instead made Hope do three rounds of this, after I'd finished. Anemic, I was weak and sweaty. After this. Sigh.

4 rounds:
x10 Ext
x10 Seated curl
x20 Air Squats
x max reps (6) Neutral grip pulls
...then 2 more:
x20 Air Squats
x max reps (6) Neutral grip pulls

7 - 1 hours. PE: 6. 20 mins total.

Not Whining. Recapitulating in Stream of Consciousness.

So, first it's just some nagging tendonitis (read: hurts like a mother incapacitating f*cker and won't go away) in both elbows, then it's a quick double-up on an upper respiratory infection and - are you kidding me? - shingles. Let the shingles linger a bit, not as long as the tendonitis, but who cares? with shingles, you don't get to do anything. Sit there and turn into a mushroom and wish you were dead.
Then, cut my neck open and rip out the alien cancer in there, and now, tell me I'm anemic.

No wonder FGB! felt like shite. No wonder Volkslauf didn't have any pop. I'm dying on my feet here.

Which, I suppose, for the best of us, is the human condition. We're all dying by inches. The best, by inches, with no whining. Some are dying and making certain all those around them are dying by inches as well, dragging them into a common grave with their grumpy death-rattle attitudes. Some are dying by mph, those who are destined to get smashed by busses, but for the rest of humanity, we either are going gently into that good night ... or are railing and kicking and fighting all the way.

I'm just hoping to prolong the inevitable a bit, I think. I know it's coming. I held up a bit of newsprint a few months ago and had to hold it further away to focus on it - for the first time. Oh my lands, I've got Santa Claus' vision now. Next step: rectangular lenses in wire frames.

The one thing that I've been able to rely on is the Mind over Matter bit, and now even that is fading. You know, where you're tired/sick/hung/lazy, but your inner self says, "Saddle the freak up!" and the physical you is forced to follow suit. And does.
But not now. Now the overmind says, "Ring dips, now," and the elbows say, "Feel this." And the mind says, "Holy shite, that hurts." The will wilts, you end up calling it a day. And you die by another inch.

Damn it all, I'm getting old. I'm feeling old. And I'm acknowledging that the better days are behind me. Sucks.

So, in the face of it all, I'm creating the next 6 months of periodized training. Planned pain. Knowing that I'm not setting any PRs this year. Knowing that it's gonna suck, mostly. Knowing that it's going to take at least 6 months just to get back to a desultory training base. Knowing that if I run into training partners, they're going to think little of me, or that I'm slacking off, or ... or who cares what they might think. This is about me. Keeping from turning into a grumpy old codger with a hunchback who can only bitch about kids these days and talk about how good he was. I know who I'm dealing with now. Me - rolling downhill on the over-the-hill-side-of-the-hill, but rage, raging against the dying of the light.

I mean well. I mean to do what best I can. I don't want to take anything from anyone else, and only want to suffer what portion I can each day. I'm only asking for the opportunity to show some consistency in training, and put together a good string of workouts and recoveries so I can get back to a base. One more base camp on the way down the mountain.

WoD - Cindy, Get Yer Bar - Nov 9

10 rounds for time:
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 ov squats with the jr bar

Just mixing it up a little and underscoring the core/hip drive goodnass. I'm not all there, still, but taking it one day and one step at a time.

1: 1.18
2: 1.30
3: 1.38
4: 1.47
5: 1.55
6: 1.45
7: 1.48
8: 2.32
9: 1.51
10: 1.54
18.01

7 hours, 24 hours. PE: 8. 18 total.

Wl - The Whole Package - Nov 8

Buy in:
4x15 Hyperflexions/Knees to elbows

Main set:
4x
10 extensions 170/195/210
11 seated curl 115/130
15 calves on the A-frame @ 5
11 goblet squats w/ 40#

Squats are still painful; lower back is locked up some still, for the last week, it's really sucked.

9 + 1 hours, 72 hours. PE: 6. 24 total. 217/16-221/11.

Ca - Kablamish - Nov 5

On the minute throughout (where possible, missed three)
6x10 Mixed grip pulls
5x10 DB thrusters 30/35/40/45/50

Rest two minutes to stretch and get the old Volkslauf grit out of your shoes

Then
On the minute
4x10 Life fitness recline pull down machine @ 150#
4x12 Push ups

7 hours, 36 hours. PE: 7. 25 total.

Cl - Dummy Susan - Nov 4

Buy in:
Antagonists
4x10 Extensions/Seated Curl

Main set
3 rounds
400 on the treadmill at 7 mph-2% grade
10 KB swings with 45# DB
10 goblet squats with same
12.14

First WoD with any intensity since being down with the shingles. See how it feels later today.

8.5 hours, 24 hours. PE: 8. 21.35 total.

Wa - Pull Push - Nov 3

8 Pull ups for max reps, mixed grips.
7x10 Declining DB presses @ 50#

Cash out with
3x10 Ov Squats with bare bar / knees to elbows

7 hours. PE: 6. 25 total.