Cycle 4 Day 3 Moderate Intensity Barefoot and Shirtless in the Sun

Today is day fifteen of Phase One of the Bodyweight Blueprint for Fat Loss. That makes this the third of four days in the fourth cycle. I waited until the afternoon and the weather had warmed up to about 55°F so I could get my workout on barefoot and shirtless like my friend the Diabetes Warrior, Steve Cooksey.

Warm Up: Intu-Flow 8 minutes

Plan: 5 Rounds As Many Reps as Possible with an RPE of 5-7 of

• Kneeling Push Ups 45 seconds
• Rest 20 seconds
• Hip Bridge 45 seconds
• Rest 20 seconds
• Side Plank Left 45 seconds
• Side Plank Right 45 seconds
• Rest 20 seconds
• Split Squat Left Leg Back 45 Seconds
• Split Squat Right Leg Back 45 Seconds
• Rest 20 seconds

Actual:

• Kneeling Push Up 17; 15; 14; 14; 14
• Hip Bridge 45 seconds each round
• Side Planks 45 seconds each side RL; LR; RL; LR; RL
• Split Squat 15R,15L; 13L,13R; 13R,13L; 12L,12R; 12R,12L

Total time 30.75 minutes.

Cool Down: Prasara Yoga 13 minutes

The rest between exercises was reduced to just 20 seconds. I was pretty consistent with my reps on push ups. By the time I got to the split squats of the last round my legs felt nearly dead but still got 12 reps per leg.

Side planks are still the hardest exercise for me. I'm getting better on them but still. Overall I feel really good. I feel like I'm slowly getting in better shape. Just got to stay consistent and work hard.

Twelve Days Straight

Day twelve is a high intensity routine from the BB4FL. I adjusted the reps up from 6 per exercise to 7. I'm not in good enough shape to complete 5 rounds of 10 reps per exercise yet.

Warm Up: Intu-Flow 8 minutes

Plan 5 Rounds 7 Reps per Exercise. The last three of the four exercises are 7 reps per side.

Frogger Level 1
Swing Split Level 1
Elevated Scorpion Level 1
Pillow Twist Level 1 w/ stool

Actual:

Round 1: 5 minutes & 20 seconds, 7 reps
Rest 1: 1.5 minutes
Round 2: 5 minutes & 55 seconds, 7 reps
Rest 2: 1.5 minutes
Round 3: 6 minutes, 7 reps
Rest 3: 1.5 minutes
Round 4: 5 minutes & 50 seconds, 7 reps
Rest 4: 1.5 minutes
Round 5: 6 minutes & 45 seconds, 7 reps
Total time: 35.5 minutes

Cool Down: Prasara Yoga 14 minutes

I was dripping sweat after round 2. By the middle of round 3 I was soaked. Even with the rest periods cut down to 1.5 minutes between rounds I wasn't as close to nausea as I was on day eight. My body is adapting quickly. All of these exercises involve the shoulders which seem to be my weak link right now. If only my shoulders would adapt more quickly.

Even though this routine is super hard, I felt good when I was done. I was soaking wet with sweat when I finished. I wanted to just stretch out on my exercise mat and recover but I started my prasara yoga cool down immediately. I was still breathing hard at the end of the yoga and did collapse on my mat for a few minutes.

Before I left my office at the Clemson University datacenter, which is nearly an hour drive from my home, I had begun to talk myself out of doing my workout today. The closer I got to home, the more I started talking myself into doing my workout. I didn't want to break my streak. Then my daughter, Gabrielle, encouraged me not to break my streak, too. Thanks, Gabby! I did it! Three four day cycles, twelve straight days! Hooray me!

Polar Vortex Continues on Day 11

Today is day eleven of Phase One of the Bodyweight Blueprint for Fat Loss. That makes this the third of four days in the third cycle. I didn't get up early enough to do this before work, but I did exercise some discipline after work.

Warm Up: Intu-Flow 8 minutes

Plan: 5 Rounds As Many Reps as Possible with an RPE of 5-7 of

• Kneeling Push Ups 45 seconds
• Rest 30 seconds
• Hip Bridge 45 seconds
• Rest 30 seconds
• Side Plank Left 45 seconds
• Side Plank Right 45 seconds
• Rest 30 seconds
• Split Squat Left Leg Back 45 Seconds
• Split Squat Right Leg Back 45 Seconds
• Rest 30 seconds

Actual:

• Kneeling Push Up 13; 14; 15; 13; 14
• Hip Bridge 45 seconds each round
• Side Planks 45 seconds each side LR; RL; LR; RL; LR
• Split Squat 13L,14R; 15R,15L; 13L,13R; 14R,14L; 14L,14R

Cool Down: Prasara Yoga 13 minutes

Total time was about 33.5 minutes not counting the warm up and cool down. I did fewer push ups than last time but more squats. I felt very good considering the rest between exercises was reduced to just 30 seconds. The side planks are actually the hardest exercise for me. My shoulders are just so beat up from both football and lifting stupid heavy weights in my younger days. Hopefully the combination of joint mobility and strength exercises w/ yoga will heal my shoulders.

Day 8 High Intensity

Day eight is a high intensity routine from the BB4FL. I adjusted the reps down from 10 to 6. I'm not in good enough shape to complete 5 rounds of 10 reps per exercise yet.

Warm Up: Intu-Flow 8 minutes

Plan 5 Rounds 6 Reps per Exercise. The last three of the four exercises are 6 reps per side.

Frogger Level 1
Swing Split Level 1
Elevated Scorpion Level 1
Pillow Twist Level 1 w/ stool

Actual:

Round 1: 4 minutes & 50 seconds, 6 reps each
Rest 1: 3 minutes
Round 2: 4 minutes & 50 seconds, 6 reps each
Rest 2: 3 minutes
Round 3: 5 minutes & 5 seconds , 6 reps each
Rest 3: 3 minutes
Round 4: 5 minutes & 13 seconds, 6 reps each
Rest 4: 4 minutes ( accident lost track of time )
Round 5: 5 minutes & 16 seconds, 6 reps each
Total time: 38 minutes

Cool Down: Prasara Yoga 13 minutes

Even scaled back I was dripping sweat after round 2. By the middle of round 3 I was often hovering on the edge of nausea. Kept on going though. All of these exercises involve the shoulders which seem to be my weak link right now.

Even though this routine is super hard, I felt good when I was done. I was soaking wet with sweat when I finished. I knew I had worked hard but didn't feel totally wiped out.

Cycle Two Moderate Intensity

Today is day seven of Phase One of the Bodyweight Blueprint for Fat Loss. That makes this the third of four days in the second cycle. The following is the advice & inspiration from the BB4FL implementation guide.

Sometimes the trickiest part of the Moderate day is maintaining the appropriate Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE). Don't let it creep up into the High Intensity zone.

The appropriate RPE for moderate days is 5-7 on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being maximal effort. I definitely violated that maxim on the moderate day of cycle one. I was on the edge of nausea from the latter part of round two onwards. I didn't read this tip until after my first round today. I then consciously tried to keep the intensity down instead of going all out like I did in the first round.

Warm Up: Intu-Flow 9 minutes

Plan: 5 Rounds As Many Reps as Possible with an RPE of 5-7 of

• Kneeling Push Ups 45 seconds
• Rest 45 seconds
• Hip Bridge 45 seconds
• Rest 45 seconds
• Side Plank Left 45 seconds
• Side Plank Right 45 seconds
• Rest 45 seconds
• Split Squat Left Leg Back 45 Seconds
• Split Squat Right Leg Back 45 Seconds
• Rest 45 seconds

Actual:

• Kneeling Push Up 17; 12; 11; 11; 13
• Hip Bridge 45 seconds each round
• Side Planks 45 seconds each side LR; RL; LR; RL; LR
• Split Squat 17L,16R; 10R,10L; 11L,10R; 10R,11L; 11L11R

Cool Down: Prasara Yoga 14 minutes

I feel excellent! Rather than completely wiped out I feel energized. I should be good to go for tomorrow's high intensity work out.

High Intensity Midmorning Workout

Day four is a high intensity routine from the BB4FL.

Warm Up: Intu-Flow 9 minutes

Plan 5 Rounds 10 Reps per Exercise. The last three of the four exercises are 10 reps per side.

Frogger Level 1
Swing Split Level 1
Elevated Scorpion Level 1
Pillow Twist Level 1 w/ stool

Actual:

Round 1: 9 minutes 10 reps each
Rest 1: 4.5 minutes
Round 2: 10 minutes 10 reps each
Rest 2: 4 minutes
Round 3: x minutes 8 reps each
Rest 3: 4 minutes

Cool Down: Prasara Yoga 14 minutes

This is a beast of a workout, even harder than I remembered. I had to cut it short to make sure I made an appointment. Only three rounds rather than the planned five. Also, I cut the number of reps in the third round. I'm really out of shape. I was often hovering on the edge of nausea. I think next time I do this, in four days, I'll try 7 reps for each exercise for each round. Or should I do 10-9-8-7-6?

I'm sore. A little bit of spaghetti legs, but not nearly so much as my short intro to Crossfit. . My core is sore, too. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Overhead Pressing Means No Leg Work Right

Overhead pressing means no leg work right? WRONG. I went back to Swamp Rabbit Crossfit for my second Crossfit elements class. Yesterday when Coach Brandon said that we would be working on overhead pressing today I naively imagined my legs would be minimally involved in today's workout. No such luck.

We started out doing some shoulder warmup and opening exercises with lengths of PVC pipe which we would soon use to simulate barbells. After a few minutes of warming up we were instructed in proper hand and arm position to do overhead pressing motions. Coach also emphasized the need to keep the core tight and even to squeeze and activate the glutes. We then worked through a progression of movements using only the PVC pipes.

• Strict presses
• Push Presses
• Push Jerk  <= This video demonstrates the first three exercises.
• Hang Clean and Jerk
• Thrusters

So of course my thighs were complaining. But after the unweighted thrusters I was nicely warm and loose. Then we got real barbells. We had choices of 15lb, 15kg or 20kg bars. Today instead of the younger of the two women I worked out with today we had a youngish man and the older of the two women from yesterday, the one who looked like a runner. The guy chose the 20kg bar, I started to take one but reduced my ego and took a 15kg bar.

We then worked on thrusters with the bar. After a few minutes of that we received instruction on how to use the rowing machines and then rowed 250 meters. Our WOD ( Work Out of the Day ) was three rounds of rowing and thrusters structured as follows.

• Row 250M
• 12 Thrusters
• Row 250M
• 9 Thrusters
• Row 250M
• 6 Thrusters

That was it. I was again the last to finish. My time was about 7 minutes and 49 seconds. We finished up with some lower body stretching. Again with the Spaghetti Legs. I'm going to be crazy sore tomorrow!

Spaghetti Legs

Twenty three days since my last workout. That sucks. Just so happens, several months ago I bought a voucher for four elements ( learn the basic moves ) classes and two regular Crossfit classes at Swamp Rabbit Crossfit. I really bought the voucher for my daughter back in the summer, but she never used it. Now she is studying abroad in India and won't return until after the voucher expires. So after two years of watching The Crossfit Games and reposting Crossfit photos on Facebook and Google+ I decided to go for it, use the voucher and take my first crossfit class.

Our tiny elements class of three people - two women and me - was taught by Coach Brandon. We started with a warm up consisting of

• Some jogging forward across the building and then back pedaling to our starting point.
• "Hurdle over and unders" to open the hips ( pretending to step over a hurdle at your side and then squatting to go under the next hurdle ). We did this across the building and back.
• Walking lunges back and forth across the building. 

After the warm-up, we focused on proper squatting technique. First we were instructed on the proper stance and form. Then we practiced with

• Air squats. 
• Y-squats facing the wall, trying to get as close to the wall as possible without touching the wall. This forced us to keep erect w/ tight backs. 
• Then using lengths of PVC pipe in lieu of barbells 
• back squats
• front squats 
• and over-head squats. 
• We learned proper sit-up form using "ab mats".

I felt kinda' good because I've actually always loved squats. I have good form, but I learned a few tips from Coach Brandon that helped me have even better form, for example holding my breath to keep tight on the way down and up instead of exhaling on the way up. It also seemed to be easier for me to get proper form than the ladies.

After all of that my quads and hamstrings were already tight, my abs were cramping up and Coach Brandon announced that we would do a ten minute AMRAP ( As Many Rounds As Possible ) of

• walking lunges
• 10 sit-ups
• 10 air squats

Ten minutes doesn't sound like much does it? It was somewhere between 15 and 20 lunges to go across the building and we had to go down and back. I only made it through two rounds and was half way down on my third set of lunges when Coach called time.

I felt like I was in terrible shape. My quads and hamstrings were burning. My heart was racing and I was breathing like a bellows. I even told the coach, "Man I'm in terrible shape," as I was lunging back down the building to our starting point. But I didn't give up. I kept on going. He kept telling us to do "our workout," and to go at our own pace. I kept that in mind and just paused to catch my breath and made sure I used good form.

BTW, the two women in my class? They ate my lunch. One of them was in her 30s and looked to be a runner. She also said she usually works out at the Y, but had bought a deal similar to mine via Living Social and wanted to use it before it expired. The other woman seemed to be in her mid to late 20s but was thick and curvy. The first woman probably did four rounds in the AMRAP and the second woman was nearing the end of her third round.

We finished up by doing five to ten minutes of stretching for the legs and hips. I could feel my legs quivering. As I walked to my cubby to grab my sweatshirt and keys I had a stiff legged gait as if I had been pounding out super heavy squats and leg presses. I walked out of the building and had a choice of a longer walk down a ramp or four steps. I said to myself surely you can walk down four steps. That when the spaghetti legs really kicked in. I could barely get down those steps! I had to hold onto the rail!

After a 20 or so minute ride home, what am I faced with at home? Another four measly steps up into my house. I could barely make it, but I did and though my legs ache I feel good overall. I think I'm going to keep going to SRC even after my intro classes are over. Ever since I injured myself training for a powerlifting contest nearly fifteen years ago I have never been consistent with my workouts for longer than a few months. I guess I should face the music and submit to some external discipline. Hopefully I'll be able to keep this up. This feels like my kind of workout and doing it with a group of people will be much more fun than working out alone at home.

We'll see how these spaghetti legs are doing tomorrow! Oh, because of Thanksgiving on Thursday we're supposed to go back tomorrow for our second elements class which will focus on over head pressing. I need to decide whether I'm going at 0600 or 1800.

Three Workouts on Schedule

I did my third workout on schedule! Well almost. I didn't get started until after 0900 even though I took advantage of the time change to get up at 0530 instead of sleeping in an extra hour and getting up at my normal time of 0615 or so. I would really like to get to the place of being able to workout before going to work. I did this workout outside, barefoot and shirtless again like my friend, Steve Cooksey!

1. Two-legged Glute Activation Raises 1 x 20
2. Flying Dogs 1 x 15 per side, alternating
3. Kettlebell Swings
• Point A 5 x 12.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Point B 5 x 12.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 5 x 12.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 30, 30 x 17.5 lb t-bar homemade kettlebell
4. Turkish Get Ups (TGU)
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 5 lb. dumbbell
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 5 lb. dumbbell
• Weak  Side x 5 x 5 lb. dumbbell
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 5 lb. dumbbell
5. Myotatic Crunch 1x5
6. Cat Vomit Exercise (CVE) 1x5 reps

This workout took about 34.5 minutes. Early on in the workout I went back in the house to get a hand band to hold my hair out of my face. I also took a minute to switch out batteries in the battery charger. That probably added about 2 or 2.5 minutes to the workout.

I kept my focus on the swings, kept my core tight. One Tuesday I'll go for 35 reps in each of my two working sets of kettlebell swings. The TGU are getting easier. I think on Tuesday I'll add one more set of "weak" side TGU. I moved slowly and squeezed my abs hard during the myotatic crunches. I kept breaks between reps of the CVE to 5 secs and really focused on exhaling forcefully and trying to pull my belly button through my spine. Great overall workout.

Better Late Than Never - 20131003

I'm in ATL for DevOpsDaysATL. Staying at the Renaissance Midtown on West Peachtree. Went down to the fitness center at 0645 after waking up at 0515. got my workout on. It's still scaled back but had me sweating profusely and breathing hard nonetheless.

1. Two-legged Glute Activation Raises 1 x 20
2. Flying Dogs 1 x 15 per side, alternating
3. Kettlebell Swings
• Point A 5 x 12.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Point B 5 x 12.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 5 x 12.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 30, 30 x 22.5 lb t-bar homemade kettlebell
4. Turkish Get Ups
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
5. Myotatic Crunch 1x5
6. Cat Vomit Exercise 5 reps

I did let me ego get in the way a bit and used a weight 5 pounds heavier than last time on my work sets of swings and on the TGUs. I twinged my back a little on the first working set of swings. Somehow looking in the mirror led to sloppier form on a couple of reps! I feel good to have gotten this workout in.

Why?

Why does my body ache?

• Because I haven't been exercising.
• Because I haven't been eating correctly.
• Because I haven't been getting daily sunshine.
• Because I've been sitting too much.
• Because I've been lying around watching TV and reading too much.

Why haven't I been sleeping well?

• Because I haven't been exercising.
• Because I haven't been eating correctly.
• Because I haven't been getting daily sunshine.
• Because I've been sitting too much.
• Because I've been lying around watching TV and reading too much.

Why do I feel borderline depressed?

• Because I haven't been exercising.
• Because I haven't been eating correctly.
• Because I haven't been getting daily sunshine.
• Because I've been sitting too much.
• Because I've been lying around watching TV and reading too much.

What am I going to do about this? To begin with I just finished exercising outside in the sun, barefoot and shirtless, as my online friend Steve Cooksey would do. I scaled my workout way, way back since I've exercised so infrequently since our week at the beach at the end of July.

1. Two-legged Glute Activation Raises 1 x 15
2. Flying Dogs 1 x 15 per side, alternating
3. Kettlebell Swings
• Point A 5 x 12.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Point B 5 x 12.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 5 x 12.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 30, 30 x 17.5 lb t-bar homemade kettlebell
4. Turkish Get Ups
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 5 lb. dumbbell
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 5 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 5 lb. dumbbell
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 5 lb. dumbbell
5. Myotatic Crunch 1x5
6. Cat Vomit Exercise 5 reps

Finished up in thirty-one minutes. I'll try to do this scaled back workout a little faster next time. I will not eat any grains or grain based products today. I will not eat any dairy or dairy based products today. If I feel good, I'll repeat this workout on Tuesday. I shouldn't be sore, but if I am I'll workout again on Wednesday.

Five Week Hiatus

I call it a hiatus in the title, but it was really just....laziness. I haven't worked out since 20130802. Finally got myself to workout today. It took me nearly all day to do it but I did. I kept telling myself, just go out there and do a little bit. Don't try to do the whole workout, don't try to do as many sets or reps and as much weight as you did back at the beginning of August. Just get out that and do a little bit.

Finally after watching my favorite NFL team, The Steelers, lose I got out there so I could watch my favorite tennis player, the beautiful, talented and tremendously athletic Serena Williams.

1. Two-legged Glute Activation Raises 1 x 20
2. Flying Dogs 1 x 15 per side, alternating
3. Kettlebell Swings
• Point A 5 x 17.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Point B 5 x 17.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 5 x 17.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 20, 20 x 27.5 lb t-bar homemade kettlebell
4. Turkish Get Ups
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
5. Myotatic Crunch 1x10
6. Cat Vomit Exercise 10 reps

As you can see, I lowered the weight on all sets of kettlebell swings by five pounds. I also limited myself to two work sets of swings of just 20 reps each. I used the same weight, ten pounds, on my Turkish Get Ups but stopped with four sets instead of my customary seven. I did my crunches without any weight. CVEs were normal. I completed the workout in 37.5 minutes.

Now I just need to get in a rhythm by working out again on Tuesday.

20130802 Mid Day Workout

Worked out at the beach one last time for this trip. We go home tomorrow. The sun was blazing hot!

1. Two-legged Glute Activation Raises 1 x 20
2. Flying Dogs 1 x 15 per side
3. Kettlebell Swings
• Point A 5 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Point B 5 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 5 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 30, 30, (18,12) x 32.5 lb t-bar homemade kettlebell
4. Turkish Get Ups
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell

Immediately after I finished swam in the ocean for about 20 minutes. Cool, refreshing and tiring all at once. About two hours after I finished up, we drove to Cypress Gardens. Part of the fun was rowing ourselves through the swamp for about 40 minutes. I'm very sore and quite tired, over tired, twitchy tired. BTW, after the TGUs with the bucket of sand on Monday the 10 lb dumbbell I used Wednesday and today for the TGUs seems really light. I'll try using a 15 lb dumbbell on Monday.

20130731 Rainy Beach Workout

Finally got in a workout after a day of heavy rain. It was still drizzling while I worked out with my two oldest children, Gabrielle and Isaiah. Here is the workout I did today. It took longer than normal because I was sharing the one dumbbell I brought to the beach with the kids.

1. Two-legged Glute Activation Raises 1 x 20
2. Flying Dogs 1 x 20 per side
3. Kettlebell Swings
• Point A 5 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Point B 5 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 5 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 30, 30, (18,12) x 32.5 lb t-bar homemade kettlebell
4. Turkish Get Ups
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
5. The Cat Vomit Exercise 1 x 10

Good workout made better by doing it with my kids!

20130729 Beach Workout Improvisation

Spent most of Monday at the beach once the rain had passed. Late in the afternoon I didn't want to go back up to the house to retrieve my "T-Bar Kettlebell" and dumbbell for a workout. So, I filled a large kid's sand bucket with sand and used it for my workout.

1. Turkish Get Ups
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x full large sand bucket
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x full large sand bucket
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x full large sand bucket
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x full large sand bucket
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x full large sand bucket
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x full large sand bucket
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x full large sand bucket
2. One Arm Sand Bucket Swings
• Right  x 20 x full large sand bucket
• Left  x 20 x full large sand bucket
• Right  x 20 x full large sand bucket
• Left  x 20 x full large sand bucket
• Right  x 10 x full large sand bucket
• Left  x 10 x full large sand bucket

That was the entire workout. Keep in mind though that this was after a day of ocean swimming and playing on the beach. I could feel the one arm swings in some different areas of my back but I didn't hurt anything. I have no idea how long this workout took but I didn't take inordinately long breaks.

The sand bucket left my left arm in particular bruised and sore where the lip of the bucket was pressing on my forearm.

Spent almost the entire day yesterday, Tuesday 20130730, on the beach or in the ocean. Spent many hours swimming, floating, wading and battling the breakers. I also did a couple of reps of Bretzel 1.0 and 2.0. A little bit later today I'll get my workout on with my weights. 

20130726 Workout Two

I'm proud of myself. I got it in!

1. Kettlebell Swings
• Point A 10 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Point B 10 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 10 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 30, 30, (20,10) x 32.5 lb t-bar homemade kettlebell
2. Myotatic Crunch 1 x 10 x 5 lb dumbbell
3. The Cat Vomit Exercise 1 x 10

I got this done quickly, about 25 minutes. I did more reps, 10, of swing warm ups than normal, 5, since I was starting "cold." I'm a little disappointed with the third working set of swings but my back was tightening up a bit. Discretion was the better part of valor.

The crunches and stomach vacuums really had my abs fired up. I wonder if two workouts a day under 30 minutes each would be better than one long 60 minute or so workout? Beach week might be a good time to make that experiment. 

20130726 Workout Part One

Took today off from work. We're going to the beach tomorrow! Lost to do. Including getting my dredloks twisted at 1000. I got started late with my workout and had to cut it short. I intend to get in the kettlebell swings and ab work this evening. This half of the workout took 31.75 minutes. Proud of that I was working quickly.

1. Two-legged Glute Activation Raises 1 x 20
2. Flying Dogs 1 x 15 per side
3. Turkish Get Ups
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 15 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 15 lb. dumbbell
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell

20130723 Sweating with the Heat Bugs

I didn't get up early enough to get my workout in before leaving for the office today. I committed to getting it in after getting home. I got home around 7 or so, but didn't get my workout started until about 8 PM.

1. Two-legged Glute Activation Raises 1 x 20
2. Flying Dogs 1 x 15 per side
3. Turkish Get Ups
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 15 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 15 lb. dumbbell
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 10 lb. dumbbell
4. Kettlebell Swings
• Point A 5 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Point B 5 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 5 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 30, (15,15), (15,15) x 32.5 lb t-bar homemade kettlebell
5. Myotatic Crunch 1 x (6,4) x 5 lb dumbbell
6. The Cat Vomit Exercise 1 x 10

It was still hot and humid outside but not nearly as hot as it usually is in South Carolina in late July. Only in the 80s w/ 70%+ humidity. But that was more than enough for me to be dripping sweat after my second set of TGUs while listing to the "heat bugs", otherwise known as Cicadas, keeping up a racket from the trees. I started my TGUs with a 15 lb. dumbbell but my shoulders and triceps are ready for that yet. Guess I'll stick with the 10 pounder for another week or so.

I was really disappointed with the kettlebell swings. On both my second and third sets I stopped at 15 reps, gathered myself, shook my arms and took some deep breaths before continuing on to get  15 more reps for a total of 30. It was probably a combination of the late hour and my low carb eating for the day up until this workout.

I really slowed down on the myotatic crunches and focused on squeezing hard at the top. I had to pause for a couple of breaths after 6 reps. My abs were firing so hard it was ridiculous. After I finished, I could barely get up off the Bosu Ball my abs were cramping so hard. By this time I had finished a liter of water so I went to the kitchen door and asked someone to bring me a glass of ice water.

With a little more water in my system it was on to the CVE's. I cut the 20 second pause between reps I had been taking down to 10 seconds. I really tried to pull my belly button up to my spine. My abs were fried when I was done. Sweat was pouring off me in rivers, my shorts were soaked as if I had jumped in a pool! This workout took 70.25 minutes, longer than Monday but shorter than Saturday. I can feel just about every muscle from my feet to my neck! I'm gonna be a sore old man tomorrow!

20130720 Barefoot and Shirtless Turkish Get Ups with Kettlebell Swings

As my online friend Steve Cooksey often says, I worked out outside, barefoot and shirtless! I've really been off track since 20130710, ten days!

1. Two-legged Glute Activation Raises 1 x 20
2. Flying Dogs 1 x 15 per side
3. Turkish Get Ups
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 5 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 5 lb. dumbbell
• Strong ( right ) Side x 5 x 5 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 5 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 5 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 5 lb. dumbbell
• Weak ( left ) Side x 5 x 5 lb. dumbbell
4. Kettlebell Swings
• Point A 5 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Point B 5 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 5 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 25, 25, (12,8,5) x 32.5 lb t-bar homemade kettlebell
5. Myotatic Crunch 1 x 10 x 5 lb dumbbell
6. The Cat Vomit Exercise 1 x 10

This took a long time, 72.5 minutes. This is my first time working the Turkish Get Ups ( TGUs ) into my routine. You may think using a 5 lb. dumbbell is useless but I've only ever really done this exercise one day before and then without any weight at all. When I got done with the TGUs I was nearly wiped out. I could already feel the soreness in my thighs.

Given how I was already feeling after the TGUs, I decided to scale back my swings. Another reason to scale back was that it had been ten days since I worked out. I was doing pretty good until the third set of swings when I had to adjust my tbar with 13 reps to go. With 5 reps to go I was so winded I put the weight down and took several deep breaths and then knocked out the final 5 reps.

You might ask why my only "strength" exercises are TGUs and Kettlebell Swings? Simple, I read about Gray Cook in The Four Hour Body. 

This ( the Turkish Get Up ) is the movement that Gray used most with Michelle Wie, along with the basic swing. The TGU is an elegant solution that includes nine discrete movements which, in combination, address all of the major muscle groups and planes of movement. Gray underscores why the mainstream usually doesn't see it: "The Turkish get-up and swing just aren't sexy enought for the glossy magazines. Am I actually saying that you can be a world-class athlete and only do TGU and swings for injury prevention? Yes, pretty much."

As usual, the six minute ab routine was tough. I was dripping sweat during the CVEs. I wonder how sore I will be tomorrow!

20130710 Turkish Get Ups and Normal Workout

While I was at work today I started practicing the Turkish Get Up without any weights or kettlebells. It's harder than it looks, a real coordination challenge, plus it requires total body strength and flexibility. I use a program called Workrave to remind me to get up from my desk or if I'm standing to walk away periodically during the day. At least three times today I did TGUs.

I didn't get up and get moving early enough to workout before driving down to the office today. So, once I got home this evening I immediately changed clothes and got my workout in.

1. Two-legged Glute Activation Raises 1 x 20
2. Flying Dogs 1 x 15 per side
3. Kettlebell Swings
• Point A 5 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Point B 5 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 5 x 22.5 lb. t-bar homemade kettlebell
• Swings 32, 33, 30 x 32.5 lb t-bar homemade kettlebell
4. Myotatic Crunch 1 x 10 x 5 lb dumbbell
5. The Cat Vomit Exercise 1 x 10

I got it done in 26.5 minutes. It was pouring down rain so I worked out under the carport. It was nice to feel the cool rain drops blowing on my skin, however it made for some slippery footing. Felt really good afterwards. Took my second cold shower of the day.

Slow carb diet all day. Haven't eaten any grains, cereals, pasta or breads since my Saturday cheat day. Haven't eaten any additional sugar and just a little cheese and fruit, not even two full servings of either.